J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by factual

*****

... Unless the advert means one is to pay 5.50 Euros extra to each coupon for access to each smaller area in Les Sybelles, not for the whole Sybelles. I mean, in other words, you would have to pay extra to a coupon for any day's skiing in Les Sybelles.

... Which would seem more likely. As that would mean bringing the price down from, say at St.-Sorlin D'Arves, from 30 Euros to 22.50 Euros. I guess it's not so likely you'd get the full day for 17 Euros. (I've emailed the Maurienne Tourism people asking this.)

I ought to be happy with the more realisitic possibility - in most of these resorts there's so little saving in buying a 5 or 6 consecutive day pass as opposed just queueing 5 minutes to get a new one every day, that's it's more worth not paying for the inevitable off day that comes along for loafers like myself, and getting a daily pass.

It's worth noting that you can extend a full Sybelles area pass you have, for an extra day for only 18 Euros. Can one get a 1 day pass and do this? Or does it have to have a photo on it (2 day and more passes and require your photo to go on them). Or minimum 4 / 5 / 6 day pass? Does anyone know?

If you're interested in Saint-Sorlin, one palce to stay is Hotel Beausoleil, which I've booked and am pleased with the rate and the facilities.

There is very little hotel accommodation in Saint-Sorlin - it's a picturesque, quiet little town and skiing is good. Most people stay at tourist appartment complexes. Anyway, in case budget is a concern for one thing, I mention Hotel Beausoleil St. Sorlin as I'm impressed with the price - about 42 Euros per night single use and there is a good jacuzzi and sauna. Though for half board, it takes the place more into the price range you'd expect (I find these resort places are usually the opposite - offering half board for low rates). It's 30 Euros per day extra for half board, breakfast by itself 11 Euros extra.

The hotel's only a 2 star - rooms look comfortable enough, it's good value for a a place with a complimetnary wellness centre. But, more to the point, there's really not much other choice in Saint-Sorlin. Skiing in St. Jean D'Arves is not as good, while the town is not as nice either. Le Corbier & La Toussuire - very good skiing, not really pictureseque due to modern developments, but likeable. Albiez and St. Colomban are a bit isolated. So is Les Bottieres, but you might like that - there's a good tourist appartment place there with sauna and jacuzzi inclusive in the rate (Sybelles has a lot of places where you pay an extra 12 Euros per person per hour to use any of these facilities - watch out - Rive Droite in Saint-Sorlin is another exception, it's inclusive for the sauna).

Update -
the 4 star hotel - Der Schmittenhof - in Zell am See (really more or less in Schmittental, away up the hill from Zell) is SERIOUSLY NOT RECOMMENDED.

It's a new place, and though it looks nice, and there is nice food in the restaurant, and though the wellness place is good, it's far worse than Fawlty Towers.

God, they take everything possible and spoil it. I can't recommend anyone goes to this place - the staff are assaultive. They seem only to have been trained, and trained hard, really hard, in how exactly and continuously to spoil a person's holiday. Even things like a really nice wellness centre - basically a complex of saunas & steam rooms with a ice bucket - it is good. There is a jacuzzi in a different room, but you pay per half hour for that, where the sauna is complimentary - so the jacuzzi might be booked, and I don't know what it's like - I wouldn't let any more of my money change hands with those rogues. It is good BUT they mess it up by closing it completely on Saturday. You can't know just how much I was looking forward to that sauna on the Saturday of arrival.

I left my home in The U.K. around 5 a.m. and was travelling for over 12 hours - arriving at the (wrong) hotel (that they wrongly, illegally transferred me to for a few days) after 7.30 p.m., to be told the sauna never opens on a Saturday. This is the day of arrival - I guess so many people, like me, who aren't skiing that day, would really like the dinner they have booked and some time in the sauna before a late evening walk, maybe for drinks in the town. But it's "no, no, no, **** off, you just can't, no reason". If you are skiing, there was little time to take a sauna, because the half board dinner had short times, in the middle of the sauna opening times, and the servers at dinner were so incredibly slow - as if they were making sure you couldn't get a sauna, each day.

The same goes for the other little hotel, owned and run by the same people, down the hill towards Zell a bit, Die Martha (Landhaus Martha hotel). They claim that is also a 4 star hotel, but that's a complete joke. It's a 2 star hotel with some 3 star elements sparsely shoved in and some food you will like as it's rather good but not great.

These really hostile, incredibly arrogant people, shoved me around between these hotels, because they gave my booking away to someone else - they say, I don't know. Perhaps they sensed the disbelief on my face, perhaps it's their usual way of lying and getting more money by changing pepople between hotels - but they sudeenty started telling me exactly about the people who "had got [my] room". Bizarre? It brings insult to a new level. "It's a Russian couple". I didn't actually believe them when they told me that, for some reason. And then I didn't give in - I refused.

I cheered up quite a lot after a day or two of suffering the awful 2 star Landhaus Martha hotel, because I was looking forward to moving completely to some little pension I hoped to find from the tourist office in Zell, even with no sauna, and getting a refund. I knew it would mnake me happy. Suddenly, after complaining more and insinuating that I was going to move, the original room I had booked in The Schmittenhof annexe became "available", apparently I was to be aware that "The Russian couple have cancelled", a few days into the "booked week" (not mine obviously, I knew mine asn't a figment anyway). I had to forfeit my hot coffee to move, though, true to form in this fascist places. I came with a few minutes left for a breakfast, had poured my hot coffee, and a member of staff marched up to me saying I had to go at once to reception. I replied that I'd just poured my coffee into my cuop and it would get cold, but I was told it just could not wait - I must leave it and go at once. I missed any more hote coffee, after being told the originally booked room had "become available".

. The sauna in Die Martha only opened between 4 and 7 p.m., while dinner was served ebtween 6 and 7.30 - meaning that after skiing - say from 5.45 - you had less than an hour, and that was it daily, in the sauna. And that's everything positive that can be said about that other Fawlty Towers establishment they run - it's an older place those people have had there for a long time. I find it really hard to beleive they can have claimed that is a four star hotel for a long time, I wonder if they only started claiming that recently.

However my holiday got a lot better after Zell am See. I'd booked 5 nights in a pension near Kitzbuehel. Penson Foidl in the little village of Gundhabing, a place with gorgeous views. Pension Foidl had a suana - it was lovely the whole stay was great (all night serve yourself bar too) and I cheered up a lot and never want to return to Zell am See. Kitzbeuhel skiing is so much better than Zell am See also, though while at Zell there is the option of making it to Saalbach Hinterglemm - 35 mins. on the bus, quite cheap, from Zell station.

The Zell-Kaprun, great Europa sport region claim is a more than just a mite of an over adverisement also - as it can take half the day to get between Zell and Kaprun, the low part of Kaprun is only OK, and the Kitzsteinhorn glacier takes a long time to get up to, further.

I found this old message I posted before I was in Kitzbuehel - I stayed in Kitzbuehel for 5 days between Christmas 2008 and New Year, leaving on New Year's Eve, coming from spending a week in Zell am See.

I got a pretty great place to stay, considering everything, especially value for this quite expensive part of the world, in the little, really picturesque village of Gundahbing, near Kitzbuehel. I really recommend it - Pension Foidl.

http://www.tiscover.com/pension.foidl
http://www.bensbauernhof.com/pensionfoidlaustria.html

The resort bus stops paces from outside the pension, and it's only 4 minutes on the bus to the nearest lift stop Fleckalmbahn - which is as good as or better than the Hahnenkahn lift station if you're not a solid red skiier (I can barely ski after years, but haven't given up).

The Hahnenkahn area is quite tough red skiing, but if you're going to do much of that, it's even a bit more advanced than for solid intermediates.

So, the Fleckalmbahn base station is excellent for getting up to all of the good bits - and it's challenging enough for someone like me to ski down to the bottom anyway, avoiding the really tough central Hahnenkahn trails. Better skiiers would really enjoy it.

Pension Foidl in Gundhabing was a really nice place to stay. The price was about 62 Euros p/n for 1 person in an ensuite double room. The place had a really good sauna, complimentary to guests - though it is for private use, unless other guests say they're willing to share I suppose. So yoguests have to book the sauna (no charge), and the last time to do this is at the end of breakfast. Though on one day, I asked some time after this, early afternoon, if the sauna happened to be reserved, and it wasn't and it was fine for me to use it. Though it ends at about 10.30 or 11, on one night, it was booked until just after 10 and the owners let m go to the sauna, as it was hot, after that until about 11.30, kindly, though it's after the usault time. , And a ski & board room and a heated boot store on the ground, no stairs to climb up for that. The views are a truly awesome. Each bedroom has a balcony - mine were very large (I changed rooms, I had a kind of mini suite first). Gundhabing is really quiet and charming (prefect, really, but there is nowhere to go actually in the village). You can walk about 20 minutes to the nearest restaurants, or get the bus to Kitzbuehel and a taxi back at night.

Have you been to Hintertux in winter, yet?

I'd been kind of pencilling it in for future spring / summer skiing some time, in the next few years. But I think I'll try Alpe D'Huez first for that.

And I'm thinking of trying Hintertux for earlyish Winter skiing - 17th Dec. or so, if it's likely to be snow sure.

SKI MAURIENNE SANS FRONTIERES

Maurienne (Savoy) 5 full days pass - consecutive or non-consecutive days within the full season
to be used in a different resort each day. It works out at around 17 Euros per day ski pass.

But what exactly does it mean - what is the preferential day tarif it can enable for an extra sum?

http://www.maurienne-tourisme.com/forfait-ski-maurienne-sans-frontieres_uk.asp

Note that, for Les Sybelles, this is only a pass for a day at each smaller resort which makes up Les Sybelles -
e.g. 1 day at Saint Sorlin etc.

BUT La Toussuire (Sybelles) may be big enough for a good day for many skiiers, and Le Corbier and the smaller St. Jean D'Arves are counted as one area for a day.

And, for Les Sybelles resorts, you can pay an extra 5.50 Euros per day to make each day into the whole Sybelles area - making great value - substantially cheaper than a Sybelles 5 day pass. (Normal rates - 5 days consecutive = 159 Euros / 31.80 per day. 5 days within 7 days = 175.50 Euros / 35.10 per day).

I don't know this - do you have to get the resort bus to start in a different Sybelles area each day if you do that? Please post if you know.

Wherever you use it normally, you have to go to a different resort for each of the 5 days.

There is one day allowed in each of Valloire and Valmeinier areas - each is separate. Which is O.K. for a couple of relaxed days skiing and drinking / eating around the lodges there. (Lovely, lovely area).

Skiing for 1 day in Orelles - but 10 Euros extra for a day at Val Thorens accessed from the Orelles sky lift, reasonable value there.

BUT WHAT DOES THE 2nd PART MEAN?

I think the pass means one full day, normal public lift pass rate, in 5 different resorts ofrom the list of 19 smaller resorts.

OR Pay extra to your 1 day allowance for any visit at the full day preferential rate for your resort, or a little extra for a half day preferntial rate.

What is that?

It's typically asking you to pay around 15 Euros extra for the full day pref. rate, beyond the 17 Euros or so day pass rate you get with the card (there are 5 coupons accompanying the card coupon). I think the resort insurance, if you get it, is usually only a few Euros. What could be worth an extra 15 Euros per day - do they have limos to the top? What's it all about?

You get your picture taken for the card - the 5 coupons come with, and it's available from any of the lift stations for the 19 reorts, and tourist offices, including St. Jean de Maurienne.

I'm really pleased I found this - am planning a slow, easy ski holiday to Les Sybelles soon, and had been wanting to visit Valloire Valmeinier for a t least a day. This should save the cost of *** 2 *** 3 course meals for 1 out and a couple of big mulled wines also.

Thanks.

Wow, can those times be right for this journey? I didn't realise that was possible, and a reasonably low price. It even makes Turin a reasonable ski airport for The 3 Valleys & Northern Alps - I hadn't assumed anything like that. Is that the high speed Paris train from Oulx? Does it have Chambery as a stop or is there a change?