International (Europe/Japan/Southern Hemisphere) Mostly on-piste EU village to village safari

[karlo]

I am thrilled to report that my wife is amenable to doing a European inn to inn, village to village, ski safari (I think is the term) with me. France much preferred. Italy ok. A week. I'm thinking perhaps two nights in each village, perhaps one night at very small ones that are layovers

She is an intermediate skier who likes skiing greens and groomed blues. Easy groomed Western blacks, she would do for utilitarian purposes (as a means to get from here to a little-over-there). Some off piste ok, but would like to keep this all lift assisted. No skinning or climbing.

No backpacking, except beacon shovel probe if some offpiste is needed. Lunch enroute; bags transported to next inn. Think a Backroads bicycle trip, but on skis.

Any suggestions for itinerary, and maybe even route?

 

[Erik Timmerman]

No suggestions, but it sure sounds fun.

 

[sbooker]

https://theskisafari.com/ski-in-italy/dolomites-ski-safari/
Sounds exactly what you’re after.

 

[Jacob]

Is staying the night in different locations one of the goals of this trip? Or, is it considered a necessity in order to ski different areas?

 

[Doug Briggs]

https://theskisafari.com/ski-in-italy/dolomites-ski-safari/
Sounds exactly what you’re after.

Refugio to refugio would be a blast if it is in the budget and you can arrange for the appropriate level of skiing for your spouse.

You can do it more places than the Dolomites as well. There are refugios all over Europe, even across the Med in Morocco.

Is staying the night in different locations one of the goals of this trip? Or, is it considered a necessity in order to ski different areas?

Good point. You can go to a single location and ski a large area in Europe. The Monte Rosa region comes to mind. My brother and I did something similar using public transportation in Italy one winter. We started with a week group trip to Courmayeur, then hopped a train for the Dolomites and then back to Gressoney. Our trip was low budget and by the seat of our pants. Tons 'o' fun.

Have a great trip (however you approach it), see you in the fall!

 

[karlo]

https://theskisafari.com/ski-in-italy/dolomites-ski-safari/
Sounds exactly what you’re after.

Yes, Dolomites seems to be the easy one. Booking agency can book everything, arrange for baggage transfers, give us a route to follow. Fits what I described almost to the tee, except for one thing. She really prefers France. And, so far, I can't find a true village to village ski safari. Always some land transport.

Is staying the night in different locations one of the goals of this trip? Or, is it considered a necessity in order to ski different areas?

Maybe that's the ticket. The idea of village to village safari-ing was mine. She grasped onto France quickly. I think she might enjoy Courchevel. Pretty big. Can do day trips, and lunch at each of the three valleys.. Thinking as I write, I think that villages with character is something she would appreciate most; I don't think Courchevel fits that bill. I personally would want to avoid something like Chamonix; it'd be like going to Vail or Aspen. I've read about La Grave, the village, But, that's not skiing that would be appropriate; or what she can ski is pretty limited.

So, let me amend. Villages with character. Doesn't need to be an so big that one must do village to village safari-ing. Maybe a few villages/ski areas close enough for 30 minute drives; we can rent a car. Plenty of intermediate skiing. oh, and France.

 

[Bad Bob]

I am watching this thread closely .

It has been a long held dream to go do Europe with nothing but a rail pass a backpack and 1 pair of skis. I have no info to offer but will soak it up like a sponge. It just seems right. Have a marvelous adventure.

However this works out for you please give us a trip report.

 

[Slim]

Not personal experience, but how about Espace Diamant? From a ski website: “View of Mont Blanc. For beginners Espace Diamant is a great area to tour, since you can get everywhere on easy pistes. Very varied for beginners, less so for advanced skiers. Good variety in landscapes and exposition. Very authentic. 192km pistes, of which 162km blue or red.

“The Espace Diamant’s great advantage over other larger French ski areas is undoubtedly the possibility of skiing a full circuit around the mountains and back to your starting-point in a day.”

https://www.planetski.eu/news/4841

I was going to suggest Serre Chevalier, but then I checked, and it’s not recommended for beginners/lower intermediates, most villages are reached by challenging red or black pistes.

 

[Jacob]

Maybe that's the ticket. The idea of village to village safari-ing was mine. She grasped onto France quickly. I think she might enjoy Courchevel. Pretty big. Can do day trips, and lunch at each of the three valleys.. Thinking as I write, I think that villages with character is something she would appreciate most; I don't think Courchevel fits that bill. I personally would want to avoid something like Chamonix; it'd be like going to Vail or Aspen. I've read about La Grave, the village, But, that's not skiing that would be appropriate; or what she can ski is pretty limited.

So, let me amend. Villages with character. Doesn't need to be an so big that one must do village to village safari-ing. Maybe a few villages/ski areas close enough for 30 minute drives; we can rent a car. Plenty of intermediate skiing. oh, and France.

Well, week-long stays for groomer skiers is what French areas are all about. The Three Valleys, Paradiski area, and Espace Killy all have huge amounts of terrain that is fully interconnected. Within each area, you should be able to find a nice base area to stay in (as well as some that are a bit bland).

The Porte du Soleil is also a big area that is mostly connected, but not completely. It's a lower area and has some nice towns and villages.

In the Espace Killy, I'd recommend looking at either Le Fornet on the Val d'Isere side or Les Brevieres on the Tignes side. I haven't skied the other areas, so I can't offer any recommendations for them.

 

[Slim]

How about Le Grand Massif? I think if you don’t stay in Flaine, there are some nice looking villages.
In les Trois Vallees St Martin de Belleville is a fairly nice village.
Evasion-Mont Blanc is supposed to have very charming villages: Megève, Combloux, Saint Gervais, Les Contamines and La Giettaz. Along with 260km piste and great opportunities for tours.

 

[Slim]

How about Le Grand Massif? I think if you don’t stay in Flaine, there are some nice looking villages.
In les Trois Vallees St Martin de Belleville is a fairly nice village.
Evasion-Mont Blanc is supposed to have very charming villages: Megève, Combloux, Saint Gervais, Les Contamines and La Giettaz. Along with 260km piste and great opportunities for tours.

And @karlo , if you want to go off-piste with a guide, make sure you go with a real UIAGM guide de haute montagne(IFMGA mountain guide, can be any nationality), or a Moniteur de Ski Diplomee,(pretty much always French). Any other licenses are not allowed to guide off-piste in France.

 

[Crank]

Going to Chamonix is not at all like going to Vail. I've been to both.

 

[karlo]

Going to Chamonix is not at all like going to Vail. I've been to both.

You are no doubt correct. Even Vail and Aspen are not alike. I've only read about Chamonix, as a town. E.g.,

http://www.mountainpassions.com/winter/ski-resort-reviews/alps/ski-chamonix/

"big brand boutiques", "glitz and glamour", [village that's become a town]. I'm thinking villages that would not be associated with these terms. Any suggestions are welcome.

 

[Crank]

You are no doubt correct. Even Vail and Aspen are not alike. I've only read about Chamonix, as a town. E.g.,

http://www.mountainpassions.com/winter/ski-resort-reviews/alps/ski-chamonix/

"big brand boutiques", "glitz and glamour", [village that's become a town]. I'm thinking villages that would not be associated with these terms. Any suggestions are welcome.

Chamonix as a town is more genuine and charming than the 3 valleys. It has really been more of a town than a village for a long, long time. Beaucoup retail there for sure, but, also lots of mountaineering history and local flavor. I did not notice a lot of glitz and glamour. I did notice a lot of serious mountaineering and skiing enthusiasts and the retail shops reflected that rather than high end clothing. Think Black Diamond rather than Gorsuch.

Bit of a PITA for piste skiing as it is not a foot of the mountain, walk to the lifts type town. (Out of 4 local, Chamonix hills, 1 has lifts that come to the edge of town.) For instance, you take a crowded bus for about 15-20 minutes to get to Grand Montet which is the biggest and toughest ski area in the area. Great guided off piste from upper intermediate to extreme to be had right from town via Agui du Midi cable cars to top of Mont Blanc. Can also take a hour bus ride through Mont Blanc to Courmayeur ski are in Italy.

 

[Slim]

@karlo , I don’t know if this link willl work for you, try it out.

https://www.wintersport.nl/skigebieden#fr:beginners:tochten:sfeervol:desc:relevantie

I’m guessing you don’t read Dutch, but it gives you a good list of villages(dorpen) and resorts, then you can look them up on English websites, or ask @Cheizz or me to translate ;-)

It’s a Dutch site and I selected:

• France (frankrijk)
• Suitable for beginners (I know your wife is not a true beginner, but the only options are beginner or advanced, and the “beginner” selection focused on blue and red pistes too)
• Suitable for tours (geschikt voor tochten)
• Village(dorp): “Sfeervol”(cosy, nice atmosphere)

You might want to add more filters. I think most are pretty easy(size and elevation numbers are pretty obvious)

 

[Choucas]

You can't beat the variety of skiing, spectacular mountain scenery, lift network, towns, food, and lodging options that you'll find in the Dolomites. Check out www.inspireditaly.com. It's run by Brits so the language isn't a problem. They can organize any type of trip you want. They take care of everything and their rates are reasonable (as in you can't do better even if you did it yourself). I've used them before and they are very reliable. Way better than France.

 

[TQA]

The Dolomites Safari does require that you carry your overnight stuff in a backpack.

As you might envisage arriving in a strange village tired and carrying skis ou would not want to travel to far. You will find it very difficult to book 1 or 2 night stays ahead of time. All accommodation will be looking to book whole weeks almost always Sat to Sat.

I think your lady might enjoy the three valleys [ 3V ] Your 3V pass covers 166 interconnected lifts. Stay in Meribel and explore : Courchevel, Val Thorens, Méribel, Les Menuires, Saint Martin de Belleville, La Tania, Orelle, Brides les Bains.[ French of course. ] Plenty to keep an intermediate happy for 6 days with little repetition.

You can do the same in the Dolomites and more of the skiing will be intermediate level. The scenery is superb. Stay in Selva if you want some nightlife. Stay in the Lupo Bianco if you want the ultimate ski in ski out location and are happy with a boonies location.

 

[Choucas]

It is possible to have the hotel send bags ahead via taxi to the next hotel. I did this in a traverse of the Dolomites once. You (or someone in your group) might have to carry a backpack for things needed during the day of skiing. You will need to carry one (or share one) for an overnight stay in a rifugio. Unless it is very high season, you can always find a room for a one or two night stay. If you work with a guide or a ski tour specialist, they can take care of this for you. They know who to call.
Keep in mind that you are settling in and unpacking every night and packing up every morning. Upside is that you see and ski a lot of territory. Downside is that it's not the most relaxing kind of ski vacation. Depends on your interests and energy level. I love this kind of trip. My wife would rather stay in one place for the week.

 

[ScotsSkier]

Well, week-long stays for groomer skiers is what French areas are all about. The Three Valleys, Paradiski area, and Espace Killy all have huge amounts of terrain that is fully interconnected. Within each area, you should be able to find a nice base area to stay in (as well as some that are a bit bland).

The Porte du Soleil is also a big area that is mostly connected, but not completely. It's a lower area and has some nice towns and villages.

In the Espace Killy, I'd recommend looking at either Le Fornet on the Val d'Isere side or Les Brevieres on the Tignes side. I haven't skied the other areas, so I can't offer any recommendations for them.

This. Don't underestimate the Portes du Soleil area. A bit more character than some of the larger resorts for doing round trip tours which go between Switzerland and France ( you used to come on some drag lifts for connecting thatwere totally unmanned!). And espace Killy is still IMHO one of the best areas in the world ( and my favorite ). Le fornet and Tignes les breviere in particular have a lot of character. Only caution with TLB is thatit can take a few lifts to get to the rest of espace Killy. Probably further improved since I was last there though.

 

[Jacob]

This. Don't underestimate the Portes du Soleil area. A bit more character than some of the larger resorts for doing round trip tours which go between Switzerland and France ( you used to come on some drag lifts for connecting thatwere totally unmanned!). And espace Killy is still IMHO one of the best areas in the world ( and my favorite ). Le fornet and Tignes les breviere in particular have a lot of character. Only caution with TLB is thatit can take a few lifts to get to the rest of espace Killy. Probably further improved since I was last there though.

Le Brevieres isn't too bad now. It takes two lifts to get to trails that take you to Le Lavachet and Le Lac, and one of those is a fairly quick chair. If you're in a hurry to get to the Val d'Isere side, then it's one lift from Le Lac to the border between the two sides.

The main problem is dressing for the temperature differences. TLB is at 1550 m, whereas the top of the Toviere lift (border between the two areas) is 2770 m. And the top of the Grand Motte is 3450 m. So we're talking 4000 ft of vertical from TLB base to the border between the two sides of the area, and 6200 ft from TLB base up to the highest point in the area. On a normal day, the temperature differences are pretty huge.