 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi everyone, never booked a ski holiday myself before so any help would be greatly appreciated! There's 2 of us are looking to go skiing this year for a week, preferably 3 vallee's, we have got two weeks in jan (16/01-30/01).
After a lot of research we have found that we can get a catered chalet now for about £850 all in or self catered £650. Does anyone know what sort of prices these would drop to booking in the last week/few days. Flights to Geneva are very cheap at the moment so would it be worth booking them now. Finally do TO offer the complete package as last minute deals or is it more likely just to be the hotel/transfers. Any advice is very welcome!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Yes the TOs offer flight/hotel/transfer and it's often possible to get very good late deals. But there's no guarantee that you'll get a good deal to the specific resort or hotel you want
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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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You will get the best deal by booking a package, it depends on how obsessed you are with departure airports and resort. I see it as no big deal to drive from the north east to Gatwick when I can get flight,transfer and catered chalet for less than £400, sometimes as low as £300. You may get cheap flights but the transfers are frequently more than the flight
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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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I don't do TO anymore. But for two of you, at that time (low season), provided have some flexibility, a last minute TO deal is the way to go.
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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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Going with a TO is probably your best bet and the easiest. If you went the last week in Jan and were prepared to be a little bit flexible with departure airport and flight times, I reckon you could get a catered Chalet for under £400 including transfers etc.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks for the help guys. Well I'm based in London so I'll have quite a lot of choice I've heard Gatwick is often the cheapest.
Has anyone ever used chaletdirect.com - they offer a solutions room where you can post exactly what you're looking for and chalets will contact you. You can actually see threads from last year and around the same time we're hoping to book last year there was catered chalets for as cheap as £300 with a transfer, however, they never offered a flight - and the chalets looked very nice aswell!
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@rballantyne2, most contacts from Chalets Direct come through the search facility unless you are wanting MOrzine or Les Gets.
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Why@tangowaggon, I've also driven from Durham to Gatwick, although my sister did live in Kew at the time, so we had somewhere to stop off overnight.
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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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@rballantyne2, Try Alpine Answers website nearer the time. They are a clearing house for several TO's and sell late deals close to departure time at heavily discounted prices.
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For just the 2 of you and seeing you have a bit of flexibility in weeks then booking late with TO is definitely your best bet with regards to costs - start looking 4-6 weeks before (but if your brave enough then waiting till the last week or 2 can get you the best price) - most tour ops release sales around xmas and New Year and you should be able to pick up a deal for a catered chalet or clubhotel for anything between £280 and £500 that includes flights and transfers - you'll find that the cheaper end of that bracket will more than likely be more basic accommodation and/or less convenient for the slopes.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Wait until really late and be flexible about where you go and how you get there.
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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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@rballantyne2, those are two of the best weeks of the season to get a very good, very last minute deal with a TO in the Trois Vallees. The Russians have gone home, the French and the Brits haven't yet arrived so it's always well under capacity and you'll still be able to choose your resort. You'll still get the full package including flights but they sometimes run out of ski carriage availability last minute. if you're renting equipment in resort it doesn't affect you.
For snow conditions, the Meribel Valley would be my first choice in January followed by Les Menuires and then Courchevel 1650/1850. Very different atmospheres in those places though, so may depend on what your social requirements are as to which fits you best. Be aware that most of Meribel is not ski-in/out but most TO's offer free minibus shuttles to compensate. La Tania is also a good choice if there is heavy weather forecast. Avoid Val Thorens if it's forecast to be cold and windy.
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| Quote: |
you'll still be able to choose your resort
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certainly, but not necessarily at rock bottom prices
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For snow conditions, the Meribel Valley would be my first choice in January followed by Les Menuires and then Courchevel 1650/1850.
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Hmm. I don't have a lot of 3V experience but Meribel itself is definitely not the best for snow conditions - last time I spent a whole week there, in very poor snow, mid January, Courchevel 1650 had about the best snow in the 3V.
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You know it makes sense.
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| pam w wrote: |
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you'll still be able to choose your resort
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certainly, but not necessarily at rock bottom prices |
But the OP's not asking for rock bottom, they're asking how much they're likely to save compared to their current quote of £850. So, IMO, they will get a nice chalet with a nice company (say Silverski, Ski Olympic, Ski Beat) in a resort of their choice for £4-500 booking last minute for those two weeks or £5-600 with someone like Mark Warner in a chalethotel.
| pam w wrote: |
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For snow conditions, the Meribel Valley would be my first choice in January followed by Les Menuires and then Courchevel 1650/1850.
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Hmm. I don't have a lot of 3V experience but Meribel itself is definitely not the best for snow conditions - last time I spent a whole week there, in very poor snow, mid January, Courchevel 1650 had about the best snow in the 3V. |
And this is the basic problem with your perception of Meribel - you've got extremely limited experience and yet every time anyone asks anything about Meribel you are one of the first to reply with a negative comment about the snow and/or the fact most of it's not ski-in/out.
So in the interests of balance, this is the view of an ex 3V ski-guide with 60+ weeks in the 3V's over 15 years (including 1.5 seasons in Meribel) as to why the Meribel Valley is the best place to be based in January:
1/ It's the only valley that you can easily ski both sides of so you can follow the sun.
Ski the West side in the morning and the East in the afternoon and catch the snow in it's best condition. It also offers trees on both sides for poor weather. By contrast, most of C1850 is in shadow after 1.30pm in January so hard and icy. VT is nearly always wind blown and cold so also hard and icy. Les Menuires offers the La Masse area on the West side but it doesn't soften as early as Meribel so still not so good. Most of C1650 is also exposed in bad weather with no quick route to more sheltered areas. If you go low to St Martin, there's only one route back.
2/ It has the best links to the other valleys.
It's not called the Heart of the Three Valleys for nothing. C1650 is good if you're an archetypal old punter and just want to bumble around the same slopes all day but if you're adventurous and want to ski farther afield it's too isolated. It's 4 lifts just to get to the top of C1850 and involves either dull Blue and Green paths or an unpleasant Red that is rock hard in the morning, just to get out of the place.
By contrast, Meribel Mottaret is 1 lift to the top of C1850, 2 lifts to VT/LM or St Martin. Meribel is 1 lift to C1850, 2 to SM or 3 to VT/LM. So if you don't like the snow in the Meribel valley it's easy to spend all day in other areas and still get home. If you want to be picky, the very, very best snow is often at the top of C1850 if you make first lift - and the first lift from Meribel gets you to the top of C1850 earlier than the first lift from C1850!
3/ You can always get home.
You only have to make the last lift to the top of either side and there is a route all the way back without the need for any more lifts. So if you want a long lunch or some early après - go ahead. There are multiple lifts to the top on either side and they are specifically designed to run in high wind so people don't get stuck in the wrong valley. This is much more complicated if you have to transit through the Meribel Valley on your way to a valley either side and there are no free buses between valleys if you get it wrong. It's also particularly relevant in January because the lifts are still on the earlier winter closing times.
I suspect the OP is not very experienced so for them Meribel easily offers the most options unless they specifically want ski-in/out, in which case they will need to do some due diligence before booking or favour Meribel Mottaret.
Late January/early February is arguably the very best time to be in the 3V's; no queues, quiet slopes, everything open, usually good snow everywhere but definitely good snow somewhere.
But what would I know 
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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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| Quote: |
| And this is the basic problem with your perception of Meribel - you've got extremely limited experience and yet every time anyone asks anything about Meribel you are one of the first to reply with a negative comment about the snow and/or the fact most of it's not ski-in/out. |
To be fair it was you that said it "most of Meribel is not ski-in/out". And as regards snow conditions I don't think Pams view is at odds with the other peoples views. That is to say snow conditions directly above Meribel on either side of the valley are often not that great in comparison to other areas. I certainly recall that being the case from several visits to the 3V in the past. As you say Meribel does have it's merits location wise.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Layne wrote: |
| To be fair it was you that said it "most of Meribel is not ski-in/out". |
Yes, but only to get in first. Otherwise I'd have to read another load of negativity about that from a certain proliferate poster. TBH I don't understand the negativity around Meribel's lack of ski-in/out ness which is why it winds me up. I've done many weeks in the Espace Killy, Austria and Switzerland and none of that was ski-in/out either so why do people hit on Meribel? Meribel chalet operators nearly all operate a private minibus shuttle to the slopes (I was a driver for one) but other resorts don't - they expect you to walk to the lift or the public ski bus. So to my mind that makes the service in Meribel far superior to most other European ski resorts.
Also, if you take the view that the average walk to an Austrian ski lift is, say, 200m? You could walk to a lift or slope in Meribel in that distance too from about 80% of the resort - it's just that the routes are not obvious to outsiders. If you know Meribel, then I spent my first season living in the very first building on the right as you enter Meribel Mussillon (the entrance to Meribel), about 150m short of the first ski bus stop that was outside Dicks T Bar (as was). I never once took that bus - I skied in and out every day because a returning seasonnaire showed me the route off-piste. I've stayed/lived in other parts and it's the same - you just need to know the layout.
| Layne wrote: |
| And as regards snow conditions I don't think Pams view is at odds with the other peoples views. That is to say snow conditions directly above Meribel on either side of the valley are often not that great in comparison to other areas. |
I agree that her views are not at odds with most others. But when do most Brits go? Half term and Easter, not January which is what the OP is asking about. So all this negativity around Meribel is based on late season skiing, not early season. For Spring, I agree 100%, Courchevel and VT are much better because they get less sun. If you don't have the skillset to deal with slush (and most punter skiers don't) then Meribel's a bad choice in Spring. It's not a bad choice in January, it's a very good choice.
Checking my recent records, I was there in January 05/06/07/08/09 which were all good, (though 05 came very late - 90cm in 36 hours), missed 2010, 2011 was ridiculously warm and more like mid-March, 2012 wouldn't stop snowing and was a powder-fest, missed 2013 and 2014 was normal. So that's one slush-fest and one powder-fest January out of the last 8 that I've skied and 6 good years.
For comparison, I usually try to end the season in VT because it's a great place for spring skiing. I've had 30cm of snow fall on May 6th. This year I was there in late March and although it was cold the freezing level was permanently above 3,000m. It's the first time I've ever seen slush off the top of the Peclet. Does that mean I'm going to stop recommending VT for spring skiing because I had one bad week? No, it doesn't, because I know it's an exception. Same as I know if you had slush in Meribel in January it's an exception - most years it will be the best place to be at that time of the year.
And if you don't think pam w has an agenda against Meribel, just do a forum search on her name with the subject "Meribel". There are 266 results and the last entry on the first page is this, "Least Favourite Resort: Meribel". 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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16/01-30/01 is generally low season in Europe, can be less busy than peak periods, I would have expected to see TO coming out with offers sometime in Nov, which could run right up to new year.
For the independent traveller around London there are 6 airports (Heathrow, Gatwick, Southend, City, Luton, Stanstead) so take your pick.
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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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Maybe also have a look at Le Ski. I have used them before and found them very nice and they seem to also have some quite nice last minute deals (normally incl. flights and transfers) up on their website. They have chalets in Val d'Isere, Courchevel and La Tania. (I have been with them in Val D.)
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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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I have to agree with @Raceplate I was in Meribel for most of January 2011 and had good snow and some powder days. I've also been in March a few times and conditions varied from water skiing at Chaudanne to deep powder on Mt Vallon on different trips and at different times of day. However, being in the middle of the 3v it was always possible to find good conditions somewhere and plough through the slush only at the end of the day or when changing valley.
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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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@Raceplate,
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| And if you don't think pam w has an agenda against Meribel, just do a forum search on her name with the subject "Meribel". There are 266 results and the last entry on the first page is this, "Least Favourite Resort: Meribel". |
Sure but in this thread she made only one comment "Meribel itself is definitely not the best for snow conditions". Which IMO is a reasonable thing to say. It's quite reasonable for you to counter... yes but here are the plusses.... without dragging in stuff she may have said in another 265 posts on the place.
If you look at posts from others there is quite a bit of negativity towards Meribel but then there is about a stack load of other places. My personal dislike is LDA, even though I've only skied it a day! But as I always stress this is my own personal opinion and I give my reasons. And clearly there are plenty of punters that do like it, otherwise it wouldn't survive.
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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 wrote: |
| Sure but in this thread she made only one comment "Meribel itself is definitely not the best for snow conditions". Which IMO is a reasonable thing to say. |
I'm obviously not getting through here. You are of course entitled to your opinion as I am to mine. It's a public forum, I will post my counter argument and others can make their own mind up. 
So, for the last time and the avoidance of doubt, when applied to an average January, I do NOT agree with that statement. It is a blanket statement that suggests there is always somewhere better than Meribel in the Three Valleys and that is simply not true. I agree that Meribel is definitely not the best for snow conditions when it's warm. When it's cold, in my experience, it often IS the best valley to be in. And January is usually the coldest month.
In fairness, even in Spring it's not the worst place - Les Menuires is. But again you don't read so much negativity about LM snow (as opposed to it's architecture) because a much smaller percentage of Brits go there.
| Layne wrote: |
| If you look at posts from others there is quite a bit of negativity towards Meribel |
Yes, because only a small percentage of Brit punters go there in January so they never see it at it's best! The Meribel Valley is the most sheltered and it catches the most sun so it softens earlier than the other valleys. In the afternoons, it rarely turns to sugar like Courchevel does because it's not in shadow and it doesn't get windblown like the Belleville Valley. Basically, all the things that cause it to be slushy in Spring and get it its negative reputation are exactly the same things that make it better than the other valleys when it's cold.
Anyway, I'm done with this now. I've put my public defence up of a place that holds some of my best skiing memories - people can read it and make their own decision. Frankly, I don't want the place rammed out in January anyway - I really like the fact that you can pretty much walk straight onto any lift at any time and get maximum skiing time in on quiet slopes.
| Layne wrote: |
| My personal dislike is LDA, even though I've only skied it a day! |
I'm with you on this one! I booked a week there once and after four days I rented a bus and went to Alpe d'Huez because I was already fed up with the lift system. Very early season with lift queues...long ones! Still, at least the place I was in was ski-in/ski-out  ...onto a boilerplate Black run.
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@Layne, I think that's a bit harsh. The OP specifically stated they would ideally like to go to the 3V in January, so snow conditions at that particular time are relevant to the original request. I'm sure that @pam w intended to be helpful with her contribution and that she has accurately summarised her own experience of the resort. However, I can also understand the frustration of knowing a resort well and feeling that it has been inaccurately described when someone generalises a brief experience that you know to be atypical. Some of the things I've read about La Plagne on here have made me wonder if the poster went to the same resort  . I found @Raceplate's posts describing the different conditions in the various 3V resorts at different points of the season detailed and informative. Though I have skied there, I don't know the area well at all and think his post is a useful resource for the future.
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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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I bit of input from my side - last year we were in a similar situation and unsure of where to go. We (3 of us) popped along to the Ski and Snowboard Show at Earls Court on the Sunday (accessible to the OP?). At the show there were many operators offering deals at reduced rates. We managed to obtain £550 for HB accommodation, flights, transfers, free ski carriage or hire and 6 day ski pass for the entire region of Via Lattea. I am aware this is Italy and not France however there were also options to go to France (we decided Italy as we wanted to go somewhere different). The flexibility of dates were any week in Jan and some weeks in March. It might be worth popping along to have a look as there may be some deals that are perfect for the OP. This was all arranged through Crystal and the first time in years I had used a TO for a holiday but it fitted its purpose perfectly. There wouldnt be any clue as to what places are on offer though until you get there but could be a viable solution.
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@Gämsbock, thank you. I can empathise about La Plagne too. I've done 7 weeks there, mostly in my first few years skiing with some fun memories. I still have a soft spot for the place and it's another resort that seems to get more criticism than it really deserves. And it's nearly all ski-in/ski-out!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Thanks for all the replies everyone. With regards too resort as long as most of the 3 vallee's is accessible that's good enough for me, I'm relatively new to skiing and my only prior experience is Alp D'Huez in April skiing on Ice for most parts! I was wondering if anyone had any experience of pre-booking a flight and then trying to get accommodation & transfers (preferably a chalet) last miunte, for instance on chaletdirect.com - where they offer a solutions room.
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FAQ
