Driving Rapide to ski resort?
Discussion
Afternoon all, just looking for some advice on whether it's an advisable idea to take my rapide to the Alps next month. The mrs has an X5 but we are taking her parents (and our 2 and 4 year old) and I had half promised my father in law use of the X5 because I had planned to have bought a daily driver range rover which I could use. I'm now having to wait for the RR until March/April so am considering taking the Rapide.
Has anyone done something similar in their aston or have any views on why it might be a bad idea? I'm going to Nendaz (close to Verbier) so my planned route is Calais-Dijon-Besancon-Lausanne-Sion-Nendaz. Obviously mostly motorways so I guess I am only really concerned about the last few miles from Sion up the mountain. Has anyone done that trip or similar and have any advice? I'll obviously have the compulsory snow chains just in case. I'm keen to do it as I do far too few miles in the rapide but I wonder whether I am being irrational!
Thanks in advance for your replies!
Has anyone done something similar in their aston or have any views on why it might be a bad idea? I'm going to Nendaz (close to Verbier) so my planned route is Calais-Dijon-Besancon-Lausanne-Sion-Nendaz. Obviously mostly motorways so I guess I am only really concerned about the last few miles from Sion up the mountain. Has anyone done that trip or similar and have any advice? I'll obviously have the compulsory snow chains just in case. I'm keen to do it as I do far too few miles in the rapide but I wonder whether I am being irrational!
Thanks in advance for your replies!
I certainly have no first hand experience of such a joyous dilemma but it would seem strange to have a transcontinental GT like the rapide and not use it for exactly that.
Seen plenty of uber metal in and around Courcheval so plenty do it. Winter rubber, chains in the boot, bobs you mother's brother.
Seen plenty of uber metal in and around Courcheval so plenty do it. Winter rubber, chains in the boot, bobs you mother's brother.
thanks for the responses. yes, I agree about the rapide being perfect for the journey, and i'm excited about the possibility of taking it, just concerned that summer might be better than winter!
winter tyres are an issue i hadn't given too much thought to. the problem is that i don't feel the need for winter tyres for uk driving and i will drive to the alps once a year at most so a set of winter tyres seems a bit over the top.
presuming i don't fit winter tyres, i assume the swiss are excellent at keeping their roads clear so there would have to be some pretty extreme weather for me not to be able to reach Sion. and from there it is only a few miles to Nendaz - albeit on pretty steep roads! my thinking is worst case scenario i have to fit the chains not long after Sion and do 30mph the rest of the way.
winter tyres are an issue i hadn't given too much thought to. the problem is that i don't feel the need for winter tyres for uk driving and i will drive to the alps once a year at most so a set of winter tyres seems a bit over the top.
presuming i don't fit winter tyres, i assume the swiss are excellent at keeping their roads clear so there would have to be some pretty extreme weather for me not to be able to reach Sion. and from there it is only a few miles to Nendaz - albeit on pretty steep roads! my thinking is worst case scenario i have to fit the chains not long after Sion and do 30mph the rest of the way.
I took my DB9 skiing to Austria last March. My only issue was nowhere for my skis so my brother took them in his car, other than that fabulous. I had sottzero's on which were great in all the conditions I encountered - warmish spring like days, cold icy weather and some snow. No issues at 160mph + whilst it was snowing.
Don't forget the Jura mountain range! Some road sections are above 4,000 feet/1,200m and if you are unlucky enough to find yourself en-route in a blizzard, the Police could temporarily close sections of the route to anyone not equipped to deal with it...
Poligny would be a nice place to set up base camp if you need to kill time when heading south.
[edit - I see you have the Pontarlier route in mind. It's a bit longer that the Google maps deafult route and it may be a bit lower overall but there's still plenty of high ground to cover.]
For info, there's a couple of new webcams this season in Anzère (more or less opposite Nendaz and at a similar altitude) that should give you an idea of current conditions in Valais.
http://anzere.roundshot.com/pistes [circa 2,300m]
http://anzere.roundshot.com/village [circa 1,500m]
Poligny would be a nice place to set up base camp if you need to kill time when heading south.
[edit - I see you have the Pontarlier route in mind. It's a bit longer that the Google maps deafult route and it may be a bit lower overall but there's still plenty of high ground to cover.]For info, there's a couple of new webcams this season in Anzère (more or less opposite Nendaz and at a similar altitude) that should give you an idea of current conditions in Valais.
http://anzere.roundshot.com/pistes [circa 2,300m]
http://anzere.roundshot.com/village [circa 1,500m]
Edited by MogulBoy on Thursday 16th January 17:05
I would never ever contemplate to do this trip without winter tyres. Snow chains are a "nice to have" whereas winter tyres are a "must" have. For anything below 7 degrees (and the Alps in the winter are permanently less than 7 degrees) you will risk much more than 750 - 800 pounds if you go with the summer tyres. I even put winter tyres on my Range Rover Sport SS which comes with M+S tyres as standard as they are useless in the cold and once the snow fills the thread pattern. It is not so much going up that is the problem it is going down where you can get in trouble very quickly. Often small streams of melting snow run across the tarmac and if the tarmac is cold it freezes over instantly. I own a house in the Alps and I have never used snow chains btw. Snow chains only help you is it is black ice or flattened fresh snow. Normally you only drive very short distances with chains anyway as going over clear tarmac is very uncomfortable and you will be regarded as a bit of a prat if you go 30 mph down a road and everybody wants to pass. Winter tyres are a great investment. Just use the same rims and simply change them over every year. I can recommend SottoZeros - they are excellent.
thanks for all the great info, much appreciated.
unfortunately i am staying very 'no frills' jut outside Besancon. Will be arriving late and leaving first thing so proximity to the route was my main aim.
I haven't found anywhere for the way back though. I want to be within 2.5 hours of calais. does anyone have any recommendation of somewhere close to the A26/E17?
unfortunately i am staying very 'no frills' jut outside Besancon. Will be arriving late and leaving first thing so proximity to the route was my main aim.
I haven't found anywhere for the way back though. I want to be within 2.5 hours of calais. does anyone have any recommendation of somewhere close to the A26/E17?
hornbaek said:
I would never ever contemplate to do this trip without winter tyres. Snow chains are a "nice to have" whereas winter tyres are a "must" have. For anything below 7 degrees (and the Alps in the winter are permanently less than 7 degrees) you will risk much more than 750 - 800 pounds if you go with the summer tyres. I even put winter tyres on my Range Rover Sport SS which comes with M+S tyres as standard as they are useless in the cold and once the snow fills the thread pattern. It is not so much going up that is the problem it is going down where you can get in trouble very quickly. Often small streams of melting snow run across the tarmac and if the tarmac is cold it freezes over instantly. I own a house in the Alps and I have never used snow chains btw. Snow chains only help you is it is black ice or flattened fresh snow. Normally you only drive very short distances with chains anyway as going over clear tarmac is very uncomfortable and you will be regarded as a bit of a prat if you go 30 mph down a road and everybody wants to pass. Winter tyres are a great investment. Just use the same rims and simply change them over every year. I can recommend SottoZeros - they are excellent.
Hmm chains are compulsory in some resorts, not just nice to have.Did exactly this last year with the Rapide. We had winter tyres ( a must ) and took regular breaks on the journey as it can/will get cramped in the back. We were at a resort above Lake Geneva and came over the Jura and through Geneva to get there which was a mistake as the roads were one long traffic jam, so don't always trust the sat nav. If I remember correctly the journey took about 12 hours but our pump for the screen wash broke and so had to half the journey there without screen wash which was inconvenient. I didn't really matter though as Aston picked up the car, fixed it and returned it all within two days once we were there. French roads are generally well gritted and so traction wasn't an issue even with some spirited driving around some of the more hairy bends.
The only things I would watch out for are:
The only things I would watch out for are:
- Check that the small things such as the screen wash are working otherwise they could become a really annoying problem.
- Make sure that you have enough room in the boot for things that you may have to take back that you didn't take there otherwise you may find yourself in the freezing cold jumping up and down to try an close the boot lid while everyone else is complaining and saying that you should have bought a more practical car.:roll eyes:
Another great reply, thanks xav, even the same colour car!
Can I ask which winter tyres you had? After reading the above recommendation for sottozeros I made a couple of calls but have been told they aren't manufactured in the sizes I need even though one website said they are??
Did you take chains?
Can I ask which winter tyres you had? After reading the above recommendation for sottozeros I made a couple of calls but have been told they aren't manufactured in the sizes I need even though one website said they are??
Did you take chains?
mnh said:
Another great reply, thanks xav, even the same colour car!
Can I ask which winter tyres you had? After reading the above recommendation for sottozeros I made a couple of calls but have been told they aren't manufactured in the sizes I need even though one website said they are??
Did you take chains?
They are manufactured in AM sizes. They are the OEM winter tyre.Can I ask which winter tyres you had? After reading the above recommendation for sottozeros I made a couple of calls but have been told they aren't manufactured in the sizes I need even though one website said they are??
Did you take chains?
mnh said:
Another great reply, thanks xav, even the same colour car!
Can I ask which winter tyres you had? After reading the above recommendation for sottozeros I made a couple of calls but have been told they aren't manufactured in the sizes I need even though one website said they are??
Did you take chains?
Hi mnh,Can I ask which winter tyres you had? After reading the above recommendation for sottozeros I made a couple of calls but have been told they aren't manufactured in the sizes I need even though one website said they are??
Did you take chains?
nice to see someone on here who's also got a Rapide, the car is on Bridgestone Potenza S001s in the summer and Bridgestone Blizzak LM32s in the winter (they're currently being changed at Newport Pagnell). We didn't take chains as we've had bad experiences with ten before, namely being stuck in a French blizzard for two hours fumbling around to get them on (not in the Rapide) and so we don't use them. To be honest there was never any stretch of road that had untreated snow on it as the French are particularly good about clearing it during winter in the alps, and if you do find yourself in that situation then it is probably just best to sit in the car and wait until it has been cleared because the snow ploughs will have been down the road before you can put the chains on. HTH
DoubleSix said:
Hmm chains are compulsory in some resorts, not just nice to have.
This is absolutely right - this is only checked (Austria) when they are required for driving on the road i.e after a big dump of fresh snow or when things are icing over. If you plan your journey taking in the weather report it is quite easy to time arrival or departure accordingly. The problem arises when the fresh snow gets packed by a lot of cars going over it so if it is due to snow just leave very early before the crowds and it is fine. Depending on where you are try Micheldever Tyre Services (off the A303). They normally stock Sottozeros in all sizes.
Have a look at this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ASTON-MARTIN-RAPIDE-WINT...
I would call Micheldever or Event Tyres in the morning and check with them (They are more knowledgeable than the dealer). I got a full set of Pirelli Scorpion Winter Tyres for my new Range Rover Sport Supercharged in 22" which Landrover had no clue existed. I paid less than 1000 pounds to have them swapped over while i waited. No need to have special rims. It is not money wasted as you obviously save using the summer tyres so it is a once off payment and "peace of mind". Good luck with the search and have a great trip.
You can be lucky and get through on your summer tyres but if it starts snowing you are really buggered with rear wheel drive on summer tyres.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ASTON-MARTIN-RAPIDE-WINT...
I would call Micheldever or Event Tyres in the morning and check with them (They are more knowledgeable than the dealer). I got a full set of Pirelli Scorpion Winter Tyres for my new Range Rover Sport Supercharged in 22" which Landrover had no clue existed. I paid less than 1000 pounds to have them swapped over while i waited. No need to have special rims. It is not money wasted as you obviously save using the summer tyres so it is a once off payment and "peace of mind". Good luck with the search and have a great trip.
You can be lucky and get through on your summer tyres but if it starts snowing you are really buggered with rear wheel drive on summer tyres.
If the weather is moderate you will just about struggle through, but if it freezes at the wrong time after a slight thaw, snow tyres will not help much and snow chains are a must. Strongly advise checking snow chain clearances under the wings in a warm place in England before you set off and practice fitting them if you are unfamiliar with them.
Fill windscreen washer with neat non corrosive solution.
Rear wheel drive with massive horsepower, low ground clearance, wide tyres, expensive bodywork....................!
Brave man!
Fill windscreen washer with neat non corrosive solution.
Rear wheel drive with massive horsepower, low ground clearance, wide tyres, expensive bodywork....................!
Brave man!
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