Dracoro

Anyone know of good resorts to go to reasonably cheaply? Best time of year etc.?
Not after a massive social ****-up type resorts, and pref somewhere with a fair bit of variation in scenery and slopes.

Also anyone know of costs involved (esp in hiring equipment etc.)?

thanks in advance.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Just been to Les Gets for the second time(pronounced Les Zhay), was brilliant, not as flash as Chamonix, just avoid half term.

neilbbb

i was there (les Gets) three weeks ago. good place with huge ski area (650km) and nice bars and stuff.

not wild but handy for geneva

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

No, not wild, had 3 kids and in laws in tow so wild wasnt an option, besides I lost a days skiing to alcohol and general wildness last year, started in Bar Bush and degenerated from there.

Snow was amazing this year.

neilbbb

that's spooky, i had a messy night that started in the bush bar . it was after zola scored against norwich last year in the fa cup. sore head the next day.

anyway the website for portes du soleil is www.portesdusoleil.com
this covers all villages including les gets.....cheap easyjet flight to geneva, car at the airport then an hours drive and you're there. good snow this year and a boarder park at mont chery

neilbbb

oh and there's a good cheap place to stay called hotel stella

last year we stayed for b+b for 40 euros per night. http://www.stella-galaxy.com

Jodster

Agree with the iglu.com comment. Went to to Sause Deux (spelling?) with them last year. Short flight to Turin (insert Italian Job references here) and 45 minute coach transfer to the resort. Nice little town, good slopes, but Saturday's are so busy with all the locals.

Andrew Dixon

A good place to look for deals is iglu.com. They have had some crazily priced stuff on there recently. Failing that, a lot of the big tour operators will have some good deals around at the moment.

As for hiring equipment (board, bindings, boots), I'd wait until you get out there and then find a local hire shop. This is generally a cheaper way of doing it than pre-booking through your travel company and gives you the chance to shop around for the right deal and decent quality equipment. They should also be able to advise you as to what kind of gear will suit your needs. Hiring out there (as opposed to in the UK) also means that you don't have to lug the gear out there, and you can change it mid-week if it doesn't suit you. From memory, you should be able to pick up board, boots & bindings for around £50 for the week.

There are places in the UK that you can hire clothing too, although if you are planning on going more than once it's usually more economical to just bite the bullet and buy some decent cheap stuff. You should be able pick up a decent snowboard-specific jacket and pants for under £150. Goggles & gloves around £20 each, and maybe a bit more if you decide you want thermals too (recommended!). I can give you some links to hire places, or to other places offering discount snowboard gear if you like?

As for resorts, there are plenty of places that would met your criteria. Best bet is to find a few deals that look good, and then have a look on the World Snowboard Guide and GoSki.com to get the lowdown. Different resorts have different types of terrain, lifts, etc. that can make them better or worse for beginners so it's worth doing some research.

In Europe I've ridden in Les Deux Alpes, Les Arcs and Val Thorens. This year I'm off to Serre Chevalier for a week (nowhere near long enough .. but hey!). I reckon any of these places would suit you fine, although Val Thorens is a bit exposed with not much scenery.

We've shied away from a package deal this year and have booked Easyjet flights to Geneva, a cheap hire-car, and independant accommodation. Works out about the same price but gives us a lot more freedom.

Drop me an email if you think I might be able to offer any more advice.

Andrew

(Edit to fix URLs.)

[Edited by Andrew Dixon - 2/11/2003 1:25:24 PM]