J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Jan I Stenmark

Pavel: Great thread and a welcome dose of self-depreciating humour!

I can think of lots of times I’ve looked and felt like a complete moron :oops: but this one is easy to tell:

I used to work for a well known ski-slope operator in the UK who owned 5 or 6 slopes (I forget exactly how many) and one of the compensations was that we got to have our own “personal” uniforms.

On holiday in the Alps I used to wear my “work” uniform partly because it was very hard wearing and partly because if you looked closely it said “Instructor” ;)

One day on a long double-chair lift ride I was deep in conversation with my fellow rider when he mentioned my ski suit. He said he thought it looked very smart and enquired about the “Instructor” motif. Needless to say I went on at length describing the work I did and how what it was like to work for the company. After listening for some time he asked my name and having told him I felt I ought to respond in kind. His answer left me cold, “My name, oh yes, John Nike! I’m very glad you enjoy working for me!”

I’m sure that the lift company would have understood if I had jumped to my fate … I’m just glad I avoided telling some of the stories that would’ve prematurely ended my employment :D

Happy days,

Jan

Ross, great thread and very timely – Thanks!

Juliet, there are very few times in life when ones experience can truly be said to enrich another’s, I think J2Ski may be one of them. For myself I post almost exclusively for the aid and interest of those who are either just considering entering our sport or who are keen to explore its deeper mysteries. What I absolutely don’t want is to have a contest going on between “experts”. Not only is that terminally boring for everyone but it creates a culture which is totally at odds with the “come on in and ask anything” one which I believe J2Ski enjoys so much of the time.

So Juliet PLEASE don’t go! I know how I felt when I joined a Mountain Bike Forum (about which I know very little) and got either ignored or laughed at by the sages there.

Which brings me back to my opening thought about the sharing of experience – I am very glad if even one person finds something I post of use.

The trouble starts when there is a conflict of personality and the written medium fails to express all the subtle nuances that exist in verbal communications. So for example it’s very hard to convey irony or sarcasm in plain text especially as most posts are really little more than a jotted down thought, created in the moment and submitted before any real censoring has occurred. I believe this is how the little bits of tension that arise here are started and then escalate.

The danger which exists it that everyone stops making spontaneous posts. All the life and fun would drain from the site and any posts would be more like essay submissions for an end of term exam.

One last thought – My person motto is “Teach a wise man and he will be wiser!” One of the reasons I so enjoy reading ALL the posts here – Even the ones I don’t like or agree with!

Vive la difference!

Jan

Dave is right about the Seat61 site but I found some of the info rather out of date so be sure to do your own homework ;)

Happy travels

Jan

So, ise, can I take it you have no personal experience of these then :?:

Perhaps it would be helpful if I fully explained the reason for my question ... I have been considering providing a range of complementary sets for our guests who find themselves in need of some extra traction. I have considered providing chains but covering every tyre size would be very costly. Also, the labour and inconvenience with chains is relatively high. I had hoped that someone who had actually used them might be able to help me understand how flexible the sizes are and if a “full” range of socks was really necessary. I was not intending travelling great distances or relying on them as a primary source of traction (all my vehicles run studded snow tyres throughout the winter months as well as carrying chains whenever either required or simply sensible)

From a hoteliers point of view, customers sometimes

need a tiny bit more traction and autosocks give just that

so I fail to see the joke?

I would suggest that if asking a simple, open and honest question results in this kind of response then I for one think this site will quickly join the ranks of back-biting, conceited, opinionated mediocrity that so far it has succeeded in avoiding. Let’s not allow that to happen!

With reference to September snow, I don’t recall expressing any surprise, merely an enthusiasm for the same which I believed might be shared by others on this site.

Feeling frustrated, disappointed and saddened,

Jan

L.

I made this exact same journey 2 weeks ago and it was fabulous :) The luxury of European trains is in a completely different (and better) class than a budget airline or for that matter, a high end airline when flying economy.

My journey started at St Pancras at 05:25 (check-in @ 05:00) I arrived in Paris @ 08:50 (local time) and then spent a pleasant few hours in Paris shopping and enjoying the pavement cafes ;)

The 13:10 ICE (InterCityExpress) to Stuttgart dropped me at Mannheim ten minutes before my connection to the Frankfurt ICE destined for Innsbruck. I arrived in Wörgl @ 19:43 feeling fresh, relaxed and 10 mins from Niederau. Oh and I had two VERY heavy cases that would have cost £100’s in excess baggage. Other than a cursory glance at my passport and a walk through the arch at St. Pancras there was no check-in stress and comparatively no delay.

Now for the numbers:

London-Paris = £29.50
Paris-Mannheim = €38.50
Mannheim-Wörgl = €18.95

Which = the best part of €95 – and lets say €15 for a waitress service, 3 course meal on route so all in €110,-

I didn’t price the return trip so I can’t say how that would compare. Although assuming the same figures that would give €220,- or about £175.00.

Now the big question is, how much would that journey cost in Feb? I don’t know but a call to D-Bahn would undoubtedly give a good idea.

The other aspect to your question is that you wish to travel at night. This may work in your favour as sleeping berths are available between Paris and Munich and at very low prices. I had a quick look at http://www.bahn.de and I think it may be too early to get a price just yet.

In conclusion I would thoroughly recommend trains as a means of transport if only because they are so much more comfortable and “interesting” than planes …

If I can be of more help, pls PM me :)

Cheers

Jan

Thanks for that useful detour into answering the unasked question but ... Has anyone actually used them?

Surprisingly, I can read the website, interpret the bumf and draw my own conclusions, I hope, as well as then next person – what I find harder is gaining practical knowledge from a user …

Actually that gives me a good idea – Ski equipment reviews based on armchair critiques of other peoples experience distilled from après ski bar chat after a few beers … It’d certainly avoid all that nasty need for familiarity or worse, contact with a product.

So as I said,

Has anyone used these?

Jan

Has anyone used these?

They seem like a good idea but experience is always the true test.

Jan

Here's one of my SX-11's (no points for the resort!)



Jan