Latest posts for the topic "Newbie with ski/walking pass question"

Newbie with ski/walking pass question

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:29:58 GMT

Hello to you all.

Me, my husband, sister and family are heading over to the three valleys for a weeks skiing. Can anyone answer this question?

The situation is, my sister and husband have four kids, the two older ones will be skiing all day with me and my husband, so no problem at all while my sister and her husband share the parenting of their two younger kids. One skis the morning and the other the afternoon, so swapping the kids over around lunchtime.

The question is, they are going to buy a full three valleys ski pass and the cheaper foot passenger only pass for the week. On the days where we will be doing a full day in Courchevel or VT it's not really that practical to come back into the bottom of Meribel to swap kids. What are the chances of the parent looking after the kids in the morning being allowed on to the gondolas in Meribel carrying skis and with two wee ones with just a foot passenger pass for the swap over of the kids and the passes at the top save the other parent having to come down into Meribel - if that makes any sense.

Many thanks all.

Sheil

Re:Newbie with ski/walking pass question

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:58:30 GMT

Sheil,
Are you allowed to swap lift passes like that? I never thought of trying that.

Ally

Re:Newbie with ski/walking pass question

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:09:10 GMT

AllyG

I dont know, its not as if we are cheating the system or trying to do them out of money as only one adult will be skiing and one looking after the kids, and we will have bought lift passes for both circumstances.

It may be that we do have to come down into Meribel to swap over.

Maybe someone on here will have an idea.

Cheers

S

Re:Newbie with ski/walking pass question

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:14:55 GMT

I suppose it depends if the lift operators notice that they're using a foot pass. I don't know how the system works, because I've never seen anyone without skis (or a board) getting on a lift. If they go through the barrier just like everyone else, then I don't suppose it will matter, but I would have thought there was some way of policing the scheme, because otherwise everyone would get the cheaper foot pass if they were only going to use whichever lifts one can use with that pass.

Sorry I can't help. I will be interested to hear what the others say about it.

Ally

Re:Newbie with ski/walking pass question

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:23:49 GMT

allyG

When my sister was pregnant two years ago, we bought the foot passenger lift, she got to use a different entry to the lifts and skipped the queue. The problem will arise I think when she tries that again with two wee ones, her ski boots on and carrying skis. Whether the lift operators will accept our reasoning behind this with the adults swapping at the top, I dont know.

S

Re:Newbie with ski/walking pass question

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:29:04 GMT

Oh, I see, I thought they might have a way of separating foot and ski-ing passengers.

Well, I hope her French is very good (or the lift operator has very good English)! I am just doing my French homework now, for my adult French lessons, and I wouldn't like to have to explain all this in French.

If one is not allowed to swap lift passes then I suppose the answer will definitely be 'no'.

Ally

Re:Newbie with ski/walking pass question

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:00:39 GMT

Do the lift passes not have a photo on?

Rather than doing morning and afternoon, would it not just be easier to alternate days, which would eliminate the child swapping saga, and no foot pass would be required?

Re:Newbie with ski/walking pass question

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:40:26 GMT

Hi,
You don't get photos on the passes in 3V.
It makes sense what you explain, but you need to make it clear to the lift operator that those children can get back down safely again.

If it were me....I would email the lift pass office asking them to confirm this is OK. Then I would get it written in French -unless you speak good French of course) And I would keep it in my pocket to show the liftie....

Hope it works out. Taking kids on ski hols is hard enough without hassle.

Re:Newbie with ski/walking pass question

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:46:22 GMT

I'd be very surprised it you're allowed to swap passes like that - I'd anticipate the T&Cs will state that the passes are non-transferrable and therefore if caught you risk losing the pass or worse. After all, if two people wanted to only ski half a day each they wouldn't be allowed to share on pass.
With chipped passes you may get away with it though.

Re:Newbie with ski/walking pass question

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:22:05 GMT

Dorset Boy wrote:if two people wanted to only ski half a day each they wouldn't be allowed to share on pass.

Why wouldn't you be able to share a pass? Do you mean that if two people wanted to ski a half day each but it was the same half day - I can understand not sharing in that circumstance. But if the two people wanted to ski a different half day each, I wouldn't see anything wrong with sharing. Surely the pass entitles one adult to use the lift, so as long as the two people didn't want to use the lift at the same time, that would be ok? I can't imagine many people wanting to do it anyway as most people want to ski together.

Allie

Re:Newbie with ski/walking pass question

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:39:44 GMT

I have had a very careful look for the 3 valleys lift pass terms and conditions, on several websites, and I can't find them. I have also just bought the Courchevel lift pass, myself, a few days ago, and there are no conditions enclosed with the passes.

However, I do think that the passes are non-transferable, and they just seem to have forgotten to say so.

I found the conditions for Avoriaz no problem, and they definitely say that 'ski lift passes valid for more than 2 days are strictly personal'.

http://www.skipass-avoriaz.com/cgv_avoriaz_gb.pdf

I think that, as has already been said, it would be a much better idea for each parent to take it in turns to look after the kids for a whole day, rather than swapping over at lunch time.

It is a very interesting question, whether the 3 Valleys passes are transferable, thanks for bringing it up. I hope someone else can clarify the situation - it must be written somewhere, surely!

Ally

Re:Newbie with ski/walking pass question

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 09:41:11 GMT

Hi all

I have e-mailed Meribel Alpina directly and I await their reply - will let you all know.

Cheers

S

Re:Newbie with ski/walking pass question

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:22:36 GMT

Hello.

I've just looked on the meribel web page, and the t&cs of the lift pass state:

"During the validity of the transport title, the lift pass is neither transmissible, nor transferable. It cannot be lent to a third person whether the loan be free or subject to cost."

http://80.80.233.229/ycash_meribel/conditions_EN.php

Re:Newbie with ski/walking pass question

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:07:54 GMT

Hi, I think the shared lift pass is perfectly feasable and I know a couple on a very tight budget who have done this
A sugestion, which I hope is useful, If the skiis were bagged and maybe skiboots also it might be easier to get on a lift... although this is going to be still tricky with a couple of youngsters in tow..not enough hands !

Re:Newbie with ski/walking pass question

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:18:53 GMT

I would think it would raise suspicions if you tried to use the foot passenger lift pass whilst carrying skis. :oops: I have just been looking on the Sevabel website because having two teenagers with us at half term who rarely rise before noon I was looking at buying half day lift passes daily but at 37.50 Euros for the 3V it does not work out cheaper than the six day pass. I will probably go for the Family Pass option at 740 Euros working out at 185.50 each (by the way you can add extra children to that and teenagers under 21 can be included if you book online). I would still risk sharing the ski/foot passes to save money but would advise you to meet in Meribel and swop there (out of sight of the lifties!) We have taken teenage friends on a family pass (bought online) and have never been questioned neither have we ever had to produce proof of ID for our passes.

The lifts are generally quiet in Meribel at lunchtime. After dumping your skis you could always take the kids up to one of the toboggan runs - Rock and Bob in Les Menuires off the Roc de Fer Cable springs to mind.

Re:Newbie with ski/walking pass question

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:59:17 GMT

gadgetgirl79 wrote:Hello.

I've just looked on the meribel web page, and the t&cs of the lift pass state:

"During the validity of the transport title, the lift pass is neither transmissible, nor transferable. It cannot be lent to a third person whether the loan be free or subject to cost."

http://80.80.233.229/ycash_meribel/conditions_EN.php

Well done for finding that gadgetgirl - I couldn't find the T & C's for my Courchevel pass anywhere. I was interested to see that one is entitled to a refund for the day if all the lifts are shut for over half a day (i.e. they don't have to be shut for the whole day). It happened to us one year in Val Thorens and I tried getting credited with an extra day but they were very slow replying to my e-mails and in the end I gave up.

Ally

Re:Newbie with ski/walking pass question

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 08:58:25 GMT

The T&Cs only seem to appear when you actually try and buy the lift pass online, and go through to the payment bit! You don't seem to get the option to view them before then!

I find most resorts manage to keep a couple of lifts open in bad weather so they don't have to refund any lift passes.

Re:Newbie with ski/walking pass question

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 09:17:36 GMT

gadgetgirl79 wrote:The T&Cs only seem to appear when you actually try and buy the lift pass online, and go through to the payment bit! You don't seem to get the option to view them before then!

I find most resorts manage to keep a couple of lifts open in bad weather so they don't have to refund any lift passes.

Gadgetgirl,
When I bought my lift passes online, I expect there was one of those boxes I had to tick, to say I'd read them, and I probably just ticked it and didn't even really notice the T & C's.

The day they shut all the lifts in VT it was extremely windy. We went out first thing, in a group lesson, and ski-ing back down into VT it was so windy it blew my woolly hat off and then back up the piste (some kind person ski-ing behind me picked it up for me). Then they shut the lifts. They tried to keep the 2 drag lifts going, but they even had to give up on those after a while, and shut everything. It was annoying, because we wasted a day's lift pass and a day's ski-ing lessons :evil:

Ally

Re:Newbie with ski/walking pass question

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:08:54 GMT

On our transfer day in Obergurgl we bought a walk on pass to go and have lunch up the mountain. It was a chipped card which we put inside our jackets as usual and just walked through like everyone else. No one would've known any different. You don't normally use your pass to come down as they've obviously correctly assumed you needed one to get up there in the first place.

Personally, I'd give it a shot.

Re:Newbie with ski/walking pass question

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:28:51 GMT

caron-a wrote:On our transfer day in Obergurgl we bought a walk on pass to go and have lunch up the mountain. It was a chipped card which we put inside our jackets as usual and just walked through like everyone else. No one would've known any different.

They do, the RFID card is read by the gate as you pass and the operator display shows the pass type, if there's a photo on file it's displayed, if it's a senior pass or a child pass it displays in big letters along with if it's a ski pass or a pedestrian pass. It's one of the reasons these systems were installed, it's easier for the operators to spot fraud. The route the pass has taken around the mountain is also stored, if it's being misused at one gate the operators at the other gates will have to answer how they missed, for example, a senior pass being used by a 18 year old.

caron-a wrote:You don't normally use your pass to come down as they've obviously correctly assumed you needed one to get up there in the first place.

That depends where you are, a lot of lifts do check for descent. There's even one in Switzerland that checks you've not got a ski pass as only pedestrians are allowed to descend. Likewise, any lifts used in the summer tend to have gates installed descent as a matter of course. There's no normal, it depends where you are really.

caron-a wrote:Personally, I'd give it a shot.

I wouldn't :D I think most people know the T&C's don't allow transfer, it might be inconvenient but the only reason you're there is for the operators to make money and in some places it's legally quite serious, on a par with riding the London Underground without tickets for example.

Here in Switzerland the Swiss Alpine Club did a survey about single trip and pedestrian tickets and published a table about where was the most expensive and so on, it made interesting reading. Around the Jungfrau pedestrians need a second mortgage to ride the lifts while in other places it's a couple of francs and in some locations some people don't pay at all for pedestrian access.

Re:Newbie with ski/walking pass question

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 18:13:00 GMT

there you go then gixergirl, you've finally got your answer.