Before or there

rondog

Hi there,

going to meribel in february, we booked through crystal ski.Theres a group of 8 going and we didnt get 1 free pace or lift pass etc as ive heard other people get.I called crystal and they told me they do group discounts for 12 or more.Thing is theres 8 and some need full ski packs others only need equipment and others just a couple of lessons.
I feel a bit p1ssed off with crystal as weve gone with them before and they wont offer any disounts for anything .

DO people think i should bite the bullet and get the extras with crystal or book over there to get a discount.ANyone know if we're likely to get a discount for 8 lift passes over there and on lessons ,equipement if we approached one of the local ski schools or equipment shops ???

Done mean to sound like a miserable b*stard but im co-ordinating this and the people im going with are asking me these questions as it wasnt cheap booking this holiday.

paulharte

Feb is one of the most expensive times to go, second only to NYE.

I don't think you will get a discount on liftpasses but prices for equipment rentals are always negotiable in resort. Try to go in and talk to the owner and he will do you a deal.

IMHO its pretty rare to get a discount for only 8 people anyway

olaola

You won't get a discount for ski passes, but no harm emailing the rental shops over there and asking for a discount. You might get about 10-15% off. I'd avoid Crystal ski packs tbh, you don't know which rental place they are going to bring you to. And you're guaranteed it won't be the best one either!

If any of ye are doing ski school - might be worth looking at shops that might be associated with the schools. I'm getting about 30% off this year by booking skis packs & school through the school (in Austria).

rondog

30%??? thats excellent savings,between the lot of us we'd save about 700 euros if that was the case.

Thats what im hoping that we can go to an equipment shop and get a good deal and hope they might be associated with a ski school or vice versa.I just dont want to spend lots of time wandering the resort looking for deals but if i can save 20% or even 10% it would be worth it.

I think Ill do as advised and email a few places over there and see what they can do.

Do equipment shops/ski schools normally sell lift passes too?

paulharte

ski schools might be able to sort it out for you. Again, email them direct or talk to ppl in resort to find out! Good luck

olaola

Sorry - 22%, but we're also getting 7 days rental (with Intersport) for the price of 6. And 5 days of ski school for €254. So it works out to be about 30%.

Turbulent Bill

rondog wrote: »

30%??? thats excellent savings,between the lot of us we'd save about 700 euros if that was the case.

Thats what im hoping that we can go to an equipment shop and get a good deal and hope they might be associated with a ski school or vice versa.I just dont want to spend lots of time wandering the resort looking for deals but if i can save 20% or even 10% it would be worth it.

I think Ill do as advised and email a few places over there and see what they can do.

Do equipment shops/ski schools normally sell lift passes too?

I'd contact the equipment hire places directly - you should get some discount, especially with 8 people. In my experience the ski schools and equipment shops are fairly independent, but it probably depends on where you go.

You should definitely look into hiring an instructor too, rather than just signing up for a standard class. It won't be much more expensive (might even be cheaper when split 8 ways) and you'll get much better tuition.

rondog

I checked the net and theres a load of ski schools in Meribel which Ill email and see what they can do.

thanks for the advice guys

olaola

Turbulent Bill wrote: »

You should definitely look into hiring an instructor too, rather than just signing up for a standard class. It won't be much more expensive (might even be cheaper when split 8 ways) and you'll get much better tuition.

We've done this a few years in a row - you just go to the skischool and wangle a regular class, with ONLY your mates in it. Same as a private instructor, lower price Hasn't failed yet!

rondog

That would be great but the thing is not all are skiing ,some are snowboarding and not all are at teh same level so we'd be looking into getting different lessons for different levels and styles.We were hoping that if we booked with the same ski school they'd give us a discount as a group as a whole if they did equipment too or had an affiliated shop.

flikflak

I`d say your chances of getting anything off the lift pass are a big fat 0.

I was looking around on the web yesterday and found some good deals with intersport for equip hire. Up to 40% off turn up and pay prices for Morzine.

Keep looking and I am sure you will find a better deal than buying your ski packs with Crystal.

As for ski school you might have to go for the group lessons as these will be the cheapest. Again check the web for options - ESF are not the only crowd out there in certain resorts.

Unfortunately skiing is one of those holidays where discounts are few and far between and you have to expect to pay - esp in a big French resort.

Griff77

Last year we waited until we were in the resort (Flaine) before booking lessons for a mixed bunch of levels and boarders/skiers. We managed to get 15-20% of the lessons. We're going to do this again this year and hopefully get a deal on it.

Also most rental shops have a website that gives good discounts if you book online, for instance this year we got 40% of intersport gear online and I also have a password for ski set (skisetpassuk) to give you up to 35% off their gear. Ski set seem to have more recent models and better gear but we went for Intersport top of the range gear which is equivalent to the average gear in skiset but cheaper.

Just over two weeks till the snow for me!

loobylou

You won't get a discount on 8 lift passes in resort but they will almost certainly be cheaper to buy there then from Crystal. The TO simply add on a margin for themselves. Don't fall for any of the guff about passes being delivered to your hotel or given to you on the bus, therefore saving you loads of time, etc. Buying a liftpass in a skiresort is quick, simple and, in my experience, always cheaper. You also have a much wider choice.

Static M.e.

Final Piece to add is that if you have complete begineers some times they wont need a pass at all until day 3 after that you can buy day passes. (Its different on every mountain though)

In large resorts make sure you dont get the full pass which gives you access to all the smaller resorts if you dont need it, its often 30/40 Euro more.

Do spend the extra 3-5 euro on mountain insurance with the pass for the price of pint its worth it.

tywy

Just a hint for ski rental. We're heading to Les Arcs in 2 weeks time and we booked with these guys http://www.ski-republic.com/ They have a shop in Meribel too.

They offer 2 for 1 on skis and snowboards, you get a free helmet if you want one and free ski insurance. You also get to choose your skis which I think is a nice touch.

You won't get anything off a liftpass but I have noticed that Crystal sometimes do charge a bit more than the price in the lift stations.

I was in Val Thorens last year, loved it. You're gonna have a ball!

Oh and regarding ski school, I think there are recommendations for alternatives to ESF here: www.snowheads.com

bcirl03

olaola wrote: »

If any of ye are doing ski school - might be worth looking at shops that might be associated with the schools. I'm getting about 30% off this year by booking skis packs & school through the school (in Austria).

+1

Did this last year in Soll. Found a ski hire shop associated with a ski school. Saved a fortune by combining hire and school.

Was there with the family so happy to save a few €€€ to spend elsewhere during the week.

spurscormac

bcirl03 wrote: »

+1

Did this last year in Soll. Found a ski hire shop associated with a ski school. Saved a fortune by combining hire and school.

Was there with the family so happy to save a few €€€ to spend elsewhere during the week.

Can you advise on the shop/school and the location?
There's 5 of us going on Feb 28, trying to look around for deals at the moment. Best I could find online was €71.10 for a weeks rental. Plus side being its the hire place at the lift station.

bcirl03

Hi Spurscormac,

We used Daves Sports http://www.davesport.info/

They are partners with Ski School Knolln http://www.skischule-knolln.at/english/skischoolknolln.html.

Looking at there web site they have 5 days ski school and 6 days ski hire for €186.60 - http://www.davesport.info/price.htm. I emailed Dave before I went out and it was all ready when we arrived. No queues and very very helpful. My wife bought skis at the end of the week and he gave a generous discount given we had rented off him.

I know the shop under the Gondola and its fine. Gear looks good and also very well run. This is where we left our skis over night as the walk up from the village is testing with little ones. There is another shop about 100 meters before the Gondola but I wouldn’t leave my skis there as it’s all open plan and no cages so anyone could 'borrow' your gear if you get my meaning.

Any other questions PM me and I'd be delighted to point you in the right direction.

B

davmol

Thanks for the advise ladies and gents,I had a look at those links you gave me and will book online.All going well I should save over EUR200 for the group...

thnaks a mill

rondog

+1

Sorted it through ski republic

cheers