 Poster: A snowHead
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Working through how I'm going to get to the mountains this season coming...
What experience / advice does anyone have? I'm not precious about luxury, and this seems like an adventurous way to travel, or is it one of the inner rings of the infernones?
TIA
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@DannySimpson, Depends on your motivation - if cost then I would imagine budget airlines will be cheaper than eurolines (or nowadays equivalent) if you are flexible on when traveling and where you are flying to and from. If you have to shift loads of gear then train another option as might be a car share?!
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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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This is a new one on me. Just looked at the website - is it not just another transfer operator? Not exactly an adventure and not super cheap, really. 
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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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You mean something like this: http://www.snowexpress.co.uk/?
I could do the EoSB journey for £111.50. Tempting when its a direct to resort price - but its still 20 hours on a bus. (London - Val Thorens)
I digress though. Bus journeys can be good or bad. I've found they don't tend to have much middle ground. Are you travelling alone?
In my late teens, I travelled to and from germany a lot. One of the cheapest ways to do that from Dublin, was by coach. It was 36 hours I think from Dublin - Munich. As a youth, my time was not as precious. Nor was my spine! Nowadays, bargain airlines have slashed the cost of city to city, but us ski folk know that theres still the extra cost of getting up into the mountains!
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Mon 29-08-16 20:11; edited 1 time in total
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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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We did several coach journeys to the Alps (with Ski Olympic and snowcoach) because it was a lot cheaper, for a family group, was direct to the accommodation AND gave us two extra days skiing. It was fine. Neither luxurious nor remotely adventurous. Driving in a modern coach across European motorways shouldn't be adventurous! The only adventure on the way to a ski holiday was when a Yugoslavian transfer coach skidded on an enormous sheet of ice and ended up hanging over a stupendous drop into a steep, wooded, ravine. I can do without that kind of adventure.
Yes, long journeys sitting up are never pleasant but it was no worse than, say, flying to the west coast of North America in Economy Class People pay a large amount for that and still have a long transfer when they get out of the airport!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I've done some instructing for Interski, I live in Cumbria so it was a joyous 10 hours just to get to the channel 
It never seemed as bad coming back for some reason, at 6'4" it wasn't comfortable but I'd make sure I got my own 2 seats to myself and sleep was possible.
I you lived down south I don't imagine it's too bad, travel through the night and in theory wake up reasonably close to the Alps for breakfast. For me it's 2ish hours to get to an airport, 2 hours before the flight to get skis etc checked, 2 ish hour flight then whatever is on the other side.
The big plus for me with the bus was they weren't arsed about the weight so I could take a few pairs of skis and board. I tended to do a block of 3 or more weeks so it was a long stretch between mega coach journeys but I did a week once and it was fine.
It depends how you travel really IMO how you travel etc. In the world of tablets (the electronic kind) portable hardrives etc it's easier to keep yourself amused.
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Thanks all. I used to coach it between uni (newcastle) and home (hampshire) but the alps adds a few hours on...
@Snowsartre, my motivation is cash: the flights are cheaper but once you do transfers (also for train) then "to resort" convenience seemed a good price, especially instead of a 4+ hour transfer. (as @letsgetpiste)
@pam w I like the idea of extra mountain time although @Grizwald I don't really have very much kit to take...
Looks like we'll be flying this time, but one day maybe...
Thanks again for your input =0)
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| Quote: |
The only adventure on the way to a ski holiday was when a Yugoslavian transfer coach skidded on an enormous sheet of ice and ended up hanging over a stupendous drop into a steep, wooded, ravine.
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I saw that film. What exactly was Michael Caine's plan?
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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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 We had already asked the rep to tell the driver to slow down, on the pretext that some of the children were feeling travel sick. After the skid, the back of the bus (with all the kids in, as they were all having fun in the back seat!) was literally hanging over the edge with the bus right across the road. the rep stood up and told us all to stay where we were. I got up and said I had a better idea. We should get everybody out of the bus double quick, starting from the back, and safely in the (quite deep) snow at the side of the road before the next transfer bus came down and skidded into us. There was a chorus of assent so we did that and a couple of us went up, and another couple down, the road to flag down oncoming vehicles. The driver then eventually managed to get the empty bus back on the road, but not without some very nasty moments when he went forward a bit only to slip further back.
The only other event was that on the way back to Nis airport a little girl was desperate for a pee, and the driver very reluctantly stopped in some kind of village where the poor little scrap was bitten by a dog - not at all badly, but it drew blood and she was petrified.
So yes, that was certainly a bit of an adventure (which is what I was telling my 3 kids in an attempt to cheer them up!).
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@pam w, I never even knew that Nis had an airport. My friends who live there always catch flights from Belgrade (The last I heard their children were in the Serbian ski team). My bus transfer story is also in the former Yugoslavia. I had a contract to run a short course in Belgrade, but the international community had banned flights to Belgrade and we had to catch a flight to Budapest and make our own way overland to Belgrade. Anyway we in the bus on that corridor of Serbia to Hungary where there had been reports of quite a bit of fighting. My colleague and me were asleep in the back of the bus when there was a huge bang and the bus started weaving across the road. I thought we were being shelled, but it turned out to be a massive tyre blowout. The driver safely stopped the bus and all the passengers got off to help change the wheel. Bus wheels are big and heavy. We caught the train back to Budapest.
Years ago, when we had less money, we always got the coach to go skiing. IIRC on most occaisons there was some trouble with the bus. One of those the windscreen wipers packed up on the rainy journey back. I think we improvised some cord through the side winows and two people at either side pulling it to and fro. Though we always made it back to the UK on the allocated day it was always hours after the allocated time. Oddly I quite enjoyed the journey. There was something magical about Macon services very early on a Saturday morning.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
I never even knew that Nis had an airport
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It was tiny, practically nothing there. It was a package holiday to Kapaonik - can't remember which TO. Possibly Inghams. I did two Yugoslavian holidays in quick succession - the previous summer we'd done a flotilla sailing holiday out of Split. I even learnt some Serbo-Croat though on the coast it was much easier to use German.
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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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Bus vs Fly. London to Val Thorens 1 week in Jan 2017 [GBP]:
4.40 Zone 2 to Victoria Station Return
124.00 Snow Express Bus. Victoria Station to Val Thorens. Return
128.40 Total Bus GBP
3.90 Easybus Zone 2 to Luton Airport
85.00 Easyjet Return Luton to Geneva. Inc 1 x 20kg bag
79.50 Bensbus Return Geneva Airport to Val Thorens
168.40 Total Fly GBP
So fly is an extra £40
And note the small print: The Snow Express bus stops at Moutiers and you have to change to a "local bus service", with that ticket included in the price.
20 hours on a bus to save £40? Not for me. 
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I did it back in about 1988. The total cost was £110 for the return journey, although to be fair they did throw in a week's chalet accommodation and two meals a day!
The journey wasn't too bad. The driver fiddled around with the seats when we were on the ferry and they magically turned into bunk beds for a half-decent 6 hours sleep. I wouldn't do it now and the adventure element was less than zero.
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You know it makes sense.
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Why does it take 20 hours? Thats an average of 36 mph?
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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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| Philip1972 wrote: |
| Why does it take 20 hours? Thats an average of 36 mph? |
An hour waiting for tunnel, 90 minutes at Moutiers, bus does 56mph max, will stop at least once, 30 minutes, so 3 hours of the 19 are static.
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Poster: A snowHead
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And on one of our coach trips it took the drivers a good while to get snowchains on. But the journeys we did didn't take 20 hours, IIRC.
However, it was still well worth it. When looking at costs versus flying the difference calculated above would be FAR bigger on expensive weeks when there is no chance of paying only £85 return to Geneva including a bag. Our coach dropped us and our baggage at the door of the chalet, so no transfer costs. And the extra ski time (whole of the last Saturday, which wore the kids out nicely for the overnight trip back).
I think it depends not on one's sense of adventure so much as tolerance of a little discomfort (no more than on an economy flight to North America) to save money and get extra ski time. A modicum of adventure sense could see you hitching to a resort to save transfer costs.....
And, of course, some people hate flying, despite its being safer, statistically, than coach travel.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Depends on when you go, I just had a look at Christmas , it was nearly £1500.00 ( for 4), for 19 hours on a bus!!
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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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Its £200 to fly on Christmas eve/ New Year eve.For four people!!
or £283 for sensible times, seems very cheap.
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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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The difference for the weeks I was interested in work out £100 cheaper. That's about the same as my beer fund... and on a £900~ trip a fair chunk off.
Half term flights from my "local" (SOU) are gutting £700. LGW is better but still...
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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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We've managed scarily cheap flights this Christmas. £274 for 3 people including 2 20kg bags. Having never been before at this time and having booked to go Thursday to Thursday hopefully this will mean we miss the crazy transfer weekend?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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A chap I know took this lot, not bad he thought.
http://www.skimeribel.co.uk/
At least its door to door, gets extra skiing and no ski carriage charges
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@ster, Now that looks like a very good bet if you are on a budget and can sleep on a semi-reclined seat and/or have some strong sleep pills. £199 return — straight to your chalet door. No transfer costs, and you get a full 8 days skiing. Not bad indeed.
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No transfer costs, and you get a full 8 days skiing.
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Over a standard saturday to saturday flight that equates to 30% more skiing for less cost (except of course for the extra lift pass charge)
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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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| Quote: |
having booked to go Thursday to Thursday hopefully this will mean we miss the crazy transfer weekend?
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yes, you should miss the crazy transfer windows but you might also miss the chance to book accommodation easily; many providers will not look at a booking which straddles two peak weeks. But it's a strange year, and you might be in luck.
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@pam w,
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you might also miss the chance to book accommodation easily;
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Good point! That could be a huge issue if @AllyK, hasn't already got accomodation sorted.
In recent years we've usually gone Sunday to Sunday. There are enough operators who do a Sunday change-over and the transfer chaos is far less (not that I've actually suffered any serious problems even on Saturdays for many, many years. The worst was an eight hour transfer from GVA to VdI back in the 80's before the new roads were built for the Albertville Olympics.)
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I mostly coach with Snowcoach because as has been said here it is cheapest and you get two extra days skiing. It is so easy for me in the Midlands to drive down to Watford on the M1 and leave my car in the car park of the hotel where Snowcach pick up, Friday afternoon. £40 last year. Absolutely hate flying with all that faffing about! Get on the coach at Watford, plug in ear phones, try and ignore the video and read a book. Last year we arrived for breakfast and on the snow by 10am. This depends on traffic conditions though. Snowcoach now use an Irish coach firm and they were very good. There is more leg room than I have had in the past and the coach was clean and modern. My only problem with Snowcoach is that they only go to Valmenier and St. Gervais and this year I am determined to get back to Les Trois Vallee.
My best journey though was by Eurostar, year before last. We drove down to Ashford International train station, parking in the station carpark (get the right one) for about £40 again, for the week. Travelled overnight. The train was almost empty, it not being UK half term, so we could have a double seat each. Blankets provided to keep warm and comfortable. There was a bar in the next carriage selling beer, burgers and coffee etc. Dead easy! Needed pick up and transfer from station at the other end, organised by our ski firm (can't remember who). The only problem was the noise of some ski noobies trying to party in the next carriage which did come through. However, they did give up around 1am.
This year I'm planning one week with Snowcoach in Valmenier and a second with Skiweekend (coach again) in Brides les Bain for Les Trois Vallee. I've not been with Skiweekend before but I know people who have and they were happy.
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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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Hi @TCSC47 I had looked at eurostar as well. It is slightly better price wise and handy as we're considering Les Arcs. However we have the extra cost of getting to Londinium, as well as the extra time which we won't be able to translate into piste time... one day!
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@TCSC47, Skiweekend are no longer doing coach trips.
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