There is an additional knock on problem from Chariande 2 being closed. Anyone who wants to make a step up from the beginner runs in the 1600 area has to go to on the Chariande express to tete des saix. The 'Blue' run from the top here, Perce Niege is narrow and quite steep for a blue, and is usually full of moguls by lunch time. On busy weeks this run is absolute carnage. Packed, with beginners falling all over the place and frankly dangerous. Chariande 2 (used to) drop people below this run, allowing for a nice step up from beginner level. Without this, the step up from beginner to skiing Perce Niege from the top is significant, and also Perce Niece is just way too busy. I always take beginners to Morillon now, and usually go there myself in busy weeks, although with warming, the height of this resort is also becoming a problem. And yes, the Colouvrier run is low. Snow is nearly always rubbish, and I never ski that run from Samoens. Seems like was a costly mistake to build this lift. Also, Samoens village is ever expanding, new hotels every year, with all these extra people, those holiday queues for Chariande express (and indeed for the Grand Massiff express from the village) are only going to get bigger.
@@standardgeography2263 thanks for this! I’m glad I’m not the only one who see’s there is a problem to solve in Samoëns. Completely right about Morillon being a nice step up with the blues there. Nice that it’s linked to Samoëns by bus. But equally sad that the runs below the gondola now seem untenable. Fingers crossed that Samoëns can see the light and replace the Chariande 2 as a priority!
Great video and initiative to bring awareness on the problem, definitely will help others considering to come around. Hope your holiday plans get sorted out!
Thank you. I thought it was important to address it as it’s a resort I really like. I don’t want people having a negative experience there… You can avoid the worst of it if you get up the lift early before all the parents have dropped kids at ski school but it can be really awful if you time it wrong
Great video mate and really informative, I remember snow being a big problem in Samoens lower down. On the plus side it looks like they have been investing in the infrastructure. Think they might need to move that pylon!
Hi Simon! Thanks for the pretty informative video. I'm going to Samoens next weekend and it was perfect to have an idea of what to expect. If I may suggest, since you seem to know the area very well, is to make a video about the alternatives to avoid crowded lifts and busy runs like I saw in the comments, like going to the neighbor towns for example. Cheers ❄️
Nice, enjoy your trip. Is it your first time visiting the Grand Massif and Samoëns? Thanks, if I make it back in the future then I will try and make that video.
I couldn’t agree more! Been skiing Grand Massif from Samoens for over 20 years fortunately now in quieter times of year. Love the village and the skiing but so frustrating. Crazy decisions by lift company. I think Colouvrier was all or part financed by Club Med but it’s a useless piste on my view. Too steep annd narrow and often icy as always in shade. Often too low for good snow. Need Chariande 2 back as you say which will also relieve the pressure at the top of the narrow mogully dreaded Pierce Neige. And there are also problems in Les Carroz. They took out two lifts from the Molliets bowl meaning everyone now has to ski down to the Molliets to get the lift back up to Tete de Saix to return to Samoens or Morillon creating congestion and an over skied mogulled piste. They took out the lift from Morillon up to T de S when they built Colouvrier meaning if Coulouvier is closed then to return to Samoens from Morillon again you need to ski down to Molliets. If they put a drag from the top of the Carroz Gron to the top of the Molliets you could at least get back to Morillon as an option to avoid the bottom of the Molliets. All in all a bit of a mess and small improvements could really help congestion and reduce avoid over skied pistes. And now from December they’re going to charge to park at the GME. We often drive to ski from Morillon despite being based in Samoens. We’re likely to do that even more now as are others. Samoens doesn’t seem to care!
@@JennyEngland-k3x thanks for sharing your views, and honestly I’m glad I’m not the only person feeling this way. The village of Samoëns is so nice and a great base for a ski holiday. The lifts are definitely in need of some revision to return the ski area to a functioning area. Love your suggestion for a short drag back from Gron to Molliets. This would be so useful. I do hope the lift company can see our suggestions and at least give them consideration
@ thanks. Another niggle is they quote I think 265km of piste but that includes Sixt that is barely open for two months on a good year and even then half the pistes are closed and the chairs are ancient. And why do GM not offer individual village passes and only 4villages or all GM. Beginners want to progress from debutant but not necessarily to Carroz or Morillon. We spend more time in Samoens in summer now but still love the skiing on a quiet blue sky day, despite the frustrations ⛷️
my idea is NOT a drag at the TOP of Gron, altho that gives a little solution to ski from the top of Molliets. But to put a drag lift in at BOTTOM of GRON, up to Morillon. so easy and convenient. then you can get to both resorts so easily without having to go all the way down to Keduse and all the way down to Molliets car back and back up to Molliets top ans ski down to Morillon. all soooo convoluted !@ a simple drag from Gron to Morillon fixes all this
Very informative video . I was lucky enough to visit just before Covid hit and loved Samoens.I ski out of busy periods normally but with 3 young grandchildren I will be skiing more at peak times so yes for those many skiers young and old this issue needs sorting
Hi William, thanks for watching and your comment. Completely agree that this needs addressing. With young skiers in tow the rush to beat the queue is not realistically going to happen. Especially if you need to drop at ski school etc. As someone who LOVES Samoëns, I do hope they can sort this
Yes… I was pretty successful by getting the first bus to Vercland gondola (this avoids queues at the GME) from Vercland ski straight to Chariande Express. If you are early you will be fine. The problem is when everyone comes up the GME and drops kids etc at ski lessons then head to the chariande
Should also say…. You can take the bus to Morillon and go up the gondola there. This means you can avoid Samoëns all together. Morillon has links to Les Carroz and then across into Flaine
@Simonjburgess Thanks for all the info. 8 of us - very mixed ability - staying in Sameon starting 23 March. Probably hire the gear from the shop beside the Express lift.
You’d think right 🤷♂️ That’s just one employees opinion but in 3 weeks over Xmas and Jan the Coulouvrier was open for one day of my trip. It was running in Feb but the conditions leading down to it were yuck
Yeah it’s such an oversight… there was no crowing before that lift went wrong… if they address it would solve so much. I managed to avoid the worst of it by heading up early before all the families and those picking up rentals etc…
There is an additional knock on problem from Chariande 2 being closed. Anyone who wants to make a step up from the beginner runs in the 1600 area has to go to on the Chariande express to tete des saix. The 'Blue' run from the top here, Perce Niege is narrow and quite steep for a blue, and is usually full of moguls by lunch time. On busy weeks this run is absolute carnage. Packed, with beginners falling all over the place and frankly dangerous. Chariande 2 (used to) drop people below this run, allowing for a nice step up from beginner level. Without this, the step up from beginner to skiing Perce Niege from the top is significant, and also Perce Niece is just way too busy.
I always take beginners to Morillon now, and usually go there myself in busy weeks, although with warming, the height of this resort is also becoming a problem.
And yes, the Colouvrier run is low. Snow is nearly always rubbish, and I never ski that run from Samoens. Seems like was a costly mistake to build this lift. Also, Samoens village is ever expanding, new hotels every year, with all these extra people, those holiday queues for Chariande express (and indeed for the Grand Massiff express from the village) are only going to get bigger.
@@standardgeography2263 thanks for this! I’m glad I’m not the only one who see’s there is a problem to solve in Samoëns.
Completely right about Morillon being a nice step up with the blues there. Nice that it’s linked to Samoëns by bus. But equally sad that the runs below the gondola now seem untenable.
Fingers crossed that Samoëns can see the light and replace the Chariande 2 as a priority!
Thanks for the Morillon tip! 👍🏼
Great video and initiative to bring awareness on the problem, definitely will help others considering to come around. Hope your holiday plans get sorted out!
Thank you. I thought it was important to address it as it’s a resort I really like. I don’t want people having a negative experience there…
You can avoid the worst of it if you get up the lift early before all the parents have dropped kids at ski school but it can be really awful if you time it wrong
Great video mate and really informative, I remember snow being a big problem in Samoens lower down. On the plus side it looks like they have been investing in the infrastructure. Think they might need to move that pylon!
Thanks mate…. Apparently they won’t move it, that lift is now out of service and will be removed.
@@Simonjburgess can't imagine how much that cost
Superb video - thank you and please update us if things change. When are the busiest and quietest times to visit?
Thanks for watching. Try to avoid the major school holidays if possible. That will help you to avoid the crowds. Feb half term was manic.
Hi Simon!
Thanks for the pretty informative video. I'm going to Samoens next weekend and it was perfect to have an idea of what to expect.
If I may suggest, since you seem to know the area very well, is to make a video about the alternatives to avoid crowded lifts and busy runs like I saw in the comments, like going to the neighbor towns for example.
Cheers ❄️
Nice, enjoy your trip. Is it your first time visiting the Grand Massif and Samoëns? Thanks, if I make it back in the future then I will try and make that video.
I couldn’t agree more! Been skiing Grand Massif from Samoens for over 20 years fortunately now in quieter times of year. Love the village and the skiing but so frustrating. Crazy decisions by lift company.
I think Colouvrier was all or part financed by Club Med but it’s a useless piste on my view. Too steep annd narrow and often icy as always in shade. Often too low for good snow. Need Chariande 2 back as you say which will also relieve the pressure at the top of the narrow mogully dreaded Pierce Neige. And there are also problems in Les Carroz. They took out two lifts from the Molliets bowl meaning everyone now has to ski down to the Molliets to get the lift back up to Tete de Saix to return to Samoens or Morillon creating congestion and an over skied mogulled piste. They took out the lift from Morillon up to T de S when they built Colouvrier meaning if Coulouvier is closed then to return to Samoens from Morillon again you need to ski down to Molliets. If they put a drag from the top of the Carroz Gron to the top of the Molliets you could at least get back to Morillon as an option to avoid the bottom of the Molliets.
All in all a bit of a mess and small improvements could really help congestion and reduce avoid over skied pistes.
And now from December they’re going to charge to park at the GME. We often drive to ski from Morillon despite being based in Samoens. We’re likely to do that even more now as are others. Samoens doesn’t seem to care!
@@JennyEngland-k3x thanks for sharing your views, and honestly I’m glad I’m not the only person feeling this way. The village of Samoëns is so nice and a great base for a ski holiday. The lifts are definitely in need of some revision to return the ski area to a functioning area.
Love your suggestion for a short drag back from Gron to Molliets. This would be so useful. I do hope the lift company can see our suggestions and at least give them consideration
@ thanks. Another niggle is they quote I think 265km of piste but that includes Sixt that is barely open for two months on a good year and even then half the pistes are closed and the chairs are ancient. And why do GM not offer individual village passes and only 4villages or all GM. Beginners want to progress from debutant but not necessarily to Carroz or Morillon. We spend more time in Samoens in summer now but still love the skiing on a quiet blue sky day, despite the frustrations ⛷️
Yeah a local pass would be a good idea. Especially for beginners who aren’t going to be heading further afield.
my idea is NOT a drag at the TOP of Gron, altho that gives a little solution to ski from the top of Molliets. But to put a drag lift in at BOTTOM of GRON, up to Morillon. so easy and convenient. then you can get to both resorts so easily without having to go all the way down to Keduse and all the way down to Molliets car back and back up to Molliets top ans ski down to Morillon. all soooo convoluted !@ a simple drag from Gron to Morillon fixes all this
Very informative video . I was lucky enough to visit just before Covid hit and loved Samoens.I ski out of busy periods normally but with 3 young grandchildren I will be skiing more at peak times so yes for those many skiers young and old this issue needs sorting
Hi William, thanks for watching and your comment. Completely agree that this needs addressing. With young skiers in tow the rush to beat the queue is not realistically going to happen. Especially if you need to drop at ski school etc.
As someone who LOVES Samoëns, I do hope they can sort this
Can you bus anywhere nearby to avoid the queue?
Yes… I was pretty successful by getting the first bus to Vercland gondola (this avoids queues at the GME) from Vercland ski straight to Chariande Express. If you are early you will be fine. The problem is when everyone comes up the GME and drops kids etc at ski lessons then head to the chariande
Should also say…. You can take the bus to Morillon and go up the gondola there. This means you can avoid Samoëns all together. Morillon has links to Les Carroz and then across into Flaine
@Simonjburgess Thanks for all the info. 8 of us - very mixed ability - staying in Sameon starting 23 March. Probably hire the gear from the shop beside the Express lift.
Nearly game time! Hope you enjoy your trip
thats nuts surly they look at where the base snow line starts before spending time and money putting the lifts in
You’d think right 🤷♂️ That’s just one employees opinion but in 3 weeks over Xmas and Jan the Coulouvrier was open for one day of my trip. It was running in Feb but the conditions leading down to it were yuck
Place looks pretty nice man... maybe a lil crowded... but I'd take it...
One of the pilons moved years ago and they didn't fix it? LOL
Yeah it’s such an oversight… there was no crowing before that lift went wrong… if they address it would solve so much.
I managed to avoid the worst of it by heading up early before all the families and those picking up rentals etc…
Snow looks great though, so much untracked :).
It can be an awesome resort for finding fresh snow… just need to sort out this lift issue
Yes a right pain
Fingers crossed they can sort it out!
Please please please get new music. That music overlay is terrible.
Thanks for the feedback. May I suggest mute. It works for my voice as well 😀🫶
@@SimonjburgessYou're right. It does.