Just back - Les Houches / Chamonix

Ace wrote:
On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 14:55:05 +0100, Ian Spare
wrote:


Ace wrote:


Yes, my brain's elsewhere this morning. There are occasionally lift
queues there, but never, IME, for more than 3-4 minutes. Never seen
any problems with the car park, though, which was what I was really
thinking about.


The car park's fine, but the queues at peak time are 30 minutes or more,


Wha? I don't know when you were there - maybe it was school hols and
the only decent skiing open or something? - but as I said, I've never
queued for more than five minutes or so.

I'm there all the season long, we've a flat there and ski there all the
way through the season. Everyone going to Morillon or Les Carroz has to
go via that lift or on the Perce Neige piste (which is why the Perce
Neige is also so busy).



it's a probably the worst blackspot for queues in the entire Massif.


Well it's hard to think of anywhere else you get queues at all, expect
I suppose at the eggs or the DMC first thing in the morning.


Or the Keudeuze out of Les Carroz, or the Sairon out of Morillon, or the
Chariande 1 and 2 out of Samoens 1600 or the Corbalanche (for the same
reason as the Moillets lift and Perce Neige piste) or the Vernant etc
etc etc.

Ace wrote:
On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 14:55:05 +0100, Ian Spare
wrote:


Ace wrote:


Yes, my brain's elsewhere this morning. There are occasionally lift
queues there, but never, IME, for more than 3-4 minutes. Never seen
any problems with the car park, though, which was what I was really
thinking about.


The car park's fine, but the queues at peak time are 30 minutes or more,


Wha? I don't know when you were there - maybe it was school hols and
the only decent skiing open or something? - but as I said, I've never
queued for more than five minutes or so.
It was pretty bad at New Year last season, 30 mins plus on a couple of
occassions, seemed busier than the DMC even. Nothing major was closed,
just v. busy. OTOH in mid Jan is had no queues, but then nowhere else in
the area did either.

it's a probably the worst blackspot for queues in the entire Massif.


In my limited experience of the area I'd agree with that, but as Ace
says the area is usually fairly queue-free, so only really a problem at
peak time in the holidays.

Not sure the extra drive to Vallorcine would make it worthwhile -
although the lift does put you into the more interesting part of Le
Tour (IMHO) and opens up numerous off-piste options. The last thing
Vallorcine needs or wants is a big carpark. The run down to the new
lift ends up with a ~100m walk each side of the railtrack - a small
footbridge would be a welcome addition.