Driving to the snow - anyone done it?
Discussion
Thinking of driving over to either Italy or France to do a bit of skiing in February.
Trying to keep it on a budget, so has anyone got any advice on how do do it on the cheap? I'll be taking the Lincoln, so plenty of room to take ski's and snowboards, suitcases etc all in the car, but because it's LPG, that rules out the chunnel.
I'm not too bothered about staying in resort, about an hour/half hours drive to the slopes will do if anyone knows a nice place to stay.
I'd rather stay in Italy, as I really don't like the French people, but I'm willing to put up with them if there's loads of English people to water them down lol.
Trying to keep it on a budget, so has anyone got any advice on how do do it on the cheap? I'll be taking the Lincoln, so plenty of room to take ski's and snowboards, suitcases etc all in the car, but because it's LPG, that rules out the chunnel.
I'm not too bothered about staying in resort, about an hour/half hours drive to the slopes will do if anyone knows a nice place to stay.
I'd rather stay in Italy, as I really don't like the French people, but I'm willing to put up with them if there's loads of English people to water them down lol.
Done it a few times now, twice in noisy Skyline ricers (with a 1972 VW beetle as the support car 
) and once in a V8 discovery in pursuit of some snowboarding.
Toll roads are great in France, but if you're looking to keep costs down there's always non-toll versions running near enough alongside. Takes a little more planning / navigating (no pun intended) but it's less boring than the tolls and it's nice to get off the beaten track.
As for where to go, I can thoroughly recommend Chamonix, easily one of the best resorts out there, sadly not one of the cheapest in terms of ski passes (which to be fair aren't too bad) and shop / restaurant / bar prices.
I've done a trip down to cham with a few mates on the cheap, very basic accomodation, so the biggest expense was the ski pass (100 quid for a full access pass) and the petrol to get there really. Few hundred quid each.
Ferries are the best bet if you're on a budget, gives you a couple of hours break from driving, which if you're doing it in one hit you'll need really, and it's fine for LPG. Book in advance and you'll get it for 20 quid or less if you're lucky. We went to Dunkerque last time.
Italy is still quite a cheap place to get away and find the snow, so I'd suggest you look into ski pass prices and tot up the milage, but I'd be surprised if it wasn't cheaper than somewhere like Chamonix, most places are, but Chamonix is a fantastic resort I must say, something for everyone regardless of ability, and mont blanc makes it all the more worthwhile.
Personally I love the drive down there, and if you're not too constrained by time you can make the journey there and back much more interesting by driving those legendary driving roads (made more fun by the inevitable snow on some of them) and stopping off at places of interest to you on the way.
Petrol station wise, they're all over the place in france, especially in toll roads, where most of the ones we stopped at have LPG facilities. Cracking food at the service stations generally too
) and once in a V8 discovery in pursuit of some snowboarding. Toll roads are great in France, but if you're looking to keep costs down there's always non-toll versions running near enough alongside. Takes a little more planning / navigating (no pun intended) but it's less boring than the tolls and it's nice to get off the beaten track.
As for where to go, I can thoroughly recommend Chamonix, easily one of the best resorts out there, sadly not one of the cheapest in terms of ski passes (which to be fair aren't too bad) and shop / restaurant / bar prices.
I've done a trip down to cham with a few mates on the cheap, very basic accomodation, so the biggest expense was the ski pass (100 quid for a full access pass) and the petrol to get there really. Few hundred quid each.
Ferries are the best bet if you're on a budget, gives you a couple of hours break from driving, which if you're doing it in one hit you'll need really, and it's fine for LPG. Book in advance and you'll get it for 20 quid or less if you're lucky. We went to Dunkerque last time.
Italy is still quite a cheap place to get away and find the snow, so I'd suggest you look into ski pass prices and tot up the milage, but I'd be surprised if it wasn't cheaper than somewhere like Chamonix, most places are, but Chamonix is a fantastic resort I must say, something for everyone regardless of ability, and mont blanc makes it all the more worthwhile.
Personally I love the drive down there, and if you're not too constrained by time you can make the journey there and back much more interesting by driving those legendary driving roads (made more fun by the inevitable snow on some of them) and stopping off at places of interest to you on the way.
Petrol station wise, they're all over the place in france, especially in toll roads, where most of the ones we stopped at have LPG facilities. Cracking food at the service stations generally too
Been to Germany/Austria many times (love the snow/skiing). Watch out this year, apparently the most snow fall in Nov for many years. To this end, certainly in Germany, if you're involved in an accident and you DON't have winter/all season tyres fitted you automatically assume 50% of the blame! Your British insurance company may not know/advise you of this! Snow chains will be compulsory at places like Chamonis etc. And, stating the obvious really, make sure you give your car a good once over and have a few items in there in case you get stuck (sleeping bag/warm kit/flask/food etc).
And let us know what Italy's like for the skiing - quite fancy the Dolomites one year! Enjoy!
And let us know what Italy's like for the skiing - quite fancy the Dolomites one year! Enjoy!
Stu R said:
Personally I love the drive down there, and if you're not too constrained by time you can make the journey there and back much more interesting by driving those legendary driving roads (made more fun by the inevitable snow on some of them) and stopping off at places of interest to you on the way.
I'll be in a shitty American piece of shit. A good driving road would be a waste of time, it would just wallow around the bends. American cars are made for motorways - straight ones - and even then, it'll wander from lane to lane. The only good thing about it will be the size, I can bring the contents of a small house in the boot. I'll be able to keep the price down by stocking up on smartprice groceries from Asda and setting up a market stall in Chamonix 
BTW, Zeb's would be no good at skiing, you would only be able to see half of him in the snow.
Byff said:
Stu R said:
Personally I love the drive down there, and if you're not too constrained by time you can make the journey there and back much more interesting by driving those legendary driving roads (made more fun by the inevitable snow on some of them) and stopping off at places of interest to you on the way.
I'll be in a shitty American piece of shit. A good driving road would be a waste of time, it would just wallow around the bends. American cars are made for motorways - straight ones - and even then, it'll wander from lane to lane. The only good thing about it will be the size, I can bring the contents of a small house in the boot. I'll be able to keep the price down by stocking up on smartprice groceries from Asda and setting up a market stall in Chamonix BTW, Zeb's would be no good at skiing, you would only be able to see half of him in the snow.
Seriously, I did it in a discovery with a lift kit and rather oversized knobbly off road tyres on that had more body roll than vanessa phelps, it's more fun than you'd imagine 
Edited by Stu R on Wednesday 21st November 01:34
We always drive - the flexibility of having a car in the resort is often overlooked. In somewhere like Chamonix where the runs are spread over different mountains it makes a huge difference not to have to rely on the skibus.
Definitely take chains(leagl requirement in many areas now), torch, shovel/spade(if you can).
Definitely take chains(leagl requirement in many areas now), torch, shovel/spade(if you can).
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