J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by OldAndy

Good point about booking direct.
Did look at both options but we have flexibility and ease of payments with Zenith at the same price.
It is pretty hard getting a group arrangement where we can all pay the balances separately, most people want to deal with one person. So this flexibility was the clincher!

Do you ski on your own skis or rental?
My reason for asking is that a couple of years ago I had an interesting last couple of days on holiday. Half the time I couldn't ski! Half the time it was fine!!
Totally odd - but I didn't worry too much as I was recovering from a dodgy knee and thought it was probably the bad knee getting tired.
But when I went back to the hire shop to return the skis they pointed out that I had broken them. I hadn't noticed!
When the technician showed me one side of one ski was "bent" about 15/18" in from the tip.
Hence why my problem was sometimes only - depending on which ski was on which foot.
If the good edge was inside - no problem.
If the broken edge was on inside - I couldn't ski.
At least the skis were insured.
:)

The Hotel Christina in Alpe D'Huez has a couple of family rooms.
http://www.zenithholidays.co.uk/france/alpe-d-huez/hotel-christina-winter/

Two x single beds and then Bunks x1 (for 2 people).
I am assured that the bunk beds are full-size and suitable for adults!

Prices for these are ....
£390 pp for 4 sharing and
£407 pp for 3 sharing.
(Hotel HB and airport/train station transfer) - so £90 pp less than the normal twin price.
Anyone interested ????
:thumbup:

Tony_H wrote:Its not actually right on the piste,

What!!! OK - trip cancelled, I hate walking :cry:

OK - slight over reaction possibly - but it is pretty close.
:mrgreen:

AllyG wrote:

Old Andy going to Alpe d'Huez J2Ski group holiday in 340 days on the 30/01/2016
AllyG going to Alpe d'Huez J2Ski group holiday in 340 days on the 30/01/2016

It's not just 2 of us
:shock:
But Ally hasn't asked any others if they want their names up for next year yet!
:mrgreen:

I make it 339 sleeps to skiing in Alpe D'Huez
:mrgreen:
Three new people since I put the first post up yesterday!

What a lovely load of info Tony - thank you.
But note: new operator now.
7 nights food (so no night off).
A few upgrades on accommodation floating around but nothing major.

In January 2013 17 people went to Tignes!
In February 2014 22 people went to Folgarida.
In January 2015 28 people went to Sauze D'Oulx

18 of these are confirmed J2Skiers and then their partners/spouses/children/friends have all joined in. Ages from a couple of teenagers to – let's just say "older" !! A few couples (no divorces yet), a few Fathers and Sons/Daughters and a lot of single skiers and boarders.
Some total beginners, many with a good few weeks under their belts.
-)

And now for the next one..........
The most noticeable difference for next season is that AllyG is not taking the lead in organising the group. After the amazing work she did getting the first group going in 2013 and then organising two more – she is stepping back this year and bravely letting me have a go!
So – contact me for all the details and questions etc for 2016!

After a considerable amount of searching and talking to Hotel owners and Tour Operators etc we have chosen the Hotel Christina in Alpes D'Huez for Saturday January 30th 2016.
I know that to many this will feel like a long way away but to get a group in we need to be ahead of the curve – one or two places were already booked for next season.
At the moment we have a number of rooms on hold for a while and can flex this as things change. Presently about 20 ready to book and a few more hoping to be able to confirm later (similar numbers to last year at this stage).

The plan is to formally book and pay deposits in the next couple of weeks.
The hope is that there will still be spaces available later on through the summer for people to join us but this is dependent on room availability. Those joining later will have to work out the price independently but should still be able to link in with the main group for transfers etc. It is possible that later booking may get a similar price to early bookers but this cannot be guaranteed.

The basic deal is Half Board for the week – no travel.
So independent travel by flight, train, self-drive etc.
We will have shared transfers arranged wherever possible as long as we can agree on flights (Grenoble mainly) or train times.
Single rooms are forever the nightmare. We have sourced a small number which are already booked. Sorry, but if you would really like to join us and a single is vital them PM me and I will see what can be done. (supplement + 30%/40%)

We are booking this through Zenith Holidays (ABTA);
http://www.zenithholidays.co.uk/
and the hotel......
http://www.zenithholidays.co.uk/france/alpe-d-huez/hotel-christina-winter/

Costs – these are guidelines only
Hotel, HB, sharing = £440
Transfer to resort (return) = £45
Lift pass (full) = £195
Flight, return Grenoble = £120
Initial guesstimate = £800
Flights very approximate and based on Gatwick with Monarch or BA – lots of regional departures etc
The cost can only be an "about" at the moment because of flexibility in transport costs and lift pass based on this years prices. The final room rate may come down a bit with options.
Deposit = 20%, on Hotel so under £100 – this will be payable now!
Equipment hire on top and Ski carriage on flights not included above.

Alpes D'Huez is a pretty decent and varied resort and scores well across all skiing/boarding abilities
So .....
Drop me a message if you are interested!