 Poster: A snowHead
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Guys,
With London connections and the Eurostar very easy for me i was wondering if it would be possible to go to a resort for a day over a weekend? This is my plan?
Friday night Eurostar to one of the Alp stations
Buy a day pass for chosen resort
jump on the Eurostar Saturday evening
Back home Sunday
Has anyone done this?
Is it worth it?
Where would you put your board bag and travel clothes while you are tearing the mountain up?
Am I dreaming this would actually be a good idea?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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There was a couple of threds last season (I think), Eurostar direct to Bourg St Maurice for Les Arcs. Might be worth searching for. Seemed very much do-able.
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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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@chrisrawles, I believe holidayloverxxx (IIRC) did a day trip to Les Arcs some years back - there should be a thread on it somewhere
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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For two adults its over £300 return for a weekend. Pretty steep if you ask me.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
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yes worth it, but I got it much cheaper
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@chrisrawles, being that close to Stansted it might be worth flying.
Some years back (in the days before flight taxes) I did a day trip - out on the first morning flight and back on the last evening flight http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=11904&highlight=fopp%2A I got 5 hours of skiing in the mountains for the grand total price of £75.
Suspect it would be a lot more expensive now.
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Sounds crazy but certainly doable. Considering the distance travelled I don't even think it's too expensive. Travel time is more of a challenge.
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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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In the time spent travelling / time spent having fun equation, for me it wouldn't be worth it.
For me I think having 2 or 3 solid day's skiing and it would be worth it.
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I want to avoid flying if possible as I find you lose too much time with check in, baggage claim, transfers. Where as the train is jump on, have a few drinks, maybe get some sleep (LOL) 40 min transfer up the mountain and play all day and return.
The dates i was looking at do not qualify for the £149 return anyway so might just forget the idea
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The Swiss Travel Centre in London used to do a day trip to Engelberg, using the 6am flight from Heathrow to Zurich and a private transfer. It cost, if I recall correctly, £79 on a Saturday or Sunday. It was a few years ago. Another mob more recently did something similar from Stansted to Maria Alm in Austria but I don't think they're still doing it.
Always fancied the idea, but never got around to it!
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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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I wouldn't bother taking any bags. Just take your snowboard on its own and maybe a small backpack for essentials. Travel in your riding kit. Reduces faff.
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You know it makes sense.
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But why would you do that when well timed flights give two full days skiing for same price?
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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, because some people do not always have the time to spend two days over from the UK.
Plus getting transfers to Les Arcs from an Airport and the hassle at airports these days plus possible flight delays make flying just for two days a real hit or miss thing.
And that is if you can get cheap flights out from the UK on a Friday after work and back on a Sunday after skiing. Not always very eaasy.
Then you have to have a place to stay for the Friday and Saturday night which is also not easy to find unless you know someone like me. .
But I do also have friends that do the weekend trip so it can be done, but it is not cheap unless you can book flights well in advance. I would say going for the day is less hassle, but two days does give you extra time on the snow. But I do not think you can do it for the same price as the train if you book the train when the seats come on sale.
My friends who have done both say two days costs a fair bit more.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@snowcrazy, nah.
A. Why Les Arcs?
B. Flights just need good timing for booking. Likewise car hire.
Easier if more than singleton.
Admittedly my data are somewhat out of date, as we stopped doing this in 2006 but we regularly hit near to airport resort, e.g. PDS, Monterosa, for weekends at prices that you couldn't achieve for a day with two days train travel. We stopped in 2006 as we realised that we were effectively commuting to the UK for work. Seemed like a crazy thing to do. (Solution being to move to the Alps).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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And we knew a very cheap (since redeveloped) PDS hotel that was entirely acceptable, near lifts, and seriously cheaper than staying at home.
Oh, and I think you refer to this too, plan well ahead.
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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 a day trip quite but I wanted to fly out early Friday 5th December and back on Sunday 7th in time for the Peter Gabriel concert in Liverpool that evening. Wanted to do Innsbruck but EJ haven't announced flights from LPL yet and from MAN or to GVA it's looking too expensive.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@halfhand, err, having cake and eating it comes to mind?
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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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@under a new name, I know, I know but hey, I had to try
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| Quote: |
@halfhand, nice plan BUT
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I've yet to come up with a flight option and cost that meets my needs 
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@snowcrazy, I'm quite inspired by what your friends did. It helps, I suppose, if you have the local knowledge at your disposal 
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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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@LOTA, if you ever decide to do the same. Let me know. If you are a good skier or snowboarder it is fun for me as well to get in as much as we can in a day, but still enjoy being in the mountains. Even better on a sunny powder day!  But to be fair even if you just want a nice day out in the Alps and can afford the cost give it a try. You will be amazed how much fun it is.
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I did this last year, and will be doing it again this year a few times hopefully. Due to family commitments i dont get the chance to go away for long at a time so found this as a great oppertunity to get some real slope time rather than Xscape.
Its really good, and if you do Les Arcs its so easy, go friday night, come back saturday night, no transfers, no luggage costs. Couldnt recomend more to people with simular restictions as me.
As long as you can get some sleep on the train on the way out, your laughing.
Also worth considering if you can find a room for a night is get a day train friday, spend the night in les arcs, enjoy some apres and maybe meet some people to ride with on the saturday, then come home saturday night. Your still only away for 2 nights, but guranteed sleep on the Friday this way. But is dependant on finding a room for 1 night. Fortunatly for me last year i had some freinds who were there for the week before and were going home on the saturday, so i crashed in their apartment on the Friday.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I really like the idea and although to some its sounds pricey, you could easily spend £200 going out at the weekend with food, travel etc so for me I would rather spend that on doing something much more fun and play in the snow.
I search Eurostar yesterday for the £149 return offer but the dates I want are not covered in that price. I guess its a case of being ready to go at short notice if a deal comes up. Les Arc would be the resort I would do as it seems to be the easiest to get to with local transport etc.
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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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Just priced up flights etc to Geneva.
Flights for two inc one hold bag for boots etc £160.
B&B in chamonix £120.
Lift passes, £200 ish (232e)
Car Hire, £100 ish without looking.
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You know it makes sense.
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@snowcrazy, I just quickly did so.
Flights (admittedly early afternoon) £140 rtn (19h00 return), Car hire (tiny) £130, hotel Praz-de-Lys, 1hr ish from airport, enough for two days skiing Double room £120 = ( for 2 people) £520 for two full days skiing.
Eurostar to BSM = £250 per person for one day skiing.
I win.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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| under a new name wrote: |
@snowcrazy, I just quickly did so.
Flights (admittedly early afternoon) £140 rtn (19h00 return), Car hire (tiny) £130, hotel Praz-de-Lys, 1hr ish from airport, enough for two days skiing Double room £120 = ( for 2 people) £520 for two full days skiing.
Eurostar to BSM = £250 per person for one day skiing.
I win. |
As above...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@snowcrazy, I will. Thanks. And you lead, I'll follow!
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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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| homers double wrote: |
| under a new name wrote: |
@snowcrazy, I just quickly did so.
Flights (admittedly early afternoon) £140 rtn (19h00 return), Car hire (tiny) £130, hotel Praz-de-Lys, 1hr ish from airport, enough for two days skiing Double room £120 = ( for 2 people) £520 for two full days skiing.
Eurostar to BSM = £250 per person for one day skiing.
I win. |
As above... |
Praz de lys?! Have you skied there?! I guess you could drive to les gets from praz de lys but still... Pricing it up is all well and good if you don't care where you ski or don't want to book in advance etc. Otherwise, book flights in advance at those prices and take a punt on snow etc as could work out.. But may not.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Geneva is pretty central so a few days booked mid week will leave plenty of options.
Hotels might be a different matter though...
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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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@homers double, yep.
@julietp, yes, I have skied there. Have you? It's quite charming, off piste never gets skied out as the majority of tourists are XC and there's a rather nice long bumps run. Plus both PdL and Sommand are somewhat higher than Morzine or Les Gets for example.
Anyway it was just an example. Anywhere in that 1-1.5 hour radius of Geneva would work - Clusaz, GM, Cham, Evasion, etc. Tarentaise transfer loses you (at least) the second afternoon.
Also feasible many places from e.g. Turin, MXP.
And as I said, book your flights and car hire as early as you can. Assuming out of high season, accommodation not so much an issue.
If it's only 2 days, you don't need hundreds and hundreds of kms. Or of vertical. I once did a 2 day weekend in Morzine just to ski the at the time entirely man made piste down from Chavannes into the village weekend of Dec 3 (it had been bitterly cold but not so much precip).
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I did a great weekend break last year but it can end up almost as expensive as a week. But if you can't get a week off work it's the only option
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couple of years ago now but we did a long weekend trip with SkiWeekends. Coach from Victoria after work on Thursday, drive to Bride-le-Bains, arriving about 8am Friday, up the hill by 10am, Left Sunday about 4ish, back in London by 9am, so could've gone to work if I'd wanted to (ok maybe I'd have had to slink off to the server room for a nap), 3 days on the hill for 1 day off, not too bad though. Coach not too horrific either.
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I just relayed my findings to Mrs.HD who quickly said "I'm not going skiing for two days, it isn't worth the hassle. We'll talk about it later"
Now that doesn't sound like a NO to me, that sounds like a "lets see how much a 3rd week will cost..."
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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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So i found a pretty decent return trip on the Eurostar for £330 for 2 people on the direct service 20/3/15 - 21/3/15.
Now the question is shall I be nice and treat my good lady to weekend on the slopes? Sometimes I think its a great idea and something I should try before im old a crippled, then other times I think its madness to spent £300 plus for a day on the slopes!
Les Arc would be the destination BTW
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@chrisrawles, i'd pay a bit more and get two days...
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