 Poster: A snowHead
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Ian Hopkinson suggested that I start this up and I thought it a good idea.
This thread is dedicated to Ray Zorro who on a particularly arduous journey to work one morning, had a barmy idea. No stranger to these but Ray knew this one wasn't just barmy light, it was so brilliantly barmful it had barmed itself out the barmiest barm tree and was already barming it's way down the garden path. It had to work! . Turns out it was a stroke of genius, a stunning success, and doing it at least once is set to become the single most important defining characteristic of the true snowHead in years to come  .
What's the idea?
1. Get a cheap flight leaving at 0630ish from nearby-ish airport. £35?
2. Arrive 0930ish at airport nearish ski resort
3. Transfer to ski resort arriving 1100ish. £20 per head for 2 people hiring a car?
4. (Park,) get skis, pass £25
5. Ski 1130ish to 1700ish or whenever the ski patrol catch you and make you leave (anywhere with night skiing?)
(5.5 Have well-deserved early dinner of local cuisine or corned beef sandwiches you brought along)
6. Leave 1900ish for airport
7. Arrive airport 2030ish for 2200ish flight
8. Arrive UK 2300ish
9. Look smug at only spending £80 for almost a whole day's skiing (well 5 hours, anyway) in a foreign land for the loss of only one day of time despite needing to go home to concerned wife who thinks you've finally lost it  .
10. Continue to look smug for rest of week, particulary when passing Milton Keynes  .
How?
1. Flights - which departure/destination combinations offer suitable flight times at a cheap price?
2. Which resorts best for these airports?
3. Transfer - usually hire car but any options?
4. Know the lay of the land so as not to waste too much time sorting things like parking, equipment hire and passes out.
(5. Which hotels/b&b may offer you a bed for one night? Could stay overnight and get a whole day’s skiing the next day before flight home!)
Flights:
I’ve looked at budget airlines serving London Stansted, Luton, Heathrow and Birmingham which offer an early departure and a latish return.
Easyjet offers Luton to Geneva, to Nice, to Basel, and also Stansted to Lyon
Ryanair offers Stansted to Bergamo/Milan (which was Ray’s choice), to Turin, to Salzburg
With the exception of Geneva, there are flights to all of these still reasonably priced for a day trip. I couldn’t find anything suitable from Birmingham. I also had a quick, not comprehensive, look at Southampton and Gatwick and didn’t find anything (I can’t believe there won’t be an option from Gatwick). Also couldn’t find useful flight timings to Berne, Chambery or Grenoble. I suspect Lyon’s a little too far from a resort.
Resorts:
All the answers are on J2Dave’s site. Top man, Dave, thanks. 
Help:
Please contribute all you can, esp re: other flight options up and down the country, as well as any experiences of the quick or otherwise transfers or any flexible cheap accommodation or other useful resort details which may affect the success of such a critically timed operation! 
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sat 11-03-06 16:10; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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 quite daytrip skiing - but have in the past done weekends with 6 am (that's 5 am UK time of course, so up significantly earlier than that having stopped overnight near the airport) Monday morning flights back from Geneva to Luton and back in the office (fortunately only about 20 mins from the airport) on time. No days off, and two full days skiing! Beats the washed the car/dug the garden type answers when colleagues are talking about they did at the weekend!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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Done many LON-GVA Fri 20h00/Sun 18h40 trips. For me that works better as if the outbound on Friday gets cancelled then you can usually rebook on the saturday morning. Rather more irritating if you had to rebook onto sat eve from a sat AM flight.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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There's a drag in Les Gets which used to open for night skiing if I remember rightly. And not far from Geneva so that might suit? Haven't been there for a few years though - so you'd need to get someone to confirm.
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Crans Montana do night skiing...but I think it's only on a Friday night.
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Flights - you forgot to mention Stansted to Venice Treviso with Ryanair. Currently £4.99 each way for mid-April. 6.30am out of Stansted, 10.00pm return from Treviso. Treviso is two hours drive from the Dolomites / Sella Ronda (Araabba, Selva Gardena, Canazei, Alta Badia, Cortina etc.) - more extensive than Foppolo and only an extra 30 minutes drive.
Partly inspired by Ray I'm doing this trip 9- 12 April, but making 4 days skiing out of it (see my post below - still looking for accomplices!). However it could defintely still be done as a day trip.
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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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Flights:
Tuesday 21 February
Bournemouth to Geneva
flight 902; dep. Tue 21 Feb 11:30
arr. Tue 21 Feb 14:05
£10.24
(per person)
Thursday 23 February
Geneva to Bournemouth
flight 901; dep. Thu 23 Feb 10:25
arr. Thu 23 Feb 11:00
£10.99
(per person)
Cost of your selection
Airfare per adult or child £21.23
(per person)
Taxes and charges per adult or child £23.75
(per person)
Total amount due:
2 adults
£89.96
Stay at FORMULE 1 Annemasse £42/2 person 2nights
Car
Your choice - e.g. Smart
Basic price CHF 30.00
2 x 1 day for CHF 15.00 CHF 30.00
Road Tax CHF 7.00
Servicecharge CHF 5.09
Total Price CHF 42.09
Total £87/person +ski pass and a full days skiing in Chamonix/flaine
Now I've looked..............quite fancy it
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David Murdoch, is that easyjack? or City? Actually, now I think of it, you're the weekend (and mogul  ) king aren't you? You probably know loads about driving into the resorts nearest Geneva and Turin etc and where to park, how to get on the slopes quickest and who will do you an odd night or two in season, am I right? 
Dave Burt, thanks for that, but I'm thinking because lifts tend to close at 1700, that extra half-hour is crucial. In fact, in the morning there is a very narrow (? 0630 - 0700) window of acceptable flight times and preferably only 1 hour transfer. A plane leaving 0630 would arrive 0930 and with 1 hour transfer, you reach resort 1100 and start to ski 1130. With a plane leaving 0700 you'd arrive 1000 and with a 2 hour transfer, reach resort 1230 and start to ski 1300. If there was night skiing, no problem, but otherwise 4 hours to 1700 isn't really worth it imho.
Slowplough, cheap but uses 3 days 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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slikedges, the Treviso flight lands at 9.25am. I think if you were familiar with routes and the resort, you could be on skis in Cortina by 11.45 and Arabba by 12.00. But you're right, it does make it less attractive as a day-trip option, which is why I'm staying overnight (3 nights in fact!).
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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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Does anyone know??
Which is quickest from Turin airport onto the slopes (ie drive time plus ease of negotiating roads, parking and getting to lifts)?
Bardonecchia
Sauze d'Oulx
Cesana Torinese
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Sauze (according to my European Snow Atlas 2005). Sauze is straight down the A32, Bardonecchia is another few miles, and Cesana is a good few miles down a B road, turning off at Sauze.
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You know it makes sense.
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slikedges, Yup!
I find if you book early (or even now...) Easy jet must be the most expensive airline on a friday/sunday trip into Geneva.
Great if you just want to do lunch on a Wednesday though.
My favourite destinations however are coloured by having family or friends living there - making weekend accom easy (which I think is the trickiest element). I can give you a few pointers in Morzine, Champoluc or Chamonix...
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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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But, just checked on Via Michelein, and strangeley:
Sauze 86km 1h 11 mins
Bardonecchia 94km 1h 10mins
Cesana 91km 1h 10mins
Which is very strange, as the map shows Cesana as being passed Sauze!
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Poster: A snowHead
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David Murdoch,
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My favourite destinations however are coloured by having family or friends living there...
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Can't you tell them you've got 3501 friends who might be popping over too?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Dave Burt, Look at this. Seems to indicate Bardonecchia on the main road and Sauze and Cesana up smaller ones.
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Dave Burt, [ url = http:/ /without the spaces ]text text text[/url]
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Yep, the minor roads, although short distances, must be tortuously slow (it's a good few years since I was in Sauze and don't remeber the approcah at all). So, it looks like it could be Bardonecchia by a whisker. Or shall we call it a draw? Anyway, all possibly reachable for a day trip using the Stansted flight arriving in Turin at 9.55. On skis by 11.30, or is that a bit optimistic?
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slikedges,
From Turin I havent got the mileages but Bardonnechia is straight along a fast autoroute and easy to get to. Cesana is not far off the autoroute and I haven't driven to Sauze only skied accross to it is higher and an earlier turn than Cesana the road may be alittle slower.
In all honesty if the snow is in short supply you are probably better off driving the extra 15 minutes or so from Cesana up to Claviere /Montgenevre where the snow is often a lot better as it is on the top of the col and often peters out further East, you frequently cannot ski back to Cesana. Claviere is probably only 1hr 15 minutes brisk but not ridiculously fast drive from the airport.
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Dave Burt, I'm afraid to think that you may be being optimistic there. You have to factor in the time it takes to get out of the plane, clear customs, pick up kit (if using plane hold), do paperwork for hire car and then find the car and get out of the airport. I did all that in 20 minutes on Saturday and was well pleased and didn't see how it could be shortened any quicker than that.
Unless you know the resort, you can also lose time at that end too. Finding parking, finding the hire shops, finding somewhere to change, buying a lift pass. You have to bear in mind that there may be queues at each of these places as well. I would have thought that with 1:10 travel time you would be looking at probably 12:30 at the earliest for the first lift up.
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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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slikedges,
from turin, what about Pila, 45 mins up the aosta valley, par fro free in aosta 18 mins in gondola up to skiing small resort but plenty for a day and easy road
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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slikedges,
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20 minutes is amazingly quick.
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I still have slight twinge's of regret when I remember the two old ladies that fell down the stairs when I pushed by them getting off the plane, and I don't think I should have headbutted the customs officer when he delayed me - instinct just took over I guess. Not proud moments.
Actually, we were in the second row from the front, first out the door and away, again, tactical positioning comes into play and can save minutes.
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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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slikedges,
done it a couple of times, the trick is not to get lost coming out of the airport, but once no the road 45 -50 mins on a clear run prehaps 1hr if you hit traffic
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You know it makes sense.
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CEM, I'll investigate
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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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We did 7.00 am flight to Turin a couple of years ago, and drove to Monetier-les-Bains, we arrived at 12.30 just too late to hire some skis for me. I reckon we could have been on the slopes at Claviere by midday but no earlier. I think it would take longer to get up to Sauze than to stop in Cesana, but there again the snow can be almost non-existant .
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Poster: A snowHead
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Can't remember exactly how long it took me but drive to Sauze is about 90 minutes and fairly straightforward (outside of rush hour - have you seen Italians drive). You pretty much drive past/through Turin but it's on a motorway and then it's very straightforward (I did it without a mapbook). I've got more info. at home and will post it tonight. From memory, on the way back, look out for 'Casselle' which is what the airport's known as.
I've also done it via public transport, which if you're going for a week would be cheaper and not that hard. Will post that info. too
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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CEM, Pila is 138km away but you're saying park in Aosta which is 120km away on motorway, so definitely worth a go if snow in Milky Way isn't good
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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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NickW, thanks, mate
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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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Oops, found the info. and it all relates to public. See bottom of note, however, I have driven it too, see imm. below.
Once you get on the motorway it's very straightforward, as I said above, I did it without a map book. Getting onto the motorway was also pretty easy and well signed but can't remember the exact signs I followed. Think it was primarily signs for Oulx/Frejus Tunnel once on the motorway. On the way back you feel as though you've driven too far, as you pass Turin but stick with it until you see signs for Casselle and follow them to the airport. Took me about 90 mins but I did do it in a blizzard.
In Sauze there are two main car parks, if you turn right 'early' you can go to the top car park which is nearest the lift. If you follow the road to the T and turn right you'll hit the lower car park, just before the pedestrianised bit. The pedestrianised bit is controlled by a bollard during the day, approx. 9 till 5, which prevents you driving up to the top car park this way. Car parks are rammed if it's a weekend.
Flew with Ryanair from Stansted.
The below is a straight cut and paste from a mate's directions:
Assuming you are arriving at Torino Caselle airport, your options are these:
1. Caselle-Torino-Oulx-Sauze d'Oulx
To get the train, you need to get to Torino Porta Nuova station.
By coach (public, runs about once every half an hour) - Cost: €6.50 each, one way - Time: 40 mins
By Taxi - Cost: €30-35 one way - Time: 30 mins
Train to Oulx
First Class: €6.50 each, one way
Second Class: €4.30 each, one way
Runs about once every 90 minutes. Last train to Oulx at about 19:30. HOWEVER, last train to Oulx when the Oulx-Sauze-d'Oulx coach is running leaves at 18:00. Different times on sundays. Last coach/train to Torino leaves Sauze at 18:45.
Time: about 1 hour 15 minutes.
Coach Oulx-Sauze d'Oulx:
Cost: €1.25 each, one way. Get tickets from the station.
Time: 15 minutes
Coaches usually leave about 10-15 minutes after the train arrives, but will usually wait if the train is late.
2. Caselle-Sauze d'Oulx
Taxi:
Cost: about €125 each way. Could be negotiated if booked in advance.
Time: 1 hour 15 (depends on traffic). (have done it in 48 minutes, sticking to the speed limit. If the speed limit is 200kph.)
Hire Car
Cost: depends on car and time of year. Between €50 and €80 per day minimum, plus fuel (depends - maybe €50) and tolls (approx €15 each way).
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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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NickW, excellent info, Nick! Very helpful stuff, thanks a lot.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Any of you who regularly drive the route will remember the nasty entrance onto the autostrada across the fast lane, this has now disappeared, and you enter it on the right like any normal European motorway.
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Hi All,
Just thought I would hop on this thread, with the following trip we made a couple of years back:
Jet2 Leeds to Geneva depart 6am arrive GVA 9am picked up the car and got the first run in at exactly 11.10am (changing in the car parking at the Vernant car park) We then picked up the keys to our apartment at the end of the day and flew back on the monday night to birmingham having deposited the car at the airport on the friday afternoon and got the train back to leeds (I am lucky that I can engineer a work trip to suit this)
We flew back with "Duo" who were a full service business airline offering real china, hot food and free wine
all for £30 (suprise suprise they went bust a couple of months after our trip otherwise I would highly recommend them, no carriage charge either!)
The key I think is to go out of high season (this was the 19th of April and the later in the year the later the lifts stay open) and know the resort/route so you can hit the ground running. I love cooking up off the wall short breaks as cheap as possible, but i find the biggest problem is getting people to commit straightaway otherwise the moment is gone and all the prices go up.
Always fancied a flight to Nice (presumably lots of airlines go there) then up to Isola2000 anyone been?
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wrongsideof30, thanks for your info, sounds do-able if you can get cheap flights to Geneva. There aren't any I can find from down south up till end March but I haven't looked at April yet.
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Always fancied a flight to Nice (presumably lots of airlines go there) then up to Isola2000 anyone been?
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eEvans is effectively a local. He says 60min on a summer's day, and maybe allow up to 90min on a winter's. I'm considering it for later in the season!
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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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slikedges, as extra to the info i sent you NickW has just added what i was going to say about the trains. If still interested in Turin as an airport:
Have used both options below
The best flights to Turin are Ryan Air if you the max time on the piste as they fly from Stanstead at about 1900 and return from Turin at about 1800. But it's Stanstead and therefore travel costs + parking can be expensive and travelling there can be a nightmare with the M25 - but depends on where you are........also get charged ski carriage at ~£15 each way
BA fly from Gatwick, slightly earlier going out than RYAN Air, I think about 1600. They also return slightly earlier as well about 1800. The flights may appear slightly more expensive but travelling there can be a lot easier. Also no ski carrige and also get some decent grub on the plane as well.
Sauze is ~1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours drive. Very easy, dual carriage way most of the way. Probably not even need chains but that's the gamble you take.
Courmayeur - again about 1 3/4 - 2 hours. Very easy drive, straight dual carriage way to the bottom of the village (as it's not very high!)
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slikedges, doneit for a stag weekend. Worked fine. (ISOLA I mean!). Auron might be a better bet.
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FAQ
Have you done the journey/certain of the timings?
