J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by msej449

Yes. It's like having buildings insurance that says you're not covered if the Met Office issues a Amber weather warning. It effectively negates the whole policy for the majority of the season if you interpret it strictly. Pretty much a test of whether or not you have a duff insurer who doesn't understand the market or worse, is deliberately avoiding reasonable liability. Imagine the arguents you'll have if you make any sort of claim.

I've always skied with goggles over glasses and found that I just have to try the goggles on first to see if they fit comfortably - they don't necessarily have to be specifically for spectacle-wearers and don't necessarily have to be pricey: some just fit fine, while others don't. If you have photochromic lenses then this can be an issue when you transition suddenly from bright sun to dark shade, so I also have a cheap pair of non-varifocal, non-photochromics that I wear in these conditions (there's often some sort of '2nd pair half price' option when you get new glasses. I also have a pair of very dark Ray-Ban varifocal aviators for when I'm sat outside at altitude for any length of time - they cost a fortune, but feel they're worth it if they help avoid cataracts in later life.

No, France is still effectively closed to UK holidaymakers. If you already have a flight into GVA then the easiest alternative is to ski in Switzerland. The obvious choice is Verbier or if accommodation is there is outside your budget, then a linked satellite like La Tzoumaz or Nendaz would be cheaper. If you self-cater then the accommodation and grocery bill should be comparable to any other large Alpine resort. For the lift pass, last time I looked, the Verbier day price was £65/day for an all-areas adult day pass, around £55/day for a period pass for the linked 400Kms of pistes in the 4 Vallées.

I wouldn't hire a car. Prices at GVA have become prohibitively expensive. You can get from inside the GVA terminal by train/télécabine to the centre of Verbier in around 2½ hours - the timetable is on the SBB site. A transfer by public transport is arguably easier and less hassle anyway.

The only caveat is that Switzerland has already imposed and then rescinded mandatory quarantine on UK arrivals and there's no guarantee this won't happen again - but that's going to be a risk wherever you go. Currently, they at least offer free lateral flow testing and certificate at many pharmacies, so your test to return won't cost you. Although again, this is a reversal of an earlier charged test.

Well, Verbier is an obvious alternative:as the hub of an area totalling 400Kms of pistes and great off-piste as well (the Quatre Vallées). Easily accessible by train and télépherique from right inside Geneva Airport, about 2½ hours transfer time, see the SBB timetable*. If you stay inside Switzerland then you only have one set of rules and checks to deal with, and if you can get into the country, then odds are you can ski there too.

If that's a bit pricey you could go for a 4 Vallées satellite like La Tzoumaz or Nendaz.

*Set 'from' to Genève-Aéroport and 'to' to Verbier (télécabine). Public transport to Verbier is pretty direct with regular trains, but if you go for a satellite (e.g. La Tzoumaz (téléc. Savoleyres) or centre) be aware there may be gaps in the schedule around lunchtime that add an hour or so to the transfer.

UPDATE 11.1.22 - The astronomical prices for car hire at GVA seem to have moderated now. WHen I looked yesterday, prices started at £65/day from Hertz but I daresay you may be able to get something cheaper or a larger car for not much more. I always start at the Geneva Airport Car Hire pages to get an idea. If there's not much difference in the prices, you can join Hertz Gold Club for free and it gets you a free 2nd driver and a priority desk, plus an upgrade if you're lucky.

For those interested, here's a list of the various official sites that carry the latest updates on travel to Switzerland. The trouble with threads and posts is they tend not to get updated retrospectively, so can go out of date quickly. It's worth taking a wander 'round these various pages so you're familiar with them and can get the situation from the source.

Embassy of Switzerland in London
Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH)
UK Foreign Office (Switzerland) - Foreign Travel Advice for Switzerland
Canton du Valais - Regional Authority for Verbier & 4 Vallées

If you're intending to drive down through France, then it's also worth becoming familiar with

UK Foreign Office (France) Foreign Travel Advice for France
French Consulate in London

You can also sign-up for automated email updates re France and Switzerland on the corresponding Foreign Office pages above. This service will notify you when the site information is updated. I've found all these pages and the FO site to be pretty consistent and changes seem to be well-coordinated across the Swiss/Franch and FO sites.

I wouldn't book anything through a tour operator for next season. There are too many variables and commercial risks. Why not self-drive?: book a Eurotunnel crossing (which you can readily reschedule for up to 12 months) and then wait until the nearer the time, when there will be a wide choice of apartments available to rent. The TO proposition had its merits (usually, lower costs) previously, but these are surely outweighed by the risks under a Covid regime?

They got the idea from Kuh Leasing, who have been running a similar scheme for over 15 years:

https://www.kuhleasing.ch/

We considered it, but weren't really sure what we'd do with 30Kgs of cheese. Other than induce cheese-overdosing. Although they do have options for smaller volumes, starting at 5Kgs.

As a baseline, it's worth looking at what's available via the Geneva Airport website car hire pages at https://www.gva.ch/en/Site/Passagers/Acces-Transports/Location-de-voitures/Suisse. Sometimes, they have cars and rates that you won't find on their generic ~.com pages.

If you work for a multinational or are in a professional association, you may find you can get cheaper rates or discounts through them. When I worked for a large Corporate, our business travel agency was very happy to take bookings for private hire - just make sure you're clear it's not business rental (as cover and insurance may be different). My professional association gets me 20% discount on Hertz.

If you're booking through Hertz, join their Gold Club first - it's free, and you'll get to use the Gold Club checking desk (useful when it's busy), 2nd driver free, and often an upgrade. The 2nd driver needs to have their Driving License (potentially an IDP with Brexit) and present this at the desk on pickup. They can't register subsequently other than by going into a Hertz office.

Also check that all your passports are valid for travel at https://www.gov.uk/check-a-passport-for-travel-to-europe The VALID UNTIL date on a passport is not necessarily the latest date of validity e.g. if the passport was renewed ahead of the previous passsport's expiry date.

Beware rentals involving Ferney Voltaire on the French side. This is way out on the airport perimeter, as opposed to the main airport P51 Car Rental multi-story. OK if you understand the longer transit time and more circuitous access route, but this is why a lot of people only hire from the Swiss (Cointrin) side. Also, there's endless debate about FV rentals having/not having winter tyres, chains or Swiss motorway Vignette. Double-check that you're both picking-up and returning to P51: just because you pick up from P51 doesn't always guarantee you're returning the car there, as opposed to distant Ferney Voltaire.

Here is the GVA car hire desk location:



Here is the P51 main car rental parking/pickup at GVA and the walking route from the car hire desks. You may opt to walk if you just miss the shuttle bus, or it's packed.



The route is in yellow, with the pedestrian crossings dotted. You walk through a couple of low gates in front of the office blocks but that's OK, lots of people go this way. Note the location of the self-service petrol station in front of the second building - this is the last place to top-up before you return your car.

As you walk into the P51 ground floor Car Hire level, note the layout for when you return. You both exit and return at this point:



Above is a photo of the entrance. The shuttle bus stops at the hatched area. You drive out the lane beyond the little barrier (where it says 'STOP'), and drive in on the right, taking the right of the two lanes to the ticket barrier (right of the small traffic cone). Take a ticket, and just 10m further on, you re-insert the ticket into the machine to get into the Car Hire return parking (go figure).