 Poster: A snowHead
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@daveqpr, good to hear you are still around.
I think when you are you are younger you can, or want to, handle this shit much better.
Mind you, I'm mid-50's and driving overnight to and from the Alps which is plenty tiring enough!
Just what you do to slide when you love it.
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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 came here to say Innsbruck. Then I saw it had been said before. And I thought I would say it again! The city with an airport AND its own ski lifts. https://www.innsbruck.info/en/skiing.html
I wouldn't contemplate driving for such a short period. It only takes poor weather/a really nasty French-style prang to completely scupper one of your days.
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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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Flying can also be scuppered by poor weather, and by industrial action. The fewer the "ski days", the greater the risk that one or more will be impacted by travel problems.
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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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We've done a few long weekend type trips in the past, and found that flying into somewhere like Innsbruck to be pretty much perfect. Cheap flights in Jan (I've just looked and GTW to INN could be had for circa £80 plus bags / skis), and once there, it's very quick and easy to get from Innsbruck to areas like the Zillertal within a couple of hours (either taxi transfer or Austrian trains). We've often flown into Innsbruck on an early morning flight, landed by 10/11ish, and been skiing by early afternoon.
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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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Is Innsbruck really suitable for a short trip? Once you've changed planes in Frankfurt or Amsterdam the whole day has gone. I note that @jellemr, mentions getting a flight from Gatwick, but once I've driven that far I've broken the back of the drive to the Alps and may as well just keep going.
I've done short trips in the past by flying to Malpensa or usually Geneva
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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OK, that Innsbruck car hire was cheaper than I found. But what size car do you need to get 1.9m skis in? Not a VW UP, I'm pretty certain about that, but a Focus? Or that Mokka that was linked to? Got visions of a 2 hour drive with skis sticking out the front window.
I think however it works we're probably going to get 3 days skiing and a day travel each end. Fine with that as long as it's cheap.
Trying to coerce the rest of them into it after starting this thread when it was a bit more of a half baked plan. That'll teach me.
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Well, it's interesting to participate in the thinking process, @B.. We've all grappled with these questions! Right now I'm thinking how to marry up a last minute Christmas trip 23/30 December with a big UK family Christmas dinner get together on 22nd. If we go, will definitely be driving. Set off on 22nd after doing the washing up, and get at least to Calais on the Friday night. Or have a drink or three with lunch and leave at sparrow's on 23rd.
There are no easy ways.....
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| johnE wrote: |
| Is Innsbruck really suitable for a short trip? Once you've changed planes in Frankfurt or Amsterdam the whole day has gone. I note that @jellemr, mentions getting a flight from Gatwick, but once I've driven that far I've broken the back of the drive to the Alps and may as well just keep going. |
Umm, you realise most of us have been trying to answer the OP's question. The OP who's stated they are ~1hr from Gatwick, so have based our answers and suggests on the OP's location, not our own.
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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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| Mjit wrote: |
| johnE wrote: |
| Is Innsbruck really suitable for a short trip? Once you've changed planes in Frankfurt or Amsterdam the whole day has gone. I note that @jellemr, mentions getting a flight from Gatwick, but once I've driven that far I've broken the back of the drive to the Alps and may as well just keep going. |
Umm, you realise most of us have been trying to answer the OP's question. The OP who's stated they are ~1hr from Gatwick, so have based our answers and suggests on the OP's location, not our own. |
Also you can fly direct to Innsbruck from more than just Gatwick, there's direct flights from Bristol and Manchester with easyjet just off the top of my head
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| B. wrote: |
| OK, that Innsbruck car hire was cheaper than I found. But what size car do you need to get 1.9m skis in? Not a VW UP, I'm pretty certain about that, but a Focus? Or that Mokka that was linked to? Got visions of a 2 hour drive with skis sticking out the front window. |
Last January we had a VW Polo with skis in. One back seat down, and skis come through the two front seats, but not all the way through.
Also, you wouldn't be driving 2 hours if you're flying to Innsbruck. I live a 7 minute drive past the lifts in Zell am Ziller, and Google maps currently shows it at a 58 minute journey, and you'll have driven past 2 other ski areas just in the Zillertal!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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My parents would routinely drive me and my 2 siblings up to the Highlands from London after work on Friday and then back after days skiing Sunday. One year even did it with two of us sharing a seat belt as had 3 kids and an adult in the back, all to ski some often typically Scottish heather! It was often commented london to Scotland is similar time wise to calais to the alps so why are we skiing in the rain again! On a number of occasions we have beaten people back from the alps flying. Regardless for me I now very much associate and enjoy the drive so for me it would be drive and try and get another day's leave for slightly longer trip
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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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| Quote: |
My parents would routinely drive me and my 2 siblings up to the Highlands from London after work on Friday and then back after days skiing Sunday.
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 Made a man of you, @Skiyeah.
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@pam w, certainly kick started the obsession / habit
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You know it makes sense.
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@B., why
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a day travel each end
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?
Did i miss something?
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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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| under a new name wrote: |
@B., why
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a day travel each end
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Did i miss something? |
Yea, I live in London so I'll need to get there, which'll take a days travel, each way, either side of the ski days. It might be 'only' 7 hours door to door by plane but I'm calling that a day as it's longer than I usually graft in a day.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@B., ah, I see, I only ever counted "office" hours as being "days". So, no "days" off.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| daveqpr wrote: |
| andy from embsay wrote: |
| Layne wrote: |
I seem to remember reading on here about some geezer driving from down south to Scotland overnight for a weekends skiing.
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A climber, Mick Fowler, used to work for HMRC in London. He used to drive to Fort William after work on a Friday, climb two days (in winter) on the Ben and drive home Sunday night. |
I am that " Geezer " . Done it loads of times but not done in last few years, and had great times, especially if snow and low wind gods were smiling (not very often!!) I got free fuel for company car, drive up from west London or Milton Keynes were i also lived for a while on a Friday night - aimed to get to Fort William about 4am - few hours kip in car and Mc D's brekkie then ski all day at Nevis. B&B on the Saturday night in F William then drive to Glencoe to ski (as closer to home) till 3 pm ish and drive home Sunday night - home by midnight.
Not for everyone it was Knackering but cheap skiing and great fun. |
This is my approach! I live in Belgium now but belong in the mountains, so one or 2 long vacations won't do, I'd go crazy. Thankfully I also have a company car with free fuel so I do long weekends and short 4-5 day trips as often as possible. I just last weekend drove 9 hours early Friday morning to Saas-Almagell, did a short snowshoe up to the lake and back, skied Saturday/Sunday, then drove back and was home by 11pm (they closed the ski resort at 12 due to high winds). It was absolutely worth the drive, even though coming back in the dark in pouring rain sucked. I needed the mountains. It was my 9th trip to the mountains this year (8x Alps, 1x Vosges during TdF). Saving money in winter gets much more challenging though as I'm not camping or sleeping in the car.
For me from Belgium, Interlaken is the closest driving wise. I've been many times for trail running, but this March will be my first for Skiing. Chamonix, Verbier/4V, Crans-Montana should also be closer/similar distance as Courchevel, ADH, etc coming from the UK.
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