 Poster: A snowHead
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@Samerberg Sue, @pam w, again horses for courses isn't it. For me, cooking, slobbing in my onesie and chilling with a DVD with kids is part of the fun. I even don't mind washing up. Hotels are not for us.
I guess that's why we ended up with the caravan really, same sort of thing
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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 see little point in booking anything more than a week or 2 in advance
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the point is that you might set your heart on a particular place, then find there's no accommodation available of the kind you want. But I think it's worth the gamble, personally - there's sure to be something else, somewhere else. If you drive you have masses of flexibility (and with Eurotunnel, even with the cheapest tickets, if you book a crossing for Christmas you can change it, as often as you like, for up to a year so no problem using it at Easter). If you book separate flights and accommodation last minute Christmas flight will cost a bomb.
Boris - yes, very much the same kind of thing as a caravan. I've also had some great times in frankly fairly cramped boats (all the boats I could afford to spend any time in are cramped) sitting round a table in two layers of thermals with a bottle of something, possibly doing something as exciting as playing Scrabble. I've been invited to crew for friends on their spring cruise, starting 21 April - that'll bring me back from the Alps earlier than I otherwise might return and I would much rather do that than book myself into a smart hotel. There will be some cold and uncomfortable times, I have no doubt, but I really don't like hotels very much at all - I'd always rent a cottage rather than book a week in a hotel. But others see a nice hotel as a real treat - tomorrow, in fact, I'm going to baby sit for my son's kids because he and his OH are off for night in a very nice hotel to celebrate the end of her chemotherapy.
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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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@pam w, they were fortunate in the end. They were able to have a cracking week in Tignes with his work ( he is a ski instructor in the British army) in January. They are both divorced and share child custody. Last yr they had all four children and we had a great time. This yr it was just them...
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| Quote: |
I see little point in booking anything more than a week or 2 in advance
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I agree, and that's worked fine for me most of the last 10 years or so for Christmas. Couple of extra points to add:
- Not everyone is comfortable leaving things to the last minute. I'd check the rest of your family would be happy with not having any idea if or where they're going on holiday 10 days before Christmas. A couple of times I've been planning to go with friends who've claimed they are comfortable waiting, then find they've panic-booked something way earlier (maybe 2 or 3 weeks prior to Christmas) than I would
- Catered chalet operators tend to give the greater percentage discounts at the last minute, compared to self-catering or hotels. That doesn't necessarily make it cheaper than self-catering, but it can do
- If you go with UK-based operators, most include the charter flights and transfers, and don't normally give much discount for self-drive. However, when they're trying to sell places at the last minute, it's all negotiable. If you can, I suggest finding out who the tour operator is, and phoning them direct to discuss options, and it's worth asking how many flight places they have left (once when booking, it was clear they only had 1 more flight place left, which made a friend's subsequent negotiation about single-room supplements a lot easier). This tends to work best with the small to medium-sized operators
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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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@mikeycharlton, we're regular Christmas skiers, having been 6 out of the last 5 years. The one year we didn't go was the Christmas before last, I kept an eye on deals just in case (the OH was recovering from an op and we held out to the last minute to see if she would be fit enough - she wasn't so we didn't go). There were plenty of fairly cheap deals about right up to the day before travel. However, we usually book earlier for Christmas.
We're a family of three so same size as yours and up until this year we managed to get free kids places for Jnr - usually kids under 12. Crystal and Inghams offer these for some of their accommodation, but you need to get in early. Hence why we never left it late. This year we managed a week in Austria with Crystal, flights, transfer, HB accommodation for around £1,850 inc lift passes and ski hire (no tuition). The time before that we paid around £2,500 for a week in Arabba catered chalet with Inghams which included a free child's place, this cost also included 3 x 2.5hr lessons for all of us.
Conditions wise, this year was the worst of all trips at Christmas, but we skied every day. We've had good to excellent conditions in all our other Christmas trips before that.
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For self drive, self catering, the main point of a last minute booking is to check snow conditions. I'd agree the best "deals" are catered chalets with flights included but they might not be where the best snow is.....
A conundrum. I can just imagine the situation @viv describes - people chickening out and booking something 3 weeks before. 
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The self catering options offered by the main tour operators are often not that great. For high end apartments Peak Retreats and Erna Low are good. For cheaper apartments local agencies and individual owners in resort (resort web pages are the place to start for those).
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@hammerite,
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we're regular Christmas skiers, having been 6 out of the last 5 years.
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I like it. Perhaps one rip was for the orthodox christmas 
I think I have been every christmas for at least the last 15 years and the 2014 was the only one where the conditions were really bad. I have to confess I do not really like Christmas in the UK and much prefer the more relaxed Christmas in a French ski resort.
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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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Yes it's the catered chalet/hotel deals that get heavily reduced at the last moment, so that's probably what we would choose rather than a self catering apartments.
On a separate note, I was looking at flights only for the 19th/20th December - 26th/27th December to either Geneva, Chambery or Grenoble, and they were all pretty high which you would expect for that time of year.
I then looked at flights to Lyon and they were substantially cheaper. The difference was big. You can get a return flight from Gatwick to Lyon for about £130 including luggage, whilst Geneva/Chambery/Grenoble was £200+. I realise that Lyon is probably further away for most resorts, but it seems like a decent option.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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But it would reduce your options for a last minute deal. What if a good deal in Austria came up?
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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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@mikeycharlton, Lyon is actually closer to many resorts, such as those in the Tarrentaise than Geneva. It is rare that I find cheep flights to Lyon, so you are lucky. How did you find the flights that far in advance? When I look at teh Easyjet web site I can only find flights upto the end of October.
Mind you if I had to get to Gatwick to catch the flight I would just continue driving all the way.
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| johnE wrote: |
@mikeycharlton, Lyon is actually closer to many resorts, such as those in the Tarrentaise than Geneva. It is rare that I find cheep flights to Lyon, so you are lucky. How did you find the flights that far in advance? When I look at teh Easyjet web site I can only find flights upto the end of October.
Mind you if I had to get to Gatwick to catch the flight I would just continue driving all the way. |
British Airways
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You know it makes sense.
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| pam w wrote: |
| But it would reduce your options for a last minute deal. What if a good deal in Austria came up? |
The only reason I would book flights early is if i'm going to book accommodation early too. I'm not risking having flights booked to a certain place and leaving accommodation to the last minute.
The last minute option would only be for a whole package.
Austria would be an option too. I'm certainly not discounting it. I notice a lot of Austrian resorts have lower altitude than in France. Is this a problem for regular visitors to Austria? I've never skied there.
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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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@mikeycharlton, if the altitude were a problem people wouldn't ski there! They have a more "continental " climate.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Boris wrote: |
[b]
I guess that's why we ended up with the caravan really, same sort of thing |
we love our caravan. If I could pluck up courage to take her to the Alps I would take her skiing! Saw some fantastic caravan sites in Norway too, they have wooden shed like awnings which are permanent next to the tourer. Neat idea, saves ripping the normal awning fabric!!! My caravan is like having a giant dolls house for grown ups.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@mikeycharlton, just a thought for you. Last Christmas we booked into a "lower" altitude resort. The apartment was circa 330 Euros several months before. On the Wed/Thu it was announced the resort wasn't opening, lift wise. So we booked an apartment at Tignes Val Claret for circa 480 Euros. Now we didn't have to pay all of the 330 (long story) but even if we had it wouldn't have been the end of the world. That is the flexibility of DIY driving and self catering. TBH I think that is a once in 20/30 years thing but nevertheless it's worth bearing in mind if you are concerned. Gets more complicated if you are doing ski hire and/or ski school. We didn't have either.
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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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Snow cover is a problem early but then is bleakness over the Christmas period. I would go for a high resort but with low down, tree lined runs too in case the weather's a bit bleak.
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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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@CaravanSkier, my son is 15. He sleeping in the awning as its a two berth, bought for when he leaves us  and goes to University.. he brings his friends who all think its the coolest thing ever to go away in a caravan. Kids are easily pleased, they don't need a fortnight at an expensive destination. Just water and waves, in our case a surf board...my caravan is on the drive. Fully packed and ready to go where-ever we fancy. Mind you, the clutch just went on my year old Tiguan (23000 miles) so I am not too impressed with my current tow car. Thread jack LOL!
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@Fruity, I hope we do not get told off lol Sleeping in the awning is probably not a option on ski holidays, though we did once pitch next to a tent half buried in the snow and full of Dutch campers! 
Sorry OP
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I love my tow car, Land Rover Discovery with 3500kg limit. Also comes in handy for skiing
Did consider it for Easter this year, but ultimately decided wouldn't work for us as is a bit cramped when all of us in van
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I notice a lot of Austrian resorts have lower altitude than in France
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This is not an issue. In addition to Austria being a bit more 'continental' (i.e. further from the sea, which is warmer than land in winter), when Austria gets precipitation it typically comes from the North-East quadrant, which is cold air, so it snows down to a low altitude.
In my experience, Austria often gets more of the early snow. For anecdotal evidence, of the 5 last minute (booked with less than a week to go, and based primarily on snow conditions) Christmas trips I remember, 3 were to Austria (St Anton), and 2 to France (Les Arcs and Chamonix)
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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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@Boris, We got rid of our petrol Dico and have just bought an lpg one. I am hoping it will be more economical 
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I saw that La Petitta in Sauze d'Oulx had availability Christmas week for around 650 EUR for the week, catered, except lunch. If snow conditions are good you'd be able to ski to the bottom of the mountain near the Chalet, then 150 meter walk to the Chalet from the lift. The price listed is €575, ex flights and transfers. Sauze goes up to nearly 2,700 and the tree line is probably about 2,400 meters, so even in blizzard conditions, you'll have trees to help you along for most of the resort. There are quite a number of pistes above 2,000, on balance of high altitude, trees, lower altitude if it is too cold up top, I think it's a decent bet. That said, they also had a horrible snow Christmas last year, and weren't really spared from the unfortunate snow circumstance.
I went the week before Christmas this season, and found myself in Cervinia, and was very happy with the amount and quality of snow, but then again, if it's really cold, you'd want to go lower, and you can't do that in Cervinia... so... pick your poison as it were.
I've booked that week there, but at another place, that's how confident I am. On mountain food is reasonable, I paid as low as 1,50 EUR for a cappuccino. A BIG piece of pizza was between 3,50 and 4,50, a BIG bowl of pasta was between 7 and 9 euro, and we always split that between two people.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Lift passes 744.72
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How did you do that? I find that when we drive, we end up spending almost 300 euros each for lift passes. I suppose that is because we ski the full 8 days that driving allows you.
The comments about snow conditions this Christmas made me smile. with @pam w, reporting (accurately) that snow was very poor over the Christmas week. and @flangesax, commenting about having to clear the snow off the roof terrace a week later. And of course all those people who got caught in the storm of the 28th.
Yes skiing at Christmas can be risky and storms can come at any time, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else at Christmas
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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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@johnE, is for 6 days as we don't use the extra days generally. Can get a family pads as well which works out slightly cheaper, sometimes get a discount through booking agent
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| hammerite wrote: |
@mikeycharlton, we're regular Christmas skiers, having been 6 out of the last 5 years. The one year we didn't go was the Christmas before last, I kept an eye on deals just in case (the OH was recovering from an op and we held out to the last minute to see if she would be fit enough - she wasn't so we didn't go). There were plenty of fairly cheap deals about right up to the day before travel. However, we usually book earlier for Christmas.
We're a family of three so same size as yours and up until this year we managed to get free kids places for Jnr - usually kids under 12. Crystal and Inghams offer these for some of their accommodation, but you need to get in early. Hence why we never left it late. [b]This year we managed a week in Austria with Crystal, flights, transfer, HB accommodation for around £1,850 inc lift passes and ski hire (no tuition)[/b]. The time before that we paid around £2,500 for a week in Arabba catered chalet with Inghams which included a free child's place, this cost also included 3 x 2.5hr lessons for all of us.
Conditions wise, this year was the worst of all trips at Christmas, but we skied every day. We've had good to excellent conditions in all our other Christmas trips before that. |
That's cheap. How far in advance did you book it and where did you go?
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You know it makes sense.
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| HeidiAmsterdam wrote: |
I saw that La Petitta in Sauze d'Oulx had availability Christmas week for around 650 EUR for the week, catered, except lunch. If snow conditions are good you'd be able to ski to the bottom of the mountain near the Chalet, then 150 meter walk to the Chalet from the lift. The price listed is €575, ex flights and transfers. Sauze goes up to nearly 2,700 and the tree line is probably about 2,400 meters, so even in blizzard conditions, you'll have trees to help you along for most of the resort. There are quite a number of pistes above 2,000, on balance of high altitude, trees, lower altitude if it is too cold up top, I think it's a decent bet. That said, they also had a horrible snow Christmas last year, and weren't really spared from the unfortunate snow circumstance.
I went the week before Christmas this season, and found myself in Cervinia, and was very happy with the amount and quality of snow, but then again, if it's really cold, you'd want to go lower, and you can't do that in Cervinia... so... pick your poison as it were.
I've booked that week there, but at another place, that's how confident I am. On mountain food is reasonable, I paid as low as 1,50 EUR for a cappuccino. A BIG piece of pizza was between 3,50 and 4,50, a BIG bowl of pasta was between 7 and 9 euro, and we always split that between two people. |
650 EUR per person for accommodation and food only?
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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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| pam w wrote: |
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most of the Alps had shocking snow at Christmas.
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that was my generalisation which was, I'd contend, entirely accurate. Yes, there were some areas which had some good snow (there were IIRC some very bad tempered arguments in the Ski Amade thread about just how much was open) which was fortunate for those there at the time.
But, overall, it was the worst Christmas snow for a long time in most of the Alps. |
I'm not sure I fully agree with that either. Yes the snow was the worst for some time but.... If you want on piste skiing, which is really the majority of holiday skiers, then the snow at Val Thorens was fine. I was there from 6th December and again briefly at the end of the year. It was a bit icy in places but generally fine.
The biggest problem we heard from guests in our apartment over xmas was the numbers of people being bused in from all over the area. Indeed they were talking about limiting numbers at one point.
So the assertion - go early go high does work out.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| mikeycharlton wrote: |
| HeidiAmsterdam wrote: |
I saw that La Petitta in Sauze d'Oulx had availability Christmas week for around 650 EUR for the week, catered, except lunch. If snow conditions are good you'd be able to ski to the bottom of the mountain near the Chalet, then 150 meter walk to the Chalet from the lift. The price listed is €575, ex flights and transfers. Sauze goes up to nearly 2,700 and the tree line is probably about 2,400 meters, so even in blizzard conditions, you'll have trees to help you along for most of the resort. There are quite a number of pistes above 2,000, on balance of high altitude, trees, lower altitude if it is too cold up top, I think it's a decent bet. That said, they also had a horrible snow Christmas last year, and weren't really spared from the unfortunate snow circumstance.
I went the week before Christmas this season, and found myself in Cervinia, and was very happy with the amount and quality of snow, but then again, if it's really cold, you'd want to go lower, and you can't do that in Cervinia... so... pick your poison as it were.
I've booked that week there, but at another place, that's how confident I am. On mountain food is reasonable, I paid as low as 1,50 EUR for a cappuccino. A BIG piece of pizza was between 3,50 and 4,50, a BIG bowl of pasta was between 7 and 9 euro, and we always split that between two people. |
650 EUR per person for accommodation and food only? |
Yes, that was for half board. You'd have to book your flights, and they'd probably help with transfers. I just paid 65 EUR per person return for a transfer. Alternatively, you are far enough ahead, you could even hire a car. It's all freeway except for the last bit.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| emwmarine wrote: |
So the assertion - go early go high does work out. |
Yep. I went to Courchevel the week before Christmas this season, and despite the terrible conditions everywhere there was still decent (piste) skiing to be had across the Three Valleys. Nothing like the amount there should have been, and one day was very icy but there was enough to get from 1850 to Orelle and back.
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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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I'm thinking of booking to go at Christmas this year, have only ever been once at Christmas before which was Chamonix and the snow was fine, plenty of it.
Thinking of booking Serre Chevalier. Have been before late in the season and not been disappointed but never in December. Seems as good a bet as any as I believe the slopes are mostly north facing. You never really know wherever you book but I will need to book it months in advance as I want my own room and they are few and far between.
Anyone been at Christmas to Serre Chevalier?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
Anyone been at Christmas to Serre Chevalier?
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A long long time ago. I can still remember... There was no snow at all. The whole resort was shut and we were bussed daily to Mongenevre, Les 2 Alpes and Alpe d'Huez. Tell you the truth I didn't mind and got to see some other resorts. Alpe d'Huez was my favourite. We did, once, get left behind by the bus in Les 2 Alpes, which cost a lot and was a bit of a bind. IIRC it was over 30 years ago and snow making has now been installed.
Sorry
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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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Ah ok. That's ok if they didn't have snow making then as it's bound to make a difference (as long as it's cold enough)
The resort snow history seems ok, snow depths are 128cm/43cm for the last week of December on average which is more than the averages for Meribel and Courchevel and not far off the averages for Val Thorens and Val D'Isere actually despite it being a bit lower than those two.
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@VolklAttivaS5, if she doesn't come onto this thread Hells Bells could give you lots of inside information as she has an apartment there.
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@VolklAttivaS5, I had a great Christmas with a group there a long time ago before the days of snow cannons, etc. we were able to ski right back down to our hotel front door and were only about 10 metres from a somewhat older bubble lift back up into the system. I believe this has been modernised now though. We were in Villeneuve and had a fabulous time, so much so we went back twice and I taught there in high season there for a couple of seasons. Hells Bells is the real expert on all things Serre Che these days though, and always seems very objective despite having her own rental apartment in one of the villages.
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| pam w wrote: |
| @VolklAttivaS5, if she doesn't come onto this thread Hells Bells could give you lots of inside information as she has an apartment there. |
It's ok I asked her this morning after I posted here and she's replied.
Still happy to read other's experiences though if they've been.
I think I will probably book it.
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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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@Samerberg Sue, thanks for that. Yeah I'm thinking of booking in the Club Med what with everything being included, lessons etc and that's in Villeneuve.
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FAQ
