 Poster: A snowHead
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I frequently use the Newcastle Ijmuiden ferry. The route is good for Swiss and Austria resorts. The journey depends heavily on the type of car. I used to do it with a heavy 4x4 Shogun in about 10 to 11 hours but changing it to a Subaru cut down it by almost two hours. Generally the sky will be dark near Munich and past its busy hours. I have regularly done the channel Tunnel route before while skiing France but I found the German routes are more relaxing if the car can cruise well in the autobahns The main advantage of starting from Amsterdam Ijmuiden is one is fresh from an overnight sleep to start the journey at 10am.
From Ijmuiden the choices are
570 miles to Interlaken for Junfrau region skiing resorts passing some sizable resorts like Gstaad and Adelboden
610 miles to Martigny where (1) Verbier can be accessed from Sion, further along the Swiss side into Swiss Valais where Zermatt and Saas Fee locate, (2) Turn right into the Swiss side of the 650km domain of Porte Soleil (Champery/Morgins/Champousin), (3) Straight through the Col de Forclaz is the French Chamonix and all the skiing choices near Geneva and (4) Go up the Grand St Bernard Pass and you have all the major resorts of the Aosta Valley (Cervinia, Monte Rosa)
575 miles to St Anton and all the resorts in Silvretta Valleys via Germaony Brengenz
585 miles to Kufstein (from the German Munich side) is the front door to the largest collection of Tirol and Salzburg resorts, like Ski Welt, Zillertal Valley (Mayrhofen/Hinterlux) and the SKi Amade
The Austrian and Swiss accommodations are quite flexible for booking less than a week so it is possible to hop around as long as one can get into the first stop from a journey starting 10am from Amsterdam.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Fri 10-01-14 12:42; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Where we live is totally quiet at night. I don't know if this is the cause of my problem, but I NEVER sleep well on ferries or trains and am shattered the next morning... and grumpy
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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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Frosty the Snowman,
Just like a set of snow chains I carry ear plugs but have not had a need to use them for sleeping in a ferry. I once did a motorbike trip with the ferry in summer and could only book a cabin directly on top of the propeller shaft and that was the time I valued the ear plugs.
It did take me some time to get used to sleeping on the ferry especially the sea were rough. I suppose it is something some of us can get used to while the other can't. I also used to live inside a 1.4 acre garden when I could hear the falling of the leaves at night.
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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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| saikee wrote: |
| I frequently use the Newcastle Ijmuiden ferry. The route is good for Swiss and Austria resorts. The journey depends heavily on the type of car. I used to do it with a heavy 4x4 Shogun in about 10 to 11 hours but changing it to a Subaru cut down it by almost two hours. Generally the sky will be dark near Munich and past its busy hours. |
We have a choice of two 4WD cars - my Audi A6 Allroad (V6 245 bhp Diesel) or my wifes Ford Kuga (163 bhp Diesel). The Audi is likely to be used for our summer trip to the Dordoyne as it has a towbar for our bike rack, so to keep the mileage down the likely choice will be the Kuga. Not as quick on the autobahn as the A6 but it's very comfortable for long journeys.
While I agree with those that say flying is quicker I have a hatred of airports. Don't get me wrong, I love flying and have had a love of aviation since I was a child but airports and the faffing that goes with them drives me nuts. I have to use them on an almost weekly basis for work so like to avoid them when I'm travelling for pleasure.
Driving also has advantages if self catering. It is easy to take stuff directly out of the cupboards at home and stick it in a box. 
The final advatage is that we don't have to make decision on where we are going until much later. Flying to Geneva, Grenoble or Munich for example would probably mean a decison on exactly where to go would need to be made at the time of booking flights. If we drive we can decide much later and make a decision based on snow cover, cost and availability.
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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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| Quote: |
Driving also has advantages if self catering. It is easy to take stuff directly out of the cupboards at home and stick it in a box.
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and as a bonus, stock up on booze from a mainland EU supermarket, for less than "Duty Free".
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Skiing is a kind of freedom. One relies on equipment, like adequate and proper clothing, skis, snowboard etc, to go round safely travelling long distance in mountains sometimes in hostile weather.
Driving to ski is not much different. One needs good and proper equipment, like a decent vehicle with AWD or 4x4, snow tyres and snow chains, to freely choose to ski in any resort and in any country.
Both are challenges requiring skill, sound judgement and suitable equipment for getting from A to B safely.
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