 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi, having looked and called many rental companies, still could not find either the car with winter tyres or someone speaking EN who could advice whether winter tyre (as an extra option) is available ...
Anyone rented from Bergamo Airport with winter tyres? If yes, which company - grateful for any advice. We will take also snow chains, but we want 100% winter tyres too.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Last year, it was (and I still think is still) mandatory for car hire in Italian Alpine airports to include Chains
I rented from Bergamo , and this was the case
Winter tyres , This wasn't an option last year for us from Bergamo (with Hertz)
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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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@dublin2, thanks, I have rented from IT company before, only to find-out that chains were in 'lego mode' - that is torn into several pieces when I wanted to put it on. But all in all, I do not need chains if proper winter tyres are on a car ... chains are useful in 5% of winter driving situations. For most parts it is even better not to use them. Winter tyres however is a MUST for safety and would work better in most conditions than summer+chains.
Bloody IT rentals - can't find anything. Evan when calling Hertz at the airport and selecting '2' for EN, the line goes 'beep, beep, beep' ...
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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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@mooney058, Rented from Bergamo in March (2015) it was Avis, even though we requested winter tyres they didn't have them on Fiesta we hired. Knowing the forecast and conditions we didn't bother kicking up a fuss as they were not required. We pre-paid for chains which were not required too! It was rather dry and warm.
The only time we thought we might have trouble was driving out of the customs gates coming back from Livigno, but the scary looking border guards just looked at our passports and waved us through.
Try booking through Indigo Car Hire - they were really helpful for us.
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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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But all in all, I do not need chains if proper winter tyres are on a car ..
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Probably not, but police do sometimes insist you put chains on your winter tyres.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@pam w, I respect police and their orders. But I would rather depend on my knowledge and skills in winter driving (member of a car club that used to practice on frozen lakes, making 'controlled skids' etc.). So while i respect police orders, my primary concern is my and passengers' safety. If police says I can not go further without chains, I would abide. If i see that it is not wise going further, I would stop or turn-arround myself. But I know that I can survive without chains, but not without winter tyres.
@AthersT, that is the thing, I have only been skiing on IT side twice, but all the Snowheads' collecitive wisdom suggest that in Aosta it could either be very dry or very snowy - Aosta has the hightest 'border' in Europe so Nothern snow gets blocked by this border, but if it comes from "Genua low" area, it is dumping. Look at Tignes webcams today and then at Champoluc - this is because snow came from the North .... For a ski hols, I know which one I would prefer when I am heading there on 16 Jan 
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Thread resurrection alert. Has anyone got any more more recent information? Four years on there are now choices. autoeurope are doing winter tyres. Pug 308 estate for 10d, £230 BUT it’s with Sicily by car who have terrible reviews on TA/trustpilot. The other choice is Europcar but nearly double the price for something bigger than a Panda. Do I risk SbC or has anyone found anything else?
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I hired a car with winter tyres for a week from Bergamo in April this year (which was pretty snowy). Used Hertz and got a Fiat big enough (just) for 4 people with ski luggage for £173. Maybe the cheap price was due to late season, but hopefully they can beat Europcar's price?
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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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What resort are you going to? It's often such a hassle arranging winter tyres in Italy and we've ended up with just chains on our past two trips.
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@denfinella, Madonna di Campiglio almost certainly. Got a great deal 2 yrs ago from VCE with Hertz, Audi A4 with winters for 8d for just over £200 (think it was £208) but the Passo Falzarego between Cortina and San Cassiano is >2000m I think. Not sure we have to go over anything that high to get to Madonna. Probably going to Verona for a couple of days first, then 8 nights in Madonna and drive direct back to BGY on the Sunday. We didn’t use the car at all in San Cassiano, it just sat in the car park but it would have been really difficult getting it out of the car park without winter tyres (probably would have needed chains, and would have noticed then that they had not supplied them). Probably staying slightly out of town in Madonna but ski in/out so might do shopping by skis, or need the car during the week. Last holiday was Andorra via TLS and no winter tyre option from there (or chains, the hirer said. ‘Buy chains in the mountains’. I didn’t see an open garage on a Sunday afternoon driving through southern France unsurprisingly) so spent the week checking the forecast with slight anxiety. Luckily (well, sort of) it was sunny every day and we didn’t see a flake of fresh snow, because I did a lot more driving around in subzero temps on summer tyres between 1500-1800m. I’m actually going to swap my car onto winter tyres next week, I’ve been doing it for about ten years and I’m a big fan.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Max altitude on the way to Madonna is 1500m - at the resort itself. I wouldn't like to comment on your "chances" of a snow-free road though. What time of year are you going?
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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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Half term, mid-February, hence my reluctance to just pay £120 for an estate with summer tyres + chains via a trawler website. Hertz doesn’t seem to have any winter tyre options on their website so I’ll try ringing them next week.
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