J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by bedrock barney

Ischgl is on my list as is Lech. We're really keen to try Austria having skied 5 countries so far.

I have a business friend who skied Ischgl in January and was very impressed.

Agreed. Can't do much about proper flat light. I've got an interchangeable lens designed for flat light but it doesn't help that much.

How comfortable one feels is presumably down to skier ability. In really bad conditions I steer well clear of blacks and tricky reds. Mrs BB is only happy when it's sunny!

Great review Tony!

Zermatt/Cervinia remains on our favourites list and I'm sure we'll head back before too long. I would opt to stay in Zermatt though as the town experience is so rewarding. Good to get more info on skiing in Cervinia though.

I hear what everyone is saying on this thread but I simply don't have the time or motivation to chase down the cheapest ski hire every time we head off on holiday. I'm happy to pay Snowberry rates in Val d'isere as their kit is great, they are very helpful and they have a great facility which allows the storage of skis and boots overnight in their shop.

Likewise in Zermatt, we've used Flexrent each time, not because they were the cheapest but because they came recommended and again allow storage overnight in their shop.

I suppose in the context of spending several thousand pounds for each family ski holiday, I'm not that interested in chasing down 30 or 40 quid for a cheaper set of skis.

As I said earlier, it's simply supply and demand at work. However, if the marketplace is fixed in Lech then you either pay up, take your own skis or go on holiday somewhere else.

I think 'rip off' is an over used phrase these days.....

Pricing is usually down to the economics of supply and demand. I haven't skied Lech (but would like to) but I'm led to believe it's a premium resort and as such I wouldn't expect bargain basement pricing.

We always use Snowberry when we ski in Val d'Isere and their kit is brilliant. Current online price for int/adv skis for the week is 139 Euros. Adv/expert is 159 euros.

Therefore Lech seems comparable (unless you are being asked to pay 165 euros for substandard kit)

Out of interest, I only paid 995 krone for advanced skis when in Are, Sweden recently. That calculates to about £80 for the week which seemed amazingly good value.

Dan - not sure what you've done with your photo. You will need to have it hosted by photobucket or similar and then paste the HTML code into your post. Guide here:

https://www.j2ski.com/ski-chat-forum/posts/list/4575.page

Of course, what we really want to see is the go pro footage of your epic jump and subsequent dent you made in the mountain........... :D

I agree that its possible to find gentle slopes for beginners in Zermatt but it's not at all obvious from the town. Part of learning to ski is in the mind (in terms of confidence) as much as it is developing proper techniques.

I wouldn't have wanted to learn to ski in Zermatt. In fact, I actually think Val d'Isere is a better place for beginners despite the justified criticism of the piste grading. The beginner area is immediately near to the main base and it's a quick chair/telecabin up to green runs above Solaise.

Zermatt is a great resort but perhaps very intimidating for a 1st time skier?