Another one bites the dust with this kind of skiing

A snowHead

It probably me its jutting getting older (and wiser hopefully) but I feel I kinda done with this kind of skiing:
- getting up 2am in the morning then drive 2h to the airport, one time I forgot my wallet with all credit cards in the car I parked at the airport and realised that just before the boarding
- tyring to fit 20kg ski bag and still paying £50 each way
- having arguments on bagdrops about boots can go separatelly every single time
- paying £250 each way on £15 supposed to be lowcost flights
- staying on stairs of half hour boarding because hey its lowcost airline also I payed £450 return
- having to explain what is avalanche bag to security for 30 mins every single time and why it cannot go "boom" in the middle of the flight (less in UK airports recently, but almost everytime on the way back)
- filming and photographing rental carts for a scratches and then dealing with crazy requests from rental companies (not so often recently)
- getting stuck on mountain passes on the storm on what supposed to be winter tyres on rental cars, broken chains, broken socks
- dealing with passport and personal details collection (especially in Italy)
- saving on transfer doing public transport, having 20kg skibag, avi backpack, skiboots bag and helmet bag over the heck, trying to get into full bus or boarding the train
- 100 eur cleaning fees on rented apartments, also we spent 2h cleaning
- having complains from host we broke everything etc (also its been broken before us)
- ripoff on skipass costs and apreski (also we do apreski rarely)
- parking on the lift costs (it was free everywhere couple of years back)
- waking up 1h before comparing to EU time, we wake up 7am (6am uk time) to be ready for 1st chair
- skiing in whiteout because we paid for the ski pass
- hurdes on powder days
- powder days madness where everybody wanted to kill each other
- offpiste tracked in minutes
- I rarely see smiles and happiness on people faces on the resort
- 500 eur/day guide prices
- destroying new equpment offpiste on sharks becasue of lack of snow and paying £500 each year for new skis
- paying 30EUR for 1cm of coreshot repair, its been 10cm core shot
- not paying 30eur for 1cm core shot and buying burning ptex stick, then ventilating apartment for 2h and trying to get rid of ptex dust
- real chance to die in avalanche accident, also everything tracked to the bumps on avi 4 danger level
- dealing with the fact that someone you knew died in avalanche recently, and thats not the only case you know
- dropping 5m cliff in whiteout accidently
- injuries are real, I lost ACL and payed 10K and 7 months for surgery
- watching forecast everyday 5 times per day
- watching forecast go 12cm from 1m just 1 day before we go and everything is booked
- constant lack of snow
- getting sick after 3 days of 8:30am-4:30pm not stop shredding full speed
- getting flu from masses of people on aiports/planes
- queuing 2h on Sat departure ion tiny airports with 20 flights in short time window
- queuing 2h on security checks and worriend of missing my flight
- 15 eur for a cup of coffee and a cake on the airport

I might find another couple, but every time I return home, and having 1k-2k less in my bank account, I ask my self is it really worth it. And most of the time the answer is NO.

A snowHead

If that was a description of my holiday i would pass as well.
Most things can be avoided though.
Even airports
Hit on bank account not so easy rolling eyes

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@ed48, good read and quite understandable at times in your written prose.

Not too sure I could go with all that, even self drive is more hassle than it used to be.

Even living out in resort we're wondering where it will all be in a few years time.

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I think its called getting old!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

It's also called stressing about things over which you have no control.

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Old age can be usefully conducive to NOT doing that.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

There are lots of ways to make it all a bit easier. We normally fly out on the Friday and back on the Sunday for example.

And I agree that stressing over things outwith your control is not going to go well.

There is little hope, however, without a reset of attitude and a bit more imagination/effort to manage your holiday in ways that reduce the hassle and increase your enjoyment. Doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result is the very definition of madness!

After all it is free

Take a year off. See if you miss it or not. We skied nearly every weekend last year, this year we don’t plan to ski at all.

Q1: Do I want to go skiing?
Q2: What do I want from a skiing holiday?
Q3: Am I prepared to compromise?
Q4: What's the cheapest I can do it for?
Q5: When can I go again?

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We very rarely do early morning flights, I dislike that middle of the night feeling and my wife is a first thing grump Laughing

. Always a more civil later in the day flight, starting holidays on a happy and un-knackered footing.

Catching flus/colds on flights really is a thing, seeing/hearing someone have a sneezing fit with no attempt to catch ‘the output’. We seem to catch a heavy cold literally every time we fly including now post a flight from Verona. I can see why people use face masks.

Costs. Yes, I know some here vehemently argue against this, skiing has got more expensive in real terms. But you can temper this through research, being open minded about location, dates and transport ideas.

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@ed48, Are you a Yorkshireman per chance? That’s some elite level grumbling Very Happy

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@ed48,
Do a ski season & get over it.

@ed48, did all that happen on one trip? If so I might give it up too.

You know it makes sense.

Costs are what they are. It can be fun for some to play the game of seeing how cheap they can make it. And for others it is just an absolute necessity. But complaining about how much it costs to get the the place you have chosen and how much it costs to do the things you have chosen to do is silly in the extreme. When I was young and poor I did it on the (extreme) cheap, and enjoyed it all the same. Now I am older and wiser (and lucky enough to be much better off), I don't try and cheapskate it at all. So reasonable times flights out on Friday and back on Sunday. Reasonable hotels to top and tail it. Pay for parking next to the terminal. Priority security. All those things are actually not that expensive but definitely make for a more relaxing experience.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

And all that was just the fun stuff!

A snowHead

This year:

- Stayed beside the airport, making a relaxed departure
- Went with a T.O and let them take the hassle and strain out of travelling
- Had 1m Snow the week before we arrived
- Got OAP discount on L/Pass
- Had mostly sun for our week
- A great time with my Brother and his friends from America and Sweden....who loved Tignes
- Very pleasant hotel, with great staff and food
- I did however, for the first time in over 50 years, get sick (Norovirus)

It was worth every penny that it cost....there are no pockets in a shroud.

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

king key,

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What a load of fantasy click-bait rubbish.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@Dr John, surely needs some links to be clickbait?

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@Hells Bells, gpwm. Reply-bait then. Yes I am aware of the irony.

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After all it is free

Buying a small apartment in a resort within a short train transfer from a well serviced airport nullifies most of your issues.

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@ed48, you're telling us that your off-piste decision making is so poor that you hit so many sharks that you "destroy" your skis to the point of needing replacements. And you make the same mistake every year? I find that very hard to believe. But if it is true, perhaps skiing isn't for you after all.

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A good chunk of what you describe is the reason why I'll probably never own skis in my life. The most I can ski in a season is 2 weeks (and even that is not typical) so rental isn't that expensive, and schlepping skis on metros, trains, cars and buses is a real pain!

@ed48, 10 seasons in and I’m doing ok ta, just the usual wear and tear and new skis every 2 years or so. But for this to happen to you after one week holiday skiing, every year? You were born under a bad sign my friend.

You know it makes sense.

If it was easy ... it would not be worth doing rolling eyes

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

@Jonny996, Buy a small apartment a two day drive from East Lothian and spend 4-5 weeks here each trip as you are retired! And I only bother to ski when it's not busy/snow looks good/weather nice Eh oh!

A snowHead

oh dear seems our opener is starting to feel his age reckon he must be much older than me . Im 72 and looking forward to the end of feb for our annual trip having been fortunate to start skiing when I was 12 and only missed a couple of years due to ,work covid and family since . However on some points raised reckon the way round most of them is to drive as we have mostly done since getting married nearly 50 years ago. Thankfully the chalet holiday, self catering, b&b times are a distant memory though s/c might come round again with grandkids but it wont be in a purpose built shoe box in france . I oft reminice about the week going by air to sauze d oulx for £69 pp in a room only with a shared bathroom above what was then the scotch bar on bed only basis as that was all we could afford back then( late 70s ). Looking back each and every one of our trips have been fun/enjoyable and weve never yet come back saying that will be the last time or asking wether it was worth it ,ho ho

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I see the ones who started skiing at younger age, enjoy skiing more, its probably returning them to sensations of joy and happiness of younger age.

Ive started skiing at age of 40, its different to me.

Everyones skiing is different, half of the issues is coming from the fact that we are skiing offpiste and going last minute for the forecast, we book whats available last minute, not the nicest flight times and accommodation, typically we arrive when storm is starting, could be challenging conditions on the roads, bad visibility for couple of days, etc

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Sounds like you are approaching it a bit manically.

Last minute powder trips are great but they are a LOT of work and planning and forecast checking and last minuting, and then risk as to whether the snow will actually be good (it often isn't even when a lot falls). Then avy risk.... Its all mentally exhausting.

As a change you should just go on a pre booked piste trip. Piste skiing is massively underrated by powder seekers. Aim for a trip that is as focussed on food, wellness and nice accomodation as conditions.

Also, much of the stress above seems to come from skis. Not sure its worth it. You get to try a broad range of skis when renting. I do 4 day trips out of a 10KG carry on with my boots stuffed with clothes.

Starting point of all trip selection should also be the flight. No red eyes. Aim for a resort transfer time of two hours or less and try to avoid arriving into resort late at night. Consider having lazy day on last day rather than skiing then driving to airport.

There is so much to love in skiing, let it shine

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Look at weather forecasts (to avoid possibly wasting skipass on whiteout days; or buy daily pass)
Book late
Book a comfortable apartment
Drive, not fly
Do an overnight stop en route
Chill - you're on holiday

This knocks out most of your problems.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Take up snowboarding; a new challenge, you’re always learning, it doesn’t matter about chasing conditions, just have a holiday that’s enjoyable and enriching

After all it is free

We used to do multiple one week trips, self drive, 8 days skiing in each week - hard work.
After my redundancy we worked seasons in the Alps, and the occasional non working season.
Now we ski alternate years, our best skiing is probably behind us, because we don't train and instruct on the dry slope anymore, but a month or six weeks in one hit is far less stressful than individual trips.

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It would probably be cheaper to book a bunch of speculative flights very early, and bin the ones you don't need. Or book BA refundable tickets for about £250 return in advance, and cancel if the snow's now good.

I don't get why you're spending money on a rental car and a transfer bus.

Help!!

Another one bites the dust with this kind of skiing

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