Skiing in France ?

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Mon 24 Nov 2003 14:50
Skiing in France ? - arnold2
Driving to the south of France just after Christmas to do some skiing and sightseeing; fun drive in a day, via EuroTunnel !

- anyone got any advice who's been there :

1. Cheap place to stay ! Some of the chalets are mega-expensive, and there's only 2.5 of us... looks like it's cheaper to stay somewhere down the mountains...

2. Got a good route via the web - anyone got any practical experience.



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Mon 24 Nov 2003 15:27
Skiing in France ? - No Do$h
Depends on where you want to go and what you want to get out of it. For a friendly village with about 6 bars and a similar number of restaurants try Les Contamines www.lescontamines.com

Les Contaimines is in the Mont-Blanc evasion area, so if you don\'t want to restrict yourself to ski-ing there, you can take a pass that allows you access to all ski-lifts in the evasion, including Chamonix.

I\'ve been there three years running for skiing and have also been there in the summer for walking and cycling. Despite the relatively low slopes the skiing has been moderate to excellent when many higher resorts had to bus people out to get a day\'s ski-ing. You won\'t see to many Brits there and due to long memories and a little incident with the next village along the valley (St Gervais Les Bain) in the early 1940s you won\'t find any Germans at all. It really is a French resort for the French but with English widely spoken. The Ecole Ski France provide a number of excellent english-speaking instructors and there is a well used ski-school for the little-uns.

We\'ve stayed in a friend\'s apartment on our first visit but have since found a good basic hotel (b&b only but with good rooms) at a place called LeGrizzli www.grizzli.com

Marc & Florence speak good english and the room rate is about £40per night B&B with a double bed and a single bed in the room, an en-suite jacuzzi bath and wc. There are 20 rooms or so. They do ask that your skiing gear is kept downstairs.

If you look on the Les Contamines website you will find links to various other hotels in the village.

Driving from Poole in Dorset I tend to go P&O Dover-Calais. Typically 11 hours door to door but has been done in less. I tend to try and get there on a Friday evening as Saturday lunchtime onwards from Beaune through to the Alps is total carnage on the Autoroutes as everyone heads down for a weekend of ski-ing.

There is really only one route, having tried a few variations.

Calais - Reims - Dijon - Geneva (Annamasse, not Annecy, sorry!) then through to Le Fayet, St Gervais then Les Contamines. E15-E17-E21-E25

A good route planner can be found on viamichelin tinyurl.com/wbrr

Have fun!
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Mon 24 Nov 2003 16:27
Skiing in France ? - arnold2
Great info ! Always helpful when someone's been there before !
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Mon 24 Nov 2003 16:43
Skiing in France ? - CM
A bit off the point but make sure that you pick up some snow chains (if you don't already have them) as sometimes you are not allowed up the mountain without them and sometimes you can't get up the mountain without them. I picked up a set at an autoroute service station for about £30.

Last time I drove down it took me 10 hours out and 7 hours back and that was before the police went mad with speed traps. I was speaking to someone who lives in France and they said that the French police have gone mad and that she went through 3 traps in about a 5 mile stretch of autoroute.

Try and get past Alberville before Friday afternoon or you could be stuck for hours!!
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Mon 24 Nov 2003 18:26
Skiing in France ? - No Do$h
A bit off the point but make sure that you pick
up some snow chains (if you don\'t already have them) as
sometimes you are not allowed up the mountain without them and
sometimes you can\'t get up the mountain without them. I picked
up a set at an autoroute service station for about £30.


Oops, forgot that bit!

Worth checking at www.snowchains.co.uk/ that your car has a \"regular\" chain fitting. Some cars can\'t use chains and have to use cables (lowish profile with sports suspension) and some can\'t even use those. For any Alfa 156 with 16\" or 17\" alloys the only thing you can use is Spikes Spyders at £220!!! Nothing else will clear the suspension arms.

If you find that your car doesn\'t take standard chains you will have no hope of getting anything suitable on the autoroutes. Better to hire in the UK if that is the case, from around £30 for a week, which isn\'t bad for chains that may set you back over £150 to buy.

Last time I drove down it took me 10 hours out
and 7 hours back and that was before the police went
mad with speed traps. I was speaking to someone who lives
in France and they said that the French police have gone
mad and that she went through 3 traps in about a
5 mile stretch of autoroute.

Another valid point. I\'m prepared to risk it with french speed cameras, but not les flics. Get yourself behind an E-class merc and keep them in sight. It seems that it is compulsory to drive all E-class at >100mph in France. If you keep them within sight, say 3/4mile, you see them get pulled and have a chance to slow!
Try and get past Alberville before Friday afternoon or you could
be stuck for hours!!


Ooooh yes indeedy. Happened to us last year. Nightmare. The LeClerc filling station near Bourg-en-Bresse had a 45 minute wait for the pumps!
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Tue 25 Nov 2003 08:15
Skiing in France ? - arnold2
Good point - snow chains ! Yes, VW New Beetle, not v. low profiles so I think standard fit .. will check ! Wonder if the French roads are busy on Boxing Day ??
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Tue 25 Nov 2003 09:08
Skiing in France ? - CM
I have a set for 195/15s but have now changed the car. My wifes car has 195/16s. Will the chains fit on properly?
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Wed 26 Nov 2003 19:20
Skiing in France ? - No Do$h
Depends on the profile of the tyre. 195/60/15 will fit 195/50/16 but that's about it.
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Tue 15 Dec 2015 12:53
Skiing in France ? - JOCL

Just been looking at xxxx for all the travel accessoris that are a legal requirement in France like snow chains and an alcohol breathalyser !

Chamonix (Mont Blanc rigion ) is probablly your best bet for accomondation and choice. New Year will be packed so need to book in advance but then if

you go beginning of January it is all yours !

(Link deleted just in case it's an attempt at an advert - it probably is, but on the other hand would anyone advertising be so stupid as not to check for typos?)

Edited by Avant on 15/12/2015 at 17:35

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Wed 16 Dec 2015 21:25
Skiing in France ? - Smileyman

Went to the Alps December 2010 (remember, the cold winter!)

snowchains in shops everywhere

-15 decicer fluid too

if you can (might be too late now) get a telepeage tag to minimise the motorway toll delays

DO NOT SPEED - first hand experience (different summer trip) of being stopped on motorway for 150kph in 130kph zone, it's an on the spot fine!

Leave the speed camera detector at home or you will be leaving your car in France

I presume you have headlight beam deflectors / GB sticker / spare bulbs / first aid kit & high-viz jacket (ideally one each) under control, I cannot remember if the mini breatherlizers are still a legal requirement or not!

http://www.prix-carburants.gouv.fr/ - fuel is expensive on the motorways

http://www.bison-fute.gouv.fr/index,langen.html - roads and traffic information including mobile app option (mixed English - French)

enjoy!

(edit - just seen thread was commenced back in 2003, unusual to have such an old thread brought back to life, but the comments are valid for any year)

Edited by Smileyman on 16/12/2015 at 21:31

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Thu 17 Dec 2015 00:16
Skiing in France ? - Avant

Having looked at the E-mail address of the poster before you, I can confirm that he was making a feeble, and failed, attempt at a free advert.

But your comments are a very useful reminder so something good has come out of it!

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