J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by AllyG

Tony,
I have just been doing some adding up and discovered that during my entire life I have skied a total of 11 weeks, and I've never skied on slush once!

I guess I must have just been very lucky :D

I was going on what everyone else says about ski-ing slush - people out in the 'real' world and on here.

Maybe you should do one of those opinion poll things on what everyone thinks of ski-ing on slush :?:

Ally

Hi Tony,
Well, if you're stuck with swinging arms, I seem to be stuck with not facing downhill (in spite of all my lessons!).

It is interesting to see the way that everyone skis with their own particular style. I have noticed that it's easy to pick out friends and family coming down the slopes even when they are quite some distance away just by their ski-ing style.

Poor Ian, fancy missing out on all the filming fun :cry:
What about Mrs W - Is she in any of the footage?

Ally

Thanks very much Ellistine :D

I will watch the video again with renewed interest :lol:

Ally

I liked the video - thanks for putting it up :D

But it would be nice to know who's who?

Ally

Tony,
Congratulations on finding it very easy to ski on slush :thumbup:

Ally

Dids,
I looked it up, and apparently avalanches are very unlikely on slopes less than 25 degrees, so I suppose it is true that the snow sticks better to the less steep slopes.

And, also, during March and April the levels of solar radiation are maximum for slopes nearly 50 degrees (for the latitude of Innsbruck). I only thought of this one because I've been designing a solar panel array. But it is interesting because the optimum slope angle for solar radiation varies both with latitude and time of year. So that the snow on the less steep slopes will actually be less likely to melt in March/April than the snow on the steeper slopes, assuming each slope is facing the same way.

To get back to the original question - Ischgl or St Anton - I haven't been to either but I would have thought they'd both be okay during the first week of April as long as one was prepared to move around the mountain during the day and avoid the sunny slopes after the early morning (as I think Admin said in the thread on spring snow).

At the beginning of April there's bound to be a risk of slush on the lower slopes, so it's a case of either learning how to ski on slush and getting the right skis for it, or avoiding the lower slopes and taking the lifts down the final sections to the resort. Unless of course you go to a resort which is perched up high on the mountain side, like Obergurgl or Val Thorens.

Ally

Smartski,
Well done for the write-up :D

I think I've skied all the pistes in your 'challenge' but not in one day! You must have been going pretty fast to get around all of those.

We stayed in Meribel centre, and I must say it was pretty noisy, but very convenient for the ESF lessons and Ski Club of GB which start from the Chaudanne - very close to where our apartment was.

Maybe we should try Mottaret next time?

I do really like the 3 valleys. The snow is good, the pistes are excellent and suit everyone from beginners to advanced, and the area is really well connected. I think the only downside is the cost and I suppose that's inevitable because the 3 V's are so popular.

We've been at peak times - Feb half-term and New Year - and not really had a problem with queueing apart from when all the higher lifts and pistes were shut after the big storm and avalanche. As long as you get up early you can generally beat the crowds.

Ally

Skip,
If you have a look at some of the other threads you can see where others are planning to go. Basically most people are aiming to go somewhere pretty high and reasonably snow sure - like St Anton, Tignes, Val Thorens, La Thuile etc. etc.

Are you looking for a cheap last minute package holiday or going DIY?

Ally