Web Designer and fan of alternative music, snowboarding, films, books, festivals, art, computer game...
Web Designer and fan of alternative music, snowboarding, films, books, festivals, art, computer games, the Internet and loads of other stuff! Not used ciao in ages but might start again in future.
Member since:31.05.2001
Reviews:19
Members who trust:15
I have visited Val Thorens once with a few friends and we had a great time! It is a nice big resort in the French Alps so it is not the closest resort to the UK but it is worth the journey.
You are told that it is a nice high resort (good for snow) and you really begin to believe it on the drive up the mountain. Once you eventually get there you might have to queue for the key to your hotel room because all the package groups arrive on the same day and it is pretty chaotic.
The hotel room that my four friends and I shared was very nice. It was a two level room with bathroom and toilet. It also had a balcony and was very warm. The service in the hotel seemed good, when we had a problem with a light it was fixed very quickly. If all the hotels are at least as good as this one then you should be happy with the accommodation.
I did not take lessons but one of my freinds did and he was very pleased. At the beginning of the holiday he was a novice but after just a couple of lessons he was doing linked turns and was happy to go on blue slopes.* Based on what i know the instruction was excellent. Assuming all the schools are as good then you should get very good lessons.
The lifts to get up the slopes were excellent and very safe - just make sure you are confident with how to use them before you try. I found it very relaxing sitting on a lift, admiring the mountain view while i waited to get to the top!
Every slope that i went on was absolutely brilliant! They ranged in length, width, height, difficulty and the snow was consistently good. There are even some slopes with snow machines incase nature does not provide... I had so much fun boarding down the slopes that i just cannot reccomend them enough! Even when it was busy there was always plenty of room on a slope somewhere and there was also plenty of off-piste.
The nightlife was pretty good. The drinks were not terribly expensive and there were a lot of bars and a couple of clubs to go to. There is also plenty of takeaway. Other facilites included a couple of supermarkets, lots of equipment shops, a small sports centre and plenty of cafes and restuarants.
The equipment we hired was of good quality. If you cant afford your own board then dont worry because you should be happy with the hired stuff.
You will proabably be going to ValThorens as part of a package holiday. This is good because you get a lot of things sorted before arrival (such as accommadation, equipment hire and lessons). I would not reccommend going independantly unless you have experience doing so.
Although i have not been to any other resorts I can say that Val Thorens is excellent. I will be going again and I strongly reccommend it. Have fun!
A FEW TIPS!
If the hired equipment you are given at first is not very good (usually if it is busy) then dont panic. You can go back later and swap it for something better. I did this and there were no problems at all.
If money is tight then I reccommend getting a cheap bottle of french wine from the supermarket! It was so cheap its unbelievable! We spent a couple of nights drinking cheap plonk on the balcony!
The supermarkets are ok but I will be taking more of my own food (hmmm supernoodles...) next time. It just saves effort and money.
* - Incase you dont know, the slopes are rated for difficulty with a colour scheme (so any nationality can understand it). This is: Green - Beginner. Blue - Intermediate. Red - Advanced. Black - Very hard
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OI OI, ski club member. Watch out for the flying chunks of half cooked meat on the balaconies!!
Nice review matey!!!
pookypop 25.06.2001 02:20
Sounds like a great place! I've only ever been skiing in Austria (and only once at that), but I fell inlove with the mountains and I'm determined to make it back one day. Great op, Pooky
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Jun 6th, 2001
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