Courmayeur (Post-Holiday Review)

I've just arrived home after a week in Courmayeur (and 2 days in La Thuile).
Here's some of my thoughts on the snow conditions and also the resort in
general.

Courmayeur had blue skies all week. The piste is very hard packed. There seemed
to be a thaw during the day and a freeze at night. Luckily, I was able to hire
some 4* Volkl skis so the conditions were not a big problem. Early morning was
definately best as it was corduroy. After around 2pm each day, there was a lot
of crud on top of the hard-packed snow making skiing difficult. Snow cover was
also becoming patchy towards the end of the week. There were rumours about runs
closing if more snow didn't fall this weekend.

I was disappointed to find that Courmayeur didn't have the pisting ability of
the Scottish slopes. When I was at the Lecht last year, they were scraping off
the small amounts of snow at the side of the road and transporting them onto
the slopes. If there is any snow in Scotland, the resorts will work very hard
to open the runs. However, the piste machines only operated at night in
Courmayeur. If they had done one run during the day, the afternoon skiing would
have been much better. Instead, numerous machines were idle at Plan Checrouit
(base station). There was also lots of snow (25cm?) in various areas slightly
off the pistes. Although there were a few tracks on these areas, they weren't
runs (on or off-piste) and were very rarely used. IMHO, they should have been
taking the snow from these areas and using it to make the runs complete.

It would be wrong to say that the holiday was a disappointment. We had 2
excellent days in La Thuile. Since it is joined with La Rosiere, it's huge.
Moreover, it's also empty. Instead of the long queues at Courmayeur, we went
straight onto all the lifts. The snow was hard-packed as in Courmayeur but
since it was very quiet, we didn't have to keep our speed down and didn't have
to make such abrupt turns. It's hard to explain but this made skiing on such
snow much more pleasurable. La Thuile also seemed to be colder than Courmayeur
so there wasn't really any ice caused by a daily freeze-thaw. However, it is
very exposed. We all had to buy neck scarves because it was qute windy on our
second day. Our lift-pass only allowed us to get 2 days in La Thuile but it was
an excellent resort with long runs. I'd thoroughly recommend it!

Courmayeur is a resort for those who are very accomplished but also like to
relax. The slopes are extremely busy so it's hard to ski quickly and safely. I
also found the hard-packed snow to be quite difficult (and wasn't able to make
smooth short turns as a result). Nonetheless, the atmosphere is second to none.
The scenery and town are very picturesque too. In addition, despite being a
relatively stylish resort, the prices were not too bad provided that you don't
opt for alcohol (€6+ per pint in many bars). The hot chocolate in particular
was great!

I've asked quite a lot of questions on this newsgroups over the last couple of
months. Thanks to everyone who helped make the holiday very enjoyable!! La
Thuile in particular was definately worth knowing about!! I managed to carve
very quickly (was obviously just having problems with my edges on the 'dry'
slope). The 2 girls were very good too. One was carving on the second day. My
girlfriend was less confident (was bending too far down because I'd said to
keep her shins against the tongues of her boots but she wasn't comfortable
actually moving her weight forward). By the end of the holiday, she had good
dynamic movement during her turns - and finally stopped complaining about
having sore muscles etc. We all had a superb holiday. Thanks again to everyone
who gave their advice!!

Niall Bruce

NIALLBRUCE wrote:
I've just arrived home after a week in Courmayeur (and 2 days in La
Thuile). Here's some of my thoughts on the snow conditions and also
the resort in general.

Courmayeur had blue skies all week. The piste is very hard packed.
There seemed to be a thaw during the day and a freeze at night.
Luckily, I was able to hire some 4* Volkl skis so the conditions were
not a big problem. Early morning was definately best as it was
corduroy. After around 2pm each day, there was a lot of crud on top
of the hard-packed snow making skiing difficult. Snow cover was also
becoming patchy towards the end of the week. There were rumours about
runs closing if more snow didn't fall this weekend.

I was disappointed to find that Courmayeur didn't have the pisting
ability of the Scottish slopes. When I was at the Lecht last year,
they were scraping off the small amounts of snow at the side of the
road and transporting them onto the slopes. If there is any snow in
Scotland, the resorts will work very hard to open the runs. However,
the piste machines only operated at night in Courmayeur. If they had
done one run during the day, the afternoon skiing would have been
much better. Instead, numerous machines were idle at Plan Checrouit
(base station). There was also lots of snow (25cm?) in various areas
slightly off the pistes. Although there were a few tracks on these
areas, they weren't runs (on or off-piste) and were very rarely used.
IMHO, they should have been taking the snow from these areas and
using it to make the runs complete.

It would be wrong to say that the holiday was a disappointment. We
had 2 excellent days in La Thuile. Since it is joined with La
Rosiere, it's huge. Moreover, it's also empty. Instead of the long
queues at Courmayeur, we went straight onto all the lifts. The snow
was hard-packed as in Courmayeur but since it was very quiet, we
didn't have to keep our speed down and didn't have to make such
abrupt turns. It's hard to explain but this made skiing on such snow
much more pleasurable. La Thuile also seemed to be colder than
Courmayeur so there wasn't really any ice caused by a daily
freeze-thaw. However, it is very exposed. We all had to buy neck
scarves because it was qute windy on our second day. Our lift-pass
only allowed us to get 2 days in La Thuile but it was an excellent
resort with long runs. I'd thoroughly recommend it!

Courmayeur is a resort for those who are very accomplished but also
like to relax. The slopes are extremely busy so it's hard to ski
quickly and safely. I also found the hard-packed snow to be quite
difficult (and wasn't able to make smooth short turns as a result).
Nonetheless, the atmosphere is second to none. The scenery and town
are very picturesque too. In addition, despite being a relatively
stylish resort, the prices were not too bad provided that you don't
opt for alcohol (?6+ per pint in many bars). The hot chocolate in
particular was great!

I've asked quite a lot of questions on this newsgroups over the last
couple of months. Thanks to everyone who helped make the holiday very
enjoyable!! La Thuile in particular was definately worth knowing
about!! I managed to carve very quickly (was obviously just having
problems with my edges on the 'dry' slope). The 2 girls were very
good too. One was carving on the second day. My girlfriend was less
confident (was bending too far down because I'd said to keep her
shins against the tongues of her boots but she wasn't comfortable
actually moving her weight forward). By the end of the holiday, she
had good dynamic movement during her turns - and finally stopped
complaining about having sore muscles etc. We all had a superb
holiday. Thanks again to everyone who gave their advice!!

Niall Bruce

Intersting report Niall, Thanks, I'm off to Courmayeur on the 23rd for the
British masters so I hope the conditions improve!

BTW can anyone recomend cheap accomadation in Courmayeur?

Thanks


--
Chris *:-)

Downhill Good, Uphill BAD!

www.suffolkvikings.org.uk

"NIALLBRUCE" wrote in message
...
I've just arrived home after a week in Courmayeur (and 2 days in La
Thuile).
Here's some of my thoughts on the snow conditions and also the resort in
general.

Courmayeur had blue skies all week. The piste is very hard packed. There
seemed
to be a thaw during the day and a freeze at night. Luckily, I was able to
hire
some 4* Volkl skis so the conditions were not a big problem. Early morning
was
definately best as it was corduroy. After around 2pm each day, there was a
lot
of crud on top of the hard-packed snow making skiing difficult. Snow cover
was
also becoming patchy towards the end of the week. There were rumours about
runs
closing if more snow didn't fall this weekend.

I was disappointed to find that Courmayeur didn't have the pisting ability
of
the Scottish slopes. When I was at the Lecht last year, they were scraping
off
the small amounts of snow at the side of the road and transporting them
onto
the slopes. If there is any snow in Scotland, the resorts will work very
hard
to open the runs. However, the piste machines only operated at night in
Courmayeur. If they had done one run during the day, the afternoon skiing
would
have been much better. Instead, numerous machines were idle at Plan
Checrouit
(base station). There was also lots of snow (25cm?) in various areas
slightly
off the pistes. Although there were a few tracks on these areas, they
weren't
runs (on or off-piste) and were very rarely used. IMHO, they should have
been
taking the snow from these areas and using it to make the runs complete.

It would be wrong to say that the holiday was a disappointment. We had 2
excellent days in La Thuile. Since it is joined with La Rosiere, it's
huge.
Moreover, it's also empty. Instead of the long queues at Courmayeur, we
went
straight onto all the lifts. The snow was hard-packed as in Courmayeur but
since it was very quiet, we didn't have to keep our speed down and didn't
have
to make such abrupt turns. It's hard to explain but this made skiing on
such
snow much more pleasurable. La Thuile also seemed to be colder than
Courmayeur
so there wasn't really any ice caused by a daily freeze-thaw. However, it
is
very exposed. We all had to buy neck scarves because it was qute windy on
our
second day. Our lift-pass only allowed us to get 2 days in La Thuile but
it was
an excellent resort with long runs. I'd thoroughly recommend it!

Courmayeur is a resort for those who are very accomplished but also like
to
relax. The slopes are extremely busy so it's hard to ski quickly and
safely. I
also found the hard-packed snow to be quite difficult (and wasn't able to
make
smooth short turns as a result). Nonetheless, the atmosphere is second to
none.
The scenery and town are very picturesque too. In addition, despite being
a
relatively stylish resort, the prices were not too bad provided that you
don't
opt for alcohol (?6+ per pint in many bars). The hot chocolate in
particular
was great!

I've asked quite a lot of questions on this newsgroups over the last
couple of
months. Thanks to everyone who helped make the holiday very enjoyable!! La
Thuile in particular was definately worth knowing about!! I managed to
carve
very quickly (was obviously just having problems with my edges on the
'dry'
slope). The 2 girls were very good too. One was carving on the second day.
My
girlfriend was less confident (was bending too far down because I'd said
to
keep her shins against the tongues of her boots but she wasn't comfortable
actually moving her weight forward). By the end of the holiday, she had
good
dynamic movement during her turns - and finally stopped complaining about
having sore muscles etc. We all had a superb holiday. Thanks again to
everyone
who gave their advice!!

Niall Bruce

Thanks for this Niall. I'm off there on Thursday. As we'll only have three
days skiiing would you say we should go for Courmayeur, La Thuile or La
Rossiere?

Cheers, A. D.

In article ,
says...
I've just arrived home after a week in Courmayeur (and 2 days in La Thuile).
Here's some of my thoughts on the snow conditions and also the resort in
general.

Nice report - cheers. I'm off there for Feb. half-term, so look forward
to the crowds.

Any tips on where to find decent apres-ski/snacks/coffee/etc?

--
Hywel http://kibo.org.uk/
I do not eat quiche.

Hywel Jenkins wrote:

In article ,
says...

I've just arrived home after a week in Courmayeur (and 2 days in La Thuile).
Here's some of my thoughts on the snow conditions and also the resort in
general.


Nice report - cheers. I'm off there for Feb. half-term, so look forward
to the crowds.

Oh well, console yourself with the fact that France will probably be worse!

In article ,
says...
Hywel Jenkins wrote:

In article ,
says...

I've just arrived home after a week in Courmayeur (and 2 days in La Thuile).
Here's some of my thoughts on the snow conditions and also the resort in
general.


Nice report - cheers. I'm off there for Feb. half-term, so look forward
to the crowds.

Oh well, console yourself with the fact that France will probably be worse!

Watched "Holiday" earlier - it'll be the US or Canada for me next year.
Er Indoors (a teacher) will have to make do with Snowdome.

--
Hywel http://kibo.org.uk/
I do not eat quiche.

Hywel Jenkins wrote:

In article ,
says...

Hywel Jenkins wrote:


In article ,
says...


I've just arrived home after a week in Courmayeur (and 2 days in La Thuile).
Here's some of my thoughts on the snow conditions and also the resort in
general.


Nice report - cheers. I'm off there for Feb. half-term, so look forward
to the crowds.

Oh well, console yourself with the fact that France will probably be worse!


Watched "Holiday" earlier - it'll be the US or Canada for me next year.
Er Indoors (a teacher) will have to make do with Snowdome.

Highly recommended. It has it's downside (mainly jet lag) but you have
to try skiing in N America at least once. Just avoid New Year, I've been
to Whistler a few times at New Year and it was hell. It was fine a
couple of days after though.

Steve Haigh wrote in news:34j3ibF4c51odU2
@individual.net:

Just avoid New Year,

Why? I skied Jackson Hole over New Year and despite the locals saying it
was "busy" I can't remember more than 15 or so people in a lift queue on
one day, most days it was ski straight onto the chair!

regards,

Greg

In response to some previous questions:

I'd go to La Thuile and La Rosiere instead of Courmayeur if skiing is the
priority. The former is only 45 minutes from Courmayeur via a bus that's free
with your lift pass. I think there's 2 pickups - on the street just above the
main cablecar and at the bus station. We were staying at the Astoria in La
Palud so we caught it there.
If there is only a small amount of wind in Courmayeur, you'll probably need
something over your face in La Thuile and La Rosiere as there is very little
cover there. The La Rosiere website has an excellent piste map of the area - I
took a copy on holiday with me and found it extremely useful.

La Thuile: We didn't find any queues here so don't worry about finding secluded
runs. The best skiing in my opinion is near the border with La Rosiere. The
runs near the Baldevere tow had good snow and were excellent for carving.
Number 26 runs round the other side of the mountain and is actually a road in
summer. Once the novelty wore off, it became a bit boring - quite flat and
narrow. If you're looking for easy blues, the Belacombe runs are worth a look
although they're both pomas. Due to the high-winds and the ability of the
group, we didn't go on many reds. There were a few to the right of Gran Tesa
though which had a fairly steep section at the start before levelling out as
they approach the central cable-car.
The cafe next to the Baldevere cable car is reasonably priced - € 8 for a big
pizza. Although it doesn't have anything close to the views found at
Courmayeur, it's a very nice place to eat.
We also went to the restaurant just above the main cablecar. Although it's not
far from the station, it's best to ski it - 100 yards? It was very popular but
had a good selection.

Courmayeur: The resort is split into 2 areas - Plan Checrouit and Val Veny. In
my opinion, the former is much better. VV does have tree-lined runs but they're
narrow and crowded. The blue run is very smooth to begin with but traverses the
mountain from the half-way point. I found that I had to keep my uphill ski
forward so I didn't slip downhill for the majority of the 2nd leg of the run.
The red runs just take a short-cut down the hill so you're not traversing
enough. However, we've found that the Courmayeur grading system isn't the same
as in other resorts. Blue runs are like reds and reds are like normal blacks
etc. Although I could ski the reds on the VV side, I didn't find them
enjoyable. The snow was hardpacked so I found myself constantly braking (if you
know what I mean).
The Plan Checrouit side is much more varied. There's a few ruins and
restaurants half-way up (surrounded by the occasional group of trees). It's
extremely picturesque here! I liked the restaurant on the blue run the most
purely because of the view - it's half way on your right (as you ski down). We
went there most of the time. The cafe at the bottom serves nice crepe. The
restaurant at station level but far left (as you look uphill) is very nice but
gets cold when the sun begins to set (and shadows fall over the runs).
As far as skiing goes, the aforementioned blue run is excellent. It's
ridiculously busy though! The red runs are not quite so busy. They are quite
steep though (not the usual red!) so you'll need the extra space to be in
countrol!
The runs at the top of the hill (creste d'arp) were very icey last week. It was
also very windy at that height (the surrounding mountains didn't seem to offer
any shelter). Unless the conditions have changed, I wouldn't venture up to that
level unless you're a very good skiier or just want some nice photos.

ps, Go to Punta Helbronner (Mont Blanc cablecar). The views are amazing. It's
the start of the Valley Blanche. We didn't try it due to inexperience and poor
snow conditions. Got some nice photos though!

Hope this helps!!
Niall

"NIALLBRUCE" wrote in message
...
In response to some previous questions:

I'd go to La Thuile and La Rosiere instead of Courmayeur if skiing is the
priority. The former is only 45 minutes from Courmayeur via a bus that's
free
with your lift pass. I think there's 2 pickups - on the street just above
the
main cablecar and at the bus station. We were staying at the Astoria in La
Palud so we caught it there.
If there is only a small amount of wind in Courmayeur, you'll probably
need
something over your face in La Thuile and La Rosiere as there is very
little
cover there. The La Rosiere website has an excellent piste map of the
area - I
took a copy on holiday with me and found it extremely useful.

La Thuile: We didn't find any queues here so don't worry about finding
secluded
runs. The best skiing in my opinion is near the border with La Rosiere.
The
runs near the Baldevere tow had good snow and were excellent for carving.
Number 26 runs round the other side of the mountain and is actually a road
in
summer. Once the novelty wore off, it became a bit boring - quite flat and
narrow. If you're looking for easy blues, the Belacombe runs are worth a
look
although they're both pomas. Due to the high-winds and the ability of the
group, we didn't go on many reds. There were a few to the right of Gran
Tesa
though which had a fairly steep section at the start before levelling out
as
they approach the central cable-car.
The cafe next to the Baldevere cable car is reasonably priced - ? 8 for a
big
pizza. Although it doesn't have anything close to the views found at
Courmayeur, it's a very nice place to eat.
We also went to the restaurant just above the main cablecar. Although it's
not
far from the station, it's best to ski it - 100 yards? It was very popular
but
had a good selection.

Courmayeur: The resort is split into 2 areas - Plan Checrouit and Val
Veny. In
my opinion, the former is much better. VV does have tree-lined runs but
they're
narrow and crowded. The blue run is very smooth to begin with but
traverses the
mountain from the half-way point. I found that I had to keep my uphill ski
forward so I didn't slip downhill for the majority of the 2nd leg of the
run.
The red runs just take a short-cut down the hill so you're not traversing
enough. However, we've found that the Courmayeur grading system isn't the
same
as in other resorts. Blue runs are like reds and reds are like normal
blacks
etc. Although I could ski the reds on the VV side, I didn't find them
enjoyable. The snow was hardpacked so I found myself constantly braking
(if you
know what I mean).
The Plan Checrouit side is much more varied. There's a few ruins and
restaurants half-way up (surrounded by the occasional group of trees).
It's
extremely picturesque here! I liked the restaurant on the blue run the
most
purely because of the view - it's half way on your right (as you ski
down). We
went there most of the time. The cafe at the bottom serves nice crepe. The
restaurant at station level but far left (as you look uphill) is very nice
but
gets cold when the sun begins to set (and shadows fall over the runs).
As far as skiing goes, the aforementioned blue run is excellent. It's
ridiculously busy though! The red runs are not quite so busy. They are
quite
steep though (not the usual red!) so you'll need the extra space to be in
countrol!
The runs at the top of the hill (creste d'arp) were very icey last week.
It was
also very windy at that height (the surrounding mountains didn't seem to
offer
any shelter). Unless the conditions have changed, I wouldn't venture up to
that
level unless you're a very good skiier or just want some nice photos.

ps, Go to Punta Helbronner (Mont Blanc cablecar). The views are amazing.
It's
the start of the Valley Blanche. We didn't try it due to inexperience and
poor
snow conditions. Got some nice photos though!

Hope this helps!!
Niall

Thanks a lot for that Niall. We're off tomorrow and I've printed out your
post to take with us. Will let you know how we get on.

A. D.