Glenshee trip report December 2010

A snowHead

Date: 23/12/2010
Resort: Glenshee

Due to the oil economics and the expense of running a vehicle, I sold my MX5 in December on ebay, and decided to live without a car (which sat in the garage and was not MoT'd, taxed or insured for some time) Getting to Glenshee is almost impossible on your own without a car. I have looked at buses, trains, etc but I could not find any sensible and economic method of travelling there.

I hired a car for 3 days between 22/12/2010 - 24/12/2010 and that cost £44 from a local agent. I had to get the bus to collect the car return which cost £8. The petrol in this much more economical vehicle over the 3 days cost about £25 for 200 miles. Obviously I did not need all of that for the skiing, but most of it was used for the skiing, and I do not think I could cut down the miles by much!

So car hire, bus fares, petrol, total cost = £77

The ticket price for one day lift pass was £30 approximately. (I cannot remember exactly)

I took a pack lunch, used my own 10 year old skis, my 5 year old boots, and my recently purchased second hand ex hire helmet for £5.

All in cost for one full day's skiing was £107

The weather: On 23/12/2010 every lift was open in Glenshee. Snow was perfect everywhere. The sun was shining all day long, and there was no wind. It was cold, but not too cold in the sunshine.

Best areas to ski: Glas Moal was open on this date. This is a wide area which has some pisted stuff, but is mostly off piste, is steep in parts, and can be quite challenging and makes you think hard before you ski. I skied here several times, wearing my helmet. I had to go back to the car and get my helmet on after I did this run the first time. Yes, some people were being treated for injuries on this piste! It looked like fairly minor sprains, and breaks. However, the main reason for the accidents seemed to be people skiing beyond their ability and not in control.

The traffic getting there: In the morning several motorway access roads were closed due to a pile up (or serious accident) at the Inveralmond roundabout near Perth. The CD player in the hire car kept interupting the music to tell me that there was a traffic problem at this roundabout. Luckily, I had chosen to go a route which avoided that roundabout. The roads were icy everywhere, but were especially bad on these small B roads. I made it there about 15 minutes after the lifts had opened. A slightly longer journey than I had anticipated because I was driving slower (I did not come across much traffic jams)

On the way back the traffic: I left just before the last lift closed, at roughly the same time as everyone else. There were long tail backs of traffic at the junction for Blairgowrie. I think I was delayed here an extra hour compared to the inward journey due to the traffic. As I edged forward in this queue, I would see cars parked at the side of the road with big dents in the front, and nobody inside.

Overall verdict: I cannot get one full days skiing, with guaranteed snow and weather, anywhere in the world for less than £107 direct to my door. (often it will cost at least £40 return before I get to the airport)

That is the yardstick by which all ski resorts must be measured against now. Can I get a quality full days skiing, for £107 door to door?

One week's skiing for £642 door to door? That is pretty hard to get, given that the weather and snow has to be guaranteed before I would hire a car.

Val d'Isère for a week all inclusive at that price might beat it. If you are a solo traveller, you just cannot get anywhere convenient for that price in Val d'Isère. Bear in mind the lift pass in Val d'Isère would have to come out of that cost, as would the transport of skis and boots. That barely leaves £400 left for accommodation and transport. I agree it is possible, but not when the weather is best in Val d'Isere. So consequently, I do not think you can beat Glenshee or any other Scottish resort on price and guaranteed snow and weather (if you live here).

rolling eyes

A snowHead

I would say it depends on where you live.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I find it a little bizarre that you are comparing a week in Glenshee to a week in Val D'Isere. Chalk and cheese. This is a trip report why compare it to anywhere else? Just report on the trip.

FWIW I'd pay extra to spend a week in The Alps every time. There's cost and then there's value.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

jzBun, +1

£642 in the alps door to door can be done very easily, depending on when you go

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

You'll need to Register first of course.

moffatross, I've been to Glenshee on 4 occasions - all long weekends - so my comment was not born out of ignorance but from my experience.

Anyone lucky enough to live within 2-3 hours drive knows the score anyway and with their own car it's considerably cheaper than £107.

I just found the comparison with Val D'Isere completely pointless

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

I'm living less than 100m from a gondola that gives 1100m vertical, cost a few calories to walk.

After all it is free

waynos, Sod off.

jzBun, maybe I misunderstood your intent Embarassed

and if so, I am sorry if it came across as me jumping down your throat but there's been an awful lot of poo-poo'ing of Scotland's skiing over the years by people who just haven't got the slightest clue what they are talking about. Laughing

Here by way of example of misinformation is the opening sentence of the narrative about Scotland from my 2008 copy of 'Where to Ski and Snowboard' ...

'For novices who are really keen to learn, Scotland could make sense, especially if you live nearby.'

... which isn't something that I recognise at all and in fact it's about as wide of the mark as I could think of. Attempting to teach many novices on Scotland's unruly slopes could put them off the sport forever rolling eyes

and many people who're comfortable skiing the reds and black pistes of the Alps could get into a lot of trouble at Nevis and Glencoe if they assumed they could tackle their R&B 'runs' just as happily.

FWIW though, I agree with you that Bigtipper comparing driving up to use a set of ski lifts coming off a road in the middle of nowhere to a week staying in a hotel or chalet in the mega-domain served by Val D'Isere or at any of the similar sized domains in the Alps is meaningless and the experience would be like chalk and cheese.

However, the actual skiing in Scotland although sometimes less comfortable and predictable is hardly very different is it Puzzled

As you rightly say, for some of us it actually costs quite a lot less per day than the amount suggested by Bigtipper but putting a price on it is kind of pointless too. Because I tend to go up at the drop of a hat, often during the week, I also can't compare weekend experiences that I guess for many may have to be planned some time in advance. I'd certainly realise the value of living close enough to do what I can do if I moved so far away that it was no longer feasible. And I've learned so much on the mountains of Scotland, skiing with so many different people in so many different conditions and I can honestly say that I've enjoyed just as many days skiing in Scotland as I have in the Alps. Value for money ? If you weigh up the good days against the not so good ones Wink

, yes, it is. Little Angel

waynos,

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Perhaps not Glenshee, but I don't think it would be at all unreasonable for someone with total flexibility, such as those retired, to spend a whole week in Aviemore.

snow reports

we managed two weeks visiting all five resorts. With the right conditions I'd have been happy to have spent longer at some - Glencoe particularly.

I just estimated that next year's 1 week trip to the Alps for our family of 4 should work out at about £112 per day per person. I think a £5 premium compared to Glenshee is fair. Very Happy

You know it makes sense.

I hope there will not be any arguments about late payment of deposits?

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

http://www.snowmediazone.com/the_zone/snowheads-personal-galleries/p24198-glenshee-23rd-december-2010.html

The above link is a picture of me at Glenshee on 23/12/2010. Please do not look if close up photos of my face might offend you!

rolling eyes

A snowHead

It is only fair that the economics of oil, and car ownership should have a say too

http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/Why-afford-car-yahoofinanceuk-553177852.html

It is true that you can save money when you spend money. However, if you do not spend money, having a car does not save you any money. If your car sits in a garage and does not move, you will not save any money having that car (even if you do not tax, insure, or MOT it)

Now the question of opening up job opportunities is an interesting prospect. It may apply in some fields of employment, but not all. So you are required to spend money running a car while you wait to find employment. How long can you afford to wait? 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, 5 years, 10 years?

If you reached 10 years and decided that there are no solvent employers, would you still run a car?

You decide where the economy is going. If you think your prospects are good, and the economy is healthy and not a house of cards then keep running a car. Sometimes the prospect of the whole economy stopping spending money, is an incentive to those running the economy to stop wasting money paying people to do nothing.

Their whole argument falls apart when you suggest the use of a hire car temporarily. If you used a hire car to save money, you would soon decide it was not saving you any money. If you used a hire car when you found employment, or to find employment, you would soon decide that you were wasting money on owning a car.

rolling eyes

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Glenshee trip report December 2010

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