J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by msej449

We hired a car at Geneva and were stopped by the police on the way back to the airport yesterday. The people at Hertz had missed that it's the time to renew the 2010 'Vignettes' (annual motorway charge). Fortunately, the police were sympathetic, and let us carry on and buy one at the next service station, instead of fining us (as they were legally entitled to do). Hertz couldn't explain this oversight and at first only offered to give us a credit against the next hire. After arguing, they finally reimbursed us. But no recognition of any shortcoming in customer service.

Message is - at this time especially, check that your Geneva hire car has a 2011 vignette.

I have a Contour HD which is not cheap but produces excellent HD-quality videos. The latest version connects to an iPhone to view the image and recordings. You see them using Contours on Ski Sunday and rock climbing programmes. You may find that you can pick up the older ContourHD second-hand if you're prepared to put up with having to wait until you get home to download and view the recordings. I have mine attached to my goggle-strap and it works very well, is simple to use, and can handle gloved hands OK. You can also get an underwater housing if you scuba dive. But expect to pay £300+ or so for a new one. See www.contour.com

Lots of chain vendors will sell you chains that may well cause problems once the vehicle is loaded and doing those hairpin turns. So ...

First, check the wheels and tyres fitted to your car against your owner's handbook, and see if the combination you have officially takes chains or not. For example, on my Audi A3 the only wheels that officially take chains are 16", not 17" or 18". If you're lucky, your wheels/tyres do take chains and then you can just buy wherever you like.

If your wheels aren't 'certified' to take chains then you have a decision: Do I buy some chains just for show (i.e. to convince an official that you're carrying some) or do I want some that I can use for real (i.e. without damaging the car)?

Personally, I would want some that really work without causing damage. If you're of the same view, then there are a number of possibilities. The key factor is going to be how much free space there is on the inside of the wheel - can you fit the chain's gubbins over the inside of the wheel without fouling the suspension, brake pipes, driveshaft or steering?

Whether there is enough space is a tricky one to judge, as you have to assume the chains will be used on a fully-loaded vehicle with the suspension going up/down. If your car is front-wheel drive then there's the added problem of the wheels being steered as well, which can reduce the available space.

In my case, even 'though I have (uncertified for chains) 17" wheels, I judge that there's enough free space to use Michelin Easy Grip chains. These have a minimal thickness, are easier to fit than most, and use much less internal wheel space. However, these are about £95 a pair. In my case, I'm comfortable because I swap my 18" summer wheels for 17" winter wheels and tyres and know I have 1" extra internal gap between the wheel and car to play with.

As I said, chain vendors will happily sell you anything, but when pressed, will mutter about "trying them out" or that they "should be OK". So what if they're not OK and you damage your car while 'trying them out' or worse, half way up a mountain in the dark and freezing snow?

Hire from the Swiss side. The Geneva Airport website lists all the rental agencies based at the arrivals -

http://www.gva.ch/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-72/

Sometimes the Swiss '.ch' version of a rental site will have deals which aren't on the '.com' site e.g. www.sixt.ch but often there's no difference. There's a short shuttle bus to the rental car park. Sometimes people will walk to the terminal after drop-off if they're not carrying a lot of baggage. Be aware that not all companies include (mandatory) winter tyres or chains in the on-line quote, so make sure you're comparing like-for-like.

Consider the public transport option: Swiss Rail (SBB) have a foreigners-only return fare from airport to named location which is about £75. Take a look at www.sbb.ch trip planner, which includes telepherique and bus connections as well.

If you have a large group, and/or people arriving at disparate times, then another option is for the first arrival(s) to hire a small car, the reminder to go by train, and then use the car as a shuttle at the other end.

Are you looking to eventually buy a place in France/Switzerland? The programme mentioned was one of a number where the migrants were able to fully-fund the purchase of a chalet i.e. no mortgage costs. Even then, they couldn't generally make it pay for some years, if at all - and this was at a time where the exchange rate with the Euro/SwissFr was 20%-30% better than now. If you are going to need a mortgage, then you'll have to convince a local bank that you have a viable business plan. If you don't have a track-record then this'll be difficult - hence, I imagine, your strategy of a year or two spent managing somewhere, so that you can establish your credentials.

Is there a particular reason why you've chosen the Portes du Soleil? I've skied the whole circuit in a day, but we only just managed to get back to our starting-point in time before the lifts closed. This year the snow looks good, but bear in mind that in warmer conditions, some of the connections are not that great and you may have to catch the bus. If you plan to come over for a couple of weeks or more, you might like to try a couple of centres, more if you have 3+ weeks e.g. Avoriaz, Chamonix, Verbier, Champéry, Villars - the list is extensive.

Make sure that you take a break in the warm every couple of hours or so. Beware bright conditions, as the sun can make your exterior feel warm even as your core temperature steadily declines. Be careful about long excursions where there's group pressure to press on without a break. Let the others press on and don't hesitate to take a break just because others in your group want to get somewhere.

I can recommend the 3* Logis de France 'Le Val Moret' motel which has a good but friendly and unpretentious restaurant on-site and is only 5 minutes off Jct.22 of the A5 near Troyes. See http://www.le-val-moret.com/uk/