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La Plagne (France)
by melbadog
We skiied this area in March and the snow was still excellent. La Plagne itself is not the nicest place in the world and probably among the least pretty ones in the Alps, but the variety of slopes more than makes up for it.
We got the paradiski pass, which gives you full access to all the slopes in the La Plagne area plus you ... can get the Vanoise Cable car accross to Les Arcs very easily. It's one of the biggest cable cars in the world and only takes 4 minutes to get accross so we never had to wait long. In fact most of the lifts were really efficient - only a few down towards Champagny, where there is a bit of a bottle neck, got busy. Having said that, we didn't go in school holidays so it could be worse if you are travelling with children.
We actually stayed in Montchavin which is between La Plagne and Les Arcs (one lift up to the Vanoise). Montchavin and Les Coches are linked towns by a minibus but we never really went out of Montchaving in the evenings.
I guess the criticism of the area would be the lack of nightlife, but we were there for the skiing and so we weren't too bothered - I guess if you are more of a fan of the apres ski it may not be the best area for you. I couldn't even find somewhere to watch the football! The area around Montchavin is really charming though and the food in the restaurants is nice (don't order curry from the La Plagne curry take delivery service though - it was terrible, and we were really excited about it!).
We spent 5 days skiing, 1 day locally, 2 in the La Plagne area and 2 in Les Arcs. And that's the real beauty of the area - it's a giant snowpark. There are lots of nice tree lined blues (some that should really be reclassified as greens - and some that are flat!), some good quick reds - especially towards Champagny and the La Plagne olympic area. There aren't too many blacks, but there are some if you want some challenges, but generally the area is nice, fun skiing with lovely views and efficient lifts.
We did book a group lesson with ESF between the four of us, but I'm not sure we got as much out of it as we should. I'd say if you are going to do this, make sure you are clear on what EXACTLY you want to work on. We just said 'technique' and only got a few words of advice from the admittedly really nice and friendly instructor.
If you are a hardcore skiier who loves big mogully challenging black runs and are used to somewhere like Chamonix or Verbier then this may not be the area for you - but I think there is more than enough on offer to keep anybody else entertained. I would definitely reccomend.
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Skiing in Chamonix (France)
by cools952
Chamonix has been the destination that my friends and I have been going to year in year out this decade. There's a mixture of us with regards to skiiers and snowboarders and I can genuinely say that we always leave satisfied with our break.
One of the increasing problems with Chamonix has been the cost, and it was with this ... in mind that we opted to go to Austria this year instead. Owing to the falling pound to the euro and the fact that Chamonix has always been expensive anyway, we've felt that each year we've been getting a little bit less for our money.
Don't get me wrong, the slopes at Chamonix are some of the finest in Europe in my opinion, plus there is a great deal of choice. Le grand montet, le brevant, les argentieres and les houches are all excellent slopes just outside the town centre and are just a short drive away. Each provide different challenges and have a rich mix of blue, red and black slopes.
Chamonix town itself is geared up to the winter season in principle but does host a series of walkers and climbers off season. One place we always go to is Le Chambre Neuf situated near the railway station. This is one of the most raucous apres ski destinations with live music, a rammed bar and people dancing and singing on top of the tables - not for the feint hearted!
For me, Chamonix is still the ultimate winter destination, but its increasing expense is starting to put that position in to question.
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Ski Dubai (Dubai)
by cools952
Bizarre! Simply bizarre!
That was my opinion when some friends of mine that live in Dubai informed me that we would be going snowboarding on one of our days activities! I presumed that the pounding Dubai sun had finally got to them and sent them mad! I was even more surprised when we set out to go snowboarding and they ... informed me that I would be fine in my T-shirt and jeans. Added to that the fact that they then drove me to the Emirates Mall and I was ready to call out the psychiatric unit!
Strangely, as we turned the corner in the mall around the next set off shops, there, sure enough, lay Ski Dubai. As a regular at the Snow Dome back home in Tamworth my first impressions were "this place is huge!" The mall affords a good view up the massive slopes as glass walls encase it.
As you would expect for a venture this excessive and unnecessary, it comes at a price and I seem to recall I paid about £50 for the privilege. This included hire of my snowboard, boots and bindings along with a waterproof jacket and trousers. The only slight con I thought was that you had to buy gloves, clearly which you would never use again on a holiday in Dubai! I should add, that the above is covered for skiiers as well.
As I've mentioned before, the slopes are huge and have a slight "L" shaped design from top to bottom. There are beginners slopes where the staff will provide lessons, a snow play area, toboganning run or the main slopes for the serious boarders/skiiers. A ski resort chairlift system takes you either part way or right to the top where I found there were also the odd ramp and trick section to the slope for the more "extreme."
There were a wide variety of abilities on show, from the barely able to stand to the outright show off (I like to think I was somewhere in between!) On a bizarre side note, this may be a good place to spot celebrities too as Teddy Sheringham skiied past me at one point!
Overall, a great alternative day out in Dubai.
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