J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Geoff Smith

Hi Babyrose,

I cannot help you with La Plagne but I have stayed at Les Arcs 1800 and ski-ed the whole of the Les Arcs area. I can vouch for a beautiful mountain region with lots of tree line skiing. Immediately above Les Arcs 1800 there are several nursery slopes. So it is a good resort for beginners. I believe that the ski school still teaches the 'ski evolutif' method whereby you start on very short skis and progress to longer skis as the week goes by. My sister learned very quickly and easily with this method.

The downsides for us were dreary architecture in the three Les Arcs resorts and poor mountain restaurants. But the skiing, which is the main thing , was great.

Will there be snow? There is no 100% guarantee but for what it is worth we have ski-ed in the French Alps in a resort located at 1800 metres, in December for the last six years. Conditions have varied but we have always had pretty good skiing.

I understand that La Plagne and Les Arcs are now linked up.

Hope this helps.

Geoff Smith

Hi Sinorton,

In my opinion the benefit from consulting well researched guidebooks is that you have detailed information available on most of the main resorts. This includes snow records ;heights of resorts; extent of skiing areas; quality of pistes for beginners; quality of ski schools; facilities for families; prices of ski passes; costs of renting equipment and much more.

It just seems to me that with such a wealth of well presented comparative information it is much easier for newcomers to skiing to make sound judgements on which resorts in which countries might suit their needs best. Having identified some possibilities I can then see great value in using a chat line to ask questions and check out points about a shortlist of resorts with skiers who have experience of them.

Generalisations about ski resorts in Austria and France seem surprising to me given that in both countries there is a wide range of different types of ski resorts to satisfy different needs.

I'm afraid that I was brought up to value well researched evidence above anecdotal opinion.


Geoff Smith

Hi Babyrose,

I would be careful about responding to one or two individual preferences (or prejudices). Ski resorts throughout the Alps have their pros and cons. If you want to get some objective information about ski resorts consult a copy of The Good Skiing and Snowboarding Guide by Peter and Felice Harding or Where to Ski by Chris Gill and Dave Watts. Alternatively you could look at their websites.

I have ski-ed in several Austrian and French resorts with and without a young family.We have enjoyed them all.

One thing I would say. If you are set on going at Christmas choose a high resort.The snow is often not too good so early in the season in the lower resorts. You will find full details in the guides mentioned above.

Hope this helps.

Geoff Smith

My understanding is the same as 'I love skiing'. It is definitely a daft idea to use your own skis on dry slopes.

Geoff Smith

I found Pavelski's contribution on ski safety very much to the point. However I was surprised by his statement that" the famous and well known rule that the person in the upper section of the hill is responsible to avoid others is no longer valid" . Surely it remains true that the skiers in front have priority? It is not the whole story of course. The rule has to be used in conjuntion with others- notably :
1 when stationary stay at the side of the piste, and
2 don't move off without checking up the slope and waiting for near skiers to go by first.

Geoff Smith

StraightlineLyle,

You can keep up to date, on a daily basis, with snow depths at Alpe d'Huez on www.alpedhuez.com. There is plenty of skiing and boarding available and significant new snowfalls are imminent. I am sure that you will have no problems on the 10th March. I will be there at the same time.

Geoff Smith

Yes, normally excellent in the high resorts such as Tignes, Val d'Isere, La Plagne, Les Arcs, Trois Vallees, Deux Alpes and Alpe d'Huez. See my reply to mog123 about Alpe d'Huez. Snow there is usually excellent in March.

Geoff Smith

Hi Ian,
I know Alpe d'Huez very well and I like it a lot. So I have a bias.

It is an excellent resort for mixed skiers. There is a bowl of easy greens immediately above the resort and some excellent blacks and reds for more experienced skiers. Glacier skiing is good. You can drop from 3300 t0 1100 metres on pistes without taking lifts. Also the Sarenne (16 kilometres( is the longest black in the Alps. There is very good off piste but best undertaken with a guide.

Alpe d'Huez is part of the Massif des Grandes Rousses. There are six resorts all linked by 280 kilometres of pistes. The best apres ski for young people is in Alpe d'Huez itself although it is not as an attractive development as the other satellites.

I can't help you with the prices but there is masses of information on accommodation etc on www.alpedhuez.com. There are also links to the satellite resorts and villages.

Good luck.

Geoff Smith