 Poster: A snowHead
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All,
Thought i would post a quick account of my experience of going to Les Arc for a day via the Eurostar.
Left London 19.45 on Friday. All was good but hit a 5 hour delay just before Ashford thanks to some crazy fool who tried to jump in front of a train near the area. Finally got to Ashford about midnight by which time most of the train had already been sitting for 4 hours going nowhere! Anyway nothing anyone could have done so had to lump it. Rest of the journey was pretty smooth but the train missed its slot in Paris which meant another hour delay. I will point out that for me being delayed on a train is not as stressful as being on a plane so I was pretty chilled out about it. Arrived in Bourg at 10.30 am then it was a quick walk around the platform to get the bridge to the Funi to get to Arc 1600. After bout an hour of faffing about, sorting out a ski locker and picking up the hire gear I was on the Mont Blanc chair and on the snow before 12.00.
Returned to Arc 1600 just after 4pm (weather moving in and light was getting poor) took the hire gear back, got changed and picked my stuff up from the locker. Went for a few beers before heading back to the Funi for around 6pm. Found a nice place to eat in Bourg, took my time before heading to the station. Passport control was relatively quick BUT the train was delayed again by an hour as more passengers were arriving and getting held up at passport control. Rest of the journey home was smooth with most people sleeping.
Conclusion:
Is it worth it? - Depends how you view things, if the train is on time and you can get to resort for first lift then you can certainly have a good full day on the snow and be back in work for Monday.
Cost - I got the ticket the day Eurostar released them and the return cost £149
Would I do it again - Obviously the delays I had put me off a little, but if I really needed a snow fix then I would depending on the ticket price
Tips
Don't book the quad style seats, i thought by doing this I would have more room but in fact I would say its the opposite. If you get stuck with some tall people or "larger" types then you spend the journey banging knees or playing with their feet.
Travel as light as possible, this really speeds things up if you only have a backpack
Take a toothbrush. nothing worse than furry teeth and morning breath [/u]
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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chrisrawles,
A brilliant effort for 4 Hours skiing! Hats off to you mate! 
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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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Not sure I could do all that travelling for one day of skiing. I appreciate it may be the 'only way' for some but that's a lot of faffing around and waiting. Fair play though if you can handle the journey for the love of skiing.
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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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@Bergmeister, Yeah the delay did take the edge of of the day but hey ho!
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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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good work.
out of interest, why did you take the train rather fly?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@eddiethebus, This was actually a day trip I took with my Dad's 65th Birthday. He was desperate to go skiing again but Mum is not interested anymore. So this was a "quick & cheaper" way to get him on real snow again. As it turns out he found it really challenging and his fitness is nowhere near what it used to be. In a way the delay did him a favor by limiting the slope time.
Great experience and pleased i/we done it, but I understand its not for everyone.
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@chrisrawles, Well done . Many people would pay more than £149 for a day's entertainment. A top sports match could easily cost £100 for only a few hours, with transport on top. Maybe not the best plan to do it on a regular basis, but as a special occasion, great idea.
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Amazing you are the man!
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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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Chris: What time did you get back to London?
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@jamescollings, Think it was about 7am, if you get your stuff together quick on the train you can then make a dash for Passport control and get through before the masses arrive.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@chrisrawles, Nice effort! Did Eurostar offer any refunds for the delays?
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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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@PollSki, I am yet to go through the process. I am currently sat at my desk trying to keep my eyes open! LOL. The train driver did announce on arrival that all passengers were to go to the website and put a claim in. I get the impression Eurostar pride themselves on being punctual. however it was a suicide attempt that caused the main delay so not really Eurostar's fault.,
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Chris you will get a full refund or repeat trip once Eurostar delays over an hour. As for the idiot concerned he climbed onto a bridge spanning the high speed and the C2C lines, climbing over the obstacle protection on the bridge and got the attention of the Police who prudently* closed all lines just in case. Still at least his human rights were not breached, and when his mum arrived (yup) he climbed down. Pretty much every member of staff on the C2C, LOROL, Ashford and Kings X cross got whole load of abuse because of one (insert abusive thought here). Allegedly of course 
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You know it makes sense.
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@andrew e, Thanks for the info. I am currently speaking with Eurostar who have been so helpful. I feel bad trying to claim as it was not their fault. However if everyone else is I may as well jump on the band wagon. 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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Good effort that. Shame about the delays on the way out.
I did a day ski trip about 15 years ago :
Gatwick flight (6am) - Geneva - Chamonix (11:00am) - Geneva flight home (8pm) - back home in bed by 11pm.
Certainly helped living about 2 miles from Gatwick airport.
Total cost was around £140 (including lift pass and ski hire).
Last edited by Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name: on Tue 2-02-16 20:45; edited 1 time in total
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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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ah yes....I knew I had mentioned my trip somewhere before on here.
nice work @dw832,
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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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Did the exact same trip in January except got very lucky with the weather. Same Eurostar out on a Friday night and took my own kit so was straight up on the first lift and back on the last lift. We got lucky enough to get some Club Med passes for the day In Arc Extreme so were able to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner (with drinks) and leave around 8pm for the Eurostar in Bourg. Now if there was an option to train it back on a Sunday night that would certainly be a deal to consider!
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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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Another option for those considering this kind of trip would be the Ski Meribel sleeper coach. I took this for a week in Courchevel a couple of weeks ago, and although it's a long journey (leaves London at 3.30pm, in resort around 10am the next day) the coach they use is I think more comfortable than the overnight Eurostar as the seats properly recline, and it's cheaper. It returns on the Saturday evening, leaving the resort around 5pm. The intention is of course that you stay for a week, but I'm sure they'd be happy to take a booking for a day trip.
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FAQ
