 Poster: A snowHead
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Seems like us newbie drivedowns could use such info. Particularly the more expensive places 3V for example, where good tips are welcome. For starters:
1. Grand Massif. Flaine Carroz Morillon and Samoens are all free. (Can't recall Sixt)
Edit after being away from the forum...
Mste useful perhaps, for people who might be away from resort AND the shuttle, so will drive to the lift each day. Shoulda been clearer. CG
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Thu 16-09-21 9:46; edited 2 times in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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For 3V, there was free parking in Le Praz, Meribel Mottaret and Les Menuires.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| rjs wrote: |
| For 3V, there was free parking in Le Praz, Meribel Mottaret and Les Menuires. |
Where in Le Praz? I've never used it but is it the outdoor one on the left as you leave the village towards 1650?
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@Raceplate, Yes, there were also some free spaces on the other side of the road at that point. I parked for free at Aquamotion the last time I skied in Courchevel but I'm guessing it isn't free all winter.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Charliegolf wrote: |
| 3V for example |
All of Courchevel and Meribel are free in summer. Winter's a different matter. Underground car parks are all chargeable and almost all roadside parking has been converted to 45 minute zones in Courchevel or 2 hours pay and display in Meribel centre.
Think the outdoor car park in Meribel Raffort is probably still free. You could dump your car there and take the bubble or bus back to Meribel. Both outdoor car parks in La Tania are still free but the biggest one is half covered in building materials at the moment. I assume they'll clear it for winter but who knows.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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My tip is probably go to the lower satellite stations rather than high or main stations. Not just for free parking mind, there are other reasons I/we find it preferable.
For snow reasons (early season, bad year) we once stayed in Val Claret and had to pay ~70 Euros for a place in outdoor parking. I guess it encourages people to not come by car but for someone who is used to free parking it stuck in my craw a bit. Charging for indoor parking I understand.
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You used to be able to park for free in Meribel itself at Les Ravines but that area looks to have been built on, all the local instructors parked there.
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Pretty much everywhere in Austrian resorts
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@holidayloverxx, It is only a few French resorts that have paid parking.
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There is plenty of free parking in and around La Plagne and the villages. Most of which involve a short walk to the accommodation.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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No offence to @Charliegolf, but do we even need this thread then 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@Layne, outdoors parking requires regular snow clearing. Salting and lots of manual labour trying to negotiate around parked cars to clear away the snow. You tend to notice this if you camp in free parking, as you are woken early in the morning by people with spades hitting the tarmac (the snow clearers are brief interludes between people with spades hacking at the ice)
This labour is not cheap, and neither is running these huge snow clearers around narrow car parking when people do not park in spaces properly.
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@Bigtipper, a snowplough just runs along the through road bit, they don't clear the spaces - IME anyway.
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You know it makes sense.
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Most of small areas around Innsbruck are free, though at Axamer Lizum I think you have to swipe a lift pass in the parking machine for a free ticket now. The other ones that charge (Patscherkofel and Nordkette) are easy to reach on the free bus and free for seasonaires anyway.
Ischgl was €7/day last time I went, but I don’t mind that because they have lots of obvious and easy access car parking. St Anton is always a nightmare and they had reduced the number of (paid) spaces available. If anyone has any good tips for a day’s parking in St Anton, I’m interested.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| rjs wrote: |
| You used to be able to park for free in Meribel itself at Les Ravines but that area looks to have been built on, all the local instructors parked there. |
There's still a free section at the top of the lane which accesses the summer walking paths but it's an unmade road and probably pretty agricultural in the winter (and a fair walk to the slopes). The original Ravines coach and car park is now a paid underground car park with the new 5* MGM residences on top.
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Poster: A snowHead
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There's a small free car park by the roadside just before you enter Arc 1800. You get a couple of hours free parking in the resort to drop of your luggage, then you can drive to the free car park and 15 minute walk back to the resort.
In the resort itself, covered and outdoor parking has been chargeable for a few years, about 85 Euros for a week of covered parking IIRC, but you can avoid this charge by staying in accommodation which has it's own parking. My apartment block has its own underground garage, so resort parking charges do not apply. Might be worth asking about free parking if considering a stay in Les Arcs, as some places will have it, others won't.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Plenty of free parking in Serre Chevalier, there are a couple of paid ones in Chantemerle and Briancon, but up here in Monetier it is free, but often busy at peak times. We have a parking space for our apartment, just 200m from lifts, there is no charge, but it isn't underground.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Layne wrote: |
| @Bigtipper, a snowplough just runs along the through road bit, they don't clear the spaces - IME anyway. |
In a big car park, yes but in small roadside ones with one row of spaces they usually clear the whole lot, at least in Meribel. You need to be careful.
In Meribel there is a free car park about 100m past the first buildings as you enter the main resort (Meribel Mussillon area, strictly speaking). Holds about 15 cars in one line. There are 3 or 4 others holding 8-20 cars towards the very top of Meribel. When they do snow clearing, they put a sign out around 4pm giving around 36 hours notice that they will be clearing it the morning after next. If you miss the sign and don't move your car, they drag it down the valley lifting the front wheels only; handbrake on, still in gear - they don't care. Enjoy your flatspotted tyres and potentially wrecked rear diff if you've got permanent all wheel drive!
Assuming that is, that you can find out where they dumped it in the first place which will involve a visit to the Gendarmerie and dealing with most likely a very uncooperative pretend copper (Police Municipale). It's going back a few years but I know of one British seasonaire who kept leaving his car in places where he got ticketed for parking but never paid the fines because he knew they couldn't trace his British registration. So the Police Municipale towed it away and flatly refused to tell him where it was. Took him about 6 weeks to find it...
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Raceplate wrote: |
| There are 3 or 4 others holding 8-20 cars towards the very top of Meribel. When they do snow clearing, they put a sign out around 4pm giving around 36 hours notice that they will be clearing it the morning after next. If you miss the sign and don't move your car, they drag it down the valley lifting the front wheels only; handbrake on, still in gear - they don't care. Enjoy your flatspotted tyres and potentially wrecked rear diff if you've got permanent all wheel drive! |
That's pretty poo-poo on their part tbh. I mean I've been known not to go back to my car all week. I assume the parking is unlimited time?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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How outside car parks are cleared varies depending on the season and altitude. (also whether or not they are free)
Early season/pre season the car parks will be mostly empty except places like Val Claret car park where there will be lots of regular clearing and ice removal with shovels (it is paid for parking)
The free car parking at Tignes les Boisses was cleared as and when a big dump came. It generally was compacted snow. Empty spaces were cleared using snow clearers. I used to move my van into a cleared space, so that the snow clearer could clear the other rows.
In main season the car parks are mostly full, and so any snow clearing with shovels in the free car parks are generally car owners trying to get their car out.
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| Layne wrote: |
| I mean I've been known not to go back to my car all week. |
And that's exactly the point if you're using free car parks (at least round here). It's not an issue if there's no snow but in peak season you need to keep an almost daily check on your car. I lived almost next door to that car park in Meribel; I've seen plenty of cars towed away. I've also seen a fair bit of hit and run damage in snow covered car parks and plenty of petty theft - particularly wiper blades.
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@Raceplate, personally I've never had an issue with any of that.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Thread title amended for clarity. I'm really talking about when the accom is away from resort centres, and away from shuttles. We were outside Morillon last time, and the walk to the shuttle was about 800m. That's a step in boots and with skis, so we drove in daily which was easy. Hence the thread...
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Le Chable is free for Verbier access. Even in Verbier the sports centre parking is free for 24hrs.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Meribel village car park was free last time we were there
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@BobinCH, le Chable is good as you are right next to the lift and the car park usually clears after the lift closes. You stand out if you park there overnight.
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For Chatel both Linga and Pre La Joux have large free car parks close to the lifts. Pre La Joux also has an overflow car park if you are late out of bed on a holiday week but it is a (short, 200m-ish) walk up to the lift.
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You know it makes sense.
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| rjs wrote: |
| For 3V, there was free parking in Le Praz, Meribel Mottaret and Les Menuires. |
There's also free parking at the lift in St Martin and in P4 Car Park (near the bottom of Cairn/Cimes de Caron lifts) in Val Thorens, though the latter is for day-parking only.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Big free Parking in Les Gets right next to lift as you come into the village from the Taninges sides. Aslo, Ardent near Morzine plus the parking in Chatel is free at the lifts as wel.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Thanks for the lift tips, keep em coming.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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P4 at Val Thorens is free for daytime parking (there's a charge if you stay overnight) and there is a lift departing from there (Cairn / Caron bubble)
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Ricky B wrote: |
| P4 at Val Thorens is free for daytime parking (there's a charge if you stay overnight) and there is a lift departing from there (Cairn / Caron bubble) |
https://valthorensguide.com/parking.html
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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To make this thread more useful can people add any intel on height restrictions for those contemplating vans, roofboxes etc - not necessarilly overnight camping, that's a separate subject.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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3V-Free parking at St Martin de Belleville-big main car park across the road from Gondola, and also some parking on the main road by the skier's tunnel just above the main lift (just remember, it's quite a hike back up to the car should you go through the tunnel and have an end of day beer!)
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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If you’re skiing the Pleney side of Morzine I’m pretty sure the car park at the Nyon gondola is free so you can avoid paying for parking in central Morzine.
And Ardent as previously mentioned has a pretty big free car park and fast access to Lindarets.
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| Quote: |
| For snow reasons (early season, bad year) we once stayed in Val Claret and had to pay ~70 Euros for a place in outdoor parking |
At Tignes, there's some limited free parking at Les Boisses/1800. It's an outdoor car park, with space for maybe 20 or 30(?) cars. Easy access (on skis) to the Les Boisses gondola.
Alternatively, there's a big free outdoor car park at Tignes Les Brevieres, right next to the gondola. There are also free roadside spaces on the main road out of Les Brev (ie back towards Bourg St Maurice).
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| Quote: |
| Early season/pre season the car parks will be mostly empty except places like Val Claret car park where there will be lots of regular clearing and ice removal with shovels (it is paid for parking) |
The main outdoor car park in Val Claret has disappeared under a huge new Club Med development, which is ongoing. Not sure how much (if any) of the car park will be functional this winter - though I understand that there's a plan to eventually build a new underground/multi-storey car park near to the Val Claret roundabout.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@mountainaddict, how's that going to work then - as I understand the rest of Val Claret is a no parking area and the indoor car parks are nowhere enough
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| Quote: |
| how's that going to work then - as I understand the rest of Val Claret is a no parking area and the indoor car parks are nowhere enough |
Beats me
Layne...  Maybe someone on the ground in the resort, like Chocsaway, may be able to shed some light on next season's parking arrangements.
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FAQ
