Poster: A snowHead
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25,000 questionnaires were sent out. 20,000 by post and 5,000 by internet. To social classes A & B The results were analysed and ranked by NOP World, a market research agency. A widely respected travel survey from which the following are of interest to snowHeads ..... last year's position in brackets.
Ski Companies
Best- Mark Warner (1)
- Inghams
- Neilson (4)
- First Choice
- Crystal Holidays (3)
Ski Resorts
Best- Courchevel (2)
- Banff
- Val D'Isere (3)
- Chamonix
- Zermatt
Most Disappointing- Chamonix
- Alpe D'Huez
- La Plagne
- Whistler (no 1 in Best, 2003)
- St. Anton
A couple of rather odd results - Chamonix makes it to both Best & Most Disappointing categories. Maybe it's a resort you either love or loathe?
And what could explain Whistler's remarkable fall from favour?
[Edit:] this thread has been upgraded to the News section, and is shadowed in Piste. You can comment below as normal and postings will appear in both sections. I think!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I can't help feeling that 'Most Disappointing' has more to do with people's false expectation. Nothing wrong with La Plagne for instance if you expect motorway pistes. Some people will be dissappointed where ever they go. Or is it just that these are popular resorts and are bound to get lots of votes in both categories?
[posted in News section - the 'Piste' version isn't so much of a 'shadow' as a link to this 'News' version' - look top left you are now in 'snowNews' regardless of whether you started in 'Piste']
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Pete Horn, good point. I have no complaints about La Plagne except for the architecture, which I knew about in advance so it was no surprise.
Here is the full article from the Saturday Telegraph Travel Section with all the winners listed in all the other categories. { Unfortunately registration is required to view it. All they want is an email address and password - I haven't noticed them using it in any way. } At the bottom of their article is an explanation of the method of ranking which they claim did not discriminate against smaller companies, resorts or whatever.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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As a comparison to the Telegraph awards, here are the top 10 ski tour operators nominated by (around 1800) readers of the Guardian and announced last May:
1. Inntravel
2. Waymark
3. Neilson
4. Equity
5. Mark Warner
6. British Airways Holidays
7. Ski World
8. Independent
9. Thomas Cook
10.Inghams
The survey is well worth looking at if you want recommendations in other categories, such as airlines, cruises, hotels, cities etc etc. Click here.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Interesting - if you go further down the Guardian ski tour ops list you'll also find Easyjet and Ryanair. Since when were they T.O.s ??
I'd never heard of Inntravel but they also won in the short-break category, so Google to the rescue and here's their home page. Their skiing is mainly cross-country. Not a topic we cover much on snowHeads.
Got to be careful with some of these survey results, people.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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That's the fascination, because Waymark are x-county specialists too. No harm in that. I suspect you meet a very nice class of person and tour op rep on a x-country ski holiday.
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