 Poster: A snowHead
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I wonder if any SH's can offer me any advice?
We have some Saturday - Saturday flights booked to Sion, Switzerland in February, we booked these expensive Stansted to Sion flights some time ago with the plan of catching the local bus up to Haute Nendaz and staying for the week, skiiing into 4 Vallees as in previous years. However we are seriously considering doing a longer rail/ hire car transfer to France/ Austria/ Italy, ie Eurozone rather than staying in Switzerland, due to the £ vs CHF rate its going to be V expensive in CHF!! In hindsight we would not have booked but 3-4 months ago it wasnt such an issue.
Chamonix is really close, particularly Argentiere, and that is a good prospect, we'd like to give this a shot...... is the road over the Col open in winter from Martigny, or would we need to go all the way around and via Geneva?
How about trains, not sure where the Sion railway goes to the east? I know its 2 hours to the west to Geneva, but that seems a bit of a waste, rather go east into Italy if poss.
Cheers if you can offer any help here!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Markymark29, this will be no help at all I'm sure, but I just followed the railway line from Sion on the map, and it goes East to Brigg then there is a massive interchange from where you can get to Italy - no idea where to 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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holidayloverxx, Cheers
Just found on't t'interweb that theres a regular train from Sion to Chamonix, change at Martigny, and return via a change at Vallorcine!
Anyone any experience of this service?
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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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Markymark29, A train to Argentiere very straightforward. The drive over the two cols is more of a risk. They were open for the whole of last winter, in a more normal year they will mostly be open but occasionally requiring 4x4 or chains, in a snowy winter the Col Montets can be closed due to avi risk sometimes for a couple of weeks, however they will then let cars use the railway tunnel but it can be a bit of a wait. On Chamonix.com there is a real time report of conditions. Worst case you have to go around the long way which is pretty and done easily in under three hours.
The train ride is amazing maybe one of the best in the world.
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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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Markymark29,
jbob is right re the cols and trains - the ride is one of best in world and you get to various village stations on the cham side which can be used to stay in to access the cham system. Realistically, you are adding three hours to you journey, Sion to Cham.
The col de forclaz DOES close occasionally and can be dodgy in snowfall - but assume you would get hire car from sion which would require winter tyres by law anyway. You'd also need a hire car to go over to trois valleys etc - realistically, a 3hr drive on a good day, slower at night and in snow - I usually go straight over the mountains rather than take the autoroute round, but you need to be conscious of the weather in feb (it's a journey I'll be doing this feb too, so I can ski with friends during halfterm). But are you sure that hirecar costs to get to france are less than simply using public transport and going to 4 valleys?
Going East by train, you go to Brig and then Simplon and then Milan, from where you can get to various places by train, but you are talking quite a few changes and the hours being eaten away from skiing.
I would tend to stick with your option 1 - ie sion, public transport into 4 valleys and spend more time skiing, make packed lunches, and drink just a bit less beer.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Markymark29, if you haven't booked your accommodation in 4V yet, I think there's a chance if you hold off that you will be able to get a deal which may compensate for your "loss' on the £:CHF. There's going to be lots of capacity next winter.
If you do decide to go elsewhere Aosta Valley 90 mins by car from Sion and Portes du Soleil accessible by train.
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Steve Sparks, Good point re accom deals, could be a pretty good time to ski 4 Vallees when nobody about...............all the Swiss gone to Eurozone ski areas, and Eurozone people avoiding CH, if done in a frugal way might be a good time to go, but dont fancy £30 pizzas and £12 beers! Lift pass will be a mad price also at exchange rate 1.3 though.
Also I think some businesses may fold, and the 4 Vallees lift company may choose to close some areas to cut costs, they are going to struggle big-time unless they currency gets devalued, tourism will be badly affected I reckon.
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For 1.3 read 1.2........aargh!!
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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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Markymark29, £30 pizzas and £12 beers! Where the bloody hell are you eating and drinking? Big beer in Le Pub Mt Fort is 6.5' just over a fiver and that's Verbier not Nendaz. Sure, it would be great if it were cheaper, but I think you may want to do the sums on exactly what the impact will be for you. If you can get a deal on accommodation, offset the costs of car hire/trains you may find that the 4V isn't any more expensive given you're committed to flights.
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Steve Sparks, Ok maybe slight exageration........you get my point tho'!!
Obviously I need to take the flights already bought into consideration and look at the whole, and there's plenty of time left for it to get back to 1.5+, ever the optimist!!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Markymark29,
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| ... 4 Vallees lift company may choose to close some areas to cut costs, |
Maybe a tad dramatic, however I do agree that unless there is bumper snowfall this season its going to be tough in the 4-Vallees, not least as its now so much cheaper for the Swiss themselves to go into Europe as opposed to skiing at home.
However on the flip side, that just means fewer people crowding the slopes and tracking out the off piste!!!!
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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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1556garyt, Yep, last week I was in St Anton and was told by a hotel owner that the advance bookings for next season from Swiss people is 100%+ up on last year across most hotels in the region, and they are all paying in advance to secure their rooms at cheap rates, who can blame them?
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Mark - there are plenty other places to ski in Valais that are much cheaper than 4-Valleys (even with the exchange rate). Accomodation & lift pass in Grimentz or Zinal is about 2/3rd the price in 4-Valleys.
Smaller ski area, but the skiing is almost as good (on or off piste) and a heck of a lot quieter.
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| the 4 Vallees lift company may choose to close some areas to cut costs, they are going to struggle big-time |
Nah - the big resorts like Verbier and Zermatt are almost recission proof... Plenty posh clients that wont even notice the poor exchange rate! Its the small resorts in CH that will suffer most due to the exchange rate.
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