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Past Questions
Previous Questions are listed below. You can filter them by category by clicking on the category header below:
hello i am currently working in 1850 couchavel i need to get to fredrichshafan on a tight budget is there a train from moutiers... ps i am propper skint
This journey on a train will take at least eight hours and involve around 6 changes - you can see the exact journey
here. Other than that, you could take an
airport bus from Moutiers to Geneva and then get on the train here, meaning you will then only have two changes on the train.
2 adults want to go to Obergercal Austria from the 10th March to the 15th and stay in the 'Edelwess Hotel' anychance you could see if this is possible from Dublin Many thanks, look forward to reply!
Hi there,
As you are looking at a mid-week deal, it is worth contacting the Edelweiss hotel directly with your dates - you can contact them via their website (http://www.edelweiss-gurgl.com/). Ryanair fly from Dublin to Salzburg which is 262km from the resort or change planes in London and fly directly to the closer airport of Innsbruck which is 85km away.
a while back i found on your website courchevel day trips. i printed off 2 (valley and 3m) now i cannnot find them on the web site ?? ps we have the guide book from 2 years ago has it been updated since ??
You can download these day trips from the
On the piste page in Courchevel. We republlshed an updated Courchevel guide at the beginning of this season which you can buy from our
shop. Thanks
can we do dog sledging in megeve
CAN YOU SKI FROM MERIBEL TO CHAMONIX IN A DAY AND WILL THE AREA LIFT PASS COVER YOU FOR BOTH.
No... Chamonix and Meribel are in different ski areas and so are not linked in any way by pistes. They both also operate on separate lift passes. If you are a ski tourer, you could contact a guiding association in Meribel to find out touring time between the two resorts. Try
Mountain Guides for more info.
Can you tell me if the taboggan run in St. Anton is suitable for small children (4 and 5). Many thanks.
The toboggan run in St Anton is four kilometres in length and so tends to be quite a fast run and people do get quite competitive on it - especially on the Tuesday and Thursday evening sessions. We'd say it is probably unsuitable for small children however, if you went at a quiet time, it may be okay. Alternatively, there are gentle slopes around the village that children can toboggan on once the lifts have closed.
Dear sir madam,
Hope you can help us in finding appropriate apartment/cottage accomodation in Tirol.
We need accomodation for 6 persons, for the period 29.12.2007. - 5.1.2008, ideally with 3 bedrooms, min 1 WC/bathroom, full kitchen equipment. We are coming by our own transport so it should be accesible by car. In the village/town we would like to have swimmingpool, supermarket and ski lifts/cables in maximum few kilommetres area.
Can you help us?
Thank you
Goran Tintor
Hi Goran,
Thanks for your question. The best bet for finding exactly the accommodation you want for New Year is to look at a broker site. You can see the brokers that service St Anton in the Tirol here:
http://www.maddogski.com/Austria/St+Anton/Apartments
If you go on their websites, you can use the booking engines to find the right place for your group. And as New Year is so popular, you may want to look for deals on site such as: http://www.igluski.com
Good luck!
The Mad Dog team
Do you have any shirts or Sweatshirts? I have a dog named Mad Dog and I'd love one!!
Thanks, Tammy - USA
Hi Tammy
Thanks for your question - good choice of name ! At present we only have team kits but watch this space... we do have bags - they are detailed in our online shop.
Hope you enjoy the site
Regards Liz the Team.
Do you have info for Italy? Particularly Madonna di campiglio
We are currently working on an Italian section for the website and a new book for Courmayeur but unfortunately we haven't got as far as Madonna di Campiglio just yet. But it's on the list!!
Helicopter sight seeing in Meribel
There isn't a helicopter sightseeing we can find but you can take a tour of the Three Valleys in light aircraft through
Meribel Air.
Hi Do you know if there is public transport between Courmayeur and Chamonix? If so, how do we access a timetable? We will be visting in September. Many thanks
There is a public bus service,
Savda, that runs between Chamonix and Courmayeur but from the timetable only shows winter dates from December at the moment. It may be worth contacting them through their website to find out.
hi there are 10 of us going to courchevel in jan 08 would it be possible to charter a small plane from chambery to courchevel alitport and how would it be.thanks jamie
Jamie
Try
Aeroclub Dauphine Courchevel who will fly you from the airport to Courchevel 1850. They usually go from Geneva but it would be worth checking to see if they can fly you from Chambery.
Hi there, Can you tell me which resort you can find the Krazy Kangeruh in please?
Hi there, there are 24 of us arriving in Meribel next sunday the 24th Feb. And we need to organise lift passes for us all. What is the best place to do that and do they do group discounts for us at all?
The main lift pass office in Meribel is in the Tougnete lift station at the Chaudanne. This would be the best place to buy your lift passes. To buy them online at
www.meribel.net, you need to purchase them at least 10 days in advance. It may be worth contacting thr tourist office to see if they will offer you a group discount. Alternatively, often accommdation providers will be able to organise lift passes on your behalf.
Hi, I would like to go from Meribel to Chamonix at the end of April, can you please tell me the cheapest way to do it (other than hitching!!). Thanks!!
If the airport buses are still running at the end of the season, you could get the
Altibus to Geneva airport and then the
SAT bus to Chamonix - this is also probably the cheapest way of doing it. Alternatively you could take the train from Moutiers to Chamonix although this does involve quite a few changes - you can plan the journey through the
SNCF website.
Hi, I'd like to look into a half board catered chalet for about 10 people for a long weekend in March (1st, 2nd or 3rd weekend) Thursday to Monday 4 nights. Ideally we would like to occupy the whole chalet and to have a spa pool / hot tub. We are interested in the following resorts:
St Anton
Zermatt
Verbier
Cortina
Slovinia
Thanks,
Alex Malone
Alex,
St Anton and Verbier are both great places for weekend breaks.
If you choose
St Anton, you will have a good range of pistes (great for intermediates), access to a good range of pisted slopes and usually a snow-sure holiday. Located close to 3 airports, you can fly into Innsbruck, Friedrichshafen or Zurich (the first takes only an hour to drive or you can organise a
private transfer).
In terms of accommodation the tourist office -
www.stantonarmarlberg.com - is a good place to start looking - you can type in the amount of people you're taking, dates and length of stay. The
chalet/hotels can be fantastic around St Anton. If you want an all-inclusive package it's best to go with a tour operator (
Crystal and
Flexiski are good options) and you can usually get a discount on equipment hire or lift pass through tour operators.
Verbier can provide across-the-board accommodation - good if you're on a budget or looking for specific accommodation. It's also only two hours from Geneva, so good for a weekend break that you don't want to spend all your time travelling, and rather enjoy the resort.
Verbier Rentals are a good start for apartments where you can hire out the whole place. White Roc, the
Snow Company and
Inghams are all good for packages to choose from. Again the
tourist office is a good place to start looking for accommodation with all type of facilities.
HI, we're looking for a weekend skiing in Verbier or equivalent resort within 3-4 hours drive of Zurich, but having trouble finding accommodation. The idea being that we could be on the slopes in 10 minutes rather than driving for an hour there and two hours back in peak traffic. Any weekend in mid February or March would suit. We'd arrive Friday pm and depart Sunday pm. Any suggestions?
Why not try skiing in St Anton which is around a two and a half hour transfer from Zurich airport. To get a transfer from the airport, try Arlberg Express. There are a number of accommodation providers you could try but the best place to start looking for weekend accommodation is the tourist office website - we particularly like the Aparthotel Anton. Our other advice would be that it is normally quite difficult to find weekend accommodation in peak holiday time so it is probably worth scheduling your trip for after half term and before Easter.
Hi.We are looking to go on a ski trip for weekend (thurs - sun inc)in Feb and have not been b4. Want something that is short transfer from airport, good for beginners (we will get instructers) and stay in nice hotel (4* +). Any advice?? We like good food.
Thanks
Sharon
Hi there,
We'd recommend St Anton in Austria:
Just an hour from Innsbruck (now served by easyJet as well as BA) lies the Tyrolean resort of St Anton. At an altitude of 1300m, this traditional village has access to 270km of rolling pistes and extensive off-piste terrain. Ideal for skiers and non-skiers alike, there is plenty to do on and off the slopes, from stripping off for a sauna at the Well.com leisure centre to tobogganing down Gampen, stopping off at the Rodelalm restaurant en route to try their infamous pig’s trotters (£11). For a special meal, head to the Hospiz Alm in the beautiful village of St Christoph – feast on the enormous plate of spare ribs, £10. For weekend accommodation, the numerous guest houses and small hotels tend to be more flexible; the tourist office website lists a number of them.
I bought the Tignes guide from you 2 years ago. Has the current edition been updated or is it much the same.
The new Tignes guide is in our new format which makes it much easier to slip into your jacket pocket. Whilst much of Tignes’ ski area remains the same, there are a number of new bars and restaurants which you’ll find in the new book.
I have just returned from Courchevel and would like to view Yavuz Photo Website but cannot find the correct address. Do you have it? Many thanks
Richard Stevens
Hi Richard,
I'm afraid I can't find a website for Yavuz either but you could call them on +33 (0) 479 08 04 28 (Espace Diamant shop) or +33 (0) 479 08 04 79 (Le Forum shop).
Hope this helps!
i want to book ski lessons for my 10 year old son in Melibel from 07/01/08 for 5 days, 2 hours each morning at level 2-3, English speaking
If you look on our Meribel ski schools page (copy and paste the URL below into your browser), you'll see the different ski schools available. Out of those listed, we'd recommend New Generation or Supreme ski as being particularly good with British instructors.
http://www.maddogski.com/France/Meribel/Ski+schools
I will be flying to Geneva with my two daughters (16 + 21) from February 10th - 13th. Could you recommend a resort that is close to Geneva so that we can get three full days on the slopes?
Morzine is just an hour and a half away from Geneva and has plenty of accommodation on offer - try booking with
Host Savoie for a warm welcome. Alternatively,
Chatel is a smaller, more picturesque village -
Ski Addiction are our recommendations for this resort.
is the hotel cachette les arc 1600 open in the summer? I would like to take my sister hiking and stay from Jul. 31, to Tuesday, aug 5th (leaving day)
Hi there,
Yes, Hotel La Cachette is open during the summer. Probably best to visit their
website for rates and availability.
Thanks!
Is there a regular train/bus/shuttle service from friedrichshafen airport to kitzbuhel?
Does it run Mon-Fri?
Hi there,
To be honest, Friedrichshafen isn't the most ideal airport for Kitzbuhel - it being about 310km away from the resort. If you haven't booked your flight yet, we'd suggest flying to Innsburck (90km) or Munich (125km) instead. Both airports have easy transport options to the resort.
If you've booked your flight, you could find out if it would be possible to get a taxi ride with Loacker Tours who service Friedrichshafen airport. Their web address is www.airportbus.at but you will need to email them to check.
Hope this helps!
Looking for weeks ski holiday w/c 15th march 08. Approx 10 persons. Group of keen experienced skiers. Keen on Chamonix or Zermatt. Would like catered chalet. Your suggestions very welcome. Many thanks.
Try booking through
Iglu Ski who deal with a variety of properties across the Alps including catered chalets for groups. As well as having tons of properties, they will also help you tailor your holiday to your group's needs.
My husband and I are very novice skiers, have been to Obergurgal, Austria, would like to try a French resort but for beginners, with a good ski school close to the hotel, easy to get to. Any ideas / recommendations?
For a French resort that has good access to the slopes, and is good for beginners, we would suggest one of the following:
- La Clusaz
- Les Deux Alpes
- Courchevel
- La Plagnes
- Tignes
The latter two are both good options for beginners.
Tignes is a snow-sure resort with a glacier and has a huge amount of varied terrain, as well as excellent ski schools and options for beginners. In France the ubiquitous ESF (Ecole du Ski Francais) are highly trained instructors. However there are other options, and when you book your ski school, remember to request an English-speaking instructor.
(Check out
Tignes ski schools).
Tignes also has a lot of accommodation close to the slopes, as well as an abundance of off-piste activities and good apres-ski. However, it is not a traditional 'charming' Alpine town, but if it's the skiing you're after, then accommodation shouldn't be a worry.
La Plagne has a lot of good nursery slopes as well as extensive intermediate slopes to progress onto should you wish. It's also at a high altitude so pretty snow-sure, and has a good choice of purpose-built resorts with the option of apartments and traditional attractive chalets and hotels (spread out over 11 villages).
Ski schools are also good, however you won't find the variety of options you would get in a bigger resort like Tignes.
My partner and i want to take our 4 children skiing for the first time. We only have April available, and will need nursery slopes and tuition. Any ideas at a moderate cost gratefully received.
Hi Kate,
Taking children skiing can add up - and one of the bigger costs of skiing are lift passes. However, some French resorts have free nursery slopes meaning you’ll probably only need to buy passes when your children are ready for the main slopes.
You don’t say how old your children are but tour operators such as Crystal, Mark Warner, Meriski and Purple Ski all run child-friendly ski holidays to the Three Valleys (Meribel and Courchevel). Using a tour operator can reduce your stress if you’re taking kids skiing for the first time as not only will they help you organise everything from lessons to ski hire but they also run children’s clubs and offer babysitting services. As for cost, it is worth shopping around to find the best deal – and if you contact one of the above, they’ll be able to give you a realistic quote based on your needs.
For more companies, see the Families sections in each of our resort pages.
my son is working in couchaval france and needs to join us in brand austria for an important family re union. we know there is bludenz station for access to brand .what is the best and quickest jouney for him
The
German Rail Planner is a good website to check train times on - the nearest train station to Courchevel is Moutiers.
We are flying into Geneva next weekend and want to go skiing close by but with good snow. Where would you suggest heading for? Many thanks.
If you have left booking your resort until closer to your holiday date this can be a good way of planning a 'snow-sure' holiday, with the guarantee of good snow.
There are plenty of resorts which sit at higher altitude (guaranteeing better snow) and also those that have glaciers. However, many resorts (especially the big 'mega' resorts) have very good snow-making capabilities which should ensure good coverage.
North-facing resorts also keep snow for longer, however these can also be more icy. However if you go for a resort which has good access to a large ski area (i.e. the Espace Killy, Three Valleys and Portes du Soleil) then you shouldn't have a problem accessing varied slopes, and those at higher altitude.
For this reason we'd suggest heading to the bigger French resorts - Courchevel (which can be a bit expensive but has five villages to choose from - avoid 1850 if you're trying to budget) is a good resort with good piste access and a shuttle bus running within the villages. Tignes and Val d'Isere sit within the Espace Killy and have very good access to slopes (Tignes especially is the most snow-sure resort). However Tignes isn't the prettiest of places, but if it's skiing you're after this shouldn't be too much of an issue.
We are going (from Australia)to St Anton to ski for the week over christmas. Is it possible to hire ski clothes in St Anton? It is a long way to bring them otherwise.
Hi there,
It isn't that usual for shops in resort to hire ski clothing although we think you may be in luck in St Anton. We think that Sport Pete on Dorfstrasse 17 rents out ski garments although it is worth calling them (+43 (0)5446 3710) to find out what exactly they hire out, how much it is and whether you need to book.
Have a great trip!
The Mad Dog team
We are going to St Anton in a couple of weeks time and wonder if there is anywhere nearby where we could go dog-sledding?
Hi there,
I'm afraid as far as we can find out no-one in St Anton offers dog-sledding at the present time, however it is worth contacting the tourist office to see if they know of anywhere outside of the resort: info@stantonamarlberg.com
We are skiing form Meribel at New Year with a mixed ability group. Where is a good easily accessible area in the immediate 3 Valley area to head to for the first day or two of skiing for some of the party that are 2nd week sliers and skiers who haven't skied for more than 10 years? We have very competent skiers and an instructor in the group but have never been to Meribel before. Many thanks.
Assuming you are staying in Meribel itself I suggest your first lift is Rhodos which you can get from the Chaudanne (the main lift area in Meribel centre). This is a gondola so no tricky getting on and off lifts for the first run. Get off at the second station and head straight ahead and then follow the piste left (keeping the Rhododendrons restaurant on your left). this brings you onto a gentle green called Blanchot. At the bottom of this run, your 2 weekers can take an easy chairlift called Altiport and go and do it all again. If you returning skiers have got their legs back, keep going on a blue called lapin down to Méribel Village (to do this you'll need to keep your speed up as you get to the bottom of blanchot).
In the same ski area, take the Loze lift to the top of the Courchevel Meribel ridge and take the lovely blue run, boulevard de la loze (not good for boarders as it is quite flat). This run is a narrowish path in places (narrowest part is still around 2.5m wide) but very flat so ideal for beginners and gives them a nice long run back down the mountain.
On the other side of the valley, try taking Plan de l'homme - again from the Chaudanne - and then taking the blues, grives and perdrix to Mottaret and then Truite (green) back to Méribel. From the same lift, escargot and villages/raffort (if the snow is good enough) is a great run through the trees which will be exciting for your 2-weekers. Lievre, though blue, is a bit hairier and I would save it for day three!
Finally, whatever you do, don't be tempted by Sizerin or Ours - both are horribly flat even for skiers.
We are skiing in Les Deux Alpes in April, and want to travel by train. How easy is it to get to the resort from Moutier, and approx how long would it take? Is there a bus? Can you help with any contact numbers? Many thanks, Caroline
Hi Caroline,
Firstly we'd recommend getting off the train earlier - in Chambery if you can, as Moutiers isn't the best stop for Les Deux Alpes. From Chambery, take a train to Grenoble (45mins). If you have to get off at Moutiers, you can also get a train through Chambery to Grenoble. Check out the timetable and book tickets on the
SNCF website.
From Grenoble, you have a couple of options. Either book a transfer with
Ben's Bus or take a direct and very cheap public bus straight up to Les Deux Alpes. with Transiere It is run by
Transisiere and they are pretty regular. The bus station is right outside the train station.
we need your help to get from coucheval to friedrichshafen germany a cheap easy route please many thanks
This journey on a train will take at least eight hours and involve around 6 changes - you can see the exact journey
here. Other than that, you could take an
airport bus from Moutiers to Geneva and then get on the train here, meaning you will then only have two changes on the train.
What is the best and cheapest way to transfer from Courcheval to Grenoble Airport on a Monday?.
You don't mention how many of you there will be but if there are a group of you, it is well worth getting a private transfer with a company such as ThreeValleeTransfers. Alternatively, if there is only one or two of you, you could take the AgBus - 45€ one-way, 65€ return from the valley coach station of Moutiers, or you can pay a bit more to get the bus directly from the resort - around 80€ return all-in.
when is Easter holiday in Meribel France?
Easter weekend is 21st - 24th March but this year, many UK schools are holding their Easter holidays at different times so what would normally be a peak of easter holidays over three weeks is now running for five weeks from Easter through to mid-April. Hope that helps!
Which is your favourite ski area in the Alps?
I think it must be Courchevel because it has an amazing ski domain and also is very snow reliable.
Will be in St Anton Austria in December. Do you have a shop doing the "SURE FOOT" ski boot system at the resort. Warren Massey
St Anton doesn't have a branch of Surefoot yet - you can see where their stores are though on the Surefoot website (http://www.surefoot.com). You could try contacting one of the St Anton hire shops to see if they do boot fitting.
Good luck!
