 Poster: A snowHead
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@MontyP, some parts at least if the winter timetable have been released, including showing direct trains from Paris to Bourg St Maurice. They're visible on SNCF Connect but not bookable yet.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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OK thanks, I'll check again.
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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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My guess is that Thalys/Eurostar are using a single set of rolling stock for the Lille-Bourg leg, outbound Saturday, returning Sunday. To provide a return on Saturday there would have to be an earlier outbound trip, say Friday, which would have minimal demand and/or give the same problem of people needing 8 nights accommodation.
I guess timings or route availability don't allow them to fit in both out and back runs on the same day, either Saturday or Sunday.
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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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Cheers for that - it's the latest one as well, so I'll listen to that - although I listen through Spotify
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Can't get any price or availability on the posted link. Does that mean they're full or not yet scheduled. My boss and his wife wanted to go by train in January
Shame the train doesnt run in March. I was hoping to cram a cheeky one in if my injuries magic away 
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Mote details will be available starting with October 4. See SnowCarbon's update
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I've booked there and back, back is via Lille, but going there is via Paris. Do I need to get metro tickets as well or does the train ticket automatically include the gare du Nord gare de Lyon transfer ?
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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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| eblunt wrote: |
| I've booked there and back, back is via Lille, but going there is via Paris. Do I need to get metro tickets as well or does the train ticket automatically include the gare du Nord gare de Lyon transfer ? |
You need metro tickets but can buy them on the Eurostar - the machines in the Metro can be a bit flakey  .
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You can get the tickets from the buffet car in the Eurostar. €2 cash ideally. It such a simple hack which is well worth doing
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Lucywuk wrote: |
| You can get the tickets from the buffet car in the Eurostar. €2 cash ideally. It such a simple hack which is well worth doing |
I'm not sure that will still work this year as the paper tickets are going. It's on my list to look into.
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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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@sugarmoma666,
So are they changing to buying tickets via an App 
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You know it makes sense.
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@Jonpim, Thank you 
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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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Looks like we are ok for another season. Tbh in Milan we just used our cards to touch in and out, like London. So I assume they are doing the same
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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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I've sent an email enquiry to Eurostar to see if they will be selling the Navigo cards on board. Not going to hold my breath but will post if get reply.
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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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Reply from Eurostar - Thank you for contacting us with your query.
Unfortunately we don't sale Navigo tickets on board.
You would have to visit the local Paris station and enquire with them.
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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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Information here on buying tickets for the Paris Metro:
https://www.seat61.com/changing-stations-in-paris.htm#how-to-buy-metro-tickets
It doesn't look too tricky tbh - just a bit more faff on the first journey. (OTOH, it's probably less faff than the issues I had last year with the little cardboard tickets not working, which happened on 2 out of 6 trips across Paris. On the last trip back through Paris my ticket wouldn't work but some nice locals took me through the gate tailgating them - it was clearly a regular occurrence.)
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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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Thats a pain, I have at least two full carnets of tickets bought over the past years, but with only one trip for two this winter.
Like @eblunt but in reverse, we're out on the 16th, change at Lille , back on the 'via' Paris Saturday. The Sunday return, 24th Dec would have been nice, but we're hosting family for Christmas day...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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For Metro/RER tickets you can put the Navigo Easy stuff on your phone without actually having the card or buying the card. This works via the Bonjour RATP app. Install that, then there are options to setup phone as ticket card instead of having the actual card. You can then pre-buy 2 t+ tickets to go across Paris and back and simply tap your phone on the machine instead of the card.
Advantages are no card, no queue for card or ticket and everything set before you go and no 2 euro charge for the card.
Disadvantage is that is was not a simple install, it took installs of 3 or 4 extra bits of software to make it all work. You are guided through all this on the app, but it was far from intuitive. Done on all of my family phones now and hopefully it will work. Tickets are showing as bought and valid - all we need to do is make sure NFC is switched on at the time and phone screen is on.
Apparently any Android phone using android 8 (Oreo) or newer will work - that's most these days and I believe iphones from i7 onwards.
Hope that helps some people get set in advance.
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| @sugarmoma666 wrote: |
| issues I had last year with the little cardboard tickets not working, which happened on 2 out of 6 trips across Paris |
Yes, I've had that problem too, a real blooming nuisance, but seems it was all caused by how i kept my tickets:
| The Man in Seat 61 wrote: |
| Keep your metro tickets away from your mobile phone, the magnetic field may corrupt the magnetic stripe so it won't work the ticket gates. |
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I'm trying to get prices from the Eurostar website for travel to Bourg St Maurice, outbound at the end of January, return early Feb. I'm not seeing any availability, for Saturdays or any other day of the week. The timing of their early Saturday departure from St Pancras is good for me but I can travel on any day of the week, but the website shows no availability. Sold out or not yet released on those dates?
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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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@rob@rar, all Eurostar is doing to Bourg this year is 1 outbound train on a Saturday and 1 return on a Sunday. Both are semi-direct and involve a Eurostar organised change in Lille. This service only goes up to 4th Feb. For anything other than those 2 services, all other days of the week and all dates after 4th Feb you have to go to Paris or Lille and do your own thing from there. It's pants from them really. If you're not managing to get seats on the days they are actually doing something then probably sold out.
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@beeryletcher, yes, I understand that. I'm trying to buy tickets for the semi-direct services on the Eurostar website for departure on or around 27th January, changing either in Lille or Paris, and they offer departures on that day and some other days of the week (Thursdays and Fridays). But they are showing no availability in January for any day after the 13th. I'm trying to work out if this is because they are already sold out, or haven't released those tickets yet.
Buying flights sure is easier...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@rob@rar, if you search for Paris or Lille but not mention the Bourg part then there are plenty of seats on those trains. Then book your onward travel via someone else - Eurostar can't book to Bourg for your dates on onward services yet as those trains are not available to book yet. The onward parts become available on Nov 15th. I have insider info !
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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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@beeryletcher, thanks, appreciate the info about 15th November.
Why is it so difficult to buy UK/EU train tickets? If travelling by train is a good thing to reduce carbon emissions, somebody should get a grip...
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@rob@rar, it is bonkers. I'm lucky to be married to someone who has worked in rail ticket (UK and International) for 30 years and even she finds it to be nuts, but the big guns never listen to the soldiers. She worked for Eurostar for a long time, a long time ago - The Golden Era - and is horrified what has become of a service that everyone loved and was proud of.
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You know it makes sense.
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| beeryletcher wrote: |
| @rob@rar, it is bonkers. I'm lucky to be married to someone who has worked in rail ticket (UK and International) for 30 years and even she finds it to be nuts, but the big guns never listen to the soldiers. She worked for Eurostar for a long time, a long time ago - The Golden Era - and is horrified what has become of a service that everyone loved and was proud of. |
Yup, the scrapping of the direct service, daytime and overnight, was a disaster. I was using the daytime service three or four times a season, now I'm back to flying or driving.
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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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My boss is trying to book the snow train. He couldn't find a ticket so he asked them. Bellow is the response from eurostar (yesterday)
Thank you for your email regarding your possible booking,
Because the connection is via SNCF, they have not yet loaded the trains for that specific date. My advice would be to check over the next coming week to avoid any disappointmen
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Poster: A snowHead
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@rob@rar, it's because you are trying to buy tickets for more than 3 months away! Something like 90% of train tickets are only bought within a month of travel, and a signifiant proportion within a few days. It isn't really much of a problem except on the few services that sell out. And how do expect to buy a ticket for a specific train even before the timetable is published?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@ecureuil, actually the time table is published - you just need to know where to look. SNCF Connect is best source, but in fact Eurostar site does show the times of the onwards trains too. You are right though that it is the SNCF part of the journey that cannot actually be booked yet - the Eurostar part can be booked now though and the timetable on SNCF Connect will help one choose which Eurostar service to book.
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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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@rob@rar, As above, - but you already know this! - its the SNCF bit that's troublesome for us Brits trying to plan > 3 months ahead.
15th Nov. was when Snowcarbon and MiS61 (and to be fair, SNCF) said they'd be available for your dates.
For general consumption: I booked our entire return journey, 23rd Dec. via the SNCF site, to ensure that it was a through ticket, and hence would be compensated, and efforts made to get next available (or overnighting) if delays in the first leg resulted in missed Eurostar. 2 separate bookings mean you don't have that luxury of a backstop.
Be interesting to see what happens if / when competing operators start running through the tunnel - Autumn 2025 I believe?
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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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| ecureuil wrote: |
| @rob@rar, it's because you are trying to buy tickets for more than 3 months away! |
Yet I can buy flights or Eurotunnel 12 months out…
I’d be happy to give the rail companies my money that far in advance if they pulled their bloody fingers out and started putting customers first. I need to arrange my winters some time in advance, which includes a level of certainty around travel arrangements. Which is why I’m flying or driving rather more than is necessary, and rather more than I’d like. I have zero interest in becoming my own travel agent and booking multiple legs of the journey separately. I just want to go online and make a simple booking, a reasonable time in advance.
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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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@rob@rar,
| Quote: |
ecureuil wrote:
@rob@rar, it's because you are trying to buy tickets for more than 3 months away!
Yet I can buy flights or Eurotunnel 12 months out…
I’d be happy to give the rail companies my money that far in advance if they pulled their bloody fingers out and started putting customers first. I need to arrange my winters some time in advance, which includes a level of certainty around travel arrangements. Which is why I’m flying or driving rather more than is necessary, and rather more than I’d like. I have zero interest in becoming my own travel agent and booking multiple legs of the journey separately. I just want to go online and make a simple booking, a reasonable time in advance.
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Me too!! I have a note that I bought my TGV tickets on 9th November last year. Have you set up a reminder on SNCF Connect so it alerts you when the tickets go on sale?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Tbh I went with a hope and a prayer! And booked my Eurostar Saturday returns at £88 each. I have faith there will always be onwards trains to bourg or moutiers. Can’t book now.
If anyone has the link for SNCF connect to check the timetable for late jan that would be amazing. I’ve tried and failed to find my way round the site.
I also am hanging on as someone mentioned an SNCF card which means you can get 30% discount. I think the card is €49 for a year and 2 people get the discount.
Also I have never found the Saturday afternoon trains to bourg selling out. They get more ££ but we’ve booked plenty of times and never had an issue
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Some years we were in the half a direct ski-train of passengers that Eurostar left behind on the concourse at St Pancras one Friday night. Eurostar squeezed us onto the first departure to Paris Saturday morning, and we booked tickets for a TGV to Lyon and local train to Bourg less than 24 hours before travel.
Admittedly we probably paid full price (reimbursed by Eurostar), but there was still availability.
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@Lucywuk, the train times are available on here:
https://www.sncf-connect.com/en-en/
If you put your destination in you get to another page that allows you to put in starting station and date etc. At the bottom of this page, click on "View only the timetable" which is in very small letters below the "See prices" button.
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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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Depending on when you are planning to travel, you might find it's earlier than 15 November you can book. This is what I have posted on Ski Flight Free
https://skiflightfree.org/what-ski-train-services-are-on-offer-to-the-alps-in-2023-24/
Travel period
10 Dec 2023 – 09 Jan 2024 – Sales open 04 October 2023
10 Jan 2024 – 09 Feb 2024 – TBC
10 Feb 2024 – 24 March 2024 – Sales open 15 November 2023
25 March onwards – TBC
I agree, it's frustrating you can't book the onward connection at the same time, but I book my Eurostar on the dates I want to travel. It's always outbound at 08:01 and return at 17:02. This normally covers every connection (although as observed you can check times, even if you can't book fares).
You then set up an alert and you book within 48 hours of the tickets going on sale, it tends to be around EUR100 return for me.
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Trains are slowly being released 20th Jan is now open.
QUESTION FOR THOSE WHO KNOW ABOUT SNCF CARD. It says I can choose a start date up to 5 months in advance. Can I choose say 19th jan 2024 and still buy tickets today for the 20th jan???
This means we might get usage in jan 2025!!
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FAQ
