Short Skiing Break Aviemore

[lorr_mun14]

Absolutely clueless, so looking for some ideas from anyone who has done it before perhaps. Wanting to spend a long weekend in Aviemore or surrounding area, mid January, to go skiing. Thought perhaps a chalet or log cabin possibly? Is there anywhere you can go for package breaks like this. Any good suggestions for rentals? How do you go about the skiing bit? Can you hire all equipment etc? Anyone with any info, much appreciated. PM me

[Dadie]

You can hire all the equipment there.
Either in aviemore itself or up at the daylodge.
We usually book into a B&B in aviemore and take all our stuff with us.
You can book lessons on the cairngorm website and I think they have "pre booked passes " for the train and the ski lifts.
If not you buy the passes there!
Lidls had in goggles and glasses and thermals this week..might be worth a look..the hand warmers are good!

You are making me jealous...havent been for ages because of the kids........

[doodles]

Hi just read your skiing post.

We have stayed in lots of places to ski in Aviemore and you normally get good rates going through late rooms. Have stayed in Grantown on Spey and The Macdonald resort (which has chalets) a few times also Inverness Travellodge.

As for the skiing. You will need your own jacket and waterproof trousers. Also thick socks. You can just wear leggings instead of thermals to save expense and tbh you will probably only need one fleece layer on top,if you have a good cosy jacket. I think some shops would rent jackets and trousers in Aviemore, but not sure. You will need your own gloves. Waterproof is essential for the wind chill. Also goggles are recommended if it is likely to be windy at all (which it probably will be!) Lidls or a cheap internet ski site would be fine to get you started. Skis, boots (and poles) can be hired on the mountain. You need to know your weight so the skis an be set up correctly for you.

If you are going on a nice day it is worth getting up the mountain by 9am at the latest as the queues for hire can be huge. The ski school are fabtastic. Would highly recommend. Book in advance.

As Cairn Gorm is a mountain, unfortunately in January it sometimes is storm bound. Lessons will not run( and you wont be charged) and they shut the gates at the bottom. It is worth bearing in mind if this happens ( and it is only due to strong winds) to phone the Lecht and see if there are open.

I actually prefer the Lecht for beginners as the easy slope are super easy and fed by simple tows and again their ski school is great. They also do hire on site.

Cairngorm defo has the best hot chocolate tho! ;)

Hope that give you some info to help with your trip. Have fun!!!
Doodles

Tried to PM but your inbox is full. :D

[cecile]

if you are a group try the chalets at the High range or the bunkhouse might be cheaper it s a mix of youth hostel and private rooms but you might have to book in advance, so have a look now!!
for ski rental go to glenmore, they ve got nice staff and the technician is pretty good and passionate ( a bit weird but no fault of his own he s estonian lol)

[Cape Crusader]

Why struggle all the way to Aviemore, in January?

At that time there will be a perfectly good downhill/slalom course at the Whaligoe steps.:lol:

*************************
In God we trust. Everyone else pays cash.

[Dadie]

If you are a complete beginner you can actually hire everything!
Snowsuit, skis, poles etc from the place in Aviemore itself!
Its expensive to hire a full package including clothing though!
Buy thermals...pop into Tkmax they have loads of ski stuff in and get goggles gloves...sallopettes etc...
Oh and if hiring skis and boots weigh yourself (and dont lie!) and take note of your height (not sure if metric or imperial so do both) for the bindings to be set right .

[bluechesse]

You can hire at the bottom of the hill, but the cue can be really bad at times.

You can hire all your kit and buy a lift pass at aviemore ski and snowboard hire. As you come in to Aviemore from the North, just at the start of the shops turn left, then right in to the car park. They are open from 0745. We always try to get down early and get our lift passes there on the way, saves a lot of time quing at the top!
http://www.aviemoreskihire.co.uk/

For ski or snowboard lessons try the ski school. I had a one on one snowboard lesson with them about 4 years ago, but they do very good group lessons aswell. If your just starting out skiing or snowboarding, definately take a few lessons first, well worth it and saves a lot of pain!
http://www.theskischool.co.uk/

Good luck!

[Better Out Than In]

If you want to save lots of money take a sleeping back and sleep under the railway bridge; that's wot us students used to do. Bits of a shock when the morning train to Inverness comes through though.