Cheap skiing. I have a First World Problem. Please help.

[Deleted member 26715]

Is it not possibly your friends could take your 'kit' & you could travel light?

 

[slowmotion]

Fly.

Find an awkward airport at a stupid time of night.

If not, overnight coach.

Travel light, take boots only.

I've done the coach before. Never again. I would rather be an English lamb on the way to an abattoir in southern Spain.

 

[slowmotion]

DO NOT forget insurance.

All the ski operators are offering deals at the moment but they usually use charter flights on Saturdays. The logical alternative is Sleazyjet to Geneva; they have about five flights a day I think. There are loads of people who do airport to resort transfers, just look at the banners advertising their services on ski websites. At Geneva airport they have even been given their own small desk in the arrivals hall.

You could take a train into Geneva (station under the airport) then transfer to trains and buses to Tignes but that's going to take you all day.

Once again, do not neglect your ski insurance. If you do suffer an accident, a Carte Neige can be bought along with your lift pass and insures you for slope rescue to the point of entry into the resort clinic. Your own insurance will also cover these expenses, it's just that you have to pay then reclaim.

You can mitigate the cost of mountain food by buying sandwiches in the resort and carrying them in a small rucsac, a sandwich jambon fromage is 7 Euros this year.

Have fun!

Thanks. Even Easyjet flights for that week cost a lot of money, hence the bonkers last minute package idea. I know all too well what all the stuff costs out there but I just can't bring myself to splurge £400 just on travel. I have a year round travel policy that covers me for winter sports,

 

[slowmotion]

Thank you @User482. I forgot about seat 61. I've done the trip through the tunnel several times in a people carrier with five other people. It makes economic sense with a crowd. This time, I'm Bill- No-Mates.

 

[BrumJim]

Hitch-hike?

 

[AndyRM]

If you set off now you could probably walk?

Beyond that ludicrous suggestion I'm afraid I have nothing helpful to add.

 

[slowmotion]

Hitch-hike?

In a mad moment, I did consider that actually! I once got a lift from Ostend to Munich when I was a lot younger.

 

[slowmotion]

And risk a DVT through inactivity?

The bed sores would make painful ski boots seem like luxury.

 

[slowmotion]

And better looking....

The trucker was gay, actually....but that's another story entirely.

 

[Globalti]

If I had that much spare time and no obligations I might hitch - seriously! If you're carrying a rucsac and some skis people can see the purpose of your journey and you'd get lifts on curiosity value alone. I used to hitch to Scotland and could make it from Newcastle to Glenbrittle in not much longer than it took to drive if I draped a climbing rope over my rucsac and made sure it was visible to approaching drivers.

You might get lucky and get a lift with skiers all the way to the Alps.

Try joining some skiing and climbing fora like UKClimbing and posting some requests for lifts.

 

[ColinJ]

And risk a DVT through inactivity?

 

[Archie_tect]

Have you tried speaking to Monarch Airlines and/or the other charter operators.... they may have a few single aisle seats left on their ski holiday charter flights taken by Thomsons or other Ski package companies, and as it's near the end of the season may be happy to sort you to with a cheap seat just to fill the plane.

Then there are transfer companies like bensbus who constantly shuttle back and forward from Geneva or Grenoble....

 

[ColinJ]

Have you tried speaking to Monarch Airlines and/or the other charter operators....

I have only flown Monarch once and it was a nightmare due to the number of seats crammed into the plane!

I am not super-tall (6' 1") but my legs were so tight against the back of the seat in front that I couldn't move them at all. I was on a slow flight to Corfu which took over 3.5 hours. A potentially real DVT-forming experience!

 

[srw]

Thank you @User482. I forgot about seat 61. I've done the trip through the tunnel several times in a people carrier with five other people. It makes economic sense with a crowd. This time, I'm Bill- No-Mates.

Eurostar have twice weekly trains direct to Bourg St Maurice from St Pancras. The return fare is currently substantially less than £300 for your dates.

 

[Archie_tect]

Where are you setting off from slowmo?