 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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rayscoops, when it comes to a big ski area and fairly snowsure and easy on the pocket Oz en Oisans next door to Alpe d'Huez is a great one for me. The gondola out of the village takes 8 mins to reach up to the mid way station of ADH and it is usually queue free I reckon that is quicker than you can do it from ADH due to the crowds. The slopes inthis zone are also free of the crowds. Now, when eating in the village virtually next to the slopes there are a few restuarants that charge around 11€ for steake hache chips salad and a beer - bob on! 
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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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Slovenia.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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rayscoops,
Avoid the large French mega resorts, IMV... particuarly the 3V's.
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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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whever you go, buy your beer in supermarkets, steer clear of bars.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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pam w, putting bar staff out of work in this global village of ours isn't the answer. A recession (and we're not officially in one) doesn't mean going from excess to starvation tactics. If you spent a grand on your holiday last year, why not spend a grand this year?
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| JT wrote: |
rayscoops,
Avoid the large French mega resorts, IMV... particuarly the 3V's. |
Recession or not, avoid them anyway.
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Bode Swiller, sure. But a grand will buy you a lot fewer euros, and getting to resort will cost more. Maybe lift prices will have to go up sharply too; a big part of their cost must be power. I don't feel deprived buying beer, wine and spirits in supermarkets. "Starvation tactics" would mean cutting down sharply on consumption of alcohol and taking a cheese roll in your pocket for lunch.  Or a roll without cheese, if you're really desperate.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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pam w, does this mean that French (nuclear powered) lift passes will become relatively cheaper? 
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pam w, what i mean is that you cut your cloth accordingly but no need for dramatic cuts. Maybe do what the OP is suggesting and look at alternatives.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Les Deux Alpes could be worth another look. I haven't gone out of my way to compare prices in seasons when I have been there and at other resorts - but it does seem a low-cost resort. There's quite a lot to do there - though beginners should look at returning to base by lift - indeed it can make sense for all when the slopes are crowded. There is some excellent off-piste. Mountain restaurants are not exciting - but there are a couple of good ones. And it has one of the best instructors around - our own easiski (yes, I know she has a bizarre taste in cars, but she is an excellent instructor  ). For added spice, La Grave is just over the hill. I had though of giving LDA a miss next season - but with the Euro exchange rate and the cost of flights to the States rising, it's back on my radar.
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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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Look at Austria. Don't stay in one of the big resorts, stay in one of the satellite villages that are linked by lifts or a free bus.
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You know it makes sense.
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Wot Elizabeth B, said.
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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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Soll
Passo Tonale
Livigno
Also imagine Andorra is worth a look
La Rosiere is pretty good value for France.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Compared to last few years I will probably be paying £50 extra for each return flight, £500 spending will really be £600, plus extra expense due to general inflation on accomm etc., so that means and extra £200 on the cost of a typical 5 (or 7) days holiday, which means;
1 trying to make savings and spend the same as last year or
2 cutting out one trip this year.
I think giving a miss, as suggested, to places like 3V, ValD, Verbier etc. is a good idea, and maybe heading to cheaper places like Stubai Valley or lesser known resorts or as suggested stay in small villages outside of the main resorts., and something no one has suggested ........ maybe simply doing a longer two week holiday over the pond with just one £450 flight, one trip to the airport, one set of transfer costs etc. all linked in with cutting back on pub/restaurantlife
Sooooo sad, so please every one talk us out of this doom and gloom 
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Thu 12-06-08 12:08; 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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Save on a lift pass buy skins 
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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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boredsurfin, but i board
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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rayscoops,
Snow shoes..
Bode Swiller, yes, I agree, they should be avoided but someone has to go there..if only to keep the better places less crowded 
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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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rayscoops, A group of us stayed in Radstadt last year in SnowHead Flangesax's place http://www.austrian-adventures.com/
I thouhjt it represented very good value, and the friendly help from the owners was much appreciated. Taxi transfer is available if there is a few of you for just over 20 Euros a head, and the journey is 40-45 minutes from Salzburg Airport. Some of our party went into Salzburg on he train ad said it was a very easy and very cheap journey. The ski bus stop is 100 metres away and in 10 mins you are deposited at the deserted new 8 man gondola station that whisks you up 900 metres. The local hill is very pleasant, but ski accross to Altenmarkt and the free bus gets you to the excellent Zauchensee and thus Flachauwinkelhof. The post bus system gets one to all the local resorts that are covered under the area pass. Flachau, Wagrain & Schladming being the better know ones. Large beer €3, good value food in lovely mountain huts, and in an evening the town of Radstadt has some nice restaurants and cheap restaurant within 10 mins walk of the B&B. Add in the best lift sytem I have ever encountered and WE shall certainly be returning. Half the price of the big French resorts.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Thu 12-06-08 11:51; edited 1 time in total
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Is there an echo in here or has Frosty got doubleitous?
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[not pimping] we tend to s/c if we want to save money:
don't have to eat out every night
have a massive fridge for food and drinks so don't spend as much in bars (although we do still go to them!)
can take drinks and snacks up the hill more easily so can be frugal in mountain restaurants if necessary
if you fill all the beds in a s/c apartment they can be really really really cheap
Another thing we notice is that an apartment with all its facilities can feel more comfortable than a hotel room, which means you don't tend to go out just for the sake of it, for something to do. Some of my best apres-ski moments last year were with 10 of our closest pals in their apartment drinking plentiful beer from the supermarket, eating fabulous food, all costing us very little. If we had been in a hotel or even B&B, we would have had to have done this in a bar/restaurant. Not suggesting never going to bars, just that s/c offered us more options with what to do with our time and how to spend our money.
[/not pimping]
I agree that there is no need to 'go from excess to starvation', but for some people it is a very simple question - do I want to ski twice this year and do it on a tighter budget, or do I want to blow my budget on one trip. I for one would always choose to ski more and pay less for each trip, but each to their own. I've only ever once been in the position of having to take butties up the mountain for lunch, when I was unemployed over one Christmas holiday, and I would definitely say I am glad I went and watched the pennies, rather than cancelling (as at the time, going and spending as per normal was not an option). I would however consider cutting back in other areas of my life, to make room for more skiing !
Agree that steering clear of big resorts is a good idea, and there is loads of very good value private accommodation all over the alps. Smaller private renters in less well known resorts are also more likely to rent outside of the normal Sat-Sat period, so opportunity to make the most of cheaper flights on non-peak days.
D
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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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What Deliaskis, said. Our most expensive trip despite it's reasonable price was this years MSB, sim[ply because we had to buy every drink in a bar which was not cheap.
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Frosty the Snowman, sounds great, and as i prefer Austria I might well give it a go, but I (like others) generally have to fly from Cardiff/Bristol so sometimes certain resorts are not on the list. I stayed in a single in a B&B in central St Anton in the first week of the season for £20 ish a night and it was great, but maybe I should go to a lower altitude village with a good lift system as suggested by many.
I think people will be watching their pennies a lot more this year especially with fuel prices and exchange rates having a big impact on travelling
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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rayscoops, coach travel is cheaper than flying (and probably greener too). I have done several over-nighters and managed to grab sufficient sleep to be able to ski on arrival.
I am part of the team on Oak Hall trips and their cheapest next year is £198, which includes coach travel, 7 days on snow, chalet accommodation and three meals a day (not cordon-bleu, but good "mums cooking" type meals). That one is basic (they aren't all), you are expected to join in and help out a bit (but not if you went to one of their hotels), but they are great fun.
I know that the "church" aspect of Oak Hall isn't everyone's liking, but maybe there is a non-religious equivalent out there. At that price, it should be within everyone's budget 
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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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Ray Zorro, I think there are economical options out there and I feel I should explore this to make the most of my time on the snow, the Innsbruck area looks a good bet to me. it will be interesting to see if the number of Brits heading out to the Alps will drop off this year.
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rayscoops, if you have flexibility on when you go and there weren't too many of you, you could well do best to wait and do a very last minute deal at one of the off-peak times (early Jan etc).
I just checked out of interest, and mid Jan, Ryanair, Bristol to Barcelona (drive to Andorra or other pyrenees resorts) is about £55 return incl taxes (but there are probably still some extras on top).
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You know it makes sense.
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Ray Zorro, there is a £24 supplement for taking one bag and one (non internet) check-in - plus the ski charge to add if you have your own gear, which takes it well over the £100 mark I suppose
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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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The French hostel style places can be very good, and exceptional value, with lift pass etc thrown in. My daughter and BF stayed in one in Flaine last half term (teachers...) with no price hike, food was good, they had their own double room with balcony view (dorms are even cheaper). Mostly young people - in fact I think there's an age limit - and they were all fairly hard up, tended to buy beers in and party in the hostel. All nationalities, majority French. They enjoyed it enormously and came back promising (not for the first time....) to do more work on their French before their next trip. The UK tour operator they travelled through was fairly disastrous - three coach breakdowns on the way - they said next time they'd just book direct and get themselves there.
For older/family types then the points about about self-catering are very valid. Apartments can be far more comfortable than cheap hotels and I hate having no choice between drinking in my bedroom or putting a full set of proper clothes on, sitting in a bar and paying through the nose for every beer or cup of tea. In fact I have rarely been on a holiday staying in a hotel - I used to do hotels quite a lot for work and don't much enjoy them. I also think catered chalets can be good value for families; having to pay for every single cup of tea or piece of cake for a family is ruinous. But skiing is never going to be cheap.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I stayed in Lannersbach just outside Mayrhofen and thought it was very good value, we were 5 minutes walk from the gondola.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Ray Zorro, re Oak Hall - are they the regeneration of Masterski? I take your point about prices.
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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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Anyone know if the BOA have still got their place in Lofer? I only paid about a tenner a night there for half board, and had a great time....
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Champoluc Italy - fantastic and very cheap when you are there.  If you go mid/early Jan and wait for a late deal you'll pick up a catered chalet package for about £300.00 pp (flights transfers accommodation food and wine ski guiding taxes) in the French Alps.
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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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Try Italy, some nice hills, great food and cheap boozing.
Example, in Bormio this year we were being charged as little as 1 euro for a glass of red wine, 3 euro for .4 litre of beer in the town bars. Not a true example for total costs of the holiday but a reasonable pointer. Can't exactly remember what we were paying for lunch in the hill but it was 30-40% less than Alpe d'huez a month earlier!!!! and 30-40% nicer too....
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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As its not a resort visited by many Brits I've found La Toussuire in France a little more reasonably priced, ok like everywhere prices have gone up in recent years but they have a couple of pretty solid 3 star hotels with pools that are well priced and serve good food, they also have hostel accomodation at the other end of the accomodationwhich worked out at about £10 night. The ski area is pretty large too.
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Perhaps it's time for everyone to try somewhere or something different next winter. Stay in an apartment instead of a hotel, or change from your usual list of resorts ??
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rayscoops, Avoid the euro zone completely - at 1.25 euros to £1 which is the worst the exchange rate has ever been. This doesn't leave you a great choice of resorts of course which does mean thinking about eastern Europe. How about Zakopane in Poland link:- http://www.zakopane-life.com/. You could also try the Tatra mountains in Slovakia link:- http://www.vysoketatry.org/skiing/. This is a general view of the area - Stary Smokovec is probably the best resort.
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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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Radstadt !
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Head for Slovakia,Czech Republic, Poland, Romania,Andorra.
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FAQ
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