need help planning a ski/road trip!!

me and a few friends plan to jump in a camper van and head to france for some ski-ing in january 2009. there are 4 of us going, me and a mate can ski and the other 2 cant ski.

where do people recommend? we are after a good nightlife/ apres ski scene with reasonable prices and good scenerey.

what would the ski pass prices be for 5/6 days and the cost of ski hire. (me and a mate will teach the other 2 to ski so no tuition is required but a learner slope is needed)

is it best to book the ski hire online or when we arrive?

one problem we are faced with is, the camper van is a converted van and only has beds and heating. what can we do for showering etc. any near by campsites that we could stay in and use any of their shower blocks?

i hope someone can help as im desperate to go again and relive the ski-ing experience i had when i was 12 on a school trip

Welcome :D You have quite a wish list there. It hard to know where to start! It's a great idea to take a camper van, though it may be cheaper to go by air once you have paid road tolls and fuel, plus the cost of a campsite pitch with the showers you want. Time to get the calculator out, once you decide on where.

It might seem like a good idea to teach your mates, but if I'm reading your post correctly, then the last time you went was years ago. In the meantime, equipment and teaching methods have changed. Do your mates a favour and get them into a ski school class, and book yourself a refresher at the same time. That way, you'll all have a good time, and you won't get frustrated having to wait for beginners.

Online ski hire is definitely cheaper. Try here, http://www.skiset.co.uk/j2ski/

A ski pass is quite a big chunk of your budget. Expect to pay around 190 euros for a 6 day ticket for a mid sized resort. Big resorts cost more generally.

I'll let some more folks put their ideas about where you should go!

Even though the poster wants to go to France, I am betting it is less than 10 posts before the M-word or the N-word gets mentioned )

As for France, I have only been to La Plagne and Val d'Isere/Tignes. I would recommend the second combo, I enjoyed it far more, has a bigger night life. Mazbe it was cos I could not stand up in La Plagne!

you a big drinker by any chance tino? :D

tino_11 wrote:Even though the poster wants to go to France, I am betting it is less than 10 posts before the M-word or the N-word gets mentioned )

As for France, I have only been to La Plagne and Val d'Isere/Tignes. I would recommend the second combo, I enjoyed it far more, has a bigger night life. Mazbe it was cos I could not stand up in La Plagne!

Did you perhaps have a wee drinky or 2 in La Plagne )

You are on with that bet, especially with the N-word :D

IMHO Val d'Isere has the nightlife, however the beginner slopes are few, and once up the hill, there is no novices easy way down. Prices reflect the resorts status :shock:

Ok - you asked for it -

MAYRHOFEN!!!

Great ski area, great ski-school(s), great nightlife.

And it has a camp-site a few kms down the valley.

There you go, we have a winner!

Before we go suggesting resorts, I think this person should stop and consider booking a package. 2 of the group at least are going to need lessons, the other 2 possibly a refresher.

If you go first 2 weeks in Jan, you can get some seriously good deals. Consider going self catering in Austria as food is reasonably priced, or chalet board in much of France as the cost of living there is high generally. Self catering in France is often based on larger groups sharing apartments.

Expect to pay around £220 each self catering, and under £400 for chalet board. Lift passes will be at least £150 extra and lessons more still, but those will need to be had irrespective of method of travel.

I just think that when you weigh it up, if you shop around, you could get a package at a better price and with much less hassle for a good price.

tino_11 wrote:Even though the poster wants to go to France, I am betting it is less than 10 posts before the M-word or the N-word gets mentioned )

I demand a recount. This bet was rigged from the start :lol: