Chamonix Self Catered Holidays

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500€ to ski the Pyrenees all season?

Pyrenees skiing

Well not quite, but something we talked about with regard to the Galaxie MTB Lift Pass

http://pistehors.com/news/forums/viewthread/333/

and looks quite interestings. Half the Pyrenees ski resorts now belong to groups and with a season pass you can ski in any member station.

i. Neiges Catalanes gives access to 8 resorts including, in France, Font-Romeu, Les Angles, Porté-Puymorens and Cerdagne-Puigmal.

ii. N’Py groups Gourette, Peyragudes, Pierre Saint-Martin, Domaine du Tourmalet – Pic du Midi, Luz-Ardiden and Piau-Engaly

and finally

iii Altiservice: Font-Romeu Pyrénées 2000, Saint-Lary, Artouste, Luchon-Superbagnères and Guzet.

Font Romeu seems to be in there twice, I guess it depends on whether you want to cross the border into Spain or not.

Season passes cost between 470 à 550€. It is an idea that we would like to see adopted by more second tier resorts.

from pistehors

Cheap Ski Holidays

There was a report in the UK’s Observer newspaper last Sunday saying that typical price of a ski holiday quoted in the brochures of the major tour operators have increased by up to 20% over last year.  Gulp!!  How can they do that in a recession??  Well, as they explained, its all to do with currency exchange.   The operators costs are in Euros and their brochures are quoted in pounds.  Since the Euro has become more expensive against the pound, apparently, they have had no option but to increase their prices!  Well, either that, or they were just simply too expensive in the first place??

Anyway, before we expend too much effort crying in sympathy of the plight of tour operator executives, here’s a selection of top tips on how to make a ski holiday cheaper:

Self- Cater: Self-catering ski holidays are always cheaper on a per person per night basis but it also means that you avoid being forced to pay restaurant prices every night or bar prices every time you want a drink.  And not to forget that the general quality of self-catered ski chalet accommodation has increased hugely over recent years, which means that self-catered ski holidays no longer equals slumming it!!

Self-Drive: Save on air fares, save on hire cars.  For example, the drive from Calais to the skiing mecca of  Chamonix is a nice direct route served the whole way by motorway. Google maps quotes the whole journey from Central London to Chamonix as 10hrs33m and 661miles click here – and if you think about it, its not hugely longer then the journey to the airport, check-in, security, passport, flight and repeat again on arrival at the other end

Book Direct: 30 secs of searching on the web will bring you a huge choice of quality ski chalets.  With a little more timeand perhaps a couple of emails, you’ll probably be able to find some choice bargains as well!

Cheap Dates: Ski in the low season – ski holiday accommodation prices in mid Jan are often 50% of the prices of the peak weeks of New Year … to prove the point  click here

Stay Close, but not Too Close: the big name, headline ski resports usually have the top reputation (and prices) for ski holidays for well deserved reasons.  But often the lesser known surrounding villages have all the access to the famous pistes, but are cheaper simply because they don’t have that headline tag of their illustrious neighbor.  Take Chamonix, for example.  A top resport renowned for some of the best skiing in Europe, but did you know that Chamonix has 5 ski areas, some with their own village – check out the village of Les Houches as a classic example.

Midweek Check-in: Typically ski holidays are Saturday to Saturday, which means you are tied to traveling at peak times.  But you can easily save yourself a fortune by booking a midweek check in date simply because it allows you to take advantage of the bargain prices prices offered by the budget airlines.  Not all chalet operators will do that, but if you look out for smaller indpendent ski chalet accommodation, you are more likely to find one that will.

Road works in Chamonix town centre

There was no obvious to enter in Chamonix yesterday. The traffic was cut between the two roundabouts of RN205, which gave access to the city.
The cause, the change of a cable on the service lift of the Aiguille du Midi cable car. Traffic should be restored today.

And the story continues, the entrance of the rue Vallot, it also blocked. The City Hall road department is currently working to extend the pedestrian road. Result: endless traffic congestion!

Dog Sledges

This is the eco-version of snow mobiling! Husky dog sledging is great fun for everybody. You will race over the snow with your team of dogs and experience the thrill of working with huskies.

You can even learn how to steer and control your own sledge pulled by husky dogs. There is husky dog sledging most days that starts/finishes just a couple of hundred meters from the chalets.

Chamonix Valley is different from a typical ski resort

Its often said that almost everything about the Chamonix Valley is different from a typical ski resort. It has a reputation as an extreme skiing destination and, to a large extent, that’s deserved. But that’s not the whole story.

The valley offers variety, there’s simply a huge choice of on-piste, off-piste, non-skiing pursuits to make your perfect winter holiday. And for those wanting to spend a more relaxing time, there are many other more laid back activities that don’t involve adrenalin and a racing heart beats!

What is the height of Mont Blanc?

Every two years a call is put out to assemble a team to head up to the top of Mont Blanc to assist with taking precise measurements to find out the exact altitude of Mont Blanc. It may come as a surprise to some that not so long ago, the summit was 4807m and the last measurement in 2007 showed Mont Blanc was at 4810.90m above sea level.