ligiak

I'll be with my boyfriend in Paris in a Working February / 2015 and we are taking 4 to 5 days off to go skiing in the Alps. We have lot of difficulty to understand and decide what is the most cost-effective place to stay and to ski.

We don't want resorts since they are really expensive. After researching, I was in doubt between staying in Annecy and skiing in La Clusaz or staying in Sallanches and skiing in Chamonix .

I found lodgings in these 2 cities around USD 550 per 5 Nights for a couple and I saw that the distance to from them to the mountains are around 30km. I also understand you can go by train.

Is it really feasible to stay in Annecy or Sallanches and go skiing from there for about 4 out of the 5 days? Is La Clusaz worth it? And is there any other better options you can think of? We're both beginners at skiing.

Thank you!
Ligia

Christina

I haven't been there so can't tell you if it's worth it. It is feasible since there are buses that take a little over an hour, so that's not too bad. Here is the line, I believe they leave from Annecy train station

http://www.voyages-crolard.com/

I never heard that you can go to La Clusaz by train, how is that possible. The closest train station is in Annecy, actually, then you have to take the bus. Ski resorts don't have train stations at them.

FrenchMystiqueTours

It sounds like you've done some good research. I haven't studied any of the bus schedules but if it takes more than 30 minutes to get from Annecy to La Clusaz or from Sallanches to Chamonix then I would stay right next to a mountain to walk to a lift or at least make sure you have a bus ride that isn't longer than 30 minutes. If your plan is to ski every day that seems to make the most sense.

I don't know if there are direct ski shuttle buses between these places but if not, for example, the regular bus between Annecy and La Clusaz takes about an hour:

http://www.voyages-crolard.com/uploa...014-15v3bd.pdf

And you'd have to think about taking all your ski gear on what may or may not be a crowded bus, with commuters or other people with ski gear. Then there's the cost of the bus itself with 4 round trips for 2 people.

Have you checked AirBnB for accommodation in Annecy or La Clusaz or Sallanches or Chamonix? The quote you got isn't bad for 5 nights considering it is high ski season in the area and French schools will be on a rotating vacation basis from February 7th until March 8th. I have no idea what resources you've checked for accommodation so I have no recommendations in that respect.

Just because I stumbled across it here is a link to the schedules of buses that operate between the different resorts near La Clusaz:

http://www.aravis.com/documents/docu..._2014-15_1.pdf

And skiing around Annecy:

http://www.lakeannecy-skiresorts.com/

Wherever you end up going you should know that you'll need to book train tickets up to 3 months in advance for the cheapest prices. I just checked a random weekday in mid February and a one way ticket to Annecy costs anywhere from 43€ to 75€ and those prices will increase as the discounted cheap tickets sell out.

ligiak

Hi Christina, thanks for your reply! I actually meant buses from Annecy to La Clusaz, not trains. That's a great website you provided. Thanks!!

That is a long trip though.. 1 hour! I thought it would be 30min - maybe it's 30 minutes by car and I misunderstood what I read before. I do think it might be a bit dangerous to drive for 30/60min after skiing since we're not used to it... and I never drove in a snow area.

FrenchMystiqueTours, your reply was very helpful! it helped me find more info on transportation and to understand Annecy better. =) So it seems it is better to stay in Sallanches and maybe ski in Combloux instead of Chamonix... I would still need to get a bus to the station, but then it's a 15min drive but it seems they're used to carrying people with skiing gear..

Actually, I'm not sure how that works. Since I don't have my own, do you know if I should I rent it every morning on the mountains or should I rent something in the city and carry it with me for the whole week? What's the most common way?

as for accommodation, I'm checking booking.com. I haven't checked AirBnB but def will.

thanks!

flanneruk

The answer for ski gear (ie: skis and boots: you can't hire clothes) is to hire them for the whole period: even if you plan to ski only intermittently, the day hire rates are horrendous, and the time wasted trying them on, getting skis adjusted and taking them back if they turn out needing further adjustment will eat into your time.

But, bluntly, I'd say your idea's nuts. It's Feb in northern Europe, so days are short. A 30 minute bus ride means at least 60 mins from home to piste - plus whatever waiting time is needed for buses that may run only once or twice a day. So you're taking at least 2 extremely uncomfortable hours out of a very short day, having to fork out very substantial sums on lengthy daily commutes - and very possibly giving yourselves no leeway at all when the complexities of life on the pistes don't run to schedule.

If you think ski resort hotels are expensive, try hiring a taxi in one for a 20 mile drive if you miss the bus by 5 minutes.

And once you think about that, you'll organise your days to avoid the risk, which in effect means you'll stop skiing round about lunchtime. About an hour after you started.

FrenchMystiqueTours

Before you figure out where you'll rent ski gear (and I agree to rent for the duration of your stay) you need to find accommodation and you need to expand your research sources so in addition to booking.com and AirB&B try other booking sites like venere.com and vrbo.com (rentals by owners) among others.

I'll also suggest looking on the local tourist office websites, which will likely be your best resource. If you read French then look on the tourist office website for Sallanches:

http://www.sallanches.com/ou-dormir-v1.aspx

Or any of the ski websites for the area which have English versions:

http://www.savoie-mont-blanc.com/en

If you mention your specific dates and perhaps a hotel budget then other savvy travelers may be able to assist you.

As you've noted, buses take 15 minutes from Sallanches to Combloux:

https://www.altibus.com/documents/gares/20/navettes.pdf

But you need to consider how far a walk it will be from wherever you stay to the bus stop and how many people may be on the bus. Reserving in advance may be a good way to ensure a spot on the bus:

https://www.altibus.com/reservation/...ALLANCHES+Gare

You might rent gear from a place next to the slopes and ask them if you can leave it there at the end of each day and pick it up the next morning. This avoids bringing gear on the bus. I don't know if places do this but you can check.

Depending on when you go in February sunrise will be anytime between 7:15AM and 8:00AM and sunset between 5:40PM and 6:20PM.

Really, I think your best bet is to find a place in walking distance to a ski lift and spend the money necessary to do so. It will eliminate all your transport problems. If you can go the first week of February before the French school vacations begin on the 7th you'll find lodging prices cheaper.

Jeff801

When I was skiing a lot, in the last century,I found that the lower costs and lesser crowding made it worthwhile to ski in the Pyrenees. The runs in the Pyrenees were, then, not as long as those in the Alps, but I found them a lot more challenging because the slopes were often steeper.

swandav2000

Christina,

I'm not sure what you mean by

"Ski resorts don't have train stations at them."

Of course, many do, including Chamonix.

Did you mean ski resorts in France (excluding Chamonix) don't have train stations? Most ski resorts in Switzerland and many in Germany of course have train stations.

s

laverendrye

I would try Les Trois Vallées. Stay in Brides-les-Bains, which has a SNCF station and where the accommodation is much less expensive than in the ski villages above it. From Brides, there is a gondola up to Meribel, from which you can ski anywhere in the vast region. There is a free shuttle in Brides which will take you to the Gondola station.


http://ski.brides-les-bains.com

neckervd

The place to go from Sallanches is Megeve, 25 min by bus.
ww.sat-montblanc.com/img/os_document/176_l83_sallanches_praz_sur_arly_20122014_26042015 _horaires_et_tarifs.pdf
http://en.megeve.com/winter/winter-s...l#.VJHT63shGYA

ligiak

laverendrye, you're tip is great! This website is really good and the place seems very nice! thanks!