Join the Wait List, and we'll contact you if we have a suitable cancellation.
Jan 14-22, 2022
$2,375
Listed price includes round-trip air; lift tickets not included in package.
Optional 4-night post-skiing extension in London ($1,135) returns January 26.
Skiing and snowboarding 365 days a year – something this unique destination, straddling the border between Switzerland and Italy, pulls off with international flair. Come to Zermatt and enjoy Swiss hospitality coupled with Italian lifestyle. Enjoy the runs on endless pistes with a spectacular backdrop of mountains. At almost 4,000 meters altitude, Matterhorn Ski Paradise is the highest winter sports area in the Alps. Apart from guaranteed snow conditions, the region is one of the best-developed and extensive ski resorts anywhere in the world.
Our trip includes 7 nights (Sat-Sat) in the boutique 4-star Hotel Albana Real with full daily breakfast buffet and daily Swiss/European-based dinners including soup, salads, pasta, meat and fish. RT air from Washington Dulles (IAD) to Geneva (details below). Welcome drink upon arrival. Lift tickets not included. Emergency medical, evacuation & repatriation insurance (not cancellation insurance) is included (details below).
Hotel Albana Real welcomes us in an atmosphere that is both refined and relaxed. The luxurious hotel, equipped with a touch of Art Deco, invites us to rest and relax. Handcrafted wood carvings decorate the rooms and suites, decorated in soft colors and modern but quite rustic style. The hotel is a 2-minute walk to the ski shuttle, or about a 10-minute walk to the lifts. Free WiFi is included.
Entry into the hotel's wellness spa is included: Indoor pool, sauna, steam bath, Jacuzzi & gym.
Listed cost is for double occupancy. A limited number of rooms may be available for single occupancy; request when registering and the trip leader will confirm availability and cost, and make an adjustment to your invoice if you can be confirmed.
Lift Tickets: Lift tickets are not included in the package. We plan to do a discounted group purchase of the 6-day International Ski Passes, which allow skiing at neighboring Cervinia, Italy, where many of us expect to venture a time or two (a great lunch stop!). We think the cost will be about $430.
- If you request the ticket when you sign up (register) for the trip, we'll add the cost to your trip invoice once the price is confirmed, sometime in the fall (before final payments are due).
- Or, you could wait and buy your lift pass at the resort.
Ikon Pass: The full Ikon Pass is good for 7 days of skiing at Zermatt, and the Ikon Base Pass for 5 days, but neither pass allows you to ski over to Cervinia. You can upgrade your pass on a daily basis to include Cervinia for 42 CHF/day (about $46) at a ticket window (2021 price; may change).
Trip Insurance: Emergency medical, evacuation & repatriation insurance (not cancellation insurance) is included. Note that this is not cancellation coverage and will not provide any relief if you have to cancel from the trip before it begins, whether for medical or other reasons. You may upgrade your coverage to include cancellation coverage by clicking on the link. It will take you to a flyer describing the options available, including a link to the detailed coverage plan. Note that the "Cancel for Any Reason" (CFAR) option must be purchased within 14 days of paying your initial deposit on the trip.
Return Home - or Continue to London: Saturday (Jan 22) those returning to the U.S. will fly to Dulles and those on the extension will fly to London (schedule farther below).
Itinerary for Basic Trip: (Subject to Change) Flights on United Airlines
(Return flight times updated 10/2/2021)
OUTBOUND from Dulles:
Friday, January 14 - United Airlines
|
|
UA #974 Depart Washington Dulles (IAD) 5:30 pm
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Arrive Geneva (GVA) Saturday morning 7:25 am
(6-hour time change)
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RETURN to Dulles:
Saturday, January 22 - United Airlines
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UA #975 Depart Geneva 11:40 am
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Arrive Washington Dulles 3:15 pm
(6-hour time change) |
London Option - $1,135
4-night post-skiing extension in London
returns to the U.S. Wednesday, January 26
Four nights (Sat-Wed) in the 4-star Strand Palace Hotel with daily breakfast and half-day guided city tour. Includes flight on Saturday, Jan 22, from Geneva to London.
Situated on the bustling thoroughfare of The Strand in the heart of London's West End and easily accessible from the City, Docklands and Trafalgar Square, the Strand Palace Hotel offers an unbeatable location. Surrounded by iconic architectural and cultural landmarks, this historic hotel is the perfect address for our vacation extension, offering impeccable service in a vibrant central London setting.
The Strand is more than just a busy street. Running parallel to the Thames and connecting Westminster to the City, it has been a focus for political and financial power for centuries. The hotel opened its doors in 1909 after permission had been granted for construction of a "grand" new hotel. The 1920’s saw the hotel expand, but the real story was a spectacular redesign. New art deco features – including a foyer so iconic that it is now owned by the Victoria and Albert Museum – proved a hit with fashionable Londoners, and made the hotel a firm fixture on the capital’s social scene. The hotel adapted quickly to the Second World War, providing accommodation for American servicemen, accepting ration vouchers in its restaurants and sheltering guests in its basement during air raids. With the war years behind it, the hotel began to modernize. By 1958 all rooms had private bathrooms, and increased demand for hot water spelled the end for old coal-fired boilers, which had been salvaged from a First World War battleship. Modern oil-fired models took their place. Electronic cash registers soon followed, hinting at the communications revolution to come.
With Wi-Fi and flat-screen TVs throughout, the Strand Palace would now be unrecognizable to guests from the Edwardian era. But links with the past still remain: a few Art Deco touches are visible inside and outside the building; guests from the war years still return to relive their memories. Outside, the Strand remains a buzzing focal point of West End life, just as it was in 1909.
Listed cost is for double occupancy. A limited number of rooms may be available for single occupancy; request when registering and the trip leader will confirm availability and cost (est @ $690), and make an adjustment to your invoice if you can be confirmed.
Itinerary for London Extension: (Subject to Change)
Saturday (Jan 22) we'll fly on Swiss International Airways from Geneva to London's City Center Airport and be bused to our hotel.
Wednesday morning (Jan 26) we'll be bused to Heathrow airport for our United Airlines flight home.
OUTBOUND from Dulles:
Friday, January 14 - United Airlines
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UA #974 Depart Washington Dulles (IAD) 5:30 pm
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Arrive Geneva (GVA) Saturday morning 7:25 am
(6-hour time change)
|
GENEVA to LONDON:
Saturday, January 22 - Swiss Int'l Air
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| LX #434 Depart Geneva (GVA) 10:55 am |
Arrive London City Center Airport (LCY) 11:30 am
(1-hour time change) |
RETURN to Dulles:
Wednesday, January 26 - United Airlines |
|
| UA #919 Depart London Heathrow (LHR) 12:05 pm |
Arrive Washington Dulles (IAD) 3:45 pm
(5-hour time change) |
Membership Requirement: Your club membership must be current when signing up for the trip and throughout the duration of the trip. The trip will be "sanctioned" through the Blue Ridge Ski Council. Current members of other BRSC member ski clubs may register for the trip beginning July 1.
Payment Schedule:
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Initial Deposit
|
October 12, 2021 |
November 9, 2021 |
Basic Trip
|
$800 |
$800 |
Balance Due
|
London Extension
|
$400 |
$400 |
Balance Due |
We’ll confirm your registration after you've signed up (registered) for the trip and we've received your payment: Pay online by going to our Partial Payments Page where you can make initial deposits &/or interim payments for one or more trips, and for one or more members, in a single transaction. You may also make partial payments with credit cards at club meetings. Note: If you wish instead to pay for the entire trip (or to pay your remaining balance), you should make your payment directly against your trip invoice. You can find your invoice(s) from your profile page by selecting your name in the upper right corner of the website when you are logged in.
If you prefer to pay by check, make it payable to the Pentagon Ski Club and mail it to Christina at the address below. Indicate which trip, and what skier(s), it is for. Or give it to her at a club meeting.
Trip Leader:
Christina Anderson
gerakisparta@yahoo.com
5502 Maplefield Place
Alexandria, VA 22310
(703) 719-6714 (h)
(703) 489-6171 (c)
