Experience from those who've hung on and booked late.....

A snowHead

Myself and partner are looking to book a week in an intermediate friendly resort, probably in Austria. We can go either in the first 2 weeks of January or the week after half term in February. I've always skied as part of a larger group so have booked early when specific requirements needed to be met or when I was younger going on family holidays the choice was made for me. In saying all this although me and my other half have skied together many times we've never been just the two of us, what this means is we're pretty flexible within those 3 weeks.

My inital thought was to wait until a week or two before we went and see what deals were about, so I'm interested to hear peoples experiences of doing the same. My worry is that the last minute deals may to places that haven't had the best snow, or with only a few weeks we can go might limit us? Do real bargains exist? We don't have a set budget in mind but for HB and passes around the 2k mark.

It's been a while since I've skied in Austria now, I started out skiing some 15 years ago in Soll, seems like it may do for us but I've also been looking at Saalbach (more expensive). I think our requirements are a good choice of long blue or red runs to suit my other half. I'm at a reasonably advanced level but after not having a lessons for 3 years I've decided to get my technique looked at get some lessons, so I'm warmed up and ready to go for some hopefully epic off piste in St Anton which is booked for late March.

Cheers

A snowHead

As long as your relatively flexible with your needs it'll all work out to your benefit. That said, TOs sometimes remove the cut price deals in the final week before departure. It seems that the optimum time to buy, if your flexible, is just prior to the final 7 days. Thats just my experience.

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Grizwald,
It depends, my own experience and observations are athat you are likely to save a significant amount of money and outside the highest season weeks there are invariably good last minute deals. The caveats are that there may not be flights from all airports, though if you are able to fly from Manchester or London there should be no difficulty. Some resorts will sell out with some tour operators. Though in early january there should be no problem getting accomodation in any resort independantly. You should have a far higher chance of getting good snow booking late,it is exceptionally rare for a resort to have no accommodation, getting better snow is the main reason why I frequently late book low season weeks.

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I booked really last minute last year for one of our trips - if I were doing it again I wouldn't leave it so late as 7 days before as all that was left was really what no-one else wanted. I found that good quality accommodation at discount prices peaked around 3-4 weeks before - after that it was a bit like the sales at Primark Toofy Grin

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Grizwald, I always book late and not months in advance. I think the best time to book would be 3-4 weeks before you want to go. I'm in exactly the same boat as you are, not school holidays etc. The biggest bonus is you can pick where the best conditions are. There are always great deals to be had, just shop around.

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Grizwald, you've hit the nail on the head with 'flexible, no specific requirements'. Exactly what you need to be, booking late, and just being the two of you is the icing on the cake. I doubt you will have any trouble bagging a late deal, especially in January, with a reasonable choice to boot. I do tend to agree with Snakeskin Si that the best deals are available two to three weeks out, and often not available in the last week prior to travel.

Two of us booked Soll eight months ago and paid £415 flts/trans/b&b accom/equip carriage/lift pass. It would have been under £400 if we'd not opted to pay a supplement to fly from Brum, but as deals go, that's pretty hard to beat (the pass alone was something like £175).

You having a two grand budget is ample, I would think you could do it for maybe a little over half that, plus spending.

I only book late now, for cost reasons, and knowing what snow is where.

One last thing. I know everyone has to make a living, but I only book directly with the TO, and don't use 'agents'.

As always, JMO.

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I always book late. If you've got the nerve there are always deals out there. 2-3 weeks out is as late as I'd leave it and it's worth being aware of late booking fees being added and taking the price back up. Jan dates are usually available with big discounts.

After all it is free

Grizwald, i reckon you should leave it as late as possible - preferably booking in the week before you leave. The first two weeks in jan are usually quiet and really good deals about. I've booked 4* catered (hotel diva in tignes) for €400 to self catered (serre chevalier) for €280, with Crystal from Ireland.

I usually book on the Tues/Weds before departure weekend, I like the fact that you can watch the snow build as the season starts, then closer to your intended date start looking at the forecasts. If you do this you'll be fairly sure of existing conditions and should have a general notion of what the weather for the week you're going to be there is going to be like (in the broadest possible terms - don't want to start a "you can't forecast what the weather is going to be like in a weeks time" on your thread).

Thanks for all the replies. I was pretty set on waiting and seeing what sort of deal I could bag but for the first time this season my OH got excited about looking at resorts etc so there was a temptation to just book up.

There are some +'s and -'s for us going in Jan or Feb. Jan is obviously closer and historically has good deals. The main drive of getting another week skiing in is that I'll go onto 12.5 hours shifts come January for a few months 2x 12.5 hour morning shifts then 2x 12.5 night shifts then 4 days off. I have a two week gap in Feb when I'm back on days so can take leave having a ski holiday would in Feb would get me through those dark winter nights when I'm consI'll tantly shattered if I had a holiday to look forward to. The downside is I'll be going to Austira less than a month once we get back and there's always that niggle I could pick up an injury! Jan down side is I'll have the holiday before the gruelling shifts begin!

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I tend to DIY my ski holidays rather than go with a tour operator. To get the best deals this means booking transport early (e.g. for trains to Alps, as soon as they come on sale three months before departure), and accommodation late. To make this work I pick a large region that is served by the same transport hub (e.g. Tarentaise resorts) and I then know I'll have some choice in accommodation near the time to book. Transport prices tend to only go up as cheap seats sell early, whereas accommodation seems to always come down in price as you get within a few weeks of departure.

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I've only ever done it once. The year after I was poorly, I was fully expecting not to be able to manage a ski holiday so didn't arrange anything. Then it got to early March and I felt reasonably OK, had a week off work anyway, so looked for a late deal. As a solo traveller needing a single room, I literally had only 3 choices, 2 of which were in Bulgaria (no ta!), the third was in Kitzbühel, a cancellation, so I bit the TOs hand off and had a fantastic holiday.

It certainly taught me something. If you have specific requirements (i.e. single room, specific departure airport, etc.) then booking late might not get you what you want. But you might get lucky as I did.

snow reports

I have frequently booked on a Wednesday/Thursday/Friday prior to flying out on the Saturday/Sunday. Just go on Iglu/Ifyouski.com, look up some places you fancy with good snow and go from there. Work out who the actual chalet/hotel company is and then go direct to them if necessary. I've had some great sole occupancy deals doing this and have even had an entire floor of a massive condo/chalet in Aspen to myself! As a couple you will have no problem finding something/place you're happy with.

Agree with the Weds/Thurs/Friday before you go. Particularly in early January. But of course you run the risk of not getting anything and having to go to Cairngorm instead with yuor pre-booked holiday.

You know it makes sense.

I agree with BCjohnny - 2 grand is loads whether you are booking now or leaving it late..

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

Ditto with everyone on the Tues/Wed/Thurs before the weekend you go. Book the weeks holiday then study the websites and see who blinks first! Might not get the best accom in the exact place you want but you'll get loads of change out of £2K.

A snowHead

I've booked late in three of the last four seasons, so late one year we booked on the Wednesday and flew out on the Saturday.
before lift pass and ski hire, the cost was around the £300 mark for a weeks half board in St Johann Austria, we had good snow went early in January and had some runs to ourselves. If you don't mind austria it's not to bad a place and has a pass that has several resorts on one ticket.

Leaving it late limits where you can go but if your just after a week through a tour operator then go for it, it can get a bit nerve racking waiting till the last minute but can save you some money or give you more beer money for the resort.
last three hols excluding the EOSB have all been booked within 14 days of departure all came in under £400 for the holiday excluding pass and skis and were to
St Johann
Livignio
Courmayer

A snowHead

There's always a chance you might get a mega deal at the death, most of us have done it. Booked one online last year on Saturday evening and less than twelve hours later was standing in Manchester airport. No flight tickets waiting, sorted, transfer not notified, nor was the hotel. But it all worked out, just, gets the pulse racing though, lol.

But the cheap deal versus choice compromise is normally at its best between five/six and twenty days out, IME.

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Last two years booked late (3 weeks from dept) St Johan in Tirol (mar) B&B in a clean & tidy pansion £270 and then Sauze d'Oulx (mid feb) B&B in 2* hotel just £215. Prices included flights and transfers from Bristol but not ski passes. One was Inghams the other Neilson. Both tip top for what they were on a blokes trip.
Met some folks who booked same but well in advance who paid well over £400 for same hol.
Late booking is particularly great if you're really not fussed where you go and what you stay in.

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I have also found that 4-3 weeks before departure gave us some great prices and choice. Also those first 2 weeks into Jan were the cheapest weeks. We haven't done it for a while ads we now have young kids.

We have booked with Inghams and Crystal would go with Inghams in preference.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Beware the week after half term - A few years ago we tried to get a late deal for a group of 4 that week and the availability was extremely low. We ended up getting a very good deal on a skiworld trip to Vail in Colorado which was the most amazing trip but still quite pricey for the last minute bargain to the Alps we were looking for (although ironically cheaper than anything decent we could find in the alps!). Not that I'm complaining - at the time it was two for one on the exchange rate and we still booked early enough ( a week before) to book discounted ski passes and ski hire - it was a truly amazing holiday.

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The only c**p ski holidays I have had are those that were booked months in advance, all those that have been last min have been good, often going to new places that would not have been a first choice but good anyway.
My best deal was a 9 night new years special, brocure price £449, on offer at £225 so i rang my freind to confirm then rang the TO back to find the price had dropped another £50 in the time it took to ring my freind, that was about 2 days before departure. I have booked on Friday and picked up the tickets and flown out on Saturday before.
You may find 2 week hols thin on the ground

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

Yep, as most have said, if you avoid the school hols there are normally plenty of deals about. If you are thinking about catered chalets, the popular chalets and organised companies with lots of repeat custom might be full, but there are always loads of new kids on the block with one or two chalets only, who are not going to be able to fill up in advance, and often throw even more effort into the 'little touches' as they try to establish themselves. Hotels etc invariably have a room or two at any time except peak weeks. heres to a good winter!

After all it is free

i booked last min the year before last to go away 2nd week jan

i think waiting till say wed to leave on sat is TOO LATE

i did this, and spoke to a few TOs and they didnt have a lot of choice left

bear in mind a lot of people will have the same idea so expect good deals to be snapped up within a couple of weeks of your chosen departure date

I've done it for the last 5 years and have always gotten a good deal to a good resort. In the last 5 i've been to Fernie, Tignes, Val D, Serre Chevalier, Alpe D'huez and Mayrhoffen. Each time (bar the Serre Chevalier year) there has been loads of choice for the second/third week in jan and the destinations were booked on the basis of where had the best snow conditions and best (snowiest) forecast prospects. I guess people have different experiences, but i've had no problems.

Help!!

Experience from those who've hung on and booked late.....

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