J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Wanderer

Great addition and real easy to use. Hope you have lots of storage because this will lead to lots more photos :-)

This photo was taken in Val Thorens last March.

The manner in which this woman came back from a most horrific knee injury and again reached the top of her sport should be an inspiration to everybody. Truly amazing. I have nothing but admiration for her achievements

The Sella Ronda is a wonderful circuit. I suspect in January, it would not be too busy even on a Friday. Most of it is quite easy with only a small number of tricky links where you might encounter moguls. The link above Arabba springs to mind. This would only really be an issue if you were hitting this piste in the afternoon so your starting point would be important. There is also a difference between the clockwise and anti-clockwise routes in terms of the difficulty of links that you would have to complete but I can't remember which is easier.

There are lots of links where there will be easy and difficult options so you should be able to avoid most of the more difficult bits. A guide or an instructor would be invaluable in finding a way around that the group can manage comfortably and would also instill confidence into the more timid members of your group.

Of course, conditions are also a critical factor that you will have to build into your thinking!

Finally, even if you don't complete the SR, there is lots of very enjoyable skiing to be had throughout the area and you shouldn't feel under pressure to "tick the box" of the SR. After all, it supposed to be a holiday :mrgreen:.

Nearly all accommodation tries to stick visitors to Saturday-Saturday trips especially well ahead of time.

However, as the dates approach, they become more flexible as they face the prospect of empty rooms. Given that there just 2 of you, I would be confident that you will find something but not until much closer to your travelling dates if you avoid the peak February weeks and are flexible about location.

You could also consider travelling out on Saturday and returning Tuesday or Wednesday. This way you only mess up one of their weeks :lol:.

One final thought: the Swiss resorts are much more open to weekenders. Somewhere like Flims/Laax is an excellent resort about 2 hours from Zurich airport (if you can stomach Swiss prices :roll:

Badly needed - the place is way too small for the numbers going through on an average Saturday during the ski season. It absolutely disintegrates into a hellhole if there are any weather delays (which is frequent) when the place is overwhelmed with skiers. I have also experienced the very small restaurant closing even though the place is jammed - zero flexibility on opening hours:x.

Of course, it does not help that the TOs appear to be completely wedded to Saturday to Saturday trips. Given the numbers Crystal are bringing in they could easily "convert" some resorts into Sunday-Sunday stays and thus spread the load. I really don't understand why they don't.

Dave Mac wrote:So then, after the lift has stopped, and the mountain is empty, I can choose how to ski my last run. Mostly, it is down the corduroy left by the piste machines that have just passed up the mountain.

Just occasionally, there has been a third gluwein, ( I have persuasive Austrian friends). This has resulted in skiing down in the dark, but still following the piste machine tracks.

...... as long as you are following behind the piste machines, this can be quite pleasant :mrgreen:. Being just in front of the piste machines or meeting them coming the other way can be seriously scary :shock:.

As you are beginners, we do not need to pay the premium for the big resorts, though going that early, you would be safer with a high resort. I would forget about the likes of Chamonix or the Trois Vallee. Flaine would be a good bet but an even better option might be Courmayour. It is actually in Italy but relatively easily accessed from Geneva via the Mount Blanc tunnel. It has nice beginner skiing and is a lovely traditional Italian village with lots of excellent pizzerias, etc, that will keep the kids happy.

dobby wrote:Your last sentence made me giggle, Wanderer. Reminded me of a very snowy trip to La Thuile many years ago. A week of snow, snow and more snow. With added snow. The only people on the mountain were British.....

....... indeed (though I am Irish :shock: ). A few years ago, we had an interesting experience in the Dolomites. Skied until pretty much the last lift - lovely skiing and very quiet. However, when we got down to the valley, we discovered that the last skibus left about 40 minutes before the lifts finished and there was no late bus to mop up stragglers. We had to ring for an expensive taxi to get us back to our hotel :twisted:. The Italians tend to like short ski days in glorious sunshine :mrgreen:.