J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Julia Moss

Look at Les Gets, part of the Portes du Soleil ski area and quite easy to access for a short break. http://www.lesgets.com/ The beginners area is mid-mountain with wide open pistes and a sunny aspect. There's extensive intermediate territory higher up and towards Morzine. The village is traditional with lots of bars and restaurants. There are some hotels just a few steps away from the piste - we stayed in the Chalet Hotel Marmotte, overlooking the front de neige http://www.hotel-marmotte.com which I would recommend.

You could check out Montgenevre. I remember seeing a big van park there.

Tony_H wrote:A box of pasta????

Yes, popular throughout France is the takeaway pasta in a large carton with a fold down top to keep it warm. You choose what type of pasta and which sauce - great for vegetarians. Quite large portions and it keeps hot too.
Also seen this trip was the backpack picnic - the Eterlou pasta bar in La Norma and the Kosa Kruta sandwich bar in Valloire are now offering to pack a backpack with meals, a thermos flask, something to sit on and a bag to put your litter in. Just return the backpack later that day. :-)

On our recent trip to the Alps we experienced some of the most expensive drinks anywhere at La Plagne where a cup of tea or a hot chocolate was around €3.70 :thumbdown:
The cheapest on-mountain coffee ever was €1 in La Norma at the Eterlou Pasta Bar where you could get a box of good pasta, a soft drink and a dessert for €7.50. :)

Great review Smartski.
We were in La Plagne at the beginning of February and although the Glacier was closed for the week due to heavy snowfall and wind we didn't really ski the same pistes twice except to get back to our hotel in Plagne-Soleil. Yes, the long Mont Blanc blue is great and it's a similar situation going down to Montalbert where you can stick to the gentle blues or duck in and out of the red pistes as you wish. We found the tree-lined pistes below La Plagne super for times when it was snowing heavily and visibility was low.
We had to wait until our last day to go over to Champagny when we had perfect sunny day and powder snow to ski the red graded piste Mont de la Guerre from the top of the Verdons Nord lift. It's a must for that away from it all feeling and one of our favourite runs of the week.

Aplews wrote:Staying at la reine de pres the mgm apartments....not worried about it being quiet on an evening....

We've stayed there, it's lovely. You can walk to the main lift easily but if you don't like walking in ski boots then take some shoes 'cos it's further than you think. Can recommend the restaurant Maison de Fifine next door!

I've tried to find this out too and it seems the BBC want to keep this a secret! I think Ed Leigh mentioned something on Twitter a while back but I can't find it. It's terrible that there's hardly anything on mainstream TV about such a popular sport.

If you're only going for a few days why not think about a ski-in ski-out destination like Avoriaz and save loads of time catching buses and cable cars to get on the slopes. Alternatively look at Le Grand Bornand or La Clusaz both having plenty of mileage and varied terrain which should keep both of you entertained for a few days. La Clusaz has a choice of hotel accommodation in the town centre so you can walk to bars and restaurants and the lifts.I'd recommend Alpen Roc where you might get a deal but there are others.
Not too far from Chamonix try Saint Gervais with direct access via cable car onto the slopes and linking into Megeve. There's some great intermediate skiing and off-piste opportunities here.
Wherever you go have a great time!