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Does it snow where you live?


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I currently live in northern France, I was brought here by work and we made an impulse buy on our house. Hopefully we are moving next year and we are now doing loads of research on where to go.

We are looking for somewhere with definite seasons. Here in picardie we have 8 months of bad weather followed by winter. My wife is Russian and can't get used to winters that are just grey and miserable and wants to move somewhere with snowy winters. We are both big into winter sports and take our children skiing each year.

I am going to commute to my job, so that is not a consideration, although I want to be within an hour or so of an airport.

Ideally we want somewhere with warm summers, cold winters and a bit of a social scene. Does a place like this exist, maybe in the Hautes-Pyrenees? I know this is the wrong forum to ask about the Haute Savoie but does anyone know if that would be a more suitable area to look?

Luckily we are not big city folk, so a small town would be great.

Any advice or suggestions would be very much appreciated.

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Vernet Les Bains is technically a village, though with some life outside of Summer ! (Pyrenees Orientales)

 

The snow does hit the village occasionally ( I can recall digging vehicles out ! ) and it is less than an hour to skiing. Less than an hour to the Med as well. One Easter we skieed and coasted both in one week !

 

However the snow sits on the top of the Canigou for months and is a great sight dispelling any sense of grey.

 

Good luck in your search.

 

John

 

 

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Its a great area to live, dept 66 has everything as the previous poster said sea, sun and snow , with mainly blue skies to brighten up any winter day. My youngest daughter has gone for the weekend to an ex neighbour, she has moved only 20ks from us, but she was excited at the prospect of sledging this weekend......whereas we have only got frost!
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Haute Pyrenees are good as is bottom end of Haute Garonne.  I have 3 ski stations within 1 hr (Le Mourtis, Super Bagneres and Peyragudes) and a large one in Spain (Bacquiera Beret) that can be reached in under 90mins.  Summers are usuually warm but not oppressive and as I type I can see a snow capped mountain at the end of the valley but at the same time there is sufficient heat in the sun to warm up the house using the greenhouse effect of our verandah.  If you want to know more PM me.
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  • 3 weeks later...
It has not snowed here in this part of the Dordogne yet this year, but then that is only the last 24 hours! It snowed in 2006 a bit.

[IMG]http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q259/bikesindordogne/Winter%20in%20the%20Dordogne/SNOW06048.jpg[/IMG]

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Many thanks for your replies. I am going to look into everwhere mentioned.

My wife was sad after speaking to her parents on the phone on New Years eve, there were going out to let off fireworks in the snow. No one let fireworks off here, all the shutters were closed by 7pm as usual. There is also no snow, just grey and raining, which come to think of it reminds me of July and August [:(]

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Hi oakbri

I would definately look at Pau or the surrounding area.  Not a great deal of snow in the cit but loads just up the road in the mountains and four good seasons.  Also, a really lively town/city with lots going on and only an hour or so from the coast.

Frances

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Have a look at weather statistics for Alsace. Allegedly it has loads of sun in summer (I can certainly confirm lots of sharp summer thunderstorms in the afternoons around the Colmar area) and it is snowy and bright in winter. I think the Vosges lend themselves more to cross-country style skiing than downhill... on the other hand I remember ski lifts in the higher parts of the Vosges.

It's a fairly prosperous area and seems to have much more happening - lots of activities even in the small towns, throughout the year.

And at least you'll be on the right side for the Alps. [:D]

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Looks beautiful, better not let the other half see it or she will be packing her bags. I am going to try and make a few visits before the end of winter, then again in late spring. I hope our house will be ready to sell be early summer, then the search will begin in earnest.

We moved to Picardie in 2002, 40 minutes north of Paris, without doing the research. After 2 years we couldn't stand it any more and moved to northern Italy, near Lake Garda. It was the complete opposite of where we had been living. There was nonstop social life, all year round good weather and the nearest ski slope 45 minutes away. We kept our house here and last year we were forced to move back due to work. There is ZERO social life here, the weather is pants and to go skiing means a long long drive south, I have never lived anywhere with so little going for it.

I stand to do well out of the sale of my house, but I must finish adding the extra bedrooms and bathrooms to do so, that is why we haven't moved yet, but not a day goes by I don't dream of making my move.

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