J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by andyhull

Totally agree, there are loads of deals out there, particularly for groups.

I took a group of 32 to Meribel-Mottaret in 3V last January.

With all the group discounts, two for one list passes etc this cost £720 pp and included:

Flights (choice of Gatwick or Manchester)
Transfers
Half-Board chalet
Free chalet wine (decent quality)
Full 3V lift pass
Local Tourist Tax

Ski and boot hire £105 extra, skis only £74 extra (most of our group have their own equipment)
Eurostar plus two extra days ski pass £100 extra

All booked through Skiworld who were superb.

This year we're doing St Anton in Jan for £615pp and La Plagne in March for £700pp

What does the brochure say?

The top of the Sarenne gets chopped up after new snow. It can be quite tricky. No trickier than most black runs in those conditions. I've skied the Face in similar conditions and that's harder.
On the other hand it gets pisted regularly and can be cruise top to bottom.

I don't go to the mountains to drink beer. That's not to say we don't go out for a beer after skiing, beer prices don't come into the equation when choosing the resort. There's usually a happy hour and I while I have seen beer at 8 euros, the usual is around 3-4.5 euros even in the mega resorts.
I'd rather drink the free chalet wine, than eurofizz beer in any case.
I find the larger the resort, the more choice there is, you just need to know where the value for money bars and restaurants are.

As I said in the quick review topic, so many great runs in the area, thought I should write a longer piece documenting my favourites.

Starting on the right of the piste map, access Signal De L'Homme via the Scare Chair (Alpauris chair) from Alpe D'Huez, which travels under the altiport runway before dropping down into the valley and up the other side.
Loads of options from here, both on and off piste. Basically there's a whole mountain side to play on, lots of red and blue runs and low risk off piste in-between. Great for mixed groups as it all joins up. More than enough to entertain for a morning before dropping into Auris en Oisans for lunch.
A great black run Col De Cluy runs from the top of Signal De L'Homme, down to join the bottom of the Sarenne. It's a great run, fairly regularly pisted so it's great for a bit of speed or off the edge in the powder.

The other side of Alpe D'Huez is Signal (not to be confused with Signal De L'Homme), a powder playground when it snows, drop over the other side and ski down to Villard Reculas, a number of routes, blue, red, or if you're up for a bit of unpisted black the La Foret run. A fantastic run to test you, well worth going down on the blue first and taking a look at La Foret from the lift, as it pretty much follows the route of the lift and you can plan a route.

The next village across is Oz En Oisans. Again there are a number of routes down, either from the DMC mid station or top station (Troncon 1&2). My favourite follows the reds from the top station, Les Rousses, Bartavelles, Alpette. Simply superb skiing and an amazing view.
The Poutran red from mid station while not quite as good, is also a must do.

Next across is Vaujany, there's a great black run all the way down, take the Chalets blue from the Alpette mid station, cut off left onto La Fare black run. It winds it's way down to the village through the trees. Vaujany is the lowest point in the area (1250m), so watch out for manmade snow, the run is in shade most of the time so conditions tend to be good, but obviously you need to be prepared for poor conditions when it's warm.

On the far left of the piste map is Montfrais, mostly blue runs over there, though there are some interesting off piste bits in-between.

The upper slopes are where it all gets really interesting. The Pic Blanc lift taking you up to 3330m. Worth a ride up to the top just for the view, even if you're not going to ski any of the black runs which it services.
The Sarenne is magnificent, very long and away from the lifts feels like it's in the middle of nowhere. It's not that difficult is normal conditions and is pisted fairly regularly. Only after new snow does the very top get chopped up and a bit tricky for intermediates.
The Tunnel is a bit different. It follows the Sarenne down for a bit then peels off to the right and then through the mountain via a tunnel. You come out on a ledge and have to navigate a tight set of bumps before the run opens out again. Not for the timid, but rewarding once you commit. The bit the run is famous for is a very small part of the run, the rest is fabulous and well worth the adrenalin rush at the top!
Those are the famous black runs, but there are several others all of which are equally worth skiing. Breche, which is an alternate route coming off the Tunnel. Combe Charbonniere served by the Marmottes II lift, long looping back into resort. Balcons and Clocher de Macle also from the Marmottes II lift but travelling in the opposite direction and much shorter.

Alpe D'Huez is the perfect resort for mixed groups, with pistes of all levels of difficulty linking all the various villages giving alternative routes.
There's loads of easy low risk off piste, plenty of challenging stuff requiring a guide too.

Yes, there are several routes down but my favourite starts on the Les Rousses run from the Top of the DMC lift (Troncon 2)
Three quarters of the way down the piste splits, right towards the L'Alpette lift, stay left onto the Bartavelles piste, which eventually joins the Alpette piste down into Oz.
Make sure you stop at the La Grange Alpette restaurant during your stay, it's a superb pizza restaurant, good value too. It's set back on the right on Les Rousses just before the Alpette mid station.
From there you can follow the Chalets blue then the La Fare black down to Vaujany.

Also make sure you ski the Sarenne, it's a fabulous run. Amazing views and feels like the middle of nowhere. A couple of tricky bits at the top (easier than the Face), but then just a lovely long run right down to the valley and a well earned hot chocolate at the restaurant on the right near the bottom.

So many brilliant runs in the area.

With some of the heaviest snowfall ever seen in October I should hope there is!

A little bit on whiteness in St Anton today. 86 days to go.