J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by verbier_ski_bum

Party poopers!

I you need a boot that would fit you and work for YOU, so information which boots worked for anyone else has very little value.

http://lenews.ch/2015/08/13/verbier-to-cut-price-of-ski-passes/

Unfortunately doesn't mention the prices for season and annual passes, but still good news.

For a good guide "local" knowledge goes beyond what's outside the markers in his resort and definitely much further than the lift-served sidecountry. But local knowledge at least to me means that the guide knows what is below the snow, what terrain looks like when there is no snow on it etc. But, yes, I expect his "home" turf to be quite extensive, at least for Verbier the guide should be familiar with Haute Route and its variations/deviations, and very detailed knowledge of Arolla - Rosablanche - Combins area, plus St. Bernard- Trient since these are common destinations for ski touring. If any guide just moved to the area after spending years guiding elsewhere, I will pass at least until he stays in the area for a few years summers included. Chamonix so far has been the only place where we had a guide to take us to Grand Envers. Where there are no glaciers and crevasses and approach is known we have managed ourselves.

All tree skiing in Europe would be off-piste. Good snow season is needed for trees to be enjoyable or even skiable in some instances as the tree line is lower.

How much is the membership?

I heard it's quite bad at the moment at Tignes/VDI and much better things to do there than skiing which is totally not worth it. I have friends living there and this is the first summer in a while when they haven't bothered once to get their gear on. But biking has been good.

For crowds you need to check half-term breaks. It can get crowded but luckily there is more than one way to access the mountain. Snow conditions will depend on a season. I remember reading years ago that Zermatt was considered a drier resort, but it I also know that it was getting good snowfall last few seasons, particularly upper slopes. I've only been there twice - for Easter once, which was at the end of March, and at end of April during Zermatt Unplugged. Snow conditions were as one would expect for a time of the year, hard and fast in the morning, softer in the afternoon, remember skiing back to the village in a slush above the knees, but at Easter we got one powder day.