J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by jonG

:Dhi Iceman,
sorry to hear of the slight downside of the restaurant prices you found,i have spent the last 10 years skiing in the tarentaise area and have owned an apartment there since 2003,so fortunately i have been able to take more time in finding or have been reccommended by others places to eat that a lot of people who may only be in the area for a week or two do not get the chance to try. As you rightly say about the steeper prices in places such as Val & Tignes,these can be high( i can remember when the franc was still in use and buying five large beers when the exchange rate was not good and spending the best part of £26 in Val,also the euro is not great at the minute either which does not help i am afraid).

If you decide to visit the area again please do not hesitate to contact me via my website and i will be happy to reccommend some restaurants etc.

many regards
jon.

:Dhi,
Ste.Foy is delightfull little ski area with pisted runs totaling around 25km,with excellent off-piste (although it is imperative to use a guide when skiing off piste,the immediate off piste down lower is not too difficult with the right equipment and knowledge,but as soon as you venture up higher a guide is essential as avalanches and fatalities do happen)after all ths is where the guides from tignes and val d'isere go on thier days off,also they take thier clients here aswell.

The ski area has only been developed over the last 10 - 13 years or so,and has become one of the worst kept secrets in the alps due to media coverage,on the slopes there are two main restauarants at the mid section with the restaurant Leon being the best and bookings for lunch are advisable,at the bottom of the pistes is a great restaurant also which serves fantastic local cuisine.

At bottom there are a few bars serving the accommadation and chalets,a good one is Chez allison run by english couple allison & mark.Further down the road in the village of ste-foy-tarentaise is the hotel la monal which is very lively and sometimes has a live band playing.

From ste.foy there are several ski resorts within 20 -25 minutes drive being val d'isere & tignes,la rosiere (which is linked to la thuile in italy),les arcs arcs & la plagne and about 3/4 - 1 hour further down the road and reached via moutiers is the three valeys resorts aswell.The quickest way to reach the les arcs ski area from ste.foy(ski station) is to take the road from the ski station down to the main valley ,turn right and go towards ste-foy-tarentaise,when you reach ste-foy-tarentaise there is a sharp left which is sign posted Villaroger/Le Pre,take this road past the ste-foy cemetary and follow it t villaroger,carry on through the village square and out the otherside,you will then come to a junction which caies on round to the left or goes straight over and is posted La Ferme/ Le Pre Derniere,follow these signes (most of these are hand made)and the road will take you to a large car park at the back of Le pre,the chairlift is about 100 metres from the car park and from the ste-foy ski station should only take around 10 - 15 minutes,the other alternaive is to drive all the way down to the funiular station in bourg-st-maurice.

For good places to eat in the area,La Ferme in Le Pre owned by michelle and his family serves excellent local cuisine(bookings advisable),The Auberge du Montagne on the main road between La Thuile(not the one liked with La Rosiere but a small village located on the main road at the junction which takes you p to the ski station of ste,foy) and ste-foy-tarentaise,below ste-foy-tarentaise on the road to Bourg-saint-maurice is the Auberge Le Perce Neige in the village of Viclaire (about 10 - 15 minutes away) and in Bourg-saint-maurice itself is the Hostellerie de Petite Saint Bernard ,La Refuge Alt.810 , La Savoyard (all will require booking).

A three course meal with wine followed by cheeseboard/biscuits with coffee,brandies,whiskey or genepi to finish can be had for between 12euro's to 25euro's per head,in fact i cannot think of anywhere in the area you will not have a good meal (although do beware as the local police are clamping down on drink driving a lot more on friday evenings and saturdays ,mainly due to local workmen having a few swifties on the way home after work).

hope some of this is helpfull and wish you all the best for you're trip.
jon.

:Dhi,
with response to Admins reply regarding the "Europcar" office in Bourg-saint-maurice,it is located on the main road through BSM opposite the cinema ,near the top ofthe Rue de Montrigon.

If booking with Europcar,you may want to try Autoeurope 0800 169 9797,as they deal with Europcar but can be better for prices.

many regards
jon.

:Dhi,
for a listof companies offering transfers to and from Grenoble airport and thier contact details here is a link (hopefully i have done it correctly) http://www.grenoble-airport.com/-On-demand-transfer-.html .
Fail in that if you go to the Grenoble airport homepage on the left hand side you will see a tab -access,parking & transfers ,then scheuled coach transfers or on demand trasfers,by clicking on one of these you will get alist of the transfer companies and the contact details etc.

hope this helps
jon.

hi again :D,
here are some places you could try for lessons,
Ecole de Ski Privilige, Tel:+33 (0)4 79 07 23 38 ,Fax:+33(0)4 79 07 68 31 ,email-contact@ecoledeskiprivilige.com ,www.ecoledeskiprivilige.com .

Ecole de Ski Internationale Arc Adventures ,Tel:+33(0)4 79 07 60 00 ,Fax:+33(0)4 79 07 73 27 ,email-esilesarcs@wanadoo.fr ,www.arc-adventure.com .

Or there are two private instructors i have found-Fabrice Berier ,Tel:+33(0)6 14 35 55 67 ,email-bernier.fabrice@wanadoo.fr ,www.mountianriverhigh.fr and Jean-yves Perry ,Tel:+33(0)6 22 12 07 08 ,jean-yves.perry@wanadoo.fr .

As for places to eat in Les Arcs 1800,i normally donot eat here,but have had alook in an old "where to ski and snowboard book" and reccommended places are Le petite Zinc in the Hotel du Golf (but says the prices are a little high) ,the others being The Gargantus in 1800 ,Marmite and L'Equipage (specialise in savoyard dishes) ,Casa Mia or pizza and pasta ,and also recommends Le Grenier in 1800 for good food at modest prices.

Again i hope the info smoothes you're way and wish you an enjoyable,safe and fun holiday :D
many regards
jon.

:Dhi
welcome to the forum,i think whether you ski or board you will have a great time either way,also don't forget to savour the mountain atmospere and local cuisine.
many regards
jonG.

:Dhi for great authentic savoyard cuisine the following are all excellent - Le Belliou fumee (located next to the carpark in Pre-St-esprit below Arc 1950 , The restaurant Le Ferme in the village of Le Pre (located at the very bottom of the Aiguille Rouge (snow conditions permitting),L'Ancolie near vallandry ,down in Bourg-saint-maurice - Le Hostillerie-de-Petite-Saint-Bernard , Le Refuge Alt.810 ,Le Savoyard ,Ski Roc(excellent burgers,freshly made pizzas etc) ,in Viclaire on the road between Seez and Ste-Foy-Tarentaise is the Auberge Le Perce Neige.

All these places will serve an excellent three course meal followed by cheese board/biscuits, coffee ,and a digestive (whiskey,brandy,genepi etc) for between £12 and £25 per head.

hope this is of help
many regards
jon.

:Dhi,
you can purchase a ticket just for the funicular,at the bottom in bourg the ticket/lift pass office is right next to the funicular you can purchase a ticket there,at the top of the funicular in 1600,as you enter the platform for the funicular there is a set of turnstyles you can purchase a ticket there also,the cost is i think 4euros each way.

many regards
jon.