 Poster: A snowHead
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A daytime service would be better for me, and something direct from London to Bourg St Maurice would be perfect. But the cost of the current daytime Eurostar service is prohibitive, and a bit restrictive as it only runs on Saturdays. Booking tickets to go via Paris seems to be a complete mystery to me if I'm trying to get a reasonable price. So far the train looses out to fly/drive on every trip I've taken in the last few years. It would be nice if this changed at some point in the future.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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In an ideal situation they would run cheap trains
every friday night arriving in resort early saturday morning.
every saturday morning arriving evening in resort
every sunday morning arriving evening in resort.
With return trains leaving on:
saturday morning
sunday morning.
Direct services to other areas such as:
Oulx (for Sauze d'Oulx, Sestriere, Claviere, Bardonechia, Montgenevre, Serre Chevalier & Puy St.Vincent)
Chamonix (Im not sure whether there is the infastructure for sleeper trains running on these lines, and Im not sure whether there are 2 lines so that regional trains can operate alongside eurostar services)
Cluses - trains stopping here for transfers to the Portes du Soliel (Les Gets, Morzine, Avoraiz etc)
Sion - Zermatt
There is definatly a market out there.
Grenoble - trains for Alpe d'Huez, Le Grave and Les Deux Alpes
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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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Christopher, All good ideas. email Eurostar with them 
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| Quote: |
Grenoble - trains for Alpe d'Huez, Le Grave and Les Deux Alpes
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If you want to get a train to any of those resorts you might have to think about laying some track first. 
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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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| Christopher wrote: |
In an ideal situation they would run cheap trains
every friday night arriving in resort early saturday morning.
every saturday morning arriving evening in resort
every sunday morning arriving evening in resort.
With return trains leaving on:
saturday morning
sunday morning. |
Let's go the whole hog and say Daily. London-Paris-Alps via Eurostar, one daily service at a price which is comparable to flight plus car hire.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Lizzard, well he did say "in an ideal world"...
However you travel, the Saturday bun-fight at the airports, and on the roads, is simply no fun. It seems clear from the number of requests on Snowheads this year that lots of people go for cheap mid-week flights and then struggle to find accommodation. For many people the answer must be to rent an apartment for two weeks.
This need not cost any more. The low season rent of a 2 bedroom apartment, sleeping four luxuriously or six using the sofa bed, is about £340 a week.
So, the cost of buying that extra week will be either £85 or £57 per head. It is not difficult to save that amount by using mid-week flights, compared to weekend flights, and you avoid all the Saturday airport and road congestion. You can travel out Tuesday/back Wednesday and have 7 full days skiing, or have a rest day if the extra days’s lift pass would strain the budget. Taxi transfers can be cheaper away from weekends, too.
In fact, if you were well organised and rented a place for 3 weeks, you could liaise with a group of friends doing a long weekend – a real bargain!
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Lizzard, Well it would operate just like it does from Bourg St.Maurice, Aime and Moutiers. You simply catch a bus to the resort from Grenoble station.
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Christopher, it already does operate like that - change in Paris for Grenoble, get on a bus. 
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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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Not cheap direct services though. That is what we were discussing.
I imagine not very many people use that service for those 2 reasons. I imagine most people fly to Grenoble with ryanair.
Im led to believe rail has much less environmental impact. Which is generally a good thing.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Christopher wrote: |
| ...........I imagine not very many people use that service for those 2 reasons. I imagine most people fly to Grenoble with ryanair......... |
Easyjet, here.
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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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Or . .
Finished skiing 3.30 yesterday (coach travellers get 8-days skiing not 6), skis back to hire shop, shower/change, load bags and ourselves onto coach - leave 4.30pm, eat sandwiches from chalet cook and various other stuff from the Sherpa, read book, watch 2 films, sleep, get on 4.30am ferry - have light breakfast, back on coach, sleep - arrive Heathrow bus station 7.30 this morning, unload bags, home in time to do first 2 loads of washing, open post and emails, phone mother with up-date of her darling grandson's skiing abilities, watch Carling cup and now about to sit down to roast dinner cooked by OH.
(Oh and for those who care, carbon footprint a fraction of that of flying).
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SuburbanSkier, my daughter just got back from a week's coach to Flaine, with Action Outdoors. On the way back, one driver ran away, when they were waiting to get on the train at Dover. Eventually got going from Calais with two French drivers. Coach broke down TWICE en route. Coming back, coach broke down irretrievably at Cluses. Tatty replacement not a proper overnighter. Such cramped seats that impossible to bend down and get water out of small pack at feet. Her very tall BF sat all night with knees round his ears.
Carbon footprint (which was the reason she went by coach) probably not too bad. But two grim journeys. I've done three Alps trips by coach - 2 with Ski Olympic, one with Snowcoach, all fine. I suppose planes and trains can get delayed, too - but it was bad luck to have such hassles in both directions. She has already written her letter of complaint... She has done buses round Thailand, Fiji and Cambodia but said this was, so far, the worst.
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You know it makes sense.
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SuburbanSkier, in my experience skiing by coach = numb bum.
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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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achilles, but is it any number than after a charter flight to Canada?
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Poster: A snowHead
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My experience of skiing by coach.....arrive in resort very tired, and want to sleep through the 1st day skiing.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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My one skiing coach trip (with Interski - a very good company I should add) took seventeen hours from Leicester to Courmayeur. It was the longest weekend of my life. 'nuff said?
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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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Considered travelling by train this year but the fact you can't book the journeys well in advance was a major part of deciding not to as being a teacher I have to go at those horrendously busy times of the year.
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AxsMan, the school that I travelled with last week set off at 8am on the Friday, and we arrived in resort at 3pm on the Sat. Ouch!
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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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Butterfly, We're going by train on 8th March. Changing at Paris & being picked up by taxi at Landry. Feels a very easy way to travel
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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pam w, number than an Air Canada flight to Canada. Don't know about a charter flight there. I was thinking about trips to the Alps, though.
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Not quite sure how you guys end up paying so much for Eurostar. We are going to Bourg, at Easter, 1st class all the way and return, (admittedly taking the least strain approach, and being as we are not at work on Good Friday, stopping off in Paris on Friday evening)
5 adults, 3 children, under £1600 the lot ( for the trains, that is...). Approx £195 each , including the booking fee through railbookers.com (no personal interest to declare)
It was less by about £15 each if we left StP on the Saturday morning, changing Paris again, arriving BsM at 1800, but we wanted a more relaxing start to the holiday, and we also get to arrive at ~15:00.
(And we could have saved about another whole £20 for going cattle - so that was a no-brainer...!!)
Personally, I find that damn good value. And, as it is our 5th or 6th time doing it on the train, one you can see that the family prefers.
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You'll never get me in a coach going all the way to a ski resort.
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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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Christopher, that's what I always said. But when the coach is free, and flights/transfers can add up to hundreds of £, then coach it is
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Christopher, I thought you wanted to work a season?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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pam w, I've just looked up Action Outdoors. Looks good - having got back this morning from a brilliant week which included first timers, I'm looking for half-term next year - 20-25 teenagers and parents - budget prices. Would AO suit us?
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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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Butterfly, apart from the traffic problems, did you enjoy yourself?
Oops  Now found your trip report
D'oh!
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Sun 24-02-08 21:26; edited 1 time in total
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Lizzard, I dont see why working a season would involve a coach trip all the way from the UK?
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You know it makes sense.
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| Christopher wrote: |
| Lizzard, I dont see why working a season would involve a coach trip all the way from the UK? |
you have a lot to learn about seasons (assuming that you're looking at a tour op)
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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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SuburbanSkier, well, my daughter said that apart from the travel, which was terrible, the holiday was exceptionally good value. Her boyfriend had done 2 holidays with them before, with no problems, so I guess they were unlucky with the coach. I haven't spoken to her in depth - she only got home today - but she said she might go again in April, but would book direct with the French organisation and make her own way there. When I get the details from her, I'll send you a PM. She said their tuition groups (they are both pretty good skiers) were rather more like guiding than teaching, she would have liked more specific feedback and focussed tution. All French language - she said it was good for her French (which is pretty sketchy; she didn't even do GCSE, though she is interested in languages and has had a go at Thai and Arabic) and good to meet and ski with French holidaymakers, not just Brits. They had a private room - the cheapest accommodation is dorm. She plans to go again, alone, in April (BF is doing a school trip) and would stay in a dorm. The prices didn't seem to be loaded for half term.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Christopher, you had better hope that, if you apply to work a season, the person who interviews you has not read this thread. They might question how well a young, healthy, person who was unprepared to spend a night on a coach would cope with the rather more testing tasks the season might present to them....
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sun 24-02-08 23:41; edited 1 time 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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Christopher, start by considering how much clothing, gear, comfort blanket nd other assorted crap etc. you need for a season . . . you'll not get that in a flight allowance
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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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As mentioned on another thread, we travelled to and fro St Anton last week by train, very satisfactorily. More skiing, more civilised, much more fun, greener and not much pricier than flying. I'd train it every time if poss. However, I travelled by train from London to Meribel years ago, pre chunnel, and I have to warn you that it gives you stinking hangover for some reason.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Christopher, the bigger TOs send staff by coach. This is the popular option, as it allows you to take more gear than just three pairs of socks and a mobile phone. People I know who have been flown to resort have ended up paying up to £200 each way in excess baggage.
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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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Butterfly, Saturday 16th we had three groups leaving Les Arcs
We left by car at 8.30am sat in a lot of traffic arrived Reims 7.30 stayed overnight left 8.00am arrived home Norfolk 2.00pm Sunday
Second group left 8.30 am caught Snowtrain then BR & taxi arrived home North Norfolk 8.30pm
Third group left by Taxi at 6.30am for flight Geneva 3.30pm!!!!! then taxi home to North Norfolk arrived 8.45pm (Paid by insurance company).
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| kevinrhead wrote: |
| Third group left by Taxi at 6.30am for flight Geneva 3.30pm!!!!! |
That's some margin of safety!
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kevinrhead, Train sounds like the best deal there, how did costs compare?
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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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rob@rar, Arranged by insurance company who told them because of traffic that was time they needed to leave, I think they arrived at Geneva about 12.30pm.
AxsMan, Cost us family of 4 about £750 fuel / tolls / crossing / hotel /extra meal. ( not incl any depreciation)
by train would have been over £1200.
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Each to their own of course, but for me can't beat driving - set own agenda etc.
Have always left Les Arcs early (before 6am) in peak periods and never had any problems
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FAQ
