Frenchie Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Would any of you be aware of a way to go holidaying ( skiing) in the Pyrenees for a family,in feb , during the school hols , without spending 1500 euros? Altogether, my partner and I have five boys aged 7 to 17 ( yeah I know [:-))] )Maybe my request is idealistic , but hey, who knows? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cendrillon Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 That week is going to be busy as it is half term in U.K. and school holiday in France.Is there a youth hostel in the area? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted January 12, 2009 Author Share Posted January 12, 2009 I don"'t know, I have to check. I didn't realize it would be half term everywhere.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubbles Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 What about looking for a cheap flight to perpignan with ryanair. There is then a bus service called Frogbus which can take you right to the ski centre whose name I have forgotten.I seem to remember it has a 2000 in it. if you check their website www.frogbus.com you can find out more.Their busfares are very good value.They are quite a new company and keen to establish themselves (Irish I think).Of course you would then need accommodation but this could possibly be an economical way of enjoying a ski trip with all your boys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odile Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 comme dirait Zebda - oh la, ca va pas etre facile! it is indedd half term for most AND an excellent snow season so far in lower resorts = VERY busy. I would get in touch with the syndicat d'initiative of some of the resorts directly and ask them for advice asap. Unless there is somebody here who can help. je croise les doigts Regine - bonne chance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panda Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Hi FrenchieDates are important here, UK hols start on the 14th I believe where as my son's start on the 7th, here in the Alps the week of the 7th is NOT busy at all so you may get a good deal if you go before UK holidays. Panda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted January 13, 2009 Author Share Posted January 13, 2009 But we start our hols on the 19th , we are in " zone B" ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Âme Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Frenchie– A family of seven for under 1500€ sounds like a challenge. You will have tobe creative! I think thatHautes-Pyrénées are vacances scholaires zone A, so you would be outside thelocal holiday times here. I’m not a skier so I don’thave first hand info about the slopes, but here’s a bit of local info. You can save by renting agite further down the mountain then drive or take buses to the ski resorts.There are lots of gites/chalets available to rent. Ski-pass info here http://www.n-py.com/Nistos is smaller &less well known than some of the places on the ski pass above http://www.neste-nistos.com/ski/maybe that equates to moins cher, I don't know. Ifyou want any local links to gites/chalets, or recommendations of which townsare nice to be near don’t hesitate to ask, I'll help if I can. Also, these sites might be interesting for more Midi Pyrenees info www.mountainbug.comand www.skicrazy.co.uk.Break a leg, as they say...! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panda Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Shame on the hol dates although perhsp OK as Âme says.[quote user="Âme"] Break a leg, as they say...![/quote] Not a commmon expression amongst skiers Âme, more for those who tread the boards not hurtle down mountains on them!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Âme Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odile Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 How about putting a request on the Pyrennees section of TF - they were asking about you there recently.xxodile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted January 13, 2009 Author Share Posted January 13, 2009 Oh really. .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I gave up all thoughts of going anywhere near snow since we have our very own snow and I could have used snow shoes round my own garden last week.Now, a bit of warmth, sunshine, swimming................that could tempt me......hm........m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owens88 Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I have PM ed you.John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odile Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 may I ask where you are in East Mids John? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owens88 Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Replied by PM. I used to state my UK village but another member of this forum counselled me to be more cautious.John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odile Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 thanks for pm - so we are almost neighbours in the UK but very far away in France! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odile Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 that looks great John - could you tell us a bit more about skiing access. thanks Odile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 John, or any of you , have you got any idea as to about how much the pass cld be ? and renting the necessary (skis, etc? )What is the nearest ski resort? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre ZFP Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Are you absolutely fixed on the Pyrenees Frenchie?I've just come back from skiing in the Alps at a place called Chatel about 80Km from Geneva and didn't pay a lot.For a week in a studio INCLUDING ski passes for 2, I paid 430 euros. The studio wasn't brilliant but very central and good enough. The pistes varied from green to black, about 130km in all with access to the Portes du Soliel area.Just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panda Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Sadly you will see that figure double for school hols at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odile Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 glad you had a great time Pierre - how did you get on? Chatel is a VERY long way from Niort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owens88 Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Skiing is at Font Romeu/ Pyrenees 2000 or Les Angles. (there are others as well). Its about 50 mins to the skiing areas, though on a slow run it can take longer. If you drive you have flexibility of areas as most are accessible from one roundabout at Mt Louis. We have taken to renting our gear from the shop just near the roundabout. Good parking, helpful service and we had no queues.Alternatively the Frogbus has a stop at Prades which might be another way of doing it. Park the car at Super U and sleep your way up to the slopes. http://www.frogbus.com/en/The skiing is good for beginners and intermediates. The passes and ski gear hire are cheaper than most resorts we have been to, and are very flexible from half days to weeks, family passes etc. http://www.lespyrenees.net/en/ and http://www.goodviews.co.uk/area%20goodview.htm#Skiing. It is a very cheap way of skiing with many options for evenings (including the Thermal Spas on the way back down, commercial ones at St. Thomas Les Bains or Spas Sauvages if you know where to find them). However the drive is off-putting to beginners who like to stagger from their chalet directly to the lift. We had a group of 9 in vernet one half term, eating together in our place every night but sharing the cooking - VERY economical but with take-aways cafes and restaurants in Vernet as back-up.Snowball fights and sledging in our meadow/garden as well as t-shirt walks to st.Martin de Canigou were a bonus! Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 I've just had an email from Auchan with discounts of 10, 20, 30 and even 50%. Maybe worth trying the big supermarkets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre ZFP Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 [quote user="odile"]glad you had a great time Pierre - how did you get on? [/quote]Got on very well thanks, strangely, the first day I fell over a lot but it all came good the next day even if I did take a spectacular tumble later in the week prompting my son to say to a complete stranger 'Yeah, my Dad snowploughs with his head' Cheeky begger.Not many people there, no queuing for ski lifts and empty pistes. Found lots of nice places to eat with lovely regional dishes Drove through the Jura and the little I saw of it I thought it was really nice, never been that way before but I think I'll be backFrenchie:I don't know if you have your own skis and boots but I just had an email from Decathlon offering good prices on hiring ski gear in just about every French ski resort. Just look for skimium.com under the Ski section of the Decathlon website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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