# Key Post: Ski Holidays



## CDM01 (22 Oct 2004)

Hi Folks,

Going skiing in January to Aviemore, in Scotland. Would anyone have any pointers/advice?

_Edited by sueellen to edit title and make key post_


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## sueellen (25 Oct 2004)

*Re: >>Skiing Holidays*

*Some other posts*

*dinky
Unregistered User
Ski in Scotland*

thinking of taking a weekend break to ski in Scotland.
Anyone done this and can recommend where to go/stay/how to get there? Or even if there is enough snow there to ski right now! thanks 

*travel fan
Unregistered User
scotland ski*

try aviemore.co.uk = www.cairngormschamber.com/ think I remember this as being the centre of organised skiing and other outdoor sports in scotland.  Also  where there was a piece on dog sledding in scotland  

*Martin
Unregistered User
Snow Holiday*

Anyone any experience of a snow holiday thinking mainly of my kids. Would Scotland be a possibility say in February. Just for them to experience lots of snow.

Thanks. 

*Enaja
Registered User
Re: Snow Holiday*

I don't think you would really get any snow. It really isn't that cold there. Been there a few times at Christmas and have yet to see a flake! I'd say you would be better with somewhere in Europe that can guarantee snow or else how about Lapland I'm sure they would love that. 

*zag
Administrator
Re: Snow Holiday*

Snow in Scotland can be a bit hit and miss. It has the advantage that it is relatively close at hand, but the disadvantage that you may not get any snow at all. Good for last minute, but not good for forward planning.

We got flights to Munich in the Aer Lingus sale last year, booked a train and accommodation online and saved a good bit over the brochures. If you aren't going for ski-school then the cost of the overall package drops again.

z  

*zag
Administrator
Skischool for children*

Anyone had any experience of kindergarten or skischool for young children in Mayrhofen in Austria ?

All the websites and brochures talk about the fact that they exist and take the children from a very young age, but not the practicalities, like can you leave the kids in for 2 or 3 days instead of the whole week, or only part of the day, etc . . .

Anyone used these types of places ?

z 

*junior
Registered User
Skischool for children*

Zag

Don't have experience of that skischool but in general it is at the parent discretion if they go or not, but if they miss classes they will fall behind the rest and later on in the week my miss out on coming down some runs. From my experience kids school runs at faster pace then for adults so even a class behind means they could be left behind.

*temptedd
Moderator
Re: Skischool for children*

Just back from my first ever skiing hol so I was being outclassed by the kids...in our resort they could choose 3 or 5 days but you had to start on day 1 and if you wanted to stay in the same group, you had to go to consecutive lessons. Otherwise, you were put into another group of slow learners! 

*Marion
Moderator
Re: Skischool for children*



> Children’s lessons are slightly less and include lunch. The schools are: Ski School Manfred Gager (63800), Ski School Mayrhofen Total (63939), and Peter Habeler Ski and Alpine School (62829). Most ski schools offer rentals.



Above taken from Inghams [broken link removed]

zag: Click on the Kids' courses link to view daily/weekly prices.

Marion 

*Redbhoy
Registered User
late ski deals*

Does anyone know of any good places to get a late ski deal for february. We're looking for a good cheap deal (very cheap if poosible). 

Tiger
http://www.directski.com/

Have a look at www.directski.com/ for some discounted last minute deals. (They're Irish, I believe the same crowd as panorama but I'm not sure on that).

Don't forget the rest of the package probably won't be discounted:
- ski & boot hire: 80-120 E
- Ski pass: 180 - 250 E
- Ski School: ~150 E
- Travel insurance: 60 E

These vary from country to country so check the total package before you book. 

*Redbhoy
Registered User
Re: http://www.directski.com/*

Thanks for that Tiger. I seen prices on Aertel that were too good to be true. Those extras bring the price up an awful lot. Thanks for the warning.

*diamonds
Unregistered User
skiing for families*

Can anybody recommend a family skiing resort and accommodation with facilities for children from 3 years old. Thanks in advance. 

*Redbhoy
Registered User
Re: skiing for families*

Im just back from Soldeu, in Andorra. First time skiing for me. There was plenty of ski schools and i noticed that a few of them catered solely for young kids. Travel agent can sort everything for you. Inghams were our reps and were very good. There are separate nursery slopes for young kids too. Kids as yound as 4 or 5 were passing us on the bigger slopes too. Bit of advice- Dont stay in Hotel Confort as its 2kms from Gondola station. I found the place enjoyable and will hopefully be returning next year with my two wee'uns. 

*Cochese
Registered User
skiing for families*

 I'm just back from my maiden voyage in Mayrhofen in Austria with Crystal Holidays. Stayed in Strass Snow Homes which are 20 feet from the Penken gondola station. There's also a free bus which chugs around the village and stops at both the Penken and Ahorn gondolas. It's very important not to have to walk far to the stations as it can be very difficult in those fecking boots carring skis, sticks etc. Lots of two and three year olds were getting tuition when I was there. Some of them could barely walk. Some very gentle baby slopes for absolute beginners and lots of very good (blue) beginners & (red) intermediate slopes. Excellent (black) near vertical slopes for the psychos as well. Village, scenery etc is beautiful and has to be seen. Transfer from Innsbruck is 1.5 hours and Salzburg about 2.5-3 hours. 

*zag
Administrator
Re: skiing for families*

Mayrhofen is supposedly the business when it comes to childrens ski school if the brochures are to be believed. Ski schools in most resorts will only take kids from 4 year up, but in Mayrhofen they take them from 3 up and also have a number of snow kindergartens for the really youngies.

We just came back from there and our 4 year old had a great time in ski school, while the 2 year old eventually had a good time in the kindergarten after the snow stopped and they could go outside.

There is a (reportedly) good kindergarten down in the village, but I wouldn't recommend it as it only opens at 0830 or 0900 which means by the time you leave small people off and get back towards the lifts it will be chockers (and late).

The ski school we used was SMT (something like Ski Mayrhofen Total) and the staff were great and flexible - ending up telling us that they would just bill us at the end of the week depending on the number of days used rather than billing in advance as their rather strict terms and conditions imply. They also suggested waiting until the kids were sorted before booking our own ski school (which saved us a packet) since they knew it would take a while to get them sorted and we would probably miss some of the lessons. In the end we just abandoned ski school entirely and did a bit of free-skiing. If you are bringing a grandparent along it would help with the logistics a lot.

I take it you are enquiring about next year ? Unless you go somewhere with a glacier, you will be doing *extremely* well to find anywhere with snow at this stage, and even then the lift companies will probably have shut down as the season ends towards the end of March.

I recommend leaving your (and kids) skis and possibly boots up at the middle station. Whatever about carrying your own skis - carrying yours and kids and trying to marshall kids on the narrow streets and busy bus just isn't a winner.

Oh yes - most important - do *NOT* book a package holiday as :
1) you will pay almost full price for the kids
2) you will be stuck in some awful small room with the kids wedged in somewhere
3) you will be forced to go out to get food for the kids when they don't like (or are too tired to eat) the food in the hotel

Have a dig around the web and you will see that most of the hotels offer *free* accommodation and food for kids staying with their parents. The holiday companies do not pass this on.

We booked a (huge) 2 bedroom apartment with kitchen, living room and 2 bathrooms (with bath/shower) for €100 a night. If there had been 4 adults staying there it would have meant an accommodation cost of under €200 per person. Compare that with the brochure prices for a single bedroom with no cooking facilities.

We booked €79 fares with EI to Munich, tube to the railway station, pre-booked tickets (and reservations) on an Intercity, and then took a local railway to Mayrhofen. A doddle. Took a little while, but it was grand.

cochese - were you that Irish bloke wearing the mad clothes and dragon-tail hat, belting down the nursery slopes with a beer in hand ? Seriously, were you there over Patricks week ? What was the snow like ? We were there the previous week and there was great snow, but it was melting pretty fast.

Cheers,

z 

*Cochese
Registered User
skiing for families*

I was there for Patrick's week alright but it wasn't me you saw. I brought my hat but it kept slipping down over my eyes. I had a difficult enough time staying upright on the skis let alone scoff cold ones on my way to oblivion. I missed a few lessons due to sun-stroke and tiredness and it told in the end. There was plenty of snow when I was there and I understood that there was enough for a few weeks yet. Apparently the skiing goes on until the end of April. I hadn't skied before so wouldn't be able to tell the difference between 'good' snow and not so 'good' snow. Did the lessons with Wiviann of SMT and will probably pay for private (skiing!) lessons with her next year. 

*ISBN
Registered User
Skiing for Beginners*

Hi, I'm hoping to go skiing early next year and am an absolute beginner. Anyone have any tips to give me? What is the best travel agent to book through and where to go? Is it really hard????  

*karton2004
Registered User
Skiing is the best*

You will have a ball!!!! For beginners I would recommend Soldeu in Andorra as it has an excellent ski school and plenty of wide gradual slopes. Who you go with and where you go is dependant on budget - the cheapest areas are andorra, some parts of Italy and France. austria and switzerland are the dearest. Expect to pay at least €450-€500 for a package. Do keep an eye on the inghams last minute deals - we went last year for €160 half board - excellent holiday. Best advice I can give to a beginner is to remain patient for the first few days - you will find it frustrating trying to get the hang of it in ski school but aftre a few days when you have it its fantastic. Have a blast.  

*Litirspam
Registered User
Ski holidays?*

I am planning on going skiing with a few friends next christmas. I don't know where to start looking or where to go. can anyone advise please? 

*Raid250
Ski*

Have a look at crystalholidays.ie/, their new brochure is out now for next season, pick a resort and then go online and research the resort....most have their own websites, also look for reviews on-line, this will give a better indication whether the resort will suit your ski level......
I have been to Lillehammer/Hafjell (great for beginners, not much nightlife) but would recommend the Wilder Kaiser area for mixed group's, try Ellmau / Soll .....


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## sueellen (25 Oct 2004)

*Re: >>Skiing Holidays*

*Another post*

*MissRibena
Frequent poster
Clothes for skiing*

Hi everyone

Am going for my first ever skiing trip for a week over Christmas. The boots, skiis and sticks rental are included over there. But what about the rest of the rig-out? Do I have to buy the jumpsuits here, or rent over there or rent there and bring over? Has anyone any recommendations on what is essential and what isn't. How much lolly are we talking?

Haven't a clue about this stuff at all?
Rebecca 

*Elcato
Moderator
Re: Clothes for skiing*

You will need a pair of water resistant trousers which you should be able to pick up for around 20 to 30 euro. Buy a jacket also which is water resistant and not too cheap as you'll sweat a bit. The good thing about buying seperate instead of a jump suit is you can wear the jacket during the winter here anyway. You will also need socks that reach to your knees so the boots don't cut up your shin. You can get ski socks if on special offer but ordinary knee length will suffice and make sure you wear them all the way to your knee.
Enjoy 

*Laoise
Unregistered User
skiwear*

Gloves, hat, snowgoggles and very good suncream. 

*tphelan
Unregistered User
Quality*

Hi - make sure you get good quality ski gear if you're going a Christmas. Without stating the obvious Christmas time will be very cold - whereas in March you can ski in a t-shirt its that warm - Christmas could be a low as minus 20 C at the top of the mountain!!! You can rent ski gear in the Great Outdoors off Grafton St for about €60-€70. You can buy a ski suit for about €150 or go to eBay that have good ski gear for sale. Be sure also to get good quality ski gloves which is vital for comfort and a warm hat. While you will be skiing you will be warm enough but you get cold quickly if sitting outside having a beer or sitting on the slopes having some lunch!!! Best of luck. 

*zag
Administrator
Ogres have it sorted*

Shrek would be sorted on snow - since we all know that Ogres have layers, and layers are the important element in dressing for the cold.

You don't need any specific 'ski' gear - other than the skis, boots and poles which you are getting there anyway.

Essential -
1) Waterproof outers - jacket and trousers - you will fall in the snow and if your outers aren't waterproof you will get very cold very quickly.
2) Waterproof thick long gloves - you will fall in the snow and if your gloves aren't waterproof you will get very cold very quickly.
Usefull -
3) Elasticated trouser ankles and jacket wrists - you will fall in the snow and if you have a gap anywhere the snow will get in and you will get cold and wet very quickly.
4) Layers - start thermal, then light, then medium, then heavy, then waterproof. Thermal vest, followed by t-shirt (long sleeved, if possible), followed by shirt, followed by jumper/jacket, followed by waterproofs.
5) 'Emergency' supplies - chocolate and a whistle - most people on a ski holiday take the view that an accident will never happen to them and luckily they are correct, but people do fall off the piste or get lost and in the dark it can be pretty hard to locate people, especially if nobody knows they are missing yet.
6) zips - buttons are impossible to do anything with when you have gloves on.
7) neck thing - don't know the name, but not a scarf as they are considered dangerous around ski lift machinery. It's a roundy thing that goes over your head and has a draw string. Only costs a few euro and won't be waterproof so you can get one there.
8. funny hair.

The only time you are likely to get too hot is when sitting down at a bar or resto - then you just peel off as many layers as required. Everyone does it. You do not want to have too few layers on top of a mountain of snow in the middle of winter.

It *will* feel weird wearing so many clothes, but don't forget you don't have to get dressed up in everything at the same time in your hotel room, just bring them with you and put them on going up in the lift or at the middle station.

Ski holidays are great fun and highly recommended. As indicated above, Christmas will be cold (but typically not as cold as January), so do expect to get pretty cold up there, especially towards sun set when what little heat there is in the middle of winter dissipates.

z 

*MissRibena
Frequent poster
skiing*

Thanks for that everyone. Feel a bit more clued in now.
Rebecca 

*Doogo
Registered User
Re: skiing*

If you want to hire gear - Great Outdoors on Chatham St. off Grafton St. have this facility - and seeing as you are going pretty much at the start of the season, the gear should be pretty much brand new as well  

have a great time - i guarantee that skiing will become your first holiday of preference- beats the sun holiday everytime 

*Mac
Unregistered User
layers*

Zag mate,
Would disagree with your layers advice.
"4) Layers - start thermal, then light, then medium, then heavy, then waterproof. Thermal vest, followed by t-shirt (long sleeved, if possible), followed by shirt, followed by jumper/jacket, followed by waterproofs."

From experience I found out that too many layers is as bad as not enough. Particularly in a learning environment where more exertion is required (which a body may not be used too) you will overheat rapidly, which leads to discomfort, leading to frustration, to out and out pi'sed offedness and hurling skis into the snow. Too many layers also reduce mobility, an important factor when continuously bending over and fixing those b'stard boots which are never quite right and thus leading to overheating and the ski's in the snow again.

I found it much better to pay a bit more initially and get good, purpose made, thermally efficient waterproof gear. Thermal vest and longjohns, a lightweight thermal polo neck or thin thermal fleece (not the cheapo jobbies you get everywhere) and fully lined, breatheable waterproof jacket and lined waterproof pants. I use 3 layers comfortably up to about minus 20 and add the fourth below that.

What price comfort and enjoying the experience ???

*Mac
Unregistered User
PS*

Socks : get proper ones the boots are unforgiving enough as it is.

Handwarmers : little bits of magic to put in your gloves mid afternoon when the damp and cold is eventually starting to get through. Boil them in water the night before, then when needed press a little device to start a chemical reaction and stick em in your gloves for a blissful few minutes. Reusable many many times and only 4 or 5 euro.

*zag
Administrator
Re: PS*

Mac - you have a point, but I would prefer to err on the side of being too warm than too cold. You can always take layers off on the slopes, but you can't add them if they are down in your hotel room.

One of the few times I have seen an instructor get aggressive was when someone who was under-dressed and cold started taking their gloves off so they could warm themselves up. This of course was going to lead to further heat loss. The instructor had to physically restrain the person who was going to do themselves harm and endanger the group. Sounds melodramatic, but getting too cold isn't a risk to be taken lightly.

MissRibena and other non-skiers - you are of course allowed take gloves off most of the time. It's not like the classes are run like boot camp, but safety is taken very seriously.

In reality, on a 'hot' day it is quite possible to go with thermals and one layer under the waterproofs, but I would still recommend having the other layers to hand.

A backpack to carry the layers in is also obviously usefull.

z 

*Raid250
Unregistered User
layering*

I would have to agree with Mac, usually I would go with three layers.......
Base layer - high wicking - a long / short sleved T, & a pair of cycle shorts something like the dryflo lowe alpine gear.
Thermal layer - light weight fleece, polo neck, etc
Outer layer - ski jacket / ski pants

Socks are very important, make sure they are seamless or else you will wind up with blisters and all sorts 
A good pair of gloves (water proof), neck gaiter, and a hat of some sort, the more whacky the better. 

As the ski jackets and pants are generally padded I usually skip the thermal layer but carry it in a small day sack on my back, I find this comfortable, if it gets really cold, can add the termal layer, I also carry hat, gaiter in the back pack and can add them when necessary.
The best way I found for controlling over heating is not wearing a hat and opening the front of the jacket slightly.

If you don't want to buy the jacket and pants straight off, Great outdoors offer a rental service and at the end of the ski season they sell off some gear...

To buy a jacket expect to pay ~€100+, but if you need a winter jacket it's a good buy...stay away from the one peice suit, at least when you call into the bar for the Apres Ski you can take off your jacket, 

Lowe Alpine have a factory outlet store in Tullamore where they were selling some ski gear when I was there 2 weeks ago

Enjoy your holiday, stick with it for the first couple of days you will be wrecked, sore limbs, sore rear from spending so much time on it, and you will be looking at the kids flying around you, but by the end of the week you will be flying down the mountain and from there you will be hooked, this year will be the third year in a row and there was no contest when we were deciding what we would do for hols this year.

Don't forget the grading of the slopes starting with the easiest green, blue, red, black 

*Summer
Unregistered User
Ski Clothing*

The bargain basement in Arnotts is great for Ski gear.
Enjoy yourself. 

*car
Frequent poster
ski gear*

rebecca,
Although everyone has their own pref as to layers of clothes, I started with layers but quickly found out a full day on the piste has you sweating so I ended up with just a tshirt under the jacket and this was in -15 temp. As was reported by others bring several pairs of knee socks if you can.
Try tkmaxx for all your clothes. They usually have all the great outdoors gear but at half the price. Spend money on a jacket, gloves and the waterproof ski trousers. I got half my gear in the stephens green centre and the rest in blanch. the gear has served its purpose twice and the only thing thats gone wrong is the label fell off the jacket! boohoo
As was reported, get ski pants instead of all-in-one, but get the ski pants that have the braces that go over yer shoulder, else you may get some snow down yer bum when you fall. 
then again, depending on what youre up to what may not be a bad thing. wahey!!


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## sueellen (27 Dec 2004)

*Some other posts*

*gweebarra
Registered User
Skiing - Val Thorens*

Hi,

Has anybody gone skiing in Val Thorens before?

Any advice on the resort?

Any accomodation reccomendations?

It would be 4 adults, two couples

Cheers, 

*Doogo
Registered User
Re: Skiing - Val Thorens*

never been there but mates have and say it is great - only thing about french accom is that it is tiny - so you'd be better off looking for 2 studios for 2 rather than 1 apartment for 4, will end up much the same size.
i've found pretty good value on [broken link removed] for ski resorts, if you are willing to sort out the transport details separately - val thorens is pretty accessible from geneva or chambery - and you'll get a low-fare into either airport - regular bus service to slopes during winter season, or you could hire a car for much the same cost
enjoy ...........  

*zag
Administrator
Ski holidays by plane/train ?*

I see that Aer Lingus have started advertising those routes it flies to in southern Germany/France/Switzerland as being suitable for ski holidays. However, they seem to have missed one of the points by including directions to (only) one resort per airport, and driving directions at that. There is little point (to me) in flying somewhere, hiring a car, driving through the snow and ice and then leaving the hire car in a car park for a week while on holidays.

Far more sensible is to let the train (or other public transport) take the strain.

Does anyone know of ski resorts which are readily accessible by public transport ?

I know the Mayrhofen and the entire Zell am Ziller area is easily reached from Munich airport (subway and train/connecting train) and that Zermatt is a (4/5 hour) train away from Geneva/Zurich. I have heard that Aer Lingus will be flying to Bergamo in Italy, but I'm not sure how easy it will be to get from there to anywhere with snow other than by coach.

Does anyone know of any other easy to reach resorts near relatively low cost airports ? I'm starting to plan this winters break . . .

z 

*Marion
Moderator
Re: Ski holidays by plane/train ?*

Hi zag

I was in Westendorf earlier this year and a number of clever people (not I) had taken a cheap Ryanair flight to Munich and then booked the local westendorf taxi (return). The cost for one person was I think €90. There was an additional charge for each extra person. I did a google search and this came up. I presume it's the same company, but I'm only guessing. 

Marion  

*Doogo
Registered User
Ski train*

www.skitrain.co.uk/ is well worth a look - i took the direct option with the eurostar a couple of years back and despite the lack of sleepers (and hence sleep) it worked out great and gave an extra 2 days skiing on conventional ski packages ... now to search for that cheap london flight 
... alternatively you could fly to beauvais and train it to Gare du Nord in Paris where you could join up with the ski train


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## sueellen (20 Mar 2005)

*Some other posts*

*starfish
Registered User
ski weekend breaks?*

I'm looking for a ski weekend package to Europe that includes accomadation and ski school. Flights would be great to but could sort those myself if needs be. Most deals seem to be for a week e.g like Club Med. If anyone has any info on weekend deals would appreciate it. 

*Enaja
Registered User
Re: ski weekend breaks?*


highlife-not sure if they do weekends.
directski
ryanair

skiresorts.ro
weekendsaway-for accomodation


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## keevo (2 Aug 2006)

Does anyone know which resorts would have the shortest transfer time?
Thinking of going skiing for first time, but will have toddler, so need to go somewhere with creche/nanny service and no long transfers please!

Thanks!


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## vincent07 (10 Dec 2007)

Hey does anybody know anywhere offering good value in hiring ski clothing in Ireland?


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## Thirsty (11 Dec 2007)

I believe the Great Outdoors hires out ski gear?


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## Bannockburn (13 Aug 2008)

If travelling from Ireland to go skiing in Scotland, Cairngorm Ski Centre is normally the best option as it has the most reliable conditions. You can subscribe to email alerts from the centres who will alert you when there’s been a good dump of snow.

*Cairngorm Mountain*

There is 37km of pisted runs with the longest being 2.2km (1.36 miles). The north facing corries and slopes of the Cairngorm offer off-piste opportunities (The snow can be unstable due to the fluctuating temperatures – check with ski patrol).

Traditionally the best snow conditions are in February. The weather at this time can be wild. When across in February it was gusting 90 mph, with winds of 130 mph not unknown. If going in Feb take appropriate clothing, Gore-Tex or something similar. 

This year we got end of season skiing in the third week of April. Link is from photos taken 17-Apr-08 (http://www.winterhighland.info/2006/pix/pixalbum.php?pix_id=472). All runs were open and the gullies had snow depths up to 20 feet. Normally the best balance between snow and weather conditions is in mid March.

An advantage of Cairngorm over the other ski centres for beginners is that the green slopes are at the top of the mountain plateau and have a good snow record. These slopes were open from December through to May in 2008. Also Beginners have no worries having to make their way down intermediate slopes as they can go back down the mountain on the funicular railway.

There are two mountain restaurants one being at the base the other being at around 3,000 feet. Ski equipment and clothes are available for hire in the local area and on the mountain. The centres can get busy if there has been heavy snow. To miss the queue for lift passes and equipment hire and to get the best of the day, aim to be at the centre by 8am. The lifts close approximatley 3.30pm in Jan\Feb, 5.00pm in March\April.

If you’re looking to buy ski clothes\equipment and are going in March the sales in the local shops start then. Discounts are up to 50%.

*Accommodation*

None of the ski centres could be considered as resorts as all are least 6 miles from the nearest town. Aviemore the nearest town to Cairngorm has a wide variety of accommodation. In April we stayed at the Dell Druie Guest House. The English proprietor was a ski instructor in the French Alps before retiring and is a good source of information on the conditions. In February we stayed in the MacDonald’s hotel complex where there are four hotels. Fine if you’re in a group, if not a bit impersonal. Tripadvisor.com has a lot of info on accommodation in the area.

*Travel from Ireland*

*When travelling from Ireland you can only book your trip a few days ahead such is the vagaries of the snow and weather conditions*. As a result you can’t book ahead the budget airlines to get the best fares. 

If you live in Dublin or north of it and there a few of you, the car is a practical option. We normally leave on a Friday afternoon after work, taking the ferry from Belfast\Larne to Scotland. We normally stop at Stirling or Perth to break the journey on the Friday evening. The Travelodge is normally a good bet for accommodation there. Two full days skiing is possible before getting a ferry Sunday evening, getting back into Dublin around 11pm for work the next day.

Below are some links for planning a trip:

*General Snow and Weather Conditions*

Winterhighland - http://www.winterhighland.info/
Ski Scotland - http://ski.visitscotland.com/
Met Office - http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/he/he_forecast_weather.html
Road Conditions -  (Access roads may be closed during white out conditions).


*Ski Centres*

Cairngorm - http://www.cairngormmountain.org.uk/

Glenshee - http://www.ski-glenshee.co.uk/
The largest ski centre in Scotland located over three valleys. Snow conditions are unpredictable.

Nevis Range - http://www.nevisrange.co.uk/winter/

Glencoe - http://www.glencoemountain.com/store/home.php

Lecht - http://www.lecht.co.uk/

*Travel*

*Ferries*

P&O – http://www.poirishsea.com/
Stena Line - http://www.stenaline.ie

*Accommodation*

*Aviemore*

Dell Druie Guest House - www.delldruieguesthouse.com
MacDonald Hotels - http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/

*Stirling & Perth*

Travelodge – www.travelodge.co.uk

*Maps and directions*

Multimap.com - http://www.multimap.com/
Scottish Tourist Board - http://ski.visitscotland.com/travel

A brochure can requested from the Scottish Tourist Board at the following address - http://ski.visitscotland.com/register/brochure-form


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## Bannockburn (14 Aug 2008)

Below is an approximate costing per person for a weekend skiing in Scotland based on four adults travelling by car from Dublin:

Fuel (Fuel consumption based on family sized Diesel) - €20.00
Ferry (Belfast to Stranraer, Stenaline) - €71.12
Twin Room in Perth, Friday (3* Travelodge) - €15.00
Twin Room in Aviemore, Saturday (4* MacDonald Hotel) - €60.00
Two Day Full Area Lift Pass (Cairngorm) - €68.75

*Total cost including accommodation, transport, and lift pass is approximately €**234.87.*



NB\ If booking the ferry with Stenaline it works out much cheaper booking on the UK website and paying in GBP rather than booking on the the Republic of Irelands site and paying in euro.


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## Bannockburn (20 Aug 2008)

Link to a review on skiing

http://www.goski.co.uk/resorts/scotland/index.htm


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## Bannockburn (1 Sep 2008)

*British Ski Club*

For reviews on ski resorts, snow reports, webcams, facilities, après ski, and recommended accommodation, restaurants, and nursery\child care see the British Ski Club website.........handy source for planning trips:

http://www.skiclub.co.uk/skiclub/guides/default.asp

Also see:

*Resort Guides*

http://www.onthesnow.co.uk/

http://www.ultimate-ski.com/Home/index.html


*Snow & Rock* 

Good selection of ski gear. UK based but normally a lot cheaper than in here – use their prices to haggle with the shops based here. Mail order is available.

http://www.snowandrock.com/

Also for equipment & clothing http://www.nevisport.com/

*For Budding ski instructors......*

http://www.alltracksacademy.com/

http://www.basi.org.uk/

http://www.crystalinstructors.co.uk/index.shtml


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## airport (10 Sep 2010)

Nice post...Thank you very much!!......


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