J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by AllyG

Hi Stressymum,
I would have thought lots of places in Europe would fulfill those criteria.

We have been to Courchevel 1550 twice now, and I should think it would be perfect for you. It has a very nice village atmosphere and is well connected to 1850 but not nearly as expensive, and is pretty much ski in and gondola/chairlift (depending which part of 1550 you stay in) out. And the Three Valleys is an enormous ski area - plenty for intermediates. Although we went during the busiest week - Feb half-term - the slopes weren't overcrowded and most of the lift queues were fairly short.

Ally

I don't know about the other resorts, but Perisher and Thredbo have had a massive fall of snow.

I've been keeping an eye on the snow reports because my daughter was due to ski there. I know they were reporting about 70 cm snow, but today they're reporting 160cm with pretty much all lifts and pistes open, and conditions on piste are reported as 'excellent' with off-piste as 'powder'.

Anyway, my daughter should have got there (Jindabyne) about 6 hours ago (11 p.m. local time). It looks like she's going to have a great time. I bought her the new 5 1/2 day superski pass (499 AUD) on the internet, which covers Thredbo and Perisher. Ski-ing in Oz is incredibly expensive at the moment for anyone paying in pounds. Last time she went to Australia, ten years ago, we got 2.83 AUD to the pound, and it's now only 1.43, so the price of everything has effectively doubled.

It will be very interesting to hear what she thinks of ski-ing in Australia.

Ally

Hi,
My daughter was thinking of having a Gap year at one point, and working a winter ski season in France. And when I enquired about it I discovered that the main British tour operators don't take 18 year olds on - presumably because they think they're too young and immature.

However, the French themselves didn't seem to mind, but I should think you'd need to speak some French and it would be more complicated because you'd have to organize everything yourself - like accommodation etc.

Can't you get some bar experience this summer, in this country? I'm sure it would help.

This is what they say about it on www.natives.co.uk, an excellent site for those looking for jobs abroad.

Can I still get a job if I'm under 21?

As a general rule, most of the companies we work with don't employ people under the age of 21, and none under the age of 18.

We do however recruit for a number of overseas hotels and restaurants who do employ younger staff.. If you speak a foreign language (usually French or German), we may well be able to find you a job down this route.

Otherwise you should find that as we get closer to the season some companies will relax their rules to fill any remaining positions..

They are still unlikely to have a job for you unless you have a particular skill or relevant experience. Why not consider spending some time working abroad to show that you won't be phased by the experience. If you're planning to apply for chalet positions, try and get yourself on a cookery course! This will definitely help your application, although it won't necessarily guarantee you a job.

Your final option is to go out to resort at the start of the season and try to find a job there. You can get a job like this, but you do need luck and money to see you through until you get something. An alternative is to go out just after New Year, when it's cheaper to get flights, find accommodation and a few staff have been sacked!

I hope this helps,

Ally

Well at least you shouldn't need snowchains and antifreeze in August!

Hope you have a great time Alistair :D

Ally

Hi Snapzzz,
Sounds like a real bargain to me. Unfortunately both my girls are too old to fit into 9-10.

I hope you find a buyer :D

Ally

I don't know about the French rules, but here in the U.K. we haven't been allowed to bury or burn animal carcasses on our own land since 2003. We have to pay to have them incinerated at specially licensed sites, or else take them to licensed kennels for dog food. And since France is also in the EU I would expect the same rules to apply.

http://business.wales.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?itemId=1086962522&r.i=1086961703&r.l1=1079068363&r.l2=1086048413&r.l3=1086961307&r.s=sc&r.t=RESOURCES&site=230&type=RESOURCES

In the old days, if something like this happened (the sheep dying in the snow), one used to be able to get the vet to visit and certificate the carcasses as fit for human consumption and then they went off to the slaughter house and the butchers. But since BSE etc. the rules have got much tighter.

If farmers don't stick to the rules they can be prosecuted.

Ally

I wouldn't think it was the cold that killed the sheep - more likely they suffocated under the snow. I wonder why they didn't use the mountain rescue dogs to locate them, and then dig them out.

300 sheep would be worth a lot of money - surely at least £60 per head, around £18,000. Poor sheep and poor farmer - I don't suppose there would be any insurance cover for something like this. In fact, there may well have been a charge for disposing of the carcasses.

It's a very sad story :cry:

Ally

Hi Rossyhead,
Happy 30th Birthday for next April :D

Ski-ing to celebrate it sounds a great idea.