 Poster: A snowHead
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First time in over 10 years that we're not planning a family trip for the forthcoming season  .
Partly because it is difficult to fit it in with the kids other plans, but mainly because we shall need that cash for other things.
Anyone else cutting back?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Ray Zorro, You'll just have to come to Scotland again then won't you.
No real plans to cut back on skiing, although my 'main' holiday will be in Italy this year rather than France or Switzerland.
There have been cut backs in other areas of my life 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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Very lucky that it hasn't. We're off for the season.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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For the first time in a few years, we've booked both trips in advance - we've often booked last minute for one or even both trips. However the fact that we're going at all is only due to a redundancy payout, if I didn't have that we probably wouldn't be able to afford a trip at all.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Yes, no more weekend trips for us
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Nope... Got my first proper job so I actually have money now...
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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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Yes, it's the main reason I don't actually have any plans
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Yes. Having seen what the BoE intends to do to my meagre savings its made me more determined to ski as much as possible before the GBPeso is worthless on a global stage.
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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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We're still going. Holiday prices do actually seem to be a wee bit cheaper this year comparing with last years quotes. DIY seems to be as expensive, if not more so, than going with Crystal who we've never been with before.
I decided that when I'm 90 and looking back at my life, I don't want to have not been skiing with the family just because there was a recession on. Work to Live, not Live to Work!
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| fatbob wrote: |
| Yes. Having seen what the BoE intends to do to my meagre savings its made me more determined to ski as much as possible before the GBPeso is worthless on a global stage. |
+ 1
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You know it makes sense.
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I am actually embarrassed to say that we have had to cut back from 3 ski trips to 2. Though we have removed the expensive trip in January and kept the cheap ones in Dec and April.
It has affected other stuff though. I haggled in Wickes the other night (and got a discount) and I am thinking about letting one of our servants go.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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Yes, I am unemployed so no skiing
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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narc, To ski for the winter costs us no more than staying at home, with cheap season ski passes and a very small and well insulated place to heat. We have all the gear, no need to buy anything new, at all. We eat out very little and as all our holidays are spent in the Alps, overall spend on holidays, even taking into account the running costs of our apartment, isn't too great.
However, there is no doubt that times are hard and there are quite a lot of apartments for sale in our development - though still at pretty silly prices. One next door to us, a lovely apartment, far bigger than ours but still only 100 sq metres, is for sale at not far off half a million euros!
the only way we could make a big difference to our outgoings would be to sell the apartment - but given that my OH, who has some serious health problems, probably only has a couple of ski seasons left, we plan to make the most of them. We would sell the apartment only if we needed a big chunk of cash for some emergency - for example for some crisis within the family.
Our lodger in the UK essentially pays for the apartment. That means that downsizing in the UK - otherwise a good option, with kids having flown the nest, doesn't necessarily make financial sense.
If things get tight, we might have to take in another lodger!
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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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There are really cheap deals out there so even if you are cutting back from your normal week long ski holiday, you can still get away of a weekend or a few days...
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I'd go to the slopes 24/7/365 if I could but money has been tight the past few years, plus with a nipper in tow it's been hard to justify holidaying several times each season like we did pre-child.
However, after a year of turmoil at work and with a major health scare for the missus (plus her having proper crappy working conditions) we feel we have to go somewhere as a couple so we're planning a trip this winter. Thankfully, my folks are playing good grandparents by looking after the little man for a week so we can go alone (albeit with my mate tagging along). I certainly can't justify a high-end holiday so we're just looking at cheap chalet deals (sub-£450), namely the beginning of december in Val D'isere when holidays are a bit cheaper and the lift pass is a bargain. If we don't get away then, we'll be looking at a post-Xmas deal booked last minute. And I think the only equipment I'll be buying will be a new bobble hat 
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Tue 25-10-11 15:14; edited 1 time in total
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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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Not this season it hasn't. I'm somehow managing to afford a short break as well as my main week long ski holiday. But I don't foresee I'll ever be able to do this again with new car and new mortgage on the horizon.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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In the sense that I try to get more value for money, then yes. We prefer the flexibility of self catering, but when there's only 2 of you, you just get stung on the underoccupancy charges. When you can get half board in a hotel that's got good reviews and comes recommended to you for the same price as you'd pay for self catering....what would you do? I've gone for the hotel option this year - I guess if I left it to the last minute, I might get a billy bargain late availability, but we only had certain weeks we could fit the holiday in this year, so booked a few weeks ago.
By the way, both Neilson and Crystal are offering 2 for 1 on different things such as lift passes or equipment hire in different resorts on different dates - so a good chance to search for a bargain. Back to LDA for us again this year (husband has gone over to the dark side of boarding and wanted the familiarity of slopes he knows rather than an entirely new resort, and as we went there last year, it's kind of frsh in his mind) and got 2 for 1 on lift pases, a huge saving.
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Yup. For the first time since taking the kids skiing (2006) we are unlikely to be going a family trip - and that is now with the fact my sister is offering us their newly purchased chalet in Zell am See for free. Secretly hoping though that my new job ( still self employed mind you) will start paying dividends soon, in which case we could go.
Going with lads to st Anton in march though, but being allowed to go was my 40th pressie from my good lady.
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| Quote: |
when there's only 2 of you, you just get stung on the underoccupancy charges.
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not if you book a studio apartment on a DIY basis, you don't. Specialman, that sounds a great trip - except maybe for the "mate tagging along" 
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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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None of our kids can afford to go skiing - unless we pay. 
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Will need to be more selective about the days I choose to go skiing in Scotland and go for a cheaper week somewhere in Europe rather than North America.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| ....Specialman, that sounds a great trip - except maybe for the "mate tagging along" |
Pam W - it's the best of both worlds; get to have a really good week spending time with the other half just enjoying ourselves away from life in general, and when she slopes off early each day (which she invariably does to enjoy the mid-afternoon cakes at the chalet:)) me and my mate get to hammer the mountain in style, enjoying a few Gitanes on the way down, hooning around acting like 14-year-old kids and generally pretending to be Travis Rice:)
In all seriousness though, after a few seasons not evening thinking about snowboarding, I've come back to it and am surprised about some of the deals that exist, especially with the smaller TOs. It's still an expensive pursuit and probably always will be, but the deals (like those 2for1 lift pass offers mentioned) do help massively. We love Val for the mixed terrain but that early December period is great because the lift pass is very, very cheap.
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Specialman, hope it works out really well. Grandparents have their uses, don't they?
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You know it makes sense.
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We are having a family trip but only because we think it will be our last one as the kids get older. Going at xmas but tried desperately to schieve the best deal possible. We really should not be going due to the economic squeeze.
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| Specialman, hope it works out really well. Grandparents have their uses, don't they? |
They have, although I'm hoping this isn't a one-off and they get tipped over the edge after a week with my little boy
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Frosty the Snowman wrote: |
| We are having a family trip but only because we think it will be our last one as the kids get older. |
Don't bet on it. Never underestimate the attraction of a Bank of Mum & Dad funded holiday when you're a student or young working adult. Though as your lads are aspiring sportsmen I guess they won't be squandering funds on beer binges of old so will be able to fund themsleves subject to contract stipulations on hazardous activities.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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In answer to the OP... I seem to be going skiing nearly as much as usual this winter, but I think it may be the last really costly family xmas ski holiday for a while (Jackson Hole)
I think the plastic will bear the strain
I'm with the fatbob school of microeconomics. Not a lot of point in saving at the moment 
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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pamw - okay a studio apartment would mean no extra charges, but as I'm a really early riser, and the husband lies in a bit, it's not much fun to have to creep about for fear of waking him up. I much prefer a 1 bedroom apartment where I can get up with a cuppa and the TV and not disturb him.
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This season i will only be able to go skiing due to some inheritance that i will be receiving. America looks the best bet with the exchange rates etc.
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The only reason the family holiday has gone from 2 to 1 week is that the rest of the family don't want more than 1 week, I don't think my kids would be that bothered if we didn't ski at all, I'm home alone this week as the rest of the family is in Tenereife.
The up side is that I now have a pass from SWMBO to go skiing on my own, I managed 1 week last year, hoping for 2 this year if anyone is up to take advantage of a late booking deal?.
To answer the original post, low interest rates on our mortgage and more people holidaying in the uk (In our holiday cottages) means that I might actually get back to 3 weeks per year after dropping to two when children arrived. 
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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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Nope, doing exactly the same as last year. 20+ weeks (conditions allowing).
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FAQ
As I indicated on another thread, another aspect of the plan is to ski as much as possible before the body becomes too decrepit! 
Yes, we still managed about a fortnight in Malta in the summer, but even that choice was influenced by how cheap it is there.
