 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all,
Like many I can feel the recession bite - but i am still hoping I can go skiing in winter 2010.
I can get cheap flights to Geneva or Munich so that is a good start. My question is, what is the best resort near there that is not too expensive. I was in Chaminix last year and loved it, the long runs, the snow, the vallee Blance.....but it is too expensive for me this year.
Ideally I would love some long red runs, up to two hours from Geneva, a bit of Apres ski, cheap accommodation (2 star+).
Also i won't be going for a full week unfortunately, so if you can recommend flexi accom that would be great.
Any advice?
Thanks guys
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a couple hours by train from the Munich airport. You can find loads of perfectly fine hotels for around €50 per night, and none of that week long requirement nonesense. Food and drink are plentiful and cheaper than in other countries. Long red runs? check. Bit of apres? check. A multi day lift ticket is also valid at a number of other resorts around the German-Austrian border. Lermoos is especially good. Give it a look.
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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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Maybe have a look at Chatel and the PDS.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
Maybe have a look at Chatel and the PDS.
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Had a great time in Chatel a couple of years back. Pretty village, some good red runs and from memory about 2 hrs from Geneva. Booked accomo ( based on a friends recommendation) through agence cruz - not sure whether its s/c or hotel you are after. We went s/c for 4 days and they scaled down the price for us to reflect the shorter stay
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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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sunnek, what aspect of Chamonix was it that made it too expensive. I don't think it's hugely different from other French resorts. And with a very good range of accommodation, from good hostels up. And beer in a big supermarket remains a top bargain. You could go with UCPA to Chamonix (or a range of other resorts, including Flaine which might be good) for small dosh - all-in price including lift pass, equipment, tuition, accommodation, food and skiing and drinking companions. Action-outdoors.co.uk do all in from the UK or you can get yourself there and book with UCPA direct (ucpa.com).
Problem is that they do weeks - though might be cheaper to do a week with them than 4 days of most kinds of ski holidays.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Austria as a general rule is cheaper than France, so may be worth considering ami's idea. If you could fly to Innsbruck or Salzburg (not sure whether you can get cheap flights to these spots), this may widen your options for Austria. Only know Chamonix through friends but they like you have found this expensive.
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sunnek, From Munich if you take the train into Austria then once you cross the border at Kufstein it's not far to either Wörgl (for the Wilder Kaiser/Grossraum resorts) or my preference Jenbach (change there onto the Zillertalbahn for the Ziller Valley resorts eg Kaltenbach/Hochfugen, Zell am Ziller, Mayrhofen, all covered on the Zillertal ski pass and there's the Hintertux glacier as snow insurance). 
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| vman wrote: |
| Austria as a general rule is cheaper than France, so may be worth considering ami's idea. If you could fly to Innsbruck or Salzburg (not sure whether you can get cheap flights to these spots), this may widen your options for Austria. Only know Chamonix through friends but they like you have found this expensive. |
And my suggestion is actually in Germany, which is even noticably cheaper than Austria.
I took my first trip to the alps there (stayed in Grainau, even cheaper than Garmisch), and was very much on a tight budget. I think our apartment was about €30 a night, all meals at home, apres was beers on the balcony. The only splurge was tickets for the New Year's ski jumping. It was a great trip, too.
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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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sunnek
If you are on a budget, discount France as Austria is virtually half price for food and drink, with a large beer coming in at about 3 euros - instead of 6 or 7  in France.
Alastair Pink's suggestion is spot on. German/Austrian rail fares are very reasonable and train travel from Munich airport is a doddle via the S-bahn (underground) which connects to the main train stations.
Mayrhofen would be a great base - easy to reach by train and a massive range of digs from budget B&B to 5* luxury, plus a great range of apres bars and restaurants. The Zillertal's got great ski areas too.
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I agree with Mountainaddict. The Ziller Valley has great resorts and a fantastic apres ski scene. And it won't break the bank - unlike France, where you will be crying into your unaffordable beer.... We have done lads' trips every year since '98 and the Mayrhofen trip of that year is still talked about as the stuff of legends!
Take the train from downstairs in Munich Airport to Mayrhofen and you are sorted.
The budget B & B's are very high standard and represent excellent value for money. Add in the great skiing (with guaranteed snow on the Hintertux glacier up the road), great apres and you have the makings of a top notch recession busting trip!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I agree with the thoughts on Austria and specifically Zillertal.
Depends on how much of a tight budget you're on and how important the apres ski is to you, but in the Ziller Valley there are plenty of places to stay in smaller villages outside of Mayrhofen. The accommodation will be cheaper than Mayrhofen and they're more likely to be flexible on dates. The local bus and train service, the Zillertalbahn, runs from Jenbach in the main Inn valley as far as Mayrhofen and is free with your lift pass, so look to stay somewhere on their route. That way you could ski in a different area each day if you wanted to. You could still apres ski, the trains run in the evenings too, you just need to be aware of the time.
Look www.zillertal.at here for information and accommodation.
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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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You can do the Grand Massif very cheaply!!
There are also ways to make you money go further when you're in resort too!!
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| Quote: |
vman wrote:
Austria as a general rule is cheaper than France, so may be worth considering ami's idea. If you could fly to Innsbruck or Salzburg (not sure whether you can get cheap flights to these spots), this may widen your options for Austria. Only know Chamonix through friends but they like you have found this expensive.
And my suggestion is actually in Germany, which is even noticably cheaper than Austria.
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ami in berlin, don't disagree with you re Garmish but you went on to talk about Austria- Germany border hence wanted to widen options for sunnek
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You know it makes sense.
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| vman wrote: |
| Quote: |
vman wrote:
Austria as a general rule is cheaper than France, so may be worth considering ami's idea. If you could fly to Innsbruck or Salzburg (not sure whether you can get cheap flights to these spots), this may widen your options for Austria. Only know Chamonix through friends but they like you have found this expensive.
And my suggestion is actually in Germany, which is even noticably cheaper than Austria.
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ami in berlin, don't disagree with you re Garmish but you went on to talk about Austria- Germany border hence wanted to widen options for sunnek |
Understood. I was just pointing out for sunnek's sake that Garmisch is actually in Germany (which I think reduces costs even further and is more easily accessable by rail from Munich). The reason I went on about the Austrian areas on the border (Tiroler Zugspitzearena, it's called) is that they are included in the multi-day ski pass for Garmisch.
Certainly good to widen the options, though. Austria can be done quite cheaply as well.
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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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Chamonix is not any more expensive than anywhere else... 
at least, not necessarily.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Thanks for all you help folks,
I like all those ideas. Unfortunately I still seems places only want to book on a weekly basis and I won't be going for a week. If you know of cheap accomodation who are willing to book on a night basis please let me know.
Thanks again...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Where are you looking? When are you going? Do you want a hotel or appartment?
I just entered four nights in January into the Garmisch booking site and came back with 379 hits.
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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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I will go anywhere near Geneva or Munich. And I am flexible to go in either January of March. And I am flexible on the type of accom.
I emailed lots of places and they said "full weeks only".....
I am just looking for something low cost..
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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sunnek, try hotel Igloo in Morzine
In fact, many French hotels will book by the night outside the Vacances Scolaires.
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I stayed here a couple years ago:
http://www.hotel-maier.com/
Prices are €35 /person /night in a double room for between 2 and 4 nights. Prices go down if you book 5 or more nights. That includes breakfast and tourist tax. Decent, clean hotel in a good location.
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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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| Quote: |
Unfortunately I still seems places only want to book on a weekly basis and I won't be going for a week. If you know of cheap accomodation who are willing to book on a night basis please let me know.
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sunnek,
Stay away from the main tourist places and you're more likely to find accommodation who will take you for less than a week. I just looked on www.zillertal.at for a 4 night stay during the second week in January and the website came back with 277 possibilities, with the first 25 places on the list being B&B for less than €20 per night.
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FAQ
