J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by AllyG

If your girlfriend hasn't skied before she may not like it, surprising as this sounds!
So as well as the other factors you're considering I think it would be a good idea to make sure wherever you pick has something for non skiers to do.
I haven't been to many ski resorts but I did notice when I was in Zell am See that it's a large town with loads of shops, restaurants, spas, and it's even got a museum. However, you do have to go up a gondola to get from the town to the ski area. It's a really pretty place as well as the lake views are quite magnificent :)
I liked the ski-ing there too, although it's not a large area and it's not high (like Old Andy suggested), but you can also get to Kaprun on the free ski bus and there's more ski-ing there up high on the glacier.

Best of luck and I hope your girlfriend becomes as keen on ski-ing as you are and you have a great holiday :)

I had a look at the website for this hotel for you, and it seems to be located here:



http://www.spinalehotelcampiglio.com/en/dove_siamo.php

This is what the cropped piste map looks like:



As long as you don't try going down number 25 on the piste map, which was number 70 when we were there, the black Spinale Direttissima piste, you should be OK. The red piste number 27 on the map, Spinale Diretta wasn't that difficult as far as I can remember, and it's the one named on the hotel location map. So, in other words don't try the shortcut route unless you like a lot of excitement! Piste number 25, renamed 70 is supposed to be the hardest in the whole area!



Several of us skied the area in the J2Ski 2014 group holiday in February. Here's PistePaul's video of us going down piste number 25/70, the Spinale Direttissima in very poor visibility and masses of snow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjbZZnqw4V0

You could also try ski-ing down the blue. I seem to remember ending up in a car park somewhere down the bottom around there, but I'm sure it's possible and I just got lost! Here's the full piste map:
https://www.brentaski.com/images/img_skiing/Piste_map.pdf

And here's the link to our thread on the J2Ski group holiday to Folgarida/Madonna di Campiglio in February 2014:
https://www.j2ski.com/ski-chat-forum/posts/list/712/12565.page#142884

It looks like they've got some snow in Sauze now :)
Here's a webcam photo from today.

Here's the List of how many sleeps we have left before we get to the snow! It's updated to today, Tuesday 18th November. If anyone else wants to go on the list, or you see any errors, would you please let me know by posting up here on this thread.

Jastem going to Lech in 19 days on the 07/12/2014
Billip 1 going to Mittersill in 22 days on the 10/12/2014
Gareth Fair going to Sestriere in 23 days on the 11/12/2014
Joe Colin going to Morzine in 33 days on the 21/12/2014
Bedrock Barney going to Zermatt in 39 days on the 27/12/2014
Tahiti gra going to Chatel in 45 days on the 02/01/2015
Andyhull going to Alpe D'Huez in 46 days on the 03/01/2015
Watterski going to Chamonix in 46 days on the 03/01/2015
AllyG going to Sauze D'Oulx in 53 days on the 10/01/2015
Brooksy going to Sauze D'Oulx in 53 days on the 10/01/2015
Far Queue going to Sauze D'Oulx in 53 days on the 10/01/2015
Oldboarder going to Sauze D'Oulx in 54 days on the 11/01/2015
Ade73 going to Sauze D'Oulx in 54 days on the 11/01/2015
Davidsa2 going to Sauze D'Oulx in 54 days on the 11/01/2015
Bald-eagleman going to Sauze D'Oulx in 54 days on the 11/01/2015
Joe Colin going to Sauze D'Oulx in 54 days on the 11/01/2015
Billip 1 going to Sauze D'Oulx in 54 days on the 11/01/2015
Andid going to Sauze D'Oulx in 54 days on the 11/01/2015
Ian Wickham going to Sauze D'Oulx in 54 days on the 11/01/2015
PistePaul going to Sauze D'Oulx in 54 days on the 11/01/2015
Felthorpe going to Sauze D'Oulx in 54 days on the 11/01/2015
Alisoninoz going to Tignes in 54 days on the 11/01/2015
Tony_H going to St Moritz in 61 days on the 18/01/2015
Ellistine going to St Moritz in 61 days on the 18/01/2015
Blackpool-Skier going to Meribel in 61 days on the 18/01/2015
Lizzie-B going to Morillon in 67 days on the 24/01/2015
Paulh764 going to Val d'Isere in 68 days on the 25/01/2015
Andyhull going to Niseko in 74 days on the 31/01/2015
GreenGoblin going to Val d'Isere in 74 days on the 31/01/2015
Shipjack going to Les Carroz in 74 days on the 31/01/2015
Tahiti gra going to Chatel in 76 days on the 02/02/2015
Dobby going to Hemsedal in 89 days on the 15/02/2015
Far Queue going to Soll in 102 days on the 28/02/2015
LOTA going to La Thuile in 104 days on the 02/03/2015
Gareth Fair going to La Thuile in 106 days on the 04/03/2015
Old Andy going to Somewhere in 116 days on the 14/03/2015
Michelle63 going to Les Deux Alps in 131 days on the 29/03/2015

Hi Skimad77,
If you don't mind the accommodation being a bit rough, these people do fairly cheap short breaks. They provide transfers from Geneva, half-board accommodation, lift passes, and ski hire. You just have to buy your flights to fit in with their transfer times. I've been with them several times to their Les Melezes chalet in Tignes.
http://mountainsunltd.com/shortskibreaks/tignes-chalet-hotel-les-melezes/

And these people specialize in short breaks, although I haven't been with them myself. I did notice however that one of the places they stay is Le Vert hotel in Chamonix who also arrange transfers so you could go direct with that hotel if it works out cheaper.
http://www.skiweekends.com

I think I would rather go the usual route to Geneva by train and change in Paris, because I could get there at a more reasonable time and if the Eurostar was running late and I missed the connection in Paris there would be other trains going to Geneva.
I mean, there are several trains leaving St Pancras which could make Geneva with a change of station in Paris from Paris Nord to Paris Lyon, and the journey only takes half an hour longer than the new train which only has one service per day.

Departs St Pancras 07:52 arrives Geneva 15-27
Departs St Pancras 11:01 arrives Geneva 18:16
Departs St Pancras 12:58 arrives Geneva 20:16
Departs St Pancras 13:31 arrives Geneva 21:27

And there are 3 trains coming back, leaving Geneva at 06:13, 09:42 and 13:42, and arriving back in St Pancras at 12:30, 15:30, and 20:39

The price I got for going out on Saturday 10th January and coming back the following Saturday was £164 return, and I expect it would have been a lot cheaper on the first day the tickets for the French trains during the winter came on sale, which was 16th October. My return ticket St Pancras to Oulx only cost £117, with a change of stations in Paris.

If people are nervous of getting across Paris from one station to another on the metro or the RER they can always get a taxi - it didn't cost much when I did that.

I have just noticed that the train times I was looking at, which had 4 per day, involved a change of station.

I've added you now Dobby, to the Master List :)