 Poster: A snowHead
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We're driving for the first time to La Plagne (Soleil) at Feb half term on account of not booking cheap flights early. While any advice will be most welcome (routes, where to stay, when best to drive, tunnel vs. ferry etc). I've looked at the various Snowheads postings and they've been useful. The OH and Junior are not overly keen so I need to make sure they stay happy bunnies for future road trips. Specifically, I'd like some help on:
1. Is underground parking worth it (my first reaction is yes, but the guy who we're renting off doesn't bother when he goes)?
2. Plan is to leave on Friday to catch the late morning tunnel crossing, lunching in the car underwater, driving as far as Lyon for overnight stay, then early (ish) start on Saturday morning after breakfast, stock up at local Tesco(?), then up the mountain. Any flaws in the plan or improvement points?
3. Driving a normal BMW estate (i.e. not 4WD) which in normal conditions has loads of grip but if there is an ice cube within 50 paces it goes into a tailspin. I may possibly be able to borrow a Vauxhall Insignia - should I?
4. Rent decent or buy cheap snow chains? Bearing in mind this may be our first and last trip.
Thanks!! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Kennyboyo, If you're planning to lunch in the car underwater I'd definitely take the tunnel 
If you're happy to pay the tolls aim for Reims, Troyes, Dijon, Lyon, Chambery, Albertville, Moutiers then Aime. Sometimes it can be worth bypassing Lyon after Dijon and aiming south of Geneva then towards Annecy and then Albertville.
1. No, not if the guy who owns it doesn't. Unless you go in a diesel and it is really cold, quite a few people have problems with the fuel filters when the temperature drops.
2. Seems like a good plan. Plenty of supermarkets in Albertville and Moutiers although no tesco.
3. Yes, BMWs don't seem to cope well in the snow.
4. Buy them in the supermarkets in Albertville or Moutiers, it is all autoroute or dual carriageway until then.
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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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Not sure where in the UK you are heading in from but we do Bristol to Les Arcs every summer an Lyon is too far down for our overnight stop. We also avoid Lyon anyway as the traffic can be hectic on a Saturday.
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On the snow chain front my inclination would be to buy them in advance mail order.
The saving buying locally will probably not be massive but if you practice getting them on and off a couple of times you will be secure in the knowledge that you have the right size and can work them in the dark in poor weather at the side of the road.
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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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| T Bar wrote: |
On the snow chain front my inclination would be to buy them in advance mail order.
The saving buying locally will probably not be massive but if you practice getting them on and off a couple of times you will be secure in the knowledge that you have the right size and can work them in the dark in poor weather at the side of the road. |
+1
Finding out my chains were the wrong size the night before leaving last year with non stop snow was a painful 2 hours of my life, followed by 150 Euros for the one set that would fit on my wheels locally.
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Kennyboyo, I do the trip to Les Arcs at least twice a year, once in the winter and once in the summer. Getting to Dover may be only 1/4 of the distance but it is 3/4 the hassle. But to answer your questions:
1/ I have always parked outside and at times it has gone down to -25 and over a m of snow has had to be cleared from the car and the car dug out from a mound of snow (take a decent snow shovel) but apart from that hour or so digging it has never been a problem but use concentrated screen wash and if you have them heated washer jets are very useful. Underground or covered parking would ease this problem but to me it has never been worth 90 euro.
2/ I have never seen the point of an overnight stop, but if you must I suppose the closer to the resort the better. However I would avoid Lyon. itself and go via Bourg en Bresse and hence to Lyon airport. I used to sock up at the hyper marche but now just use the resort shops. However, I do suggest you take salt, pepper, herbs, tea, coffee, washing up liquid, scourers, toilet paper and a sharp knife with you from home.
3/ Most locals use ordinary 2 wheel drive cars, even some rear wheel drive, but use winter tyres and snow chains as necessary. Use the car that is a/ diesel, b/ big enough to carry all your stuff, c/ economical, d/ has the best facility for audio books. And if you do choose the Vauxhall then tell GM how you borrowed one of their cars because it was better than your BMW (though I doubt they will give you much sponsorship)
4/ You need to have snow chains with you even if they are unlikely to be used. Buy them mail order in the UK and practice fitting them before you go. You never know if we get snow in the UK you may be able to shock people by driving a BMW. You may be able to sell them on unused at the end of the trip. Remember to take rubber gloves with you and something waterproof to kneel on when fitting them (a head torch is also handy)
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ONE Golden Rule when doing the drive.
If you need to fill the car up everyone goes to the loo,
if you need to stop everyone goes to the loo and fill the car up.
Do not stop unless the Golden Rule above applies!
Best for overnight stops in France arrive late, leave early, so clean, en suite and near motorway and cheap is what counts. http://www.hotel-bb.com/
Chains essential practice putting them on etc. Unless you go more than 1 week/season winter tyres outrageously expensive, but if you are going to change your tyres quite often worth looking at. Carrying chains is a legal requirement for all French resorts.
Hi Vis vest and triangle are legally required now, vest must be within reach of driver. (I got vests in poundshop!)
Common sense checks on car before you go. ALWAYS make sure your washer bottle is full and with stronger than usual mixture.
Ideally NO roof box adds £££ to fuel cost but needs to be compared to ski hire cost/convenience don’t forget noise factor sitting near a low whistle for 10 hours is a bit tiring. Your call!
Worth investing in DVD player for back seat passengers (if not built in!)
Cushions from home always used by my lot to get cosy!
Have driven overnight once never again! The €40 for some hours in a hotel is worth every penny in comparison!
The route, see this thread
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=1090692&highlight=route#1090692
Moneysavers
Take a packed lunch picnic. Don’t buy motorway food!
Don’t fill up on the motorway unless mid journey there are supermarkets near the motorway!
Channel Tunnel frequent traveller tickets. Cost is for 5 basic return journeys, my Bruv in Law saves money with only 3 trips a year because peak dates are so expensive!
Some snowHeads swear by using Tesco vouchers
Sometimes ferry is cheaper but the time spent on it you could be closer to the snow!
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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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Kennyboyo, All Diesel is treated for -15c in Fuel stations towards the Alps, (Otherwise all the locals would get stuck!) A couple of seasons ago the temps got down to -25 and the locals were putting in an additive but still having problems! First time it had happened in about 30+ years of my driving over there, so a real rare occurrence, bit if you are worried buy some Wynns Diesel additive over here, its much cheaper than over there!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Kennyboyo
I would use the underground parking if available.
I think Dijon would be a better place to stop than Lyon on the outward journey. If you take a mid morning tunnel it will be lunchtime by the time you get to France. It is a good 5 hrs drive to Dijon plus stops and we find that is far enough (and we have never travelled at a really busy time like half term).
I would take your own car and buy winter tyres and chains.
Buy the chains in advance and watch the video on how to put them on.
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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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Good advice above re chains and advance practice. If you are all comfortable with driving till fairly late on the Friday get as close to the Alps as you can. Also make an early start on the Sat as from late morning onwards traffic into resorts can be very heavy. Go to a supermarket in the last bigish town before you head up to the resort. Choice is often limited in resort and prices a little dearer.
If you manage to get into La Plagne at a reasonable time sort out any hire kit asap its generally marginally less busy Sat afternoon than Sunday morning and you avoid losing any ski time on the Sunday 
On your way home consider only planning a shortish trip from resort before staying overnight. Everyone will be very tired after a days skiing, and grumpy because the holiday is over. Get a good nights sleep then as its a long day the next day!
Tunnel is better than ferry for speed but the ferry does allow the driver/s a chance to catch 40 winks if you are quick enough to grab comfortable space on what may well be a busy boat and able to sleep in such conditions.
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On your point that it takes about an hour to make good the car
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This has actually taken this long only once in 20 years of doing the trip. Usually it is much less.
Relax and enjoy the drive it is actually not that bad. My wife and I usually swap every 3 hours, but on one trip back I did the first stint back to Bourg en Bresse then she drove the remaining 400 miles to Calais non stop apart from brief halts at toll booths.
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You know it makes sense.
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Just out of interest on the BMW front: I've had my F10 5 series BMW for the last 3 winters here, and not had any issues with the low temps or snow, I've found that activating the dynamic traction control handles almost all the normal UK winter conditions. A lot of my BMW driving homies use winter tyres for 4 months of the year, but I find that overkill for the 1 or 2 days per year that we might see some snow.
We drove the bimmer down to Val d'Allos this Feb. and with the resort being at 1800m we were expecting some decent snow, so I fitted a set of Dunlop wintersport 3d tyres, which are the recommended run flat winter option for the F10. I've got to say they were brilliant and handled the snow with absolutely no fuss. We also had a set of snow chains to hand but never needed them with the winter tyres.
With winter tyres and snow chains there's really very little that will stop a bimmer, and if conditions do get that bad, having a vauxhall will be of little consolation. Hth, and I'm sure this won't be your last trip
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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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Every hotel within easy reach of resorts will be heavily booked for that Friday night. I,d stop further north and aim to drive up to resort late afternoon or early evening. Roads up will be very slow from mid morning till late afternoon. On return your plan to ski Saturday is a good one. All advice to buy chains in UK and practice so you can get them on in a couple of minutes also good. You're unlikely to need them but it's misery being stuck and struggling with them.
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Poster: A snowHead
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pam w, There are still plenty of motels / hotels still available around the Lyon / Chambery / Annecy area for the half term Friday night (13th Feb) with Accorhotels.com (F1,IBIS, IBIS budget, Novotel Mercure etc.) and I'm sure most of the other chains still have availability.
I'd agree with the majority about a late finish on the Friday night, early start on the Saturday morning to avoid the worst of the traffic.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Kennyboyo, Someone alerted me to this thread and as i live same place as you and have trained, flown and driven, they thought I might add some value.
Cardiff to Lyon in one day is a good run. We did Arcs 2000 to Cardiff in one hit once, 18 hours solid, too far for us, we always break journey now. Cardiff to tunnel is 4 hours. M25 is your issue but 4 hours should be ok. With a car full of kids, then Lyon is 7 1/2 hours from Calais. We stayed in an Ibis just north of Lyon once, really nice and handy. If 1/2 term then you need to be up and into resort damn early, you still have 3 hours(ish) from Lyon to Soleil. You need to be through Moutiers by 9am or it could get grim.
Driving tips. Give the kids laptops (ipad etc) in the back with films, buy a gizmo that turns your cigarette lighter into a 3 pin plugs or make sure you have charging facilities. Make sure kids have head phones.
Fill up car at service stations, time is critical so veering of motorway to save a few cents on fuel not worth it, also when you stop for fuel kids go to toilet. No interim breaks, buy a tag for tolls.
You are going relatively high, empty your car of washer fluid and fill with neat washer fluid from Lidl and bring a spare. You park your car for a week, then any water in washer will freeze. Buy chains, practice putting them on, there is a chance your 1st effort will be in a snow storm, don't let that happen. Practice. Bring an old jacket and bit of carpet and some old gloves. You can be putting the chains on at side of road, be prepared.
Any questions?
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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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skichampcouk,
The only real option to avoid the saturday traffic going up the hill to the resort is before about 8 am. We drive overnight so are usually in the resort by about that time.
Leaving, if you can find somewhere to dump your stuff then skiing the saturday is a great option. We always do this, although we have our own apartment so can really leave at any time, and find that leaving at 5pm also misses all the traffic. Going earlier needs to be before 7am to miss the traffic.
The resorts really are geared towards emptying in the morning for the rush for the flights that have brought the new groups in.
When we leave early morning and see the queues building on the autoroutes for people queuing to come in makes you realise how bad it can get.
As others have said, BMW will be fine. Winter tyres would be great but maybe overkill. You need chains in the car but also consider getting auto socks as well. Much easier to put on and nearly as effective.
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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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Kennyboyo, You pick up 8 toll tickets and pay 8 times on the return trip. picking up a ticket takes on average 5 seconds, paying by debit card takes about 30. This means that a telepeage account will save you 6 minutes on the 30 hour journey. Unless you are planning many trips or traveling alone where reaching across to the machine is a real pain then a telepeage is not really worth the money. But just check that your bank doesn't add a fee for every time you use your debit card. Once upon a time our bank did and a single 1 euro toll in Italy cost £1.70!
My son always slept all the way (one of the benefits of doing the journey overnight non stop) so I never found much need for entertaining him on the journey, but for me audible books or podcasts from the BBC (more or less and In our time are particular favourites) are essential.
It is definitely worth skiing on the Saturday (you have a car to put luggage in afterall) then head off after the main exodus.
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| johnE wrote: |
Kennyboyo, You pick up 8 toll tickets and pay 8 times on the return trip. picking up a ticket takes on average 5 seconds, paying by debit card takes about 30. This means that a telepeage account will save you 6 minutes on the 30 hour journey. Unless you are planning many trips or traveling alone where reaching across to the machine is a real pain then a telepeage is not really worth the money. But just check that your bank doesn't add a fee for every time you use your debit card. Once upon a time our bank did and a single 1 euro toll in Italy cost £1.70!
My son always slept all the way (one of the benefits of doing the journey overnight non stop) so I never found much need for entertaining him on the journey, but for me audible books or podcasts from the BBC (more or less and In our time are particular favourites) are essential.
It is definitely worth skiing on the Saturday (you have a car to put luggage in afterall) then head off after the main exodus. |
That's not quite true, particularly when it gets very busy. Having a tag saves at least 30minutes driving through France, perhaps more when it's busy.
I've lost count of the times when brit cars have screamed past me as i've trundled along at 130km/h and then they gone into the long queues particularly between Albertville and Lyon for the tolls. On those busy half term weeks it can take 20 minutes to queue at some of them.
The other benefit is when driving at night you don't have to wake up your passenger.
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emwmarine, sorry, but I have never waited anywhere near that long in 40 or 50 return trips. The only times when it has exceeded a minute is when someone has a problem just in front of you (the classic is parking close to the machine then dropping your credit card - but you cannot open the door cos it's too close) and you cannot change lane. Is it just me but I have never seen these toll booth queues some people report
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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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When driving at night it saves waking anybody and letting in a blast of cold air. At busy times it generally saves a couple of minutes, sometimes more. Occasionally, I can think of two occasions for me, it can save a long queue. The 30kmh lanes mean you don't have completely stop also, just slowly cruise through. It's not the biggest deal in the world but for me it's worth doing.
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| johnE wrote: |
| emwmarine, sorry, but I have never waited anywhere near that long in 40 or 50 return trips. The only times when it has exceeded a minute is when someone has a problem just in front of you (the classic is parking close to the machine then dropping your credit card - but you cannot open the door cos it's too close) and you cannot change lane. Is it just me but I have never seen these toll booth queues some people report |
+1
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Kennyboyo wrote: |
| On our return, we were hoping for a full day's skiing on Saturday before a short(ish) and hopefully quick trip down the mountain - thinking of Lyon (outskirts) again. |
The 2 times we did it we did this (well, early-ish end to the afternoon). At least you are not getting the worst bottle-necks up to Tignes and Val d'Isere. We went a bit past Lyons (Baune etc) to get a good restaurants in Burgundy without having to go into a big town. If you use a Formule1 you can arrive any time day or night.
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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: |
Is it just me but I have never seen these toll booth queues some people report
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I've never sat in big queues either, though as I drive alone I find the péage tag very helpful. However, driving north when huge numbers of Brits are driving south for half term I have seen miles of queues at the north and south ends of the Reims sector. I've also seen substantial queues on the gates along the A40 between Geneva and Chamonix, too. Just because I've not sat in them myself I don't doubt their existence.
However, more and more people have péage tags and, like what happens on a newly popular "rat run" for commuters, I suspect the queues for the péage only lanes will soon be as long as all the others.
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| pam w wrote: |
| Quote: |
Is it just me but I have never seen these toll booth queues some people report
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I've never sat in big queues either, though as I drive alone I find the péage tag very helpful. However, driving north when huge numbers of Brits are driving south for half term I have seen miles of queues at the north and south ends of the Reims sector. I've also seen substantial queues on the gates along the A40 between Geneva and Chamonix, too. Just because I've not sat in them myself I don't doubt their existence.
However, more and more people have péage tags and, like what happens on a newly popular "rat run" for commuters, I suspect the queues for the péage only lanes will soon be as long as all the others. |
We timed a trip wrong once and the queues were horrendous, our telepeage came in very, very handy that day. Can't see an issue with numbers using the lanes as there is no stopping and at most tolls there are 3-4 telepeage lanes.
A word to the wise for anyone with one. Everyone heads to the left hand side where the telepeage lanes normally are, however on the far right (at the bigger toll areas) there is an oversized telepeage lane for lorries and this is invariably empty.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
there is an oversized telepeage lane for lorries and this is invariably empty.
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yep - and we use that often when tolls have solid barriers at 2m height and when towing the van!
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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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| Boris wrote: |
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there is an oversized telepeage lane for lorries and this is invariably empty.
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yep - and we use that often when tolls have solid barriers at 2m height and when towing the van! |
Be careful though it does have height sensors and one time with the Disco we got charged for the next band upwards. I rang them when I got the statement and got credited.
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Poster: A snowHead
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+ 1 for the Sanef doofer. We've had ours for (I think) 6 trips to France and its great. Wouldn't be without it now.
+ 1 for the in-car DVD. We usually do a round of the charity shops to see what DVDs we can pick up
+ 1 on buying/testing chains in advance
Personally we've not done the snow-tire option. Last year I was quoted £700 which seemed a bit steep, and in 4 trips I've never felt that I wished I'd had them.
Also to be considered is getting into resort early on the Saturday. We live reasonably close to the tunnel so our usual form is:
1. An evening tunnel transit (last year we picked up the kids from school and drove straight there)
2. Drive to south of Dijon then crash for a few hours in an aire (This only worked badly a couple of years back when it was -10)
3. Wake up about 06:30 and drive to resort.
We have a separate bag packed with all our kit, and usually manage to get changed in the hire shop. The last few trips we've been on the snow by 10:00 and Saturday can be a very quiet day to ski.
LR
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
Also to be considered is getting into resort early on the Saturday
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Indeed. If you can manage to get there early and can do without access to your accommodation till after skiing (or have access to a temporary changing area) that's a great way to do it. On the first and last days, it's best to be either very early into resort, or very late - the "in between" times are likely to involve big queues of traffic whilst there will only be very small queues at the lifts.
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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 wrote: |
| Quote: |
Also to be considered is getting into resort early on the Saturday
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Indeed. If you can manage to get there early and can do without access to your accommodation till after skiing (or have access to a temporary changing area) that's a great way to do it. On the first and last days, it's best to be either very early into resort, or very late - the "in between" times are likely to involve big queues of traffic whilst there will only be very small queues at the lifts. |
We've driven twice now, the first we arrived mid afternoon and regretted it as too busy. The second time we got late evening chunnel and I drove through the night whilst wife and kids slept. They woke just as I exited at Cluses heading up the hill towards Morillon around 8am. I can manage well without sleep and this was by far the best way for us. Doing the same this Christmas to Les Carroz and have agreement to be in our apartment around 9am so can unpack and settle in then ski the afternoon if we feel like it. We try to look at it all as a big exciting adventure rather than an odious chore, makes the journey go by more smoothly knowing that on the end of it is the best week of the year!
I definitely support the previous advice to buy some chains at home and practice putting them on a few times under no pressure. I have a 4wd with decent normal tyres and have yet to need chains up the mountain. You're always gonna find it more difficult in a rear wheel drive Beamer so chains will be a must for you (law notwithstanding). Don't think I would bother with winter tyres though considering you may never do the drive again. You could always sell the chains on SH's or ebay if you decide to not use them in the future.
DVD player is fantastic for the kids and I wouldn't leave home without one (kids don't play count the coloured cars or Stobart trucks these days!!)
Best of luck whatever you end up doing.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
have agreement to be in our apartment around 9am
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another good point about christmas. In many resorts the Christmas week will be the first week of letting so it's not unusual to be able to get access to the apartment earlier than usual. I can drive at night too - it just depends the way your body works, some people find it leaves them feeling terrible for days, so it's just not worth it. Last time I drove through the night was coming back in April. I had planned to stop about 10, but the first couple of hotels I tried, near Reims, were full so I just decided to carry on, listening to a brilliant audio book about Shackleton. Driving a comfortable car in decent weather along good roads didn't seem much of a hardship compared to being in an open boat in huge seas, having to chip the ice off to stop it sinking.
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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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First time we drove to our apartment it was about 20 December. 100 miles of sheeting rain to the tunnel and then another 400 of the same on the other side till we stopped at Beaune. We are talking wipers on max virtually the whole time and Not much fun and quite stressful what with the one bit of aqua planing on a downhill stretch. After a stop at the Casino for shopping that still left a further four hours or so to three valleys. Have also stopped in albertville for shopping, which on a Saturday afternoon was like Christmas Eve, a bit of a scrum. Now we are taking the old 4x4 rav4, and spending more time there and becoming more fair weather skiers. So when it was near White out last season we decided to go to moutiers. Yes got beneath the cloud but going back up it was very slippery and opted for the chains as the snow had been falling higher up and was beginning to freeze. Bought some winter tyres after that experience having spent ages looking at snowheads tyres threads. But haven't regretted it!!!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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andy1234, the weather makes a huge difference. I would always get off the motorway in fog and driving rain isn't much fun either, as you say. And snow in northern France tends to bring everything to a halt, as it does in the UK, as they are not prepared for it. Friends of mine did many hours at 30 mph behind a snowplough north of Reims. People who talk blithely of "8 hours from Calais to resort" have either been extremely lucky (not least not to be caught speeding) or have selective memories. On a clear starry night driving on a deserted motorway with good music, or an audio book AND NO MOANING PASSENGERS can be a real pleasure.
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You're right Pam. If you do it often enough you will hit times when central France is either fog bound or snowstorms. However 9 times out of 10 it is so much easier driving in france than uk.
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We drove from Cardiff to Chamonix last year. Left early Friday, kids too ill for the last day of school, got the tunnel at 1 and drove to Troyes. Up early on Saturday for an easy drive to chamonix stopping off at bourg on bresse for lunch and a really cheap supermarket shop. Also, used a doofer for the tolls, it saved loads of time. Snow chains were definitely needed and I was very glad if practised so I didn't have to lie down in the snow working out how to put them on. Once you've worked it out its easy.
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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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Our experience has been to make the trip part of the holiday, driving from the North West we have used the tunnel for the last 3 trips, getting to resort mid morning & driving to Bourg en Bresse, overnight hotel stop, much appreciated cool beer & steak dinner, early to bed. Left @ 0600hrs arrived in resort 0900ish, Feb 2014 Les Menuires, last two Feb 1/2 terms Tignes. have managed to dump our luggage & change to ski wear & hit the slopes, extra day ski-ing makes it all worthwhile.
We do the same upon departure, leave resort 0600 & drive straight to Calais, hotel du golf, steak & beer/wine following morning back home.
I bought winter tyres 2 years ago, best investment (ebay great deals keep your eyes open), also have chains, awful things to use when its horrible weather & dangerous by the roadside, got stuck last year had to remove wheels to remove!
Our friends where in an X5 & that was all over the place with chains on, they bought winter tyres for 2014 trip.
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got stuck last year had to remove wheels to remove!
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that sounds grim, michaelbury17. I find putting chains on is often much easier than getting them off. When you put them on together, why do they get so out of sync that you have to roll the car half a revolution or so to get the second chain into the right position to get them off? Beats me. It's always worth making sure you know exactly where the clip is, behind the wheel, before you start. Make sure you reach it and don't undo the "shoulder" linkage across the front till you get that clip undone. They're sometimes very stiff, especially with cold hands. If you drop the shoulder link so that the cable drops over the back before the link is undone, the trouble starts.
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