 Poster: A snowHead
|
Hi to all and great forum, have been reading for ages and really enjoy etc.
We plan to take a trip leaving the UK on the 18/19th December for 4 days or potentially longer if I can get the best deal - offers welcome!
The result of the the family meeting was:
A resort that can be reached by flight and transfer in less than 5 hours, nice to be skiing on first day, although I guess that this is unlikely. We do not want to drive.
A resort where we can find a hotel or pension that will take daily bookings. If we get a Christmas offer 'all in' we may well consider.
A resort with a magic carpet lift for the younger child.
A resort with lots of surface lifts due to fear of gondalas of one of the party.
A resort that will have snow, man made or real doesn't matter as long as its guaranteed.
We have set a budget and flights can be booked today so can anyone help me?
Cheers
Lisa
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
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?
|
The surface lifts thing is going to be a big restriction - very few resorts have surface lifts from resort level these days. You could always seek out resorts that have trains - Wengen or Grindelwald for instance. From either village you can reach over 2600 metres without going more than 2 feet from the ground (track!). You may find the transfers (2.5 hours approx) a bit long for you 'ski on the first day' criterion though.
You'll have no problem booking 4 days as you're travelling before Christmas and resorts will be pretty quiet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
We are offering 10% off our Chirstmas week at the moment (plus your snowheads discount) and our dates are from the 20th - 27th Dec. We have a chalet in Alpe D'Huez and our holidays include flights from Gatwick to Grenoble from which it is only an hour and a half transfer up to the resort. Hight resort plus glacier skiing and ensures snow and many of the areas (although not all) are gondola free. Think about then only thing we can't cater for is the 'magic carpet' lift, although the nursery slopes are very accessible.
Anyway - have a look at our website www.skialacarte.co.uk or PM me if you would like any further information.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
lisach, welcome to snowHeads 
telford_mike's suggestion of Wengen is a good one. Saas Fee has a lot of surface lifts, but you have to take a gondola up initially. Somewhere like Val D'Isere that has a funicular may be worth a try...but will probably involve chair lifts higher up.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Hi Lisa, and welcome to the forum. Well done with your Family Meeting - such a sensible way to conduct your affairs, and often mentioned on Home Truths by the late lamented John Peel.
Now, about your query:
• Flight and transfer in less than 5 hours. That is possible (e.g. flight to Geneva 1hr 45 mins, transfer to Chamonix 1 hr 10 mins) but when you add in all the formalities of check in, baggage check, passport check this end, and then collecting baggage, passport check (hopefully not customs) and finding transport the other end, you will be hard put to manage it all in under 5 hours, and only then if going on a scheduled flight. Check-in for a chartered flight is longer and delays more common. If you want to ski on the day you arrive you will have to get an early flight and be very organized when you arrive. Transfer times to ski resorts here.
• Hotel or pension that will take daily bookings – should be possible in any real town (Chamonix, Morzine), but less likely in a custom built resort (Flaine).
• Magic carpet lift for the younger child – in my experience most high resorts have them, but these resorts will fail to pass the 5 hour transfer criteria.
• Lots of surface lifts due to fear of gondalas of one of the party . My advice would be to leave this person behind or send them off for therapy. There are resorts that only have enclosed lifts at the base station (Vujanay for one) but in most resorts you will manage using just chairs and buttons. Not ideal for Christmas when the weather can be nasty.
• A resort that will have snow. Christmas is a gamble. Most resorts will have snow. Whether you can ski on it is another matter.
Where would I go? With those criteria? No idea!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jonpim, oh....well that puts a different perspective on things. The five hours really isn't that important, and we can ignore the magic carpet ride! But the lack of snow is a bit of a body blow? I had hope Christmas was a late enough time for some cover in the non-glacier resorts.
Where in the last couple of years has the snow been falling in December that may be a decent bet then?
Is there a 2004/2005 season review of snow fall by resort?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
lisach, there are snow certain resorts for Christmas, unfortunatel they are all at high altitude, why unfortunately ? because whist they may be fairly snow sure they also suffer when it is snowing, sadly the weather is just not predictable, I'll be staying in Wengen over Christmas but I've no idea if the snow will get all the way to the resort, I'm pretty certain there will be some skiing though
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
I've skied in Courchevel over Christmas for the majority of the last six or seven years, and at Les Arcs last year. Even in poor starts to the season (eg last year) there was always enough snow to ski on and the majority of runs above 1800m were open. Sometimes conditions were just about OK with very thin cover on piste and insufficient cover off-piste, sometimes conditions were good, but there was always skiing available.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
thanks, it does raise the suggestion that its almost best to take an extra day travel time and to drive. At least then within 7-9 hours we can be somewhere with snow and use our flexibilty to our advantage. We however are always a little wary of driving up huge mountains!! Are lower valley towns a good choice and then let the local bus or train take us up the 'hill'? Better check that anti-freeze!
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
| lisach wrote: |
| thanks, it does raise the suggestion that its almost best to take an extra day travel time and to drive. At least then within 7-9 hours we can be somewhere with snow and use our flexibilty to our advantage. We however are always a little wary of driving up huge mountains!! Are lower valley towns a good choice and then let the local bus or train take us up the 'hill'? Better check that anti-freeze! |
It is possible to 'commute' up to the snowline from a valley town, but I'd not want to do that unless there was a mountain railway to speed me up the hill. Bourg St Maurice would be one option for a valley town (the funicular railway takes you up to Arc 1600 in 7 minutes, with the option to drive to several other resorts in under an hour, including Tignes with its glacier in case of very poor snow).
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Lisach, I have often gone in the period between Christmas and New Year and not yet had a problem with too little snow. However, that said, people here are being naturally cautious, because nothing can be guaranteed for the future.
The subject of early snow has been a hot topic for debate over the recent months. You may find this thread helpful. The website linked there gives the historic snowfall for the last three years at any particular week in the season at a number of resorts. The actual table in that thread is for the 4th week in December (which is the week after you are going I guess). The website for historic data is here.
You may choose to use this list as a start point for determining your destination. I have only checked out one, and interestingly, the fourth resort on that list Meiringen/Hasliberg does appear to have that magic carpet that you want for your toddler. I have never been there, but investigated it a little bit as an option one year and I do recall that it is not far from Zurich (about 2 1/2 hours). hopefully this link will give you the train timetable . Edit, no it doesn't, you will have to enter Zurich airport and Meiringen into the boxes, when I did that it came out at 2:24 with 1 change. From a single holiday experience, I would say that Swiss trains are very reliable.
Not sure on the gondola part though, the piste map looks like you might need to use one to get started.
Hope this helps.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Ray Zorro wrote: |
You may choose to use this list as a start point for determining your destination. I have only checked out one, and interestingly, the fourth resort on that list Meiringen/Hasliberg does appear to have that magic carpet that you want for your toddler. I have never been there, but investigated it a little bit as an option one year and I do recall that it is not far from Zurich (about 2 1/2 hours). hopefully this link will give you the train timetable . Edit, no it doesn't, you will have to enter Zurich airport and Meiringen into the boxes, when I did that it came out at 2:24 with 1 change. From a single holiday experience, I would say that Swiss trains are very reliable.
Not sure on the gondola part though, the piste map looks like you might need to use one to get started.
Hope this helps. |
It has a couple, depending on where you stay, two if you're riding up from Meiringen and one from Hasilberg.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
lisach, Have a look at La Rosiere, great for kids, good snow record, especially for early snow, no gondolas and fits the 5 hr transfer imperative, 2 hrs to Geneva, 2 1/2 hrs transfer. You can get full details from our ad in snowShops or our website www.tracksvacations.com as that week is shortened due to Xmas day falling on a Sunday, we could provide you with a daily rate. La Rosiere is linked to La Thuile in Italy and within 30/40 mins of all the Tarentaise resorts; Val d'Isere, Tignes, Ste Foy & Les Arcs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
lisach,
Have a look at Villars in Switzerland. Very attractive town. Busy - nice comopolitan feel (has an international university there or nearby)
Journey: fly to Geneva & then transfer 1.5 - 2 hours. Alternatively IF Sion airport is open - transfer in less than an hour.
Main ski area is accessed by a funicular/train. Downside: it`s the main way up & down the mountain so can get crowded. There is an alternative route but it involves a bus ride and - a gondola.
Once into main staging area (Bretaye) chairs prevail.
Can`t recall whether there`s a magic carpet - but I think there is.
Ski schools: two of them. One lot wear red and white. The other lot wear yellow & blue. The yellow & blue lot were brilliant. Our 3 kids (3, 6 & 7) all got on well. None of the macho ESF stuff.
Accommodation: we booked through On the Piste (www.otp.co.uk). They have access to private apartments, hotels & chalets. We did the private apartment option for 6 days. Very successful. Large, clean apartments & OTP were flexible on times. I seem to remember it was v. cheap - @ £1700 for 5 (2 adults, 3 children) of us, including all our ski passes. Have a look at their website (I am not connected with them).
OTP will sort out travel if you want them to and will know whether Sion is open. We actually drove down - I think that cost a £100 or so (plus tolls) on top of the price above.
When we went (New Year) snow at village level was non-existent until our last day (apparently a bad year). There was plenty of snow on the mountain. I understand that you can often ski back to the village.
Good luck wherever you end up !
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
I would endorse La Rosiere, we have had three very early January holidays there, and always had enough snow. But Christmas is definitely dodgy almost everywhere except the highest, bleakest, Tignes-type places - no getting round that. Even Courchevel 1850 was grim in early season last year. You might also think about Flaine, there are gondolas but the non-gondola rider could access a fair bit of territory without using them, depending on snow cover. Very easy transfer from Geneva. Driving with kids for four days would be hard work. But with a group, private mini bus transfers can be a good option and if you use an early flight you could at least get all your gear and skipasses sorted on day of arrival, ready to hit the slopes early next day. Best way to ski on arrival day is travel by coach (look at Snowcoach) but not for odd days and not for the faint-hearted (but then no sort of ski holiday with young kids is for the faint-hearted...) There is usually lots of availability at Christmas - if you are flexible you could wait and go for a last minute booking.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
I'm sure there will be a few helpful replies along in a minute (unlike this one, sorry 
)
