[Closed] Driving to the alps in winter.

No, but get a copy of "Where to Ski". It's full of useful information on all aspects of skiing, including how to get to the Alps.

I've done the French and Italian Alps by car several times. It's a long schlepp down there, so aim to break at least one leg of the journey by stopping in a cheap Accor Group hotel - Google them.

For the Austrian Alps, you might be able to head down through Germany which would mean you can do a squillion miles an hour on teh autobahns.

a brick (if you don't have cruise control)

EDIT: Sorry I'll try to be more helpful.
I've not been to Austria, but done France, Switzerland, Italy lots. Continental motorways are alot quieter so easier/less stress. Though it gets quite boring.

Good maps & lots of good tunes are a must.

Snow tyres good, chains a must (though you probably won't need them). Full tank of fuel, spade, boots, a couple of blankets (in case you get stuck in a snowdrift) and gloves for if you need to push the car.

Pretty much as I thought. I've driven to the alps several times, just not in winter. I'm moer concerned at how bad the motorways will be heading through central europe, like snow, but they deal with it alot better then we do so I'm hoping it won't be a problem.

I'm leaving at 4 on the train so will be driving in the evening and early morning. I'l stay at one of those nice motels, usually in the summer I camp by the side of the road, but I think it will be a little cold.

We do it twice a year to the Aravis (French Alps) with kids. We make sure the car's in tip-top condition - if it's even close to a scheduled service we'll have it done before we go. Also we make sure there are enough headphones in the back for the kid's DVD player so we can listen to our own music in the front.

Because of the kids and because we're driving from near Manchester we break the journey with a hotel stop each way in France so if you're planning to doit in one I can't really help. Having said that we're thinking of doing one of the trip straight through next year just to see what it's like.

For me a lot, depends on how close to the channel you are. Getting to/from the channel is the real chore for us despite being 1/3 the distance.

20 minutes from the tunnel 🙂

You might fund useful info here
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=28639

It's more biased towards driving to france, but there's still useful advice on there.

check this as well, there are some route recommendations for Austria

http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=1630120&highlight=zurs#1630120

I'm more concerned at how bad the motorways will be heading through central europe

They clear them pretty sharpish. If it's snowing so bad you'd put on chains the going would be so slow you may as well have a rest while they clear it. - blankets is a good suggestion.

Practice putting the snow chains on before you go! Otherwise you may wake up in Alp D'Huez on the morning you've got to drive home with your car buried in 4ft of snow and have to convince a hungover local who speaks no english to put them on for you.

I'd imagine a spade would've worked better than the top of a tupperware box for digging the car out too 🙂

I was just about to say that the motorways are not cleared as quickly as UK ones, well at least they wern't when I last drove back from the Alps. People still tend to drive alot quicker on snow covered motorways than they do in the UK though which is good!

I should have said that I drive to the French Alps around three times a year, sometimes more, and I've only ever had a problem once I've turned off the motorway.

Practice putting the snow chains on before you go!

+1 - They can be a total pig, so practice makes perfect.

Chains are a legal requirement in many mountain resorts.

Carry [b]hi-viz jackets[/b] for [u]all[/u] of the occupants of the car for anywhere in France. Don't forget to carry a set of bulbs and ensure correctly masked headlights too. Some Police forces are getting very particular about these minor issues, especially the French and Spanish. Dunno about Austria and Germany, but they tend to be sticklers for detail by default.

A spade is a good idea too.

We drive to either Austria or Italy most years.
IMHO its less hassle than flight + hire car.
Usual plan for us is Hull-Rotterdam overnight ferry, arriving at about 09:00, then zip down the autobahns to Munich. Hotel overnight there.
Set off dressed in ski gear ealy the following morning. On the slopes for 10:00 ish.
Other years we've done the journey down to Italy, over the Brenner, in one go. It's really not that bad a drive.

Germany and Austria's infrastructures cope with snow very well. Its not an issue.
Once into Austria, one thing to remember is that if the roads to the resorts aren't open, then they're loosing revenue. Consequently, they are cleared very promptly.

We take chains but have only needed to fit them once and only then for the few miles up/down the valley to the resort.

I've also lived in Munich for a few years and my one enduring memory of autobahns in winter is of three lanes white-over to a depth of about 6 inches, constant heavy snow falling all around, three snowploughs/blowers working in formation .... and that only warranted putting the matrix signs to 100 kph.
The traffic was still flowing fine.

Christ, this country would be on its knees. 🙄

I drove to Alpe d'Huez in a Saxo VTR in Winter - no problems. Just needed pushing out of the snow once we left three weeks later.

Hairpins were dodgy but I took them easy and was fine - no chains, no Winter tyres. The roads are usually well gritted - otherwise coaches wouldn't be able to get up there an unloads 1000s of ski tourists.

Surf-Mat, those coaches have snow tyres as well as chains if necessary. Gendarmes will stop you from going up the mountain without if the gritters and ploughs haven't got there yet.

To the OP, get chains just in case for the last bit and you won't need snow tyres. As above, practice beforehand!

Take a spade, and take it out of the car when you get there and keep it in the Hotel/Apartment, as if it snows whilst you are there and the car is parked outside, you are going to need to dig it out.

Be prepared for it to take 30+ minutes to dig out and defrost a car after it has been parked outside for a week.

Well we didn't get stopped and I saw no coaches with snow chains.

but you just implied the roads were gritted, so you wouldn't have....

however if you tried paddy hopkirking it up when the roads were freshly covered, you would have

Well, I'm going to buy some snowchains, apparently in some places they are a legal requirment to have. My plan is to drive from calais to Munich then set of early and try to be on the slops for 12, I'll have to sort out boardhire and lift pass, though I don't want to waste the saterday.

I'm not worried about my own driving abilities on ice and snow, just i didn't want to get half way there and get stranded.

There were police at the top and bottom of the road to Alpe d'Huez checking you had snowchains on when we left the resort. You weren't allowed up or down without them. We took them off at the bottom of the hairpins where the roads were clear again.

ianpinder,

Just remember that half of Munich will also be setting off early on Saturday morning and heading down the Inntal junction. Make Sure you get through that bottleneck EARLY.

A hotel on the SE side of Munich will avoid some of the traffic and ensure you get onto the autobahn 8 more easily (the other potential bottleneck)
We normally expect to pay circa 50 Euros for a family room (inc breakfast if lucky). There are some very reasonable new ones around the Messe.

Also, if you're lucky enough to be out there over Christmas itself, the main family celebration day is Christmas EVE out that way. This means that you'll have the resort to yourself but might find some facilities closed. Everything will be open again on Christmas day.
HTH

Yup I'm out there from the 18th until the 26th of dec.

In that case I'll leave early then, around 6 ish, although munich was futher then i HAD HOPED TO DRIVE ON THE FRIDAY.

Are you still required to have chains if you have a 4x4?

Daisy - yes, you are, though the police have discretion. If you've got proper snow tyres on a serious 4x4, you're fine. Otherwise, no. I just managed to get cleared by the gendarmes on the way to Les Gets in a Discovery 3 with M&S tyres - the people ahead of me in a Kia with standard road tyres were stopped.

The Disco was ace in the snow, it has to be said.

Depending on your time of day (& the specific day you depart upon) there can be shocking queues at the tunnels but perhaps your route won't take you through any....

I'll have to sort out board hire and lift pass, though I don't want to waste the saturday.

Many resorts allow you to book skis and passes online well before you arrive. Some may even send you your passes in the post. I got my POS pass for Three Valleys in the post. It's a credit card sized smart card which you put in a convenient pocket and the turnstiles automatically open when they detect them up.

For board hire, rent in the UK to save time collecting and dropping off. [url= http://www.edge2edge.co.uk/snowboard_hire.html ]£77/week for board and boots[/url]. You either collect from one of their UK branches, at nominated collection points, or get them couriered to your home/work. Edge to Edge are starting to do deliveries to certain resoorts this season.

Don't forget to get your Austrian motorway tax sticker. You can get them at petrol stations near the border. 10 day ones I think.

cheers guys, loads of usefull info.
Have booked the eurotunnel two hours earlier, and will book a room in munich for the night, just means a long day on the friday. get into france at 4pm, then about an 8 hour drive to munich.

should be good, i'll book my lift pass and hire a snowboard from england 😀