J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by lilywhite

Check out UKPA for a good deal, accom not exactly 5* but better than your average UK hostel, food included so might make your budget go further than you think.

P.s Welcome, excuse my forgetting my manners!

New year will be extremely busy, if you leave it until last minute you run the risk of not getting your choice of airport/resort/accom, leaving it that late I'm assuming means you want a package deal? If your tickets have to be couriered to you or picked up at the airport they incur an extra cost, if you leave it til last min you'll probably have to sort passes etc yourself last min (some t/o's might be able to sort them for you but no guarantee) which means extra time queueing in resort and no discount availability.
If your taking gear with you you might find no ski carriage so you'll have to rent or possibly pay a premium to get it on the plane. If your renting gear and anyone has any awkward requests like size 14 ski boots (a friend had this happen) you might find none available as they had all been reserved, then you have to buy- could be costly.
Pretty much any time out of school holidays I'd be happy to hold out for a bargain, but honestly at new year unless your prepared to go ANYWHERE and stay in a toilet if necessary I wouldn't leave it til last min. -)

Thats great, thank you for taking the time to reply, now I can dare get excited!! :)

Thank you, that was what I was hoping, having been later season previously I was hoping that it would be quieter.
I am definately planning a couple of refresher lessons,my ankles belong to someone else at the moment so finding my edges is a must do! I was going to get in touch with DSUK for advice re: instructor as with nerve damage and limited feeling in my feet they might be better placed to advise. If they can't help then I will contact snowcrazy.
Cheers Andy and Bandit, Lily x

I have the chance of a really good deal in Les Arcs 1800 this coming January, only thing that worries me is how busy the pistes might be? I'm recovering from an injury and suffering a real crisis of confidence that come with being disabled, having people shoot past me at all o'clocks is sure to freak me out.
I have previously been able to cheerfully carve blues, enjoy reds and pick my way safely down blacks with no style but a big grin however having had spinal surgery this year I barely managed a cautious snowplough at the dome recently due to the volume of people on the slope.
Anyone with who has been in January that can advise me how busy it might be I would be grateful. Thank you in advance for any constructive advice on this. :D

Usually when you book lessons in resort unless you have NEVER skied before the instructors tend to ask to see you ski to make sure your in the right group. Whether they split into 2nd week skiers/intermediate/advanced depends on numbers, generally you'll find the first half hour your groups stick to same area of the mountain to allow the better skiers or slower skiers to move up or down as appropriate so don't let your brother worry what ability level he states, the instructors at most resorts will change groups as they see fit. It makes life easier for them to have people of a similar level together.
He will probably find that having done some lessons on dry slopes that snow skiing is much easier and more forgiving, the only thing that might come as a shock is how much more quickly you appear to pick up speed. -)

If your going in February again then check when the holidays are or it could be really busy.
In the low intermediate catagory your probably more interested in cruisy flattering runs to give your bro the bug.
Green/blue/red/black mean diff things in diff resorts in diff conditions. If the snow is nice and plentiful it can turn a black run blue, likewise scraped ice brown with earth poking thru can turn an otherwise gentle run into something else entirely. For that reason alone I would suggest strongly you book a lesson for your first day at least, a little local knowledge is very helpful.
There are plenty of resorts that would fit the bill, you don't need somewhere enormous for your first real snow experience but I would choose somewhere with a lot of blue runs, other than that it rather depends on your budget, where your most convenient airport flys/how much time you want to spend driving or how long you want to spend on a bus transfer.
If your budget is tight you might want to look at Italy or Austria too.
In France Montegenevre is full of flattering cruisy runs for your level, La Thuile in Italy is worth a look too and Hochkonig in Austria.
I'm sure wherever you go you'll have fun. -)