Any skiers out there?

[very-near]

Oi v-n, pack it in and be nice...

I thought I was

 

[Archie_tect]

Depends on the quality of bun... some very fine commestibles in the Tea room just now.

 

[darkstar]

Firstly don't learn t Ski, get a Snowboard on your feet, you won't regret it!
I lived in Morzine, in the French alps for 6 months over the winter season and loved it, it is however fairly expensive if you just go for a week. For example i paid around 700 euros for a season lift pass, when my parents visited for a week they paid 200 euros, and especially as the pund is so weak at the moment this just adds to the problem. A pints of beer will cost you at least £5 whilst the food is expensive unless you get to know workers at the restaurants.
If you want a really cheap ski holiday then somewhere like Bulgaria is a good option, they are meant to be good quality resorts, just not as popular those in France or Italy etc.
One piece of advice i can't stress enough is to learn some skiing before you go on the holiday, even just a lessen or two will make a huge difference and mean you aren't stuck on the nursery slope for ages.
As for packages, they can often save you a lot of money but it is still possible to arrange your own trip, if you have your heart set on France then transfers are easy to arrange from Geneva and will be cheap is theres 4 of you (especially if you can find some others to fill the minibus who are heading to the same resort) It is possible to book accommodation from a Thursday to Thursday, although only during off-peak time, this includes school holidays (the French national holiday last the whole of February)

 

[very-near]

Firstly don't learn t Ski, get a Snowboard on your feet, you won't regret it!
I lived in Morzine, in the French alps for 6 months over the winter season and loved it, it is however fairly expensive if you just go for a week. For example i paid around 700 euros for a season lift pass, when my parents visited for a week they paid 200 euros, and especially as the pund is so weak at the moment this just adds to the problem. A pints of beer will cost you at least £5 whilst the food is expensive unless you get to know workers at the restaurants.
If you want a really cheap ski holiday then somewhere like Bulgaria is a good option, they are meant to be good quality resorts, just not as popular those in France or Italy etc.
One piece of advice i can't stress enough is to learn some skiing before you go on the holiday, even just a lessen or two will make a huge difference and mean you aren't stuck on the nursery slope for ages.
As for packages, they can often save you a lot of money but it is still possible to arrange your own trip, if you have your heart set on France then transfers are easy to arrange from Geneva and will be cheap is theres 4 of you (especially if you can find some others to fill the minibus who are heading to the same resort) It is possible to book accommodation from a Thursday to Thursday, although only during off-peak time, this includes school holidays (the French national holiday last the whole of February)

This is alright if you like to spend most of your holiday on your arse . People seem to fall much harder on boards than ski's and you need to be very flexible to get away with it.

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

This is alright if you like to spend most of your holiday on your arse . People seem to fall much harder on boards than ski's and you need to be very flexible to get away with it.

Or face planted with a broken forearm.

 

[darkstar]

Naaaah it really isn't that bad, you can learn to ride in one day on the hill, it's when you start hitting the kickers and handrails it can get nasty...

 

[TheDoctor]

OK, longer post as promised earlier on.

What I've done a few times now is to fly into Geneva, pick up a hire car and then drive somewhere. Nearby places include Le Grand Bornand, La Clusaz, Praz-de-Lys and Les Gets, but the one I'd go for is Hirmentaz. You'll search in vain to find it in any of the ski brochures. It's a small place, with a few hotels, and a somewhat limited lift network. If you're beginners, this shouldn't pose a problem - you'd not scratch the surface of a large place anyway, and the lift pass is cheap.
I'd recommend the hotel les skieurs- it's family run, on the slopes, next to the kids place and stonking value. And the food's great.
No connection - I've just stayed there and thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

[HJ]

Some of the smaller Austrian resorts might be suitable. Perhaps have a google at what is available in St Johann im Pongau.

You'd probably get a more comprehensive response if you get it moved over to the cafe.

Incidentally, one option which might work out cheaper and still be feasible could be to stay on the German side of L Konstanz (where there is no skiing) and drive into either the Austrian Tyrol or Switzerland every day. Accommodation would be a lot cheaper that way.

If you are planning to drive in Austrian in the winter, be aware that winter tyres are a strict legal requirement. If you hire a car in Germany you you may well find there is a hefty extra charge for winter tyres (even thought they are already fitted to the car). Check and see if there is a ski bus running...

That said, the Austrian Tyrol is a great place to go skiing...

 

[very-near]

OK, longer post as promised earlier on.

What I've done a few times now is to fly into Geneva, pick up a hire car and then drive somewhere. Nearby places include Le Grand Bornand, La Clusaz, Praz-de-Lys and Les Gets, but the one I'd go for is Hirmentaz. You'll search in vain to find it in any of the ski brochures. It's a small place, with a few hotels, and a somewhat limited lift network. If you're beginners, this shouldn't pose a problem - you'd not scratch the surface of a large place anyway, and the lift pass is cheap.
I'd recommend the hotel les skieurs- it's family run, on the slopes, next to the kids place and stonking value. And the food's great.
No connection - I've just stayed there and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Sounds good, Not that difficult to get to. We stayed in Annemasse, and it doesn't look that far away on the main toll road.

Driving over there is easy as well (with sat nav)

 

[TheDoctor]

Annemasse? Stayed there once - we'd got a very late flight into Geneva, and I didn't fancy driving up an unfamiliar mountain road in the dark. I'm wussy like that!
I cycled through it once too (well, twice actually) on the way to cycle through Le Grand Bornand and up the Col de Coulombiere (sp?). A hard day, that was...

 

[totallyfixed]

If you can stomach any more advice - I've been a skier for many years including cross country and Biathlon, if you have young children January can be very cold so you will need good kit especially if you are all in ski school which invariably involves a lot of standing around. I would consider going in March when it's much warmer and aim for a resort at least 1700m in height to guarantee snow cover. Whatever you decide, enjoy and don't be suprised if your 7yr old makes you look slow by the end of the week.
One word of warning, it's addictive. Also if you are willing to wait, last minute deals can be amazing, last season we went for xmas week in a top resort, 4 star chalet, all in less ski pass for £192 each!!
Good luck

 

[User482]

This is alright if you like to spend most of your holiday on your arse . People seem to fall much harder on boards than ski's and you need to be very flexible to get away with it.

Blimey, I'm in agreement with linf.

I've tried snowboarding. It's like skiing except with more pain and less fun. And I reckon that modern skis are massively easier to learn on than the stuff that was in use when I were a lad. All to the good.

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

Blimey, I'm in agreement with linf.

I've tried snowboarding. It's like skiing except with more pain and less fun. And I reckon that modern skis are massively easier to learn on than the stuff that was in use when I were a lad. All to the good.

8 foot skis made of pine, wet leather boots, cable bindings?

 

[User482]

8 foot skis made of pine, wet leather boots, cable bindings?

This is a thread about skiing, not the items in your dungeon.

 

[montage]

I would say don't book into one of the resorts unless you have the money....book 30mins/45 mins drive away...ok it can be a pain, but the money saved can be huuuge.
Also, get some dry slope sessions in before you go. The better you are, the more likely you are to get more skiing in....therefore the more money well spent.