Chalet In Serre Chevalier & Getting there from Meribel
 

Can anybody recommend a self-catering chalet in Serre Chevalier? 7 of us
for the week commencing 22/1/05. One of our group has to get there from
Meribel and his plan is to ski over the Val Thorens (with his clothing etc
in a big rucksack) and take the bubble down to Orelle. I'd rather him than
me but he's young(ish), fit and a good skier. It seems that he can get a
bus or train to Oulx and from there get to S/Chev on a bus or taxi via
Cesana and the Montgenevre pass. Any better ideas?

Rob

Rob White wrote:
Can anybody recommend a self-catering chalet in Serre Chevalier? 7 of us
for the week commencing 22/1/05. One of our group has to get there from
Meribel and his plan is to ski over the Val Thorens (with his clothing etc
in a big rucksack) and take the bubble down to Orelle. I'd rather him than
me but he's young(ish), fit and a good skier. It seems that he can get a
bus or train to Oulx and from there get to S/Chev on a bus or taxi via
Cesana and the Montgenevre pass. Any better ideas?

Wimp. From Orelle he hitches up to les Sybelles, uses the lift system to
get high on the Etendard glacier then ski tours across to the Pic Bayle
before climbing to the Plateau d'Emparis, from there he can ski over to
the Galibier, climb the Point des Cerces before base jumping directly
into Serre.

Of course he could catch the bus to Moutiers/Chambery, take a train to
Grenoble then bus to Serre but the Orelle route sounds fun. You can get
a train to Serre from Mountiers but it would probably take a day to get
there knowing French railways.

He should consider hitching Orelle - he will need a sign saying where he
is going to.

Thanks for the ski touring idea David, but as he'll already have a big
rucksack there will no room for the parachute. The Alp D'Huez idea is not
really a valid starter as ADH is even further away from S/Chev than Meribel.
Just so you know, my son took the train from Bourg St Maurice one morning a
few years ago and didn't arrive at Alp D/Huez until 22.00, so that route
really is out of the equation, especially as by then buses will have stopped
running and the Cal de Lautaret can be closed due to bad weather.

Putting aside all the daft ideas (as much as they are appreciated!) I still
reckon the least worst route is Orelle/Oulx/Cesana/Montgenevre. There is a
rail route to Oulx and if push comes to shove he could probably hitch from
there.

Any further ideas would be appreciated.

Rob

"Rob White" wrote in message
...
Can anybody recommend a self-catering chalet in Serre Chevalier? 7 of us
for the week commencing 22/1/05. One of our group has to get there from
Meribel and his plan is to ski over the Val Thorens (with his clothing etc
in a big rucksack) and take the bubble down to Orelle. I'd rather him than
me but he's young(ish), fit and a good skier. It seems that he can get a
bus or train to Oulx and from there get to S/Chev on a bus or taxi via
Cesana and the Montgenevre pass. Any better ideas?

Rob

"Rob White" wrote in message
...


Can anybody recommend a self-catering chalet in Serre Chevalier? 7 of us
for the week commencing 22/1/05.

Hi Rob, Never been there, what's it like?

One of our group has to get there from
Meribel and his plan is to ski over the Val Thorens (with his clothing etc
in a big rucksack) and take the bubble down to Orelle. I'd rather him than
me but he's young(ish), fit and a good skier. It seems that he can get a
bus or train to Oulx and from there get to S/Chev on a bus or taxi via
Cesana and the Montgenevre pass. Any better ideas?

Rob



Just had a quick look at www.satobus-alps.com and they run buses to both
Meribel Centre and to Serre-Chevalier. You'll have to check the timetable
(doesn't appear to be online) but it looks like it might be possible to bus
to Lyon Airport and then catch another bus to Serre Chevalier. Or possibly
better bet find a chalet operator that has to do an morning pick-up from
Meribel and get/pay for a lift with them to the airport.


--
Paul Schofield

Time flies like an arrow
Fruit flies like a banana

John Wilcock wrote:
I'm not into ski touring myself, but can't you get to the Alpe d'Huez
ski area from the Etendard glacier too? In which case a bus down to
Bourg d'Oisans then another up to Serre Chevalier would round off the
trip nicely without the need to carry a parachute!

That would be too easy. You are quite correct though. From Orelle you
could get to St Sorlin by bus or hitching, then tour across the Etendard
.... it is not heavily crevassed. I think the section from the Entendard
to l'Alpe d'Huez is not straightforward but I've never done that bit. It
is about 12km from the top of the lift system to l'Alpe d'Huez. Now all
you need is to be transporting stolen bearer bonds or nitroglycerine or
a combination of both and they could make a film!

John Wilcock wrote:
The Alp D'Huez idea is not
really a valid starter as ADH is even further away from S/Chev than Meribel.


Alpe d'Huez is definitely *much* closer to Serre Che by road than
Méribel is,

Good work John. The Lauteret bus route would be the normal way to Serre
from Méribel. It just goes to show how good airport transfers by tour
operators really are compared to the local alternatives.

Paul Schofield wrote:
Just had a quick look at www.satobus-alps.com

Satobus to Serre Cherre via Lyon is really long.

Or possibly
better bet find a chalet operator that has to do an morning pick-up from
Meribel and get/pay for a lift with them to the airport.

I thought about using a Tour Operator via Lyon, or better Chambery for
the transfer but most get to Serre Chevalier from Turin airport as it
lets them group all those resorts in that neck of the woods.

"David Off" wrote in message
...
Paul Schofield wrote:
Just had a quick look at www.satobus-alps.com

Satobus to Serre Cherre via Lyon is really long.

Yep reckon so, but apart from flying I think any solution is going to take
all day - At least this route is easy in terms of number of changes and will
go right to the resort as well.

Paul

"John Wilcock" wrote in message
. ..

I haven't found any bus timetables from Orelle to Oulx on the net but
according to http://www.autocars-rignon.com/ he would need to leave Oulx
at 13.05 in order to get a bus onward from Briançon to Serre Che,
otherwise he could hitch a lift or get a taxi for the last leg from
Briançon. Certainly skiing from Méribel to Orelle beats sitting in a
train any day.

This can't be right. Briancon is *part* of the Serre Che ski area, and there
are ski buses linking all the lifts until well after the lifts are closed.
Anyway, given the density of traffic in the valley, it shouldn't be too
difficult to hitch a lift from Briancon to whetever Serre Che village you
are trying to get to.

Been there a couple of times and liked it. Its bit like four smaller
resorts well linked together and you get a feeling if getting about. Their
website says its the 2nd biggest ski area, and also the sunniest, so that
pretty good (if its true!). There good variety and being not too high there
are some good tree runs. That said the top of the Monetier area is very
high. Some good eateries about the slopes and a 1/2 decent bus service
along the valley linking the villages. The only real drawback is the number
of drag lifts higher up. The reason we're going again is to see our son take
part in the army's racing - just an excuse really.

Rob
"Paul Schofield" wrote in message
.. .
"Rob White" wrote in message
...


Can anybody recommend a self-catering chalet in Serre Chevalier? 7 of
us
for the week commencing 22/1/05.

Hi Rob, Never been there, what's it like?

One of our group has to get there from
Meribel and his plan is to ski over the Val Thorens (with his clothing
etc
in a big rucksack) and take the bubble down to Orelle. I'd rather him
than
me but he's young(ish), fit and a good skier. It seems that he can get
a
bus or train to Oulx and from there get to S/Chev on a bus or taxi via
Cesana and the Montgenevre pass. Any better ideas?

Rob



Just had a quick look at www.satobus-alps.com and they run buses to both
Meribel Centre and to Serre-Chevalier. You'll have to check the timetable
(doesn't appear to be online) but it looks like it might be possible to
bus
to Lyon Airport and then catch another bus to Serre Chevalier. Or possibly
better bet find a chalet operator that has to do an morning pick-up from
Meribel and get/pay for a lift with them to the airport.


--
Paul Schofield

Time flies like an arrow
Fruit flies like a banana