This is the first time I've put together a ski package so I hope it helps anyone wanting to go skiing. If I've missed anything off then let me know as it may help me for planning any future deals.
You'll leave LGW on 28th November and fly to Vancouver for 3 nights. In Vancouver you'll stay at the Empire Landmark which is walking distance to Stanley Park and downtown Vancouver. I'd also recommend visiting places like Gastown which has some great restaurants and bars as well as nearby Chinatown for a bubble tea.
After 3 nights you will check out of your Vancouver hotel on 1st December (but you return for your final night so you can leave excess luggage etc at the hotel). The Greyhound bus will take you to Whistler village and then your hotel, the Market Place lodge is nearby, ideally situated for a few days of skiing at Whistler. You will stay there for 5 nights. Don't forget the many other snow activities at Whistler too, such as ziplines and snowmobiles.
I've included 5 days of ski pass and ski hire (ski, boots and poles) with this package, but you can adjust the days and what you hire to suit, depending on if you have other things you want to do in Whistler.
You will check out on 6th December and will then return back to Vancouver on 6th December for a final night.
**Breakdown**
2 flights from London to Vancouver book at Crystal Travel for £546.28
3 nights in Vancouver £98.70 book at Venere using code EMLVSEPFL15
5 nights in Whistler at the Market Place Lodge £288.56 plus resort fee £23.23 book at Venere using code EMLVSEPFL152
1 final night in Vancouver at the same hotel £50.88 book at Venere using code above.
Total £1699.96/£849.98
All comments (22)
rachelandgromit
21 Sep 16#1
rachelandgromit
21 Sep 16#2
dannyb182
21 Sep 16#3
if i wasnt already on holiday on those dates i would probably book myself!!!! good find..heat from me!
steviep23
21 Sep 16#4
Good deal but would of went for something in Europe for first ski package post.
Heat added
mercslkman
22 Sep 16#5
that's a really good price I pay a lot more to ski at vail Colorado
robertoegg to mercslkman
22 Sep 16#14
Difference is you probably went during the ski season lol :smile:
woldranger
22 Sep 16#6
£850 for 5 days on the hill? And so early in the season too? Ouch. I paid that for my flights and full season pass last year for Panorama, BC
bojangles
22 Sep 16#7
couldnt it be a cheaper with a 3 day pass?
Lets assume you arrive Thurs 1st - chances are it will not be a decent time to enjoy the slopes.
You may not be able to check in until afternoon - but you can use the rest of the day to get your equipment.
Day 2 Ski
Day 3 Ski
Day 4 Ski
Day 5 Check Out hotel early as you need to get back to your return flight for 1pm!!!!
Not looked at the greyhound times - there is even a possibility of needing to checkout on Day 4 to make the flight.
rachelandgromit
22 Sep 16#8
Actually thinking about it you only need a 4 day pass and hire because you arrive on 1st December and you probably wouldn't ski then and then you leave on 6th December as you go back to Vancouver on 6th as you spend your final night there not in Whistler so you will have plenty of time to make your flight.
Of course the price drops depending on how much time you want to ski as the cost of the pass and hire is very expensive. I know there are probably much cheaper places to ski and Whistler is quite expensive. I did some skiing in Banff at Sunshine Village and it was pretty expensive then and that was nr closing season.
Inquisitor
22 Sep 16#9
Is there snow this early? Never been Canada but was originally looking here nearing Christmas.. But even then I thought it maybe too early??
Link for webcams. Season opens in November. I follow Sunshine Village in Banff on FB and the snow is falling already.
Blackwater
22 Sep 16#11
I just booked for Chamonix, if I had seen this I would be there! Enjoy guys, I love Canada..
MEGAONE
22 Sep 16#12
Fabulous deal. If we weren't cruising end January definately would have booked this trip.
bobshaw5
22 Sep 16#13
You put together your travel like I do. There is an inherent risk of something going wrong, such as missing a bus or getting ill. But if you can stay fit and healthy and be punctual then this is a great price. It's a shame not many agents are coming up with deals like this.
rachelandgromit
22 Sep 16#15
I'm not a ski expert by any means but the ski season opens in November at Whistler. I did find a useful website that gives statistics about previous snow and levels at the beginning of the season but I can't find it now but I'll look for it. By all accounts apparently, there has been some good skiing in November and early December (that's what I read anyway)! You can easily change this package to suit as I said I'm not a ski lover as I as pretty crap at it but I'll keep an eye out for better ski deals later on in the season.
philireland1
22 Sep 16#16
I would love to go skiing but I would like to try it out 1st closer to home & for a long weekend, what would be the cheapest place to go?
rachelandgromit to philireland1
22 Sep 16#17
I honestly am not really sure. I read somewhere a while ago about budget places to ski and I'm sure Romania and Poland came up as really good value which may be a good option if you don't want to spend much initially as I guess it will be cheaper than other more popular places.
There seems to be some posters commenting here that probably know much more about skiing tban me though so hopefully one of them will update this post.
robertoegg to philireland1
22 Sep 16#18
Skiing and cheap don't really go together I'm afraid. You can do it, but that probably relies on doing it with mates. We did 2.5 days on the slopes in Tignes for £250 each, but, my cousin owned the little apartment we went to / 4 of us squeezed into one car / we self catered / we self drank / we all had clothing.
You would be best served by saving a little and taking a package for a week. Have some lessons on a dry slope or indoor place before you go. Borrow clothing, you will need a decent couple of baselayers that wick sweat. Waterproof trousers (cos you will topple over a fair bit - if you don't, you ain't pushing yourself enough!). Decent waterproof gloves, mitts tend to be warmer if you're a coldy. You'll be amazed what's in mates cupboards - no one will wear ski gear out in a week yet everyone wants the latest gear so most kit you can borrow is in a well good condition!
Try to do some leg exercises from 12 weeks in advance to get the most out of it - and prepare to burn the candle at both ends! You will need a holiday to recover when you get back, and your liver will hate you :smiley::smiley:
Then you'll be hooked and it will be the first holiday you book up every year!
Highly recommend Italy for the food, the drink, the instructors and it's relatively cheap...
steviep23 to philireland1
23 Sep 16#20
Poland and in particular Zakopane.
More ski hills there than traditional resorts but does give you a feel for it and the resort of Bialka Tatraska is only a short drive away when you get a bit better and can ski the blue runs.
Cost for a week would be around £500 all in with all meals, drinks and lessons equipment etc etc
Lot of information on this site http://www.discoverzakopane.com/skiing.html
A rough example would be
Flights - £60 return to Krakow
Transfers local bus to Zakopane - £10 return
accommodation- £140 per person
Ski pass £70
Equipment £50
So thats around £330? food and drink is cheap out there and delicious too!
This is a nice resort , i still go back every year! even if only for a weekend
oh, hire skis / boards and boots out there, look for advance deals (Intersport) or something like Ski Republic (2 4 1 if you team up with someone).
rachelandgromit
23 Sep 16#21
That's the area I was thinking of, Zakopane. I went there in summer and the hostel were talking about skiing in winter and how popular it is. Agree, food and drink are really cheap and you could spend some time in Krakow and some in Zakopane. I'll look into this for a future deal.
steviep23
23 Sep 16#22
Feel free to PM and im happy to help. I've a fondness to the place and always sending people there! Perfect place to learn to ski
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Opening post
You'll leave LGW on 28th November and fly to Vancouver for 3 nights. In Vancouver you'll stay at the Empire Landmark which is walking distance to Stanley Park and downtown Vancouver. I'd also recommend visiting places like Gastown which has some great restaurants and bars as well as nearby Chinatown for a bubble tea.
After 3 nights you will check out of your Vancouver hotel on 1st December (but you return for your final night so you can leave excess luggage etc at the hotel). The Greyhound bus will take you to Whistler village and then your hotel, the Market Place lodge is nearby, ideally situated for a few days of skiing at Whistler. You will stay there for 5 nights. Don't forget the many other snow activities at Whistler too, such as ziplines and snowmobiles.
I've included 5 days of ski pass and ski hire (ski, boots and poles) with this package, but you can adjust the days and what you hire to suit, depending on if you have other things you want to do in Whistler.
You will check out on 6th December and will then return back to Vancouver on 6th December for a final night.
**Breakdown**
2 flights from London to Vancouver book at Crystal Travel for £546.28
3 nights in Vancouver £98.70 book at Venere using code EMLVSEPFL15
5 nights in Whistler at the Market Place Lodge £288.56 plus resort fee £23.23 book at Venere using code EMLVSEPFL152
Book return transfers from Vancouver to Whistler at https://www.greyhound.ca $49.50CAD/£28.97
Book 5 days ski pass and ski equipment hire at https://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/ $1133.26CAD/£663.34
1 final night in Vancouver at the same hotel £50.88 book at Venere using code above.
Total £1699.96/£849.98
All comments (22)
Heat added
Lets assume you arrive Thurs 1st - chances are it will not be a decent time to enjoy the slopes.
You may not be able to check in until afternoon - but you can use the rest of the day to get your equipment.
Day 2 Ski
Day 3 Ski
Day 4 Ski
Day 5 Check Out hotel early as you need to get back to your return flight for 1pm!!!!
Not looked at the greyhound times - there is even a possibility of needing to checkout on Day 4 to make the flight.
Of course the price drops depending on how much time you want to ski as the cost of the pass and hire is very expensive. I know there are probably much cheaper places to ski and Whistler is quite expensive. I did some skiing in Banff at Sunshine Village and it was pretty expensive then and that was nr closing season.
Link for webcams. Season opens in November. I follow Sunshine Village in Banff on FB and the snow is falling already.
There seems to be some posters commenting here that probably know much more about skiing tban me though so hopefully one of them will update this post.
You would be best served by saving a little and taking a package for a week. Have some lessons on a dry slope or indoor place before you go. Borrow clothing, you will need a decent couple of baselayers that wick sweat. Waterproof trousers (cos you will topple over a fair bit - if you don't, you ain't pushing yourself enough!). Decent waterproof gloves, mitts tend to be warmer if you're a coldy. You'll be amazed what's in mates cupboards - no one will wear ski gear out in a week yet everyone wants the latest gear so most kit you can borrow is in a well good condition!
Try to do some leg exercises from 12 weeks in advance to get the most out of it - and prepare to burn the candle at both ends! You will need a holiday to recover when you get back, and your liver will hate you :smiley::smiley:
Then you'll be hooked and it will be the first holiday you book up every year!
Highly recommend Italy for the food, the drink, the instructors and it's relatively cheap...
More ski hills there than traditional resorts but does give you a feel for it and the resort of Bialka Tatraska is only a short drive away when you get a bit better and can ski the blue runs.
Cost for a week would be around £500 all in with all meals, drinks and lessons equipment etc etc
Lot of information on this site http://www.discoverzakopane.com/skiing.html
A rough example would be
Flights - £60 return to Krakow
Transfers local bus to Zakopane - £10 return
accommodation- £140 per person
Ski pass £70
Equipment £50
So thats around £330? food and drink is cheap out there and delicious too!
This is a nice resort , i still go back every year! even if only for a weekend
http://bialkatatrzanska.pl/ceny-karnetow-na-sezon-20152016/