Messages posted by : Julia Moss
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Thanks.
Turin is really close, just 1 and a half hours transfer. Some friends who took their young family to Claviere (next to Montgenevre) on a package flew into Turin - all went very smoothly. You'll also find that the road into Montgenevre from Italy and the Fréjus tunnel is usually much less prone to being blocked by snow than the Col du Lauterets route from Genoble. |
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Montgenevre is one of our favourite resorts. It has guaranteed snow and for mileage hungry skiers you can access hundreds of kms though if you fancy doing the Milky Way we'd recommend starting from the gondola in Sansicario (15 min drive, free parking)to ensure you can get back OK - we speak from experience!
Nightlife is minimal but the pubs are friendly and most lively early evening. It's not too far to drive down to Briancon for more variety but this is not a party party area and the previous comment about going to the more lively villages in Serre Chevalier may suit you better. See our full review on Montgenevre here http://www.mountainpassions.com/winter_ski/resort_reviews/alps/ski_montgenevre.html |
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We skied Chamrousse this year (Jan 2011) and had a fabulous time. There's much more on offer there than you'd think and is great for families with long blue and red runs and Olympic ladies and mens runs to get your heart racing. It's one of those places where you actually laugh out loud on rollercoaster pistes which you do time and again just for the hell of it.
We stayed in the Domaine de l'Arselle at the far end of the villages which was great and had nearby lift access. The other good place to be would be at Chamrousse 1650 where there is other new self-catering accommodation and a fast gondola straight to the top. See our full review of this great resort at http://www.mountainpassions.com/winter_ski/resort_reviews/alps/ski_chamrousse.html |
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You'll find Brides les Bains is really quick and easy to get to, no long climb up the mountain - you do that on the gondola ride every morning. The gondola takes about 25 minutes to reach Meribel then you have to take more lifts to ski BUT the accommodation in Brides is cheaper and there's a good choice between various hotels, B&B's and self-catering. The village is attractive and has several bars and restaurants though is much quieter than an average ski village. There is a village shuttle bus which takes skiers directly to the gondola but rather than hang around we walked but it's quite a drag uphill (no parking) with all your gear. Coming down, given the right conditions you can ski from Meribel to the lower mid-station at Les Allues before getting into the gondola for the final descent.
As a base, Brides works well and you can access all the 3 valleys from there no problem. Personally I'd rather be up where the action is and avoid the long lift ride at the beginning and end of the day. You can read our full review of Brides les Bains on http://www.mountainpassions.com/winter_ski/resort_reviews/alps/ski_brides_les_bains.htm |
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