Skiing in Les Sybelles/Le Corbier

yani2k8 wrote:Kinda sucks that there are no actual pistes in Bride les Bain itself but I suppose you get what you pay for.

We'll be very cautious as the last thing we want is to be lost in the mountains at night. We plan on getting up very early each morning to get as much skiing done as possible and get back to Brides before it gets dark.

8)

Your skiing day will be tied to the times that the lift company runs the Gondola. Make sure you don't miss the last ride down )

Just one more thing. Am I better off withdrawing cash from the local cash machines at the resort, or should I get some euros whilst still in the UK?

My bank doesn't charge me for cash withdrawals abroad so I think that would be a better option.

yani2k8 wrote:Just one more thing. Am I better off withdrawing cash from the local cash machines at the resort, or should I get some euros whilst still in the UK?

My bank doesn't charge me for cash withdrawals abroad so I think that would be a better option.

I'm pretty sure your bank will be charging you for withdrawals, but not in an obvious way. When I bought my lift passes on the internet I checked the Visa rate at the time which was 1.18 euros to the pound and then afterwards I checked the rate I actually got with my Lloyds Visa debit card and it was only 1.14 plus they charged me £1 transaction fee as well. Santander later swiped even more of my cash for a Visa euro transaction with an even worse currency exchange rate!

The Brides-Les Bains/Meribel lift shuts at 5-30 p.m at this time of year, but the piste map doesn't say at what time it opens.

Navigating around a vast area like the 3V's isn't exactly easy. I made several 'wrong turns' just going around the Courchevel area. There are lifts and pistes in all directions. But if you want to know where you are, just read what it says at the bottom of the lift - they are all named. Whereas the pistes I was on seemed to be numbered but named on the map, and some of the signposts were quite misleading (although still much better than those in the other resorts I've been in).

And if it gets really foggy you will find you can be lost within a few yards of your own apartment/chalet, never mind out on the mountain somewhere!

If the OP has really only done one week of ski-ing so far I would have thought there'd be plenty of pistes to satisfy him just in the Meribel valley - and the lift pass would be cheaper as well.

Ally