A couple of skiing/snowboarding questions

Trojan

Trojan

Trojan

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I've booked a trip to Val Thorens in France at the end of January with a couple of people and am just in the process of sorting everything out for it. Whist doing so, a couple of questions have cropped up that I'd like some advice on if possible:

1) Given that this will be the first time I've been to Val Thorens, is it going to be worth paying the extra cash and getting the full 3 valleys pass? Or are there likely to be enough runs in the local area to keep us occupied and entertained for 6 days?

2) Can anybody recommend a really good pair of gloves? The ones I used last year in Livigno were, if I'm honest, a bit cheap and whilst they were ok, after a full day on the slopes my hands would be damp and cold. Therefore I'm after a pair that are going to provide warmth and dryness throughout the entire day. Budget of around say £60, though I'd be willing to increase that if doing so will get me a *much* better pair.
 
1) Depends on how good you are, if you have are an intermediate or above it's a definate, otherwise maybe wait until you ski out VT and upgrade your valley pass to the full 3V one.

2) Pretty much any glove from somewhere like Snow and Rock or Ellis Brigham will be good for £60. Just get a pair that you like the fit of. Salomon are always a good bet/ :)
 
Amp34 said:
1) Depends on how good you are, if you have are an intermediate or above it's a definate, otherwise maybe wait until you ski out VT and upgrade your valley pass to the full 3V one.

2) Pretty much any glove from somewhere like Snow and Rock or Ellis Brigham will be good for £60. Just get a pair that you like the fit of. Salomon are always a good bet/ :)
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I'd say we're all intermediates. In Livigno we stuck mainly to red runs but got down a few blacks as well without any problems. So in that case you think that we'd get bored of just sticking to Val Thorens?

As for the gloves I had a look in Ellis Brigham in Xscape, Castleford last week and to be honest their range was **** poor. Tried a few on but none seemed particularly brilliant :-/ I was looking at this pair in their online store though, do you think they'd be up to the job?

Cheers for the reply anyway fella :)
 
I went to Meribel a few years ago and it was good to be able to go between the valleys. It's not essential obviously, adds a bit of variation in the view for a couple of afternoons, so really depends how much the price difference will hurt your wallet. :p
 
PurpleDinosaur said:
I went to Meribel a few years ago and it was good to be able to go between the valleys. It's not essential obviously, adds a bit of variation in the view for a couple of afternoons, so really depends how much the price difference will hurt your wallet. :p
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Well, it's only £40 extra at the end of the day so I reckon we'll go for it. I just didn't want to shell out the £40 and find out it was a complete waste of money!
 
Then I'd say go for the full pass if you don't mind the extra cost as PurpleDinosaur said, also saves the "Oh ****! Have we gone down the wrong side of the mountain" moments. :D

Those gloves don't look too bad, one thing I always try and look for is a long, widish cuff that will go over/under your jacket and create a good seal to stop the snow getting in. :)
 
I went to Val Thorens in December 05. Get the 3 valleys pass as I found the immediate ski area to be a little small and exhausted it after a week. In fairness, that was my first time ever skiing and I was doing greens and blues. But if your doing blues, reds and maybe dabbling in blacks, I still think you'll appreciate the pass; based on feedback from some of my more skilled friends.

Oh and have a great time!

The underground night club (forgot its name) is the best going and pretty good at that!
 
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Trojan said:
I've booked a trip to Val Thorens in France at the end of January with a couple of people and am just in the process of sorting everything out for it. Whist doing so, a couple of questions have cropped up that I'd like some advice on if possible:

1) Given that this will be the first time I've been to Val Thorens, is it going to be worth paying the extra cash and getting the full 3 valleys pass? Or are there likely to be enough runs in the local area to keep us occupied and entertained for 6 days?

2) Can anybody recommend a really good pair of gloves? The ones I used last year in Livigno were, if I'm honest, a bit cheap and whilst they were ok, after a full day on the slopes my hands would be damp and cold. Therefore I'm after a pair that are going to provide warmth and dryness throughout the entire day. Budget of around say £60, though I'd be willing to increase that if doing so will get me a *much* better pair.
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1), how good is your skiing? Val thorens is pretty big and has lots of scope to keep most people interested, it also has a larger proportion of the best skiing in les trois valleys. But if you are an intermediate cruiser searching for loads of easy blues and reds, then the full pass might be better.


2) buy a pair of sheep gloves, wool on inside and leather on outside. Otherwise, buy a pair of leather builders gloves from wicks, and a nice thermal lining glove from Marmut /north face etc. to go inside.

Even £80 gore-tex gloves have a short life time. Nothing beats a solid leather glove for durability and general comfort, let alone price. Only if the weather is borderline snow-rain is leather a problem. In dry conditions (cold snow or sunny weather)(, leather is perfect.
 
Yeah go for the full pass. Theres some pretty good runs close by but after a couple of days you'll want to explore more.
But Make sure you plan for a whole day out cos it's quite a trek and make sure you leave enough time to get back before all the lifts shut!
 
I got a nice pair of burton gloves, which are a mixture of leather and gortex, and also have an inner glove which makes it easy to dry and clean your gloves, cost me either £55 or £65 cant quite remember, i had a pair of these before and they lasted me for ages :)
 
As others said, it depends on your ability, but furthermore, on your riding style.

If you prefer freeriding/cross country etc then it will definitely be worth it, but if you are going to be spending long periods of time in the snowpark(s) then it may not be so worth it.

I will say that Val Thorens is arguably the best french resort I have been to due to its size, quality of runs and snow, and its amenities. We did get the 3V pass, and although Meribel was a bit crowded (especially the park), it was nice to go down to Les Menuires as it was the first resort I ever went to.

If its not that much more money I would say go for it. It will certainly give you a lot more options.

Secondly, I've never had a pair of gloves that has kept water out for a whole week. I've tried Burton, Dakine (Several), O'Neill and none have kept water out, Goretex or no goretex.

Now i just buy two pairs of mid range gloves, usually with a removable inner glove for if the weather turns.
 
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A lot of similar things have been said already, but I'd check the snow report, if there is plenty of snow then you'll probably want to make the most of it with a 3V pass, however if that's not the case you probably won't want to leave Val Thorens because its the highest of the connected resorts.

As far as gloves go, I think I spent about 20£ on skiing gloves and still got a pair with a separate inner and waterproof outer glove, from a ski/snow shop in town.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone, from your comments we've decided on going for the full 3 valleys pass in order to ensure that we have the best variety of runs available. All we were bothered about was spending the extra £40 each and it being a total waste, but it seems like that definitely won't be the case :)

As for the gloves, I'm going to try and find a local store that has a good selection in and try a few on. I'm particularly interested in the full leather and leather/goretex type gloves as they sound just the ticket. I'll also go with Gaijin's suggestion of having 2 pairs by taking my old pair along just in case.

Cheers all, much appreciated :)
 
Trojan said:
Thanks for the advice everyone, from your comments we've decided on going for the full 3 valleys pass in order to ensure that we have the best variety of runs available. All we were bothered about was spending the extra £40 each and it being a total waste, but it seems like that definitely won't be the case :)

As for the gloves, I'm going to try and find a local store that has a good selection in and try a few on. I'm particularly interested in the full leather and leather/goretex type gloves as they sound just the ticket. I'll also go with Gaijin's suggestion of having 2 pairs by taking my old pair along just in case.

Cheers all, much appreciated :)
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Good to hear on all accounts - enjoy yourself and let us know what the snow is like when you get back ;)
 
:) Im going to Val Thorens at the same time (look out for me - i'll be the one on my ass :p )
I'v never been before, but the guys who have been before are getting the 3V pass this time, so i assume that its a good thing to do.

As for gloves, take your £60 and buy 2 pairs of gloves for £30. No matter how much you spend on expensive gloves, if you get them wet its very hard to get them dry in one night.
 
touch said:
:) Im going to Val Thorens at the same time (look out for me - i'll be the one on my ass :p )
I'v never been before, but the guys who have been before are getting the 3V pass this time, so i assume that its a good thing to do.

As for gloves, take your £60 and buy 2 pairs of gloves for £30. No matter how much you spend on expensive gloves, if you get them wet its very hard to get them dry in one night.
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Hehe nice one, I'll be there from 26th January to 2nd February. How about yourself?

I've already got a pair of gloves so there's no point me buying 2 pairs extra. Plus, I've not had a problem getting the gloves dry overnight in the past, it's getting them to stay dry for the 8-10 hours on the slopes that's the problem!
 
Went there in March and yes definitely go for the upgrade. You may have enough runs in Val Thorens on it's own but you don't want the "OH ****" I've gone passed a bit I shouldn't have then end up having to walk back :P
 
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