J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by jonG

:D have been using Salomon carbon fibre poles for about the last six or seven years now and find them to be very good,although i now keep my skis at my apartment so do not have the worry of damage during transit, i did purchase a solid skiss ski tube which are about £45, and it keeps the skis and poles nice and safe.
jonG.

:D hi,very true about the test of the insurance company is whether they pay or not,but as far as direct line go i have my car,buildings & contents,european breakdown cover and multi-trip annual holiday insurance with them and have been very satisfied with the level of service i have had so far,but in the event of a claim(hopefully never will) will let you know how it goes.
jonG.

:D hi travelling downto La plagne from the Uk (i think this is your plan from what i read) is quite a long trek bt as someone else is doing the driving not too bad,once you get to Calais will take around 14-15 hours (maybe a bit more) if the weather and traffic are ok. I read some where that there is a direct coch service from Victoria Coach Station in London( last year was around £100 return from memory) which travels over Saturday night, to get to La Plagne you will need to stop at either Moutiers or Aime-La Plagne and then take a transfer from there(best to check with whichever company you decide to use which stops they stop at).From personal choice i would Fly to either Grenoble ,Chambery airport then either hire a car or take the bus/coach from the airport (from either by bus/coach will be around 3- 3 1/2 hours if the traffic and weather are on your side(price will be in the region of 65euros for return bus/coach from Grenoble or Chambery).
Transfer details can be seen on www.grenoble-airport.com and www.chambery-airport.com.
hope this info is of use.
and wish you a safe and pleasant trip
many regards
jonG.

:D hi,in the pst i have used Columbus insurance and World ski and snowboard and have been with Direct Line for the last couple of years and have no worries reccommending any of them.
jonG

:Dsorry have been a clutz,you say you are going for a weekend , idealy a thursday to monday or tuesday makes a good long weekend.
many regards agin
jonG.

:Dhi i agree with snowgirl as there is only two of you going a car would be the best option from geneva,if you hire the car from the swiss side snowtyres and chains should be included as a matter of course,but if you hire the car through the french side you will have to specifically ask for them,i usually pre book my hire car through Autoeurope 0800 169 9797,as they are about the cheapest car hire company around,a car similar to a nissan micra for a week in early december should be around £100 -£135,xmas or new year will be dearer,along with fuel and road tolls you should be loking at around £170 max.Also as snowgirl says the journey by car will be a lot quicker than bus/coach transfer,the only other thing i can say is if you can try avoidng saturdays to travel and come back on as the N90 and N902 up to tignes can be terrible for traffic and in bad weather could take several hours,i have seen bus drivers tell people to get off at the dam below tignes and walk the rest up to the resort in bad weather as the bus could not get u the hill(a walk of about 2 miles (but this is very rare)if you have to travel on a saturday try and get the earliest flight you can to avoid the traffic.
I hope this has been of some use and wish you a safe and pleasant trip.
jonG.

:D hi,tricky one this ,you could try contacting The Ski Club of Great Britain, or the British Association of Snowsports Instructors (formally B.A.S.I ),and they might be able to help.Also there is the British Alpine Ski & Snowboard School-www.britishskischool.com , or the Snow Institute -www.thesnowinstitute.com which all have instructors in Morzine from what i have found out on the net ,hope this is of some use and have a safe pleasant trip.
many regards
jonG.

:D hi,have not stayed in La Plagne before as istay in Bourg-Saint-Maurice and ski the Les Arcs side,but stay in the Belle Plagne resort as from what i have read it will have better snow(although all the Paradiski area is fairly snowsure) ,for car hire you should try Autoeurope 0800 169 9797 as they are by far the cheapest company i have found and used them many times.
many regards
jonG.