 Poster: A snowHead
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@wills_h, Arc Adventures, probably.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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A friend stayed with us last season with their 6 and 9 year olds. They used Arc Adventure and had the same issue though the instructors spoke english. They did find out that after a couple of days, some of the other kids had a bit of english, their learned the usual greetings etc and they all got along as kids do
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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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@wills_h, As Easter is early this year (March 31st) and school holidays don't start until April 6th then the liklehood of French children being in the class is quite low.
When skiing at Easter, even when Easter overlaps with school holidays, i've found many of the childen I've had to escort on lifts are in fact English.
So I am not sure you will have a problem with being the only English child in the class.
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@wills_h, yes the funi is free again this winter with a train ticket. OTOH, its only ~ €3 one way these days so...
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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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Just looking at resort options for March 2024... we stayed in LA1800 (Eden Arc) as a group of 6 in 2022 and struggled a bit with the town re. apres / eating out (loved the skiing though). It is these aspects that are putting us off going back for '24.
Really struggled to find any restaurant that could fit us in, one night we had to wait 2.5 hours for a takeaway pizza (collection) and any remaining bars post BKM / Red Hot etc. seemed quite 'flat'. Couple these things with the timing / prospects for getting back to Eden Arc and its a bit of an uphill struggle to convince the group its worth giving LA another shot. We don't need loads of banging bars / clubs etc. at our age - just some sort of nightlife and prospect of being able to dine out on some of the nights.
Just wondering what the view is - did we just drop on things wrong (we went first week after French school hols. so really didn't anticipate not being able to eat out) or has the Folie and CV-19 changed the resort for ever?
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@JP Wolf, It's been decades since I've stayed in 1800, certainly well before Edenarc was built (probably mid 80's) so cannot cooment on what it's like now. We've stayed in 1600 for the last 20years. Once upon a time we would go to 1800 on the bus for a night out and walk back in the moonlight, a truely lovely walk along the Gollet piste, but cannot be bothered with that any more.
In 1600 for a party of 6 we'd book a restaurant either after skiing or the day before and with the exception of New Year's eve never had a problem. Just call in and book.
Nightlife has become much quieter in recent years, especially upto 22:00 when the bars that are open can get busy. I blame the fact that live music is now only occaisonal in the Abrevoir.
Judging by the noise from open apartment windows I think that people tend to party in their own apartments these days, saving money.
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| JP Wolf wrote: |
Just looking at resort options for March 2024... we stayed in LA1800 (Eden Arc) as a group of 6 in 2022 and struggled a bit with the town re. apres / eating out (loved the skiing though). It is these aspects that are putting us off going back for '24.
Really struggled to find any restaurant that could fit us in, one night we had to wait 2.5 hours for a takeaway pizza (collection) and any remaining bars post BKM / Red Hot etc. seemed quite 'flat'. Couple these things with the timing / prospects for getting back to Eden Arc and its a bit of an uphill struggle to convince the group its worth giving LA another shot. We don't need loads of banging bars / clubs etc. at our age - just some sort of nightlife and prospect of being able to dine out on some of the nights.
Just wondering what the view is - did we just drop on things wrong (we went first week after French school hols. so really didn't anticipate not being able to eat out) or has the Folie and CV-19 changed the resort for ever? |
book your restaurants in advance?!
I go every year to 1800 and have never not got a table by emailing the restaurants and booking my 7 nights out in advance.
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Thanks @macker13 and @johnE - worked out to try to pre-book after a couple of fails and still got knocked back. Sent the Mrs to try - same responses (non) and our 'best' French speaker got the same treatment too. The big restaurant up at Eden Arc turned us away when we could see half the tables were empty at around 7 - 7:30pm (no effort to shuffle anything around - a straight no). Maybe we would simply need to be more organised as you say - booking well ahead instead of on the day / day ahead. A lot of places just didn't seem to be very welcoming / have the capacity to support a group of 6. If not a lot will have changed in terms of restos + bars between March 22 and March 24 then I think we'll be looking beyond a return to LA1800 - despite the good skiing and cheap pitchers at FD.
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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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@JP Wolf, gotta say, even for France, that seems a bit odd.
I rarely eat in ski resorts but I wouldn't have expected to have to book in advance in non peak weeks.
I don't go to bars much either but when I have the ambience has been good but may be post Covid and with cost of living...
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@JP Wolf, We are in Les Arc 1800 nearly all the season and for some weeks we will be a group of 8.
If its 2 of us and outside of school hols, we will walk into places. If there are 8 of us then we will always book a couple of days in advance and possibly more than a week if its school hols
The Follie doesnt open late but the bars in the main village do. BKM and Redhot are long gone but the other bars in the main village will be busy but if people are skiing all day, out for a meal, then yes it will be a bit later.
Anyone who stays at Edenarc is at the mercy of being able to get back up when they want to do it. Why not try staying somewhere in the village ?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I'm breaking my own rules here in never getting excited about snow in the resort before December, but the livecams are showing snow as low as Arc 1800 
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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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I always view this thread and the webcams as crack - once I use it, I cant go back
I do like to see people walking around in the villages when its winter or summer but still out of season and everything is shut
I've been there and done that and it was very 'quiet before the storm' weird at time
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You know it makes sense.
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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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| Arctic Roll wrote: |
| .... it does appear very snowy up in the 2000 villages! |
Forecast is for at least that much again over the next week, starting on Thursday as the next front moves through. If the temperature stays at average or below for the next three weeks or so I’d guess that’s putting down a decent base above 2000m, and maybe lower. Not that I’m excited or anything like that, but I have started to pack for my December trip…
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Posting to mark thread for me.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@rob@rar, Ha, thanks. Shame the article focused more on Brexit than anything else. And a v. misleading headline!
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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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| timlongs wrote: |
| @rob@rar, Ha, thanks. Shame the article focused more on Brexit than anything else. And a v. misleading headline! |
Subeditors, eh!?
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Hi all, I just came across a what looks to be a super good last minute deal on Crystal Ski for les Arcs 1800 for Dec 16-23rd. We ( 2 adults and 3 children under 9) stayed in 1950 a couple of years ago and adored it. Would anyone recommend 1800 for a family? Has anyone stayed in LE BELMONT APARTMENTS? The deal works out to be about 1600 eur for the week (including flights+transfers+accomodation), so it seems almost too good to be true. Just wondering if there's anything I should know about either the resort or accomodation....
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Hi skifamily. I’ve stayed there a couple of times in recent years. The rooms are functional rather than charming but were perfectly OK (pretty standard old school French apartments).
1800 itself is also functional rather than charming, but plenty of shops and restaurants.
Location is great for accessing 2000 bowl and Peisy sectors as it’s right on the transarc lift.
Not too far from the resort centre which has a good big Sherpa store but there are a couple of flights of stairs. There’s a little deli and bakery 2 mins away in the next set of buildings along. Handy for fresh bread in the morning.
One thing to watch out for is that it’s not as ski-in and out as it makes out. Ski out is fine down a zig zag straight to transarc, but coming home means a sometimes tricky narrow little chute through some trees - it’s not directly on a piste and it can be patchy, icy or bumpy. It’s not far - you could kick off skis and walk it. There is a fenced off nursery area that you can cut through instead which is super easy, but obviously you can only do that after it closes for the day. The alternative is to slog back up the aforementioned steps, which is not fun, particularly for a small kid carrying skis.
Last run of the day down can also get a bit chaotic in that location as there’s a bit of a bottleneck. Should be quiet enough in that week not to be a problem though.
Hope that’s some help.
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All that said, I’ve just looked at the tripadvisor and it looks like they might have sorted the piste access issue out last year!
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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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@Jukebox Zero, thanks so much for the info, it's really helpful and good to know!
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@Skifamily, Some friends of mine stayed there last year. As its been said, the apartments were functional. The ski out from the back of Belmont is down a small slope to Transarc but it did get a bit patchy last year as its the run out of the ski school and exit for Belmont
The ski back at the end of the day was OK for their under 10 year old kids who were on their first trip. You come off the end of the Maitaz blue or the Grand Melezes red piste. Its a small piste basher wide strip. If go down the strip and turn right immediately at the top of the ski school, it takes you to the back of Belmont
You just have to remember to come off at the turning and not ski down to the bottom of Transarc
If you want to go into 1800, its not far and you can walk along the road which is easy or use the steps that go along the piste at the back of Belmont.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The access to the Transarc may be a little differnt next seaason as I beleive the new transarc will be a little further towards the west and a new piste connecting it to the runs from Maitaz area even closer to the Charmettoger area constructed.
€1600 for a week for 5 people looks an excellent deal. Getting that number of people to the resort DIY would probably cost that alone.
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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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Just read that the train to Bourg is out of commission till Dec 8th owing to the recent floods in the valley.
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| Skifamily wrote: |
| Hi all, I just came across a what looks to be a super good last minute deal on Crystal Ski for les Arcs 1800 for Dec 16-23rd. We ( 2 adults and 3 children under 9) stayed in 1950 a couple of years ago and adored it. Would anyone recommend 1800 for a family? Has anyone stayed in LE BELMONT APARTMENTS? The deal works out to be about 1600 eur for the week (including flights+transfers+accomodation), so it seems almost too good to be true. Just wondering if there's anything I should know about either the resort or accomodation.... |
I love 1800.
Bar & Restaurant Tips: - L'Escale Gourmand and Cabane de Neiges are excellent restaurants, one in Charvet one in Les Villards. I love Le Benji Bar for an apres Cocktail/beer. Chez BouBou at Charvet is a great pub too.
Arc 1800 is not quaint and chocolate box pretty like 1950 but it is a very good resort with loads of shops and restaurants, a friendly vibe and great access to sunny days skiing in the 2000 bowl via the transarc or great access to the tree lined Peisey routes when it is snowing.
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You know it makes sense.
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@johnE, is it this season or next that the new Transarc will be operating? Looking forward to it whenever, as avoid the current one like the plague! Believe the new one will be like the new Vallandry lift - which is lovely
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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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| Boris wrote: |
| @johnE, is it this season or next that the new Transarc will be operating? Looking forward to it whenever, as avoid the current one like the plague! Believe the new one will be like the new Vallandry lift - which is lovely |
Not open until December 2024 I think. Yes will be a 10 seater gondola with seating rather than leaning and it will be much faster cutting 40% off the travel time to Col De La Chal
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Macker13, Thanks - another year of taking the more scenic route over to 2000 then
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Talking of which - only 5 weeks until back in Vallandry for Xmas week. Looks like snow at top and, looking at Vanoise Express webcam, seem to be making snow on the runs down to village level
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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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@Boris, I was suitable vague the use of the term "next season" as @Macker13, says it is advertised for Dec 2014, but I saw something on a Les Arcs site that hinted it was next month. Personnaly I think 2024/5. I'm not sure when the piste improvements are planned but they do appear on the piste map.
TBH I also avoid it, but I have a suspicion that I got on at mid station sometime last season, probably yhe last day.
@Macker13, I think the better skiing and the least crowds are on the 1600-Vallandry side of the mountain, unless you are looking for some Black runs, that is. I always find the 2000 bowl far too crowded (compare Golf with Plagnettes, for example. One has barely anyone on it the other is full of struggling skiers) As to getting over to the 2000 bowl I use any combination of Clocheret, Arpette or Carreley (in that order) and never the Transarc.
I'm really looking forward to be skiing in Les Arcs in 30 days time I'll report back then just what the state of the Transarc is.
As an aside, has anyone actually eaten at the Taj-i-Mah. We fancy a slap up meal while we are there, but it appears to have very mixed reviews.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I used to take Grand Renard in preference to trying to join crowded cabins at Transarc mid-station, and was disappointed when it was dismantled. However, Carreley was a game-changer and is definitely now my preferred route back to 1950.
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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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@johnE, I've eaten at the restaurant in the Taj but not in the main restaurant as it seemed very heavy on truffle inc desserts. The restaurant around the back was good and not busy but that was a couple of years ago. There are other places I'd rather go.
Last season we had a few stops in the hotel for a coffee and glass of red at the bar facing receptions. Great views over the pistes and usually only a handful of other people in there if that.
I found out why when the bill arrived
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@195062, did like that lift and the blue run from the top, although you had to keep your wits about you getting on as it vame around quick and clouted you if you weren't paying attention
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| Quote: |
I used to take Grand Renard in preference to trying to join crowded cabins at Transarc mid-station, and was disappointed when it was dismantled.
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Whole heartly agree. Charmattoger followed by Grand Renard was my preferred route as well. Or the old Villards lift. Now of course people wonder how you can have a blue piste, Dents du Peigne which you can only get to via a red piste. It's a beautiful piste BTW that rarely has anyone on it. A good spot for a picnic.
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@wills_h, hopefully they'll be able to sort it prior to the season.
The floods looked really bad down there - the update newsletter from the BSM marie said that "normal water flow during white water competitions is set at 30 cubic metres per second. The rate last week was 120 cubic meters".  Here's a picture of the bike path... or rather: not the bike path.
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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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As above...
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We're all booked in for 1800 from the 30th of March until the 6th of April. May see you there @wills_h as the sprogs are booked in with Arc Adventures. We have decided to get the train to Les Arcs for the first time. The price is comparable to driving over two days plus hotels, and Mr. O is looking forward to not driving.
Whats the rule on food coming into France. Without a car, we won't be able to do a decent shop and the resort prices are bonkers, so I was wondering about bring a case of essentials (tea, pasta, cereal etc).
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FAQ
