J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by smartski

Staying in Champagny you'll be at the opposite side of the resort from the Les Arcs link (Vanoise Express)! That said it's not complicated to get over.

......Most direct would be up the bubble from Champagny, +Borseliers, +Rossa, +Quillis...ski into Bellecote..+Arpette...then long downhill all the way from there to the crossing. But poss. 1-2 hours?? (could be more, obvs depending how busy lifts are and how fast you ski)

Beside, if you buy a six day pass this year I think they are giving FREE 1-day access to the other side anyway (check!). So you can take advantage of that and give it a go.

(BTW cable car is the only practical way over, public transport/driving is out of the question.)

Personally I don't bother with the whole Paradiski area pass when skiing with the family, happy enough for 6 days on the La Plagne side, but that's personal of course. A fast group might make more of the link. The link is perfect if you stay in Montchavin.

Take a look at the number of runs available - the La Plagne pass covers everything as far as the Vanoise Express lift...so includes right down to Montchavin/Les Coches*, up to the Glacier, all the middle parts of Plagne (inc Belle, Bellecote, Centre, 1800, Soleil), Montalbert* and Champangny*. (* lower villages struggling for snow at the moment looking at webcams).

Skied La Plagne 5+ times and Tignes/VDI 3 times. La Plagne wins for me hands down, (even without Les Arcs).

No complaint with Tignes per se, but I enjoy the layout of La Plagne more. I find the variety of runs better in La Plagne too, but that contradicts others' thoughts. So Swap for the sake of a change if you want, but not if it's just based on conditions now.

However, if glaciers are thrown into the mix, then I've read La Plagne's glacier is being left completely ungroomed this season, so is now only for the experienced. Good or bad remains to be seen in Feb.

Huwcyn wrote:We always go on half-term to Seefeld, and it was definitely quieter this year than all past three.

Interesting direct comparison. Eurozone struggling??

I think comments on newer faster lifts also must help. La Plagne have the replacement Collosses lift open this year.

Huwcyn wrote:BTW Enjoyed what I managed to watch of your video.

:thumbup:

michaeldawkes wrote:Loading an 8-seater could be fun. 8 people charging forward, shuffling into line and a novice gets it wrong, all fall down.

Surely it will have a 'moving carpet' for loading... no charging forward or shuffling, just stand there.

Good point Birdymiller. I think this year there were two French regions (including Paris) coinciding with UK. No idea about Belgians or Germans (although for sure there were stacks of Belgians 'tanking' down the outside lane of the autoroute in some really large & flash cars).

I'd been avoiding half-term skiing for the last few years due to the stories I used to hear of crowds and queues...but as the kids have got older the time came this year.

What had I been worrying about? - yes there were noticeably greater numbers at the main lift stations with 5-15 minute queues at these ...but nothing like I had been imagining. Once away from the main intersections there were no lift queues and we had plenty of slopes to all to ourselves.

Was this
> A quiet year?
> Simply the size & lift system at La Plagne (where we were) handles numbers really well?
> Or is that the norm and the stories were unfounded.

Most of this video will give you an idea how quiet the slopes were....recorded 15th-20th Feb 2015

(excuse the length, you don't need to watch it all to see my point).

catford wrote:BMW 320D

Grrrrr. there were a couple of those blocking my path...they were just spinning going nowhere. So good choice fitting the Dunlops to yours. :thumbup:

smartski wrote:

Winter Tyres - Watch This - Buy Some!

Yes Sir :!:

Ordered a set of Dunlop SP-Winter-Sport-4D today. Due to be delivered in 6 days.

Well I have now travelled and can say that buying winter tyres was the best tip I've been given in a long time!

With heavy traffic to/from the alps at the weekend, we left La Plagne in dry conditions and came down the mountain. The motorways towards Lyon were grid-locked and so I took a gamble taking the D1504 out of Chambery (toward Dijon)...which is when the snow came down.

The winter tyres performed as if there were no snow or ice at all...and I didn't even contemplate needing to put on the snow chains.

However the majority of other cars on the road were hopeless. :roll:

More than a third of the French cars put on their chains before the road was even starting to cover, and left them on well after the roads were cleared (and many English copied them)....this meant travelling at 15/20mph for hours! There was snapped chain debris all over the place.

Another third of the French cars clearly had neither chains nor snow tyres and were slipping & sliding up & down hills through the thick snow and eventually brought roads to a stand-still.

All-in-all it took 7 hours to do about 100miles :shock:

So the only downside of winter tyres is that you still get stuck behind any numpty that hasn't bothered.....compulsory winter tyres would win my vote...everyone would have trundled along nicely. - Go Buy Some!