Ski Trip from hell!

"helloblondie" wrote in message
...
thx Bill, i like the idea of an overnight stop, but would have meant
missing
boxing day with family.

Done an all in one trip. Hard as hell to do as you arrive absolutely
knackered. You really have to pick your time of departure carefully. If you
leave home first thing in the morning it's not so bad... but then you have a
long wait before you can check in after you get there. If you leave later on
(7pm the time I did it) you get there around the right time, but you've been
up all day so you've been awake longer. We lost a day of that holiday simply
recovering from the trip down... except the 5 year old. Little sod even had
the temerity to snore while we were driving!!! LOL

An all in one isn't so bad on the way back, though. We usually get a
midnight or so ferry which means leaving the resort just after breakfast.
Get home (Birmingham) about 3 in the morning. Not too much later than a
normal day. Just make sure you have the day after off work, though!! LOL

"Schneck" wrote in message
...
"helloblondie" wrote in message
...
Hi all


Hi!

Right, here's someone who's done it... with a travel scared girlfriend and
a
hyper active 5 year old!! LOL!! And I'm doing it all again in january??? I
need my head reading!!

1. Leave the day before you're due to arrive in resort.
2. Get a morning ferry from Dover to Calais... about 10am is fine.
3. Drive PAST Paris!! That place is not for the faint hearted on the
roads!!

Don't go anywhere near Paris, take the autoroute past Troyes, empty roads
every time I've done it.


Bill

"helloblondie" wrote in message
...
Good idea Rob but if i go by train i'll subject all u nice people 2 "the
family from hell" ( i like that one ).


If you are "the family from hell" then Meribel is the right place to go!

You are very thoughtful ;-)

--
Mike W

"helloblondie" wrote
Anyone have some good, useful tips on how to survive a 1k Km road trip
from
Kingston, SW London to Meribel, France with 2 children who love each
others
company provide its for no longer than 5 mins, a wife who gets travel sick
looking at a car and in a car which coped badly with a little London snow
last year.

I've done the trip at least twice (to Meribel funnily enough). I'm in Lewes,
so the times are probably comparable.

Allow at least 12 hours if you take it easy with plenty of rests, less if
you drive at 80-90mph all the way (any more and the toll booths will do you
for your average speed being in excess). I have driven the full stretch with
a few coffee-breaks (they have superb coffee machines!), but it's highly
recommended to have at least 2 drivers.

I'd set off at 8pm and handle everything until you reach the French
autoroutes, then let your wife drive while you attempt to kip. Wake up for
"Where the flip are we/do we go now?! navigational corrections and then
drive up the mountain at 8am or so. Treat that arrival day as just getting
sorted, do some souvenir shopping,etc. Stay on the nursery slopes. Do not
attempt anything risky. ;-) Otherwise, set off at the crack of dawn, but do
try and rest throughout the drive - you can then hit the sack like a ton of
bricks on arrival. The good thing about the night drive is that it's
slightly easier to kip en route, and you get a brief 'morning booster' for
the drive up the mountain in broad daylight (hopefully after any frost has
melted off a bit). Otherwise you tend to arrive at nightfall and it may be a
little trickier...

You can risk it without chains, and buy them from a garage at the last
minute if it's snowing (or has been). If a day or so has passed, you can
probably get by without them until you reach certain parts of Meribel. If it
hasn't snowed for a few days, you're unlikely to need chains. I drove up in
a Range Rover while it was snowing and didn't need chains, but it can get
hairy if you aren't a fast learner when it comes to driving in snow
(skidding backwards is 'fun'). :-)

Check out if your parking space is heated/covered/open. It will give you a
clue as to how tricky your arrival will be.

If your car has any drafts in the footwell via the foot pedals you will
certainly regret not wearing thick socks (if it's bloody cold outside).
Unlike passengers it's pretty tricky to exercise your right foot when you're
cruising at 80mph.

Put winter mix in the screen wash, get new wiper blades, and check
anti-freeze, tyres, etc. Do your headlights. Get European
insurance/recovery, etc. Plan your route. Learn the phrases for unleaded
(sans plombe), etc. Carry a wodge of cash in case your cards don't work or
you get an on the spot fine.

Pre-programme your car radio for Meribel (97.9 Mhz and 98.9 Mhz FM) - it may
amuse the kids to see how soon they can receive it.

Crosbie Fitch wrote:

I've done the trip at least twice (to Meribel funnily enough). I'm in Lewes,
so the times are probably comparable.

I don't actually see what the problem is.

It's not a humungous drive. Can be nasty if the weather socks in, but
I've done London-Cap Ferrat in a day.



--
Trophy 1200 750SS CB400F GN250 CD200 ST70 YTC#3
GAGARPHOF#30 GHPOTHUF#1 IHABWTJ#1 BOTAFOT#60 ANORAK#06
BOF#30 WUSS#5 "Worse than Timo" - Official

Just a point on Long Drives.

Austrian locals do not widely report deaths in there resorts (not good
for business) but it is quite a well known statistic amongst them, that
the majority of coronaries there resort medics have to deal with are
Germans who have jumped in there cars after work on Friday & driven
6-10hrs & then gone out skiing straight away .

Nigel

The Older Gentleman wrote:
Crosbie Fitch wrote:


I've done the trip at least twice (to Meribel funnily enough). I'm in Lewes,
so the times are probably comparable.


I don't actually see what the problem is.

It's not a humungous drive. Can be nasty if the weather socks in, but
I've done London-Cap Ferrat in a day.

I thank u sir,
Been to 3 vallee many times and love it, yes meribel can be a bit ...... but
as a family we'll give it a wide berth! My wife and children are adorable
really.


"VisionSet" wrote in message
...

"helloblondie" wrote in message
...
Good idea Rob but if i go by train i'll subject all u nice people 2 "the
family from hell" ( i like that one ).


If you are "the family from hell" then Meribel is the right place to go!

You are very thoughtful ;-)

--
Mike W

On Mon, 10 Nov 2003 19:12:28 -0000, "helloblondie"
wrote:

"Ace" wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 10 Nov 2003 17:43:29 -0000, "helloblondie"
wrote:

chains

"full lock" does that mean u need them on the front wheels as well?

They'll go on the driven wheels, whichever they are.

thx, that's what i thought, i have a rear wheel drive car. Also do u drive
with all the driving aids on or off? When i was driving up 'untreated' hills
in London during freak snow in january i seemed to do better with aids off.
Or will this just not be an issue with snow chains? by driving aids i mean
traction control, dynamic stability control etc.

I can't imagine why you'd want to turn traction control _off_ for
snowy conditions (and the others would be largely irrelevant at low
speeds anyway). The first, and only, time I was in a 4-wheel slide in
the volvo, before I had snow tyres, the only thing that saved me was
the combination of ABS and TCS, when a quick tap on the brakes locked
and released the wheels, suddenly allowing them to drive me out of
trouble. 4wd probably helped too.

BTW, your posting style is getting really irritating. Do us a favour
and learn to write proper words, could you? And preferably below the
text to which you're replying, snipping irrelevant stuff and
signatures. Makes it a lot easier to read. Ta.

--
Ace (bruce dot rogers at roche dot com)
Ski Club of Great Britain - http://www.skiclub.co.uk
All opinions expressed are personal and in no way represent those of the Ski Club.

On Tue, 11 Nov 2003 07:42:36 +0000,
(The Older Gentleman) wrote:

Crosbie Fitch wrote:

I've done the trip at least twice (to Meribel funnily enough). I'm in Lewes,
so the times are probably comparable.

I don't actually see what the problem is.

Kids in the car, I read. Not something I'd like to have experience of.

It's not a humungous drive. Can be nasty if the weather socks in, but
I've done London-Cap Ferrat in a day.

My best was Milton Keynes - Tignes in 12 hours. And it was ****ing
down (rain, then snow) for the last three so I was only doing 60 tops,
even on the autoroute.

--
Ace (bruce dot rogers at roche dot com)
Ski Club of Great Britain - http://www.skiclub.co.uk
All opinions expressed are personal and in no way represent those of the Ski Club.

Thx 4 that cheery stat nigel! I'm not german and i am travelling during the
Holidays. And to be honest a 10-12 hour drive is a walk in the park for me
and indeed my car. The children may protest a little tho'


"Nigel (Remove NOSPAM)" wrote in message
...
Just a point on Long Drives.

Austrian locals do not widely report deaths in there resorts (not good
for business) but it is quite a well known statistic amongst them, that
the majority of coronaries there resort medics have to deal with are
Germans who have jumped in there cars after work on Friday & driven
6-10hrs & then gone out skiing straight away .

Nigel

The Older Gentleman wrote:
Crosbie Fitch wrote:


I've done the trip at least twice (to Meribel funnily enough). I'm in
Lewes,
so the times are probably comparable.


I don't actually see what the problem is.

It's not a humungous drive. Can be nasty if the weather socks in, but
I've done London-Cap Ferrat in a day.