J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by AllyG

Thanks Bandit,
I was worrying about this myself, and I'm going to ask the SCGB if I can ski with them on a day when they don't do any off-piste (or if they do it's somewhere that I can go around on the piste and meet them at the bottom). There seem to have been several deaths in avalanches this year, and as you said, the leaders aren't trained guides or instructors - just good skiers with the minimum of training for the job who love the mountains and sharing them with other visitors.

I reckon as long as I'm on the piste I should be safe enough with them :D

Ally

Strangely enough I prefer ski-ing on ice to ski-ing on chopped up lumpy snow. I like ice because it's so smooth and predictable, and it seems to suit my ski-ing style. I remember, in one of my lessons, the instructor asked me to ski down the side of the piste using short turns and I picked the icy section not the lumpy stuff next to it, and afterwards he told me off for my choice although I'd done a great job (or so I thought).

And in case anyone is thinking I can't be talking about real ice, I've skied on the glacier at Tignes in October when some sections of the black piste only had ice and glacial ice left.

What works for me is using my edges and doing smooth turns and side-slipping down the impossibly icy sections where I can't turn.

Ally

For anyone that can afford spending 25 euros or so for lunch and has time to get there - the restaurant La table de mon grand-pere in Courchevel Le Praz does very good food.

Ally

Maybe we should do a whip round for poor Scapula - so he can buy some decent new ski boots that actually fit :lol:

It is a very sad reflection on what happens when you give up a safe U.K. existence for the uncertain one of doing a ski season - the next step will be when his jacket gets full of holes and everyone tells him to pack inside it with old newspaper :lol: :lol: :lol:

Ally

Hi Bandit,
Sorry, I meant ski touring as opposed to a lesson - in other words spend a day just ski-ing around the Three Valleys with the British Ski Club leader and fellow members. I've done it before and it's great fun :D

And 'yes' I am a member and I have pre-registered for that week, so hopefully I'll get a place.

I'm sure I can get fit in 4 weeks. I mean, I'm pretty fit now, I just need to increase my fitness level. For example, today I've spent about 2 hours hiking 6 1/2 miles on our coastal path (lots of ups and downs on rough ground) followed by a lunch break and then walked about 3 1/2 miles extremely fast on one of our beaches trying to beat the tide (it's springs at the moment and you can walk miles but it's pretty risky as the tide comes up so fast).

Ally

I need to take getting fit seriously now, because I've only got 4 weeks until my next ski holiday. I've registered for a day ski touring with the Ski Club of Great Britain and there's a frightening bit about how fit one has to be. And I'm booked into group lessons as well.

So - back to the ski fitness book and running etc. again.

Plus - I've got to lose at least 8 pounds in weight before that :shock:

Ally

I have 4 weeks and 1 day until I'm back on the snow :D

We're going back to Courchevel 1550 for Feb half-term because we liked it so much last time.

Ally

Andy,
I wrote something about the restaurants in Courchevel 1550 in my report last year. It only takes about 5 minutes to ski down from the centre of 1850 to 1550 for lunch, and everything there is much cheaper.

http://www.j2ski.com/ski-chat-forum/posts/list/8095.page

(about 3/4 of the way down the page).

Ally