 Poster: A snowHead
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With such a sport dependent on Mother Nature I just wondered why folk in the UK take such risk by booking in advance ?
On continental Europe it just a case of checking the weather,ringing a Hotel and jumping in the car. Even with flying to North or South America trips are arranged mostly at short notice.
Over here its very much, if its bad conditions in Alps were to the Sun instead and maybe ski later in the season.
Any thoughts ?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We have to get off the Island! Whether that be by plane or ferry it aint cheap! Hence need to book early to get it cheaper!
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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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So if folk did not book early, airlines,ferry companys, chunnel would be forced to reduce prices !
Its not cheap either if you pay in advance and insurance wont payout in the event of green fields ??
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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The mid-way solution - bearing in mind Nade's point - is to book travel (dispensable, and sometimes refundable depending on what's paid) ahead, but not commit to the accommodation cost.
Forward booking for later season trips in high-altitude (or high-latitude) resorts is usually a safe bet, in my experience. It'll be interesting to see how Whistler, for instance, turns out in March and early April.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Mon 31-01-05 15:08; edited 1 time in total
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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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You can obviously take a chance and book late, but how late do you leave it. I booked my trip in October, to be able to guarentee, flight, accomodation and place on the course I wanted. My experience of St Anton last week that there was no available accomodation for this week, unless you were loaded or had the means to travel from further down the valley, neither of which I am or have.
I would say that I would probably leave it a bit later if I was going in March / April, but end of Jan has always been the best time for me, for cost and less crowds.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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It'll be interesting to see how Whistler, for instance, turns out in March and early April.
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My guess is the ground is to warm now for a decent snowpak to settle.
It will be interesting to see how they cope with a Financial disaster and knock-on affect for next season bookings !
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stanton, I don't agree with conclusion that the Brits are the only early bookers in Europe. Friends in our village who operate almost exclusively with French or Belgian clients tell us that they have at least 40% of their bookings by October. In my experience, apart from the peak weeks which account for about 20% of availability, we do not acheive that ratio by that date. IMO, Brits are leaving bookings later and later but there are a whole range of factors in play here, not just the availability of cheap air fares, which are not so cheap during peak weeks, but internet booking, the disatisfaction with packaged holidays and the realisation that with a bit of effort you can be your own travel agent.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Mon 31-01-05 15:05; edited 1 time in total
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you can be your travel agent.
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though you don't have to open a high street shop, full of clueless people.
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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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You're just skiting. And yes we're jealous. Mostly it's wot Nadenoodlee, says. And wot David@traxvax, says. BTW availablity does depend on resort. And the form of accomodation you're after.
And not forgetting a widespread British reluctance/inability to speak anything but English and therefore the percieved difficulty in speaking direct with European resort owners (other than by website) in order to avail oneself of their amenities.
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British reluctance/inability to speak anything but English
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Time to learn then 
Skiting, not really. Im just puzzled because you hear of so many folk who book up months/year in advance get all excited & then when the time comes can be truly dissapointed.
It makes more sense to me to wait till winter and to go where the white magic is.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| stanton wrote: |
So if folk did not book early, airlines,ferry companys, chunnel would be forced to reduce prices !
Its not cheap either if you pay in advance and insurance wont payout in the event of green fields ?? |
ha ha - yeah right! That would never work, people need to use these routes for business etc aswell so theyre always going to be able to pretty much charge what they like.
We booked our march ski trip last june as we wanted a specific hotel and flight. Glad we did because both sold out by October.
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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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booking in advance is also easier if there is a group of you going , (it always seems to take ages to get everyone to agree to where i want to go ) but also it feels less of an impact financialy
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I'm a last minute man. Book a week off work, get your mates to do the same, and decide a couple of days before you go.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Kramer wrote: |
| I'm a last minute man. Book a week off work, get your mates to do the same, and decide a couple of days before you go. |
Oh to be young, single and snotterless again 
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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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With school age kids (particularly when they're at the public examinations stage) you've got no bloody choice. We go in a big party that I used to organise at half term, and we have to book more than a year ahead to get what we want. It does earn us a bulk discount and an early bookers discount though, but obviously starting from a high base for the most popular week.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I do the "nearly" last minute thing - book a couple of weeks before d.day (except for a one-off when the husband insisted on a specific March week). stanton, Nanenoodle's hit the nail on the head. It's not just a matter of jumping in one's car and careening across the country. We on the British Isle would love to be able to always leave it till the truely last minute, but that strip of water's a beast to navagate pricewise. If we didn't book early the prices would become equally expensive throughout the whole of the season.
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Time to learn then
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Mmm. Wot I thought too. Wrongly, by all accounts.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Ohh and re: learn languages, you're preaching to the converted. Ive studied four foreign languages at school and university makes no difference to prices of flights though 
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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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Nadenoodlee, it does if it improves your income 
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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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HAving to go in school hols at the moment we tend to book one trip in advance, and the EAster trip last minute. This year is a little different, and I have to say I'm seriously worried about the conditions in Whistler. Friends who always go in mid March told me it would be fine!!!! Not a lot I can do though as I don't think I can change the flights.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Friends who always go in mid March told me it would be fine!!!!
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It normally is. This is a freak year. You would normally expect the gound with good perma frost & a base of 1-2 Metres at village level by now. Wouldnt be surprised if the Bears are out of hibernation early in February 
What I find a little distressing is that many thousands of people in the UK who have booked there vacations/packages to Whistler & do not visit Forums like this one have absolutly no clue what they are flying out to & will be truly dissapointed.
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I've never been able to make my mind up about whether to book early or leave it to the last minute, so now I do both!
Normally book somewhere snow sure - if in Europe I try to go above 1800m, or else head to Colorado or Utah.
I then try and grab a last minute cheapie in Europe depending on where looks good. It doesn't always work - sometimes last minute deals are few and far between.
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A month is about as far ahead as I can muster - hate having to wait before i go 
We've decided on a wednesday night over dinner and been on our way on the friday night before. You really can just turn up in a resort with reasonable confidence of getting decent accommodation - just avoid obvious busy times like easter and school holidays.
Just walked into a couple of immo's and requested an appartment - its never been a problem before, check with them before you go that they will take a credit card swipe as the deposit/security - some don't.
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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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stanton,
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As for getting off the "Isle" I believe the UK has by far the most choice of flights & airports to Continental Europe than any other country in Europe
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. But that's not the same as being able to hit a motorway from your home town straight to the alps, which is what Continental Europeans have the advantage of. Uz stood at 'ome in Britian still have to clear that trench of water somehow, and doing so costs us extra money no matter how you arrange it.
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thousands of people in the UK who have booked there vacations/packages to Whistler & do not visit Forums like this one have absolutly no clue what they are flying out to & will be truly dissapointed.
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'Course they will. We don't doubt you on that. But outside Britian (and sometimes within the country) Brits are notorious for their lack of common (travel) sense - skiing's not immune! Ce la vie.
When it comes to travel the apparent stupidity of Brit insistence on early booking actually has more to do with the following:
a) Brits work some of the longest hours of EU nations
b) British weather's more often than not crap
c) British living conditions are generally cramped
d) British school holidays are badly organised
From my general observations Brit families in particular suffer from all of the above. Which is why they book months/years in advance.
Also consider that particularly British invention, the "prepackaged holiday". Circa 1950 when Brits started holidaying en masse on the Continent, they could carry (spend?) a legal max of only £50 in currency for the whole of their holiday. So tour operators sprung up in Britian, and you would pay them, in advance, in your local currency, for the whole of your travel, accomodation, food, excursions etc abroad. Leaving you with your limit of £50 in cash to spread around at your holiday destination. Despite the fact that the currency limit has dissapeared, the custom of the prepackaged holidays pre-paid for in advance has stuck. It's actually a dying habit, but old habits die hard.
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c) British living conditions are generally cramped
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Have you ever lived here in The Netherlands ? You cannot swing a cat here 
Regardnig just jumping in the car . If your mad you can do that but from here it still takes 8-10hrs in good weather. Although it takes the same time I either go by train around 10hrs or fly down its around 6-7 hrs also door to door.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Usually 12hours (often longer) from UK no matter how you do it.
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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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Manda, when things go to plan (and they usually do), it's 7-8 hours tops from Surrey to Mont-Blanc area resorts via Gatwick and Geneva. I agree with your basic thesis though: from Britain/Ireland you've got to plan the cross-channel bit, and it's not much more effort to plan a package.
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Our guide from the week before last is almost fully booked for next season.
Many of the SCGB holidays were fully booked by October.
The Ski Train gets fully booked many months ahead.
Etc Etc
If you aren't so specific about where and when you can do it at the last moment.
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You know it makes sense.
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laundryman, point taken. In fact when things go to plan it's 5.5 hours from my Southampton door to Meribel (Soton airport - GVA) independently. Same for return trip. Once, mind, only once. Normally minimum 12 hours door too door via LGW - GVA to exactly same resort with tour op.
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FAQ
