 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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Specialman, Ive done about 15 short breaks now (anything from 1 - 4 days).
In terms of cost, a 2/3/4 day DIY break will be more expensive than a last minute cheapie week being sold off by a TO.
One area that you lose on short breaks is the transfer. For a weekend you want it to be quick, which means that you end up hiring a car, which can cost more than the flights. You definitely want to minimise the transfer costs if you can.
A good option for late Nov/Dec may be Obertauern, 1 hour from Salzburg. I'm not sure if the shuttle will be operating then, but it was only €39 per person when I did it last season. If there is insufficient snow there, Kaprun is about the same journey time, or Hintertux would be fine at 2.25 hours transfer (which I've done a few times).
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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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Sounds like the PSB would be a good starter for 10?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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PSB plus a weekend in Scotland 
easyjet do Bristol to Inverness flights
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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, do your normal trip and the EoSB.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Specialman, late November you want a glacier for sure. PSB one option. Tignes another. Neither has particularly easy transfers (nor in fairness particularly length). In January you have (we hope) much more option. For France - book your flights asap, look at Geneva or Lyon (or Grenoble or Chambery if you can) - GVA gets you the Portes du soleil, Chamonix, Flaine, Megeve, etc all within about an hour. You may find that if you get the timings right you can take a bus. Or a train.
Can't help on Austria. Italy worth a look. We've sneaky weekended to Champoluc, Morzine and Chamonix lots. Tignes a few times. Muerren a bit. LDA twice. Cortina once. Bacqueira once (long transfer, inconvenient flights).
Out of Geneva, avoid anywhere heading towards Verbier if your flight arrives anytime near Friday rush hour. Hideous traffic. Late night arrival fine though. Try and stay away from the last flights out though in either direction as if it goes tech, you'll be stuck till the morning.
I doubt you'll find a package of any sort that fits your budget. So DIY I would expect it to be.
Try Holiday Autos for car hire - although I found latterly that I was booking directly - if only to jump the queue with frequent renter's card. Most resorts will have reasonable priced 2* hotels. Just avoid any school holidays as they'll almost certainly scupper your plans.
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Car hire is a no brainer - try Sixti.
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Specialman,
When we've done this in the past we've booked bargain basement accomodation for a whole week but only used it for the days that we're there. For example
[url=]http://www.interhome.co.uk/buchung/listcatalog.asp Interhome[/url]
They also do short breaks. As hd says, it's possible to get car hire v. cheap and then you can stay in cheaper accomodation that's not slope-side.
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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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hd, that is well cheap. That have loads of locatiosn too for all over the alps.
marmalade, again, cheap as chips. Just right for me as a tight Yorkshireman!! 
PSB sounds good, but with the missus being a bit of a shrinking violet (plus here not even knowing I want to do this) I'm not sure what the chances are of making it. Sounds good, even though the Mondial du Ski is (obviously) not for boarders, but it's just a case of convincing 'her indoors' that we can afford a trip this year!!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Sierra nevada Spain £40 return from liverpool to Granada in Dec incl taxes then 15 mins drive into Granada £22 per person per night 4* B&B 25 min drive to the village each morning I have a cheeky few days every year with my mates as well as the family hol not the biggest resort but ok for a few days
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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, we've done a few long-weekends in and around Trois Vallees. Usually late season - FWIW we drove (from Banbury) as gave us the flexibility to go last minute and also stay further from resorts and choose where to ski. Saved all the hassle of car hire and transfers and added a boot full of cheap booze into the bargain!
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Specialman, cant go wrong with booking cheap flights to GVA as suggested by David Murdoch, then deciding where to go much later
from there we have had great weekends in Courmayeur, La Thuile, Grand Massif, 3Vs, Chamonix and always managed to find well priced accom, all of these places should be fine in jan
in france, for the late nov/early dec trip tignes or LDA would be best bet, both a good 3hrs from GVA i think
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You know it makes sense.
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Boris, was looking at the TV for our main trip in Feb (Val Thorens) but that sounds like a good idea - could do a bit of recon before we pend 10 days there.
How long did it take to drive from Banbury and what arrangements did you make (ferry, times, stopovers)?
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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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Specialman, pretty standard for us was:
Thursday night after work, drive to Ashford and stay in Travel Inn
Friday AM - early crossing on Channel Tunnel. Is a pretty easy 8hour drive from Calais to 3V - we would usually be in hotel by 4pm and would be getting lift passes etc sorted
Ski - Sat, Sun, Mon
Tuesday - early departure and would cross back around 6pm, getting back to Banbury 10ish
Often did this at the Easter weekend which meant only 1 day holiday required. Obviously if terrible weather drive may not be this smooth.
Won't suit everyone and sure you can ski more in fewer days with cunning arrangements of flights - this worked for us.
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Poster: A snowHead
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As Ray Zorro says, weekend ski trips are for the cash-rich, time-poor. Do a last minute week in low season; with just two of you you could almost certainly pick up a package considerably cheaper than a DIY trip; the car hire at Geneva seems to be getting more and more expensive.
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Specialman, the mondial du snowboard should be on the previous weekend if you wanted to go out a bit earlier? Many PSBers are heading out on the Tuesday
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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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The only thing I'd add to what's been posted, is early flights out and late flights back - these will enable you to ski the whole afternoon on day of arrival and the whole day on day of departure, thus maximising your skiing/cost ratio. Salzburg to Obertauern and Kaprun as per RZ's post, Turin to Milky Way, GVA as per DM's post above to PdS/Cham/Flaine, Basel to Engelberg would be my tips for such flights based on last years schedules.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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i'd agree with the flight timings - choose a resrt that is 60 mins from the airport and fly in v early (easyjet to Geneva at 6am on Saturdays - can be on the slopes by 11) and fly home on a flight from 7pm (can ski to 4pm).
Budget about £25-30/day for a small car hire. If using Geneva Airport, hire from the swiss side as cars come as standard with snow tyres/chains and motorway tax
Had a great long w/e trip to Les Carroz (am slightly biased on this resort) last year - up at 3am for a cab to Gatwick for a 6am flight, land at Geneva at 08.30 local time, on the slopes by 10.30, ski all day, then apres, dinner, bars and the local nightclub until 3am! Didn't ski very hard the next day!
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A weekend from the UK typically works out nearly as expensive as an entire week. They are not cheap. You still have to buy a flight, transfer and accommodation, which make up most costs. You might want to consider a 2-week stint -- this gives the best bang for your buck.
If you must go for a weekend, try Isola 2000. Very easy to get to from Nice, with reasonable skiing and nuff sun.
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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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| Quote: |
the house needs redecorating, the windows neeed doing, the garden needs to landscaped, so on and so on....
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None of which are essential 
A holiday, for example skiing, helps your health in both mind and body
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Boris, couldn't agree more...
... although the missus might see differently!!
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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,
Flight about £60
car hire share maybe around £50
hotel around £90
dunno about lift passes
most people going from 30th oct (tues) - 4th Nov (sun)
now, read the whole PSB post and start getting excited .....
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holidayloverxx, cheers for that.
Had a look at easyjet.com this morning and got a price of £120 for me and the missus - good value me thinks.
It'd be about £550 for the two of us for the trip (flights, accomodation, car share, lift pass plus spending, or should I call it drinking money?), which is pretty good. Would be hard to find anything cheaper for a four-day stay methinks.
I'd have to sort out a lift with whoever's going from Geneva but it sounds good. Would just need to sort a lift to East Midlands from Rugby to save on parking... may have to call in a few favours!!!
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You know it makes sense.
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Specialman,
You can never budget for that! 
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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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Specialman, Have you booked then? There''ll be loads of opportunity to hook up with a lift at GVA I expect, keep an eye on the thread and for buttons
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Poster: A snowHead
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maggi, Doh!! Forgot myself for a moment there
holidayloverxx, not booked yet. Need to chat to her indoors and broach the subkject in the right manner to secure a positive response.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| maggi wrote: |
Specialman,
You can never budget for that! |
This is very true, but last year the Lutins cost us EUR 350 for the two of us, Tues to Sun incl ca. EUR 100 bar bill. I seem to recall lift passes are cheaper because the skiing area is reduced? And of course evening meals but the take-away pizza place opposite the Lutins was stonkingly good for EUR 6
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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, it is easier to think about Euros as 'beer tokens' that are non refundable once purchased with Sterling ....... that way you are not actually spending money 
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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FAQ
? ..... nah ..... 
