Poster: A snowHead
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We regularly drive to the 3 valleys for skiing but are trying it for half term in a few weeks. We have a great system for avoiding the Villefranche and Moutiers queues on your average weekend but not sure how best to avoid it all for half term. We have to leave Cambridge at 4:30pm on the Friday...or could do an early start on the Saturday and do it in one go?? Advice from seasoned half term drivers 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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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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Thanks Sarah - I found that after I'd posted, doh! Unfortunately our childrens' school does not allow an early Friday start so we are tied to 4:30pm which is what I think will cause the problem...particularly concerned about the state of eurotunnel on the friday evening after we were caught up in Monday evenings fiasco!
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key thing is not to try to drive up into busy resorts between around 10 am and 6 pm. Arrive early or late. And much the same for leaving. Ski the last Saturday, then do a few hours howeward bound, stop for the night.
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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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Rachie, we did the Eurotunnel at HT Friday night last year and it was a nightmare, leaving about a similar time (or slightly later), and driving from Cambridge. The Eurotunnel terminal was completely full, there was 3 hour delays and there weren't enough car parking spaces in the terminal.
This year I think the UK HT doesn't clash with French HT's (or less so than normal) so the roads the other-side should not be too bad.
The rest of the journey (headed through Germany to Austria) was relatively smooth for us last year.
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Quote: |
This year I think the UK HT doesn't clash with French HT's (or less so than normal)
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It always clashes with French half terms, but this year it's not during one of the two Paris weeks, which are the worst. Helps quite a lot. That's still a bad time to leave, though. Depends whether you are up for driving through the night.
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This is great advice guys - thanks!
Fortunately it's our own chalet so we can turn up and leave when we like so that's a bit less stressful - we are leaving on the Sunday morning on the way back and doing it in one go as we usually do - hopefully not as bad as the Saturday?? I have just booked the tunnel for 19:42 on the Friday so what will be will be (last Monday night helped get us in training with a 3 hour wait on the return!)...we will stay overnight at Reims. We would usually leave Reims around 7:30am so as the traffic will be bad I don't think we'll be driving up to La Tania until after 6pm by default!!! We shall have to pack lots of snacks for the kids and enjoy the view in the Moutiers queue...haven't seen those traffic lights on for years
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Rachie wrote: |
This is great advice guys - thanks!
Fortunately it's our own chalet so we can turn up and leave when we like so that's a bit less stressful - : |
So why not leave UK saturday pm and then get an afternoon eurotunnel (when it might be less mad), drive through the night to LT and chill/sleep for the AM and go for an afternoon pootle on the slopes in the pm. So you're loosing a little bit of ski time but the quid pro quo should be considerably less time spent in chuffing traffic jams, and as you're skiing on the second saturday when the self-loading freight is sitting in the shed at lyon/gva/gnb bemoaning the lack of facilities and having got their at 6am for a 14:00 flight you can feel happy and enjoy the ski.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Rachie
Try this at 8 am friday moring...
"Im terribly sorry my son/daughter seems to have picked up a cold/ebole/plague (delete as applicable) and can't come in today....I know, such a shame just before the holidays...bye"
Start car
Take 11 am tunnel
Be chaining up by 10pm.
Just me? Oh....
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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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I can't see that tactic working for us... my wife IS the head
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jamescollings,
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You know it makes sense.
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It's got to be a evening tunnel then drive straight through. I did it at Xmas got into montchavin at 0515 slept till lunch holiday started in earnest 1pm.
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