 Poster: A snowHead
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I am off to italy in a few weeks on my first do-it-yourself Ski holiday.
I have a car booked at the airport and am going to be driving to the resort hotel……..does anyone know the rules on Snow Chains?
I think that in France you have to have them….but what about in Italy? If the roads are OK do you still need them? If you were driving would you use them? Where should I get them from?
Would appreciate anyones experience / advice.
Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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rooney, welcome to snowheads, I think you'll find it depends on how far away the airport is from the resort. I know when I've hired cars at Geneva airport in winter, they've been equipped with snow-tires but I've always asked for snowchains as well. Your best bet would be to check with the hire company, it could be that hire cars in, say Milan might not have snowchains available but could have in Turin which is closer to both Italian and French ski resorts. You'll find the roads where chains or snow-tires are required will be signed, you certainly shouldn't have a problem with main roads only the access roads near to your resort could be tricky. You'll soon know if you need them, if it's icy snow-tires cease to work effectively. The hire company should be able to supply them for a small additional cost, they can usually also supply ski racks as well. Have a good trip.
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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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rooney, welcome to snowHeads 
Whenever I've hired a car for skiing, there has always been an option to rent chains with the car (usually at a small extra cost). I've never driven in Italy...but experience of Switzerland and Austria tells me NEVER go without them!! You might get to resort okay...but then a dump during the week means that you can't get back!!
In terms of driving, would I use them? If there is snow on the road - yes. They make a big difference.
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Been to Alpe D'Huez mid-Dec just before snowfall, thought we didn't need snowchains with the rental, decided to go to Les Deux Alpes while it was snowing...down from 1,800m to 900m in first/second gear more than 50% of the time, then up again to 1650 took ages, for the last three miles I was doing 5-6000 revs in first gear and moving at about 5-6 miles an hour. Made it to LDA, but just.
Get the chains, regardless of the rules.
(Disclaimer: I hadn't realised they'd have such crappy tires on the rental car).
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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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I was skiing in Italy over Christmas (Madonna). Christmas Night we had 40cm new snow and the authorities (Fire Service) were not letting anyone up the mountain above Pinzolo without snow-chains - with good cause.
I'd recommend to get some!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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rooney, Welcome! Whenever we've had a car from Geneva snow chains are in the boot and there's a compulsory daily surcharge for them....they won't let you out of the airport without them. Check with your car hire firm but I suspect that they all have much the same rules!
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Like David I have found cars at Geneva equipped with snow tyres and a set of chains in the boot all free of charge. I have always used Avis as they are an air miles partner (I paid nothing for three days hire except 1200 air miles) but def worth shoppping around. A friend of mine who lives in the Alps told me it was "the law" to have chains but I'm not sure if he was getting confused with the neccesity to have them fitted in certain snow/ice conditions or that car hire companys have to equip their cars with them. Either way make sure you have some with you and a pair of either old gloves or some cheapy latex gloves are a good idea as its often cold and grubby work putting them on. you will not want to use your ski gloves.
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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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oh and don't do what I always do - put your luggage on top of the chains so you have to unpack at the side of the road to find them !
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Its my understanding that if its the weather is so bad the police pull you over and make you put them on. I've been on a coach en route to Livigno and we got pulled over and the coach driver scrabbled about on the floor for 20 mins whilst the immaculately dressed carabinieri watched, and no doubt gave helpful hints like 'you donta wanta do it like that'.
I've got a rental from geneva in 18 sleeps time and I've paid 5 swiss francs per day for the chains.
but good point check the boot that they are in there.
Oh yeah and fix them to the driving wheels - thats for all the ladies out there.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Frosty wrote: |
| oh and don't do what I always do - put your luggage on top of the chains so you have to unpack at the side of the road to find them ! |
and don't do what i did - take them out of the boot in the pick-up carpark, placing them carefully on the floor, load the boot with all of our luggage, then drive off without putting the chains back in the boot -  . We didn't need them and Hertz never charged me (as far as i could tell) but it was stupid.
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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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| Quote: |
Oh yeah and fix them to the driving wheels - thats for all the ladies out there
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Oh yeah, actually we "ladies" don't fix them at all. We get a "gentleman" (or any poor guy) to do it for us 
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maggi, thought that would wake a few people up! 
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You know it makes sense.
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Ummmm, please remember to put them on the driven wheels  . . . yes, I was that cretin.
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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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Masque, tee hee thanks for sharing.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I'm not going to contradict anything above, having been caught out without chains twice in the last two years: clear roads at the start of the week, then a big dump and persistent snow towards the end of the week. Apart from anything else, and even if you can just about escape the resort, it means hours of anxiety about whether you'll make it!
Last year, we flew to Milan and Hertz didn't provide the chains we thought we'd reserved. The drive back was traumatic and slow and we would have missed the flight if the airport hadn't been closed because of the conditions!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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What about hiring a four wheel drive with snow tyres? Saying this, I've just gone and bought chains for my four wheel drive, which has snow tyres, because our road restrictions often won't let you through unless you are carrying chains even on a 4x4. Although I have been told that if I need to put chains on my Jeep I shouldn't be on the road at all! 
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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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| Cedric wrote: |
Been to Alpe D'Huez mid-Dec just before snowfall, thought we didn't need snowchains with the rental, decided to go to Les Deux Alpes while it was snowing...down from 1,800m to 900m in first/second gear more than 50% of the time, then up again to 1650 took ages, for the last three miles I was doing 5-6000 revs in first gear and moving at about 5-6 miles an hour. Made it to LDA, but just.
Get the chains, regardless of the rules.
(Disclaimer: I hadn't realised they'd have such crappy tires on the rental car). |
Hey Cedric, we must have been struggling up to LDA at the same time, ( Sunday morning ?), I did exactly the same thing !!
Definitely getting the snow chains for next time...
Mind, we were rewarded with some lovely chocolates from a nice girl at the entrance to LDA 
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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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| pollittcl wrote: |
| What about hiring a four wheel drive with snow tyres? |
If the police are saying "chains", then they won't let you up without...regardless of what you are driving!
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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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To add to my previous post - actually they were letting FWDs up without snow chains - we passed one stuck in a snowbank on our way down
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Out of interest how long does (should) it take to fit a set of chains?
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Less than 5 minutes, but this season we've had a lot of practice, by New year we'd already fitted chains more frequently than the whole of last season.
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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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David@traxvax, I'm interested to hear this considering the relative snow drought this year. Last year it never seemed to stop snowing - or is it that you tend to be on the road just at weekends and thats when the snow has fallen this year?
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Martin, this year we've only had 2 big dumps this year, one from Thurs until the Sun night before Xmas which must have been almost a metre, at that intensity, none of the village roads are cleared properly so chains are needed just to get around the village. On the Sunday, our transfer day, we usually never need chains after about 15kms, before we get to Bourg St Maurice, this year we needed chains beyond BSM. We then had a further dump in the week between Xmas and New Year so on they went again. That makes about 5 times since the season opened on 12th Dec. last year we only used chains 3 times the entire season but we do have snowtires on our mini-bus and car from Nov onwards and they don't come off until April.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Was in La Grave last year - not so much the snow but the ice covered road down from our apartment was impossible without chains, old slush frozen into 3 inch ice on a steep hill. We would have been stuck without them as my car wouldn't even pull out of the parking bay on bare tyres.
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