Budget skiing...Scotland or abroad?

[Hard-Drive]

Help!

After rinsing a small fortune in Switzerland for our most recent ski trips, we wanted to do it on the cheap this year. I'm really, really tempted by Aviemore, as you can just drive there, and there seems a real novelty in skiing in the UK. Food and beer are normal prices too, and we could take mountain bikes/walking boots too and do some other stuff if we did not fancy skiing for a day or two. We've been all round the Cairngorms in the summer and it's beautiful.

Other alternative is a budget resort like Flaine, which will no doubt offer better skiing, but be dearer on food and beer.

Question...if there's snow at Aviemore now, I assume it should only get more by Feb time? Is there enough up there to keep intermediate skiiers amused for a week? (Might get some lessons and try and improve technique, or even learn to board)

Or is it just a false economy, we'll be bored after 2 days and we should just go abroad?

[Simond S]

I'm doing Aviemore for the first time this year. New Years Eve (or Hogmany as they call it) followed by a week of skiing.

I have a cabin at Loch Insch for under a grand. Ski passes arent much cheaper than Europe but it's the convenience of driving that appeals to me. Seems like a little journey although apparently it is still 12 hours from Sussex apparently.

[blindswelledrat]

Simond S said:

I'm doing Aviemore for the first time this year. New Years Eve (or Hogmany as they call it) followed by a week of skiing.

I have a cabin at Loch Insch for under a grand. Ski passes arent much cheaper than Europe but it's the convenience of driving that appeals to me. Seems like a little journey although apparently it is still 12 hours from Sussex apparently.

So that actually sounds more expensive than going abroad to do it?

[meah]

Hard-Drive said:

Help!

After rinsing a small fortune in Switzerland for our most recent ski trips, we wanted to do it on the cheap this year. I'm really, really tempted by Aviemore, as you can just drive there, and there seems a real novelty in skiing in the UK. Food and beer are normal prices too, and we could take mountain bikes/walking boots too and do some other stuff if we did not fancy skiing for a day or two. We've been all round the Cairngorms in the summer and it's beautiful.

Other alternative is a budget resort like Flaine, which will no doubt offer better skiing, but be dearer on food and beer.

Question...if there's snow at Aviemore now, I assume it should only get more by Feb time? Is there enough up there to keep intermediate skiiers amused for a week? (Might get some lessons and try and improve technique, or even learn to board)

Or is it just a false economy, we'll be bored after 2 days and we should just go abroad?

Bansko Bulgaria is the perfect place for budget skiing. Get a package for £300 per person including flights, tranfers, 4* hotel and breakfast and dinner.
You can eat a really good meal, with a load of booze for £20 each !
Loads of walking as its in a national park with plenty of Natural Spa facilities - You might even see a bear.

A resort suited to families. Experienced skiers will get bored very quickly on piste, but there is quite a lot of 'through the tree's' off piste action and heli skiing is available.

Edited by meah on Wednesday 24th November 09:31

[Greenie]

Simond S said:

I'm doing Aviemore for the first time this year. New Years Eve (or Hogmany as they call it) followed by a week of skiing.

I have a cabin at Loch Insch for under a grand. Ski passes arent much cheaper than Europe but it's the convenience of driving that appeals to me. Seems like a little journey although apparently it is still 12 hours from Sussex apparently.

Just why! From Sussex you could be in a French resort in 4 hours. You must love driving-can't see any benefit until 9 hours into the drive when the motorways stop. You could of had a Steak frites for lunch and a afternoon on the slopes by the time you get to Scotland.

[Ranger 6]

Greenie said:

...From Sussex you could be in a French resort in 4 hours....

Go on, I'll bite - where and how?

[Greenie]

Ranger 6 said:

Greenie said:

...From Sussex you could be in a French resort in 4 hours....

Go on, I'll bite - where and how?

Not really that difficult.

Gatwick is in Sussex-get there 40 minutes early
Flight to Geneva-1 hour
Pissing about with bags & hire car place 40 minutes
Drive to Morzine 1 hour 15 minutes
Total 3 hours 35 minutes.

I appreciate that is prefect but I've done it in less than 4 hours. Normally it is 5 hours but if everything goes your way it will be less than 4.

[Ranger 6]

Greenie said:

Gatwick is in Sussex-get there 40 minutes early
Car into long stay and bus to terminal - 30 mins
Check-in, security and outsized baggage - 60-120 mins
Flight to Geneva-1 hour
Pissing about with bags - 20 mins
Bus to hire car place & pick up hire car - 40 minutes
Drive to Morzine 1 hour 35 minutes
Total 6 hours 5 minutes at best for a perfect trip.....if you check in at the recommended 2hrs then it's 7 hours

EFA

and I know of people who've travelled from Morzine, dropped family at Geneva airport and driven back arriving within half an hour of each other!

[TuxRacer]

Ranger 6 said:

Greenie said:

Gatwick is in Sussex-get there 40 minutes early
Car into long stay and bus to terminal - 30 mins
Check-in, security and outsized baggage - 60-120 mins
Flight to Geneva-1 hour
Pissing about with bags - 20 mins
Bus to hire car place & pick up hire car - 40 minutes
Drive to Morzine 1 hour 35 minutes
Total 6 hours 5 minutes at best for a perfect trip.....if you check in at the recommended 2hrs then it's 7 hours

EFA

and I know of people who've travelled from Morzine, dropped family at Geneva airport and driven back arriving within half an hour of each other!

You've missed your flight!

[Fume troll]

Here's a good week of budget skiing. 5 days ski mountaineering training with Glenmore lodge, includes gear and accomodation. £500.

http://www.glenmorelodge.org.uk/course-skiing-skil...

Never need another lift pass again.

Cheers,

FT.

[Ranger 6]

TuxRacer said:

You've missed your flight!

S'alright, I drive there.... if you've ever had to fly through Geneva you'll know why......

[Mr E]

Flaine is costing me about £500 for a week in a catered chalet -- with the flights.

Travelling on transfer day is horrible (as we all know), and a couple of times I've looked at the drive.

[AndyAudi]

Fume troll said:

Here's a good week of budget skiing. 5 days ski mountaineering training with Glenmore lodge, includes gear and accomodation. £500.

http://www.glenmorelodge.org.uk/course-skiing-skil...

Never need another lift pass again.

Cheers,

FT.

A cracking place, been training there myself (not skiing though). Dirt Cheap but great breakfast. Accom was basic. They also allow free use of their training facilities (kayak pool/indoor climing wall and Sauna in the evenings) Although we did head out to Aviemore for evening meals.

[jenkotvr]

We went to the Glens last season, well worth it for a quick trip:

http://www.ski-glenshee.co.uk/

Webcam:

http://www.webcam-ski.com/webcams/interfaces/glens...

We stayed here which is a 5 min drive from the resort (Great log fire to thaw out):

http://www.spittalofglenshee.co.uk/

[Greenie]

Ranger 6 said:

Greenie said:

Gatwick is in Sussex-get there 40 minutes early
Car into long stay and bus to terminal - 30 mins
Check-in, security and outsized baggage - 60-120 mins
Flight to Geneva-1 hour
Pissing about with bags - 20 mins
Bus to hire car place & pick up hire car - 40 minutes
Drive to Morzine 1 hour 35 minutes
Total 6 hours 5 minutes at best for a perfect trip.....if you check in at the recommended 2hrs then it's 7 hours

EFA

and I know of people who've travelled from Morzine, dropped family at Geneva airport and driven back arriving within half an hour of each other!

All very interesting but simply incorrect in my experience.

I book short term parking so it takes 2 minutes to walk to the terminal. You don't have to be there 2 hours before the flight. The bus to car hire takes 2 minutes and you never have to wait more than 10 mins. The drive to Morzine takes 75 minutes no more.

No doubt there are people who make stuff up on the Internet but I'm not one of them-maybe you are. I've done it twice a year for 4 years and it has never taken more than 5 hours. Every time I've been in resort before 1pm and had a nice lunch and an afternoon on the slopes.

To pretend that in some way driving is quicker without a huge plane delay or you can't do it in five hours or less does not bear out in my experience. This is not based on people "I know of" this is based on actual events that happened.

[Mr E]

Last year;

2 hours from house to gatwick
2 hours waiting for the plane
90mins flight (or there abouts)
90 mins waiting for bags etc.
3 hour coach transfer.


That's a long day.


This year we may actually need to get a minibus directly from the pub at about 1am, such is the time of our flight the following morning....

[Ranger 6]

Greenie said:

Stuff...

Well our experiences have differed massively then. Over the years I've travelled with a variety of different airlines to Geneva and have only once broken 5 hours to the resort, on that occasion it was from LHR and to Chamonix. Morzine is usually 6, unless you count the opening day of T5 when BA left everyone's bags behind.....

Yes, flying is quicker than driving - but I know which I'd rather do - and considering the title of the thread, when 4 of us travel, driving's cheaper too.

[Aussies5 EngSA 0]

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS BUDGET SKIING.

HTH.

[disco1]

meah said:

Hard-Drive said:

Help!

After rinsing a small fortune in Switzerland for our most recent ski trips, we wanted to do it on the cheap this year. I'm really, really tempted by Aviemore, as you can just drive there, and there seems a real novelty in skiing in the UK. Food and beer are normal prices too, and we could take mountain bikes/walking boots too and do some other stuff if we did not fancy skiing for a day or two. We've been all round the Cairngorms in the summer and it's beautiful.

Other alternative is a budget resort like Flaine, which will no doubt offer better skiing, but be dearer on food and beer.

Question...if there's snow at Aviemore now, I assume it should only get more by Feb time? Is there enough up there to keep intermediate skiiers amused for a week? (Might get some lessons and try and improve technique, or even learn to board)

Or is it just a false economy, we'll be bored after 2 days and we should just go abroad?

Bansko Bulgaria is the perfect place for budget skiing. Get a package for £300 per person including flights, tranfers, 4* hotel and breakfast and dinner.
You can eat a really good meal, with a load of booze for £20 each !
Loads of walking as its in a national park with plenty of Natural Spa facilities - You might even see a bear.

A resort suited to families. Experienced skiers will get bored very quickly on piste, but there is quite a lot of 'through the tree's' off piste action and heli skiing is available.

Edited by meah on Wednesday 24th November 09:31

bansko!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just the name gives me shivers. I hated the place (as did the other 50 people on coach home). Ugly building site of a town, horrible people, rubbish skiing, no infrastucutre, 4 hours to airport, packs of horrid dogs (4 legs variety, serisously!!!)..

Austria is where it's at, £600 will get you a nice guesthouse, flights, ski hire and extended lift passes. The people are nice, skiing poss the best in the world and food/drink is reasonable (3 euro for a beer and <15 euro for nice plate of lasagne or chicken snitzel in tidy eatery). We went to Soll last March and we're off to Kitzbhule in Feb. bring it on

[speed8]

Ranger 6 said:

Greenie said:

Stuff

and I know of people who've travelled from Morzine, dropped family at Geneva airport and driven back arriving within half an hour of each other!

Yeah, I done that. We left Chamonix (me in the car with all the bags and boards, them in a taxi with the kids). With some bad weather in Geneva I arrived in Leeds half an hour after everyone who flew Geneva to Leeds.
I'm glad I drove as I can only imagine what the kids were like!!!