Looking for the most cost effective 3 day ski trip to either Mt Buller or Hotham for a group of 6 preferably with ski hire & lift passes included. We are beginner to intermediate level skiers. Appreciate any assistance, direction or advice anyone can provide.
Group Ski Trip - Victoria
LMickiP on 10/04/2014 - 15:37
Comments
Hi, can you email me details of this accommodation? I've a family of 2 adults and 3 kids below 12 years old. Is there a room available for the entire family with ensuite toilet and shower? Please email to [email protected] - thanks.
email sent
I have been to Mount Hotham the past few seasons. The best deal I found was during the off peak ( normally from 1/09 till season ends) if you booking with the accommodation at the Mt Hotham, it normally offers 50% off the lift, hiring and lesson package. I thought this was a very cost effective way.
I am a bit biased because I am on the committee of a ski lodge at Mt Buller.
I am an old school skiing tightarse. Ski clubs and lodges are the best value accommodation on the mountains. I have stayed at club lodges in all the Victorian and most of the NSW resorts. I dont want to break any rules for advertising in the forum but, with an OzB on the committee, our lodge rates are very competitive ($80 each per adult night high season). Lodge is 'on the mountain' but a little walk to/from the runs. Free shuttle bus stop that drops you off at ski school or other lifts is about 100m from our front door.
Accom is in bunkrooms but each room has its own new (refurbished last year) en suite with toilet and shower. BYO sleeping bag. Bunkrooms have a double and a couple of single bunks. Depending on when you go in the season, commercial accommodation in a hotel room etc can cost a small fortune. I initially became involved in lodge(s) and ski clubs back when I was a poor young student as they were the only way I could afford to stay on the snow. You can probably find cheapish accomodation at the base of the hill in Mansfield or sawmill settlement (Mt Buller), Bright or Mt Beauty (Falls Ck) etc but that would mean either driving up and down every day or paying more $$ to bus up and down every day and missing out on the fun of whatever is happening on the hill of an evening.
Most Club Lodges have a communal kitchen and loungeroom etc which means that you can chill as a group and can buy a pizza or groceries to save on eating out every night. Our lodge is also next door to a hire shop where you can get fitted up for skis/boards and they normally give a discount for people from our lodge. Also being in a lodge there are normally other folks there that you can get directions from or maybe even ski with etc. We regularly have ski instructors etc stay at the lodge.
If you are hiring stuff my recommendation is to hire on the hill. It might be cheaper to hire down in Mansfield or at some other shop on the way. If you break a ski or pole or if those ski boots are so tight and painful you cant wear them, you've wasted more than just the cost of hire, you've wasted your whole trip. If you hired on the hill you can just take the bad piece of kit back to the shop and swap it. On the hill itself I would avoid the main Mt Buller hire place (Buller Sports). No offence to them but the queue/fitting sessions of a morning are like the local cattleyards. Loads of people being churned through and spat out the other end.
Lift tickets you are kind of stuck with. You can buy an 'e-tag' on the Mt Buller website. Basically it is an RFID tag that you pre-load with credit in the form of lift tickets. Occasionally Mt Buller have deals but realistically, not very often.
Getting there, Mt Buller is about 3.5 hrs from Melbourne just past Mansfield. You can drive your own car there but they will stop you at the bottom of the mountain and charge you a mountain entry fee (cant remember how much but will be on the Mt Buller website). You need to have snow chains in the car but you can hire these cheaply at loads of stops along the way, plenty of spots in Mansfield. Realistically, you will be extremely lucky if you have to fit them. I have bought my own set for my last 3 cars and never had to fit any of them. If you need to fit chains it can only mean one thing….it's dumping sh1tloads of snow up top!!!
Mt Buller does a thing where they direct you to a parking spot. Once there you can either buy a pass for one of their expensive oversnow taxis (seat in the back of a landcruiser) or carry all your stuff 2 km uphill through the snow! There is no rule saying you have to use their overpriced taxi but unless you travel very light and enjoy being cold and wet it is almost compulsory.
Happy to help if I can, PM me if you would like more details about the lodge (happy to share info, just not sure about advertising in the forums).