 Poster: A snowHead
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Just seen about sleeper coaches. Now, I have gone to the Alps on a double decker bus converted to crude bunk accommodation ion the upper floor. But this looks rather better. Anybody tried them? I have my skiing travel booked for next season - but favourable feedback from anybody using this service could affect my transport decisions another season.
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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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We are going to St anton mid January in a sleeper coach, a party of 14 of us leave from a central spot in town next to a cafe for the inaugural breakfast and we arrive in st anton on sunday morning ready for a days ski. A great advantage is that we leave for the home journey on sunday evening after 8 days skiing arriving Monday afternoon. If you hire the coach you can take as many pairs of skis, boards, blades and of course clothes with you as well as as much booze as you want to consume.
For Devon skiiers this saves the exhausting 4-5 hour drive to Gatwick for a 7.30 am flght and of course car parking fees. Well, smelly feet is a risk as is snoring but at least you are sleeping horizontal. Of course this year we will be taking our parasols and walking boots as well.
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Sleeper coaches win on cost, but lose on quality.
Sleeper coaches cater for the low-end of the skitravel market.
Therefore, one should expect overall quality to be average or below-average.
Being stuck on a cramped bus with dozens of Brits for up to 24 hrs is unlikely to be the greatest experience of one's life.
Ultimately, you will have to balance the cost of sleeping with smelly, noisy strangers against the benefit of saving xx quid per person.
As they say, you decide.
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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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That is a surprise Whitegold, has a negative view about something  .
I've done an overnight coach to the Alps several times and in general it is not that unpleasant. The 3V is only 12 hours from calais and at least you have the option of stretching your legs and walking around (which you can't do if you drive).
I've only done the one with straightforward seats and not done the sleeper option though.
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I've done several coaches, but like Ray Zorro only the straightforward seats. There's more to be said for it than cheapness. The coach dumped us right at the door of our chalet, with our bags. No hanging round for transfers, no hanging round in airports, being switched because of fog, etc etc. And two extra days skiing. The journey is no worse than sitting in an aircraft seat for 9 or 10 hours flying to the western USA or Canada, and the lift passes a lot cheaper when you get there. Our fellow passengers on the trips we made (with Snowcoach and Ski Olympic) were Brits, certainly, but neither smelly nor noisy and the driving was steady and reassuring, despite appalling weather on one trip, with ice and fog; we passed a lot of accidents on the autoroute and I was extremely grateful I wasn't driving myself. I shall be on Saturday night, though... No doubt there are some "coaches from hell", maybe those were the ones which Whitegold was on?
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I remember going skiing by coach several times in the late 80s / early 90s. The trick was to try and be first on the coach in London and then get the two front seats on the upper deck so you had lots of room, a nice view out and no reclining seat in front of you. This would secure a reasonably pleasant trip. I think we went all the way from London to Pas de la Casa by coach which was a bit of a long haul, but cheap! As pam w, says it was nice to get dropped off right outside the hotel / apartments with minimal hassle.
I remember once a Crystal coach nearly forgot us in Meribel as we were staying in a seperate apartment block to all their other punters and Mrs Trenmold had to hold the rep hostage for a few minutes as I had gone in search of the coach and was not there when it finally turned up.
On another occasion we got stuck for most of the night at Moutiers bus station when the coach company went bust (Coach 2000 which was a subsidiary of Air 2000) and had to wait for a different bus to come out from the UK. Luckily I had a hip flask of whisky in my luggage which helped to pass the time.
We prefer the train nowadays!
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My only experience of an overnight coach (in Peru, admittedly) suggests that it's a desperate last resort.
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FAQ
). that may be a worthwhile investment 
