RETURN TO TOURPARTY SKIING BOOKING STEP 2

RETURN TO TOURPARTY SNOWBOARDING BOOKING STEP 2

[OTHER SPORTS? CLICK ON THE LINK FOR DETAILS OF OTHER SPORTS AND ACTIVE HOLIDAYS & CAMPS ON THE TOURPARTY HOME PAGE: SPORTS HOLIDAYS, CAMPS & TOURS.]

TOURPARTY @ THE BRITS 08 - SKIING AND SNOWBOARDING CAMP & HOLIDAY WITH TOURPARTY + BRITS 08 SKI & SNOWBOARDING CHAMPIONSHIPS
ABOUT LAAX, SWITZERLAND (EUROPE) IN MARCH / APRIL

[This is BOOKING STEP 2 of the 3-step process to booking your best ever Ski or Snowboard Holiday and/or Skiing or Snowboarding Camp. Click on the link to return to the Tourparty Skiing homepage or the Tourparty Snowboarding homepage for BOOKING STEPS 1 & 3 and other information.]

TOURPARTY + BRITS 08 IN LAAX - RESORT, HOTEL & TRAVEL INFORMATION (SWITZERLAND)

We have joined forces with the organisers of the BRITS 08 and the British Snow Tour to offer a Tourparty Camp for Youth and Adult participants over the week of the BRITS 08 Ski and Snowboard Championships in Laax, Switzerland.

Participation in the BRITS 08 is optonal and dependent on you meeting the entry requirements, however it is included in the cost of the holiday. Also included are the festival wrist bands granting entry to all the apres ski events, so whether you compete or not you are guaranteed a fantastic week of skiing and snowboarding and expert coaching in a fantastic resort.

There are many reasons to attend... firstly the Flilms / Laax resorts and ski area may not be featured in many of the big travel company brochures but there is no question that it the area rocks! It is a hidden gem with brilliant skiing and snowboarding, especially when the BRITS are in town!

Laax has a great snow record and is regarded as a European freestyle mecca, hosting competitions like the Orage European Freeski Open (skiing), the Burton European Open (snowboarding) and the FIS World Championships (skiing) as well as the BRITS. (Infact you may already have been there "virtually" as Laax was featured in the Xbox Snowboarding Game, Amped 2, in 2004 and then in the sequel Amped 3 on the Xbox 360 in 2005.)

Flims/Laax offers over 220km of varied pistes (70% of them above 2000m) in 3 linked areas. The resort is at 1100m above sea level, the highest lift is at 3018m. The lift system is excellent, with a capacity of over 40,000 per hour and queuing mostly limited to the weekends. There are some fantastic beginner runs with 63km of blue trails for beginners to cruise and 71km of red trails for more advanced skiers. The longest run comes in at 14km and there is some excellent off-piste skiing too.

The resort is determined to remain the number freestyle resort in the Alps with massive investment in creating a huge playground for freestyles from the start of the season with countless machine hours and truckloads of artificial snow, providing Ski Cross courses, rails, kickers, banks, perfect pipes and a great shaping and maintenance programme.

Laax is one of three ski resorts that make up the famous "White Arena ski area" - the second largest linked ski area in Switzerland. At 3000 meters above sea level, the Vorab Glacier makes this one of the most snow assured regions in Europe and February is a great time to visit with excellent snow every year. The landscape is stunning with far reaching views and altitudes ranging from 1,100m to 3,018m above sea level. Click on the link to see a 360 degree Panorama of Crap Sogn Gion, Laax Murschetg and other areas: Laax Panorama.

ACCOMMODATION & FOOD FOR THOSE BOOKING FULLY INCLUSIVE, FULL-BOARD (RESIDENTIAL) PLACES WITH TOURPARTY AT THE BRITS 08

CHECK IN... KICK BACK!

We've managed to get our hands on a limited number of beds in the Hotel Casa Selva round the corner from the Rider’s Palace where the BRITS apres-ski events take place with the evening award ceremonies, parties and club nights.

The Hotel Casa Selva is fully booked already, serving as the official residence for all the staff who make the BRITS happen, the sponsors and a bunch of the Pro teams competing over the week. It is is in a nice quiet location behind the Pizza restaurant opposite Hotel Rancho. A regular shuttle bus takes just 1 min to the main lift station, supermarket and infamous Crap bar ("Crap" is the real name meaning "mountain"!) at the bottom of the main slope.

The Hotel Casa Selva offers comfortable, secure accommodation with a Pool Table and Table Football games, a Sauna, Solarium, Mini-Fitness Center and plenty of storage for skis, snowboards and other equipment.

Our twin, 3 bed and 4 bed rooms are all en-suite with TV and many have balconies too. They are clean and tidy, with fresh bedding, pillows and towels are all provided. The rooms are allocated on a same sex basis and according to age. (If coming out with friends or relatives let us know their names and we will put you in the same room(s), otherwise we will put you with other skiers or snowboarders of the same age/sex. Whether you come out on your own or with people you know don't worry, you will make new friends in minutes with staff and other participants on the Camp - the atmosphere on a Tourparty Camp is always second to none and by the end of the week you will have a load of new friends to keep in touch with and swap plans for your next Tourparty Camp!

Food is good and there is plenty of it. All meals are included in the price of the Tourparty packages with a good breakfast in the morning, packed lunch and 3 course buffet dinner in the evening. A night or two in the Pizzeria (also owned by the Hotel) is included too.

We are able to meet all dietary requirements. Prior to the Holiday/Camp we send out a Camp information pack and various forms requesting details of dietary needs etc. So if you have particular food needs (such as vegetarian, vegan, kosher or halaal) we will be able to arrange this for you.

Tourparty @ The BRITS 08 will be all about maximising skiing and snowboarding time with expert coaching and great company, having fun making new friends and the chance to share one unique week with them - the Hotel Casa Selva lends itself well to this and should prove the perfect base for our Tourparty Camp & Holiday in Laax from Saturday 29 March to Saturday 5 April 2008.

“(I went because it...) ...sounded like a good trip and I liked the idea of getting some quality coaching.” (Tourparty Freestyle Camp 06, 23 years old)

HOW DO YOU PLAN TO TRAVEL TO LAAX?

You are free to make your own arrangements for travelling from wherever you live in the world to Laax in Switzerland, ideally arriving in the afternoon on Saturday 29th March 2008 and departing the following Saturday 5th April 2008.

The closest international airport is Zurich, served by most major airlines (and by budget airlines including Easyjet and Air Berlin). The transfer time is under 100 minutes normally.

Alternatively you can fly to Friedrichshafen airport (Germany) with Ryanair, again only 100 minutes from Laax.

If you are planning to arrive by plane into Zurich or Friedrichshafen airports can arrange your transfers to and from resort for you. The cost is £55 (80 EUR, $110 USD) return. This can be booked using the booking form or separately nearer the time of travel, depending on availability.

This transfer service from each airport includes a special "meet and greet" service for young people travelling alone or with friends - we just need flight details and will then take care of everything "door to door" from arrival at the airport at the beginning of the week to departure at the end of the week - a member of Tourparty staff will meet Youth participants off their flight and ensure they are on the transfer to Laax (to be met in resort by Tourparty staff), similarly Tourparty will escort Youth participants to the departure gates for their return flight.

Alternatively you can arrange your own transfer or travel by public transport using Buses / Trains to Laax from Zurich (traveling time is usually under 2.5 hours). The service runs every hour via train into Chur and then connecting bus into Resort. The cost is about CHF 110 roundtrip. For more information see: Zurich-Laax Bus / Train Timetable.

However you decide to travel to Laax for the Camp we would advise booking your place on the Camp first (now) and then looking into flight options.

It may be that you have to wait anyway until airlines (especially budget airlines) publish their flight schedules and allow booking for March / April 2008.

Obviously you should try to book as early as possible for the best prices because the BRITS 08 is a very popular event, though Zurich airport is certainly not as manic as Geneva.

(It is appreciated that some budget airlines have restrictions on young people traveling as unaccompanied minors however younger unaccompanied passengers can normally travel on national airlines from all countries around the world to Zurich and Friedrichshafen without difficulty, to be met by Tourparty staff.)

When booking remember to ensure you have booked hold luggage and sports equipment luggage where necessary depending on the airline.

“(The best part of the Camp for me was...) ...meeting the girls!” (Tourparty Freestyle Camp, 15 years old)

RETURN TO TOURPARTY SKIING BOOKING STEP 2

RETURN TO TOURPARTY SNOWBOARDING BOOKING STEP 2