 Poster: A snowHead
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Plagne Villages, March 28th - Apr 4th 2015.
This is a lengthy TR of our first time self-drive trip to Plagne Villages. Hopefully it will prove useful reading to those thinking of a DIY trip. For us, it was a financial decision in the main that made us DIY. I always treated it as an experiment and took the view that it might be horrendous or could be fantastic. Depending on which would influence our choice of trip next season, with lessons learnt if we DIY again.
Good God - you mean you're not going to a catered chalet???
Thanks to Gove’s draconian one-size fits all approach to school absenteeism, we elected to take the ski holiday in the Easter hols. Due to the unaffordability of packages in school holidays, we decided this year to do it DIY. I thought this would be a useful experiment as we had never done this type of trip before (am an ex-seasonnaire so reckon I know a thing or two about ski trips but have always done packages). Apartment in Plagne Villages booked via Homeaway, Tesco vouchers for the tunnel and the trusty Focus as our transport. All ski hire, passes, ski school booked online.
Background
So the car was prepped with some snow chains from Aldi, and subsequently a second set of steel rims off ebay and new winter tyres after reading through all the arguments on here and finally deciding that chains would be good only if it snowed heavily, and winter tyres a better and safer bet if there was slush, ice or not enough snow for chains.
Maybe it was the thought of making the long drive but the car with impeccable timing broke down a week before departure. And I don’t mean a simple mechanical fault, but a tricky intermittent electrical-type issue. After a worried and sleepless week, and some not inconsiderable expense to try and coax the car into a state to give me confidence that it would be good for the ride, I finally relented 2 days before departure and plumped for a hire car. This gave me the issue of having a nice shiny car for the trip, but without winter tyres, and you guessed it, my chains didn’t fit. No worries, I thought, a gamble I can handle and we can always get chains from an aire or hypermarket nearer the slopes (we didn’t – they must have stocked every tyre size but ours) and looking at the weather forecast snow wasn’t predicted until we arrived in resort.
I had spoken to the hire company before booking to confirm that I would be able to take it abroad and was told no problem, just a £100-odd fee. Upon collecting the hire car the day before departure, I was told at the desk that it was not possible to get the green card there and then as “we need 48 hours’ notice”. I nearly gave birth in shock but thankfully Mr Avis made a call to his Dover counterparts and arranged for me to collect it before doubling back to the tunnel. Tip for future self-drivers who hire a car: give at least 48 hours’ notice that you want to take the car abroad.
Hire car heaven
The hire car was a Citroen C4 Picasso and proved to be a lovely drive. Being financially stretched before departure, I only insured myself, but as others have said before, the hardest part of the journey is your home to Folkestone and Folkestone to home. The continent is the easy bit – driving on the French autoroutes is relaxing, not stressful. Admittedly we had good weather. Preparation for the driving was key: snacks, drinks, in-car entertainment, songs to sing to, maps, route plans. The car had cruise control but having never used it before I was a tad reluctant to try it out, especially having watched Anchorman 2 a few weeks previously (and no, there were no piranhas or bowling balls in the car).
Travel
Months of research had led me to book a tunnel crossing at 1.30pm on the Friday (yep, the kids were sick) with a hotel stopover at Troyes, leaving us to arrive in resort late afternoon. The return leg: leave La Plagne 10ish, drive all day and stopover at Reims before getting the tunnel the next day again at 1.30pm. In the event, we arrived in LP at 3pm, even after stops for groceries in Albertville and a sandwich in Moutiers (plus a couple of coffee and loo breaks on the autoroute). Good timing. After all the stress of the preceding week I finally felt in holiday mode driving down the A26 with us all singing along to “The Fox” (Ylvis – Norwegian comedy duo), “Hung Up” (Madonna) and “Californication” (Red Hot Chili Peppers).
What struck us was the number of UK cars all heading south and the number of UK cars rocking up at the hotel stopover in Troyes. . I wasn’t the only crazy English bloke driving his family to the alps then! The restaurant next door was full of English voices too. With a glass of medicinal red in hand, I recall breathing out a sigh of relief that we were well and truly en route. There were no horrendous queues of traffic around Moutiers as I had expected and indeed arrival in LP was exciting driving up to Plagne Villages, going past the various pistes. A quick call to get the keys to the apartment and we were unloading by 3.30pm. I'd done my research carefully and selected a great apartment. Memories of lads' self-catering trips staying in shoe box French apartments haunted me and there was no way we were going to stay in similar as a family.
Ski pax
Ski hire was booked online by Ski Republic and Oxygene (our eldest had the ski school, ski pass and kit hire package which worked out better value than doing it all separately). Oxygene seemed to take more care in fitting, but the quality of kit from both shops was fine, especially given it was near the end of season. I used my old Volkls (not going to say what model as I’ll get flamed for having old kit, but hey, they are just skis!). In any event, my boots which were like slippers for the first day got progressively more uncomfortable during the week and I decided that I have wide feet (fat ankles?) which for next year’s trip will need either custom moulded boots or snowboard boots. This year I used Guidon Sports for a couple of days snowboard/boot hire and I was very impressed with the ratchet dial way of tightening boots. This was a revelation and made my Northwave lace-ups seems decidedly old-fashioned. Anyway, we were all kitted up with minimum fuss and indeed back in the apartment with me slaving over a pasta sauce, glass of red in hand, by 7pm.
Weather watch
The weather during the week was, in the main, mild – I wouldn’t think that at 1800 it dropped below zero. We had plenty of snow – wet snow – which soaked us through and a change of gloves and salopettes (for my eldest) at lunch back at the apartment was called for. The glacier was closed all week, I think due to visibility but also due to the amount of snow that fell. Avalanche booms could be heard frequently. Dark grey clouds surrounded the area for most of the week, which was a new one on me in a ski resort! This is not to say that we didn’t have sun either – the weather was a real mixed bag but the main thing is there was plenty of the white stuff. The last day saw me head over to Plagne Bellecote and heading high - lovely soft piste snow more reminiscent of winter than spring, with a great run on my board down Sources.
Ski School
We used Oxygene for the kids’ ski school after recommendations through here and this was booked online. Lessons for both (7 and 5 years) started at a nice 10am, giving ample time to ski from the apartment in Plagne Villages down to the meeting point in Plagne Centre. Even after just a weeks’ previous skiing, our two managed it fine (albeit the 5yo between mummy’s skis!). Despite the 10am start, there was still some waiting around for parents to arrive with their offspring in tow! I thought Oxygene were great – after using ESF last year in La Rosiere during term time where our kids were the only English children in the lessons, it was a relief this year to discover the whole group was English. The instructors seemed very affable and engaging with the kids. I was very satisfied. We spotted our eldest’s lesson on the mountain a couple of times and it was great to see her bombing around happily and confidently. Our youngest however doesn’t like ski school, yet is able to do the same lifts and runs quite happily with mummy and daddy. Maybe next year he’ll be ok, but maybe he just gets a bit bored waiting for his turn? I don’t know, but it gives us something to ponder about how to work the ski/child-care conundrum in time for next year’s planned trip.
The plan this year was for us adults to have some ski time together between 10 and 12.30, then lunch, then ski/chill time together in the afternoon. The youngest was sick for three days which challenged this plan somewhat and impacted ski time – such is life! I have to say that managing a child’s sickness was a lot easier in the apartment than if we were staying in a shared chalet.
Skiing
We didn’t bother with the area lift pass and there was ample in La Plagne to cover, given our time constraints between lessons and kids’ abilities. We unknowingly took our eldest on the red below the Bergerie chair (I realised it was red right at the bottom) and she did it very well indeed considering it was slushy bumps and pretty busy. The youngest didn’t need a purchased pass, but children aged under 6 should still get a free pass to enable them to get onto the lifts – Oxygene had these for our youngest. I enjoyed the variety of the pistes and found the resort really easy to navigate. The scenery was great too with some nice runs through the trees back to the various stations. I did think some of the blues were more like reds though and this was my only criticism. Pre-children this wouldn’t have bothered me but when you’re thinking about taking novice children onto them it does become a worry.
Gastronomy
Having easy access to the apartment meant lunches were lazily and cheaply taken there, giving tired legs a chance to recover and damp kit to air. Not to mention my wallet a chance to stay hidden in the dark confines of the rucksack. In fact we ate out once only in the evenings, preferring to cook for ourselves. In doing the DIY option my wife had one stipulation, and that was that she didn’t do any cooking as it was her holiday too. Fair enough, although my careful menu plan was left at home on the breakfast bar. Dinner was simple, with a bulk buy of food in Albertville and top-ups from the Spar next door (not as cheap as Albertville but massively cheaper than restaurant prices!). However nice eating out was, our budget would not stretch that far for four. Besides, I think the French “menu enfant” is a culinary insult to tourists and I resent paying 10e for a slice of ham with chips, whether by the sea or in the mountains. Our children ate far healthier with me doing the cooking. As did we, compared to chalet offerings – last year the richness of the food + wine was a bit much by midweek. Goodness, I must be getting old. Still, I think that’s the thing we really missed though - having great food cooked for us – a super treat but financially, one we couldn’t afford this year. My wallet and guts were thankful.
Departure day - Gendarme alert!
The morning of departure saw powdery snow falling which concerned me somewhat, although I had learnt during the week that snow falling and settling on the roads quickly turned to slush. This was indeed the case on the Saturday, although my wife was nervous as we packed the car. Winter tyres it seems do give peace of mind. I was not worried though - slush at 2000m and I knew it would only be a vertical drop of 100 or so metres and it would be just wet. What bothered me more was the Gendarme Municipale walking around, obviously checking out cars. I saw him stop a French driver who stupidly was driving with half a windscreen of snow, and also place a ticket of some sort on anther French car. I was hoping he wouldn't be concerned about our non-Winter tyres but it was a bit of a (given the slush) jeweler's heist-style getaway as we drove off!
Final thoughts
Fave memories from this trip were: the drive to resort – full of great music and anticipation; seeing the months of planning and various bookings all slot into place; sitting on a chair with all of us together – the youngest one’s first time; getting first lift on the last morning in sunshine with my daughter, and then doing the Colorado run 3 times before her lesson started with her being as excited as me; skiing as a family most afternoons showing our kids this great sport.
For those considering the DIY option – it was a much cheaper way of going skiing in school holidays.. I booked the accommodation in October last year and everything else soon followed suit. I’d recommend La Plagne as a family resort and Oxygene as the ski school. Great accommodation easily found – get these things right and the main components are sorted! The driving was easy and next year if we drive I will definitely get chains again and will give winter tyres some serious thought, despite going in April...
Timings for the Eurotunnel and stopovers as follows:
1.30pm Fri Eurotunnel
Arrive Troyes hotel 8pm local time
Leave Troyes 9am, arrive LP 3pm (inc. stops + food shop)
Leave LP 10am, arrive Reims 8pm
Leave Reims 9am, arrive Eurotunnel midday.
Rough costings:
Fuel - £110 (forgot to mention in original post - diesel from hypermarkets was around 1.13 euros a litre! Approx 85p a litre...
Tolls - £105
Hotel stopovers - £140
Food - £260
Eurotunnel – Tesco vouchers
Accommodation - £450
Ski pax - £860
Total £1925
Other expenses not included here are the hire car, winter tyres + fitting + spare rims (to be ebayed in time for next season!), other sundry items, insurance, potential speeding ticket incurred near Albertville (oops)
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Wed 15-04-15 17:46; edited 4 times 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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Very informative report, thanks for taking the time to do it. Glad you got a good result overall and enjoyed the experience (except for the car drama), gives hope to us who might try a long drive DIY sometime.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Tue 14-04-15 1:00; edited 1 time in total
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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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Nice report - sounds like a great holiday, though a real bummer about the car breaking down.
As your costings show, Easter might be "school holidays" and therefore expensive to use British tour operators but it's low season in the alps. £450 for a nice family apartment for the week. Would probably have been twice that at New Year or half term.
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@pam w, The apartemnt might be a bit more this week now that the school holidays have started and perhaps 5 or 600 euro more during New Year or half term, but the other costs such as ferry, fuel motorway tolls and food stay more or less the same.
Shame about the car. The day before we were to depart for Easter the bonnet catch broke on my wife's car. It was a bit of an rush job to get the garage to repair it in time for departure, which they did with over 3 hours spare.
And thanks @jesus, for the good report. I don't think the "Gendarme Municipale" would be in the slightest bit interested in wether or not you had winter tyres (it is not a legal requirement). I have never used them and the only time I have seen the police interested in tyres is to check for snow chains. The ticket you saw given is almost certainly for a parking offence.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Layne - Yes, I read your report with great interest - my wife too had an ankle injury (sprained ankle from netball in January) but this didn't seem to impact her skiing too much. I have been thinking that staying lower would negate any need for winter tyres, and I am quite encouraged by your photos showing resort runs open to Les Coches for the week we travelled. How was the access up to the main area? I looked at Les Coches actually but had discounted it as too low for Easter 
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@jesus, I drove for many years with mates and initially on family trips with summer tyres but usually with chains (which were used and "vital" on a couple of occasions). But my wife, who is from southern Germany so is used to the concept of winter tyres, commutes cross country. So that, along with a couple of ski trips a year, justified the purchase of winter tyres. We ski at Christmas in addition to Easter when obviously the benefits are much greater. On all my Easter trips winter tyres, or for that matter snow chains wouldn't have been necessary. But that is only a few years, no doubt there have been some cold ones in the past. It's certainly easier if you are staying at 1300-1500m rather than 1800+ to get away with it. As @johnE says it is not a legal requirement to have winter tyres but the gendarmes can prevent you continuing your journey if you don't have snow chains. I think this is more likely to happen on your way in. A guess it's a bit tricky as people will have various starting points on the way out. But clearly you would be endangering your own life anyhow. The first time my wife used chains she was surprised at how much help they were. Although she still claims we could have made it without! At Tignes at Christmas we had to buy some for coming out. We had some from old car and thought they would fit but didn't. Not quite sure if we would have managed without.
We stayed in Les Coches in a really bad Easter and the home run (one of them anyroad) was still accessible. Over the other side of the VE there were strips of white down the lower reaches of Les Arcs. The resort did a great job. And as our kids were young at the time could live with relatively poor conditions. I am not sure I'd stay anywhere else in Paradiski tbh. A couple of decent chair lifts and your up into the main La Plagne ski area. Chair, ski, VE, chair and your up into Les Arcs. Lots of tree skiing either side of the VE. Very useful on this trip and previously when we were there at Christmas.
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Just done the same drive out to La Plagne, from the North of Scotland! It did take a while but well worth it. We got a 5am chunnel, stayed night at the fantastic L'Adray in Longfoy and were on the slopes Saturday morning for a blissful quiet day. Checked out of our apartment the following Saturday morning and skied all day again on empty slopes before heading off for home at 5pm. Well worth it to get two extra days skiing, we rented a 9 seater MPV and went with my sister which really cut the costs (even including the cost of the MPV hire). From Scotland our total costs were £450 in fuel and £160 in tolls (more maybe because it was an MPV). So travel worked out at £1600 including the hire, so only £177pp, not bad for a 2500 mile journey. DIY well worth it.
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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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@trmacc - jeepers - the North of Scotland!!!!???
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Yup, wasn't too bad really. 11 hours down to Folkestone through the night, 5am chunnel and in Longefoy in time for an early drink before dinner. Did have 3 drivers though which made it easier.
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FAQ
To be honest I quite enjoy the evening ritual 
Here's to many more trips <chink>
