Ski Club 2.0 Home
Snow Reports
FAQFAQ

Mail for help.Help!!

Log in to snowHeads to make it MUCH better! Registration's totally free, of course, and makes snowHeads easier to use and to understand, gives better searching, filtering etc. as well as access to 'members only' forums, discounts and deals that U don't even know exist as a 'guest' user. (btw. 50,000+ snowHeads already know all this, making snowHeads the biggest, most active community of snow-heads in the UK, so you'll be in good company)..... When you register, you get our free weekly(-ish) snow report by email. It's rather good and not made up by tourist offices (or people that love the tourist office and want to marry it either)... We don't share your email address with anyone and we never send out any of those cheesy 'message from our partners' emails either. Anyway, snowHeads really is MUCH better when you're logged in - not least because you get to post your own messages complaining about things that annoy you like perhaps this banner which, incidentally, disappears when you log in :-)
Username:-
 Password:
Remember me:
👁 durr, I forgot...
Or: Register
(to be a proper snow-head, all official-like!)

Need some opinions on arranging my next trip.

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Every year I have gone skiing I have gone with Crystal Ski. The two of us generally pay £1000 pp which includes Flights + Transfers + Hotel, half board, in a semi decent 4* hotel.

I really want to break free from Crystal and try going it on my own. I am just trying to do the maths and it honestly seems more expensive to try do it myself when you factor in a lot of things.

Prices total or PP:

Flights including ski carriage, hold luggage 23kg : £198 (this seems to be really expensive, boots and skis on a plane is now £37 each way!!!)
Car rental : £115 (this is £230 for a SUV divided by two)
Parking: £75 for a resort such as Val Thorens 7 days.
Hotel Le Val Thorens: £750 pp 7 nights <- breakfast only

We were going to book a 4 day trip through skiweekend as I am starting to find that 6 days skiing is just too much. I would rather do 4 days and go twice a year!

One of the things I am thinking is that if I fly and drive, that we can change resort and visit two places in one go!

Any advice?
snow conditions
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@Sainter, back in the days when I had skiing holidays, using a TO was often the cheapest way, and certainly the most convenient. Especially if you can find a good late deal.

But of course TOs only have certain availability in certain destinations. You could certainly shop around for flights, have you thought of anywhere other than Geneva? Also perhaps a transfer company might be cheaper than hiring a car and paying for parking. Or choose a hotel with parking included.

I had a couple of ski short breaks myself, but only because I had limited time off work. If you can have a full week, why not? A short break is proportionately more expensive than a week. If you are bored of skiing after 4 days, perhaps you are doing something wrong?
ski holidays
 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?
@Sainter, something’s dont scale well with just 2 of you - eg car hire makes the transfer expensive. There are shared transfers / buses from some airports to some resorts. Bens Buses springs to mind.

I have never found a long weekend to work out much cheaper than a full week yet.

Have you looked at any of the snowHeads bashes? By going with others you have a group to share those transfer costs.

With flights you need to get them on release for best prices. Though you may find some of peak weeks still at a reasonable price. Also if you can do a mid week to mid week (assuming you can find accommodation to suit!) during of peak weeks you can again safe quite a bit on flight prices.

Make sure you check BA, Swiss and Austrian as I think all offer free ski carriage (or at least one of you hold bags can be a ski bag and if you get a big double you can get both sets of skis plus pack out with clothes).
ski holidays
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
In a hotel you’ll need to eat out every meal, which is expensive (and sometimes tiresome). Check Airbnb or other apartment rental sites if you’d like the option to make a meal.

As mentioned above, bus transfers rather than hire car. I’d only take a hire car if I was doing strange days (not Sat - Sat) or a very early flight etc.

Flight cost doesn’t seem too bad.
latest report
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
take a look at Austria
Lots of public transport take you close to resorts.
No need to hire a car. That can save you around £100 each.
Also hotel seems odd its selling PP & not per room. So look for other room options.
You could stay in Innsbruck & take the ski busses or trains to several different resorts that take around an hour each way.
Do your 4 days skiing then have 2 days wondering around the City + you would not have to do a Sat to Sat & could find cheaper flights.

Also look on Sunweb & snowtrex for hotel + lift pass options.

Alternatively, just look for a last minute TO deal.
latest report
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
@Sainter, there are ways that you could cut down on that price, but I agree with others that proportionately a weekend is more expensive than a week. To reduce your costs, things that you could consider:

car hire is more expensive from Geneva than from say Milan (probably half the price).
If you are only going 3 or 4 days, then it may be cheaper to hire skis in resort than carry from UK (book online in advance)
Do you both need 23kg luggage? Could you share that weight between you and save the price of a bag.
Find somewhere that you don't need to pay for parking - I rarely have needed to and I've done 30+ short trips.

Try igoski for weekend prices for comparison too. https://www.igoski.co.uk/
snow conditions
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Sainter wrote:
I really want to break free from Crystal and try going it on my own.

To save money or for some other reason?

Sainter wrote:
We were going to book a 4 day trip through skiweekend as I am starting to find that 6 days skiing is just too much.

Is that for physical reasons or for boredom reasons?

Some good suggestions on the financials from others. If you DIY regularly you can use these tips and tricks repeatedly to get yourself a viable trip - which is perhaps what you are after? But it's good to be clear on your motivations.
ski holidays
 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
A lot depends on where you want to go, when you want to go there, and how much you want from your accomodation.

For example if you switched from Val Thorens to somewhere like Morzine you can fly BA LON-GVA (inc 1 hold bag) for just over £100pp. There a loads of shared minibus transfer companies who will get you to/from resort for £60 return, which also means no parking to pay for. Then there's loads of accomodation in the resort to cover all price points.
latest report
 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.
Lots of good advice here - NOT hiring a car, NOT going to Val d'Isere and NOT staying B&B in a hotel.
latest report
 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Short weekends are definitely more expensive, but you get the benefit of going more than once and using less annual leave days per ski day ad you can normally ski both Saturday and Sunday. I always do at least one weekend a year.

Ways to save money from your figures:
1. Find cheaper flights. Easyjet and Ryanair are always my starting point and I'm paying £68 base fee this year. To include hold luggage and emergency exit seats I'm paying £137. In the past I've not paid for hold luggage and squeezed everything into 2 bags allowed when you pay for priority.

2. Your transfer costs are expensive. Shared bus (which is the same as you would be getting with Crystal) is much cheaper, maybe €50 pp each way. Also, rent a cheaper car, skis can fit up the middle between the seats or across the back with seats down.

3. Accommodation. Depends on what your desires are. Are you looking to save more money or just a bit for the same type of accommodation? Renting a self catered apartment direct from the owner is often the cheapest way but here is smaller B&Bs which might suit as well. You could probably find something for £500 a person or maybe even less depending on location and time of year. So many options out there for you to look at.
snow conditions
 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@Sainter, you just need to rethink your strategy. For a start don't attempt to recreate your Crystal holiday.
It's an awfully long drive up the mountain from Moutiers to VT. And £75 is a lot for a weeks parking.
You can park for free where I go in Serre Chevalier. Flights to Turin (or Grenoble) are quite reasonable but their convenience will depend on where you live in the UK. There are direct public transfers from the airport to all of the Serre Chevalier villages available on Sat and Sun for around 50€ return. Car hire is reasonably priced should you decide on a short break.
ski holidays
 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.
The flip side to NOT hiring a car is that for a shorter trip you do want to maximise ski time, so unless there are very good train or bus links, a hire car will more than pay for itself in time effectiveness.



@Sainter, you say "Flights including ski carriage, hold luggage 23kg" which suggests that you are budgeting for a ski bag and a hold bag on an EZY flight - but with them, you get 20kg allowance for your sports bag, so shouldn't need to pay for another 23kg hold bag! If 20kg isn't enough, then a large, 32kg sports bag is £42 each way (I think).
ski holidays
 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
There are two advantages to self-catering apartments: 1. It's usually cheaper than a hotel and 2. You have a lot more personal space and facilities to do what you want. As an example, our apartment is typical: 68m², two bedrooms, underground parking, basement saunas and laundry (which can also cut down on luggage). Price ranges from £775/wk to £1,175/wk in school hols. Public websites generally don't offer anything other than Sat-Sat but many owners will consider a booking weekday-weekday in the quiet weeks (better than nothing) i.e. you have to contact the agency or owner and ask. Obviously, you have to either eat out or self-cater and I appreciate that for some, this isn't their idea of a holiday. But if you're amenable, you may come to prefer the extra private space of an apartment over a hotel room.

So I'd echo not trying to replicate your Crystal package but 1. consider a 'satellite' resort and 2. look at a self-catering apartment and 3. see if you can transfer by public transport (it may only turn out to be on a par with hiring a car, but it's a useful option to have) and if you want to go weekday-weekday, then enquire directly to a few agencies/owners.
ski holidays
 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Quote:

For example if you switched from Val Thorens to somewhere like Morzine you can fly BA LON-GVA (inc 1 hold bag) for just over £100pp

The trouble with this is that it can cost over £100 just to get to London.

Quote:

£198 (this seems to be really expensive, boots and skis on a plane is now £37 each way!!!)

Not too long ago this would have been regarded as ridiculously cheap. I notice that you have priced over £150 each just for the transfer (not sure why you want an SUV - the journey is entirely on roads)

@Sainter, I think you have a lot more research to do. There are lots of other options. For example Gresoney is excellent for short breaks (lots of hotels and near Turin). Personally I would hate @Mr.Egg, solution of getting a bus or train an hour each way to go skiing, but each to their own. You might like it.
ski holidays
 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@Sainter,
Where are you flying from?
What time of year are you looking at?
snow report



Terms and conditions  Privacy Policy