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How last minute have you left it?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Ok, been skiing 4 times but I'm still crap! The first time was Andorra, Feb half term week I booked on the Friday night and we went as a family on the Sunday morning. The other times were self drive and planned a way in advance. Next season will be a bit different, it will be just me and my daughter who will be about to do gcse so term time is not an option. Obviously she will be up to her eyes with studying so another factor will be how her mocks etc go.

I'm tempted to risk it and literally wait until the Friday at the start of the half term to book. We are only 30 minutes drive from Gatwick or 50 minutes by train so silly flight times etc are not an issue. We are completely open minded about where we go but price is the main factor. Diy probably won't stack up as it is just the two of us but then I guess it will give us more options with a TO.

So... How late have you left it to book? Did you make decent savings?

Thanks
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Booked on Thursday, flew on Saturday, all in for just over £200. It was a few years ago but not that many.
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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?
I once booked at 11AM on Friday for a 4PM departure the same day. Fortunately it was only a 30 min check-in as it was from Waterloo on the Eurostar and I was only 30 mins away so a nice, comfortable 4 hrs to pack. £179hb to Merihell with 8 days on snow - them were the days!

I was always a big advocate of last minuteing until hundreds of snowHeads started coming skiing with me and (for some reason) they wanted to know where we were going with more than a week's notice! snowHead

Still, there are always late deals to be had but half term, along with NY are, without question, the toughest weeks of the season to nail one. Still, 2 people, who are unfussy about details, certainly have the best chance of finding something but there's always the possibility you could end up at home for the week.
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booked Friday morning flew sat morning from Gatwick to val-d
rather cheap Smile
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Latest I ever did was Friday for a Sunday departure. To be fair I probably lost my bottle as it was Easter weekend and was rather keen on nabbing ST Anton rather than the crappy options remaining in France.

Flights are usually the key constraint as TOs seem not to overcommit on charter space these days.
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On the Sat between Xmas and the New Year 2015 I booked on the Sat morning into a catered chalet for that eveing, but then we were already in the Alps so did not need flights etc!

The half term week is always busy but you would have two options, a last minute TO deal, or a last minute diy booking into a self catering apartment, a chalet or a hotel and driving down to one of the nearer resorts!

I would guess you will find something last minute but its always going to be a gamble

Back in the day when we took the caravan we never planned ahead and just went when we wanted to where the snow was best Very Happy
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@jellybabe, have you thought of going at Easter instead? Easter is late March next year so there should be plenty of options as most resorts should still have decent snow cover then, the prices won't be so eye watering, the slopes a lot quieter and days longer plus you will also have the option of 2 weeks to choose from then too.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
I once booked on Sunday and flew on the next Tuesday returning Friday night over a half term period. It worked out fairly cheap as the "week" had already started so the hotel was unlikely to get booked, and the flights were "midweek" so pretty cheap too.

It wasn't planned, I was just browsing out of interest and saw the hotel availability.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Booked midnight for the next day. Didn't sleep much Very Happy

Flights were still only 90 euro and we knew there would be fresh snow.

After that experience I'll be unlikely to go back to prebooking as its such a buzz to go at short notice and get powder.

On the other hand you probably have different priorities as its more of a family holiday.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Surely half term is risk. TO's are not that generous at this time's it tends to be peak across Europe. So a 59th minute deal at half term sounds too risky for me. You could end up with nothing, or something horribly over priced. Would stress the hell out of me��. three weeks before departure would be as close to the wire that I would want to go around half term.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Dodgy for half term. But yes, if you are really short of cash and ready to take it to the wire - and NOT go if you can't find the right deal, why not?

Is half term really the only time you could go? Last minute deals for Christmas are a much better bet. I guess Easter will be too close to exams next year. Though no teenager I ever knew (and I had three....) ever did revision all through the Easter hols.
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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.
I did look last season around half term with my son, but flight options especially from the south were very Limited. Was about 3-4 weeks before departure date I was looking. In the end we called it off cos of the need to study for AS level exams. But it was really tough to find flights leaving from the south. In the end the best I could put together was a flight on the last day of term(so he would miss the last day of term), and accommodation options for schladming or obertauern, both of which were pricey but not obscene. Ended up having to postpone and vo with a friend instead.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Half term this year, booked on the Wednesday before. On the Friday, all the discounts were gone from TOs as far as I could see, what I booked for £670 pp was back up to £999.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Booked nothing, turned up at the ferry terminal and bought a ticket, drove to where the snow was, slept in Formula 1, or Etap, or back of van. Petrol was cheaper then, less security issues in France, I was younger so my ability to withstand cold in the early hours of sleeping and on rising in the morning was better.

I would recommend it, but I get the feeling that average age of Snowheads is higher than the average age of skiers in general.

However, if I was to do it again I would ensure a thick covering of memory foam topper, an electric blanket, compression hoses over knees when sleeping, and a neoprene face mask while sleeping (to stop nose freezing during sleep).

Laughing
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@Bigtipper, you're hardcore
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Booked on the way to the airport one morning , it had/was snowing, good forecast, with val d isere tourist office, hotel half board, skipass, ski hire , ski lessons for children, 2 aduts 2 children, E1050 , recptionist did not take credit card payment over phone as it was a bad line,
It was the last week of the season with fully open resort , great snow great weather , great holiday, .....wish we did it more often????
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@Bigtipper, such exhilarating freedom. I really miss that, I loved taking the caravan and following the snow!
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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?
Booked a 12:30 flight at 10:30 the same day. We live about 40 minutes from Gatwick. Taxi driver arrived with an empty tank and we had to stop to refuel. Then 40 mph roadworks on the motorway. As we arrived at checkin we were fast-tracked through and we got through security just after the gate was announced and walked onto the 'plane. It's amazing how fine you can cut it but I think we were quite lucky.
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48 hours, but there were no flights so we went on the train, changing in Paris.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Booked on Friday afternoon, left early on Saturday morning. Most trips I do are last minute deals from Crystal (only TO out of Ireland these days), from about 5 days out to the day before. I like to watch where conditions are good and what is forecast, slowly narrowing down to a few areas or resorts then hoping the prices fall and the places aren't booked. I've been pretty lucky over the last ten years or so.
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Well I just booked BA flights to Milan from Heathrow for half term week for less than £150 per person. You can get a week's car hire for under £150 & there are loads of resorts within 2 hours drive. I'd say for that week DIY is by far the cheapest way to go. You can book accommodation much nearer the time if you want, but flights & car hire are gonna go up quite a bit if you leave it to the last minute.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Is £150 car hire really achievable? Including snow chains / winter tyres? If so, I should consider it more seriously in the future. I've always found transfers cheaper in the past (for 2 people)...
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Booked at 10am for a 2pm Eurotunnel crossing, nothing packed no snowtyres or roofbox on the car and family of four to pack for....was a rush in every sense and oddly we forgot less than year thannwe have done with weeks of lead in to a holiday Cool
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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.
Car hire from Fri 12th - Sun 20th Feb currently from £113 on Skyscanner. You can buy a set of snow-chains for 40 euros so even if your car hire company tries to sting you, you'll still be under £150
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