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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tomski, it you can go from Thurs to Sun we can fit you in this week in chalet Le Mouflon. Call us for details our ad is in snowShops.
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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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Doing it in a weekend is tricky, and expensive, but you could fly Jet2 LBA->Geneva on Sat at 0600->0855, and Geneva->LBA Sun at 1930->2030 or Mon 1100->1200, and ski at Flaine or Chamonix.
But if I were you I'd take Friday and Monday off work, fly Thursday eve & Monday eve, and get 4 days on the hill (I did this in Oct/Nov this season from Leeds to Hintertux via Ryanair Salzburg, but now in mid-season there will be more open resorts and more flights to choose from...)
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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Tom, we have availability this week until Sunday, then nothing until 20th Feb. Call me for more info.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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other people have used flexiblebreaks before (not sure of website address).
I have done DIY flights and also the coach to 3Valleys for the weekend with http://skiweekends.com and all were good, you obviously have the additional journey to/from leeds for the coach.
If you want DIY, http://www.whichbudget.com/ gives you where the cheap flights go to and from. Be warned that finding DIY accommodation may be difficult as many places will not take w/e bookings in Feb because of the high demand. You may be better off waiting to March.
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We do it by booking flights andhotel directly. I have only done the flights, which is easy, obviously, someone else has always done the hotel, so far as I know without difficulty.
W/es of 12.02 and 19.02 are probably non starters as it's half term and it'll be week bookings only, but otherwise you should be OK.
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Suggest Portes du Soleil worth checking out, Les Gets or Morzine an hour or so from GVA. Use resort websites to find a hotel.
Couldn't be easier. But you won't get a hotel room for a weekend during french hols or UK half term I wouldn't imagine.
If you're doing 4 days you can probably go further afield...which opens up cheap flights to Lyon or Chambery.
And make sure you check scheduled flights. Personally, I find Easyjet are generally more expensive on popular routes and busy times than BA or Swiss for example.
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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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I've weekended in Kitzbuhel (via Munich), Champery (PdS, via Geneva) and I'm off on Thurs to les Carroz (via Geneva). They're all convenient for the airport and accomodation doesn't seem to be difficult.
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tomski01, do it yourself, it's dead easy and all online.
1. Book flights to Geneva or Zurich - I'd agree Jet2.
2. Choose resort within a couple of hours drive - there are loads.
3. Go to resort tourist info website and blitz all Hotels who have email addresses.
4. Select the Hotel with availability you like the look of best (The Ski Cub website has recomendations from punters which helps narrow this down) and book it.
5. Book car hire at airport - the airport websites have links to the rental people so you can get online quote. Book it.
6. Book airport parking - I think it's Sentinal or similar ot Leeds/Bradford - about £30.
Kick back and look forward to it.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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just back from a week-end in austria. Flew out of stanstead with easyjet at about 6.30 p.m. and back from munich at 21.40. used a company called snowscape who pick you up from the airport and arrange accomodation etc. I'll put a full review up later but flights are available for c.GBP100 in march but I guess Stanstead's not very useful if you coming from leeds.
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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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tomski01, although pricey bearing in mind the length of stay, one of the overnight snowtrains is probably going to be best. Arrive in BSM early saturday morning and then onto a resort - skiing by 10.00. Overnight stay sat night and depart Sunday eve (about 21.00) - back to Waterloo Monday am. Appreciate that you do have to get to Leeds though.
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Mark H, I think that the coach is so much cheaper (and probably no slower). 17:00 Thursday leave Victoria for 8:30 Brides le bain or La Tania, £155 for travel and 2 nights 3* B&B with 3 full days on the snow in the 3V. Coming back, leave 18:00 for arrival at Victoria about 10:30 Monday morning. I even managed to sleep.
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You know it makes sense.
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Mark Hunter, Ray Zorro, lads, it takes us hours to get down to your neck of the woods. If times at a premium you've got to fly.
My next weekend is in March, we take off Thursday 0600 and should be skiing early afternoon, flight back is at 1830 (ish) on Sunday so we can ski 'till about 1500. If I had to get down your way too I'd loose a fair chunk of sliding time.
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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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tomski01, I was keen on a weekend in Feb too, and have thoroughly investigated every option going.
You are simply NOT going to get any bearably priced deals on any part of a a DYI weekend trip during Feb in France (French school hols are staggered across the whole of Feb), and 14 Feb is particularly bad (UK midterm).
But if you must:
Accomodation - arrange it as per everyone's suggestion above.
Flights: expedia.co.uk for main airline flights from Leeds to Geneva, Chambery, Lyons, Salzburg, Zurich etc. skyscanner.net for the budget airlines.
Even in cheaper period, flights at sensible times for a weekend trip to a ski-destination airport are unlikely to fall below £80 return (more usually £100 - £150) - anything less than this, take it immediately!!! But I go from London, and maybe Leeds is cheaper?
Eurostar is only useful for French resorts. But it doesn't involve 24 hour travel or only one day in resort (where the hell did THAT idea come from?). Depart Waterloo thurs evening for late arrival in Paris Gare du Nord, have a lovely menu de jour, take Metro to Gare Austerlizt for sleeper train to Bourg or Moutiers, sleep 8 hours, arrive resort Fri 8amish (about 12hours total travel time) & hit the slopes. 3 days skiing, take sleeper couchette last thing Sunday (or even Monday) overnight to arrive in Paris very early Monday (or Tuesday) morning, then Eurostar back for reasonably early morning arrival Waterloo. You book your Eurostar ticket directly with eurostar.com, and your sleeper train direct with RailEurope. Should be around £100, but don't leave it too late. And remember to add on the time it takes to get from Leeds to London Waterloo.....
(there's a charter Eurostar - sleeper train service, but it only runs on Fridays for week-long holidays)
Alternatively directly contact the usual tour operators a couple of days before you want to go (I've found lastminute.com to be fairly useless for lastminute snow deals). Some mainstream tour ops like Crystal and Thomson are now running weekend packages.
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Poster: A snowHead
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The Eurostar to Rome, Italy is another train option. It goes through Oulx, which is at the bottom of the mountain......a 10 minute taxi ride has you up the mountain in Sauze. But you can go anywhere else as well. I was told it's about a 4-5 hrs from Paris??
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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tomski01, I definitely advise against going weekend 12th Feb - it's frantic that week and you'll be lucky to find anything at all, you'll also pay twice as much and get half the value. Wait a couple of weeks and go later - still worth it.
All flights etc on net. book flight, book car hire through arrival airport website, book accommodation through resort website - easy!
ps: we're only 3 hours from either Lyon or Geneva, less from Grenoble and Chambery (depends on where you can go from your neck of the woods).
have fun.
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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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thanks everyone, ill digest all that, i think its looking like end of feb will probably work out best (not too far away but not too busy by the sounds of it!)....
or i can just wait until april when i go with my Dad! (seems a long way away!)
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Quote: |
its looking like end of feb will probably work out best
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er.... realistically you're looking at the first weekend of March (5th&6th) before prices drop back to sensible.
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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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If Feb is really when you want to go, then the only "cheap" option is a coach trip departing London for the 3 Valleys with snowtrip.co.uk, or (as mentioned above) skiweekends.co.uk. Snowcoach.co.uk do occassional weekends, but none during Feb.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Ray Zorro, I did ski weekends to Brides Les Bains 3 years ago. I agree if you can sleep on a coach it is a really easy way of making the journey. A couple of tips - take ear plugs in case you have to share the coach with people who don't want to sleep. Take a sleeping bag.
Also did Ski Express to St Gervais - similar experience although not quite so efficient in terms of travel time.
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I've just come back from a w/e in Les Carroz (Grand Massif, Flaine, area) and can recommend it for a w/e. It's less than an hour from Geneva, the skiing is extensive and good if not very hairy (suits me) and the surroundings are very attractive. Flaine's architecture didn't seem to be as grizzly as it's cracked up to be.
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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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