 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@shaunyski, Welcome to 
I sense that budget is important to you - have you considered Scotland? Easily accessible from N Lincs and conditions in March are often very good.
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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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Hi thanx for the welcome 
That was the cheapest i found but not only that it seemed to have more to offer but thats me not knowing anything there was probably a reason it was that cheap, lol.
Most of the others i looked at worked out to mid 500 plus for everything.. Chamerousse and Andorra where ones i can remember there was a couple more but all the info was abit over welming..
Although i do love scotland i'd rather be abroad jst feel like a propper adventure.. Lol
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Have you looked at Finland? It is ideal for beginners as the slopes are short and gentle so won't overwhelm nervous learners, pretty snowsure, excellent instructors and not as expensive as the big alpine resorts, which you will get more out of when you have skied a bit longer. Some of the tour ops do a learn to ski package than includes a lift pass, lessons and equipment which is good value for money. Won't be as dark and cold in March as it was when I went in January either.
You can also do husky sledding, skidoo riding, Northern Lights trips with reindeer, cross country skiing etc. if you want.
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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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@shaunyski, if it's your first ski trip make sure you book somewhere that has a good ski school with English speakers (unless of course you speak the native language!).
Have a look at Soll (Austria) in the Skiwelt. Crystal will do lots of packages for beginners. The cost of eating and drinking is quite reasonable there too.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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If you're looking at the Alps then the best thing you can do to increase chances of having snow is to make sure it's high up. I went skiing late last March and made sure to look at resorts that were high up. I was a bit like you too, bumbling along without really knowing what I was looking at, but thankfully landed on my feet. Ended up getting a trip to La Plagne self catering with flights, transfers, passes and rental for £455pp, which was a steal. Different numbers can make a difference too, depending on accommodation. When I was looking for trips this year I found that it would be cheaper for 3 people than it would for 2, but 4 people was more expensive than 3 because it meant having an extra room. If you can then look at being flexible with dates too, the prices can fluctuate heavily.
Some people don't like tour operators and prefer to arrange everything themselves, but as someone that's new to skiing I've found them to be very useful and not actually any more expensive than if I booked each thing separately. DirectSki had the best deals that I found last year and I had no complaints over the service. The one caveat to that is that I'm used to slumming it and travelling off my own back, so I tend to search for answers to problems and questions myself (I say myself, but I mean 'myself and the internet') rather than relying on one rep.
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@shaunyski, i agree that a beginner package to somewhere like Soll with Crystal or similar makes good sense.
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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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@shaunyski, the cheaper Snowtrex deals seem to be for resorts which traditionally don't have a great number of British visitors. This of course is no problem for most, but it might mean the local ski school doesn't have too many English speaking instructors (your original place Konigssee could be a good example of this).
The learn to ski packages some of the Tour operators put on really are pretty good value for absolute beginners. As well as Crystal have a look at Neilson, Inghams and Ski Total.p
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@shaunyski, when are you thinking of travelling ?? At the moment a lot of resorts in Austria and France are not fully open, though that might change in the next week. Your best bet might be a last minute bargain. Within a day or two of departure. For learning to ski you don't need a whole resort. Just the nursery slopes and a few easy slopes for progressing. Some resorts have nursery slopes which are not too low down to have decent cover at the moment but ideally you need a package which includes lessons ,, ski hire etc. They can get very expensive if you have to add them all 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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Traveling 28 feb for one week.. Yea i heard theres not alot of snow in the alps but not knowing alot didnt know if it was skiable most of the time and i've seen these snow cannon things are they much cop? Think borovets has some..
One of things i'm hoping that even if where not capable of the rutes we can still travel to the peak of where ever and enjoy the view..
It seems to be quite difficult online to get all in one packages off all the various TO.. It seems you have to ring them and get a one offer.. I like look at my optiona and see whats avalable at the resort.. The offer crystal gave me when priced the same thing on line it was 2-300 quid darer? Thought things where ment to be cheaper on line??
I'm starting to defginetly sway towards a last minute deal for cost and to make sure its skiable
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@shaunyski, that's a long way off. The snow conditions will almost certainly have changed a lot by then. For the better, we all hope but you never know. You have plenty of time now to read up about different places. That week will be busy in France; school holidays.
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You know it makes sense.
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This is where the snow is (well, a significant amount of it): http://instagram.com/ourfinland/
Seriously, give it a look. I just ran it through Crystal's website, and it was £1100 for 2 for a beginners pack, but self catering. It's not expensive like Norway though and it is in the Eurozone.
Once you're covering 40+km in a day on skis, it won't be particularly suitable, so take the opportunity to see a reindeer on the piste while you can!
Not sure why you're getting cheaper deals on the phone though, but whatever. Thomsons website has the same holidays too I think, and sometimes there are small discrepancies on price between the two, so it's worth checking both.
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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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I'm not a computer whizz, but I have heard that if you visit a website to look for flights or a holiday, the 'cookies' on your computer remember what you have looked at. Again, I can't say if it is true or not, but if you then re-visit and check again, you sometimes are offered a higher price, or if the price has dropped, are offered the same price as before.
If you clear the 'cookies' on your computer before you go back to the website, you might get it cheaper. Or check by phone. Or maybe this is all an 'old wives tale'.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| JohnHSmith wrote: |
I'm not a computer whizz, but I have heard that if you visit a website to look for flights or a holiday, the 'cookies' on your computer remember what you have looked at. Again, I can't say if it is true or not, but if you then re-visit and check again, you sometimes are offered a higher price, or if the price has dropped, are offered the same price as before.
If you clear the 'cookies' on your computer before you go back to the website, you might get it cheaper. Or check by phone. Or maybe this is all an 'old wives tale'. |
Certainly not an old wives tale, EasyJet are one company that I've had personal experience of this. Rather than clearing cookies I find the best way is to open an InPrivate or Incognito browser (ctrl+shift+N for Google Chrome users, ctrl+shift+P for Internet Explorer I think). This means that cookies aren't stored for any of your browing and means that the prices don't jump about in the same way. I don't book anything online without being incognito.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Check Chamrousse , very cheap , close to Grenoble and good slopes for beginners. Excellent accomodation for the price! Snowtrex......
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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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I hope they change for the best too but saying that bulgaria does sound skiiable at present and cheap
Didnt realise french kids will be still on hol begining of march.. Is that the same in austria? Gona squat up on a few choices so when i come to last minute i have a rough idea..
Ahh finland.. Would love to do somewhere more northen for a chance to see the arora borialis had a kittle look before but never got anywhere wikk look into it again tho.. Think it will be a long time before where covering 40km.. If ever lol.. Not sure if i'm missing something on the mobile version for ski packages?
I thought incognito was jst for porn? lol will try incognito on the TO, but unless i find a "package button" i will be getting in touch with the companies for what seems to be there best deals?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Chamrousse was the verry first place i lookedcat before crimbo... Looking back was a good deal but now when i alter the dates to 28/2 it goes up a chunk n also have to sort flights transfer etc but i did like the look of the place n think the hotel i was looking at had swimming pool so that place is defo on the cards for last minute deal.. Think i heard the lesson might not be as well english spoken as other places
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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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@shaunyski, school holiday chart here: http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=107562 . The French don't tend to venture outside of France for their skiing, so elsewhere should be fine. UK half term clashes with Fasching this year, so that will be a busy week (14 Feb).
On Crystal's website, you need to start the booking process to get the package price. So choose your accommodation, room, then flights, then you should be presented with a list of extras. Scroll down till you see "beginner packs" and add 1 per person. Now you have your total price.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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V@shaunyski, on any site with french packages, like chamrousse prices will be high throughout the french school holidays which end 7 March.
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Thanx for the link.. Think i made head n tale of it, lol will defo be keeping away from the 14th dont start my spare till the 20th feb till the 15th march so need to suss a time within that window... Couldnt quite suss out bulgarian holidays? As some of the picks i've seen it looks rammed and i've read about waiting long times for the lifts.
Will have some attempts looking for the first time packages maybe jst missed the icon being overwhelmed by it all?
When first started looking i realised places like chamrousse was cheaper in my last week of spare, thought school hols might be the reason.. But wasnt to keen on leaving it too late in the season and if i did get any bumps n bruises i'd have a week to recover before being back at work.
Thanx for everybody's input gona do a wee bit more digging before any more questions ... Will try anyway lol
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@shaunyski, the week beginning 7 March is not "late in the season" and would give you more options on the French side of things, as the school hols will be over. Accommodation will be a lot cheaper. But you do need to bear in mind that ski lessons full of mostly French people will be mostly in French, regardless of how good the instructor's English is.
For a last minute package with a tour operator for end Feb/early March you'd have to wait till very shortly beforehand to get the best deal - and be flexible about destination.
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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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Just back from Chamrousse, and I can thoroughly recommend it. Keep an eye on Groupon for Snowtrex deals as this resort has been coming up recently.
Snowtrex as a company were very helpful.
We hired a car and stocked up at the supermarket (Super U) close to the airport, before driving 1.5 hrs to the resort. This will really save you on food expenses, but nothing is better than freshly bought bread/croissants every day.
Ski lessons and hire were arranged separately as they worked out cheaper than going through Snowtrex. We used Skiset and ESF
We had no problems with language. All the instructors spoke good english and were very pleasant. Our 7yo loved them all and progressed really quickly.
People really appreciated us using our reasonably limited French (Worth trying out the Duolingo app before hand).
It is a reasonably low resort, but snow cover was ok for us when we were there. There was a major thaw on the day we left, but is is due a bit of snow this week. Snowtrex offer a snow guarantee which is worth looking into.
Beginners are best off in Chamrousse 1750 and 1700 as they are well serviced by green and blue runs.
There isn't much of a night scene as it is a family resort.
If you end up going to the Domain d'Arselle apartments take mugs, unless you like refilling expresso cups constantly. That is really the only problem we found.
We will be going back next year, unless we find a really good deal in a higher resort
Is Andorra still cheap?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
People really appreciated us using our reasonably limited French (Worth trying out the Duolingo app before hand).
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+1 - if you go to a mainly French resort this is really basic courtesy and is appreciated. And the kids enjoy it. My four year old grand-daughter was doing the "bonjours" and "au revoirs" once she overcome the initial shyness, because she got such a nice response.
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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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Bless.. I still struggle with english at 32 so hats off to your gran daughter
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You know it makes sense.
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Jst thought i best look into so gear.. N that turned into an expense i overlooked.. lol even scraping the barrel at sports direct... Ots still soon added up to a couple of hundred quid, and even then icm not sure on the coat, a "no fear" one but dosent say anything about being breathable/waterproof so prob not what i need.. Although looks trendy.. The bottoms i think are ok? Darer than the jacket! lol said there 10,000mm so i guess thats good?? lol
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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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TKMaxx are a good source of jackets too. I picked up a Quiksilver jacket for £80 and used it over my Burton jacket as it was just too hot to have any insulation.
Ebay bargain was Burton cargo pants (Tall) for £24 and they were virtually brand new.
You will need decent base layers too. Can't recommend the Devold active gear on SportsPursuit enough. Keep you warm and dry all day long.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Was hopinft o go for a neb in TKmax today but only jst got up on time for school run after a night shift so will prob have another attempt tomorrow.. What goes on inbetween base layer n top layer? A fleece for the top but what about the legs.. And is it right about dont wear cotton ie cotton boxers?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Cant imagine it being too boltic when we go? Suppose when we have a trial run at xcape it will give us an idea of how comfertable temps are.. That will be without wind chill tho i guess..
At the base of the resort i imagine it to be maybe green/slushy i take it when not skiing we can just mooch about in casual stuff jeans etc.. I guess walking boots willb be more favourable over plimy's tho?
Good to hear i dont have to go add spandex duds to the list lol
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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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It can get rather icy when you are walking about in resort.
Forgot to mention that if it is windy a buff works well to protect your face and neck. Helmet is also a must, for warmth and well as protection.
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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.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Is that all inclusive for 2 grand? Sounds expensive if it's self catering, I've been looking around for trips towards the end of the season (well, late March) and would be looking for under £1600 for two of us SC, in flights, transfers, lifts, accommodation and rental. Try Crystal Ski rather than Neilson, I've always found the later to be a bit on the pricier side.
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@shaunyski, I tend to just wear a base layer under my jacket, occasionally another top if it's cold. However, when I was a beginner I wore a bit more. There can be a little bit more standing around while the instructor explains things or you are waiting for other to take their turns during drills so you might need to wear a bit more. I never had anything special - base layer, normal t-shirt, fleece if needed and thermal legs.
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No.. cystal priced austria at 2 grand, bulgaria about 1100 HB, nielson quoted under a grand SC which is roughly what i want to pay for flights transfer hotel lift pass rental n lessons.. Not sure if i should be thinking to snap that neilson deal up?
Nice one.. Thanx for confirmation i dont have to wrap up like mitchlen man.. Will get base layers, fleece, gloves, goggles, hat, jacket n salopettes.. Oh n some good socks.. Got a pair of then seal skins the other day, but there not as long as most skii f socks i've seen like knee length also read about choping thermal leggins off jst below the the knee to stop it from bumching up on the boot.. Is that a comman thing to do?
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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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Layering is the way to go. You can wear more or less thin layers depending on the conditions.
Regards the seal skins, I have the waterproof ones for commuting by bike, and personally wouldn't use them for skiing/boarding. If you have an Aldi near you they may have some of their ski socks in that I found very comfortable.
Never had a problem with leggings bunching though. Problems depend on whether seams end up in pressure points in your boots (Shins/ankles, etc).
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| Quote: |
Never had a problem with leggings bunching though. Problems depend on whether seams end up in pressure points in your boots
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much better to have nothing but your ski socks inside the boots. If leggings are too long, chop them off, or better still get three-quarter ones.
Charity shops can be a good source of ski jackets and trousers.
You don't really need to buy anything that you can't wear in the UK on a cold day. OK, you don't often need to wear ski trousers (though I did when I used to watch my boys play soccer or rugby on freezing days) but you definitely don't need a jacket used exclusively for skiing.
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FAQ
but being bulgaria thought the skiing condition might not be favourable?
