Who's going skiing and where 2020

[ukbabz]

Just booked a week in Soll at the end of February, looking forward to it! Only managed a chilled long weekend with the wife last year but this year should be more of lads trip with raucous apres ski :-)

[JEA1K]

RC1807 said:

Since I'm on gardening leave for Q1 2020, and our late teens daughters don't want to ski this season (!!), my wife and I can take some last minute bargains and drive south whenever we want.

I fancy trying Austria this season (not been before), and perhaps Chamonix.
Both are fairly straightforward drives from Lux.

Anyone have any good tips / preferences in Austria, please? .

I'd recommend St Anton or surrounding, so that includes St Christophe, Lech or Zurs. All not far from the Swiss boarder so fairly straight forward when driving. Like many people, when they find a town they like, they return year after year and we've been going to St Anton for 23 or so years now both for weekends, weeks and 2 weeks breaks. We tend to go somewhere new every season ... I always compare them to St Anton and for us, its still the best! The terrain can be quite intimidating but there are gentle areas ... if you can Ski there then I think you can ski anywhere.

As you've probably heard, the Apres legendary, not that I really get involved anymore but its a small town which has a great ambiance about it. The odd night in the Mooserwirt or the Krazy Kanguruh won't do you any harm :-)

There are some excellent restaurants and bars tucked away from the crowds. Service in general is excellent and the prices are not silly. I stopped going to France in the late 90's as I felt that the quality of everything in France was lacking compared to Austria. The lift systems are modern and reliable.

Zurs and St Christophe are very small an don't really have much apart from hotels ... Lech is larger but again, has mainly hotels with a few bars and shops.

[Newky Brown]

RC1807 said:

Since I'm on gardening leave for Q1 2020, and our late teens daughters don't want to ski this season (!!), my wife and I can take some last minute bargains and drive south whenever we want.

I fancy trying Austria this season (not been before), and perhaps Chamonix.
Both are fairly straightforward drives from Lux.

Anyone have any good tips / preferences in Austria, please? .

Saalbach/Hinterglemm has some really good, varied slopes and the area is vast. Apres ski is good too with a really good atmosphere.

Schladming is also worth a look and a little quieter and more traditional.

[Ranger 6]

Any suggestions for a transfer company? Sofia to Borovets.

[feef]

Hoping that the blockades by construction companies in France are dealt with soon. Currently mainly limited to the Brittany and the West, if it continues to spread and spills over into after xmas, it could put the kibosh on our new year trip.

https://www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/Fuel-s...

[Jarcy]

Trips organised so far:

- Mayrhofen in January
- St Anton in March (I can't believe that this is my first ever trip there!)

Another season without going to France!

[RC1807]

Thanks for the Austrian resort suggestions Trev27, JEA1K and Newky Brown.
I will look this weekend whilst recovering from my last work Christmas bash ...

[57Ford]

Ranger 6 said:

Any suggestions for a transfer company? Sofia to Borovets.

Got ours organised last week with GetTransfer.com paid 100Euro return in an Audi A6 (I made sure it was a Quattro ). Massive discount compared to the £220 that Balkan Holidays wanted for the 3 of us!
You put in your trip details and they email the offers as people bid for them.

[jontykint]

shunt said:

Obergurgl opens tomorrow, its currently snowing heavily with 2.4 metres forecast over the next few days. Hopefully a great start for the season. We'll be back there 12th December ??

Thats our favourite ever resort, me and the Mrs met there and got married 18months later, been a dozen times.

Not been for 4 years though, 2 weeks in 2021 is the plan.

This season its Chamonix at NY, and Avoriaz in April.
First time in Chamonix, looking forward to it

[Jarcy]

jontykint said:

shunt said:

Obergurgl opens tomorrow, its currently snowing heavily with 2.4 metres forecast over the next few days. Hopefully a great start for the season. We'll be back there 12th December ??

Thats our favourite ever resort, me and the Mrs met there and got married 18months later, been a dozen times.

Nederhutte for the best Apres Ski!

[wrencho]

jontykint said:

First time in Chamonix, looking forward to it

I've done quite a few weeks in Chamonix so feel free to PM me any questions. Bloody love that place so I can rabbit on about it all day :-)

The weather model map is worth bookmarking http://old.wetterzentrale.de/pics/MS_746_ens.png

[Abbott]

feef said:

Hoping that the blockades by construction companies in France are dealt with soon. Currently mainly limited to the Brittany and the West, if it continues to spread and spills over into after xmas, it could put the kibosh on our new year trip.

https://www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/Fuel-s...

This has spread to Paris now with queues at many petrol stations. Not that anyone in France will go anywhere quickly from tomorrow for at least a few days.

[feef]

Abbott said:

feef said:

Hoping that the blockades by construction companies in France are dealt with soon. Currently mainly limited to the Brittany and the West, if it continues to spread and spills over into after xmas, it could put the kibosh on our new year trip.

https://www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/Fuel-s...

This has spread to Paris now with queues at many petrol stations. Not that anyone in France will go anywhere quickly from tomorrow for at least a few days.

I also know someone who was limited at Calais to €70

[Welshbeef]

57Ford said:

Ranger 6 said:

Any suggestions for a transfer company? Sofia to Borovets.

Got ours organised last week with GetTransfer.com paid 100Euro return in an Audi A6 (I made sure it was a Quattro ). Massive discount compared to the £220 that Balkan Holidays wanted for the 3 of us!
You put in your trip details and they email the offers as people bid for them.

Get the free app Bansko blog (I know it’s Bansko but they arrange transport all over). The chap is called Lance Nelson he moved out there from working in the city a decade ago and has created this enterprise. We’ve used him and others without question his is superior - all vehicles under 3 years old vs one time it must have been at least 20 years old. Drivers all speak full English or can pass you the telephone to talk to an English speaker who can translate. Drivers all adhere to speed limits and safe driving vs a few times crazy pants (and my only solution for that was to keep saying toilet force him to stop again and again) we’ve seen some drivers who don’t wear seatbelts and have a cut off clicker so they put that in to stop the car alarm chiming that seatbelt not done up.

[V8Smith]

gifdy said:

I’m looking to take the family in Feb but the prices this year seem really high. We had a nice catered chalet last year for something like £650pp but I’m seeing prices north of £1K ! Any idea what’s going on ?

Hey Kenny, long time no see, yes skiing in Feb half term is crazy pricing, the past few years we have gone to Sauze D'oulx, great place, not as busy as the 'usual' resorts, cheaper and more kid frieendly restaurants, as Pizza / pasta is always a winner :-) We normally book an Airbnb and fly to Turin direct with BA, works out at around £500 per head for flight and accomodation.

All the best mate, hope you and the family are well.

Mike

[Bill]

Abbott said:

feef said:

Hoping that the blockades by construction companies in France are dealt with soon. Currently mainly limited to the Brittany and the West, if it continues to spread and spills over into after xmas, it could put the kibosh on our new year trip.

https://www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/Fuel-s...

This has spread to Paris now with queues at many petrol stations. Not that anyone in France will go anywhere quickly from tomorrow for at least a few days.

Yay. Luxembourg to Lausanne (in CH) is 273 miles. The van will do 300 to a tank with care, so it looks like I'll be packing a spare can just in case.

[shunt]

Jarcy said:

jontykint said:

shunt said:

Obergurgl opens tomorrow, its currently snowing heavily with 2.4 metres forecast over the next few days. Hopefully a great start for the season. We'll be back there 12th December ??

Thats our favourite ever resort, me and the Mrs met there and got married 18months later, been a dozen times.

Nederhutte for the best Apres Ski!

Nederhutte is indeed great, getting back to the hotel afterwards is always fun. This time next week I should be almost in resort.

[feef]

Bill said:

Abbott said:

feef said:

Hoping that the blockades by construction companies in France are dealt with soon. Currently mainly limited to the Brittany and the West, if it continues to spread and spills over into after xmas, it could put the kibosh on our new year trip.

https://www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/Fuel-s...

This has spread to Paris now with queues at many petrol stations. Not that anyone in France will go anywhere quickly from tomorrow for at least a few days.

Yay. Luxembourg to Lausanne (in CH) is 273 miles. The van will do 300 to a tank with care, so it looks like I'll be packing a spare can just in case.

Heading out on the 27th and have a hotel booked in Dijon en-route so would rather NOT lose that booking. Hopefully it'll have sorted itself out by then.. if not, a route via Belgium/Luxembourg might be on the cards

[Bill]

We're in a motorhome, so completely flexible thankfully. Even to the point of going to Austria if France is utterly buggered, although we do have bookings. Will have to check the t&cs of out insurance...

[feef]

Bill said:

We're in a motorhome, so completely flexible thankfully. Even to the point of going to Austria if France is utterly buggered, although we do have bookings. Will have to check the t&cs of out insurance...

Almost frustrating that I changed cars. The Alfa would do far more than the C Crosser (70litre tank compared to a 60 litre tank, and 45mpg to 35mpg)