 Poster: A snowHead
|
|
I booked up a ski weekend im mayrhofen start of March although it somehow ended up with departure v.v. early sat. morning and a return the next friday for 190 quid....ski weekends rock.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
ollski, that's a looooong weekend... 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
ollski, why the hell not man? - you must have been in MH by lunchtime Sat - dump the bags, strap on the planks and you're rockin? No? why on earth you didn't get home til Friday is, of course, your own affair, although having been (once) to that tirolean hotbed of bints & biftas and all things nice I can hazard a good guess 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
I'm a fan of the weekend, but I disagree about the weather issue... if its bad, because of the limited potential time on slope, you get out there and do it which helps improve your ability... We go to the same resort every year (Les Arcs) - we know our way around...great if it closes in, and Les Arcs has a good variety of terrain that can be skiied in all weathers. If the conditions are poor then knowledge of the resort helps in that you 'know' which will be the better runs to tackle on any given day. (on icy days, as boarders, we look for the more popular runs in the morning cos the skiers will have cut up the piste somewhat and made it more pleasant to board on ...)
Personally, I 'save' exploring new resorts for my week long trips where I have time to explore...
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Miss S and I just got back from our first ski weekend -- booked through a TO as we only had limited time to shop around.
It was disproportionately expensive. The lifts, with the exception of the drag through the village, were closed all day Friday due to high winds. On Saturday it snowed all day, so hard that visibility was down to about 20m and there was no discernable difference between piste and powder. Our return flight was re-routed, delayed, and eventually took off without half its passengers (including us) who were shunted onto a later departure.
In spite of all of that, though, I'd do it again like a shot. Sunday morning's skiing alone would have been worth it. The mountains, the scenery, the clear, fresh air and the snow -- surely this is what it's all about?
I'm exhausted, everything aches, and I'm still grinning like an idiot.
Weekends rock. Roll on the next one. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
snojito, Cool! It feels good right?, like you've sneaked in some skiing while your mates/colleagues struggle through another crappy January weekend at ikea/tesco/Upton Park. 
Where did you go, and who was the TO?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
i love skii weekends and have done loads. My first was with a company called skiweekends.com and it was my first time in the alps(previously skied scotland!!!). It was £119 and over easter i got two nights on a coach two nights on the slopes in the 3 vallies and two nights in a hotel. It was great, i found the alps magnificent especially compared to scotland. Since then i've done loads of weekend mainly on ryanair cheap flights. The best I had was also the cheapest over the last weekend in march a few years ago, with a £50 return fare a £12 a night b&b for 3 nights and £25 return train to zell am zee.I had 3 awsome days on the slopes and two equally as good nights out in zell, i returned home saying it was one of my best ever weekends.
The only downside to a good weekend is its all over too quickly ..... So this year im going for a week!(saalbach end of feb)
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
daveqpr, do you have the name of that B&B in ZaZ please? & did you have to do the washing up for that price?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
red 27, you're spot on -- the looks on your colleagues' faces when you say on a Weds or Thurs "I'm off skiing, see you all on Monday" is nearly worth it all by itself!
We went to VT, with crystal (so I guess I shouldn't really grumble about it being expensive )
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
| red 27 wrote: |
| daveqpr, do you have the name of that B&B in ZaZ please? & did you have to do the washing up for that price? |
its this place http://www.sbg.at/haus.ditzer/ and its called haus ditzer. its a long walk out of zell towards saalbach turn off, just opposite the lake and 50 metres from bus stop. Its BASIC! and the owners reminded me of the adams familly especially the lady owner and her son! But they were friendly gave a good breakfast and it was cheap! good luck if you go!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
snojito, ah crystal... brave man... BTW is your 'location' - 'Father Thames' Fabulous Floating Fleshmarket' - Canvey Island?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
daveqpr, that looks OK! room mit something-water & Balcony 15€. Lady owner and her son! yikes that sounds familiar.... Did you only ever see 'Mother' in silhouette at an upstairs window? 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Wed 16-01-08 17:03; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
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?
|
kewhoward, cool trip - look fwd to the post. I'll update the forum with my own jaunt to Cervinia - tomorrow night til Sunday night. I have a feeling it may ...er... rock!
that should be our motto - No faffing, No waiting, No bogs & No prisoners! Plenty of time to sleep when you're dead right?
Think you may have got your editing a bit wrong though... 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
Thanksred 27, have tried to make it clearer. Good luck in Cervinia and plenty of time for sleeping on the airport departure lounge floor! God save us from delays - especially on weekend trips
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Bad thing, ecologically. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
just back from a thursday to monday week end trip.
17.30 out of london city (so no time off for me) flight delayed an hour and a half but no big deal (last year the airport was closed due to the high winds and we flew out the next day)
Arrived geneva about 21.30 picked up by our host (Stuart -Chalet Shufu - lechaletholiday.com ) and driven to St jean D'AUlp area of PDS.
Fed on arrival. In bed a little after midnight.
8.30 taken to ski hire shop and driven to Ardent lift. Tickets bought and on gondala by 9.
Great day picked up at 6pm.
3 course meal
Repeated on Saturday, Sunday (but to Les gets) and Monday.
20.50 flight back on Monday so a full day skiing.
Home by midnight off to work by 7 - just about able to walk after four days boarding.
Already booked for next year.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SMALLZOOKEEPER, true, but then we have to admit that downhill skiing is a bad thing ecologically, un point c'est tout.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
ashton parker, that's sounds nice and convenient. Did you book the chalat last minute - how did you find that particular one?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ashton parker, nice...
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
I love ski weekends. The only real problem is the weather risk (I'll ski in pretty much anything but when wind stops nearly all the lifts for 3 out of 3.5 days - as happened to me in Chamonix one time - then you are a bit stuffed). I'd make a few points:
1. as others have said, hire a car - it's not worth being messed about by transfers when you are paying that much per hour of skiing. As you're hiring a car, why not make a virtue of it - pick a resort which is near an airport and where a car is really useful - Chamonix is the most obvious (I've finished work in central london at 5pm and been in a Chalet in Chamonix at midnight French time). How about Serre Che with a day trip to La Grave?
2. consider what you will do in bad weather - could just be catching up with mates over good food and beer but you might think about the quantity of tree skiing etc
3. flight times matter - sneaking in an hour or two when you arrive or before you leave is well worth it. That trip to Chamonix gave me 3 hours of bluebird powder skiing on the day we left - probably worth as much as four days of ordinary conditions
4. having your own kit helps - is it really worth getting down to the shop this afternoon if it only leaves us with an hour to ski? No brainer to get out with your own gear.
5. air miles are your friend! Worth knowing that it is much easier to get air miles flights to Zurich than Geneva. Engelberg and Flims/Laax are both in easy reach
6. you really can get some serious skiing done if you know you only have a few days...
7. we have young kids are taking them for a week later in the season but weekends are adults only - the logistics are just too painful with small children. Grandparents are the answer but once a season is the limit for us.
8. it's not cheap but to twist the old question - how many people on their death bed say "I wish I'd spent less money on skiing"
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
SZK,
re ecology - true but I've got to ask, have you been heliskiing? Would you not on principle? What even if someone else was paying?
J
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
A number of comments about weekends being expensive...
Not sure what people mean by expensive but my experience, I feel it is good value and generally day for day comparable to a full week...
For the past few years, we've managed a long weekend (4 days, fly friday evening return tuesday evening - 2 days off work, thou tend to stretch the meaning of being at work on Friday afternoon ) - cost always works out around £280 for four days, flights, half board accomodation and transfer...we book easyjet, stay in modest homely accomodation, and transfer in hire car shared between 4. £70 per day of skiing.
A weeks holiday, well not sure what you guys pay, but the last few I've been on start pushing for the week £550 (£91 per days skiing if you thinks its 6 days you get in a week) having crept up over the past few years (this for chalet hotel type accomodation which we always tend to book in advance, so no late deals, just early bird and group discounts)
Lift pass, lunches, beer etc all cancel out as its broadly the same for a weekend as a week....
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
The biggest pro for me about weekending is the better use of leave - if I take 5 days and ski for a week then I get 6 or 7 days on the slopes - if I take 5 days leave as 5 long weekends then I get 15 days skiing.
But it's not only this, it's also that I:
- spread the weather risk - ski for a week and you get that week's weather; ski for 5 different weekends then your chances of all sorts of weather (good and bad) is better
- can ski harder - I can ski flat out for 3 days, but not for a week
- improve faster - I find that letting my body have a rest and "think about things" helps me improve.
Of course, flying 5 times costs more. But I moderate what I spend and book waaaaaay early. It's unusual that we ever pay more than £100 for a flight or spend more than £30 a day on car hire.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
zebedee, I booked it almost a year in advance. Used it for the first time last year. I think somebody mentioned it on here - maybe as staying in the summer. Whenever anybody recommends a place I put it in my favourites so I can find it easily again. Stuart actually prefers long week enders as he likes to have a day or two off between guests. The only downside tot he chalet (and its not a downside for me) is that there is no where to go out of an evening.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
I do a lot of weekends and think they are the only way to go ... am off tonight on my third weekend this season.
The most important points to me are to always fly in the evening after work and never fly early morning and always fly back after 21:00 which means if you take one day off you get 3 full days skiing ... can't understand why people fly early morning and then have a massive rush at the far end trying to get a couple of hours on the slopes before the lifts shut ... better to get to the resort at 1am and take it easy in the morning if you like than have to get out of bed in Blighty at 5am and only get 2 hours skiing.
Some good points made earlier about the ski harder/shorter stuff and going to smaller resorts ... the latter can be much cheaper as well particuarly in Austria - we had half-board accomodation in reasonably nice hotel in Schlitters for 15€ pppn a few years ago !
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| Quote: |
can't understand why people fly early morning and then have a massive rush at the far end trying to get a couple of hours on the slopes before the lifts shut ...
|
Why are people only having altitude sickness when going to the Rockies? I would think going from zero altitude to 10000' in a few hours would be just as bad...
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
i love short trips with the lads.. 3 nights.. 6 am flight out and 9 pm flight back .. to be honest ti tend yo go out sunday morning to avoid the crowds but i have the spare hols.. i even went with by better half last weekend , a tad more civilised with her and she only skis for 3 or 4 hours a day so fairly relaxing... my longest trip this year will be a week.. i rather split it into 3 or 4 trips than one 2 week block
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
A bit late in posting I know, but here's my trip report for last weekend. I was on the same flight out as magic_hat from Manchester to Geneva on Fri 11Jan.
We landed on time at 0915 and picked up our bags within about 15mins. But we had to wait about an hour at Geneva for 3 other people from the Liverpool flight as we had a shared transfer (booked for us by the chalet). Even so we arrived in Montriond just before 1200 and were on the slopes by about 1230 at Les Lindarets (below Avoriaz). The chalet we stayed at had pre-arranged our lift passes and had ski hire in house, hence the quick turnaround.
Fri afternoon was fabulous, warm and sunny and the snow was OK but turning a little icy.
As everybody knows by now it snowed Fri night and most of the day Sat. We skied all day anyway, not wanting to miss out on any valuable skiing time. Skiing in powder was different, only done that once before and even then in not so much powder. It was hard work and visibility was awful at times, but we still enjoyed it. We stayed mostly below the tree line in Les Lindarets area but just before lunch I decided it would be a goo idea to do the Abricotine run that we'd done the day before from the top of Pointe de Mossette. Bad idea! Blizzard, icy snow stinging face, couldn't see where the piste was, came very close to some sheer drops! But we made it down in one piece, albeit with me feeling very sick!
Then Sun was sunny again and all the new snow had been pisted so conditions were really good. We went over to Avoriaz and skied most of the blue runs in that area. It was amazing to see so many people off piste, by the end of the day every bit of fresh snow on every slope, piste or not, had been tracked. People were talking about this having been a once in a season opportunity for powder snow, so it must have been a large dump.
We came home Mon morning. I spent the rest of the day recovering - can't believe how tired I was! I was still tired at work on Tues but happy.
Cost breakdown:
bmiBaby flights £47 each
Catered chalet, rooms for single use & return transfer £180 each
Ski hire & lift passes £112
Total £339 (plus 3 lunches on the slopes)
I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend and I would do it again but perhaps I would try to get 3+ days skiing in. 2 1/2 didn't seem enough, particularly when you look at the cost.
It's a shame that flights from Manchester to Geneva seem to be all morning flights. Evening flights would be better.
Now only just under 3 weeks to wait for the family half term holiday - 9th Feb Montgenevre!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jo66, pleased you enjoyed it. have a great trip to montgenvre
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
Now we've tried that, I think it's back to DIY (which I've always passionately believed in for our week-long trips) for us...
)
