J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Gaz C

Top man! :thumbup:

wasley wrote:We are staying at the Villaggio Olimpico soi guess get the cable car and ski down to Sauze on the first day to get our ski legs back

That sounds like a good plan. A morning in the bowl at Sportinia will give you a taste of the easier action and help get your ski-legs back before you tackle anything more strenuous. You could then, perhaps 'bob' back over to Sestriere for some of the more challenging reds there. In good conditions, none of them are overly difficult, so you should have loads of fun.

I think there are 'easier' blacks than 21 (can't remember which ones though). If memory serves me right 21 is the FIS Downhill run to Sansicario. It's a bit dodgy to recommend black runs to intermediates, but as I said before I think you have chosen the perfect area to progress from Andorra. If you have skied any of the blacks in the Grandvalira area then think of the blacks on the Milky Way as no steeper but a fair bit longer.

I'm not in the area :cry: , but it's definitely on my list of 'unfinished business'! Went to Chatel with my mate and his Dad about ten years ago. We had about five weeks skiing under our belts and had never seen anything like it (and that includes the Mausefalle at Kitzbuhel). It scared us $h!t1£$$ from off the chair-lift across the valley! At first our brains just wouldn't accept that those barely moving ant-like figures were actually skiers.

My mate went to Morzine with some of his mates three weeks ago with the express intention of 'nailing it'. He didn't get the chance; it was closed while they were there, and now he's even more bitter and twisted about it than I am :lol: !

Just to give an idea of how difficult this one is; the very next year we went to Alpe d'Huez and did 'Le Tunnel' and 'La Combe Charbonniere' in the same day. 'Chapeau' to you guys, it's a beast!

caltonhat wrote:

GazC do you mean Alleghe? Alta Badia is the Corvara area.

Er, yeah. I knew that :oops: :lol:

I fancy Alta Badia for it's ski-bus links with Kronplatz. While I like the look of Kronplatz, I'm not sure there's enough there to keep me occupied for a week. I'd quite like some opinions on this from people who have been. It's also handy for both Arabba and Selva.

I knew virtually nothing about Alleghe, but it sounds interesting from your description. I think we're agreed it's hard to go wrong in the Dolomites -) .

I reckon that Sauze d'Oulx is a perfect progression from Pas de la Casa. In fact Sauze itself is no more difficult than Pas (much nicer though IMO). As others have already said, the more difficult stuff is around Sestriere and Sansicario.

My mate learned to ski in Sauze. On the first two days we would kill ourselves laughing as we watched him from the chairlifts. His 'constipated statue' stance was unmistakable :lol: . By the third day he was able to follow us around the Sportinia bowl and by the end of the week he was able to make the trip (by bus) to Montgenevre.

Claviere and back in the day isn't a problem if you're keen enough, but it's much better to go on the bus to get a full day's skiing over there. The reps will probably try to sell you a trip; or you can take a bus down to the town of Oulx, from where there are/were regular buses to Claviere.

We found the SCGB rep (Chris) to be a mine of useful information. Don't know if he's still doing it but he was always to be found in Paddy McGinty's bar early in the evening.

Hope this helps and have a good one :-) .

Juddernaut wrote:With regard to being booted out of the huts at 5:30pm. I can't see how they can risk letting people do their own thing up on the slopes, especially if they have imbibed.
The 6 Russians who recently drove the skidoo over a cliff at night after drinking is an extreme example of what can happen.

I agree 100%. I was just pointing out the 'personal skills' of the representatives or the Italian authorities, which I think are a reflection of, and a credit to the Italians in general. I appreciate that they have a job to do and I think they do it well. As beautiful as those mountains are I really wouldn't want to spend a night 'al fresco' in them :) .

Can't help with this one but I'm sure someone will be able to. I get the feeling that L2A is one of those 'marmite resorts'. I've never been, but it is on my radar. Mainly because of the great stuff I've heard about the Easiski lot. I think they might have just what I need to move my level of skiing on to where I'd like it to be. Look forward to tour views on the place when you return.

andyhull wrote:It has to be snowing hard before I reach for my goggles. I've got some glasses with interchangeable lenses, which cover virtually all conditions.
They were quite cheap, but the yellow lenses are fabulous in low light.

Good shout. I carry a cheap pair of cycling glasses with yellow lenses (as well as my Ray-Bans for posing -) ) in my pocket or backpack. I can't remember if they came from Aldi or Lidl. I've lost count of
the number of times I have used them when I have lent my goggles to mates who have been struggling in the flat light. They have always worked well for me whenever I have had to do this. Cheap does not always equal 'carp' -)