 Poster: A snowHead
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All booked up to go to La Plagne in April 2006. All that is apart from the lift pass - I see that this season (and I suppose next) the authorities are doing a family rate - but it's not offered through the package operator (Crystal). So I plan on buying it in-resort - but for those that have done such a thing, is it a lot of hassle and am I better off pre-booking individual passes (which would cost around 30EUR more)? Perhaps the tour rep will do it on the bus and save hassle (certainly last year she sorted out the free pass due to our then four-year-old).
Your thoughts please.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Easy to buy in resort just go to lift office with pictures passports just in case (or to prove kids ages)
give them your credit card and its done. BUT dont do what I did one year and thinking we were on a 7 night holiday asked for 7 day ski passes. Then after realised that you only ski for six!
I always worry that someone is ripping me off as they tried to once see my post under Chalet holidays and yes it was that unmentionable firm! 
Do some research, prices are published on the resorts websites, to complicate things sometimes the lessons include a ski pass in their price, so you need to factor this in and also check out the small print on the Family Pass some resorts have a limit of two children per family pass.
Last holiday we bought a family pass for 2ads 1 Kid whilst 2nd kid had hers included in lessons, this still worked out cheaper than individual passes.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Thu 5-05-05 17:15; edited 1 time in total
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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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TallTone, you can but Les Arcs ski passes over the Internet and have them sent to you. You mat be able to do the same with La Plagne, too?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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TallTone, For the last couple of years, I've bought the passes on the (Crystal) transfer bus and they have offered the family pass at the normal resort price. If you do this, use cash or a debit card because they whack a surcharge on credit card transactions. One advantage of buying on the bus rather than in advance cropped up this year in Sestriere where it wasn't worth having the area pass (no links open!). Those who bought on the bus got an immediate refund whereas those who had bought in advance had to apply for a refund from the TO when they got home.
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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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TallTone,from experience I would say always buy in resort,and from the lift office.If the TO is offering passes on the coach,at resort prices,fair enough;but beware the credit card scam.This is where they verbally quote you in euro's,then charge your card in sterling,at their exchange rate  Never having been to La Plagne,I cant comment on the location of lift offices.However,I would be very surprised if they were not easily accessible.
The other point often mentioned is that,until you arrive,you cannot be sure of the state of the snow.Buy in advance and you're committed.Waiting until you arrive gives you some flexibility should you need it.Don't forget to check the La Plagne site for special offers etc.
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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 is really very easy to buy lift passes in resorts, after all it is how they make their money  . I've had loads of hassle buying on the bus with them demanding cash and not having any change etc etc. The reps get comission on it and the idea is that it makes the whole thing easier for you but it actually doesn't. You then also have to arrange to meet the rep again and they may not be there (wasted several mornings chasing an Airtours rep who had given us our passes but we still hadn't paid and he was never where he was supposed to). Ignore the rep, pre-book skis, boots etc with companies like Skiset (on-line discounts available AND you are not there when the rest of the transfer coach is queuing up in the shop), get your own lift passes (from www.ski-laplagne.com it looks like you can do this on-line) and don't bother with the reps meeting unless you want to do an organised fondue/raclette evening/pub crawl/torchlite decsent!
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Get it on the bus, a lot less hassle. We are now in a pattern of using smaller chalet operators, and the person you buy off is usualy in your chalet. Never had a problem, never been ripped off, unfortunatley I still have to pick the pass up from the table and put it in my own pocket
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Don't buy from the rep, they charge you in Sterling and there exchange rate is usually appalling. You can buy them online and they will post them . If you have passes from last time, I think it also entitles you to a further discount. In our experience it has nearly always cost us less han pre-booking with Crystal before you leave home.
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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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A wide range of opinion then! I will keep an eye out and compare resort vs "bus" price before I go - and keep looking for special offers. La Plagne is big enough - there are enough snow cannon to cover our skiing ability. Thanks all.
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TallTone, just be careful as the TO's often quote you in Euros then charge you in Sterling if you pay by card. At least one SnowHead has been stung that way.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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We've pre-paid with the TO usually. No problem with their charge against the resort price and you just hand over the photos on the coach. Ski passes all ready the same evening. Can't think how it could be easier. The only thing I would say is to take your own passes back (if electronic) to recover the €2 deposit, rather than hand them to the reps, who might decide to forget telling you about the refund.
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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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Yes, La Plagne has electronic passes now, so no photo needed. And we were advised about the refund and got our €10 back. Can't speak too highly of the Crystal staff in LP to be honest!
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The deposit on the pass can act as part of a "tip" if the staff have been worthy.
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You know it makes sense.
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In fairness to reps, yes they do usually get a small commission from LP sales but the bulk of the profits go to the TO and the lift operator. I'm sure most reps would rather spend their transfer day securely strapped to the jump seat rather then risking their necks running up and down coaches getting sales then delivering LPs at 3am to hotels. The only thing is that reps get bollocked if the weekly LP sales are down and will probably be grumpy for the rest of the week. All the more reason for not using a TO.
I don't really see the issue with buying in resort - either the night before or early in the morning before breakfast so you don't get held up in queues.
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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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TallTone, Don't forget to check if Ski School (esp. for the children) prices include lift passes. You may find your youngest (or all of them!) may not need a pass at all, or may only need a pass for the latter part of the week.
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Poster: A snowHead
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TallTone, Bear in mind that if you buy through TO they are getting a discounted rate from the Lift Operator. The net result is that if the resort is offering refunds for any reason (rare though that is) you won't get it because the terms and conditions for discounted passes are different. Also on our latest trip to Tignes we bought passes at the office and used our Tignes Carte to get a small discount, another couple in the Chalet bought their passes on the bus but the rep then claimed she couldn't give them their loyalty discount and they had to cough up the full price.
We never buy from the TO having been ripped off too many times...it's not the reps but the TO themselves that pockets the money!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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To be fair to Crystal (and no, I don't own any TUI shares), the rep was quite happy to take our Tignes cards on the bus and get us the discount.
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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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Last year I looked at all the TOs who come here to see what they did about it - I had to go more than halfway through booking a holiday to get the info. The only company here who GUARANTEE you won't pay more than the Lift Operator price is Nielsons. All the others had what I consider to be appalling mark ups (including Crystal). They get all the discount and you pay more. their exchange rates are disgusting, and the 10 mins or so it takes to get a family full of liftpasses is negligable.
BTW you can probably do it on your "familiarisation wander" around the town when you arrive.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Why am I becoming a defender of Crystal? The price they charge on the bus is the Lift Operator price (subject to exchange rates on the day etc). The TO will make on the deal but it doesn't cost me anything. The book in advance prices are a gamble for everyone given that area tickets may/may not be a good idea and the TO/punters have to take a long term guess at exchange rates.
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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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This year and last I did the trsnsaction on the bus. The rate charged wasthe rate in resort, the only variable was the exchange rate. In all cases it worked out as cheap and in one case cheaper than had i bought in euros in resort. People tend to forget that the tourist rate is much different to the money market rate.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I've never known a TO to charge a local currency rate for a lift pass any different from the going rate at the lift pass office. Pay cash to the TO and you don't lose out.
Where you might lose out is paying the TO by credit card. I have a Nationwide credit card (best exchange rates, no commission) and a few years ago paid Neilson for the lift pass with it. However, Neilson rather than charging x euros to my card applied their own exchange rate, less favourable than Nationwide, and charged it in sterling back in their UK office. This was after their Rep had assured me that the amount would be deducted in euros from my card. The Rep did give me the sterling receipt a couple of days later and was quite happy to refund this in exchange for euros cash so all was OK in the end.
Two companies where you don't have this problem, at least in France, are Skiworld, who have an office in Bourg St. Maurice & process the credit cards there, and Ski France who again have a French office. There may be others who do this.
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When we went to La Plagne in 2004 the hotel we stayed in (Ancolie, Champagny), sold us the lift passes at a 5% discount off the resort price, so I guess these rates are given to TO's too. I do know that the prices in the BROCHURES are often more thanyou can obtain them for in resort,or even on the bus. When we went to Banff the rep tried to rip us off a little bit with the lift passes.
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When I was in Whistler 4 or so years ago, you could buy lift passes from 7/11 stores in Vancouver and Pemberton that were discounted by 20-25% for a week's pass. Not sure if this is still the case though,
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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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A couple of years ago now, but our apartment's reception in La Plagne gave us 5% discount on LP pass prices on arrival for check in. I stopped buying passes from tour ops years ago, I felt that I was being exploited.
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TallTone, I know the TOs don't get access to the discounted family passes, but they have started renegotiating locally on this issue before price structures are published for next season, so at present it pays to buy online, but it may not next season, you loose nothing by waiting and seeing what evolves.
skanky, I was amazed when my lift passes plopped through the letter box 2 weeks before departure (4 weeks after ordering - rather nerveracking) for Les Arcs. I had to register each member of the family on the website to do it, but it made further (minor)savings over buying in resort, and was one less first day hassle, and meant we could focus on getting wife and kids to the front of the queue in the ski hire shop while I had a coffee and kept an eye on my own skis. As a concept its excellent 
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