 Poster: A snowHead
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Flew out to Geneva last Tuesday to start my ski holiday. We booked out car hire with SIXT on the swiss side. When at the desk where you pick up the keys, i confirmed that the vehicle has winter tyres, which it did and also asked for a set of chains. The woman behind the counted looked rather confused. She said "what do you need chains for, where are you going to?" to which i replied "incase it snows and the portes Du Soleil" a slight chuckle came from behind the counter as the woman who was serving me and the girl next to her had a laugh amongst themselves. So she confirmed the reservation back to me and then handed over the keys and off we went to get the shuttle bus to where you collect the car from.
I went into the desk at the bit where you collect the car from and they gave me a set of chains for the car. All was great and set off for Chatel and had a great 4 days skiing. Then one day we decided to drive into Avoriaz instead of the usual spot for skiing. As we were leaving morzine and starting to head up the long winding road under the Super-Morzine bubble, everyone was stopped to apply the chains. So the process started to put them on and soon we realised there was a bit of an issue. If you have aver seen the film "big" where Tom Hanks wears the adults suit in the childs clothes, then this is what was resembled on the tyres infront of me. The chains were on, and as tight as they could go but were miles to big. So we had to head back down and go elsewhere.
When we returned the car i explained this and they said sorry and did not charge us for the chains. Thankfully i only needed them to get somewhere to ski, not in an emergency so please be aware when you are picking up chains, that they are the correct chains for the vehicle!!! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Ricklovesthepowder, true, tis always worth checking they are right before you leave, also check they are not broken.
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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Ricklovesthepowder, useful warning - as is the reminder that you definitely don't always get them automatically on the Swiss side of Geneva (as some people claim). If they are in a box, the sizes of tyres fitted are listed on the box (usually quite a few different tyre sizes are listed). Always worth checking.
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| If they are in a box, the sizes of tyres fitted are listed on the box (usually quite a few different tyre sizes are listed). Always worth checking. |
If they are in a box, check that the contents of the box is in accordance with the label on the outside of the box...
Best of all, get the hire company to show you how to fit them...
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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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like i said, it was a good job that i didnt need them for real, only to get to a different area!!!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Had a similar situation when my car broke down in Albertville last year. The garage gave us a loan car and when I asked about chains, I was advise by the garage owner that the car was fitted with winter tyres and that he had never needed to put chains on and that I definitely would not need them. The conditions never deteriorated to a state that I needed to really test this.
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| Quote: |
check that the contents of the box is in accordance with the label on the outside of the box...
Best of all, get the hire company to show you how to fit them...
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the only way to check is to try to put them on - which is a very good idea anyway, and if you already know how to do it, 'twill take no more than a couple of minutes.
as for getting the car hire people to show you how to do it....... unlikely, to put it mildly.
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After buying a car in France which came with snow chains a few years ago we had a horrible incident! We were given the wrong size chains and hadn't checked ourselves. In our naivety (it was our first season over here, young and stupid!) we used them thinking if we tightened them as much as possible it would be better than nothing. As a result the oversized chains cut through the brake line disabling all but the handbrake. After a nailbiting trip down the mountain (luckily not too steep but steep enough!) and 450euros later at the nearby garage we got it sorted but learnt a lesson from that. Don't put the wrong size chains on your car!
Now we're snow tyred and chained up to the max!
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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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Ricklovesthepowder, Although its academic now but why drive up to Avoriaz from Morzine? Why not take the Super Morzine gondola. Park in Morzine - chains not required plus no stress with tackling the long and winding road (hmm that's a good title for a song  )
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do you need snow chains with winter tyres 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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fluffyone, When it's a lot of snow, certainly!
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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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| halfhand wrote: |
| Ricklovesthepowder, Although its academic now but why drive up to Avoriaz from Morzine? Why not take the Super Morzine gondola. Park in Morzine - chains not required plus no stress with tackling the long and winding road (hmm that's a good title for a song ) |
because my fiancee was with us and only wanted to do fairly easy runs. i know those are easy where you said but she wanted to do the runs throught the town, so in the end, we drove to les prodains and got the big gondola up to avoriaz ourself.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
do you need snow chains with winter tyres Puzzled
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Very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, rarely!
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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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| stevomcd wrote: |
| Quote: |
do you need snow chains with winter tyres Puzzled
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Very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, rarely! |
When the gendarmes won't let you up the road without them in my experience.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Snow chains will get you out of deep snow.
Winter tyres won`t.
HTH
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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As DAVE 2227, said, don't need tyres and chains often but we have to use them regularly enough to make it important to have them. 80% of the time it's just for getting on our steep drive 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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I put mine on once in the last 7 weeks, after heavy and very wet snow. I lost traction going up the village street. I got going again by dropping back a little (because the driver behind me was alert and had given me the space) but I then went and put the chains on rather than risk causing a kerfuffle in a busy street. I'd probably have managed without them but when the snow has been heavy and only part of the road has been ploughed, you are quite often forced well into the side to pass a big vehicle (eg a plough) and find yourself in the deep stuff.
In the past, with less good snow tyres, I've used chains more often - and you can't rely on the quality and age of tyres on hired cars. And as sarep says, if the gendarmes are stopping everyone without chains, they then become absolutely essential.
Anyone driving to a ski resort ought to have, and be able to use, chains, even though snow tyres will mean you're not very likely to need them except in very snowy weather - which, of course, is exactly what you'll be hoping for!
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i will always carry them now on, and make sure they are the right size aswell!!! i used them over here up in the lake district when the weather was bad, they are amazing and work brilliantly!!! if you drive or hire a car in the alps, you must be insane not to carry them. Luckily for me i only needed to put them on for recreational purposses, but had i of actually needed them to get somewhere then i would have been nackered!!!
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