 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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Don't go with a tour op....book things independantly.
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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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andybabes, only one suggestion, I'm afraid - any chance of working round the Easter holidays. I know they are all over the place next year, but if you can find a week when you can all get away, it will be a lot cheaper, with more choice. It's pretty late now to be booking for February half term. Flights will be a fortune. What about driving and self catering if it MUST be 12/13 February?
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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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andybabes, ferry to Zeebrugge?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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andybabes,
There is a ferry from Hull, plenty of resorts to drive to if you have a car, you can get inexpensive accommodation. I have booked the week after for our family and reckon flight, car hire and appartment in decent Austrian area will come in well under 1k.
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andybabes, another possibility is take the kids out of school, but I guess their ages are against that. With a family, a half board hotel can be an expensive option (and one we could never afford, with 3 kids, not that we ever went at half term!) because every single drink or sandwich has to be paid for at high cost. If you self cater you can put a couple of cheese rolls in a backpack, have a really big breakfast, and not have to spend much on the slopes. We also liked catered chalets for a number of reasons, but cost was one - we came in starving and thirsty from skiing (having been not spending money in restaurants all day) but could fill up on the "chalet tea and cake".
We also did several trips by coach. It's a long way, but it saves a useful amount of money and gives you extra ski time.
It doesn't apply any more, but one year, when we were living in Scotland, we hired skis in Ayr because it was cheaper than hiring in Austria. But we decided to economise on the bags. My son was mortified when everyone else had their cool ski bags and ours were wrapped in a pink candlewick bedspread! But it made them easy to pick out on the carousel. I told him if he wanted to use his holiday spending money to hire a ski bag he was welcome...
But whatever you do a ski holiday ain't cheap, and I never quite got over the sinking feeling of handing over my credit card to pay for 5 ski passes!
Erna Low have some good deals including ferry crossings, even at half term.
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Just go last minute?
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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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andybabes, Serre Chevalier do a family lift pass for 2 adults and 2 children up to age 18. Saves the cost of a couple of lunches.
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andybabes, What's wrong with self catering? Hire an appartment and drive there - We do the Swiss alps in 10 hours. I've holidayed for 18 years with DH and then with him and 2 kids, in all that time we only hotel-ed 1/2 board catering once - OK so it was nice, but I'd sooner stay away for longer and self cater than pay for a package holiday and only get 1/2 the time away.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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andybabes, www.rocketski.com do kid rates up to age 16 - my friends have just booked with them and saved about £400 a head on what they expected to pay. www.equityski.co.uk do all-in packages which include lift pass and equipment hire, looking quite cheap. Disadvantage is that they have a large schools division, so may not have availability for half term.
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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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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
| Just go last minute? |
Risky at half term.
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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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| Quote: |
Booking independantly isnt always a cheaper option
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It usually is at half term though, that's when they make their money.
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Poster: A snowHead
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T Bar, I agree, it is nearly always a cheaper option in any of the kids holidays, but especially half-term.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I've just booked a Half Term trip for a group of 8. I live near Manchester and struggled to find flights available or at a reasonable price. So we've booked flights from Stansted to Turin with Ryanair at a little over £200 each. This has worked out cheaper than taking a charter flight from Manchester at over £300 each, even with petrol and car parking. Easyjet also fly to Turin from Luton.
Then I've booked the rest with a company called Ski Etoile www.skietoile.co.uk who specialise in Montgenevre.
All in all with flights, transfers, self catering accommodation, evening meals in a local restaurant, equipment hire and lift passes, the holiday is around £750 per person. This is a great price for Half Term.
Why not try this if you are prepared to drive to Stansted or Luton?
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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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Rocketski (as mentioned above) coming in at about £700 for Manchester flight, transfer and half board in their clubhotel in Vars that same week. If you're lookng at any package operator for that week you should book sooner rather than later though - last minute availability is likely to be scarce.
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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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Is North America out of the question?
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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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Winterhighland, it is if he thinks £3000 is expensive for four adults in peak half term week. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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750 pounds per person!? For a week holiday?! 
I could go to Jackson Hole all inclusive for 10-12 days at that price per person :/
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Timmaah, Where would you be staying in JH at that price ?
and how many days would you ski for am interested as I am off there myself in a couple of months and would like the budget to go as far as possible ?
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http://www.jacksonholewy.com/ was the site I checked about going to JH in the summer. Back then the prices were lower than 750 pounds.
Just checked now and it comes to about 880 pounds for lodging/ski tickets for 7 days/flights from heathrow. Still though.. 8 nights in Jackson Hole >>>> week in Europe.
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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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Les Arcs February holiday (setting out Friday tea-time from London would give 8 days skiing) - based in Bourg St Maurice -(just an easy lift up from the valley to the skiing):
Eurostar/French couchette £126 (if bought as soon as available). Hotel half board £161 (La Petite Auberge - very nice - very short bus ride or very long walk to the lift - or you can stay more centrally in BSM) . Plus reduced lift pass from the hotel (and ski hire and ski school if you need them). Plus lunches and drinks of course and Metro or taxi in Paris.
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Mon 15-10-07 12:27; edited 1 time in total
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Timmaah, in the Alps prices are (literally) at least double in winter. I bet it is similar in the US.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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snowball, You misunderstood me, i checked in the summer for going to JH over the new year period. 
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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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andybabes, Panorama Holidays have s/c for £325 pp ex manchester on 9th February in Livigno.
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I've organised a trip for 8 people to les arcs this Feb half term (3 teachers in the group).
We fly from Manchester to Lyon. Our flights cost £132 with Bmi but we booked a long time ago. I think flights can still be found for under £200 though.
We are hiring cars to drive to les arcs and that costs around £120 per week per car.
We are staying in apartments booked through www.myfrenchchalet.com They are s/c not half board but do look very good! The 2 bed apartments are costing us £894 each for the week.
We feel we've done reasonably ok for half term....as Frosty suggests though, isn't half term the 9th not the 13th Feb?
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You know it makes sense.
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smudger, £894 for 2 (presumably self-catering) as against my £322 for a twin, half-board (really nice restaurant). Of course my way you do have to take a lift up to the skiing.
Last edited by You know it makes sense. on Mon 15-10-07 15:56; edited 2 times in total
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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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snowball, £894 is for four people though.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Oh OK - I thought 2 beds meant 2 people. Its still £224 / £161 per person, though (with dinner cooked for you).
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Mon 15-10-07 15:57; edited 2 times 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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snowball, Add £200 for going for getting to London
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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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andybabes, my sympathies. Your kids are same age as mine. Presumably 18 yr old will be at university and 15 year old will be slaving for GCSEs, so suggestions about taking out of school not helpful.
Nor is the suggestion (mine) that you have got around to this rather late.
As you have discovered, both accomodation and flights are very tight over half term as half the rest of the world is also trying to go skiing at the same time.
This Timesonline article offers reasonable advice (and more sympathy).
Why not think about resorts outside the usual foursome of France/Swiss/Austria/Italy as in this Independent article.
P.S. According to my diary, Feb 12 2008 is a Tuesday 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Well both figures are without travel (I just had to alter the figures above: I got it right the first time but not subsequently).
Was £200 travel for 2 people? Frosty the Snowman? That would be by air I assume - by train it would be £126 per person, but you do get 8 days skiing instead of 6.
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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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snowball, No add £200 to your prices for getting 4 peeps to St Pancreas as opposed to some airport more local to Hull.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Robin Hood Doncaster to Geneva, £175 return, out on Friday 8/2, back Sat 16/2 (thomsonlfy).
Pick up hire car at GVA (Mondeo £200), drive towards resort, stay overnight in valley, then move onto your pre booked accommodation Sat am, lots of s/c available.
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So if you stay in snowball's Hotel half board £161 La Petite Auberge then that's around £1600 H/B plus a few bits and bobs. Where there's a will there's a way !
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Reason I asked about America/Canada is that in Kirkwood in 2006 we had a couple of Welsh groups and an English group for Feb Half Term (these were fairly sizable school groups) and they reckoned that given how busy and thus expensive half term was in the Alps, it was a better deal all in to head across the pond.
On the face of it Kirkwood's on mountain accommodation looks pricey, but if you have groups that can fit around some of the larger units and utilise them to their full potential occupancy it works out fairly decent, esp if you happen to be on the mountain on a big storm day when the road remains shut but the lifts are turning and the powder is all yours! 
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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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| snowball wrote: |
| smudger, £894 for 2 (presumably self-catering) as against my £322 for a twin, half-board (really nice restaurant). Of course my way you do have to take a lift up to the skiing. |
hi snowball just trying to find the hotel now on tinternet, can you really recommend it?, how do the lift pass reductions work?
thanks andrew
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snowball, can you pp a link to La Petite Auberge
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FAQ
[ have amended date thanks to everyone for pointing it out ] 
and Booking independantly isnt always a cheaper option 
