-
Hi I’m thinking about flying EDI to Chambery in Dec as I have a 2-4-1 expiring in Feb and not enough points to go anywhere long-haul. Using another 241 long haul in summer and another one expiring before that.
Where would you recommend to stay, in Chambery or elsewhere? We have never skied before so is there somewhere you’d recommend for complete novices or somewhere where there’s other things to do. If skiing, do you have to take all equipment/skiwear or is that provided?
Any advice much appreciated as not much options flying from Edinburgh short haul. Is the extra for business class worth it on this flight or not much point?Mandy – I flew to Chambery a few years ago with my university mate Adam – we stayed free of charge with his sister who had an apartment. We went skiing for a week on the cheap – students – and I don’t think I brought my gear with me – ie it was very easy to hire all we needed. Skiing was pretty good – it’s not Val D’Isere but perfectly good for beginners/ intermediates & a lot cheaper. If you go in December, the snow might be poor/ non-existent so you might want to make it January.
Business Class is worth it if you enjoy the benefits and think they are worth the money/ points. OTOH you could save the money and buy some cheese and wine in Chambery.
Presumably you’re intending taking the direct EDI to Chambery BA flight?
If so, the seat will be the same in Business Class or Economy, Business will have you seated closer to the front, ahead of the wee curtain, a better food option, access to the BA lounge in Edinburgh (but none in Chambery).
Personally I wouldn’t book business class for a short route like this, and didn’t (I have booked these flights for Feb half term).If you’ve never skied before and live in/near Edinburgh, I would recommend doing some lessons at Hillend (alternatively the Snow Factor in Glasgow) before you go. It’s not like you’ll rock up to a ski resort, hire some skis and start skiing, so to understand the basics will make your alpine holiday much more enjoyable!
Depending on exactly when you are going and what the winter has been like before then, if you’re set on December you might want to go to a higher resort, which should have better snow cover in the early season. Many ski resorts have other things – cross country skiing, luges, snowshoeing, leisure complexes….
Resort accommodation costs and ski passes vary from resort to resort, so you’ll need to DYOR or maybe someone else here can recommend. Pre-booking skis before you go will be much cheaper than doing so in resort. There are a couple of big names that have all resorts covered, you can usually also find independents.
Some might hire out skiwear, alternatively Decathlon has very well priced kit (jackets, sallopettes, thermals gloves, socks, hats etc all required). Business class will also give you a bigger luggage allowance, but you should get all that and everything else in your economy allowance.You will also need car hire, alternatively there are transfer companies (unsure how many operate out of Chambery, there are loads from Geneva who go to Morzine/Avoriaz and Chamonix, so prices on these are competitive, less popular resorts can be more expensive to get to). Usually free buses operate to take you round the resort, possibly to other villages/parts of the resort nearby.
It’s a great sport to get into, but it isn’t cheap!
No car hire needed
Thank you for your advice. Sounds like business class not worth it which is what I thought.
Would probably want a resort where’s there’s plenty of other things to do or a town with other attractions as can’t imagine we’ll be doing much skiing but would love to give it a go so will consider some lessons beforehand. Can anyone recommend a resort with a reasonable transfer from the airport as likely we wouldn’t hire a car?You hit the main problem: which is transfer from airport. In that respect, Chambery is amongst the best. Pretty close to town and then slopes.
If you flew into (say) Vienna, you’d be looking at 3 hr transfer.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Popular articles this week:
