Easter weekend ski holiday in Flaine

Just in case anyone from here is interested in joining us, my wife and
I will be running a Ski Club holiday to Flaine for Easter weekend,
24th-28th March, flying out on the Thursday and returning Monday
evening. Details available at
http://www.skiclub.co.uk/skiclub/holidays/holiday.asp?intHolidayID=1173

 

Do we get it cheap?

 

Very interested in this. A question or two.

The hotel: "Dinner is a simple, three course, selfservice, buffet style
menu"

The general blurb: "you have the opportunity to experience some of the
local restaurants each evening."

?

Flight details and times - the webshite says no info finalised. Have you
any details now?

 

Platy? Can I borrow the Tractor?

 

Very interested in this. A question or two.

The hotel: "Dinner is a simple, three course, selfservice, buffet style
menu"

The general blurb: "you have the opportunity to experience some of the
local restaurants each evening."[/QUOTE]

Yeah, it is a bit confusing, innit? The hotel write-up is for all the
holidays we run there, whereas the specific blurb is about this one
holiday, where we'll be eating out each night (yes, at extra cost,
which I'll ask the Fresh Tracks[1] dept. to clarify on this page).
We'll be suggesting (and booking) restaurant choices each night, but
folks'll be free to go their own way if they prefer.

Err, well, I think I _do_ have the flight details, yes, but not with
me right now. Where does it say they're not finalised? The only thing
I can see is on the main page I linked to which says it's BA flights
from Heathrow to Geneva.

A quick look at the BA website, plus knowledge of approximate arrival
and departure times, would suggest that it's the following flights,
but please don't quote me - check with FreshTracks for details.

Outbound BA0736 Heathrow (London),United Kingdom Geneva,Switzerland
Economy (Traveller) Thu 24 March 2005 ,16:50 Thu 24 March 2005 , 19:35
Inbound BA0737 Geneva,Switzerland Heathrow (London),United Kingdom
Economy (Traveller) Mon 28 March 2005 ,20:55 Mon 28 March 2005 , 21:45

Bloody hell, they want £314 just for the flights alone booked direct.
Makes our £425 for the trip seem pretty good value.


[1] New[2] branding, as it were, of all Ski Club holidays.
[2] Well, it's been used for years for our off-piste stuff, and was a
seperate company in its own right before that.

 

Heh. I wondered who'd be first.

 

Just how dumb do you think I am?

<whistles>

 

On the "holiday information" link. "Flight details and times are not all
finalised at the time of printing and are subject to confirmation"

The above link mentions BA, Alitalia, Swiss International and others -
all decent scheduled carriers - well, maybe with the exception of Always
Late In Taking Off Always Late In Arriving......

Expedia (at the time of posting) has them for ukp139.70 (out Thursday
evening, back Monday morning, with BA) plus a host of other carriers
(Lufthansa, Swiss International, more BA) for various times on the
Thursday and Monday at around ukp150, which makes the Freshtracks
flights look appalling value, actually.

Trouble about Expedia's flight price is it costs the trip out, now that
I've determined it's b&b not half board, at ukp100+ a night.

Hmmmmm.... still tempted, mind.

 

On Mon, 3 Jan 2005 13:42:01 +0000,

Ahh, that's general info, like, for all holidays, just so's they can
change their mind later if the airline goes bust or summat, I guess.

Yeah, but if you'd care to open your eyes and look in the red banner
on the rhs of the page I linked to, you'd see

"Flight:
British Airways
Heathrow / Geneva
Transfer time:
Coach approx 1.5 hrs
Ski grading: [Red-Silver]

Lift pass:
4 days - Adult €125
Club leaders:
Bruce Rogers
Judith Rogers"

Ours is a Moday _evening_ flight, giving an extra day's skiing.

Not really - the quoted price also includes coach transfers and
accomodation (B&B only on this trip) as well as having to finance the
Ski Club leaders (which isn't costing much this time, as we'll be
driving there). This latter is an integral part of the holiday, and
the ski leading we offer is one of the main reasons why members choose
to come.

Not sure I understand, but I can tell you that you will not find _any_
hotel accomodation for a Thursday-Monday stay in Flaine at any point
in the ski season. It just doesn't exist.

I haven't managed to put you off yet? Damn, must try harder.

 

No, I was referring to their flight-only prices, not the overall trip.
Freshtracks is charging double what you'll pay if you book right now.
And a lot of the ukp150-odd expedia prices are for Monday evening
departures.

That's right - all this would be extra on top of the flight, so the trip
ain't bad value, given the guiding/tuition/whatever. And I've *just*
twigged this is the Easter weekend - the webshite mentions it but
doesn't really flag it up[1]. So it's definitely high season.

425 quid plus 125 lift pass plus another 125 for meals. Hm. I was
thinking of self plus Number One Daughter.

[1] To tell the truth, you've gotta admit that that website is bloody
misleading re the board basis.

 

You didn't read the subject line or my first posting, then? YBC.

The lift pass is in euros.

and so's that, unless you're including decent wine[1]. Even then it's
pushing it. Oh, I suppose there's lunches too...

Not deliberately so, but yes, I shall be asking them to amend it now
you've mentioned it. It's copied from the printed brochure, which is
much less ambiguous.

OTOH you must also admit that you've been a bit[2] of a TC in your
reading, both of the web page and my postings. Too much claret last
night, was it?


[1] Local gamay's my normal choice in the Alps, at about 10-15 Eu a
bottle in a restaurant.
[2] Even by your own standards.

 

Yes, I have been, rather. 125 euros on the website - trouble is, in your
posting the euros symbol appeared as a blob and I took it as 125 quid.
And who reads subject lines, anyway?

125 quid is about right for four days' meals, mind. At least we're
agreed on that ;-)

How did you guess?

I never even considered that the webshite was being *deliberately*
misleading - but it definitely reads as a half-board deal, and I'd have
taken it as such until you explained. I can see somebody booking on the
strength of the webshite alone being *very* pissed-off, and justifiably
so. So amending it would be a Good Idea.

Lower age limit? Number One Daughter is 13, and no more than
intermediate.

 

On Mon, 3 Jan 2005 15:01:34 +0000,

Hmm, I don't think there's any specific age limit (again, check with
the club, not me), although it's an adult-oriented holiday, where it's
expected that we'll lead the group around the various watering holes
while you attempt to get us blind drunk...

<Note for the hard of thinking: see the rider in my sig - this is not
official Ski Club policy, it's me joking around with a mate, all
right?>

It's all there, if you look for it. All FreshTracks holidays are
listed by grading, as is explained if you'd taken the trouble to read
the rest of the site.

Click on the 'Ski Grading' icons and you'll see, for the lower end,
'red' grading:

"Linking parallel turns on easier slopes, you probably cross from side
to side on more challenging bumps, being more comfortable on red runs
than black. You understand how to carve and can do so on smooth easy
reds. Technically competent and fit enough to ski at a reasonable pace
all day on red runs. You should have experienced skiing in a variety
of weather and snow conditions, having skied for approximately eight
to ten weeks. "

Assuming you haven't been graded (although you are members, aren't
you?) before, this would have to be on your say-so, so please be
honest!

 

I've got some cheap flights from Liverpool to Basle going spare if anyone
is interested ....