J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Jan I Stenmark

Pav,

Much as I like a good verbal joust (as you know!) I wonder if you could please clarify the basis of this debate?

I hope it’s not going to be about who’s better, the Europeans or the North Americans! … Seems to me one of the truly great things about this site is that it transcends the geographical boundaries arbitrarily imposed on us all by our birth or circumstances which we then grow to defend without a great deal of rational thought. It would be a shame (IMHO) if we were to start arguing about good, better & best …

I love skiing (snow-sports), I know you do, and I suspect every regular contributor on this site feels similarly so let’s find a way to embrace this emotion and work against the need to reduce the other person’s position to a lower one than our own!

Personally, I would love to hear accounts of how good the skiing is in Japan, Russia, Argentina, New Zealand or places even further removed from my own experience.

Could anyone give an account of their experiences skiing in Africa, China or Tibet for example?

If I have got hold of the poo end of the stick then I apologise, but I would rather learn from other’s experience than force my limited views on others.

Humbly yours,

Jan

I think it's fair to say that this thread shows the reality of just how inflexible our flexible friend is(n’t) :|

After living in the UK and being used to paying for EVERYTHING on plastic, life in Austria seems somehow more like a scene from "Life on Mars" with it's quaint 1970's ways, but if it helps visitors realise the issues beforehand then the stress will have been worth it!

As an aside, I have a debit card for my Austrian bank which has a weekly and monthly spend limit !! So now if I spend more than a set figure each week (or month) and then go to buy something more (despite however Black my account may be) I am refused payment!! Gotta luv ‘em!!

Happy spending (or not!)

Jan

ellistine wrote: They still enjoy making sure you are paying them full attention every once in a while.

So are we ascribing spouse-like properties to our skis now?

If you'll pardon the pun, it seems like a slippery slope from here ...

Jan

I would just love to be a fly on the wall if your were to ring BUPA, PPP or AXA :lol:

Please, please do it and make a recording, then post the recording somewhere for us to hear ... I can just imagine the convo )

Happy phoning,

Jan

All,

Reading so many posts, reviews and tales of skiing in general I am interested to understand what the general consensus is on the meaning of the term “aggressive” particularly when applied to skis?

Most recently our good friend and constant source of worthy input “freezywater” recounted a tale about a beginner, stating that “his top of the range skis were too aggresive(sic).”

Now forgive me, but surely a ski is not capable of expressing such a high level function as aggression! So, what is the concept that is being expressed by so many people? I have my own ideas about what the motivation is behind this phrase but would welcome others input.

Happy tautology,

Jan

Hi all,

Reading a post about ATM's in Andora reminded me that I have been meaning to post a thread about paying for things in Austria (well at least my bit of the Tirol).

The thing is that you need to be very careful about assuming that shops, restaurants etc will accept your credit cards. Many merchants will only accept Maestro cards which can catch out the unwary.

Cash is very much the payment method of preference.

Having said all this you will find some of the restaurants in the heart of resorts will take Visa, Mastercard etc but to be safe do check before eating a 5 course meal and then find the waiter saying “Nein!” All that washing up can be a right pain!

Happy paying,

Jan

Hi Stuart,

I have been to Pila twice (both times for a week) and absolutely love the place, but you should be aware of some realities:

Parking in Pila is very limited and probably best avoided (it’s mostly under the hotel complex and if you get there and it’s full you have the chance to enjoy the scenery as you drive the 20 mins+ back down to the valley floor.) The gondola has a huge car park and to my mind is a far better bet. Like any resort that has a single access method the gondola is very busy at about 9 in the morning and again at about 4ish but careful planning can minimise the impact.

We stayed in Aosta on both occasions and to my mind it creates a near perfect holiday. The skiing is wonderful and in the evening you have access to all the truly local restaurants and facilities of a large town. (This means you are not blackmailed into paying top buck for your meals etc. due to being 3000m up a mountain). If you get the chance, grab a seat in the main plaza, order a bottle of the local wine and watch the Italians show the world how to walk up and down for no particular reason whilst looking like a million Euros :cry:

As for the skiing, I wouldn’t particularly recommend Pila for first timers as (unless things have changed since I was there) there is only one way down from the beginners slopes to the top of the gondola station and a small section of this totally phased one lady who was with us to the point that she never skied again … That said, there are some really great runs and plenty of variety to be had. I would not hesitate to recommend the skiing to anyone above total novice.

It would be really great to hear from you when you get back to see how everyone’s comments match up to your experience, so please stay in touch.

Happy holiday,

Jan

Hey guys,

Thanks for taking the time and effort to send your thoughts it’s really appreciated :)

Pav's right that there's lots to do but somehow I always find time to come on here and mumble about something :|

One thing I've noticed since moving here is that everyone says - "Oh you're so lucky" Well that's possibly true but I think it was Arnold Palmer who said - "It's a funny thing, the more I practice the luckier I get" ...

From my perspective the distance from England to Austria is about 1000Km, however to some people this is an infinite distance. Good friends of mine say to me “Oh I am thinking about making a move out to the mountains” or “You know what? I’m thinking about selling up and sailing around the world” but every year they find some really good reason why they can’t do it “Just at the moment”. What they mean is that they have weighed up the issues and would rather stay in their comfort zone than step out into the world and “be lucky” …

Some reasons that I’ve heard for not swapping an unfulfilling life for a dream include:

Well you see the kids are too young
Well you see the kids are too old
Well you see the kids not born yet
Well you see I’m hoping for a promotion later this year
Well you see it’s “End of Year” for our department, but after that …
Well actually I quite like the M25 / M4 / M6 / M8 …
Well I just need some time to think things over.

You get the idea.

So what’s my message?

I think Warren Miller sums it up when he says: “If you don’t go out and live your dreams today, you’ll be another day older when you do!”

Well enough of this, the snow is piling up outside and I gotta go play :D

Thanks again for your support and if I can be of help …

Jan