Attention skiers: logistics and more

[Jes Sorensen]

Hi,

I wanted to post an update on this earlier, but I still have no ADSL
at home thanks to the fools at France Telecom and someone decided that
half the world is going mad over this thing called christmas.

For those who weren't able to commit earlier, we may have an extra 2-3
beds available to sell, as we reserved an extra apartment compared to
the number of people who subscribed. If you are still interested, all
hope is not lost. Let us know asap.

The skiing is still on and I hope you have all started looking for
your tickets for Geneva. If you haven't done so yet, I recommend start
looking sooner rather than later.

Flights in and out of Geneva (GVA) are generally very busy on
Saturdays, so you may find it being a lot cheaper to fly in on Friday
and/or leave on the Sunday. There are reasonably priced hotels located
close to the airport (5 minutes on the number 10 bus). Alternatively
you can look for a hotel closer to downtown if you wish to stay in
town a bit longer to explore (if you find a hotel and want to know
whereabouts it is located etc. send me an email). Public transport
within the city is generally good. The currency of Switzerland is
Swiss Francs (1 EUR ~= 1.55 CHF, 1 USD ~= 1.20 CHF). Shops and hotels
are normally happy to take euros as well and will do you on the
exchange rate with a smile.  For the resort and the skiing you will
need euros.

For hotels I can suggest the Etap (cheap) or the Suite Hotel (slightly
more expensive). From what I know they are both proper and clean, but
not 5 star. Both are a 5 minute walk from the Balexert shopping centre
where there are several food options.

http://www.accorhotels.com/accorhotels/fichehotel/gb/sui/5654/fiche_hotel.shtml
http://www.accorhotels.com/accorhotels/fichehotel/gb/etp/5653/fiche_hotel.shtml

Alternatively if you are coming from far away and fancy visiting other
places, you can do an open-jaw ticket and fly into somewhere like
Paris and take the train to Geneva and fly out from here. The TGV high
speed train from Paris to Geneva takes roughly 3h15. Tickets and
schedules can be found at www.sncf-voyages.com (there's an icon for
English at the lower left corner). The low cost airline (and I mean
*no* frills here, not like Southwest etc. in the US) Easyjet,
www.easyjet.com, has a large operation in Geneva. Check their website
for destinations and ticket prices. Just beware that your luggage
allowance etc. will be different from the long haul carriers.

Most airlines also offer a coupon system allowing you to do individual
hops for a fixed price per leg. This is normally available to people
holding a long haul ticket with the same airline and must normally be
bought from overseas at the same time as the long haul ticket. Check
with your local travel agent as coupons are generally not available on
the web.

You can also fly into Lyon (LYS), however if you choose that option
you will have to investigate your own transport to the resort.

I will investigate transport options from Geneva to the resort. There
should be a shuttle bus, but I don't have the details just yet. We
will figure something out and let you know.

We are still investigating ski passes and lessons, but I have no
details on this just yet. Please notify us what you are interested
in. If we do not hear from you, we expect you will want the full
skipass for the week. The Skicabal will be meeting during LCA in
Sydney in January to discuss these issues.

As for final payments for the accommodation, then expect to have the
money in my bank account by February 1st! I believe the due date for
final payments are February 9th so if I don't have the money by the
1st, your deposit will be *lost*.

On behalf of the, non-existing, Cabal
Jes