In 2011 Skigeek returns to Avoriaz, which is located on the top of a rock in the French Alps, close to the border to Switzerland. Avoriaz is part of the Portes du Soleil ski area, which is made it up from 14 ski resorts in Switzerland, and France. The ski-pass covers the entire resort and it is possible to ski on both sides of the border.
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Avoriaz is a villa on top of the mountain, which features many restaurants, ski shops, a skating rink and other facilities. It is a car free zone, in-village transport is by ski, horse driven sled or by foot. We will be renting self-catering apartments at the Balcons du Soleil at the top of the resort. The apartments feature a bedroom with a double-bed (French size, so smallish) and two single sofa-beds in the living room. The living room has a dining table, a cooker, fridge and coffee maker. It is possible to cook for those who do not want to go out every night. We anticipate sharing on a 3-way basis.
We will mostly be skiing, but expect a few snowboarders in the party too. You don't need to be competent at either; lessons are easily available in the resort both for group and private lessons. Since the first Skigeek in 2007 we have had a fair number of beginners, most of whom enjoyed it sufficiently and whom have showed up more than once. Some are even threatening to return in 2011 as well!
The atmosphere is usually relatively quiet and civilised, rather than the rampant piss-up that occurs at certain conferences where we might meet. Despite the name of the event, excessive geekiness is generally discouraged — the trip is intended to be (and usually is) suitable for couples and families, and for everyone from complete beginners to expert skiers/boarders. Or even those who just want to wander about and relax.
Internet access is available at the apartments through the rent of cable modems.
Dates
We'll arrive on Saturday February 5th, ski from Sunday to Friday
inclusive, and leave on Saturday February 12th.
LCA 2011 has been
announced for January 24th. through January 29th. so even if you are
attending LCA you should be able to make it to Avoriaz in time for
Skigeek 2011.
Travel
Avoriaz is 100km from Geneva airport. The easiest way to get to the
resort is to take one of the regular ski buses or by smaller shuttle
bus. The price is roughly EUR 66/return for either. Alternatively you
can hire a car at the airport and drive down.
The main area of the resort can be skied without having to get on a
bus. Free ski bus service is available to connect to the smaller
resorts within Ported du Soleil which are not cannot be reached
by skies directly from the main ski area.
Rooms
We anticipate sharing the apartments on a 3-way basis. Alternatively
you can reserve a whole apartment for the price of three, for couples etc.
Prices
For now we have reserved 5 apartments and due to the early booking we
managed to get a 20% discount off the list rate. It should be possible
to book more apartments, at least through October-November, however we
cannot guarantee the 20% discount once the first 5 apartments are
full.
For the first 15 slots, the price is €275 per person, or €825 per apartment,
(not including equipment hire, tuition, breakfast, and
meals). The basic prices are something like this:
| Accommodation (person): | €275 (€330 regular) |
| Accommodation (apartment): | €825 (€990 regular) |
| 6-day ski pass: | €205 |
| Ski hire: | depending on level |
| Lessons: | See the list of ski schools. |
The above price includes ski-insurance for the resort, which includes transport down from the mountain in case of accidents, theft of ski gear, cancellation due to too much or too little snow. In addition a small amount is included to cover room taxes, and the case we don't fill up completely. Anything left over will be spent on drinks/food for a joint dinner or returned.
Booking (deposit, contact details)
To reserve your place, please pay a deposit of €100 (or equivalent in
any currency) as soon as possible to the following account at Credit Mutuel
| Account holder: | Jes Sorensen |
| SWIFT BIC: | CMCIFR2A |
| IBAN: | FR76 1027 8073 6300 0201 8950 149 |
If you prefer, you can also pay the full amount (approx. €275) immediately.
As well as letting us know that the deposit is paid so that we can confirm that it arrives, please also provide the following information. You don't have to send it to the mailing list; you can send it to Jes, Ben and Dave alone at skicabal@infradead.org:
Until December 1st, the deposit should be refundable if you need to back out — at this stage we need them mostly to tell the difference between people who "might" make it, and those who are serious.
In 2009 we had someone pull out about a week and a half before the trip. They
were refunded the full €550 they'd paid. We aim to be that flexible as long
as we possibly can. Alternatively you are free to transfer your
booking to someone else, provided they pay the rest.
Insurance
We expect you to sort out your own insurance. The insurance
for the apartments does not include medical care, we expect that most
people will have travel insurance of their own anyway. Please ensure
that your personal cover includes winter sports.
Pistes
The Balcons du Soleil features ski-on-ski-off directly out of the
front door of the apartment block. There is no need to get on a bus to
get to the ski lifts.