Latest posts for the topic "Sking DIY Style"

Sking DIY Style

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 22:17:29 GMT

OK we are looking at going skiing again end of DEC 28th onwards and we are looking at doing it by driving from home or if flights are cheap enough hiring a car in country.

probably looking at France but could do with some help with how to get there from the UK. Possible routes to 3 valleys, Porte De Soliel. And then theres accomodation Self catered/Catered the list is endless

HELP :) :) :)

Re:Sking DIY Style

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 22:29:48 GMT

Flights into Grenoble are really cheap, there is a thread on here for flights from GBP67 return inc ski carrage.

There are several car hire company's at the airport and there are loads of Ski resorts with in a 2 hour drive.

I have done Les Deux Alps and stayed in a youth hostel which I would never of done had my girlfriend not booked it but it was great 30 euros a night half board and the food was really good and we were less than a 5 minute walk from the main lifts.

Re:Sking DIY Style

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 22:47:04 GMT

Ye seen a flight from Man - Grenoble 118.44 each so looking at that so far. And 102.44 if we go a week earlier

Re:Sking DIY Style

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 05:59:53 GMT

Look at monarch for really cheap flights with free ski carriage.

Driving; best route is from Calais going Reims, Troyes, Dijon, then head down the more easterly motorway to bourg en bresse which opens up your routes into geneva, chambery, or Grenoble and the various valleys.

Re:Sking DIY Style

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 09:01:00 GMT

I was going to post this on the 'bet you cant get a ski holiday cheaper than me' thread, but it seems more relevant here.

I dont mean to be rude and good luck to you Scousefly, but if you need advice from a forum on how to go about organising a DIY holiday then perhaps it would be best to leave it to a tour operator to organise it for you.

DIY is fine for seasoned travellers/internet searchers, and occasionally even a few quid might be saved, but there are many things to think about/consider.

The headline price when totted up may look attractive, but the hidden costs do mount up.

Re:Sking DIY Style

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 11:31:35 GMT

Brucie wrote:the 'bet you cant get a ski holiday cheaper than me' thread,

:lol:

Re:Sking DIY Style

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 17:49:53 GMT

The major thing that bothers me about DIY is the potential of cancelled flights and misses flights due to transfers.

Remember the thousands stuck with the ash cloud? Or the horrendous delayed transfers last year due to massive snowfall? At least with a TO you will be transported home, DIY and you are on your own.

Re:Sking DIY Style

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 18:15:54 GMT

Brucie wrote:if you need advice from a forum on how to go about organising a DIY holiday

...then scousefly has come to the right place! A long, long time ago, in a Galaxy far far away... some geezer sketched out plans for a ski site to make planning his own DIY trips easier... :D :D

Brucie wrote:The headline price when totted up may look attractive, but the hidden costs do mount up.

Same with package deals; a great headline price and they'll sting you on ski passes, hire and (my favorite add-on from Crystal a good few years back) "optional transfer" (as opposed to walking from the airport!).

Snapzzz wrote:The major thing that bothers me about DIY is the potential of cancelled flights and misses flights due to transfers.

Works both ways! On my way to Serre Che some years ago we got diverted from GVA to Grenoble. The nice people from Avis happily transferred my car hire booking and we were out of the airport in 20 minutes... while a large group with a TO waited for their buses to drive down from Geneva in heavy snow.

DIY is not difficult; you just need to do your research and - as Brucie says - price it carefully.

Re:Sking DIY Style

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 22:01:27 GMT

For every ski trip, I do a cost spreadsheet.This covers:
Transport~ flights,train, car hire, taxi depending on the option
Accomodation ~ options, cost
Evening food ~ this may be incorporated into the Accomodation cost. Add a figure to assess after dinner drinks.
Day cost ~ hill drinks, lunch, pre-dinner drinks.
Lift Pass.
An allowance for incidentals.

It is easy to pull up last years spreadsheet and modify it.

Re:Sking DIY Style

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 22:04:19 GMT

That's very efficient of you Dave :D

I usually try to forget how much I've spent if we have to eat out in resort, or up the mountain, because it's generally far more than I want to remember!

Re:Sking DIY Style

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 09:06:28 GMT

AllyG wrote:That's very efficient of you Dave :D

I usually try to forget how much I've spent if we have to eat out in resort, or up the mountain, because it's generally far more than I want to remember!

Ah, this exchange shows the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is doing a spreadsheet to show what your costs are; wisdom is, yes, trying to forget it !

Re:Sking DIY Style

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 14:16:17 GMT

When I'm on holiday, the last thing I'd be interested would be a spreadsheet - those things are for the workaday, boring, routine aspects of life. Ski holidays are for forgetting about such things and enjoying yourself.

Re:Sking DIY Style

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:06:51 GMT

billip1 wrote:

AllyG wrote:That's very efficient of you Dave :D

I usually try to forget how much I've spent if we have to eat out in resort, or up the mountain, because it's generally far more than I want to remember!

Ah, this exchange shows the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is doing a spreadsheet to show what your costs are; wisdom is, yes, trying to forget it !

It seems spreadsheets are quite common in ski trip planning :shock: :shock:

Re:Sking DIY Style

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:42:39 GMT

Snapzzz wrote:

It seems spreadsheets are quite common in ski trip planning :shock: :shock:

Unless you also have a Laminated Packing List, you are a still a novice :P

Re:Sking DIY Style

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 17:01:49 GMT

Snapzzz wrote:It seems spreadsheets are quite common in ski trip planning :shock: :shock:

Some skiers "excel" at them :)

Re:Sking DIY Style

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 17:02:51 GMT

billip1 wrote:

Some skiers "excel" at them :)

It must be a winning 'formula'

Re:Sking DIY Style

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 17:03:04 GMT

bandit wrote:

Snapzzz wrote:

It seems spreadsheets are quite common in ski trip planning :shock: :shock:

Unless you also have a Laminated Packing List, you are a still a novice :P

Unpack-wash-dry-back in case-no list needed -)

Re:Sking DIY Style

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 17:12:41 GMT

I have two spreadsheets, one to work out the price of the holiday. Basic price + lift pass + local tax + contingency charge - discounts. This gets about 3 weeks of use in late March/early April. Once the price is set and the holiday goes on sale that's that.
The next just keeps track of payments.
The trips I run are always through a travel operator, generally by booking big groups we get around 30% off brochure price.

Re:Sking DIY Style

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 17:45:13 GMT

billip1 wrote:

AllyG wrote:That's very efficient of you Dave :D

I usually try to forget how much I've spent if we have to eat out in resort, or up the mountain, because it's generally far more than I want to remember!

Ah, this exchange shows the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is doing a spreadsheet to show what your costs are; wisdom is, yes, trying to forget it !

Knowledge is knowing a tomatoe is a fruit, wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

I've been wanting to use that for ages. Sorry for the wibble.

As you were.

Re:Sking DIY Style

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 17:48:12 GMT

NellyPS wrote:

billip1 wrote:

AllyG wrote:That's very efficient of you Dave :D

I usually try to forget how much I've spent if we have to eat out in resort, or up the mountain, because it's generally far more than I want to remember!

Ah, this exchange shows the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is doing a spreadsheet to show what your costs are; wisdom is, yes, trying to forget it !

Knowledge is knowing a tomatoe is a fruit, wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

I've been wanting to use that for ages. Sorry for the wibble.

As you were.

Knowing how to spell Tomato is down to education :D

Re:Sking DIY Style

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 17:57:51 GMT

Maybe Nelly is actually Dan Quayle in disguise :shock:

Re:Sking DIY Style

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 18:03:58 GMT

As a matter of fact Bonjour asked me to put everyone's details down on a spreadsheet for our group holiday, and e-mail it to them.

It was the first time I'd ever used Excel and I did find it rather 'challenging'. It prompted me to go on a computer course and I spent one day every week for 15 weeks learning how to use Word, Excel and Powerpoint. I am now the proud owner of a certificate in ECDL Extra Level 2 (about the same level of difficulty as a GCSE I think).

Luckily I didn't have to pay for the course, because it came under a European grant scheme to encourage Brits to go ski-ing in France :wink:

I have found it very useful, and I've put in everyone's flight times and ski-ing ability etc. and posted it up on our FB group so that we can sort out who's arriving when, and where, and who wants to ski with whom etc.

Re:Sking DIY Style

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 19:12:56 GMT

bandit wrote:

NellyPS wrote:

billip1 wrote:

AllyG wrote:That's very efficient of you Dave :D

I usually try to forget how much I've spent if we have to eat out in resort, or up the mountain, because it's generally far more than I want to remember!

Ah, this exchange shows the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is doing a spreadsheet to show what your costs are; wisdom is, yes, trying to forget it !

Knowledge is knowing a tomatoe is a fruit, wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

I've been wanting to use that for ages. Sorry for the wibble.

As you were.

Knowing how to spell Tomato is down to education :D

I am indeed Dan Quayle.

Re:Sking DIY Style

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 20:17:58 GMT

I thought it was "potato" he couldn't spell ?

Re:Sking DIY Style

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 20:23:06 GMT

It was. I have no idea why I struggle to spell either.

Re:Sking DIY Style

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 20:34:23 GMT

NellyPS wrote:It was. I have no idea why I struggle to spell either.

Pretty sure you got it right this time Nelly....
:roll:
but ...
it's supposed to be i before e except after c which means iether!

but what spelling has to do with DIY skiing I do not know?

Re:Sking DIY Style

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 20:58:17 GMT

OldAndy wrote:

but what spelling has to do with DIY skiing I do not know?

Coz if you spell it wrong, you get a religious comment :wink:

Re:Sking DIY Style

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 12:33:08 GMT

AllyG wrote:As a matter of fact Bonjour asked me to put everyone's details down on a spreadsheet for our group holiday, and e-mail it to them.

It was the first time I'd ever used excel.

Honestly????

Re:Sking DIY Style

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 16:37:21 GMT