Eurostar ski train

[whole diary]

[grahame]

From On the snow

Oh, sure, you can fly to the Alps, but that’s not much fun and may take a long time when you add in airport hassles. What if you could take the Eurostar ski train and reach your favourite resort within a few hours? Wouldn’t it be nice to start your ski holiday from the moment you step onto the train?.

No budget airlines or popping ears, rather, a smooth ride out of the city, past the English countryside, with a relaxing scenic journey ahead of you. In addition, you’ll be cutting your carbon footprint by a huge 85 percent! And with many of our ski resorts at risk from climate change, that should give pause for thought.

Take the Eurostar ski train to the Alps

The Eurostar Snow train will depart from London St Pancras International every Saturday between 21 December 2024 and 1 March 2025 and return from the Alps every Sunday morning between 29 December 2024 and 2 March 2025.

[broadgage]

This sort of thing needs to be strongly encouraged if we are serious about climate change.
Eurostar trains are not only much greener than flying, but are likely to get still greener as more European electricity is produced from low carbon sources.
Tax fuel used by aircraft, and spend some of the proceeds on encouraging long distance rail.

[Red Squirrel]

From On the snow

Oh, sure, you can fly to the Alps, but that’s not much fun and may take a long time when you add in airport hassles. What if you could take the Eurostar ski train and reach your favourite resort within a few hours? Wouldn’t it be nice to start your ski holiday from the moment you step onto the train?.

No budget airlines or popping ears, rather, a smooth ride out of the city, past the English countryside, with a relaxing scenic journey ahead of you. In addition, you’ll be cutting your carbon footprint by a huge 85 percent! And with many of our ski resorts at risk from climate change, that should give pause for thought.

Take the Eurostar ski train to the Alps

The Eurostar Snow train will depart from London St Pancras International every Saturday between 21 December 2024 and 1 March 2025 and return from the Alps every Sunday morning between 29 December 2024 and 2 March 2025.

Glossing over the misery of St Pancras International - described by a fellow passenger as ‘like an airport, but smaller and sh***er’, and presumably even less fun if you’re carrying skis and boots - this sounds pretty good. Last time I went skiing by train, we had to drag our bags across Paris, which really wasn’t any fun at all.

[grahame]

Glossing over the misery of St Pancras International - described by a fellow passenger as ‘like an airport, but smaller and sh***er’, and presumably even less fun if you’re carrying skis and boots - this sounds pretty good. Last time I went skiing by train, we had to drag our bags across Paris, which really wasn’t any fun at all.

It feels very unbalanced that the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) is still limited to a single station from which you can catch a train to the European mainland if you're a foot passenger, but there are a number across The Channel.   I find myself musing at the idea of an Ashford to Zurich, perhaps via Mannheim.    From Ashford , Javalin services into London, Southern Electric to Charing Cross and Victoria, an hourly service to Reading via Redhill and Guildford for connections on with GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) and XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)).  Avoid London, Paris and Brussels for those with heavy luggage.  Ah yes - I'm looked at far more than ski-ing; adding a stop or two (Calais, for example) ...

[eightonedee]

Grahame, Blame Brexit and the paranoia about border controls........

[grahame]

Blame Brexit, Grahame, and the paranoia about border controls........

Are you addressing me personally (with my name in the middle there) or suggesting that I am one of the three things to blame.   Didn't think I had that much influence 

[Mark A]

**snip**
Glossing over the misery of St Pancras International - described by a fellow passenger as ‘like an airport, but smaller and sh***er’, and presumably even less fun if you’re carrying skis and boots - this sounds pretty good. Last time I went skiing by train, we had to drag our bags across Paris, which really wasn’t any fun at all.

Bit awkward that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) along with various other UK^▸ (United Kingdom) rail companies, presumably regards skis as similar to two matching surfboards, and will refuse travel.

Mark

[eightonedee]

Are you addressing me personally (with my name in the middle there) or suggesting that I am one of the three things to blame.   Didn't think I had that much influence  Cheesy

Post now edited to remove any question of you being blamed!

[Worcester_Passenger]

Bit awkward that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) along with various other UK^▸ (United Kingdom) rail companies, presumably regards skis as similar to two matching surfboards, and will refuse travel.

Mark

We did the ski train many years ago (so long ago that it left from Waterloo) - I had an uncle who lived in that bit of the Alps. But I have to say that skis were well catered for. A pair of seats at the end of our coach had one of those plastic covers that the garage puts on your car seat to protect it during a service.  These plastic covers had pictograms of skis - and that was indeed where passengers stacked their skis.

But in those days there were two ski trains. One left London Saturday morning and came back from Bourg St Maurice overnight. The other went overnight and came back as a day train on Sunday morning. We did the two day trains.

[TaplowGreen]

From On the snow

Oh, sure, you can fly to the Alps, but that’s not much fun and may take a long time when you add in airport hassles. What if you could take the Eurostar ski train and reach your favourite resort within a few hours? Wouldn’t it be nice to start your ski holiday from the moment you step onto the train?.

No budget airlines or popping ears, rather, a smooth ride out of the city, past the English countryside, with a relaxing scenic journey ahead of you. In addition, you’ll be cutting your carbon footprint by a huge 85 percent! And with many of our ski resorts at risk from climate change, that should give pause for thought.

Take the Eurostar ski train to the Alps

The Eurostar Snow train will depart from London St Pancras International every Saturday between 21 December 2024 and 1 March 2025 and return from the Alps every Sunday morning between 29 December 2024 and 2 March 2025.

Glossing over the misery of St Pancras International - described by a fellow passenger as ‘like an airport, but smaller and sh***er’, and presumably even less fun if you’re carrying skis and boots - this sounds pretty good. Last time I went skiing by train, we had to drag our bags across Paris, which really wasn’t any fun at all.

Yep, none of these trains are direct, mostly involve the schlep across Paris to change trains and take between 7 and 9 hours, plus transfer to the resort at the other end. Most likely arriving totally exhausted.

Perhaps fun as a single or couple but with children?

Any idea of the cost v flying?

Worth noting as well that the return journeys get back to St Pancras on a Sunday, so if you're counting on using GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) for the final leg of your journey home, best consider factoring in the cost of an additional night in London.