skiing

[socks]

hello folks.

it's that time of year again to start booking the aul ski holiday. just wondering if any of you out there have gone on a ski holiday without being rode by the travel agents. i've looked at the whole d.i.y. holiday but it doesn't appear to provide much of a saving. went to st. anton last january and have just about finished paying for that one. looking for a 'ski to your door' resort. is eastern europe manky? i'm a bit of a snobby c**t like.

[T.C.B.]

Courchevel 1650 is a good resort. Not as expensive as 1850 but all the perksand is part of Les 3 Vallees which is an enourmous skiing region(one of the largest in the world I believe). The Hotel du Golf backs onto the nursery slopes and lifts... very bloody handy. They've self-catering apartments as well as the hotel itself. About a 2.5hr t-fer from Geneva airport.


http://www.courchevel-1650.com/


http://www.hoteldugolf-courchevel.fr/


May still be too expensive though.... smileys/smile.gif

[neiljung]

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It's a bit late to have much choice but directski.com seem to come out with the best deals. DIY is fecked up by the transfers, tour operators throw them in for half nothing but taxi/buses/ car rental mean it'll end up costing more unless you've got a really big group.


Ski-on/off is deffo the way to go. France seems to be the best bet for this La Plagne and Les Arcs are both very good. It's not always clear just how close to the slopes some of the places are, it can pay to trawl google for a map of the village and see just how close to the slopes they are.


If there's nothing left out of Ireland you can get good last minute deals out of the UK, try Igluski.com

[socks]

Courchevel 1650 is a good resort. Not as expensive as 1850 but all the perksand is part of Les 3 Vallees which is an enourmous skiing region(one of the largest in the world I believe). The Hotel du Golf backs onto the nursery slopes and lifts... very bloody handy. They've self-catering apartments as well as the hotel itself. About a 2.5hr t-fer from Geneva airport.

skiied into one of the couchevels once - could have been 1850 - from val thorens. the golf hotel you say? what's the snow record like in 1650 these days - has global warming got that bad?

[socks]

DIY is fecked up by the transfers, tour operators throw them in for half nothing but taxi/buses/ car rental mean it'll end up costing more unless you've got a really big group.

that's exactly the problem. you might save a €100 but between the hassle and what have you, it's hardly worth it.





Ski-on/off is deffo the way to go. France seems to be the best bet for this La Plagne and Les Arcs are both very good. It's not always clear just how close to the slopes some of the places are, it can pay to trawl google for a map of the village and see just how close to the slopes they are.


If there's nothing left out of Ireland you can get good last minute deals out of the UK, try Igluski.comcheers for that - will check them out.

[T.C.B.]

Courchevel 1650 is a good resort. Not as expensive as 1850 but all the perksand is part of Les 3 Vallees which is an enourmous skiing region(one of the largest in the world I believe). The Hotel du Golf backs onto the nursery slopes and lifts... very bloody handy. They've self-catering apartments as well as the hotel itself. About a 2.5hr t-fer from Geneva airport.




skiied into one of the couchevels once - could have been 1850 - from val thorens. the golf hotel you say? what's the snow record like in 1650 these days - has global warming got that bad?



1850 is dead posh. Bernie Ecclestone has a chalet there (I think, lots of rich and famous people do anyway) and it has a private airport so 1650 is a great cheat. Free buses to andfrom 1650 up to 1850 all day. Was there last March and the conditions were great. Granted there had just been 2 weeks of snow and it cleared when we arrived but with the 3 Valleys are your disposal, it's easy to head up to a higher altitude where the snow will be better.


Check out http://www.skiclub.co.uk/skiclub/default.aspfor historical snow reports for loads of resorts.

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//->i've gone to this place in a Austria a few times. You'll need about 10 people to make it worth your while, for both financial reasons and social ones. Basically, you can rent one of only a few chalets right on the edge of the slopes. You just walk out the door in the morning, suitable hungover, and hop into the skis and away you go. You have to make your own fun because there is no after-ski. It's not a tourist ski resort, just popular with Austrians, and there's just a few chalets that you can rent. That's why it's good to go with a good size group, and stock up well on local beer before the snow-mobile drops you off at the chalet, because you won't be near an offy until you leave the mountain. Luckily, there are about 12 pubs scattered around the mountain for people to get lunch during the day while slopes are open, but they are very useful for irish lads who enjoy an all-day pub-crawl on skis. There's good off-piste skiing here too. It's an excellent and very cheap (500 euro per head for a week approx,
Ryanair flights, accom, ski-pass) holiday if there are the right amount
of people.


http://www.klippitz.at/winter/pages/en.php?lang=en

Another idea, which could be worth looking at is skiing in Bosnia. Excellent skiing, very cheap once you're there, and there is a very good-after ski, and the local girls are great craic. Again, i've done it with a bunch of 10 or so, but it's a decent size resort so you would find very cheap accomodation for just a few of you. You wouldn't be right on the slope, but very near all the same (easy walking distance). The place I was in is called Jahorina and was the location of some events when the Winter Olympics were in Sarajvo in the 80's. A lot of the buildings around are still in a bombed out state since the war, but it gives the impression of being part of a James Bond movie. If you can get cheap flights, then this is an excellent and inexpensive skiing holiday.

edit: i just re-read your post. Neither of the above is 'manky' but not luxury by any means.

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[eracoto]

Glad to see ye all have money - the only skiing I'll be doing is slip sliding along the footpath when I bring out the bins on an icy morning... If you would like to bring along someone to "help" with your luggage for free (I get the trip for free naturally) then let me know! I'd lovea ski holiday smileys/neutral.gif

[socks]

cheers folks.

beir bua - you sound fairly hardcore when it comes to the ski thing. i like a hotel with a pool, sauna, etc so not sure if holding out in a mountain side hut or a james bond movie set for a week is for me but i'll keep them in mind.

biggest problem we have is one of the lads is a teacher so wants to go during mid-term when prices appear to be about 40% dearer. not good.

eracoto - you get an all in 7 day deal to bulgaria - halfboard, 4* hotel, ski-pass, equipment rental - for around €750.

[eracoto]

cheers folks.

beir bua - you sound fairly hardcore when it comes to the ski thing. i like a hotel with a pool, sauna, etc so not sure if holding out in a mountain side hut or a james bond movie set for a week is for me but i'll keep them in mind.

biggest problem we have is one of the lads is a teacher so wants to go during mid-term when prices appear to be about 40% dearer. not good.

eracoto - you get an all in 7 day deal to bulgaria - halfboard, 4* hotel, ski-pass, equipment rental - for around €750.



Really?!?!?! That's cheap! Where did you price that?

I started going to Bulgaria 10 years ago. I am a great fan. I've done Austria and Andorra as well. Supposedly France is the best. But for afordable skiing which means you can go every year, well then Bulgaria is the one. Pamporovo is the place. Fabulous hotels because it's all Mafia money built! Your concierge can organise anyhing you want given 24 hours! If you want purple coloured Benson &amp; hedges he can organise it. Most suitcases return with nothing except cigarettes in them and the fellas on the scanner are very helpful. We are like the locals there. We have been going with a group who have been going there 20 years, so we're well in and the price is unreal. Beautiful and sunny too with well groomed slopes`some pretty old lifts but well serviced. Ski school starts in the bar and ends in the bar with as many bar stops as you request during the day. Very social and the ski instructors look after you. Food and alcahol very cheap. You can get a large bowl of chicken broth (practically dinner in a bowl), big cheese and ham omlette and couple drinks for about 8 euro up the mountain!! Beer is €2 a litre. Vodka about €1 a shot and if like me, you drink vodka and bitter lemon they give you a litre bottle of lemon fanta to be going on with at your table and then just charge for shots!
It's eastern european, it's not posh but it's good skiing and brilliant craic at a really brilliant price. Some hate it, some love it.<!-
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[socks]

Really?!?!?! That's cheap! Where did you price that?

picked up the crystal holidays brochure yesterday.
http://www.crystalski.ie/destinations/bulgaria/bulgaria.html

[socks]

Pamporovo is the place.

really? with only 25km of piste does it get a bit boring? have you been to other bulgarian resorts? do you need to go in a decent size group or are the locals friendly? what nationalities do you get there - irish, brits?

[ryano]

I liked Livigno in Italy the couple of times I went. The skiing is limited enough, mostly suited to intermediate skiers (pretty boring for beginners and very advanced skiers by all accounts), but you can use it as a base to go into Switzerland and elsewhere.

The main advantage is that you won't get ripped off on food and drink on the mountain or in the resort. There are some top-notch restaurants serving delicious Italian food which are dirt cheap. You can also get mind-blowingly good coffee anywhere. It's a good compromise between the posher French and Austrian resorts and the rough and ready Eastern European options.

As for operators, we used Crystal last year and won't be using them again. Too many things went wrong and they didn't really seem to care.

The big problem with Livigno Ryano is the transfer time. 4 1/2 to 5 hours on a bus. Have to agree about the food in Livigno, though really good.


Was actually thinking of booking with Crystal the next time I go. They have a lot more resorts to choose from. Have travelled with Panorama before but they seem to be getting smaller every year.

[ryano]

The big problem with Livigno Ryano is the transfer time. 4 1/2 to 5 hours on a bus. Have to agree about the food in Livigno, though really good.
You're dead right, I think I must have blocked that experience out of my memory! On the plus side, I have now seen the first Austin Powers movie on a coach about 4 times smileys/smile.gif




Was actually thinking of booking with Crystal the next time I go. They have a lot more resorts to choose from. Have travelled with Panorama before but they seem to be getting smaller every year.

If they have the resort you want then I would say go with them - the service isn't great with any of these operators anyway.

Must have a look at their site and see what I can book

[socks]

the websites don't seem to have all the resorts that are in their brochures. holiday companies in all fairness are usually toss. as for livigno - i could never do that transfer. eastern europe is looking more and more interesting but not sure if i can fly out of cork - am avoiding dublin airport, aka basra.

The one reason I put myself through the bus journey to Livigno was the duty free. Bottles of bud 75c, bottle of bacardi (1litre) €12.


The resorts in Bulgaria look very small, 25k of piste and 40k. Sure you would have that done before lunch

[lahinch_lass]

Been to Bulgaria &amp; Livigno skiing, and Andorra and Livigno snowboarding ...


Bulgaria is great when they have snow, but the trouble is (or was) that they didn't have the facility to create artifical snow if the real stuff didn't arrive. the skiing is somewhat limited if you are experienced, but it's ideal for beginners. the instructors there are great, most of the rental gear is brand new, and if you want to invest in your own equipment, it is definitely the spot to do so.


Andorra is effectively Ibiza on snow, it's more about the apres ski than the actual skiing, the food is crap, it's a long bus journey as well. But there's a great water spa in the city, and the booze is dirt cheap. However if you're flying via barcelona there are random checks at border control. There is one resort there Arcalis which is supposed to be better for the actual skiing/snowboarding.


Livigno - I love livigno, yes it's a horribly long bus journey, but it's worth it. If you go self-catering there's loads of restaurants that are dirt-cheap, and fantastic food. My parents have been there about 7 times at this stage, decent variety of slopes if you've got a group of mixed abilities, the serious experts could be bored by the end of the week though. But lots of shopping, cheap electronics &amp; booze to keep everyone occuppied as well.

[Redhead]

I ve been to slovenia as a first tiemr and it was great, as along as you dont want a huge amount of apre ski.


Far from manky it was a gran oul place and the locals were very verynicesmileys/wink.gif.Was full of mostly croats and some italians

[gelly]

<div>@@@@SPAN ="508195709-24102006">this is my ski holiday this year went to italy in la vinia last yr it was brillent
this yr going back to andorra
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<div>@@@@SPAN ="508195709-24102006">For 5 of you staying in a studio in the
Manzano Apartments it will cost ˆ424pp SELF CATERINGfor flights, accomodation
&amp; transfers. To stay in a one bed it will be ˆ440pp on a SELF CATERING
BASIS@@@@/SPAN></div>
<div>@@@@SPAN ="508195709-24102006">@@@@/SPAN></div>




<div>@@@@SPAN ="508195709-24102006">The Lift pass is ˆ99pp@@@@/SPAN></div>
<div>@@@@SPAN ="508195709-24102006">The Boots are ˆ25pp@@@@/SPAN></div>
<div>@@@@SPAN ="508195709-24102006">The SKis are ˆ41pp@@@@/SPAN></div>
<div>@@@@SPAN ="508195709-24102006">And the Ski School is ˆ89pp

anyone want the email address for the travel agant pm me ok
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[ryano]

Isn't the transfer to Andorra a bit of a nightmare also?

[Paddie]

Isn't the transfer to Andorra a bit of a nightmare also?


Yip, 5 hrs xfer from Toulouse airport. Absolute nightmare coming back as you have to leave 5 am!

[gelly]

transfer is horrible 4 1/2 hrs but the hitels are on the slopes almost so no buses just walk straight out of hotel and on to ski lifts theres not 20min bus or gondla to slpoes

Isn't the transfer to Andorra a bit of a nightmare also?


Yip, 5 hrs xfer from Toulouse airport. Absolute nightmare coming back as you have to leave 5 am!





Left Livigno at 2.30am, still drunk from the night before. Not a pleasant bus journey.

[Paddie]

Isn't the transfer to Andorra a bit of a nightmare also?


Yip, 5 hrs xfer from Toulouse airport. Absolute nightmare coming back as you have to leave 5 am!





Left Livigno at 2.30am, still drunk from the night before. Not a pleasant bus journey.





Bought that t-shirt aswell. Serious depression on the bus home from Livigno

It is probably the worst partof the ski holiday, the bus journey back, waiting at the airport, flight delayed, waiting at dublin airport for your bags, some of them arrive some don't. Ah the happy memories.

[gelly]

It is probably the worst partof the ski holiday, the bus journey back, waiting at the airport, flight delayed, waiting at dublin airport for your bags, some of them arrive some don't. Ah the happy memories.

its all worth it tho getn those hot brandys or 5at the topof theslopes then skiing down buckled
fuppin brillent

[socks]

not a big fan myself of skiing in the dark while drunk.

[Snamh]

not a big fan myself of skiing in the dark while drunk.


Interestingthat you have no qualms about driving under those conditions.

Pamporovo is the place.

really? with only 25km of piste does it get a bit boring? have you been to other bulgarian resorts? do you need to go in a decent size group or are the locals friendly? what nationalities do you get there - irish, brits?


I've not been bored, probably due to how much arsing about having fun we have while on the slopes. It's a great mix of both.I think cause it's such good fun with our group that compensates. If you really want top skiing you have to pay through the nose. Close to Pamporovo is tchepelare which has good runs and if you ask your instructor he'll organise to take you there. It has some fab runs or so I've been told by the excellent type skiiers.
As for the type there, The Brits and the Irish are kept seperate enough really. Orchestrated or not I don't know but have to say we wouldn't here the Brit accent at all. I remember in andorra that's what drove me insane. The Mr. blobbies! BLah, blah,blah,blah blah, blah! Head wreckers. We go with a local instructor school out there rather than package deal so you get what you want. The weeks tuition was €70.00!

Locals very friendly. When I first went, I went on my own. it's always easy to tag up with people. On the second time I went alone and met the gang I've been going with ever since. They love the Irish as do most, but they understand the need for fun and play and most importantly drink, during ski lessons.

[gelly]

not a big fan myself of skiing in the dark while drunk.


Interestingthat you have no qualms about driving under those conditions.
smileys/biggrin.gifsmileys/biggrin.gifsmileys/biggrin.gifsmileys/biggrin.gifsmileys/biggrin.gifsmileys/biggrin.gifsmileys/biggrin.gifsmileys/biggrin.gif