Ski Courchevel

Although we live here in the French Alps we are accutely aware of the Global Financial crisis and so thought it would be a good time to review the options available to reduce the costs of your Winter Snow Holiday.

Points to consider :

1) Firstly the date of your holiday. If you are not tied to the school holidays, why not try taking your holiday in early January, or even late March?

You may think that the snow is not so good later in the season but here in Courchevel, because the slopes are north facing, the sun does not appear over the mountains until the end of February which keeps the snow crisp and in fantastic condition. In March it is sunnier and warmer in general, thats great for those lazy lingering lunchtimes in the mountain restaurants, or even for group picnics on the many areas provided here in the Three Valley. These are free of charge and a good Credit Crunch option!

If you come even later after Easter then the lift passes are reduced, but still giving access to the whole Three Valleys Domaine. Last season I had some of the best skiing in the last week of the season and when the lifts closed there was still over 2 metres of snow depth on Saulire.

2) Stay further down the mountain. The general rule of thumb for most winter holidays is that the higher you go then the more you pay! This is true for everything from accommodation to your cup of coffee. So staying lower down can be better value for money and often the accommodation is much better appointed. As you go higher up there is a need for getting the most out of the property and "squeezing" the guests in! Your apres ski will be cheaper and so will your ski hire. When times are hard you often have to compromise. The problem with a ski holiday is that once in resort, the accomodation is really the only flexible item.

Most resorts provide transport around the villages and to and from major lifts, these are normally free to use and are frequent during the season. The ski bus in our village to Courchevel runs approximately 12 times daily throughout the season and it stops just an easy 2 minute downhill walk from the chalet door.

3) If you really want to be closer to the slopes then consider opting for self catering. Look for private owned apartments, such as ours, for better prices as there will be no agency fees included.

4)  f you are able to take your holiday other than from weekend to weekend then you can save money by making the most of cheaper and quieter midweeek flights from low cost carriers. It is a little more difficult to find accommodation in high season, especially higher up the mountain, however we do any day arrival and departure in our chalet all dates all season. See our availability and prices pages for further information. The apartment however is let on a strictly Saturday to Saturday basis.

5) Getting there.....reduce your carbon foot print and drive! The roads in France are far less busy than the motorways in England and if you travel on a Sunday then there is no road haulage lorries as most are banned from moving around the country. The road tolls are approximately 80 Euros each way from Calais, depending on the exact route,and the journey is about an average 9 hours before stops. One of the cheapest but little known operators is http://www.speedferries.com who operate a high speed hydrofoil from Dover to Boulogne with the journey taking just under an hour.

If you want to fly, then use http://www.skyscanner.net to locate the best value flights though sometimes not all operators are covered. Also remember that transfers or car hire can be an expensive extra to the price of a flight!

There is also the snow train from Ashford. This travels out Friday evening and back the following Saturday evening, thus giving you an 8day "snowFix" for the price of a 7 day holiday. A fleet of buses meet the trains and take you to the various resorts. Tickets can be prebooked or purchased on arrival in Moutiers.

We hope that you find this blog interesting and useful, maybe take the time to look at our website in more detail. If you need any further help or information feel free to contact us via the contact page or by phone if you prefer.