J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by biki17

Great news as we are off to Saas for Christmas :)

We have finally made it to Wengen this February!
I have read reviews of the area long before the trip and was put off by reports of difficult access to ski areas of Murren and First and a very slow gondola from Grindelwald to Mannlichen. These issues are serious for keen skiers :-(
Fingers crossed they will be alleviated with the construction of V-bahn gondolas in 2 seasons time.
I am so glad we went there anyway.
The village is charming, the views stunning.
There are 2 resident British run ski clubs in the area: Kandahar in Murren and Downhill Only Club in Wengen.
Everyone is welcome to join them for a free days social skiing and a drink afterwards.
Ski Club of GB is prominent too. Therefore it is possible to participate in social skiing every day and make new friends.
And skiing is not bad either:) We loved the challenge of skiing Lauberhorn World Cup run at the end of the week's skiing on Friday afternoon in knee deep powder and heavy snowfall.
Run down from Schilthorn is another classic, so is Kandahar both in Murren.
All 3 separate areas are worth visiting as they are varied and all offer stunning views.
Murren offers panoramic 360 degrees views of the mountains from the top of Schilthorn, best seen from a revolving restaurant of Piz Gloria. Prices there are quite reasonable. In fact cheaper than in most restaurants down in the village. New Bond museum (free entrance) there is worth a visit too, especially if you are a Bond fan like us :wink: .
The most impressive North wall of Eiger is best seen from runs 22 (24) of the main, shared Wengen / Grindelwald ski area, while First area in Grindelwald offers stunning views of Wetterhorn and Schreckhorn.
Food on a mountain can be very good. Our favourite eateries included: Schilthornhutte in Murren, JagerStubli along run 3/21 towards Grund and Genepi Bar at First.
Off piste skiing is good in the area too.
We enjoyed local Falken lager and live piano music at Hotel Falken after skiing.
Most hotels date back to imperial era and offer very special atmosphere.
The centre of Wengen is compact, hence access to Mannlichen cable car or mountain railway to Kleine Scheidegg is easy from most hotels.
We were very pleased with our hotel "Bernerhof" rated at only 2 stars but offering superb location, stunning views from all rooms, service beyond it's rating and excellent fresh food, that included among many other items a choice of delicious home made confitures:), bread straight from the oven:) and a very good salad buffet at dinner.
Wengen and Jungfrau have become an instant favourite of ours alongside Dolomites!
We very much hope to return there soon.

Excellent report, Wanderer. Thank you -)

Wengen leaving on 21 February :-) please

Hi Wanderer,

The views from Marmolada are spectacular, but the journey long and potentially treacherous.
The weather might be fine in Vigo in the morning, but the winds could pick up later on around Arabba and you might get stuck in the next valley and face expensive taxi journey back to Vigo.

I would recommend Hidden Valley, especially if travelling with children, as it includes among other attractions a horse drawn lift on the way back -)
However I did it from Cortina, which along with Alta Badia resorts, offers the easiest and quickest access.
This time, while staying with UK tour operator in Canazei, I come across an organised guided coach trip to the foot of Lagazuoi, from where a cable car takes you to the top where an 8.5 km Hidden Valley run starts. It is much easier and more sheltered than Marmolada runs hence more suitable for children. It does contain some flat sections though, borders beware! It is skiing all the way back to Canazei. Due to distances vehicle journey there is the only sensible option. The black run down from Ciampac to Alba is lovely :D They made it a bit easier for this season by widening and smoothing the most difficult sections. Many people I've seen treated it as one long downhill race!
Baita Checco does it anytime for us :-) Thoni, the run down to Vigo is superb!

Hi,

We have just returned from Canazei.
We had a great time.
We skied to Marmolada glacier, however due to poor snow until today it was very icy and also windy. In opinion of all trip participants not worth the effort.
The long run with horses at the end is the fabulous Hidden Valley run that starts from the top of Lagazuoi and ends in Armentarola. It is definitely worth the effort.
We have also very much enjoyed Ciampac-Buffaure area accessed from either Pozza di Fassa or Alba that can be easily combined with beautiful Catinaccio area in Vigo di Fassa. This is close to Campitello and served by ski buses. If you go to Catinaccio you should try Baita Checco mountain restaurant clsoe to the top station of the cable car which serves delicious food and is considered by some to be the best refugio in Dolomites. BTW: we had a dump of snow that started yesterday afternoon and continued when we were departing for the airport at 9am today. You should have great snow conditions on the slopes! Already jelous :(

Nice idea.

Gjin wrote:Hi Everyone!
I am thinking about going to Corvara in February 2015, has anyone of you been there so far?
What do you think????

Great choice, local slopes are particularly good for beginners plus the rest of Sella Ronda and 3 other valleys off it for the rest.
Food is tasty too.
However Views might stop you skiing -)