 Poster: A snowHead
|
There was a major, and very well forecast, blizzard in the Glasgow area some years ago and there were heartrending reports of a woman who had been stuck in her car for hours with a very hungry baby. When I suggested on Snowheads that she was stupid and that such complete lack of forethought almost amounted to child neglect I was berated on all sides for being unkind.
I do have chocolate in the car, but it's very cheap and nasty, and in the bottom of a bag with extra warm clothes - so I'd only eat in an emergency which went on for at least 90 minutes.......
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Love the idea that bars of chocolate for emergency rations won’t be there when needed, but dog food will be fine. Now where is the can opener?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
The father of my university roommate broke down on the side of highway in Maine in a blizzard. Snow plows couldn't see him in the storm and buried his car. I think the story was that he had tea light candles but not enough. They found him Christmas morning. Brutal.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
Tealights....you live and learn
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
Isn't that just urban myth, the tea candle thing ?
From the Internet "Each Tea candle weighs 8.5 grams (0.3 ounces). Assuming it is Wax/paraffin – 18,621 BTU / 0.45 kg or 450 grams (1 pound). Assuming it burns for 2 hours, it will produce same heat as produced by 50W bulb.
One Tea candle = 352 BTU approx.
1 BTU = 1054 Joules.
1 Hp = 0.7063 BTU /sec.= 745 Watts = 745 Joules / sec.
Energy in paraffin = 49 KJ/grams
Paraffin in Tea Light = 17 grams
If assuming Burn Time = 5 hours
1 watt hour = 0.278 KJ
Total = 49 x 17/5= 166KJ/H = 46.3 watt/hour
One candle can raise the temperature of the room ~1 degree F"
&
"If a candle produces 100 BTU, and you need 20 BTU/sq ft to heat a room, then 1 candle would heat a 5 sq ft room. So, 0.2 candle/sq ft. Therefore, based on these assumptions, you would want approximately 29 candles for a 12'x12' room. You should consider the multiple risks involved in this approach."
Surely you'd have to consider breathing the carbon monoxide, burnt parrafinic wax heavy air in this "survival" equation  looks like bullocks to me, and with potential for significant downside too 
At least you'll have to open the windows or similar at some point to avoid risk, and so letting out your accumulated heat.
Decent blanket, coat etc, looks far more realistic in conservation of body temperature.
Surely it cant be replacement for sensible journey planning approach, can it ?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
| Quote: |
Surely it cant be replacement for sensible journey planning approach, can it ?
|
Snowheads gold! We leave no stone unturned.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Half term drivers largely seem to head for France, from a quick scan of this thread. We have had very good driving experiences to the 3V in late March/early April and considering testing it out at half term too. Tired of the scramble for overpriced flights and endless queues.
Anyone ever driven across to the east of Switzerland? The distances are similar. We are used to the roads being fairly busy from Zurich on our transfer and the route would take us via Nancy, Mulhouse and Basel. Thanks!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Skimum1, have driven Calais - Metz - Basel a few times heading for SE Switz and W Austria. TomTom usually points us via Metz/ Strasbourg not Nancy/ Mulhouse - good roads, in my experience fairly quiet after Rheims (heading E) until Strasbourg and then again around Basel and Zürich esp if you clash with rush hour.
Obvs you’d need to get the CH autobahn vignette but on the other hand the F autoroute tolls are a fair bit less than if you were doing Calais - Chamonix/ Tarantaise (we paid €65 approx one way in tolls last week Calais-Metz-Basel; Calais to Cham last year was iirc €90?)
Plenty great skiing in CH Graubunden and A Vorarlberg/ west Tirol. Go for it!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
@Inboard, thanks for your detailed post - super helpful and really good to hear!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Slight thread dredge ... we are starting to think about next year and one of the changes we are planning is to not do the trip home in 1 hit mainly due to all the traffic first thing from Val D'Isere (we left at 6am). The question is... when does the traffic ease from peoples experience? We are planning to drive down in the afternoon and then stay somewhere near Lyon and then do the rest early Sunday before anyone can get out the alps but we don't want to leave later if we are still going to be caught in loads of traffic getting out the mountains
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
Suggestion is to stay at Hotel de La Val Moret between Dijon and Troyes and book a lunchtime crossing on gbe Sunday. We do this at the end of school holidays and never an issue. We usually leave Châtel at 3pm on Saturday and takes aroud 5 hours to reach the hotel.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
@Rob_Quads, Yes that works think a lull between 1pm and 3pm before the end of the day exodus .
A really good idea would to do a scan of the Tignes thread , chocksaway sometimes posts the expected traffic frequency for the Valley around the holiday times for you to get a better idea . Obviously everything is weather related . To be honest the best idea is to get a Sunday to Sunday booking .
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rob Quads......something else to potentially throw into the mix, which we did this year for the first time on way back from La Plagne, was to leave Friday late PM and drive through the night.
Appreciate its wont be everyones bag and it wasnt mine initially but when i looked closer it actually made a great deal of sense and was a far smoother journey home
We left after dinner at around 10pm, made it to Calais around 7pm which was deserted, straight onto the train and then back in Essex around 8.30am...and straight to bed for a few hours before unloading and packing away
Kids slept for most of the journey back so loved it, next to no traffic on the road, we both did some of the drive and the other slept.
You need to be up a silly o clock anyway to get out of the valley before it queues, never really sleep well that last night anyway.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
If you are going to leave late and driver through the night you might aswell ski Saturday and arrive back home Sunday (which is what we do HT or not).
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
@stefoy4me, Why not late on Saturday night and get an extra day's skiing in?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
because we drive down on the Friday, so still get 7 days skiing and just gives the extra day to have a lie in on the Sunday before everyone back to the work/school run kicks back in
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
@stefoy4ee - yea this is something we have considered and suggested to WHMBO but she doesn't like the idea of doing it through the night much and wants to split it so its not such a long drive. I also think staying the Friday night is a bit pointless if all you're doing is sleeping to then get up early.
I was considering using the morning to ski as we already get the day covered for free for the lift passes which is the major $$ part so would just need to extend the rental a bit.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
@stefoy4me, Are most of the service stations open for fuel 24 hours one of my issues with night driving is range anxiety driving at speed we need a couple of top ups?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| James77 wrote: |
| @stefoy4me, Are most of the service stations open for fuel 24 hours one of my issues with night driving is range anxiety driving at speed we need a couple of top ups? |
Rare to come across a closed one on autoroute in our experience, usually always travel down overnight right through and so tested them at all hours 
Some are fairly quiet, while others are more peopled and with coffee machines etc fine for all night service. We really like the lack of traffic for easy driving too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
@James77, there are some supermarket fuel stations just off the motorway that are cheaper - also open 24 hours.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
@James77, I've never come across a closed autoroute service station for fuel, though IIRC one of those approaching Calais asks you to pay in advance and the odd one requires you to pay through the kiosk window. Though I think most now are pay by card at the pump.
Though the supermarket filling stations are cheeper than those on the autoroute the difference is nowhere near as extreme as in the UK. Usually we fill up at the Super U in Bourg st Maurice then have a top up somewhere near Calais so we don't need to stop in the UK. My wife's car has a range of between 650 and 700 miles at autoroute speeds.
I agree with @stefoy4me, that driving overnight with children is far easier than durig the day. Using the tunnel rather than the ferry means that you do not even have to wake them to cross the channel.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| johnE wrote: |
| Though the supermarket filling stations are cheeper than those on the autoroute the difference is nowhere near as extreme as in the UK. |
Must admit I pretty much never use a motorway filling station in the UK so no idea what the price difference is.
But I have always found the price difference in France substantial. For instance at the Leclerc Champfleury Gazole is 1.679 and RELAIS DE REIMS CHAMPAGNE SUD is 1.779 so a saving of 5 Euros for a 50 litre fill. Both are right next to the autoroute near Reims.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Layne, UK supermarket average 142.58p, Motorway 169.42p. Your 50l fill difference in the UK is £13.50. Autoroute diesel in France is roughly 10p per litre more than supermarkets in the UK and 17p less than motorways in the UK.
I suppose the other savings that can be made by going to the supermarket are removing the temptation to buy a coffee or a sandwhich
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
@johnE, Well, go figure. Thankfully there are other options. Never understand why people don't take them. UK or France.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Quote: |
Never understand why people don't take them. UK or France.
|
I suspect the people who buy fuel on UK motorways are people who are not paying for it themselves.
I have to confess that I am one of those who tops up on the French autoroute. I'm also one of those who doesn't research the most cost effective route for minimum tolls (A6 or A39), or cut across country past Annecy. But I must try an instill some more discipline in the family since every service station stop seems to result in 30€ more than expected in drinks and snacks  They don't need orange juice when there is perfectly good water in the taps (sorry rehydration station - I must get used to new speak)
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
We hardly ever stop for fuel at french service stations. One tank lasts until our overnight stop in an Ibis Styles or Novotel. We then stop at a hypermarket for fuel before rejoining the autoroute on the second day.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
@snowymum, Interesting that you stop for the night on the way. That set me thinking. What proportion of people break the journey and what proportion don't. Personaly I've never seen the point of an overnight stay - it just make the journey a lot longer and involves extra hassle and cost, but clearly some people like to stop and perhaps visit somewhere on their journey.
So the question is - who stops somewhere overnight and who just keeps going.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@johnE, We stop over night on the journey down and drive straight home on the return. Personally I prefer an evening stop we set off early Friday morning by the afternoon young kids have had enough. We don't sleep well in the car (I don't sleep at all) and none of us would be in a fit state to ski the Saturday with limited/none or broken sleep it's dangerous and likely end up with a first day ski accident. As much as I love to ski the desperation to get there a few hours earlier to get some turns in is lost on me and the cost of an overnight hotel is negligible compared to a half term ski holiday overall cost. That formula suits us but others have their own formula.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
We usually depart the UK on Friday 3pm after the kids have finished school and stay at Reims. After the stress of packing, M25 traffic and the dealing with the tunnel, it always feels like a long slog in the dark from Calais to Reims. When we reach the hotel I never want to drive any further.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
@johnE, I can promise you that 100% of the people who start off from Scotland stop overnight!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
john E...we always stop overnight on way out as we drive down on the Friday to Chambery or more recently Albertville, to then be up and get an extra day skiing before checking into accomodation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
I've done both, but crucially NOT at half term. If driving on my own I tend to keep going though I am conscientious about stopping every 2 hours for some fresh air and a coffee. I am less than 3 hours from eurotunnel so a non-stop trip is not a problem. I find an overnight stop unsatisfactory. I often don't sleep at all well with those horrible plastic pillows and an overheated room and lie awake resenting the fact that I could have driven X miles in the last hour.
However, I never rule out getting off the road and stopping over if conditions are bad - particularly in fog, when busy motorways become horribly dangerous. I've also turned off as early as Bourg-en-Bresse, going north, because of unusually heavy snow and snow ploughs on the motorway. It wasn't dangerous - and I had snow tyres - but I couldn't be fagged to drive very far in the dark at 30 mph behind a snow plough.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
"Drive Direct" or "Overnight Stop" is really just a personal preference.
If you find long distance driving tiring then an overnight stop makes sense - but if you don't then driving direct saves time and money.
If you see the journey as part of the holiday then an overnight stop makes sense - but if it's all about the destination diring direct makes more sense.
Personally I find driving, especially monotonous motorway driving tiring, and fall into the "the journey is part of the holiday" camp so am a stopper - but know people who drive in one, hitting the road about the same time I open a beer at my overnight hotel.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
That's a fair take @Mjit, but I'd probably go a little further in that even on a holiday to holiday, journey to journey basis it could vary.
Our default is to drive through the night as it means no need to take time off work Friday, can ski 7.5/8 days, miss out on most traffic issues. But, mostly on the way back, mostly when bank holidays involved - Xmas/NY/Easter, we've done all kinds of stops off. Sometimes we've binned the second Saturday because of snow/weather/young kid tiredness.
Essentially there are a myriad of preferences and circumstances that make the decision.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Thu 29-06-23 14:07; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
Lots of interesting views and options for driving down things to think about for the future when kids are a little older. Next February half term we are going to Val Cenis with MGS read lots of great things and the area looks great for 3 star and 1 star ankle biters. Hoping all goes well and we return a few years in a row.
Also thinking of a separate few days away with just my wife but that's TBD as I'm not sold on leaving the kids, you grow attached to them!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
We ended up breaking it into 3 on the way down - Southampton > Ashford on the Thursday, early Friday crossing down to Annecy and then up early leaving to ValD on Sat before the rush begins - view over Annecy lake at 7am was amazing. On the way back was 1 go and didn't leave early enough. I think if we left earlier i.e. 5am then I think the 1 shot back would be OK.
Like others have said we just made driving part of the trip to make it better on the kids
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I tend to prefer one long boring day over two quite long boring days with an expensive night in between.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
However you do it, audiobooks are the way to go. There are plenty which are good for kids and enjoyable for adults (The Sheep Pig, for one).
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Yeah we load up on the "Ski Podcast" 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Quote: |
However you do it, audiobooks are the way to go.
|
| Quote: |
Yeah we load up on the "Ski Podcast" Smile
|
I do both. Actually I prefer the audiobooks but my wfe and son prefer the podcasts cos they are shorter. My favourotes are "more or less" or "in our time" On one trip we almost got completely through Andrew Marr's "A History of the World". It made me realise just how English Centred the history taught to me at school was. TBH I knew nothing. The journeys are never wasted time.
@Rob_Quads, We usually leave Les Arcs about 11:00 in the morning aiming for a crossing about 21:30 and getting home about 1:00 to 2:00 the next morning depending on what motorways are closed in the UK.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
