Or head to the real hills if you feel brave!

But not Glencoe.

A day up in the Ptarmigan bowl at Cairngorm will build your confidence.

Val d Isere and tight budget dont go in same sentence.

I work in Glasgow, thankfully I don’t stay there! I took lessons at the snowdome, hence my ability, albeit rather ropey, to link my turns.

After years of snowboarding, I have a near pathological dislike for the Scottish ‘resorts’. I appreciate the tows are much easier on skis than on a snowboard, but Grrr… all the same.

Yeah Chris, my mates picked the resort and I didn’t really appreciate what I was signing up for. Still got quite a good deal, although I don’t think I’ll be drinking or eating as much as I usually do when on holiday! I reckon I could stretch to £200 for a bunch of lessons though. Not much more though as that’ll be a fairly substantial chunk of my spending money when I’m away! 😛

TDC in Val or evolution2

We used Evolution 2 in Val, the guide was excellent, best we’ve had so far.

@Beagleboy – From experience 2-3 mornings of 1-1 tuition or 2 to 1 if you can find a friend while costly will significantly increase you enjoyment of further afternoons and runs with your mates. On a real mountain you’ll do more in 10 minutes than a day in a snow dome too!

We normally just do a few afternoons of coaching.

**** me. I can’t believe how much people are paying for diy ski holidays.

Last year we paid around £2250 all in* for a family of four at half term. Taxi; petrol; flights; meals; ski carriage; lunch; beer; souveneers etc etc.

Where the heck do you manage to find 4 grand from for a holiday…

Did that last year (with the school’s permission) and the exact same holiday was about three grand cheaper.

Yep, We are off to Bella Plagne with Esprit on Sunday with a 6 and 2 year old. Difference between next week and Feb half term is £3.5K, no-brainer despite the probable school fine.

With apologies to Edukator and those complaining about the price of skiing… 😳

Sweamrs and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary on Friday. For our honeymoon we came to Canada and included a day of heli-skiing (once in a lifetime and all that…). Now living in Calgary we decided to celebrate 10 years with some more of the same so left sweajnr with some friends and returned to RKHeliski in Panorama for another day.

Yours Truly

Sweamrs

Sweamrs

The tail guide hitting a deep spot

The lift for the day….

Where the heck do you manage to find 4 grand from for a holiday…

It’s our big holiday of the year – we camp in summer.

Counter question: how the heck do you manage to find a four-person half term ski holiday for £2250 ALL IN???!?

Easyjet flights from Newcastle to Geneva are coming in at £1653 for our party of 5.

Add in the £746 for 3 area passes and I’ve breached your budget before we’ve even thought about somewhere to stay, never mind transfers, equipment hire and lessons!

Great pics as always sweaman2. Very jelly!

a day of heli-skiing (once in a lifetime and all that…)

Didn’t you post similar stuff last year….? 😆

Last year was helicopter access ski touring for a week (so fly into a lodge and then human power ski tour from the lodge). I think I prefer that especially for a full holiday as it’s so relaxing and away from it all with powder skiing as well.

Heli-skiing is very different and still a ton of fun though.

I think I hate you. 😆 Enjoy!

So predicting another 1.5m of snow in belle plagne over the next 7 or 8 days.
Should set it up nicely for the end of the month.

Sweaman – so jealous of that, but will be there in time. Already have bc and Japan on the plan once the little man can deal with powder (going to be a few years as he is only 2.5, but ski lessons start in the summer if he wants to try)

Well you know I couldn’t help but wonder if Canada has the same price problem Europe has over surge pricing for school holidays as that 3 grand differential quoted above would pay for an awful lot in Canada.

14 years is the apparent minimum age currently in Canada for things like heli-skiing with parents / guardian in a general group. I think if you start going private etc then it’s lower. E.g last year we had a 10 year old with us and she was doing the morning with the group but we’d booked the whole lodge (as we also had sweajnr as well).

Yeah thought about that too sweaman2 – but it’s a long way to travel with our four year old, especially as we only have a week.

But definitely in the future somewhere.

Dammit how hard is it to buy kids’ skis secondhand?? All ebay stuff goes for silly money and that’s if you can even find the right size in the first place. Really don’t want to cough up for new. Anyone got a reasonable pair of 130s and 155s going??

Vintage, looked on Snowheads? Put a wanted on there and I’m sure something will pop up.

Cheers, will check that. Thanks!

Vintage, also check local charity shops. My sister furnished all 5 of themselves with charity shop skis…
Not the latest models but all in good condition.
A pair of Salomon Guns in the one I walked past on Sat.
EDIT Also, bid on ebay only with a bid snipe app.

happy anniversary, Mark!
How time flies!
V jealous of your move and what you’ve made of it. Bravo. And good luck for the future still.

Check Snowheads, usually kids stuff up on there for normal prices. I just got littlemissNZCol a Spyder outfit for peanuts

Anyone hiked up to the cross at the summit of le Foglietta above Sainte Foy?

You can PM stevo of White Room Chalet and try your luck re advice. From what I have read and seen it’s the sort of trail I would happily do (prior to injury see below) having done it once with a guide. Given amount of snow this year I would make a guess that risk is high

It’s a well known off-piste descent usually done by clients with a guide (inc those on a day trip from Val). Clearly a “local” would go up alone. They have a race every year to see who can do the most laps 🙂

So to answer your question. No I havent done it, I was due to do the White Room back country trip in 2013 but I bust my knee “training” (cough) in Sainte Foy in Dec 2012 🙁

@sweaman2 top post !

Vintagewino – there are some 149 & 156 ex rental Heads on ebay

Thoughts on Arinsal/Vallnord – chances of decent snow in late Feb?

Thanks!

Weve been to Vallnord in early March. Had a week of powder! Only been the once though.

Its a small place. But good variety of runs. Some really good tree runs too.

There’s a few flat spots if snowboarding that did mean a bit of walking. But not too bad. And people better than me were just about making it.

I love Andorra. Been back in the summer. Was awesome then too. Only thing of note. The ski busses are a bit hit and miss. La Massanna is very busy.
Hotel Palarine in Erts was nice with good food. But does mean use of the bus or a 1.5km walk to the lifts.

In reply to Graham

Counter question: how the heck do you manage to find a four-person half term ski holiday for £2250 ALL IN???!?

Easyjet flights from Newcastle to Geneva

That’s you problem right there. I’ll give more details later but essentially you need to fly to a different airport.

I think we’re paying about 40-50 quid return flights this year each. Luggage and skis go free as we used vouchers Ryanair gave us when they bumped our Christmas flights. Last year we had to pay for 4 bags so it was closer to 110 each. Kids skis are 125/135 cm so we can just fit all four pairs in one ski bag at 19.8kg with bindings off.
The year before we flew to Munich for around 110 each. The year before Frankfurt for 80 quid each

My son starts ski school tonight on our local shred hill. it’s blowing a gale and snowing. I hope they cancel it for his sake!

but essentially you need to fly to a different airport.

Interesting. But doesn’t that make for a long/difficult transfer though?
Or do you select resorts nearer the less popular airports?

Not sure where would be best to fly to from up here.

Just checked on skyscanner:
No direct flights to Frankfurt from Newcastle. Cheapest with 1 stop is £1694 for our party of 5.
Similar story with Munich, nothing direct, cheapest is £1928 for our 5.

What resort are you going to out of interest? Where are you staying?
Detail would be very welcome as I can’t keep paying these prices every year and we are less keen to take the kids out of school as they get older.

European ski flights on budget airlines are surely among the lowest VFM purchases you can make. You can fly 4 to Tokyo and back from Edinburgh for not that much more than an easyjet to Geneva.

family of four, flying Brizz to GVA for sat>sat half term for £850.

Not cheap really.

Mrs S and I going out the weekend after half term for £60 return each.

We just dont take the kids for half term as its expensive even with our own accommodation and of course busy on the pistes. Id prefer to take the boys out of school but while Mrs S is a governor it would be a sticky wicket if we did. We’ll all go at Easter instead.

But doesn’t that make for a long/difficult transfer though?
Or do you select resorts nearer the less popular airports

Yes sometimes.
No.

We’ve never really worried about distance from airport to resort really. Which has resulted in a couple of really unpleasant transfers but you just take it in your stride.

4 years ago we hired a car in Frankfurt and drove to wolkenstein(sella Ronda). That drive did suck a bit. But infinitely better than the full bit of a mess that was our ski holiday in Scotland the year before.

3 years ago we flew Manc to Munich and then got the train to St Anton. The timing of the cheap flights meant that we had to spend the Saturday night in the MUC Hilton drinking beer and swimming in the pool. Then get the train in the morning. No kind of hardship. The train took about 3 hours if I recall. Sitting around a big table with the family eating, drinking and playing cards. Again, no great hardship.

Last year we flew Ryanair to Nuremberg and nicked the mil’s car and drove to St Anton. I seem to recall we left mid afternoon as we were ski shopping in the morning. Traffic wasn’t too bad. We could just have easily taken the train instead. I think closer to 5 hours than 3; but eminently doable.

This year we’re going to take the mil’s car again.

Living in the “north” of England like you do, any drive to the continent sucks deeply. So I have to be flexible in terms of transfer hassle.
The kids know they can endure a 9 hour journey for a week shredding powder or they can stay in piss wet Manchester for the week. So far they have opted to come along too.

Thanks thegeneralist.

SkyScanner says no direct flights to Nuremberg either and its £2258 for our party of 5. The curse of regional airports.
Seems like I’d have to drive 3 hours to Manchester first to get more direct options. 🙁
But possibly worth it for those savings.

The kids know they can endure a 9 hour journey for a week shredding powder or they can stay in piss wet Manchester for the week. So far they have opted to come along too.

😆

Okay so you’re saving over a grand on lower cost flights. And then another fair whack by borrowing a car instead of paying for transfers or car hire.

But even then I’m still bewildered and slightly in awe that you can do it for £2250 all in!

Google suggests that 6 day passes at St Anton are 275EU for adults and 164EU for kids. I make that about ~£780 for 2 adults and 2 kids. Leaving you £1470 (£367 a head) for your flights, accommodation, ski carriage, food, beers, kit hire, lessons and travel insurance? At half term prices? 😯

Liverpool to GVA used to be a bargain.

And because John Lennon is tiny, no slower living in York than Leeds or Manchester once getting on / off the plane and in / out of the airport was factored in.

Our trip to Samoens at half term comes out at about 2500*. But for that we are driving, and staying in cheap self catering accom. We’re not bothered about luxury apartments or catered chalets and are used to camping so cheaper (some may say shit) accom is fine for us and kids dont care as long as they are having fun.

* 2 adults and 2 kids. Fuel, crossings, tolls, accom, lift passes, ski school and ski hire for kids. We have our own kit.

Thoughts on Arinsal/Vallnord – chances of decent snow in late Feb

Spent the last 3 or 4 years going to Pyrenees in Feb. I liked Arinsal (snowboarder) we were there for 4 days but it’s a lot smaller than Grandvalira so could get a bit bored by the end of a full week.
Snow has always been decent if not good in Feb. Beer is cheaper than the alps on piste as well!!

Our trip to Samoens at half term comes out at about 2500*. But for that we are driving

Aye… that’s a 928 mile trip from up here, 15 hour+ drive according to Google Maps.

My youngest often gets car sick after about two miles 😆

Easter seems to be the key to affordable family skiing for us at the moment.
There seems to be a big variation in accommodation cost.
Driving also seems to be the most cost effective, thats based on Bristol flights Vs Tunnel and 1 night accommodation en route. (775m to Samoens)
The drive can be PITA but that is usually the bit from Lyon / Chambery / Geneva to whatever resort you choose, thats going to be the same if you fly.
Driving is made easier if you can share the driving and the kids are happy spending the time in the car!
If we do get away at Easter, I’m hoping we can take a bit longer over the return leg and stop somewhere nice.