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Drive-ski suggestions

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi all,

*Quick background* Been skiing twice (Sauze d'oulx and St Anton) my OH is a very experienced skier of 12 years however not very good at suggesting where to ski.

Looking to drive down into Europe from Manchester for a short weekend break in March and possibly April if conditions are good enough. Can anyone recommend anywhere to book which would be good, quite cheap but nice and close to a ski lift? Would be nice to be local to some restaurants/bars however not a must as we will have the car.

If somewhere is amazeballs and not close to a lift and would have to drive (no more than 15 minutes) we would be looking for somewhere near a lift we could park.

Any suggestions? Little Angel

TIA! x
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Well, if it were me driving down for a short break then my number one priority would be somewhere easily driveable.
So Morzine / Les Gets for first choice.
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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?
Glencoe.
Nevis Range.
Chamonix.
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Drive from Manchester for a short W/E break? You will spend more time driving than skiing. 5 hours (on a good day, could be 8 ) down to Euro tunnel + 8-9 hours to resort + the hours difference. I would ask is it worth it? Make it a week.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I'm with @Old Man Of Lech, driving for a short (!) weekend from Manchester is nuts. It's nuts from London. Or Folkestone.

Hop on a cheap flight. Get a cheap transfer at the other end (that begins to constrain your search, making decisions easier).
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@Bubble26, Fly EasyJet to Geneva, then transfer to Porte de Soleil (Avoriaz/ Les Gets/ Morzine) or Chamonix would be my thoughts, its a long drive. We drive it to the Alps 3x a year winter and summer but not for a weekend any more, once did it for an Easter weekend and its hard work (and expensive).
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I do the drive from the Wirral area to PDS each year, takes about 13 hours door to door using the tunnel and costs more in fuel, crossings and tolls than it does two people flying and using Skiidigonzales to transfer. We have friends who use that route. Only advantage of driving is use of a car in France and cheaper accommodation away from the resort. Go to Scotland, some great weekend skiing at Glenshee when the snow is good and the scenery is always spectacular.
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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 would be looking at Geneva and then any of the areas nearby. Not all have easy transfers however.

But I have no idea on flight availability from MAN. Some Austrian areas seem pretty joined up with transport/transfers and if you can get into Italy then Monterosa or Dolomites might appeal.

Depends on the flights.
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Quote:

Skiidigonzales

@MikeM, Classic! Laughing Laughing
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
For a short/long weekend-fly! I'd say Geneva is your best bet followed by car hire to maximise slope time. Hiring a car is probably no more expensive than minibus transfer for two.
We have the advantage of living 15 mins from Gatwick, and can easily get nearly 2 full days on the slope with one night's accommodation over a weekend. I think there is a late evening Sleasyjet Geneva-Manchester flight on a Sunday night (post 9pm), and I guess there are reasonably frequent morning flights from Man too. Check the schedules though as the flight times are not the same every day, you just want to be sure to book to come home when there is the late flight back. The way we tend to do it-crack of dawn flight out on a Friday morning and two nights' accommodation. Hand baggage only if possible-all you need for a weekend are ski boots, socks and thermals, you wear your outer gear and after ski kit. If you do take a hold bag or skis, one of you waits for the kit in the reclaim while the other sorts out the car hire. Land at about 8am, on road by no later than 9am and on the slopes, having changed in the car park, by shortly after 10am. And yes-I have done this!
I can recommend Les Carroz in the Grand Massif as it really is just an hour from Geneva airport. On the final day, you can easily ski a full day before returning to the airport. The Milk Hotel in Les C is very nice and slope side.Its not too pricey. The village is pretty and the skiing attractive and intermediate friendly in the trees, as well as connecting with Flaine and Morillon etc. The only thing I would say is that it would be better to go in March rather than late season.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
I agree that driving for a weekend from Manc will involve significantly more driving than skiing.
If you can get convenient flights to Innsbruck, it's a great hub for a short trip.
It's possible, if U know what you're doing, to be on the snow within 45mins of touching down snowHead
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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.
fly to Salzberg, hire a car, or taxi to obertauern..
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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
@Bubble26, look at Lufthansa Manchester to Munich for a weekend, lots of places within 1-2 hours drive from Munich
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
If you can't fly, look at train. I have no problem driving to the Alps; I do so solo 4 or 5 trips a year. But not for a weekend, even a long one.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@kitenski, I do it frequently and its longer than 1-2 hours from MUC to the big ski areas.....
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Maybe the OP is scared of flying?

But I agree, driving for a long weekend is crazy.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@Markymark29, depends on your definition of big Mark!! Kitzbuhel,, Ski Welt (Largest Ski area in Austria), Zillertal and the Ski Amade are all under 2 hours,
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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?
@kitenski, IME takes at least 1 hour just to get out of MUC airport.....transfer to terminal by bus, customs (slow atm), baggage reclaim, ski reclaim, walk across between terminals to car hire, car hire registration, car collect. It certainly isn't the quickest airport to get out of. We frequently land 9pm ish Friday evening when the airport is pretty quiet and never get to Innsbruck (2 hours away in theory) less than 3.5 hours after landing and we aren't hanging about......time disappears when you are travelling I find. I personally think GVA is better than MUC for weekend breaks......Cham (Alpybus transfer), PdS etc as above.
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...conversely, at Innsbruck, I've been on the bus, rolling out of the airport 15mins after the plane's wheels hit the tarmac. OK, I was hand luggage only but even so...
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I normally factor in 1hr from wheels down to exiting the airport, sometimes its better and others worse...
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Quote:

...conversely, at Innsbruck, I've been on the bus, rolling out of the airport 15mins after the plane's wheels hit the tarmac. OK, I was hand luggage only but even so...

Where do you change planes, Frankfurt?
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
admin wrote:
I agree that driving for a weekend from Manc will involve significantly more driving than skiing.
If you can get convenient flights to Innsbruck, it's a great hub for a short trip.
It's possible, if U know what you're doing, to be on the snow within 45mins of touching down snowHead


INN is a great hub - unfortunately flight schedule from the UK is terrible for weekend trips that look to maximise skiing for low time off work so I've always ended up ruling it out. Possibly OK if you are happy with a couple of hours at one of the Innsbruck hills on your first and last day.
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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!
@Dave of the Marmottes, +1, sadly flights are few and far between in and out of INN
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admin wrote:
I agree that driving for a weekend from Manc will involve significantly more driving than skiing.
If you can get convenient flights to Innsbruck, it's a great hub for a short trip.
It's possible, if U know what you're doing, to be on the snow within 45mins of touching down snowHead


+1. the two times we've flown into Innsbruck we've been in resort within 45 minutes. Both times we had hold luggage, but the airport is so small that it seems to take them about 2 minutes to get your bags to the carousel. Innsbruck is a fab airport for short (and long!) trips, there's a whole host of resorts within 45 mins or so.
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Markymark29 wrote:
@Dave of the Marmottes, +1, sadly flights are few and far between in and out of INN


I think the problem must be demand the opposite way - can see flight ex LGW or City would be great sellers on a Thursday or Friday evening and returns on Sun, Mon, Tues night too but filling the other leg would be more of a challenge assuming not many Tyroleans relish a winter weekend break in London or the fine alpine peaks of the Surrey hills.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Thanks everyone for your suggestions!! Given me much food for thought...

Themasterpiece wrote:
Maybe the OP is scared of flying?


I'm not the best flyer to be honest, good spot. I get far too stressed Mad and really works me up. After speaking to the OH, if we drove we would be looking at arriving Friday AM and leaving the Monday PM. I'm used to driving for a living so it doesn't phase me at all.

We did struggle to get any flights from MAN to innsbruck or should i say anywhere near the Arlberg this year. Grrr. So ended up flying to Zurich and hired a car. I'll explore the flying option too but think we will miss some slope time due to flight times and the like...

Thanks again all Smile
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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.
@Bubble26, A quick check on opodo shows lots of flights from Manchester to Innsbruck, but they are not cheep. Two years ago I flew from Birmingham to Innsbruck for my summer holiday in the Dolomites. The flights were fine but the drive was difficult. Now we fly to Venice
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