Note: The Assistant Trip Leader has changed - Welcome John Kelly

• Round Trip Air from Newark (Delta/KLM) - depart Friday evening, arrive in the resort midday Saturday, depart following Saturday morning for 90 minute flight to Amsterdam, depart on  Tuesday morning for Newark.  *Estimated airline taxes & fuel surcharge included.
• Round trip Motor Coach between Piscataway and Newark airport.
• Ground Transfers to/from Geneva/Amsterdam airports to our hotels.
• 7-nights slope side Hotel lodging in the Hotel Le Montana, La Tania; Double Occupancy, includes:
  • Ski in/ski out in the heart of the Three Valleys! 
  • Daily breakfast and 4-course dinners.
  • Hotel spa with Jacuzzi, sauna, heated indoor pool, Turkish bath, game room, and small fitness center.
  • Free wifi internet access in the common areas (not in room).
  • Cozy bar and fireplace lounge, perfect for groups.
  • BEST location in La Tania and many would say in the Three Valleys!
  • Located adjacent to the free bus to Courchevel.
  • Village high speed gondola station is 200' away - skiable.
• 3-nights at the 4-Star Hotel Die Port Van Cleve, in the historical/cultural heart of Amsterdam, near Dam Square, includes:
  • Daily breakfast buffet
  • 1/2 day city tour of Amsterdam
  • Free wifi throughout the hotel
• Fixed Euro-Dollar exchange rate:  The trip price is guaranteed against any currency fluctuation.

Join the Holmdel Ski Club on a 10-day adventure to the French Alps and downtown Amsterdam.   Our adventure will start in La Tania - a pedestrian ski town in the middle of the French Alps.  La Tania (pronounced La Tahn Ya) is a wonderful village in a convenient location in the Three Valleys (aka Les Trois Vallees).  The Three Valleys is a name given to the various interlinked ski resorts including La Tania, Meribel, Courchevel, Val Thorens, and others.  A single ski pass allows you to ski the entire range.    Our lodging in La Tania provides easy access to the larger ski villages of Meribel and Courchevel.  Val Thorens is an above tree-line ski town high up in the Alps, 10 miles from La Tania; a good destination for a clear day. Intermediates and above can access the entire Three Valleys without the need for any buses.  As a skier/snowboarder you can ski/ride out of the hotel for 200' to the La Tania Gondola. Only one chairlift is needed after the gondola to enable you to ski directly down to Meribel in one direction or Courchevel in the other direction. At the end of the day you can ski/ride back to the hotel or you can enjoy après ski in Courchevel and use the free ski bus to return to the hotel in time for dinner.

La Tania sits at 4600' above sea level and is part of the famous Les Trois Vallees (Three Valleys), with over 373 miles of pistes, snowparks and halfpipes.  The La Tania resort guide is located here.   La Tania, created for the 1992 Olympic Games, is a pedestrian village consisting of traditional style chalets with a magnificent forest backdrop.  Our hotel is in the best location in the village, adjacent to ample après ski events, reasonably priced bars, stores (snacks, beer, wine, souvenirs) and restaurants.  Check out this interactive map of the town that shows ski runs leading right to the hotel.

The Three Valleys area is recognized as the biggest and best-linked ski/snowboard area in the world. With 373 miles of runs, 200 of the most modern lifts available and tens of thousands of acres of off-piste terrain, it offers unlimited skiing and boarding for all levels in snow-sure terrain.  The expanse is breathtaking, the scenery is spectacular and the overall skiing and snowboarding unmatched.

Other Videos:  La Tania Town/Area Video, Hotel Video

The Three Valleys holds the world record for high capacity gondola lifts, which means lines will be minimal, so you will get to ski/ride as much terrain as you like! Check out the stats: 200 lifts, over 6,000 acres of groomed runs, 2,091 snow cannons, 420 Ski patrollers, and 1,500 Ski instructors. With 50% of the runs green and blue (easy), 50% of the runs advanced (red and black), and virtually an unlimited amount of off piste, there is something for everyone.

The red arrow shows the location of the village of La Tania

Because there are many different lift ticket combinations available, the Club is not including them as part of the package.  As we get closer to the trip date, we will provide information about the various options.  Also, for those of you who prefer to rent skis, we will provide a web site to reserve skis well in advance of the trip.

For the cross country ski enthusiasts, La Tania is situated on a cross country trail that links Meribel and Courchevel, allowing you to connect to the network of trails at each resort (about 25 miles at Meribel and 43 miles at Courchevel) going in either direction. And all of the cross country trails are free of charge!

Non-Skiers/Snowboarders can purchase a pedestrian pass which enables access to the hiking trails, walks, villages and slope side restaurants using many of the gondolas. Here is a web page with information from Meribel and Courchevel 1650. There is a lot to see and this is highly recommended as a great way to explore the Three Valleys.

AMSTERDAM:

The second part of our adventure is a 3-night stay in the city centre of Amsterdam, staying at the Hotel Die Port Van Cleve.  Amsterdam is one of the most entertaining and relaxing cities in the world offering first class museums (Van Gogh, Rijksmuseum, Hermitage), walking tours of historic places, the best beer you've ever had, canals, food/bistros everywhere, and the famous coffee houses.  See the official Amsterdam tourism web site.  If you have been to Amsterdam before, then you don't need any further info - you know that Amsterdam is awesome.   The average temperature in Amsterdam in early February is a high of 41 degrees and a low of 31 degrees - perfect for 3 days of touring a great city.

NOTES:

The Amsterdam segment of the trip is NOT optional.   If you want to leave early, then your  price for the trip will not be reduced.  Government airline tariffs for group bookings allow a maximum of 3 trip participants to deviate from our group return itinerary, meaning requesting a flight on a day other than Feb 7th from Amsterdam (AMS) to Newark on Delta Airlines.   However, those people will pay additional fees for their flight change (beyond the $2,050 group rate) and will have to pay for their own transportation to/from the airports (AMS and Newark).   Deviations will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Contact the trip leader for special requests, such as available but limited single occupancy rooms or to request a price quote from our travel agent for a return flight deviation.    Also note that the Club's Single Signup Rate policy has changed significantly for 2012.   If you are a single person signing up for one slot in a double occupancy room, then please be sure to read the Club's new Single Signup Rate policy.    A passport is required for this trip and the passport must not expire before August 8 2012 (6 months past our return to the USA).

**All taxes that are currently in effect, including airline taxes, are included in the price.   The current fuel surcharge as of June 30 is also included in the price.  Please note any additional airline tax or fuel surcharge imposed before our final ticketing is beyond our control and will require an adjustment in the final price.   Any fuel surcharge imposed on our ground transfers is also beyond our control and will require an adjustment.

In order to protect your investment in this trip, the Holmdel Ski Club strongly recommends that you consider purchasing travel insurance. After certain dates we will be assessed penalties and not be able to recover all or any of your deposit or final payment. You could lose your entire deposit or entire total payment depending on the date of cancellation. But trip cancellation is not the only reason for considering travel insurance. A good policy will also cover you during the trip for items including emergency medical treatment and transportation, and lost, stolen or damaged baggage.

You can purchase a policy anytime prior to starting the trip, but additional benefits such as coverage of pre-existing conditions are available if you purchase within a certain time limit after you make the trip deposit to the Holmdel Ski Club. That time limit varies from 7 calendar days to 15 days depending on the company. So you should make a decision as soon as possible. You can compare the coverage and the cost of the various policies at http://www.insuremytrip.com. But you should compare the policies for your own situation and carefully read the description of coverage to see what is covered and what are valid reasons for cancellation. Not all policies are covered at that general website. You can go to the individual companies such as http://www.travelguard.com to see a full list of their products and purchase a policy directly from them.

If you do purchase insurance, the trip description should contain all the information needed except for the name of the tour operator, which is Holidaze Ski Tours.

Please let the trip leader know if you have any questions about insurance. On nearly every trip we have at least one person who is forced to cancel for a very valid reason, but unfortunately may forfeit the entire payment for the trip.

Signup

Download the signup form (MS Word, PDF) to obtain the instructions for where to mail the form and your check.  The trip leader must receive both your check and the signup form in order to secure your reservation.

Trip Liability Form

Download a copy of the Trip Liability Release Form (MS Word, PDF) and mail to the trip leader (or email a scanned image of the page with your signature to the trip leader).    You must send a new liability form for each trip.

Also, please email the trip leader with an emergency contact name and phone number.   The contact should be someone who is not going on the trip.