skiing question (not boats)

[tcm]

since we've established that scores of people hereabouts know about boats, as well as legal stuff, expensive car (especially Mercs), expensive drinking habits and much more, it seems an excellent plave to also ask about skiing, which in loads of people's bios.

So, my question is about skiing holidays. At blimmin half term 15th feb. I will probably drive so that when it's crap we can leave and stay in paris on the way back.

And the questuion is: is it totally vitally important that we book in advance? cos it's getting boring ringing up places that have spaces "on option". I am wondering if we can't just drive down and find something there and then? The french all seem to do this. And then we'll be the annoying who are staying for half price, insteads of sitting next to them. I don't much care where we go, so long as it's not a total dump. Has anyone done this?

I suppose that I could listen out on the Radio Autoroute for news about crashes on the way down, find out where they were headed and go there, but it seems rather bad taste, even for me. Or perhaps since there are 10 people killed every day on the roads in france, there's bound to be some room freed up. And then there's all the ski accidents too and some of them might be on the first day of two weeks holiday....

 

[mainshiptom]

We have just come back from St. anton Austria, it was totally fully booked !

People did turn up with out booking first but where turned away, having said that you could of settle for places outside a ski resort and drive in and out evry day, This would mean miss out on the after-ski(the best bit).


Tom

 

[paulineb]

brrrr - I don't do cold !!!

Pxx

 

[wakeup]

TCM,

I spend at least 4 weeks are year in one resort or another. I am a Francophile and I inevitably keep going back to the Three Valleys (Courchevel, Meribel and Val Thorens) mainly because of the extensiveness of the skiing combined with great restaurants and things to do in an evening. Val d'sire is also pretty good neigbouring TIgnes (Espace Killy).

Now for starters the French do book a long way in advance so you are gonna have problems getting a hotel at this sort of short notice. I like your bad taste idea but don't think it will get you a room for the night. THey just had great snow in the French Alps so every skin froggy will be heading there this half term. So even the hotels on route to the Alps will be packed. I tried your approach a feew years ago and we deceided to drive over to Courchevel a day early expecting we could stay in any old hotel within 3 hours drive of the alps. Every hotel we stopped in had signs saying the were 'compli' and we ended up in a whacky race with about 15 other cars pulling into every hotel all the way to the alps. We ended up having to sleep in a snowy lay by for the rest of the night becasue the hotel we were heading for was full and couldn't accomodate us or put us up somewhere else. Now that season saw some great snow and that's why all the hotels were packed and I am sure you are gonna face the same this year.

You're probably better targeting a lower resort that has access to higher skiing becasue these tend to get boked last. For example you probably ain't gonna get anything in Courchevel (1850m) but you might be able to get somehting in Les Praz (1300m) but has a ski bubble that'll take you straight to the top of the 1850 resort avaoiding the ques at the crozette. So I could recommend a hotel in Les Praz Called Les Pueplier, very friendly staff and excellent food. Alternatively if you don't mind going to a familly catered chalet that might be a good bet. Again I have a couple of friends that own private chalets that they rent out fully catered (PM if you're interested and I'll ask them if they've got space) or you could try www.bootbag.com where many of the privately owned chalets are advertised. These often have spaces available and don't get booked until the last minute. You could also try the tourist information offices in any of the French resorts as they have lists of hotels with vacancies on the day of asking. Or you could try posting somehthing on the web forum on the courchevel web site www.courchevel.com and ask there, I know people that have managed to find rooms via that route (Be careful though you can meet some funny people on web forums!!).

Sorry my knowledge is quite specific to France as I have spent most of my skiing time there. Good luck and Bon Neige.

Can be arsed...

 

[byron]

<font color=blue>Problem is some coastal local authorities put a 10 knot speed limit within ½ mile of the shore. Obviously you can't get a skier up on two skis let alone a mono at that speed.

http://www.alexander-advertising.co.uk

 

[wakeup]

Earth calling Byron.. come in.. - NM

/forums/images/icons/smile.gif

Can be arsed...

 

[jimi]

Re: Earth calling Byron.. come in.. - NM

Why? Has he gone to heaven? You know,the place where all of Cyprus is Greek?

 

[paulineb]

Re: Earth calling Byron.. come in..

did you notice he didn't leave me anything in his will ? :-(

Pxx

 

[EME]

Re: Earth calling Byron.. come in.. - NM

Don't be stupid , everyone knows that the Med is actually a downhil slope of 1 in 4.

How else could you move a raggie there?

<font color=blue>I am WHAT I say I am</font color=blue>

 

[tcm]

Re: erk!

excellent info. Dangerous to kip in the snow though eh?

I will have to have a rethink but instead of going to france my logic may lead me to tryswitzerland, more room cos there are more mountains per person, and everyone is rich as heck cos they haven't got the stupid euro.

 

[wakeup]

Alternatively...

If getting accomodation is looking a bit dodgy then why not try Isola or Auron.

I've not yet been to these resorts but you could always stay on your boat and drive up to these resorts. I'm told they are 90mins from Cannes and whilst these resorts aren't 3 valleys in terms of amount of skiing they are high and comparable to the smaller French resorts. You could snow ski in the morning and water ski in the afternoon. I will be doing this next year as my base in SoF will be complete by then.

Can be arsed...

 

[Divemaster1]

Not France, but off to Norway 07 Feb, to a 5star, 5 bed Cabin with indoor swimmingpool, jacuzzi, sauna etc. 500m from ski lifts (admittedly not too large but OK for nice gentle downhill and some off piste and freestyle, if you're up to it ), in good cross coutry terrain as well if you are into the physical stuff...(of course you may just elect to just to sit in the jacuzzi and sip bubbely whilst watching the cold stuff outside)

So what do I pay .... £168 for the full week - Saturday to Saturday... Who said that everything, good quality in Scandinavia is expensive...(1.5 hr flight and a short drive from Airport)

AHM

 

[qsiv]

Neither do I - ski at Easter and get a tan.

I remember as a teenager watching some bikini clad lovely wedeling down the slope so intently that I skied into a piste marker ...

 

[Viking]

Re: Its a hard life in Norway!

I can look out of my office window and see my boat in the marina. Then look out the other window and see the ski slope and lift on the mountain. Its a hard life here in Norway.

 

[tcm]

Re: I knew it was boaty really

oh how trendy!

But...if the seawater is warm then the snow must be a bit slushy. Or, if the snow is excellent then the sea will be blimmin freezing i bet.

A friend went to auron and said he could ski round it in a day really. So, proabably a week for me.

Skiing: a sport in which you buy $3000 of clothing and equipment, before driving several hours through the snow in order to stand in a bar and get drunk
(PJ O'Rourke)

 

[wakeup]

Re: I knew it was boaty really

What's the worst that can happen if you go this route????

Can be arsed...

 

[Divemaster1]

Re: Its a hard life in Norway!

Yes, It is quite tough...

Used to go boating at Easter into the Fjords and stay there Skiing

AHM

 

[tcm]

yeah but

It's really cold and dark, and more importantly all the food's weird innit? Oh yes it is. Ryvita with vinegary rollmop herrrings tinged with whatever slopped along from the solent boaties, where there's no holding tank pumpouts so it must all end up that way somehow. I bet the far end of the Baltic must be a right mess, like an extreme version of Grandcamp Maisy marina.

 

[davel]

Re: I knew it was boaty really

Isola's OK. Been there on a few occasions for a long weekend's skiing from Cannes. Gets its snow from the altitude (2000 meters) and more often than not has great sunshine as well. Good for a long weekend but a bit too small for week I'd say. Also the resort centre is a bit 60's concrete in style but quite pretty once you get on the slopes.
Still gets busy though - particularly at weekends when many of the South Coast residents head up for bit of snow bashing - so I'd recomend booking or turn up on spec in mid week and not during Frenchie half term week.

A mid-winter break of a few days on the slopes and a few days on the boat would be PDG.


Dave L.

 

[Divemaster1]

Re: yeah but

Dark -Perhaps during the winter, but during the summew, Norway enjoy long days
Cold - Well to go proper skiing, you need below 0 deg. C, otherwise Norway enjoy the warmest median temps in Scandinavia (avg. temp in June in Stavanger last year was 20 deg. C )
Food - Long time since you visited ?? - Traditional food may be considered bland, but it is a bit more "globalised" now so you make your own choices..
Far end of the Baltic and pumping stations ?? What's that got to do with Norway ?

Norway and its waters are very clean and is well serviced with the facilities a boater require and it also represents a beautiful vacation destination for boaters.
(20,000 Km of coastline and thousands of Islands and Fjords giving sheltered water in which to explore).
In the South of Norway, one does not have any tidal problems (approx 3ft), so you can eneter virtually any sheltered anchorage and be safe that you will not dry out.
I've just signed a one week charter (Nimbus 4004) out of Stavanger for one week in June and will enjoy the 1,000's of islands of Ryfylke with my family. (pic's and journey description may follow in due time)

Here's a recent picture from one of the fjords of Stavanger.... I just love the contracst between the sea and the mountains...

AHM