J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by LOTA

I'm not snooty about these things and have a North Face shell that's 20 years old and still in excellent nick. At either end of the scale, I also have kit from Decathlon and an old SOS jumper that cost the earth but still looks the business. North Face used to be top notch with credibility. Used to be serious, good quality mountain gear. Now just a high street label - was in one of their shops a couple of weeks ago and the ski gear was tatty, to be honest.

Not really; North Face is not what is once was, I'm afraid.

Glad you liked it; I certainly did. Agree with your piste ranking assessment. The start of the red from the top of the Gaislachkoglbahn would be graded black in many other resorts (a similar pitch and orientation to the start of the famous Schilthorn black in Murren!)

Admin, are you there?

Done!

I last went to Fernie in early March 2007 when conditions were awful so I understand Mr Bum's friends' decision to get out of town. The resort is at a relatively low altitude so mild weather hits it badly. There was an SCGB Freshtracks holiday the fortnight I was there called 'Powder Paradise'; it should have been called 'Slush and Closure Nightmare'! Very happy, in hindsight, that I resisted booking Tahoe this season as conditions there have been pretty poor, too.

Thanks to a competition on J2Ski, I was the fortunate beneficiary of a short stay with full lift pass in Nendaz and have just returned from somewhere that was not previously on my radar, but certainly is now. Here's a few impressions/thoughts that might be helpful.

Travel: dead easy to get to. Early flight from Gatwick, train from the railway station and post bus from Sion worked beautifully. In resort in plenty of time to ski on Monday afternoon (see below). The return trip worked equally efficiently, leaving the resort at 4.15pm after a decent day's ski. The train was busier for the first hour or so, but Geneva airport at night was a delight. No queues, no hastle and only 21 passengers on our BA flight to Heathrow (and I bet our tickets were cheaper than all those packed into the lounge waiting for EasyJet to Luton and Southend!)

Accommodation: the Hotel 4 Vallees Nendaz and spa is magnificent. Not cheap, but you get what you pay for. Relaxing in the outdoor infinity pool as the snow fell was a surreal experience. I was expecting fierce bar prices but was pleasantly surprised - a large glass of decent wine and a full pint of beer came to £10 - reasonable given the upscale nature of the hotel (and it's Swisserland!). The room was superb and beautifully designed and furnished. I particularly liked the massive mirror that turned into the telly! The hotel also had its own funiculaire to take you to the bottom cable car station so no long treks to the lift etc!

Dining out: loads of choice as this is a resort that mainly caters to the apartment crowd. Dinner each night cost around £50 for two including drinks and desserts etc and was of a universally high standard. Wine cost from £2.85 a glass upwards; beer was around £4 for a pint. (I think an element of sense has crept in with Swiss businesses that rely on tourism realising they needed to adjust their prices a little).

Weather, skiing: As the train worked its way around Lake Geneva and into the mountains, the weather became increasingly worse. By the time we reached Sion, it was pouring with rain - something that continued as we climbed on the bus. In Nendaz itself, it had turned to light snow but the wind was blowing and the whole of the ski area was stormbound and closed! Oh well, never mind, off to the luxurious hotel spa!

The following day dawned bright and sunny (I refuse to use that horrible and nonsensical ski cliche 'blueb***') and there was some lovely skiing on pistes that had been in desperate need of the refreshment by new snow the previous day. Nendaz is not the most convenient access point for the 4 Vallees, but it's own ski area at Tracouet is fun. The itinerary from Plan de Fou was enjoyable; steep but the moguls had been smoothed a little by new snow. But the black Les Fontaines below it was really tricky; a layer of new, unpisted snow on top of sheer ice. Quite a challenge.
Tessa had private lessons with the Neige Aventure school; a highly competent and encouraging British instructor helped her really progress. Definitely worth the money.
Day three saw persistent and heavy snow until 1.30pm (when the sun came out and the skiing was brilliant!). However, morning visibility was fine (well done, my new Oakley Flight Deck goggles) below 2,400 metres. Higher up was much murkier. Conditions underfoot much improved again.
Day four was bright but windy and the Nendaz sector was closed so we took the extremely crowded bus to Siviez which was busy, but served really well by high-speed chairs and a gondola. The Greppon Blanc sector blacks and reds were quiet and in great condition for some high-speed swooping!

And then it was time to come home. I liked Nendaz and the luxury hotel, obviously, and it was not as expensive as I was fearing. Overall, would definitely like to go back for a longer trip.

North Face, Tone? That's the modern equivalent of C&A's Rodeo brand!!

Having done lots of solo trips, I find the best way to get accommodation is either through an internet hotel booking site (booking.com, hotelclub.net or hotels.de) or through the resort websites. Austria and Switzerland are the best bet for single rooms. Transfers can be the biggest pain, hence I go for resorts with railway stations in resort or close by!