 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Doing a day trip to the mountains has started to appeal more and more over the last couple of years, especially since meeting my girlfriend who has kids (so long weekends and whole weeks away are a bit tricky) and has a great sense of adventure (so a crazy 48 hour trip wouldn't faze her at all).
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Bit confused. You can only ski alone or just with the girlfriend? You can't ski with the kids?
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Now... am I missing anything obvious which will be a dealbreaker?
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Don't see any.
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Is this just an idiotic hairbrained idea, and I should give myself a big slap and tell myself to stop being so foolish....?
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Two 18-hour journeys book ending a solitary days skiing (conditions unknown) seems a foolish idea to me. And I like travelling and train journeys!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Handy Turnip wrote: |
| Is this just an idiotic hairbrained idea, |
Yes, definitely!
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| and I should give myself a big slap and tell myself to stop being so foolish....? |
Oh, no! Either it will work out brilliantly and you'll have a fab time and you can dine out on it forever.
Or one thing will go wrong which will put the whole thing out and it will be a disaster. And you can dine out on it forever.
I wish I had your balls (not literally, obviously).
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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i would do something like this, but for only a single days skiing, seems a bit much even for me!
what I'm doing in jan is on a similar timescale, but with 2 days skiing shoehorned in
friday - leave heathrow on the 1910 flight to geneva, land 2150, transfer to chamonix or morzine - 1.5 hours, stay there friday night
ski all day sat, stay in resort
ski on sunday till about 4/5, transfer back to geneva flight @20:50, back in heathrow for 2135, jump on the tube and then hopefully home by midnight, and will have slept in a real bed each night rather than a train!
its possible to do a similar thing to andorra but without the 18 hour train rides, i did it earlier this year, fly from stansted to barcelona friday afternoon, hire a car and drive to the mountain, ski sat, sun, go back to barcelona sunday night, and get the 0600 monday morning flight back to stansed, straight into work!
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@Handy Turnip, I would have thought that with an early Saturday flight out and a Sunday pm flight back, you would get more skiing for the same money and time away even including a hotel for a night.
Flights aren't expensive for low-season weekends at the moment.
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£200 for a day? Not worth it IMO. I'd only do a day trip if I was already near-ish to a ski resort e.g., I tagged 2 days at Trisil on a trip to Oslo. I'd just say I'm going skiing on my own or with mates for a long weekend/week. The kids will survive (mine do). That's on top of family ski holidays of course 
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Cheers @maggi @Ray Zorro if I do it I'll definitely let you know how it goes.
@mikeholmes25, completely agree - we did a long weekend last year with 2 full days of skiing. Brilliant, well worth it! Unfortunately we haven't got the grandparents cover this year so it means leaving after lunch on Friday at the earliest, and being back home mid afternoon on the Sunday. That also scuppers the late Sunday flight idea too.
@Layne, yes it's me and my girlfriend going. I didn't make that particularly clear. The kids will stay at home this year (we're looking at 2018 for a family trip) so we have to work around them.
Two 18 hour journeys, and one day of skiing for £200 does sound a bit crazy but here's how I see it... most of the travelling will be done when we're asleep
(which feels like a practical use of time), plus as well as a whole day of skiing, it's also a romantic dinner in Paris on Friday evening, and chilled Sunday morning brunch in Paris. Plus it's a hell of adventure.
Compared to a long weekend or a week, I know it's bad value but they're not options at this point. Compared to a day at a snowdome, it feels like pretty good value.
I know I'm just coming up with reasons to convince myself, but that's half the fun - I'm going to mention it to the girlfriend to gauge a reaction.... 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Handy Turnip, Do it and let us know how it works out. I prefer the flights into Geneva option as suggested by @mikeholmes25, but if that doesn't work for you, then you should do what you can to hit the slopes.
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Why not just fly to Barcelona + grab a rental car and have 2 days.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I'd personally go for Geneva by air from Heathrow on Friday night, pick up a rental car and drive to somewhere like Les Carroz. Decent night's sleep. Either ski a bit Sunday morning or fly straight back, depending on how early you need to get home. With luck you won't be completely wrecked by the end of it and will enjoy a day's skiing better after a proper night's sleep. I do like sleeper trains but whilst lying down is infinitely preferable to sitting up all night, you don't necessarily get a brilliant night's sleep. And two very long rail nights in succession..... no thanks. But then I'm old and boring.... 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@Dave of the Marmottes, with the time constraints I've got getting two full days in just isn't going to be feasible.
However, the flights that @pam w has just mentioned could work nicely. It does sound much nicer, and allow us a nice relaxed night in resort on the Saturday. However that would mean 2 nights accommodation that would no doubt bump the cost up further but it's definitely work taking a look into. Cheers pam
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@Handy Turnip, you can always come and have dinner with us if we're in Les Carroz to keep costs down.......but our one single spare bed may be a bit too cosy for the two of you.
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You know it makes sense.
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@Handy Turnip, have you ever been on a sleeper train before?
sometimes it's hard to get a good nights sleep with the jostling movement of the carriage, going over turnouts (points) and noise of passing trains. A hotel bed is much preferable. Mind you with a good meal in Paris that would help you sleep
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@Handy Turnip, took about 30secs on skyscanner to work out the flights for in and out of Barcelona from London airports - Post 12pm friday and pre 12pm departure back. Much less stress and cheaper. Those prices are based on two people for a trip in January.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Handy Turnip, another question you should ask yourself is: is your girlfriend as keen to be as "adventurous" as you?
I ask as while I would do anything to go skiing, I know how Mrs Z would react to the suggestion of 2 nights on a train 
Alternatively, being wined and dined in a nice hotel would get a completely different reaction!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Themasterpiece wrote: |
| £200 for a day? Not worth it IMO. ... |
How much does it cost you not to work for a day, I wonder?
It's just that if you take, say, the daily weekday rates for plumbers: http://www.my-plumber.co.uk/prices/ it's about £80 an hour, so those people would be paying significantly more than the headline cost simply by not working. Weekend rates are higher. Looking at only one part of the cost equation is a trick Daily Mail people will be familiar with.
Sure, the marginal cost is higher than for a longer set of days, but the major cost may be the opportunity.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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The trouble with flying to Andora is that Andora is a long way from any airports, whereas L'Hospitalet is pretty close. My only revision to the orginal plan would be to fly to and from Paris rather than use the Eurostar
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@johnE, I know that it doesn't take 12+ hours from London by plane and hire car to Soldeu and that flying plus hire car is alot cheaper. Is the trip about taking the most outrageous route for a days skiing or about the actual skiing itself and the method of travel doesn't matter? £50 per person for the flights and £40 for the weekend for car hire.
Edit - I do see the benefit of having to not have nights in a hotel, but equally I love my sleep and would feel great for a full days skiing!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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And is the GF equally keen on skiing?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I think its an adventure and I hope you do it, it all works out and you tell us about it afterwards.
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@Handy Turnip, Crack on and do it. You only live once!
I did a day trip in Jan thisyear via the Eurostar with my Dad for his 65th Bday. We got stuck with 6hr delay going out which stuffed up the morning ski, but we made the most of it and he still goes on about how much of an adventure it was.
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@pam w, the GF is fairly new to skiing but is comfortable on blues, and easy reds - but yes, she is very keen! She is very adventurous (she has a bucket list full of things like swimming with sharks etc that she's slowly ticking off). Even if it was horrendous journey, with no sleep, she'd still be a bundle of energy and smiles the next day - so I have no fears about annoying her.
@dbeatski, yes I did a few days travelling on sleeper trains through vietnam and while I didn't have the best nights sleep, it never affected my energy levels the next day.
@johnE, this is exactly the way I'm thinking - the journey time is long, but for the majority of the journey I would be asleep. I'm not thinking of it as time but as perceived time - and I like to think the percieved time on the sleeper would be small. I went to Soldeu last year and the worst part of the journey was the 4 hour transfer to the resort - in perceived time it felt like a lifetime!!
@FFIRMIN, @chrisrawles, I think I'm convincing myself more and more. I read your review Chris, which definitely helped. I'm going to wait until my gf has had a glass of wine at the weekend before I broach the subject.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| philwig wrote: |
| Themasterpiece wrote: |
| £200 for a day? Not worth it IMO. ... |
How much does it cost you not to work for a day, I wonder?
It's just that if you take, say, the daily weekday rates for plumbers: http://www.my-plumber.co.uk/prices/ it's about £80 an hour, so those people would be paying significantly more than the headline cost simply by not working. Weekend rates are higher. Looking at only one part of the cost equation is a trick Daily Mail people will be familiar with.
Sure, the marginal cost is higher than for a longer set of days, but the major cost may be the opportunity. |
I don't quite get your point? Are you saying the major cost would be the lost opportunity to work? I guess so if you are self employed. For employed people its just a day of leave, and decision on whether to spend £200. Unless like me you live in Sweden like me and have hundreds of days paid parental leave I guess its an interesting talking point anyway.
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