Skiing 24-25 Season who/where/when?

[The_Doc]

Hello all.

We're back now one day from our family ski trip 2024, which was ace. I haven't paid off the credit card from ski passes just purchased. My nose is still burnt from the sunshine. We have French crisps in the cupboard (Crostilles, gout bacon, which as any fule kno is the best flavour of all) We are still munching through the French Haribo. Why do they have 8x different flavours to us? Come on France, share the Haribo!

But the draw of the mountains is STRONG.

So:

Have booked 1/2 term February 2025 Portes du Solei. Edinburgh departure.
- £591 for family of 4, which is amazing.
All other UK (mostly England) airports were £1200 to £1600 for Feb 1/2 term and I only live 95 mins from edinburgh airport.

Bring it !




And an illustrative shot from Friday lunchtime just gone, picking the kids up from ski school, We dropped the bags off at GVA Easyjet 120 minutes later! Talk about a dash. On that note, Easyjet Geneva check-in is now much much better with the self service weighing scales, we waited about 5 mins to get it done. I still believe strongly in not travelling there on a weekend

I'll also fit in a cheeky weekend in early March with my bothers more than likely, Thurs to Mon, TBC.

Anyone else booked 2024-2025 skiing yet ??

Edited by The_Doc on Saturday 6th April 17:03

[wobert]

Yes, we return to La Plagne, first week of January.

We stayed in Plagne Villages this year, but I couldn’t get a catered chalet for 2025, so we’re in a hotel in Belle Plagne instead.

2024’s trip was a tribute to my wife, who sadly lost her battle with cancer in 2023.

2025 is booked as I want it to become a yearly trip for me and my two adult children.

Photo, well, just because…what a view!

Edited by wobert on Saturday 6th April 17:11

[Speed 3]

We've got a lifestyle change, wife has sold her pre-school business and younger daughter will be off to uni so we're finally free of school holidays. So the season it is then !!!

We've booked an apartment in Sauze D'Oulx for Jan/Feb/Mar. Should be able to get out to the Aosta valley and southern French resorts too with the car. Can't wait.

Only fly in the ointment is my cervical spinal damage which led to two trip cancellations this season. Had a couple of procedures this winter which haven't worked but see the consultant again in May so hopefully something will be possible, will be in bits if we have to cancel again or retire from skiing altogether.

[Harry Flashman]

Ouch on the spine issue - crossing fingers for you.

We're still in Montriond, about to enjoy the last week of the season. In-laws arrive tomorrow, so I shall ski with my young children and their grandparents for the first time. Can't wait.

So far for 2025, Saalbach on a work trip, and a week in Canada with Last Frontier and some very good friends.

Hope to be away at half term, somewhere, and in the PDS for Easter as usual.

[oddman]

Next year might be my first chance for an extended stay. Aiming to go out when shooting season ends so end Jan - Apr.

Plan would be rent house/chalet so we can take the dogs out with us.

Looking at Les Contamines, St Gervais, Sallanches to have access to mellow touring and piste skiing in Evasion Mt Blanc and Grand Massif but also more challenging stuff out of Chamonix and Courmayeur. Also if family and friends want to stay, it's any easy pick up at GVA.

Does anyone have any experience/advice aboutwhere to start looking for a long term/season rental?

[Speed 3]

oddman said:

Next year might be my first chance for an extended stay. Aiming to go out when shooting season ends so end Jan - Apr.

Plan would be rent house/chalet so we can take the dogs out with us.

Looking at Les Contamines, St Gervais, Sallanches to have access to mellow touring and piste skiing in Evasion Mt Blanc and Grand Massif but also more challenging stuff out of Chamonix and Courmayeur. Also if family and friends want to stay, it's any easy pick up at GVA.

Does anyone have any experience/advice aboutwhere to start looking for a long term/season rental?

France has a bit more than other Alps destinations. I start with VRBO & AirBNB. You'd better be sharpish though if you want to stay over for half term, highly unlikely to get a good place without any weeks booked yet at this time of year. You can also contact the local tourist officers or find letting agents in your desired place.

[Hoofty]

Nothing booked yet (as is my wont - tend to book last minute based on conditions, which is fine for solo trips), but setting a target for three trips next season; perhaps one fly, one drive and one TBC. I like the idea of the train. Maybe even the reality? Who knows. I might even try avoiding school holidays this time round.

Austria is my default preference, but will see what the deals and logistics point me towards. I'm not that proud.

Dumb picture from last week's 'drive' trip (Passo Tonale):



Non-ideal conditions for seeing anything above 1800m (it was booked in advance), but made for some pretty scenes lower down. Clear runs across Julier and Bernina passes there and back a bit of a gift.

Hopefully the season will start and end with similarly good snowfall! Bring it on.

[shocks]

With Worldcup in Saalbach during our usual time of visit looking to go either Jan or shift to another location for 2025.

Obergurgl perhaps

[oddman]

Speed 3 said:

France has a bit more than other Alps destinations. I start with VRBO & AirBNB. You'd better be sharpish though if you want to stay over for half term, highly unlikely to get a good place without any weeks booked yet at this time of year. You can also contact the local tourist officers or find letting agents in your desired place.

Thanks for that. A cursory look on AirBnB has brought up quite a few possibilities.

The spread of costs is pretty eye opening - anywhere between £5000 (modest not close to lifts but serviceable) and £40000 (big posh in Megeve) a month.

I'd always dreamt of owning somewhere in the Alps but I think head rather than heart says put capital somewhere else to work and rent.

[The_Doc]

I learnt to ski for the first time in Tonale in 1985 on a school trip.
Never been back.

What I do remember, and I was 8 at the time, was Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back arcade game in the bar attached to the hotel.





Check out the yoke with buttons for guns.
I remember feeding endless Lira into the slot.

Also did some skiing.

[Speed 3]

oddman said:

Speed 3 said:

France has a bit more than other Alps destinations. I start with VRBO & AirBNB. You'd better be sharpish though if you want to stay over for half term, highly unlikely to get a good place without any weeks booked yet at this time of year. You can also contact the local tourist officers or find letting agents in your desired place.

Thanks for that. A cursory look on AirBnB has brought up quite a few possibilities.

The spread of costs is pretty eye opening - anywhere between £5000 (modest not close to lifts but serviceable) and £40000 (big posh in Megeve) a month.

I'd always dreamt of owning somewhere in the Alps but I think head rather than heart says put capital somewhere else to work and rent.

Yep, some people can take the piss. If you're devious, you can find a place through either and get direct contact details with some camouflage in the messaging. We did that to go direct with our apartment owner who seems to check out (good reviews on both VRBO & AirBNB for a few years which is hard to fake). I've also got his home address and know he's a lecturer at the Turin Uni so connected through LinkedIn. Never the same security as booking through the two biggies but worth the risk with a smallish holding deposit and an agreed contract. Got 15% off for the longer stay so works out about £90/day for a 2-bed apartment close to the slopes with parking.

The 90-day stay visa is a bit of a pain now so we have forgone xmas/new year and we'll be back for our 25th wedding anniversary on the 25th of March. I also need to keep a few days back for occasional work in the EU.

We did consider buying a shared place in the Grand Massif a few years ago but BIL pulled out when family came along and we didn't want to have a small place. That was pre-Brexit so don't know how wise/easy an investment it would have been in any case. The French can get a bit bureaucratic around foreign ownership.

[malks222]

We’re off to courchevel (1650) for (scottish) feb half term next year. It’s going to be the first family ski holiday, so going for convenience + non skiing activities + resort we know.

it’s going to be our first time doing school holidays (daughter only starts in august), so going to be interesting being in report during half term! thankfully it doesn’t seem to be the main english half term week, so hopefully not as carnage/ chaos as it could be

daughter has just completed her first block of lessons at hillend and is now a ‘snowy owl’. considering she was only learning to slide on the plastic, she has managed 2 spectacular crashes! but so far so good, and she seems to actually enjoy the class.

hoping to do some ‘intro to touring’ groups/ lessons in scotland next season, I just left it too late this year and didn’t get the time to do them. here’s hoping for a better scottish season next year too!

[oddman]

malks222 said:

hoping to do some ‘intro to touring’ groups/ lessons in scotland next season, I just left it too late this year and didn’t get the time to do them. here’s hoping for a better scottish season next year too!

Inverness Back Country Ski Club
or
Eagle Ski Club - very active Scottish section

Might be able to offer help there

[Hoofty]

The_Doc said:

I learnt to ski for the first time in Tonale in 1985 on a school trip.
Never been back.

Ha, it's nice enough but I fear too compact for a seasoned regular. A grand total of 52 runs, Carv reckons. Two days max to hit them all I reckoned. Weather and hence motivation had other ideas (so 32 remain outstanding). Brother's fam like it - a few beginners in his brood and they love the wide blues (and pizza). I like the Bombardinos. No idea what it offers the more adventurous types, and there's bugger all to do if not skiing - but the drive there is fantastic.

The_Doc said:

What I do remember, and I was 8 at the time, was Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back arcade game in the bar attached to the hotel.

I think I'd happily play that for hours even now.

[Mr Penguin]

We want to go skiing next season (I went 18 years ago, Mrs P has never been). What is the best way to find the good newbie friendly resorts? I assume places like Bulgaria are cheaper than France or Austria.

[Hoofty]

Mr Penguin said:

We want to go skiing next season (I went 18 years ago, Mrs P has never been). What is the best way to find the good newbie friendly resorts? I assume places like Bulgaria are cheaper than France or Austria.

I didn't want to bring it up again but given the radio silence, Passo Tonale (Italy) is a good newbie resort - awash with wide, shallow blues, fairly easily navigable (you can see most of it from one place), convenient ski centre with lockers, enough restaurants to break up the day. Fairly high too. Costs last month seemed much lower than the bigger French/Austrian resorts I've been to recently.

Some example costs:
Ski pass - Lech: £57/day, Les Arcs: £52/day, Tonale: £30/day (it's much smaller but plenty big enough for learning)
Ski hire - Lech: £32/day, Les Arcs: £30/day, Tonale: £18/day (though that's skis only)
Hotels seem similar to me, as does food. But you get good pizza.

It's ~3 hours from an airport but that isn't unusual. £300 ish for a hire car for the week? Or coach with a package. Sure I've been there with Crystal before.

Heard good things about Bulgaria but not been. Am sure the hive mind here can provide many better suggestions, just thought I'd put in a word for the above.

[Car bon]

Speed 3 said:

The 90-day stay visa is a bit of a pain now so we have forgone xmas/new year and we'll be back for our 25th wedding anniversary on the 25th of March. I also need to keep a few days back for occasional work in the EU.

You can get a long stay visa for France - a bit of a faff, but gets you past the 90 day limit.

https://france-visas.gouv.fr/en/visa-wizard#/

[interstellar]

Car bon said:

Speed 3 said:

The 90-day stay visa is a bit of a pain now so we have forgone xmas/new year and we'll be back for our 25th wedding anniversary on the 25th of March. I also need to keep a few days back for occasional work in the EU.

You can get a long stay visa for France - a bit of a faff, but gets you past the 90 day limit.

https://france-visas.gouv.fr/en/visa-wizard#/

Is this new? My pal is motorhoming in Portugal right now and is coming back under 90 days. If he did this could he extend his stay in France over 90?

[Marcellus]

interstellar said:

Is this new? My pal is motorhoming in Portugal right now and is coming back under 90 days. If he did this could he extend his stay in France over 90?

No, been there from day 1.

IIRC have to prove you can support yourself (€110? per day in bank account, have health insurance, have somewhere to stay, have a return date).

Has to be done before you go.

[Car bon]

interstellar said:

Is this new? My pal is motorhoming in Portugal right now and is coming back under 90 days. If he did this could he extend his stay in France over 90?

Not sure for motor homing - AFAIK you need to apply in advance & in the UK - there's an 'interview' component. You also need a french address for the form, but I guess that could be the first campsite & then use a covering letter ?

I know a few people who have done it & I'm doing it for the first time this year - appointment next week, though I'm currently in France & heading back to the UK. My winter was in Andorra, which is outside the Schengen 90 day zone.

Heading off topic, but Spain have something similar but different - they have an NLV which is more intended for residency, but nothing stops you taking the initial year & then not renewing. Not sure about Portugal or anywhere else as I haven't looked, but possibly..... With any of them, the other consideration is being in any 1 country >183 days per calendar year may cause tax residency issues, so you need to keep records & evidence of where you physically were.