chaletlaforet November 25th, 2007
The Compagnie Du Mont Blanc has extended the discount ski pass offer until December 2nd. These can also be ordered online, for the first time.
If you will be going for a fortnight or more, these are well worth taking advantage of, with 10% off the ten day packs, and 15% off the 15 day packs, with the discount rising to 35% on a season or year’s Unlimited pass.
chaletlaforet November 25th, 2007
As the first serious snow arrived, we took a walk from the midstation of the Aiguille du Midi to Montenvers along the Grand Balcon Nord, through magical snowy forests and along the path that winds above the clouds…
chaletlaforet November 25th, 2007
It’s 900 km from Calais to Chamonix, so it can be done in a day, but sometimes it’s good to break the journey to the Alps. You may want to just have a quick overnight stop or a more leisurely break to relax on the way…
Calais to Chamonix route on Google Maps
To Book or not to Book?
At busy times (Easter, Christmas, half term) and especially if you’re travelling on Friday or Saturday, it really is a good idea to book. At other times, you can afford to be a bit more flexible and stop when you feel like it. It’s not a bad idea to have the numbers of a few possible hotels with you, so you can call ahead and save time.
Many places close on Sunday, and it’s best to book both room and dinner if you are travelling then.
The Chain Gang
There are plenty of chains along the way, and these can be handy as many of them have 24 hour checkins. Some are entirely automated, and operated with a credit card! They range from Campanile, Novotel and Ibis which are generally reliable, to the more basic (shared bathrooms) but inexpensive and functional Formule 1. Here’s a useful rundown of the budget chains and their features.
However, there are also many lovely individual hotels which can make your driving break into an enjoyable part of the holiday. Logis de Franceis a good place to look.
Here’s a list of places we’ve stayed in, or have had recommended. I’ll be adding to this as time goes on. Much credit for this list goes to the forum on Snowheads - Many thanks!
65 km past Calais: Auchy-en-Bois.
If you’ve had a long drive to get to Calais, try this very charming B and B, Chez Gina
100 km past Calais: Arras.
We stopped here when we had to get a late crossing. It’s a nice town, and surprisingly lively on a Friday and Saturday night. We stayed at the Ibis which was fine.
268 km from Calais: Reims or Rheims, pronounced “Rrance”
Reims is an obvious place to break the journey as it’s about half way, and the motorway goes very close to the town centre. The Hotel de la Paix comes very highly recommended - search around for good deals here. There’s a whole bunch of hotels that open late in Reims centre, but if you are arriving late or on a busy weekend, it’s probably best to book in advance.
A little further on is the beautiful and historic Ferme du Temple hotel.
300km from Calais: Epernay
Just outside Epernay is the Auberge Champenoise which I have heard recommended several times. Another possibility is the Hotel la Briqueterie which is a little out of the way but looks very pretty.
400km from Calais: Troyes
Troyes is a beautiful town with a medieval centre of half-timbered buildings, well worth a visit. In summer, we’ve camped on the way at this very nice campsite. We arrived late and ended up staying at the Best Western which perfectly all right and very well located. Walking around in the morning, I came across a very pretty hotel, Les Comtes de Champagne, which I think we’ll try next time.
Troyes tourist office with list of hotels
The Val Moret is at Magnant just past Troyes. Very close to the motorway exit, and you can park outside your room, which is useful if you have a lot of gear in the car.
Dijon: 569 km from Calais
Dijon is a pleasant, attractive and lively town for a stopover, with plenty of good hotels and restaurants. Unfortunately I can’t remember the name of the hotel where we stayed, but there seemed to be plenty of good options in the centre.
Dijon Tourist office with hotels and restaurants
A little further on, past the A36/A39 motorway junction is the pleasant looking Hotel Parcey.
596 km from Calais: Nuits-St-Georges
Between Dijon and Beaune, at the Nuits-St-Georges exit, is the Hotel Vincent which also has a superb restaurant, the Alembic.
Also in this area is Les Tilleuls which is run by a friendly Scottish couple.
608km from Calais: Chalon-sur-Saône
Just 20 minutes from the motorway at the Chalon-sur-Saône exit, Les Batees is a wonderful family-run place which has delightful rooms and will cook you excellent vegetarian food.
Beaune: 614 km from Calais
The lovely town of Beaune is in the heart of Burgundy would be another good place to stop, and perhaps make a day of it before continuing the journey. The Novotel in Beaune is a particularly good one - its family rooms which sleep five are handy for an inexpensive stopover.
Annecy - 90km from Chamonix
I’ve put Annecy here as it’s a lovely stopover if you have an extra night on the journey, even though it’s not quite on the direct route. It’s known as “the Venice of the Alps” because of the network of canals winding through the lovely old centre. A beautiful place for an evening.
We stayed in a small Chambres d’hotes called Les Jardins du Chateau (tel 0450 45 72 28, email jardinduchateau@wanadoo.fr) which was reasonably priced, well located and very friendly and helpful. They have rooms sleeping 1 -4 people.
If you have recommendations to add to this list, please email me!
chaletlaforet November 25th, 2007
We quite often get asked for buying advice by people coming away on a ski or snowboard holiday, so I thought I’d get this online.
Firstly, if you have friends that snowboard or ski, they will quite likely have stuff you can borrow. It’s an expensive business getting everything at once so this can be a big help.
If you’re on a budget, TK Maxx is really worth checking out, I’ve seen some people get brilliant deals there. Ebay is also good., if you know what you’re looking for and have already tried it on somewhere.
1. Fabric and construction
Jackets come in several kinds, which can be broadly divided into shells, intended to be worn with a fleece underneath, and may be lined or unlined:
….and padded jackets, which are very thick and warm.
Remember that if you’re thinking of spending a bit more to get something to keep and wear as a jacket, some of the thicker ones are way too hot, so look for a shell that you wear over a fleece, not a giant thick one. It’s also a lot more flexible to be able to wear layers that you and remove as you go along.
The numbers: 5,000mm waterproof is a minimum 10,000mm is good for normal use. 20-30,000 is better, if you intend to go out in the snow. 5,000 minimum for breathability, you don’t want to get sweaty. If you can afford it, Gore-Tex is very good. Taped seams are a big plus, they really help keep you warm and dry, and a hood is great for keeping you warm - even if you don’t put it up, the extra fabric round your neck is very helpful. Make sure it goes over your helmet with no problems.
2. Features
Pockets: It’s good to have lots! Look for a pocket that’s convenient for your lift pass - lots of jackets have a clear one in an easily accessible place, and/or one with an elastic clip. Ideally one on either side, as different places have different setups. And an inner pocket that you can fasten securely for important stuff. A keyring inside a pocket is very useful too.
If you like to listen to music, there are plenty of jackets now with mp3 player controls built in. Remember though that you’ll be using them with your gloves on.
A goggle pocket is a nice feature, ideally with a goggle wipe pad.
Built in Recco avalanche locators are becoming more popular and can only be a good thing.
Some jackets are reinforced at the sides where you carry your board, which is a really good feature if you can find it. I don’t know why more places don’t do this. Check the cut is long enough at the back to keep you warm when you bend over (I often find women’s jackets seem to be cut too short at the back for me). If you wear a pack, it’s good if the straps don’t interfere too much with the pockets.
Make sure the jacket has a snow skirt (ideally one that matches up via hooks or press studs with your pants) to keep the snow out of your bum, and elasticated cuffs.
Underarm zips are good because you can get surprisingly hot. The zips should have pulls that are big enough to be grabbed with gloves on.
Some jackets have thumbholes to stop the sleeves riding up, and/or little loops on the cuffs to attach your gloves to.
A fleece neck warmer (a buff) can be a big help, as your chin can get chafed by the collar if it’s wet.
3. Looks
And of course you want one that looks good! Watch out for white ones because they can get dirty very fast, and it really shows against white snow.
Beware the trendy corduroy/ denim stuff as it WILL get wet in the snow, no matter what they say. A lot of this stuff is made for park and pipe riders who don’t go out in the lashing wind or driving snow in it. They keep it for messing about in the park, which it’s great for, but if you are spending a lot of time on your bum, you will get soggy fast. The same goes for furry trim on hoods and cuffs. Brght colours and stripes seem to be back back back for winter 2007/8 and it does make you easier to spot on the mountain.
Burton’s Analog stuff is expensive but is good for stuff that you might actually want to wear when you get back home.
Also this might sound obvious, but remember to try pants / jacket etc on with what you will be wearing underneath, or something similar. I’ve known lots of people buy stuff that’s too small because they thought the right size stuff was too big and heavy - it seems that way in a warm shop in the city, but not on the mountain! Get all the layers on underneath and try some pants on at the same time
4. Putting my money where my mouth is
In case you’re interested, my setup at the moment is a very thin (paper thin almost) Burton Continuum Fuse jacket - this is unlined and made (mostly) out of one piece of fabric, cut so it has no seams on the forward surfaces.
I wear a good quality fleece (Special Blend) under this and an Icebreaker thin merino thermal. This combination works in practically all temperatures, it’s brilliant. Unzip when it’s hot, pull tight when it’s cold.
OR
just get what I’m planning on buying this winter - and yes, I am perfectly serious:
chaletlaforet November 24th, 2007
Beautiful photo of the more unusual Grand Envers route of the off-piste ski classic, La Vallée Blanche. It’s well worth clicking through to the larger image to appreciate the texture and shapes in the snow.
chaletlaforet November 22nd, 2007
A fantastic start to the 2007/8 season in Chamonix, as Les Grands Montets has confirmed it will be opening this weekend. More snow is forecast throughout the week and the lifts will be opening every weekend from now on.
View of Mont Blanc from the top of Les Grands Montets…
chaletlaforet November 21st, 2007
(UPDATE - NOW BOOKED!)We now have Christmas week availability at the chalet until Boxing day. So if you were thinking of a white Christmas in the snow, why not give us a call? The chalet is available catered or self-catering, and sleeps ten people in five bedrooms.Early winter season climate and snowfall have been fantastic and all the signs point to superb ski and snowboard conditions in Chamonix this Christmas - or just come and enjoy the snow while relaxing in our hot tub!More details about the chalet on www.chaletlaforet.com
(This is a photo from last winter - see the chalet site for more pictures with the new hot tub)View from the balcony:
The living room:
Bigfoot Travel are our ATOL bonded agency who are proud to have spent seventeen successful years providing holidays and accommodation in Chamonix. Their friendly, enthusiastic staff will be delighted to help you.sales@bigfoot-travel.co.ukYou can call Bigfoot from the UK on: 0870 300 5874or from outside the UK on 0033 (0)450 53 00 63www.chaletlaforet.com
chaletlaforet August 24th, 2007
In three days, 2,000 participants race around Mont Blanc over 155 km through three countries - France, Italy and Switzerland), over ten mountain passes, 2000m altitudes and an elevation gain of 8500m - with 45 hours to finish!
The start and finish are both in Chamonix, and there are other events going on, including a 24 hour race, so the place will be buzzing more than ever over the August long weekend, with other festivities along the route as it passes through the valley. And there’s sure to be some big celebrations going on after the prizegiving in Chamonix on Sunday….
http://www.thenorthface.com/eu/news/news-20070105.html
chaletlaforet August 1st, 2007
Every year, this festival celebrates the mountain guides of Chamonix.
This year it’s from the 12th to the 15th August, with the big night of music, son et lumiere and fireworks at the Gaillands on the 14th. It’s loads of fun with a great atmosphere, and for a very good cause - the Guides Emergency Fund - so if you’re in Chamonix try and make it along. There are also more traditional ceremonies like the blessing of the ropes and ice-axes if you prefer, but it’s the show on the cliffs of the Gaillands that’s generally the scene-stealer.
chaletlaforet December 10th, 2006
The new snowpark in Chamonix will be at Les Grands Montets, approximately where the boardercross used to be, by the Marmottons piste
It’s being built by h.o.5.park, so keep an eye on their site for updates.
There’s a map of the plans here and it looks good! It’s at a high altitude too, so there should be no problems with snow.
Our beautiful traditional Savoyarde chalet sleeps ten happy people. For full details, more photos and booking, visit
