J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Geoff Smith

tlieng,

Both resorts are extensive, high and reasonably snow sure with magnificent mountain scenery. On the downside both have awful resort architecture, although les Arcs is marginally better in my opinion.

I would opt for Les Arcs as far as the beginners in your group are concrned. I understand that the ski school, there, still teaches the 'ski evolutif' method whereby beginners start on very short skis and progress through the week to longer ones. My sister learned, there, very rapidly and I have talked to several others who swear by the method for fast and enjoyable progress.

Geoff Smith

Slovakia, very good luck to you for your recovery and future snowboarding fun.

I am an ancient skier who spends a good deal of each Winter in the Massif des Grandes Rousses ( Alpe d'Huez and satellite resorts). I find that most boarders and skiers are considerate and efficient and generally ski in control. There is a very small minority of, both, skiers and boarders who don't know the rules of the mountain, ski out of control and who make themselves a nuisance to everybody else. But in my experience they are a very small minority. Long may it remain so.

Geoff Smith

Ise asked " where in the alps are you hiking? "

Our base is Oz-en-Oisans ( a back door to the Massif des Grandes Rousses in the ski season) where we have an apartment. We hike in the Oisans, Belledonne, Vercors and Chartreuse mountains and the Ecrin National Park.

Geoff Smith

Now that I am more or less retired I am lucky enough to do several weeks of skiing each season. I also have enough time to keep reasonably fit by doing the following in the off season months:

1 When at home I cycle for half an hour every day.
2 I do a 10 mile walk once a week.
3 I do about six weekends, per year, mountain hiking in the Lakes or Snowdonia
4 I do two separate weeks mountain hiking in the Alps each Summer.

I find these activities keep me in good enough nick for the ski season. But I very much agree with Ise and 'Admin' that technique is also very important for long days of comfortable skiing.

Geoff Smith

Wel, Ise, I understand what you are saying and having ski-ed in some of your recommended resorts, way back, I can confirm that they take some beating.

Having said that I have to say that the Massif des Grandes Rousses has a fantastic perimetre of mountains and some awesome skiing. The 'off piste' possibilities are superb and the range of pistes, from easy stuff for beginners in the bowl above Alpe d'Huez, to the blacks through the Tunnel and down the Sarenne are in the top league along with other leading Alpine resorts.

France clearly has a problem with having created so many sixty style 'concrete' resorts in that decade. But the French Alpine resorts are now getting their acts together beautifully and making a big effort to face lift the old conrete blocks with timber facades and pitched roofs, including A'd'H and Tignes, and , as a result managing to combine excellent ski areas with much more attractive resorts within which to stay.

I am biassed but I suggest that subscribers would be hard pressed to find better and more extensive ski domains, and easier lift systems ,than in the big French resorts.

Best,

Geoff Smith

Ise wrote,

But, of the 5 you short-listed I'd drop Tignes and Alpe d'Huez immediately if it's your honeymoon unless Bracknell and Basingstoke were also on you honeymoon short-list of course. From a ski point of view they're good bets for snow in April but not very special places to stay.

Dear Marv,
I agree with Ise's comments about Alpe d'Huez as a place to stay. However you can get the best of both worlds by staying at Oz- en- Oisans, Vaujany or Villard Reculas. They are all attractive small resorts within the Massif des Grandes Rousses ski area which is also served by Alpe d'Huez. The snow conditions have been reliable in April in the last few years.

Ryanair fly round the year to Grenoble. It is certainly possible to get buses from there to Vaujany and Oz-en Oisans.

Geoff smith

Hi Marv,

If you want to go to a French resort in April I support the suggestions about choosing a high resort to be sure of decent snow.
For what it is worth I have ski-ed at Alpe d'Huez, Vals Thorens, Les Arcs and Les Deux Alpes in mid April and I have always enjoyed good skiing.
Alpe d'Huez ( or Massif des Grandes Rousses as it is increasingly known as) caters particularly well for skiers of all abilities. It also has the advantage of allowing you to choose between a large lively resort to stay in, i.e. Alpe d'Huez itself, or one of the linked satellite resorts , Oz en Oisans, Villard Reculas or Vaujany. These are small, relatively quiet and attractive villages set among the trees. They all have fast links into the main ski area.

Geoff Smith

There is a helpful and straightforward article on ski fitness on realbuzz.com. You can access it easily via google. Enter 'Are you fit for skiing?' by Mike Searle.

Geoff Smith