 Poster: A snowHead
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With glacial slowness, Mrs H and I are heading towards DIY ski-ing holidays, next phase is working out the transfer. Neither of us are keen on hiring a car and we thought a private or shared transfer would be smoother than a scheduled bus. Natives has a fine list of companies that run transfers here. Does anyone have any experience of these companies?
We're probably looking for a transfer to Val Thorens.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I've used Mountain Transfers. They were fine, but expensive. We had a 15 minute wait for someone off the same flight as us, then a straightforward transfer. The return trip was also good.
For two people you might find that hiring a car is not that much more expensive than booking two private transfers. You're then completely in charge, without having to rely on anyone else. You get the flexibility to travel to other resorts if you want to, as well as shopping at valley prices. It also means that if you can find accommodation which doesn't book Saturday-Saturday you can avoid the Saturday jams and take advantage of cheaper mid-week flights. I guess my recommendation is not to rule out hiring a car completely!
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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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Ian Hopkinson,
For anywhere around Moutier I always used the bus or the train to BSM but you might look at places with a train stations and off the top of my head I would say Switzerland and Austria are quite well suited for that.
Resorts like St Anton, Zermatt, Wengen, Engelberg have stations but you need to travel a bit light as you may have to change platforms for some. Some Swiss PDS resorts might be a train and a bus as would Verbier. Can't think of anywhere in Italy well served by trains and even the buses are few and far between. But this approach can get you off the beaten track to some 'quieter' places.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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And I forgot to say that for some of the mainstay places, TO's do them quite well for the price.
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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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JT, I was sort of steering a bit clear of using scheduled trains / buses - not being keen on humping mulitple bags, skis and ski boot bags around. Using a fine piece of logic that Mrs H taught me (involving a shiny new Yamaha Thundercat) I thought if I saved money on the rest of the trip then I didn't mind spending a bit more on the transfer. In my lottery winning fantasy mode, one of the key benefits is being whisked from airport runway to my ski resort in luxury and I thought private transfer / small shared transfer was the closest I might reasonably get to this, failing the lottery win!
rob@rar.org.uk, Mountain Transfers do look good.
Anyone with any experience of the others?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Ian Hopkinson wrote: |
| JT, I was sort of steering a bit clear of using scheduled trains / buses - not being keen on humping mulitple bags, skis and ski boot bags around. ? |
That needn't be a problem in Switzerland, they deal with it for you, some details and links here.
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Ian Hopkinson,
I posted this add' on another thread, WWW.skihoppa.com but I think they broker for local services and although the site looks promising some of the prices I got weren't. Anyway, try your own dates and see if it is any good.
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Ian Hopkinson, You don't mention which airport you intend to use. I am in a similar situation and seeking information here http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=8885#178079 and here, http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=8874#174301 (Must find out how to do a proper 'link' here! Any ideas?)
I THINK I have covered all the options! I am down to car hire, or local Ski Resort Bus transfer. Car hire is a very valid alternative and costs approximately two return bus fares to hire a car for a week. The other alternative is www.altibus.com which do existing transfers from Geneva and Chambery who will hopefully also transfer from Lyons and Grenoble for this coming season. For example, Altibus will transfer you from Chambery to Val Thorens for €70,00 return not bad! Check site for timetables etc. 
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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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Bernard Condon, link as below
[url= http://etc ] here [ /url] (omit spaces when doing it properly)
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Ian Hopkinson, When travelling with SkiFrance last year the transfer was via ATS. Not impressed...hanging round the airport for an hour or so waiting for it to turn up, watching the rep making increasingly frantic phone calls, then when the driver did arrive he wandered past the lost looking souls (six of us!) sitting on their suitcases and disappeared...when finally collarred he claimed he couldn't find us 
This may have been a one off... and blame may well rest with the TO...but I wouldn't use them for preference.
We always hire a car...better value, go when & where you want and you get the flexibility to explore other resorts if you take the fancy.
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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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Ian Hopkinson, my wife and i used ATS 2 years ago to transfer from geneva airport to val d'isere, we had to have a private transfer as we arrived quite late at night, it was expensive but all went very smoothly, ATS driver was waiting for us when we arrived, straight into the van and away.
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i used ATS a couple of years ago, shared transfer both ways geneva to chamonix
v.good on the way out, just a 10min wait to round everyone up
the return run was far too early even for our 730am flight, despite requesting that the pick up time be changed they insisted on leaving really early and in fact dropped us at the airport before it was even open!
i emailed some feedback to them but got no response.....
agree with many people's comments above - car hire is the way to go
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You know it makes sense.
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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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Roger C, the issue is...that if they come at a late time and the weather is bad/there is traffic/they have a flat tyre...then you'd blame them for missing your flight. Most transfer companies err on the side of caution.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Strongly recommend Three Valleys Transfers. I've used them last 2 years and have already booked with them for feb. I'll try a link. Quite expensive, but totally hassle free.
www.3vt.co.uk
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I've used Three Valleys Transfers too and can recommend them. On time, polite, English and safe drivers - very knowledgeable about all the skiing in the 3Vs too.
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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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It sounds like ATS are a major operation; I checked their prices for a shared transfer Geneva to Val Thorens and they come out at £220 return for two people, which I consider bearable. Mmmmm..but the bus appears to be only £45 for the same trip...decisions, decisions!
We've had variable experience with Inghams transfers - normally they're pretty good, we once had a 50 seater coach to ourselves! The last time we went Geneva - Val Thorens we spent well over an hour waiting for the coach to turn up and then waiting for the most painfully careful luggage loading I've ever seen.
Thank you for your many recommendations of car hire - unfortunately I don't drive and Mrs H not too keen to do her first driving abroad with snowchains and the road to Val Thorens 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Ian Hopkinson, the driving is not as bad as you might think, especially as speeds are very slow if the roads are snowy. The most difficult thing is getting the chains on in the first place!
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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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...which of course is the responsibility of the passenger 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Elizabeth B wrote: |
| ...which of course is the responsibility of the passenger |
ably assisted with advice from any other's present!
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Ian Hopkinson,
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Using a fine piece of logic that Mrs H taught me (involving a shiny new Yamaha Thundercat)
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Tell us more !
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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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| Ian Hopkinson wrote: |
| I did appreciate that it would be my job to fit snowchains, if the need arose, probably in the cold and dark |
From bitter experience I've found it better to fit chains sooner rather than later. If you leave it too late the wheel arches will be clogged with snow, and you might not have much choice about where you stop to fit the damn things. Better still, if there's a nearby covered garage you could drive into that and fit the chains in a snow-free environment.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Good job I'm refusing to drive there then! 
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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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Ah snow chains...!!
The temptation is always to leave it to later. Assume/hope you will have to do this as it means obviously you are heading into good snow conditions, hopefully.
Check they go on at home for a dry run because almost by definition you will be fitting them in trying conditions. If you know what you are doing then you can have them on the drive wheels in under 5 mins..a bit like a pit stop...
Have a shovel and old gloves to hand as you will get them and the jacket you are wearing covered in cr@p or at the very least very wet and dirty.
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You know it makes sense.
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We now pack a pair of gardeners knee pads, in our "car stuff" box. They fasten with velcro keeping the mud and tarmac at bay when it's chains 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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....and headtorch...
You can use the
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gardeners knee pads
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For telemark skiing, thereby saving space in the car 
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Poster: A snowHead
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I think it's safe to say that we're definitely not hiring a car! Ski-ing already requires sufficient equipment without the need to bring along the slug hunting kit
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Ian Hopkinson,
Bag of salt perhaps?
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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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snowbunny, boiling water, torch, knee pads optional!
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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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I thought an update was in order...
Flights to Geneva booked (we were booked for Lyon, but then BA moved arrival times to much earlier in the day) , appartment in Val Thorens booked.
Attempted to book shared transfer through www.a-t-s.net, rather excitingly the website allows you to "book" everything - including taking your credit card number, details of exactly where you're travelling from, telling you how much the transfer costs. However they seem to feel no need to fulfil the order, shortly after receiving an e-mail "RESERVATION REQUEST-TO BE CONFIRMED" - I received a second email "RESERVATION CANCELLED". I did ring them up and the friendly Aussie who answered the phone agreed it was "a bit of a bummer" and suggested I tried the bus!  Wasn't able to provide any information as to why they couldn't fill the order
I'm a bit p!ssed off!
So looks like fallback plan will be www.altibus.com on the outward journey and a rather pricey, very early taxi on the return. If anyone is interested in sharing a taxi leaving VT for Geneva airport at ~6am on Saturday 22nd April then send me a PM
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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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Ian Hopkinson, ATS did that to us a couple of years ago (I'd forgotten about it to be honest),when we went to Champagny for New Year., which is why we hired a car, you always leave quicker then you would if you went on a transfer coach anyway. I think you said though that driving was not an option?
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Tue 7-02-06 20:43; edited 1 time in total
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Ian Hopkinson wrote: |
| So looks like fallback plan will be www.altibus.com on the outward journey and a rather pricey, very early taxi on the return. If anyone is interested in sharing a taxi leaving VT for Geneva airport at ~6am on Saturday 22nd April then send me a PM |
Would a car be cheaper?
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rob@rar.org.uk, Helen Beaumont car hire isn't an option! I don't drive and Mrs H considers the Moutiers-Val Thorens road (possibly in snow) a very poor place to start driving abroad (I agree with her)!
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Ian Hopkinson, you would be unfortunate indeed to find yourself driving in snow at the end of April!
Is there no one at the EOSB sharing a taxi to get to VT that morning? If there was you could get a very good deal from the same company going out.
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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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PG, I suspect the Geneva-VT trip for the EOSB will be bus-sized, but I'll check anyway. Sharon and I had a whole coach to ourselves for our very first transfer Innsbruck-Westendorf!
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FAQ
