 Poster: A snowHead
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Ey up all,
Well, I need some much needed up-to-the-minute advice and thought "I'm sure someone will have a thought for me to chew on!!"
Been twice to La Plagne in France in Jan and March this year so have got used to boarding (kind of) and me and the group (there will be 6 - 8 going) are now thinking of heading over the pond to Canada for a January boarding holiday.
There will be five boarders, one skier who's undecided on what he wants to do (board or ski) and a couple of novices. What resorts can you recommend for a varied level of skills that won't cost the earth?
I don't know how much to pay per person so give me some ballpark figures on what you guys have spent in the past. Most of us are prepared to pay £400 - £600 per holiday, per person. We ain't bothered about SC , HB or FB accomodation.
The main things we're concerned about are A) will there be enough runs to do, B) will the nightlife be decent, and C) we don't want mammoth transfers.
Has anyone found booking this time of year guarantees a saving or is waiting until the last minute the cheaper way even if it limits where you can go?
We want it to be a trip of a lifetime but are unsure on whether or not the fact that it's Canada makes it better than going somewhere in Europe! If that's the case, are there resorts in Europe that will blow our minds, for lesss money (and travelling)?
Cheers
Spesh
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Specialman, Whistler would be the best bet in Canada, I think. It's well under 2 hours on a transfer bus from Vancouver airport, has a lot of terrain, good instruction, good nightlife, and when you're there, the cost of the nightlife should be a fair bit less than you're used to.
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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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| Specialman wrote: |
We want it to be a trip of a lifetime but are unsure on whether or not the fact that it's Canada makes it better than going somewhere in Europe! If that's the case, are there resorts in Europe that will blow our minds, for lesss money (and travelling)?
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It depends on what you are looking for in a resort, but there are world class resorts on both sides of the Atlantic. Perhaps you should think about what kind of trip you want then find the resort that best provides it?
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Specialman, when you say £400 - £600 per person per holiday, do you mean all in or just the cost of accommodation and getting there?
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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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Specialman,
As said by rob@rar, I think you can find outstanding skiing and boarding on either side of the Atlantic. As for when to book? Europe you can almost always get last minute package deals in January that save a considerable amount of money providing you are not unduly restrictive such as having to depart from a regional airport. Not sure about Canada my guess is the same is true for packages but if you want a bit more leg room than a charter flight provides you will be better booking in advance for cheaper fares.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| SHello wrote: |
| Specialman, when you say £400 - £600 per person per holiday, do you mean all in or just the cost of accommodation and getting there? |
This is the key question - if you're hoping for the holiday of a lifetime all in with a liftpass for that price you'd better think of Europe. Banff may be doable on that budget but bear in mind most tour ops base standard prices on 4 adults in a 2 double bed room. Whistler with scheduled flights is almost certainly out of your budget even before lift passes.
The question about runs is an important difference with North America. All resorts are smaller in terms of absolute acreage cover relative to behomeths like La Plagne and much shorter in terms of km of groomers but groomed runs aren't really the measure when snow is good and avalanche worry not a factor for inbounds terrain .
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The price I've mentionedw ould be flights, transfers and accomodation - I think with the lift pass and dosh for spending it will be nearer £1100.
We really enjoyed France when we went in Jan and March but we got browsing the brochures and thought if we can afford just once to head to Canada we should do it. We'll definitely be heading back to France in March but somewhere a bit more 'exotic' (if that's the right word - hope you get my jist!) like Canada just seems a nice thought.
I'm not a jet-setter by any means as funds don't allow it (apart from the odd business trip) so I suppose that's the attraction of North America/Canada. One of our group (the most experienced) has been to Three Valleys, Deux Alpes and several other European resorts and he reckons they are brilliant, better than La Plagne, which he rates very highly, but I suppsoe it's that snob factor of France being just a short hop away and us wanting to go somewhere a bit different before the chance passes us by.
If we settled on Europe, where would you guys reckon would make the trip of a lifetime?
T-Bar, we booked our two european trips about two weeks before, getting all-in holdiats for less than £300 with lift passes. Canada will be loads more eexepsneive – I supose the big question is this: is it worth spending the extra money to go over the Atlantic for boarding?
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Specialman, If you can get to North America it would mean you could, at the least, see how it differs from Europe.
Whether it would be a trip of a lifetime wold depend on what you were looking for. Do you want mile after mile of pisted runs? Trois vallees might be best. Do you want a resort with a reputation as a party town? Several to choose from, maybe St Anton. Do you want a large resort with hardcore off-piste potential? Maybe Chamonix. What about a small resort which focuses on off-piste? La Grave might be an experience of a lifetime. What about resorts with high average snowfalls? Some of the Colorado or Utah resorts might be good. Would you like a small resort virtually unknown to tourists? You might get some recommendations here. Would you want the resort to be chocolate-box pretty more than anything else? Lots to choose from, mainly Austria and Switzerland. Would you want world-class food, luxury accommodation, fine wines? Different people have different things they would look for in a trip of a lifetime, so if you list some priorities from your group it would be easier to say what resort might be good for you.
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You'll only get a canadian holiday on that budget if you brave it out and take a last minute deal from teletext.
H and I did Canada on a budget this year, 1300 dollars for lift pass & youth hostel, 700 euros for a flight... didn't end up being particularly cheap at all once you start figuring new boots and Starbucks in to it! 
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Specialman,
I think if you want to do a once in a lifetime thing then crossing the Atlantic makes a lot of sense if you ski mainly on this side. If you are only going for a week though you may find that for half the trip you are too tired to enjoy the nightlife if that is your scene.
I'm a skier not a boarder so cannot particularly comment about boarding opportunities but if your trips have all been to France and you want to go somewher a bit special on this side of the Atlantic then Zermatt Ischgl or St Anton may all fit the bill for different reasons. None of them have a reputation for being particulary cheap and whereas prices on the ground may be the same or less than you are used too. You will be unlikely to get the kind of bargains that you seem to have had so far for a package even last minute.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Having a rethink, 'Trip of a lifetime' is a bit of a strong way to describe what we want for the money we want to pay. Talking with my chums we're starting to err on the side of somewhere like three valleys or Chamonix because it's A) cheaper, B) closer, and C) apparently just as good as anywhere else int eh world...
... after all, snow is snow when you're a beginner I be reckoning!! 
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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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Specialman,
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... after all, snow is snow when you're a beginner I be reckoning!!
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In which case I would definately book late on as that is the best way of ensuring snow in January.
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Specialman, Whistler has got the lot and would be a trip of a lifetime. Loads of runs over two mtns, transfer approx. 2 and great nightlife/Apres. A lot pricier than anywhere else in Canada but if you can afford it, worth it. You can get bargain deals to Banff in January last minute, circa 400 for 10 days but the daily trip to resorts becomes a pain and Sunshine has a lot of flat spots you want to avoid as a boarder. They got to be a pain on skis so . . . Banff night life rocks though !
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You know it makes sense.
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Whistler is the place to go, it's expensive though... say 3x your budget. Europe would be far cheaper.
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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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It may be the trip of a lifetime, but I did exactly this and now don't want to go anywhere else. It spoilt me quite a lot.
To the point, because one year funds didn't allow us to go back to Canada, we banked the money and used it to go the following year and didn't have a holiday at all, so that we could get back there !
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Poster: A snowHead
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http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=26322
Im hoping you can get to the above page on snowheads if not copy and paste it. I to had the same question, wanted a great holiday etc maybe Canada. Ive not booked it yet as Im going to wait till nearer the time and I want as much info on Banff as possible. Its going to cost alot of money going to Canada and is cheap (apparently) when you get there.
Every time I ask friends about Canada they go all stary eyed and bore me to death of how good it is, so I really want to try it as for "snow is snow" Im with you on that one as it will be my second time skiing, but Canada! eveyone raves about it!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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MFC, note of caution, it may seem cheap at first, but everything you buy will have tax added then you'll have to tip (I don't want to reopen teh tipping debate here - see the thread on tipping ski intructors), but as Nickski says, Banff rocks 
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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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Specialman, If you were to go across the Atlantic once in your lifetime, Whistler would be it.
However for that budget, you'd have to piece it together yourself (not a great hassle though) say using http://www.alluradirect.com/ for the accommodation, and www.flyzoom.com for the flights. Transfer for a group would be a hire van from Avis.
But...... Inghams do a great charter deal for Panorama in Canada - and that is very competitive, under GBP600 for 10 nights in Jan. A very underrated resort, it will more than suit your needs.
http://www.inghams.co.uk/ski/CAN/PAN/index.html
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I would say that Whistler isn't all it's cracked up to be, IMO there are better places to ski in the interior of BC as you are able to ski top to bottom without any fog, as well Whistler is very warm as far as ski hills go, even at the peak it's not uncommon for it to be as warm as -7C and well above freezing below the clouds. Panorama is nice, or you could even go to Banff, Alberta and ski Sunshine and Lake Louise (not quite the night life of whistler there).
If you do end up going to Whistler, make sure to book your flights through them (at the same time as your hotel/condo, as they are much more reasonable that way).
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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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snowmaker, welcome to snowheads. Whistler's deals on flights from Europe are not quite as attractive as the offers they have on flights within north america, unfortunately for us
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