 Poster: A snowHead
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Boo-hoo the season is over, for me at least.
Next season I am unfortunately not going to be able to justify two weeks away, or even one, due to family issues (only for next season thankfully). Instead I am planning on going on 2 long weekends, perhaps one in late November and one in February.
I've never been on a weekend trip and was wondering what peoples opinion of this type of trip are. What destinations would you recommend? Although I've done most of my skiing in Austria, I'm a fan of Val D'Isere and Tignes so I'm considering the Ski train on Thursday night out, ski Friday through to Monday and return on the overnight on Monday.
Does anyone have any input or recommendations? I can ski pretty much anything on-piste but a progressing novice off, if this helps.
Cheers!
One season over, time to plan the next!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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gudo216, If you are doing a long weekend, why waste time on a 3.5 hr transfer. Choose somewhere nearer to an airport. Train seems good, but early and late flights take much less ti,e.
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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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Good advice, thanks.
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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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gudo216, fly in to Salzburg and ski Ski Amade.
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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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gudo216, but do bear in mind you'll still be skiing the best part of 4 days ... and some extra driving time can be a small price to pay if the skiing at the end of it is much better.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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gudo216, I've done quite a few.
Because you're not there for the full week, you really do try to be first lift to last with v. short breaks for lunch or ditching the brekkie. This leads to quite a lot of skiing in the days you're there.
Well worth it.
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Mosha Marc, what do the costs normally come to?
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Great advice thanks, I'm very much an early starter and am usually on one of the first few lifts up and one of the last down so I'll definitely be making the most of time on the slopes.
I've always booked through a tour operator, as these trips will be more bespoke is it worth sorting it all out myself or can anyone recommend a tour operator that does good weekend packages?
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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, I try not to add it up, seriously! 
About £700 a couple all in?
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gudo216, do it yourself. Prices are about the same, but you get to hire a car which speeds up transfer etc.
Also means you can stay just outside the resorts (if you want), which is cheaper still.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Mosha Marc, when you're on adequate wages you don't need to add it up.
If I had a spare £300, I'd be booking up this weekend now.
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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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Christopher, I know it sounded crap and snobby. But what I meant was I pay on the card over the course of a few months; as I book everything at different times.
I think i might not be as quick to book if I (or the Mrs) did the sums first.
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You know it makes sense.
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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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Have booked easyjet Gatwick-Innsbruck for May Bank Holiday, will ski whatever Tyrol glacier looks best. Hire car + flights + B&B accom = well under £200. I generally do a couple of long w/ends each season and they rock!!
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Poster: A snowHead
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By the time you've done all that planning and paid a bit over the odds, pro rata, for a long weekend, is it much more expensive to do a week?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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pam w, in cash terms probably not, but in time terms (work/family) it makes a big difference.
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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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pam w,
Cash rich, time poor I'm afraid 
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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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FenlandSkier, Hywel, you've both hit the nail on the head. Money isn't really the issue, it's a family/work issue.
Many thanks for all the great advice though.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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We did:
6.15 flight from Manchester Saturday morning. In Ski Amade resort by 10.45 local time. Pre booked taxi €2 a head
Late return flight Tuesday. 3.5 days skiing. Fantastic.
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pam w, I head out Sat morning, come home Wednesday morning, will get 3.5 days skiing, only taking 1.5 days off work, pretty good pro-rata or otherwise I think.
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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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I did my first long weekend this january to Les Contamines in France (trip report here - http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewpost.php?p=829305).
Was not initially convinced by the benefits of a weekend (see thread here - http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=823865), however have since decided that it wasn't proportionally that much more expensive (i.e. it is possible to do it much cheaper than i did it!), that you can get a similar amount of skiing in for less days Annual Leave (if you plan it right and get lucky with flight times) and you get to try resorts that are maybe too small to warrant a full week.
Similar thread to yours here (http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=828775)... haven't read it properly, but may have some useful stuff in it for you!
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| gudo216 wrote: |
Boo-hoo the season is over, for me at least.
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Not quite...we are going to do a May Bank Holiday Special and I haven't given any details to anyone yet. PM me...there's still time to squeeze in one more weekend I promise!!!! 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Myself and 2 friends have done 4 weekend trips now at varying times, with a flight out on Friday at 0600-0630, on the slopes by 1230, ski all day Saturday and Sunday, then Monday to about 1400-1430, then back to the airport for a flight around 1800, and home by 2200 ready for work the next day. We've been to Kaprun/Zell am See and Ski Amade (Flachau) from Salzburg, flying from either Stansted (Ryanair) or Coventry (Thomsonfly). Saalbach/Hinterglemm is also close enough for a weekend trip.
We've always found it possible to book Friday to Monday by waiting until about 2 weeks before, but as you'd expect, most places want 2 full weeks rather than 3 nights out of 12, and so are reluctant to take this sort of booking until they have no other option.
Flights were around £90 per person, return, plus £20 parking
Car hire was around €120 for 4 days, from http://www.budget.co.uk/, plus €30 fuel
Accommodation was €35-40 per person per night, B&B, sharing 2 or 3 to a room, so €105-120 total
Ski hire and passes were as advertised - about €80 for skis, and €120 for a 3.5 day pass
Lunch/dinner and drinks were about €50 per person per day, eating out each night
Total is therefore about £350-450 per person (less if you share out the car hire costs by having others with you), dependent on the £/€ exchange rate, or about £90-110 per day.
We'll probably be doing this again next year, and possibly twice, as my wife & kid(s  ) won't be up to it, and the other guys have non-skiing wives. Zauchensee, Wagrain & Saalbach would be top of our list, as being close enough to Salzburg to allow more skiing than most other places, but there are many alternatives.
Paul.
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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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ousekjarr, excellent advice thanks.
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gudo216,
- book flights as soon as they're released - if you can (and there isn't a huge marginal difference): avoid Heathrow, book grown-up airlines (they try harder to get you there), ideally BA/BMI (I know...) or the flag carrier of the destination country
- avoid school holidays - when you only have a weekend you don't want to be queueing - and if you need weekend only accommodation you won't find it in high season (or at least not that easily)
- go somewhere where you can buy your pass online (i.e. Chamonix)
- if you need hire cars get yourself on the frequent renters/priority queue programme. Can save an age at the airport
- go for minimal transfer times. You are on a tight time budget, no point squandering it.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
go somewhere where you can buy your pass online (i.e. Chamonix)
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or quite often your hotel/chalet or whatever can have your pass ready for you, worth checking at the time of booking accommodation
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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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London city airport with Swiss out 17.30 on Thursday to Geneva back Monday night on 20.30 departurec. GBP150.
Numerous choices. I've used these guys for these areas - all of which include airport transfers. Only thing is I wouldn't go in November or february. 1st weekend in janury after the new year is a good one as it is always very quiet and then a week end in early march.
lechaletholiday.com for PDS
stanfordskiing.co.uk for megeve
skiweekender.com for Le Grand Bornand
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Poster: A snowHead
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ashton parker, thanks for the input. I'll have a look at these sites.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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This season we did a weekend break to Ski Amade region of Austria, as per ousekjarr and Elizabeth B suggest.
Flights out of Manchester Friday afternoon, in resort for dinner at about 9pm, ski Sat, Sun, Mon, Tues, 19.30 flight back form Salzburg. This was based on Manchester flights but there are other alternatives.
We paid:
£60 return each for a flight
£50 each for car for 5 days
£70 each (ish, it was less than this I think) for s/c apartment for 4 nights
£70 each (ish) for lift pass
£250 each ish for 4 day break.
We did Hochkonig part of the Amade, but Flachau, Wagrain, Zauchensee etc. would also work just as well.
D
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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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| gudo216 wrote: |
Great advice thanks, I'm very much an early starter and am usually on one of the first few lifts up and one of the last down so I'll definitely be making the most of time on the slopes.
I've always booked through a tour operator, as these trips will be more bespoke is it worth sorting it all out myself or can anyone recommend a tour operator that does good weekend packages? |
We do short mid week and weekend trips to Tignes. Next season we also plan to do short breaks with inclusive transfers to Les Coches which will be any day arrivals...PM me if you'd like more info when it's available.
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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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Joanne Mountainsun, it's nice to see smaller operators offering this sort of option, and it may be something I look at in the future, but with Flachau being 70Km/40 minutes from the airport on an excellent motorway all the way, it's a real no-brainer to choose the Ski Amade region for a short trip, as every minute counts when you only have 90 hours available. Especially if the 2-3 hour transfer times are eating into your drinking time at one end, and your skiing time at the other, or they leave you arriving home after midnight with work the next day. Still, if I wanted a short trip specifically to Tignes, it would be a definite contender!
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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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Be very careful where you choose to go in late November or you might spend the weekend watching cows eat grass.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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As I said on another thread, the key to fully enjoying ski weekends (aside from such trifling matters as getting good snow, short transfers etc) is to pay for different things at different times on different cards and never, ever add costs up 
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horizon, too right. Book and pay for your flights in July, accommodation Oct/Nov, beer in resort and lift pass a month later when the credit card bill arrives. Almost goes unnoticed.
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We are going out on Thurs am, three days skiing, then back on MOnday. For me, it's only one day out of my hols.
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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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Deliaskis, may i ask who you booked the 4 day accommodation with? As I fancy this for next season, definitely got to try out the Ski Amade region...
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