 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi
Can anyone recommend which resort we should go to for a long weekend? Ideally we don't want to be travelling for hours from the airport. Our group of made up of advances skiers
Thanks in advanced.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Welcome to SHs @vinniejk2010. It depends a lot on when you want to go. Long weekend accommodation can be difficult to find in busy periods. If you have a car, can stay a little way away and drive to the lifts each day, that makes a big difference. For example you can stay in Sallanches - an hour or less from Geneva within an easy drive of Flaine, Combloux, Chamonix etc
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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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Ideally we would like to be within walking distance to the lifts. We are looking at March/early April. Thank you I will take a look at theses places
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@vinniejk2010, given the "walking distance to lifts", "Advanced skiers", "Not travelling hours from airport" and "March/April" I'd head for Chamonix.
An hour from Geneva, loads of property options in the centre within walking distance of lifts and then there's plenty to challenge the most advanced skiers.
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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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@marcellus, great thank you
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I really wouldn't worry about the transfer time. It could be 90 minutes are 150 minutes, but go where the snow and conditions best suit your group's ability and requirements.
Some people say Espace Killy is too far for a weekend, yet I do over 30 days a season of weekend trips (normally Fri night to Mon night). I get in around 11.30pm on Friday and leave around 5pm on Monday. I get 3 full days of skiing and two full evenings of apres.
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Personally I would look at flights first and see where you can get the best flights to for the precise dates and times that you are travelling. There are plenty of resorts within reasonable distance of Geneva Zurich Lyon Turin Milan Innsbruck Salzburg etc. The timings of the flights will make almost as much difference as the distance from the airport.
Once you've got the flight times you need to look at where to go from the most suitable airports.
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We went to Megeve this March just gone. Might meet all your criteria, plus the pistes were empty
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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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Ski weekends offer some great packages... Did a weekend with them recently to La Plagne (Thurs to Sun)... Great accommodation right on the slopes... Not sure LP would be labelled as 'Advanced' tho, but worth checking them out...
Failing that, do as Marcellus says and base yourselves in Cham...
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For me short trips open up the possibility of going to smaller ski areas that you wouldn't normally think of spending a week at - or areas that you just want to try before you buy (for a full week).
Does advanced = off piste?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@bar shaker, I have done many Val d’Isere weekends.
Chamonix is easier, but you’re quite right that if all else falls together, the transfer isn’t the issue.
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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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Being from Northern Ireland weekend trips tend to be difficult due to flight availability, but have done 2 weekend trips in Chamonix over the 2 years and it really is pain free. The skiing is great also. I really envy London/South East based skiers, nowhere is off limits 
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| DonardFlump wrote: |
| I really envy London/South East based skiers, nowhere is off limits |
I can be at my apartment in under 5 hours, door to door. It's something that we are extremely fortunate to be able to do.
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You know it makes sense.
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@bar shaker, that is very impressive! Even living less than 20 minutes by train from Gatwick I haven't managed that. Do you check-in baggage?
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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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@DonardFlump[/b], I have to drive 4 hours before I even get to the airport, so weekend trips can be a pain, but it's always worth it.
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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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Fly into Geneva. Morzine is an hour. You could also consider Avoriaz which is ski in/out but getting a weekend booking is unlikely and few hotels. Morzine has plenty hotels and guest houses. Plenty advanced stuff on PDS.
Easybus is one cheap transfer option but if there are lots of you renting a car or people carrier can be a good option.
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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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| bar shaker wrote: |
| DonardFlump wrote: |
| I really envy London/South East based skiers, nowhere is off limits |
I can be at my apartment in under 5 hours, door to door. It's something that we are extremely fortunate to be able to do. |
Darkest Essex to Val D'Isere in under 5 hours? Assume you go easyJet Southend-GVA hand luggage only and you're that individual we all love to hate who gets on just before the door closes? I get that bit but doesn't leave much leeway getting from GVA to Val D. Good stuff though.
I'm quite near Heathrow T5 and I reckon on getting to places like Kitzbuhel in 7 hours door-to-door and consider that to be quick - have luggage though.
Innsbruck works quite well for weekends. Super short transfer of maybe 15 minutes. Business hotels have plenty of room at weekends and take your pick from a plethora of nearby resorts each day.
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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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I think it’s worth being clear, particularly if OP is new to ski weekends, that times like 5hrs Essex-Val, or 4hrs London to Cham are best case scenarios. It’s right at the edge of the envelope, and I have a lot of French speeding tickets to prove it. A best achievable time is not a safe forecast, I’d add at least 20-30 mins to get a more realistic average, and an hour for a non regular traveller.
To be clear about what is required, my wife does the route (London to Cham) regularly on a Friday night. She runs out of her office at 1645, gets to City airport about 1720 (with security still to clear and a sandwich to buy), and gets the 1745 BA flight as one of the later boarders. I then pick her up at Geneva, and if the flight is on time, it’s consistently between 2030 and 2045 when she comes out (front of plane, no baggage checked) with no rental car required. We get into Cham between 2130 and 21.45 unless there’s roadworks, which added about 15 mins last season. That’s 4 hours door to door with no car pickup, no passport queue and everything running perfectly. If she misses her train or there’s DLR delays, she misses her flight and has to take the later Swiss plane. Last season our average (as opposed to best) time was actually closer to 5 hrs due to flight delays, roadworks or passport queues, ignoring any missed flights.
I’d like to see anyone claiming consistent Friday night times like these to validate it next season by recording strava sessions from their front door to the resort. It could even be a new  competition to rival the “how fast do you ski on piste” thread.
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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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I’m about 5.5 hours on a Friday but that’s assuming there isn’t a massive car rental queue
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
I have to drive 4 hours before I even get to the airport, so weekend trips can be a pain, but it's always worth it.
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You have to tell us where you live. Even the isle of Barra has an airport (when the tides out)
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If I was near an airport that worked then I’d head for Salzburg. An hour to Ski Amade and a huge variety of resorts.
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| SnoodlesMcFlude wrote: |
| If I was near an airport that worked then I’d head for Salzburg. An hour to Ski Amade and a huge variety of resorts. |
The problem with Salzburg is that there never seems to be any late return flights to the UK. Although the drive to the Aosta Valley resorts is 2 hours or so, there are flights from Milan late in the day.
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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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@snowdave, that’s good going.
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@under a new name, thanks, it's good going when it works which isn't always! Fog a couple of years ago meant that instead of the 19.00 from City on a Friday, she was on a 7am Eurostar on Saturday morning, arriving Geneva about 3pm, i.e. about 20hrs late. Not much of a weekend for her.
I await Strava tracks from anyone reporting regular success at these kind of timings!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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ive done serre chevalier a few times. early flight from Stansted to turin and be on the slopes for lunchtime. always hired a car and stayed at the ibis in briancon for around 40 euros for the room.
quite at night time but some great restaurants and great skiing...
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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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@SAM@WORK, we've also done short trips to Serre Chevalier, even before we had our own place there.
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bar shaker,
How does your sub-5 hours break down?
Once you've taken account of the 2.5 hours for the drive to Val D that doesn't leave much time for the commute to your UK airport, your flight, getting off the plane and hiking miles through GVA airport, queuing for a rental car and then getting to the rental garage.
Or do you put your foot down and get to Val D in a record breaking run?
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You know it makes sense.
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I like the Strava idea, as Bar Shaker gets questioned about his 5 hour journey in multiple posts each year.
My kids are doing 4 weekends this year leaving after school on a Friday, with either my wife or myself.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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@bar shaker, Nice! I'm jealous.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Now easyjet fly GVA from Southampton reckon I could do door to door in about the same...
Definitely should start a Strava leaderboard for bragging rights, although there would need to be rules (i.e. no private jets, speeding, calling in a fault on the plane so it lands quicker, etc)
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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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@snowdave, You are dead right that an infrequent traveller is never going to achieve the times that you, @Jonny996, or I do it in.
I've had hold ups that include:
Previous delayed flights so 200 people at passport control
No cars washed and ready, so no keys at the desk
Roadworks on the road to the border so it's shut, needing a 30 minute diversion
50-75mm of snow on the A41 so Mme Brun hogging the middle of the motorway at 20mph, on her summer tyres
Mates wanting to stop for comfort breaks at every service station, due to airport and in-flight beer consumption
But it's fun when it works out well and I get to Val before the the pubs shut! This is more times than not.
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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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@bar shaker, your last line sums it up perfectly. If you can finish your work on a Friday at normal Friday finishing times & still get the the pub in your chosen resort for the last beer then you have had a good journey.
Roll on the snow
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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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@bar shaker,
That looks much more like "best achievable" than typical. you've got no slack in there at all as far as I can see.
Flights get delayed often
I rarely get from car hire desk to driver's seat in 10 minutes.
There is often some kind of queue at passport control at GVA.
BTW - where is 25 mins from STN and 55 mins from LGW on a friday afternoon??? 55mins doesn't get you far in Friday afternoon traffic!
Have to say that both my family and some of my ski buddies are now allergic to cutting every part of the journey so fine. I don't mind a bit of time pressure but my companions get stressed and grumpy!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@bar shaker, which airline are you using for STN GVA on a Friday evening?
I await the strava logs with huge interest!
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1. Verbier (Geneva + car).
2. Courchevel 1850 (private airplane).
3. Chamonix (if enough snow left).
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Look at flights to Turin, Sauze d’Oulx is about an hour from Turin, Montgenvre about 1 hour 15 minutes.
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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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@Whitegold, I believe you can get a helicopter to Verbier... cars are so pedestrian.
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How much do these long weekends you guys speak of normally cost you out of interest? Sounds quite appealing to go on multiple long weekends throughout the season, rather than one or two (if lucky) week-long trips..
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