 Poster: A snowHead
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Whatsup! First post here.
29 M. I’m looking to ski the entire month of February 2023 and wondered how solo peeps who stayed long term or for full seasons managed.
Airbnbs literally anywhere seem too expensive, but seem better than a hostel/lodge since I can save up on meals.
There have to be places to stay for a month for under $1k right? Where do I find these? Where do all the resort staff sleep? Anyone have a room to share?
Austria, and France seem like the ideal places to go for solo skiers given the apres scene but open to literally anywhere.
Any info welcome! Thanks!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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My first suggestion would be to avoid February.
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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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Far too late for this season. The sorts of shoeboxes used for resort staff will be pretty much permanently booked up by employers who provide it as part of the package, and are not generally available for the public to book. Exceptions will exist, of course, but anyone doing a season will already be there and none of these types of place are ever likely to be available for just the busy high season period.
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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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| rjs wrote: |
| My first suggestion would be to avoid February. |
Why? Too busy? Or snow not as good as in Jan?
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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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| Chaletbeauroc wrote: |
| Far too late for this season. The sorts of shoeboxes used for resort staff will be pretty much permanently booked up by employers who provide it as part of the package, and are not generally available for the public to book. Exceptions will exist, of course, but anyone doing a season will already be there and none of these types of place are ever likely to be available for just the busy high season period. |
 Well I appreciate the dose of reality. I still have hope that some exception may appear haha
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Luiski93 wrote: |
| rjs wrote: |
| My first suggestion would be to avoid February. |
Why? Too busy? Or snow not as good as in Jan? |
Busy - Major school holidays during 3 of the 4 weeks of feb. So it is peak season.
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| Gored wrote: |
| Luiski93 wrote: |
| rjs wrote: |
| My first suggestion would be to avoid February. |
Why? Too busy? Or snow not as good as in Jan? |
Busy - Major school holidays during 3 of the 4 weeks of feb. So it is peak season. |
And therefore higher prices and much lower chance of availability.
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@Luiski93, Had a look round the usual suspects such as Hostels in Bourg St Maurice and similar venues. Can't find anything in your price range for Feb '23. Not really a surprise for all the reasons stated above. I think you need to switch dates to March too. You're not missing much at the moment and Feb best avoided.
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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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I stayed here in Chamonix for a full season at your age, pretty cheap and basic with dorms and a couple of private rooms but a good spot to meet people to ski with and 25 yards from the brevent telepherique, if there's availability - https://www.hostel-skistation-chamonix.com/contact
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@Luiski93 If you want to do Verbier, Switzerland, on the cheap, you might see if there's space available at the Mt.Fort Swiss Lodge hostel in Le Chable. This is in the same building as the télépherique up to Verbier from the Le Chable train station down on the valley floor, so it's got good train access from Geneva airport, with a change at nearby Martigny. The gondola up to Verbier is open from early morning to late evening. If this is a bit basic for you, there is other accommodation in Le Chable as well. The SBB has a train timetable - set from as 'Genève-Aéroport' and to as 'Le Châble VS, gare' or 'Verbier (télécabine)' if you're looking in Verbier.
[Addendum: The Mt.Fort Swiss Lodge site says the daily b+b rate is CHF 75 ($81) 6.Feb-6.March so that's $2,430 for 30 days. Ummm. So way outside your budget, I think. And that's really the cheapest rack rate you'll find. However, there may be something reasonable up in Verbier (see the Verbier website's Accommodation pages or contact the Tourism Office directly). A studio owner may be willing to give you a discount for 4 weeks guaranteed booking. So perhaps worth asking the TO. Might just be worth emailing the Mt.Fort Lodge to see if they'll do you a discount on 4 weeks as well.]
Today, CHF 100 was US$ 108. If you use the train, the best advance ticket is the Saver Day Pass which allows travel anywhere any time on a specific day, and is bookable 60 days or less in advance. Currently about CHF 56 (US$61) but the price rises the later you leave it before the date of travel, so best to jump in and book it as soon as you hit the 60-day point. Don't get it mixed up with various other 'saver' and 'day' passes.
The Four Valleys (Quatre Vallées) has a nominal 400Kms (250 miles) of pistes and excellent off-piste areas as well. But realistically, the satellites of Nendaz and Veysonnaz are a bit distant and for someone in Le Chable, La Tzoumaz or the hub of Verbier, it's more like 200Kms of comfortably- accessible pistes unless you want to spend half the day getting out and back to the furthest reaches.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Luiski93, 1000$ for a room for a month in Febuary looks very tough to me. Even Borovets is coming in at 2000€ a month. TBH I don't think it can be done.
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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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| Quote: |
There have to be places to stay for a month for under $1k right?
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Lots, but not in a ski resort in high season. I have a lodger who lives here permanently, not in a ski resort, just in a regular town and he pays £550 a month for his room.
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You know it makes sense.
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| LaForet wrote: |
| Switzerland, on the cheap |
A contradiction in terms, surely!! 
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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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| luigi wrote: |
| LaForet wrote: |
| Switzerland, on the cheap |
A contradiction in terms, surely!! |
This cliché gets a bit tedious. It all depends on your trip criteria. Definitely, ski instruction is much more expensive, but the rest is a case of ‘not necessarily’. You probably do have to check prices before you walk into a restaurant for an evening meal, but that’s no different to Vail or Courcheval 1850 in my experience.
I sympathise with @Luiski93 in thinking somewhere in the Alps should surely be do-able on their budget, but the latter half of February anywhere in Europe usually includes 2 weeks of school half-term and that’s a real challenge. From next week (7 Jan ‘23) for 4 weeks inclusive would be the ideal time in terms of cost, quieter pistes and snow. Perhaps 5 weeks (to include 4-11 Feb) in some places. This is a ‘weak’ period for owners renting, so they will be more amenable to a single booking at a discount because bookings are more uncertain.
If you don’t get anywhere with your search for this year, then don’t give up on the idea especially if you can shift the vacation to 2024. If you do that, just make sure your target is the period from the week after New Year to the first/second week of February.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Can't see a 'save thread' option on SH (is there one?), so am commenting so I can find this again to refer back to! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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A few days late to this party but....
Have you looked in to joining seasonnaire groups of specific resorts?
For example, seen a post on the Tignes group advertising a bed in an apartment with one other in the Home Club building via tignes-apartments.com at €600 a month.
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