J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by msej449

Practical advice for those of you with spectacles: I switched to my reserve glasses which are plastic lenses and frameless - these seemed far less prone to fog-up than my metal-framed, glass-lensed pair. May just be because -19C has 'improved' to -13C to -7C the last two days, but the plastics seem better.

And even with seven layers it was still cold, especially on chairlifts.

4/2/12: A literally stunning -19C at Savoleyres this morning:



But very quiet pistes(I wonder why?):



It improved to a slightly warmer -13 by the afternoon and was hazy sun all day. Skiing conditions were very good, powder everywhere and very smooth runs.

Later in the afternoon, we saw these two nutters going up Pierre Avoi (note the slab avalanche to their left).



The avalanche that closed the Savoleyres-Carrfour ski run was also cleared, so off to try the new Mayentzet lift tomorrow .....

Finally, for those travelling by train, Geneva and Valais trains have been affected by the temperatures and there have been many cancellations in the last few days.

3.2.12: Arrived La Tzoumaz Yesterday and skiied Savoleyres-Tzoumaz today. Tons of snow with good piste conditions. Temp at Savoleyres was -16C lunchtime. Hazy sun but rolling clouds over the area reducing visibility in patches. Fairly quiet, but more people in afternoon. Predicted to hit -22C tomorrow. Most of the day's skiing was good with exception of a couple of times when cloud rolled in.

If you're coming next week, definitely bring the long johns, and cold weather layers and a balaclava. Local ski shops have balaclavas for about 25-30 CHF and they make a big difference. I had 5 layers on (including jacket) and still felt cold.

Main roads are fine but you may have trouble getting to chalets without snowchains (and even with them). Slush turns to ice at night under these low temperatures.

I'll post some photos after a few days.

Also a substantial avalanche has closed-off the run between Savoleyres and Carrefour and authorities are worried it may move again. Not clear when they expect to have it open again.

To get to Verbier you park at Le Chable, in the valley, and then catch the gondola up to Verbier centre (Médran). Then another gondola to Ruinettes. And then you have a choice of chair, gondola and combimix to various slopes.

In theory, you could get there by train, but I don't know what the connections are like. You'd go Chamonix-Martigny-Le Chable. Have a go at www.sbb.ch but it may only schedule you to the border.

I wouldn't recommend skiing Chassoure without riding the gondola from Lac de Vaux down to Tortin first, to take a look. OK if you're fit, a good skier, and acres of moguls are you're thing, but it does go on, and on, and on .... and there's no alternative once committed. I've seen even obviously competenet skiiers tumble a very long way down this.

A new hostel has opened at Le Chable right next to the lift, CHF 34/night per person, minimun room sleeps 2. You might consider staying over and doing two half-days instead of trying to pack everything into one. See

http://www.le-stop.ch/anglais/home.html

I can't vouch for it, and I don't trust TripAdvisor either way (+/-) but if it's any good, then it will probably be heavily booked-up as Verbier Party Hounds don't have a lot of (any?) cheap accomodation options.

Even as a Swiss fan, I'd have to admit that you can get very good value for money in Italy, along with friendly and expert instruction.

But if you like Switzerland, then you can minimise the costs by self-catering and booking an apartment/chalet through a local agency. If you have a car and buy supplies in the valley, then prices aren't that different to the UK. And even up the mountain, supermarket prices aren't inflated any more than in the rest of the Alps. And if you do yourself a packed lunch most of the stations have indoor picnic rooms - during the school holidays, these can actually be a lot quieter than the restaurants.

But of course, self-catering (with a couple of meals out, perhaps) isn't everyone's holiday preference.

I know this may sound silly, but I once worked out that compared to hiring a car or a transfer, it was cheaper for someone to fly over with us, hire a car for a day and fly back. In the end, of course, there wasn't anyone willing to do it.

If the problem is to do with confidence about getting on/off, especially on old chairlifts, then I'd echo the advice to write off a half a day having lessons. My earlier post was really meant to show that there are some techniques you can use that may help, and a professional instructor will be used to helping people adapt.

If it's to do with fear of heights or lack of security, that's much more difficult. Most people have something they are irrationally fearful of, and just as you'd engage a ski instructor to help with physical technique, consider seeing a psychiatrist to help - I know from relatives that there are techniques for handling/moderating phobias. You may not get a cure, but you may get some useful tricks that help.

If it's any comfort, at least in Europe we have bars on our chairs! I have never understood the American preference for chairs with no bars .... I've almost fallen off a couple of times when I've forgotten there's nothing to lean on.