UKC

Hey,

So a few friends have been floating the idea around of all chipping in and getting a chalet together in the Alps. Price will obviously be a main factor but from a location point where do people think would be ideal?

We would want it as an all around base so skiing/ski touring and ice climbing in winter. Rock climbing and mountaineering in summer.

Haven't done much research yet and doubt there is somewhere which will tick all the boxes. Chamonix seems like an obvious choice but keen to see what others think.

Cheers!

You mean you are thinking of forming a club.
Briancon area seems to be the hot choice.

Dont do it, you will fall out.

Briançon is good once you get there but its not close to any airport (Turin is probably the closest) and the train service is pretty poor. Driving from the UK means coming over the Lauteret which can be difficult in winter or a long detour. Not a problem for a long stay but worth considering.

I'll have a look at some of the stuff around there then.

Access obviously crossed my mind but being able to get train would be very nice. Not the most carbon friendly having to fly each time so driving or train could be preferable

SteveX - far from starting a club!

Sam, BrianconArgentiere la Besée is much nicer than Chamonix, and probably quite a bit cheaper as well.   Climbing, mountaineering, iceclimbing ski-touring, cycling.  A much wilder feel than Chamonix and none of those lazy lifts to avoid 3 hour walk ins

I'll pick your brains about it when I see you next Stephen!!

It has to be a very special group of friends to be able to navigate this sort of longterm financial commitment without someone ending up disgruntled, out of pocket or ending up having to put in a disproportionate amount time on maintenance, taxes and legal obligations.

For the lucky few it can be a great option, for the majority it's a great way to lose friends and ramp up stress levels.

Hi, I would say L'argetiere near Briancon would be perfect for the activities you are after, in and hour you can be in the Queyras, the cerces and the eastern side of the Écrins, and the prices are a bit cheaper than briancon as not in a ski resort but its only 20 mins to one. 

The rock climbing is amazing here so much to go at, the alpine stuff is good, not as great as some other areas but still plenty good enough and we have the best weather, ski touring is amazing across those three ranges, and the ice is great when in nick and there is normally something to do on ice.

Transport can be an issues as Doug said the nearest airport is Turin 2 hours, but you can fly to Grenoble, Lyon and Marseilles, with a travel time of 3.5/4 hour hours depend on how heavy your foot is. there is also the over night train from Paris, so get a good night sleep and arrive fresh, the train stops at l'argentiere.  public transport isn't great for activities, but you can hire a car or a van locally if you train in.

I live just out side l'argentiere and happy to help with questions or advice about the area (I write online guides to activities) or about buying a place in France.

cheers Rob

Another one for the Briancon area. We own two chalets in Guillestre just to the south; and the area offers such a variety of activities that you're never stuck for things to do. If you want a chat send me some contact details.

If the Lauteret is a bit snowy, the alternative via La Mure is much lower and we've never had any problems. Adds just twenty to thirty minutes over all.  Train wise, check if the overnight sleeper still runs from Paris to Briancon. IIRC it leaves about 9:30 pm and is trundling up the local valley about 7am next morning.

I'd add my voice for Guillestre, imho it is a much nicer place than either Briançon or Argentiere la-Besse. Also very well situated for the Queyras as well as the Ecrins, near enough to Ubaye and probably sunnier.

If my wife hadn't been so keen on the Champsaur (same département) I would probably have chosen to move to Guillestre or nearby. Its a nice small town but close to the hills, the only advantage of  Briançon would be closer downhill skiing

Unlike andyr I have had problems getting back north driving but only once in some 20 plus years was it really bad (12 hours Nevache to Grenoble via the col de la Croix-Haute, the lowest & westernmost of the 3 cols, due to snow & other drivers who couldn't cope).

Iv been looking at buying a place in the alps too. Did you plan on getting mortgage or are you looking to buy outright? i know with the apartments iv been looking at there is various fees to factor in such as annual service charges and the two yearly taxes that apply to french properties. 

Interesting. What's the ski/ski mountaineering like near Guillestre?

the nearby 'big' ski resort is Risoul (see https://www.risoul.com/ski-et-neige.html ) with several smaller resorts in the Queyras such as St Veran & Abries. while Serre Chevalier is maybe 30 -40 minutes away. Enough ski touring /mountaineering for many years within a short drive, have a look on camptocamp.com or on Rob's site for some ideas.

Thank you

Having done pretty much exactly this in the Dolomites but without the friends, I would be fairly cautious about your suggestion - having property abroad sounds like a really nice idea, but there are hidden costs and stresses which go along with it, added to you always feeling like you need to go there to make the most of it rather than elsewhere. I would suggest for what it will cost you per year you could have a pretty decent holiday or pair of holidays per year... if you really want to do it, I would get a very cast in stone idea of how it will operate before you do it. And then also consider places which are not main skiing resorts because the price you will be astronomically higher in resort than out. If it's truly just for you and your buddies, a 15-20 minute drive will save you thousands of pounds and most likely land you in a place with charm rather than a souless tower block. And also think about crossing the border into Italy - foods better, the people are great, the prices are cheaper and there are just as many objectives, including areas of trad which are not really present in france unless you go to very specific places...

Hi Ed,

Here is a link to my site - https://www.ecrinscollective.com/guidebook/ski-touring it a free guide to ski touring in the Écrins, Briancon and the Queyras, there is about 50 routes on at the moment, I paln to add new routes each season so it should build to a big resource. there is also a topo neige guide for the Queyras.

The Queyras touring is great for me one of my favorite places, for day tours it tend to be more the beginner to advanced stuff, that snot to say there are some very steep and exciting lines to be had but its not it main point, if you are after that the Écrins is a bit better.

But one of the great things about Guillestre is that you can be in the Cerces in 1/1.5 hours and that great ski touring or the eastern Écrins in less time, so it give you massive amounts of touring to go at.

Just to add to Doug resort list Puy st vincent isn't far away and montgenevre and La Grave are do able in a day.

I don't know why but, even though I've skied there, I always forget about Puy St Vincent. To be complete there are also a few small resorts outside the Queyras such as Les Orres or Reallon, you wouldn't go there for a holiday but for a day or half day they make a change

I have heard les Orres is amazing on a powder day, I am yet to make it there though as normally have a season pass for puy. not getting one this season so this could be the year to try it.