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Pyrenees 2000 and Les Angles, the French Pyrenees Orientales
Before last week I was only working on hearsay.
Now I can honestly say that these resorts are good. Yes I am interested in renting out my gite (see web site below) but they are good resorts whatever. Pyrenees 2000 is a reasonably high set of linked hills. Lots of runs of most types, some black , most not. High frequency of mountain restaurants / bars. Access by car to all sorts of places (though I didn't try beyond P 2000 ). Parking OK at P2000. Probably even easier at higher places. Les Angles is quite different. Much, much bigger resort. Longer runs. More similar to Soldeu or Alpine resorts . However it has a beautiful aspect facing a large wide valley with a frozen lake. Parking was sane. AND It was French half term but not crowded (apart from the standard 4 pm crush at the bottom of every ski resort). The prices were good. (15 euro or less for skis poles and boots. ). Crepes on the mountain (yum). It was my first time driving to a resort and it was fine. Our journey was 40 mins to an hour depending on what we got stuck behind. I met some people staying even closer to the Med (further east) who had similar travel times. Perhaps I drive slow ! The fact that we could pop into open-air thermal spas on the journey back was a bonus . Its not the alps but it is good skiing, good snow and far more reasonably priced ! Surf the web and look it out ! -- John Owens Fax 44 1509 89 08 22 www.GoodViews.co.uk |
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#2
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Pyrenees 2000 and Les Angles, the French Pyrenees Orientales
John Owens wrote:
snip Its not the alps but it is good skiing, good snow and far more reasonably priced ! Ding-ding-dinga-ding Got back from nine days in Bareges on Sunday. We had snow on five or six of those days. Excellent conditions. Lift pass was 412 euros for a family of four for seven days - silly bugger me forgot we were doing eight days' skiing and had to buy another day pass for the final day. I've no idea what an Alpine pass costs, but I doubt it's that cheap. Hotel bill, nine nights half board, four course meals, titanic bar bill :-)) was another 1600 euros for four peorple in two rooms. And yes, the thermal springs (all over the Pyrenees) are utterly ace after a day's skiing. Bareges downers - the funicular has been closed for three years now, and they've removed the gondola lift that ran from the village. So now you have to drive up to the Tournaboup section, or take the bloody ski buses. You can still ski back down to the village though. This is a major ****er, because one of the attractions was having the lifts on your doorstep. They're constructing a new high-speed gondola from the village for 2006, but why they didn't build it before removing the old lifts is a mystery. The village is well ****ed off, because it's given La Mongie the edge. New high-speed six-man chairs have been added on other links, and they've opened up the Pic du Midi, though, which redresses the balance a bit. And yes, considering it was half term, it was not very crowded. Certainly not by Alpine standards. OK, I'd like to ski the Alps again but when you have two children and are tied to school holiday times, on my income it's not a financial possibility. Cheap BA flights to Toulouse (300 quid for four, using some of my air miles), 250 quid for a rented Zafira for nine days, 1200 quid for good board and lodging, 300 quid for lift passes, a few quid for hire of kit for the lad... Add in spending money for meals on the slopes and the other usual stuff, and I made it about ukp2500 all in for nine nights and eight days skiing, at the peak of high season. I don't see how you can do the Alps for that sort of money for seven nights, never mind nine, unless you all cram into a hateful "studio". This was a really good, comfortable, trip. Having the house burgled in our absence wasn't so much fun, though. :-((( Anyway, we've left all our kit in the hotel, as in previous years, because we'll be back next season.... Maybe also for a few days at Easter. -- Trophy 1200 750SS CB400F CD200 ST70 YTC#3 GAGARPHOF#30 GHPOTHUF#1 IHABWTJ#1 BOTAFOT#60 ANORAK#06 BOF#30 WUSS#5 http://www.chateau.murray.dsl.pipex.com/ |
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Pyrenees 2000 and Les Angles, the French Pyrenees Orientales
Ace wrote:
[1] What am I saying, you're the archetype. I know, I know. I'd love to get out more. I did get out more, time and again, BK (Before Kids). I will again, once they've flown the nest. For the moment, though, it's a choice between incredibly basic and uncomfortable self-catering in the Alps, or a decent hotel in the Pyrenees. No contest. -- Trophy 1200 750SS CB400F CD200 ST70 YTC#3 GAGARPHOF#30 GHPOTHUF#1 IHABWTJ#1 BOTAFOT#60 ANORAK#06 BOF#30 WUSS#5 http://www.chateau.murray.dsl.pipex.com/ |
#5
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Pyrenees 2000 and Les Angles, the French Pyrenees Orientales
On Tue, 24 Feb 2004 01:50:08 +0000 (UTC), in
(rec.skiing.resorts.europe) "John Owens" wrote: Before last week I was only working on hearsay. Now I can honestly say that these resorts are good. Shhhh! We're trying to keep it quiet! Yes I am interested in renting out my gite (see web site below) but they are good resorts whatever. Ahh! It was my first time driving to a resort and it was fine. Our journey was 40 mins to an hour depending on what we got stuck behind. I met some people staying even closer to the Med (further east) who had similar travel times. Perhaps I drive slow ! 45 minutes from Prades in a 1.6 TD Escort Estate with a knackered turbo, and a dodgy clutch. Longer if the last half is 'chaines obligatoires' The fact that we could pop into open-air thermal spas on the journey back was a bonus . Shhh! We're trying to keep St Thomas a secret too. Its not the alps Which does have its upsides, too! but it is good skiing, good snow and far more reasonably priced ! -- Charlie |
#6
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Pyrenees 2000 and Les Angles, the French Pyrenees Orientales
On Tue, 24 Feb 2004 08:53:33 +0100, in
(rec.skiing.resorts.europe) Ace wrote: It's perhaps also worth making the point that Bareges is on the other side of the Pyreness from the resorts mentioned, a surprisingly log way. These latter are two of perhaps a dozen smallish ski resorts, which I'd love to investigate a day at a time, IYSWIM. Sadly, after we'd done three weeks' repping in Soldeu we didn't have any spare time to check them out on the way back :-{ For those interested in exploring all of the small resorts in the Pyrénées Orientales area surrounding Font Romeau, Mont Louis, Les Angles, Pyrénées 2000, etc., I understand that a ski-pass is available that is accepted at all the 'Catelan' resorts. I don't know if it's available on a weekly basis, but I recall hearing that it's about 200-ish Euros for a season, which strikes me as damn good value, with a lot of vaired skiing on offer. I'm trying to find out more, for my own benefit, and I'll post anything I uncover here. It's a charming part of the world (I'm biased because I live here), and refreshingly different from Courchevel ski-wise. And, no, we've not built our gite yet -- Charlie |
#7
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Pyrenees 2000 and Les Angles, the French Pyrenees Orientales
"Charlie King" om wrote in message ... On Tue, 24 Feb 2004 01:50:08 +0000 (UTC), in (rec.skiing.resorts.europe) "John Owens" wrote: Before last week I was only working on hearsay. Now I can honestly say that these resorts are good. Shhhh! We're trying to keep it quiet! The fact that we could pop into open-air thermal spas on the journey back was a bonus . Shhh! We're trying to keep St Thomas a secret too. OK Charlie Stum is the word. -- John Owens Fax 44 1509 89 08 22 www.GoodViews.co.uk |
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