Cheap Skii in Switzlerland. Where?

A snowHead

I would like to have any advices on where to go to skii cheaply in the Swiss Alps, in the resorts close to Geneva, as I'll be staying there.

Are there any good train or bus conections from Geneva to the skii resorts? Is it expensive?
If anyone can share links to help me with this doubts would be great.

Thanks for reading.

A snowHead

cheap as chips everywhere.

Thanks for asking

Laughing

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Larans, Laax, or Flaine on the French side.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Larans, I believe there are bus trips from Geneva at weekends to various resorts, generally in France. Some of the locals will be along to give you the specifics but I think they are reasonably priced.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Larans, the train from Geneva runs towards Brig and stops at places like Sion and Sierre which give access to various resorts in the Valais. None are particulalry cheap but the smaller stations are cheaper than the large linked resorts eg look at Anzere, Villars, Leukerbad, Grimentz-Zinal.

However, many GVA based people drive or bus to the French resorts as they will usually be cheaper all in.

You'll need to Register first of course.

Larans, there aren't many resorts easily doable by train from Geneva but plenty by bus.

I don't have the link but a bit of googling will sort you out. The buses generally head towards the Portes du Soleil, Grand Massif or Chamonix valley (and there's little to complain about that).

Timings seem to make it straightforward for an early start and late evning finish to a full ski day.

Alternatively, you may be able to get transfers to the Jura stations, which may be adequate if you aren't looking fro anything too testing. But I have no info at all on those.

Where are you staying.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Much as I love Switzerland at the current exchange rates I doubt anywhere is cheap, however if you are staying in Geneva and just want to make day trips there are a few not too far away 2 hours by train would take you into the Gstaad (Les Diablerets) area and there are plenty of Swiss who make those sort of journeys at weekends, alternatively Mont Blanc is a similar distance away and as others have said many French resorts

After all it is free

Sbb, the swiss railway do an excellent snow and rail pass for all the swiss resorts - see http://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holidays/allgemeine-informationen/information-snownrail.html . Leysin is probably the closest alpine resort to geneva in switzerland, but if you want a quick day trip, you could do worse than hop to les crozets in France or of course any of the grand massif resorts are close as well, samoens, morillon etc.

Larans, are you staying in Geneva for a week for holiday, or longer?

There are ski buses from the city centre to ski resorts as mentioned above - they'll start running just before Christmas (just checked, the details aren't online yet, probably won't be until early December). They run all weekends to 3/4 resorts per day (they cover more, but mix them up) and usually one resort most weekdays when they think the numbers are strong enough (usually Chamonix - full of scandis, and Geneva locals). They're 75/80CHF per day (including lift pass), so not necessarily that cheap. They normally include: Chamonix, Flaine, Morzine/Les Gets/Avoriaz, Les Contamines, Le Grand Bornand/La Clusaz (some have multiple stops - you choose the actual resort you want).

There's cheap skiing in the Jura at Crozet, but it's a pain to get to by public transport. Slightly easier is St Cergue - train to Nyon, then valley train out. A little slow, but the connections work, and it's cheap (but small). Plenty of train options to Verbier, Nendaz etc - but they're no cheaper than a ski bus (quite a bit more if you don't have a swiss rail card), and longer journey times.

If you're in Geneva long term, sign up for www.glocals.com - join a couple of the ski groups, and keep an eye on the events and you'll often get car-share options with locals.

Other options if you're about long term are ski trips with CERN ski club https://sites.google.com/site/cernskiclub/ or SCIG http://www.scig.ch/pro_alp.htm - both now have their season dates/plans online.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Larans, sorry, i should have said that Verbier for instance is doable, but I think 2.5 hours typically.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

snow reports

Ahem. I said "closest alpine resort in switzerland". Pretty sure chamonix is in France, unless the swiss have annexed it, not a bad idea..

Take the ferrry over to Evian and go to the French resorts such as Thollons or Bernex these are about as cheap as you can get in the whole alps and the pizza is pretty good in Thollons and you get a great view of the lake.
Howz that?

You know it makes sense.

If it must be Switzerland ... well I don't think cheap and Swiss can be used in the same sentence.
Geneva is pretty much in France anyway.
If you dont like France ... Take the tunnel through to the Aosta Valley

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

http://www.st-cergue-tourisme.ch/en/actualite/coups-de-coeur/forfait-espacedole-saison-promo-2013-2014-1256-19886

200 chfs for a season pass. Thats cheap, and in Switzerland.

A snowHead

coddlesangers,
Fine print eh? I stand corrected. That said I am not sure "ski, "cheaply" and "Switzerland" should be in the same sentence

A snowHead

DrLawn, beat me too it. Apologies for duplication. Agree with the tunnel bit too.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

if its gotta be in switzerland your going to have to travel further than you would if you were prepared to ski in france.

ruling out france is just weird Puzzled

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Cheap Skii in Switzlerland. Where?

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