J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Wanderer

It could have a dramatic effect on Stuben. Currently a very cute little village on the edge of the St Anton area, it will now be at the very centre of a very large area with easy direct access to both sides. Interesting to see how they cope with the demand - presumably either much steeper prices and/or lots more development (which would be a pity) :twisted: .

I would share the mixed feelings as well but perhaps not for the same reasons. Regrettably, I am not young enough/fit enough/technically able enough to skin up a mountain for 5 hours or to ski down a pristine deep powder field from the top:oops:.

Accordingly, I need pistes and the infrastructure that goes with them and because I get around the pistes fairly quickly, I like lots of them :roll:.

The really big resorts do allow you to have at least some sense of going on a journey - the Sella Ronda is a classic example :D . It is especially interesting because you travel through at least 2 distinct cultures - Austrian and Italian. Yes, I know its all in Italy but the Northern end does have a distinctive Austrian feel to it. Even somewhere like the Skiwelt allows you to leave Soll in the morning and to lunch all the way over in Kirchberg or Going. Does this compare to a solitary walk or climb in the mountains - absolutely not but it is as much as most of us can manage :oops: .

As for the new link, my reservations are probably more selfish :roll: . St Anton tends to be overcrowded and can be somewhat raucous. Thankfully, most people who go to St Anton are too lazy or unimaginative to head over to Lech or Zurs so it does tend to be much quieter over there. Even when I stay in St Anton, I would tend to head over to Lech/Zurs more often than not for that very reason :wink:. I would imagine that with the new link, the Lech/Zurs side will become much busier :evil:. This is especially unfortunate for Zurs which is a lovely ski area and usually the quietest of the lot :cry:.

AllyG wrote:Well done Dave Mac, and Frau, for not falling over in the poor visibility you had most of the time in Alpe d'Huez. I suppose we were lucky really. We only had a day and a half when the visibility was bad.

We had a complete beginner with the group this time, and here's a photo of PistePaul showing her how to snow-plough. She had lessons in the morning and skied with some of the group during the afternoon.

Didn't he know that the French do not approve of non-qualified instructors giving lessons :twisted:. Lucky he is not in jail :mrgreen:.

Dave Mac wrote:Top skiing, Ranchero!

5 hours hoofing the hill!!! No way. I still dream about skinning the Marbachjoch, but every year gets a little older....

Dave
Don't worry about it, the Marbachjoch has been there for millions of years, another year or two will hardly make any difference to it :mrgreen:

Tiberious

I think if you have to ask the question, you need to stay on piste unless with a guide :oops:.

BTW, I seem to recall reading that most avalanche deaths occur when the rating is 3 :!:. I think this was explained on the basis that people were "more adventurous" when it was at 3, while they would be much more cautious when it was up at 4 or 5 :roll:.

As a general rule, you should be safe on an open piste :mrgreen:

Lota has it nailed. Not the worst spot though - pretty easy to get up into the main area and, depending on conditions, an easy ski down. However, the "home" run can be crowded and a bit nasty if conditions are not right. There are regular ski buses up to the "centre" if you want to access a swimming pool or some shopping.

One piece of advice I would offer to get out to the edges of the resort as quickly as you can - as with most big resorts, the central area can be a bit congested but the fringes are often largely neglected. Runs down to Montalbert, for example, can be lovely :D .

Les Arcs is a fair hike across so you probably wont do it that often. I think there is a liftpass option which gives you one day over there which would be enough for most people.

We stayed half board and cant remember any of the other eating options so cant help with that :roll:.

I am sorry but my idea of après-ski is cheesy Bavarian drinking songs that somehow seem to get everybody dancing:mrgreen: . Not a loud disco on the snow that alienates everybody over the age of 25/mental age of 10:shock:.

For mid-term, the TOs will fleece you :twisted:. If you are up for it, go DIY and eliminate the surcharge that the TOs apply for peak weeks. It still will not be cheap but it wont be as bad.

You have obviously identified a couple of resorts that you fancy but don't be too limited - there are any number of resorts that will meet your needs beautifully. My first step would be to price cheap flights as soon as they become available. That should be in a few weeks time (330 days before travel is the norm I think). If you can get reasonable priced flights, the rest should fall into place. Once you have flights, consider suitable resorts that you can reach from those flights and then hunt down accommodation - be creative but also be aware that many places will not even have their 2017 accommodation or prices up yet.

Keep an eye on transfers -they can add an awful lot to the price. For a family of 5, car hire is probably your best bet but might be worth checking out trains. Austria/Switzerland tend to have family friendly tickets packages.

Good luck with your search :wink:.