 Poster: A snowHead
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It looks like I'll be spending most of next year based in Brussels for work. One of my early thoughts about this was: is there any skiing nearby? Can anyone help? I'll be based in the centre of Brussels and I'm hoping I can find a place or two to ski just at weekends (and accessible by train preferably). I'll use the Thalys Snow for longer trips but they only seem to run on Saturdays.
Any advice much appreciated.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I'd forget the train and hop on the countless flights out of Brussels to Geneva or Innsbruck.
Belgium isn't much better than the UK as far as getting to the slopes apart from the huge number of favourable flight destinations!
Mittenwald is about 6 hours away driving, but trains to the alps can be 10+ hours...
(I hope someone has a better answer for you!)
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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 need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Could probably get to the Vosges in about 5 hours.
Still be quicker to hop on to a late flight to Geneva or Innsbruck.
There are of course a couple of large indoor ski slopes in Netherlands and Germany that might be slightly closer.
Or Winterberg in Germany (Cologne by train is easy, then you need to drive North East. edit: or there's an hourly train service to/from Dortmund).
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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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| andy wrote: |
| There are of course a couple of large indoor ski slopes in Netherlands and Germany that might be slightly closer. |
One in Belgium too.
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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 would have thought Thalys to Paris and TGV to Bourg St Maurice would not be unreasonable time wise.
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| headtothehill wrote: |
It looks like I'll be spending most of next year based in Brussels for work. One of my early thoughts about this was: is there any skiing nearby? Can anyone help? I'll be based in the centre of Brussels and I'm hoping I can find a place or two to ski just at weekends (and accessible by train preferably). I'll use the Thalys Snow for longer trips but they only seem to run on Saturdays.
Any advice much appreciated. |
Weekend - snowworld.nl only 150 km from Bxl centre to Laandgraaf.
Thallys snow is Sat-Sat only, 6 hours one way. Alternatively fly to Geneva (1h transfer from airport to nearby resorts) or Millan (2-3 h transfer)
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I'm based in Luxembourg and used to live in Brussels. The pure two day weekend is tricky, but from Luxembourg, Engelberg (CH) is one of the nearest at a 4,5 hour drive plus 2 hours for Brussels. Chamonix remains a reasonable travel time at around 6 hours plus 2 hours.
The Ardennes is very hit and miss (more "miss" to be honest), but in the Vosges - Gerardmer or La Bresse is a reasonable option at 1,5hours from Luxembourg - there is decent warm-up skiing to be had when there is a cold winter; plus there are accommodation options.
Jura is a possibility, but in my opinion once you have made the effort to get there, may as well head on to the Alps proper...
Hope this helps.
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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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@headtothehill, Eurowings have a Friday evening departure from Brussels to Salzburg, from where you have a number of good resorts within an hour or so, ideal for a weekend trip. The flight itself is 95 mins. The Sunday return flight is unfortunately in the morning, but if you can take Monday off, the Monday return flight is in the evening, so you'd get 3 full ski days. January return flights as low as £51.
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@headtothehill, Jump in the car, via Frankfurt straight down to Austria, 7 hours. Leave 4pm Friday, ski all day Saturday and Sunday then back home late Sunday evening when lifts close. Or do same into French Alps but traffic heavier and tolls a consideration if going to France maybe.
By the time you've messed about at airports you could be there in the car.
Or if on train then direct train to Bourg St Maurice, or change at Lyon but you'll be trying to travel at late times which isn't ideal. I'd drive (own or thrash a hire car through Germany).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Wouldn't it be quicker to shot down the autobahns to some of the german resorts.
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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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I bank on about 6 - 6.5 hours door to door from Frankfurt to Innsbruck if I bunk off work at 17:00 on a Friday, by the time one takes into account a pee stop or two. Tend to not ski till the very last lift on the Sunday, but it depends on weather.
From Brussels and Luxembourg (and actually from here too), I'd have suggested Engelberg as the closest proper Alps resort by car. Engelberg and Soll were the 2 I looked at as the 2 closest when I first moved here, but again, half to one hour more journey time gets you to a whole load more places.
By train is a pain (and expensive). Although there is a direct lunchtime train from Frankfurt that gets to Radstadt, Schaldming, etc. by late dinner time.
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@headtothehill, I met a gentleman from Brussels at Landgraaf in August. On the chairlift he was telling me that he drives to Landgraaf every weekend for skiing.
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You know it makes sense.
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Thanks all for the suggestions. I'm not the most confident driver and don't own a car so driving a hire car isn't an attractive option for me. I think jumping on a plane Friday evening and trying to match up a flight home on Monday (@quinton 's suggestion) is my best bet and opens up my resort options.
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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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For what it is worth ..... I lived in Brussels for 4 years in the 1980s. The longest ski run in the Ardennes was about 1km, and if there was anything like decent snow it was completely mobbed with huge queues for the lift. I found cross-country (langlauf/ski de fond) to be an enjoyable way to spend a Sunday.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@headtothehill, If you need to be in Brussels for Monday morning, there is the option of the train from Salzburg on Sunday nights. Depart Salzburg around 21.00, change in Munich to the overnight sleeper to Köln arriving 06.15. From there, 2 hours to Brussels Midi, arriving 08.42 on Monday morning.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We used to live in Brussels and driving down to Austria was a doddle. Great roads, good services, well signed and quiet....
There is a Center Parcs with a snowdome on the Belgian/Dutch border about an hour and half away (http://www.centerparcs.com/gb-en/netherlands/fp_KV_holiday-park-de-kempervennen). Good enough for little ones if you have kids....and cheaper that the UK ones.
You can ski in the Ardennes but the friends that have been there have said it is mainly cross country....
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