J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Lynn_D

I find that cereal bars are a good bet too. Something like Alpen bars seem to survive best. :D

My OH is diabetic so we usually end up with half of Sainsbury's in the suitcase when we go away, just in case. :(

KevinC wrote:As everyone appears to be uber-fit has anyone experienced problems with fitting their calf into ski-boots? I've just got back from skiing and suffered for the first hour every time I put boots on as my calves didn't fit and were pinched when fastening the buckle(?) thingies. As a result my skiing style was properly off and also resulted in thigh burn.

Tried going back to the ski hire shop to see if other boots were better but a lack of language skills meant I couldn't explain the exact problem and the bloke just kept saying they need to be tight.

I do a lot of distance running and cycling - anyone had similar problems?

Hi Kevin,
I had a similar problem when I bought my ski boots, however was not really surprised as I have quite wide calves. My boots had the option to move the top two sets of buckles to give you more space or a tighter fit accordingly. After moving them, they now fit perfectly and I have all the adjustment I need (and if the liners pack out and I find them too loose, I always have the option to move them back.)

When we were in resort, my OH found that his boots (also his own) were also very tight (i.e. a struggle to get them on to the first setting) and giving him pain in his shins and calves. On taking them into a shop to try and have the buckles moved as for mine, the guy (who was British so no language problems) gave him a talk on how they were really too stiff for his standard of skiing (without having seen him ski) and this was inevitable. (They have a flex of 85.) He also seemed amazed that after 1 week on skis I could ski happily in my boots, which have a flex of 80 and was really quite condescending. :evil:
He grudging moved the clips and unsurprisingly my OH had no more problems for the rest of the holiday.... :roll:

From this, I'm guessing that wider calves are not uncommon. The boot manufacturers (mine are Nordica, his Salomon) seem to realise this and pre drill the additional holes accordingly. If you can, I would recommend investing in a pair of your own boots from a good fitter - mine are the best £200 I've ever spent and I enjoyed two weeks of skiing in comfort (as the Mastercard adverts say, priceless....) :wink:

Hi Caron,

Knees were great thanks - just a very occasional twinge on the drag lifts. All the exercises and hours before work on the cross trainer definitely paid off.

Really glad to hear you had such a great time in N and hope the next trip is just as good. It sounds like the hospitality and company were second to none.

With everything you've been through, you're an inspiration to us all and proof that if you're passionate about something, nothing should stand in your way.

Happy skiing :D

We did last year in Italy, though things were much better this time around.

We didn't get our passes on the coach, though we did meet up with the rep in our hotel later in afternoon and he was happy to hand over the passes and ski school vouchers we'd pre booked.

The welcome meetings were split up with one in each hotel (rather than one big one for everyone somewhere in the village), though we didn't go along as we had everything we needed and weren't interested in spending a fortune on excursions.

Our rep was very pleasant, friendly and not at all concerned with selling us anything. We didn't actually need him for anything, though did have a chat occasionally in the hotel bar.

Overall, very good service and I'd definitely travel with Thompson/Crystal again.

I'm pretty sure you can get to most of the Milky Way and probably a good few French resorts from there easily, though less sure on the public transport aspect.
I know there is a train from Turin airport to Oulx and then maybe either a taxi or possibly bus? to go the rest of the way (depending on where you want to be)??
Someone in my group booked an apartment with a company called ABC in Sauze and they arranged transfers direct from Turin airport for ~30E return per person for a group of 4 (I think!) - maybe worth a look if they will do something for less than 7 days?

Not sure if this is any help?

Good luck :D

Lynn

It's a good job we all like somewhere differnt or we'd be skiing in one hell of a busy resort :lol:

smirnoff_skier wrote:

(I am procrastinating way too much today)

Me too :roll: My lab is out of action and looks like a war zone, so I'm reduced to paperwork or dreaming of skiing. Umm... difficult decision :wink:

Seeing as Sauze is getting a lot of attention today, thought I’d make an effort and get round to writing about my recent trip (photos may have to go on the Facebook group as I haven’t figured out posting them on here yet.) :roll:

We flew out on the 4th Jan and everything was great until we got to Turin Airport where it took us 45 minutes to claim our baggage and then another 45 to get the skis. :evil: Finally made it to the resort mid afternoon and had a leisurely afternoon wandering around and unpacking (OH wouldn’t let me buy a half day pass and disappear up the mountain for 2 hours!)

The hotel (Gran Baita) was as good as ever – Paulo and his staff were fantastic and couldn’t do enough for you. We paid a very small supplement when we booked for a bigger room (3 beds rather than 2) and this was well worth it. We had loads of space and the bathroom was fantastic with a jacuzzi bath to ease those aching muscles.
The food was excellent and plentiful, though the drinks were pricey (everywhere, not just the hotel.) The company was also excellent and we made a lot of friends, some of whom we skied with in an afternoon.

The snow was absolutely AMAZING so if Sauze is on your ‘to do list’ now is probably the best you’re ever going to get. :D According to Alex (instructor week 1), even if they have no more, there’s probably enough to last until April!! We had three days of solid snow so the powder skiing was great (though after spending the Tuesday freezing on a chairlift in a snowstorm we invested in face masks!) Generally it was clear blue skies and sunshine, though we did have one run where the mist came in and we couldn’t see 3 feet in front of us which was a little scary. :shock:

We booked ski school for the first week and had a great time, despite myself and OH being split up. Excellent ski school group, lots of fun and plenty of miles under the skis. I also discovered courtesy of one of the group that getting out a tub of Vaseline (as in the kind used as lip balm) in a pub in Italy causes a few stares and raised eyebrows. Apparently (according to the Italian she was talking to) Vaseline is used for two things in Italy: “to make the sex and to make the tattoo.” You learn something new everyday… :wink:

Having to keep up with a group that were all much better than I was (>5 weeks on skis compared with my 1) brought my confidence on leaps and bounds, and by the 2nd day I had skied runs I imagined it would be years before I was capable of. However not sure about my technique as on several occasions I was told I was skiing like a mannequin…. :oops:

In week 2 we had private lessons with Sergio, who I can thoroughly recommend. Well worth the investment as we both improved a lot. We had the confidence to ski a lot on our own, however I couldn’t coax my OH away from Sauze without an instructor. We did Sestriere as part of a 3 hour private lesson which was great for me as the runs were more of a challenge. Sadly, most of the Olympic run was closed as they were preparing it for the forthcoming downhill, though I did get to try a short section which was fun. I also had a go at a black (can’t remember which one) which I thoroughly enjoyed.
I can imagine that Sestriere is ideal when the snow in Sauze is lacking but it looks like it could be a bit bleak if the weather closes in being higher. Sauze certainly seems the better place to stay (much more traditional) - Sestriere looked too artificial for my liking.
My main regret with this trip was that I didn’t get the chance to explore more of Sestriere and Sansicario, however as going alone wasn’t an option, it couldn’t be helped.

Runs wise, there were so many to choose from it’s hard to pick favourites. For sheer length, Red 12 from the top of the two man chair all the way down to Jovenceaux was fantastic, however unless the snow is good, this is not possible. The first few times it was great (after 3 solid days of snow) however towards the end of our 2nd week it was starting to deteriorate.

An alternative run home on an evening (which brings you out at the bottom of the Sportinia chair) is the Gran Pista off Red 11. Just below Sportinia there is a left turn which takes you on to this run which I’m told used to be downhill course about 40 years ago. It’s very quiet and bordered with trees so useful if the visibility isn’t great. This is a lot more of a challenge than red 11 though, as it’s steeper and a bit narrow in places. Well worth a look.

To beat the crowds, I would recommend heading over to the Moncrons area to the left of Sauze. We went on a busy Saturday morning and were lucky to see another skier every 15 minutes or so. The views from the top are awesome (sadly, no photos as my OH had the camera) and Red 3000 from the top is a lovely (if steep) run down. Reds 35 and 36 are also great, and I’m told that Red 34 onto Black 34 is worth a look, though I didn’t have chance to try it.

For a quick run before lunch, I liked Black 16 from Sportinia which merges with Red 12 part way down. Don’t be put off doing this by the black grading as it definitely feels no more than a red. From Red 12, take either the first or second right turn (the first turning is the steeper of the two), which brings you to the mid-station of the Jovenceaux lift. This drops you just above Sportinia.

For morning skiing, the ‘Bowl’ is certainly the warmest. Take the two man chair from Sportinia and go straight ahead and you come on to a lovely wide red (48?) If you carry on down you will come a to 4 man chair (which takes you to the Gondola for Sestriere) and there are some great runs from the top of this. There’s also a drag lift further down which you need to get back to slopes leading down to Sportinia.

For anyone trying to get their ski legs back, a nice easy run from the top of the two man chair is (I think!) Red 14. Ski down the path from the chair and ski across the run coming from above you (which can get busy with ski schools.) If you keep right, then this slopes gently down – left is a little steeper though still very easy. If you go past the first left turn (Red 12) then you eventually come to a second left. Take this and you have a nice easy run down to Sportinia, keeping to the right fork later on as left takes you back on to Red 12.) There is a run signposted beginners here however I didn’t like this at all, as it was a case of snowplough all the way which killed my knees last year. If you follow the first beginners sign and ignore the second (go straight ahead instead of left) this takes you on to Black 15 (took me about 5 attempts to figure out how to get on to this!) This is fantastic run back to Sportinia, either under the two man chair or just to the left.

Another easy option is Red 29. From the top of the two man chair head down Red 11 towards the building on the corner (not sure what it is.) From here, left takes you down Red 11 to Sportinia (excellent run, though a bit steeper) and right is Red 29 which is a pretty straightforward run down to the 4 man chair. Keep left and look out for the Red 29 signs as this eventually merges with Red 42 under the chairlift if you go straight (fun, but steeper.)

For places to eat, we liked the left hand restaurant at Sportinia (can’t remember the name.) For a mid morning hot chocolate, the Clotes Bar at the top of the Clotes lift was by far the best and also cheaper than elsewhere.

There were a couple of interesting sights on the slopes – I have photos of Batman and Robin on snowboards and we also passed a herd of (well, 4) cows, complete with udders, tails and floppy ears. They had chosen skis rather than boards though sadly I was too slow with the camera to get a photo!

Now trying to convince OH that another ski trip is a good idea – will have to keep an eye open for some late deals. Having landed at Newcastle where it was blowing a gale and got as far as the car park exit to find smoke billowing from the engine the temptation to take the next plane back to the Alps was immense. Ah well, back to work… :(

Thanks for your replies everyone :D

Got back from Sauze on Sunday (I'll get round to writing about it and putting up some piccies eventually) and had an amazing time.

Ended up with a week of group lessons, in the advanced intermediate class (OH and I got split up) which was great for me, if a little intimidating as everyone else in the group had >5 weeks on skis and I had 1 (EEK!!) It was a case of learn to keep up (no hanging around in this group!!), which did wonders for my confidence and I was amazed to be told (at the bottom...) that I'd done a black run on my 2nd day (not convinced by the grading as it felt red, but anyway.)

My instructor (Alex) showed us some great (and really quiet) runs and the group I was with was fantastic, as we all got on really well, despite an age range of ~16-60.

In the second week we booked 2x2 hour and 1x3 hour private lessons with my husband's instructor (Sergio, who was excellent.) This was undoubtedly pricey, however was well worth it as did absolute wonders for my technique and my skiing came on leaps and bounds. It also meant that we could ski together and both learn something.

Having now had a go at both group and private lessons I can safely say that both are great, but for completely different reasons. If you want to work on technique, then go private without a doubt as I learnt more in the first 10 minutes than I did all week in a group.

However, if you want to get a lot of miles under your skis, have a laugh and generally improve your confidence then group lessons are the answer. I also found this to be an excellent way to attempt the more challenging runs that my husband refused to go anywhere near - kept me happy and saved me from divorce :roll: (Stevesmoothie - I now know exactly what you mean about the 'rows...'!!)

It was also great to have two different instructors and I'm now glad that the ski school didn't give me the person I asked them for. Two totally different approaches, but both very useful in their own way. If I had to choose I would without a doubt go with Sergio (who we had private lessons with) - if anyone is in Sauze and wants lessons I can thoroughly recommend him.

Anyway, hope this may be of some help to someone, somewhere… :D

Lynn

Oh and Ross, if I'm ever in Scotland I'll book a lesson with you and see if you live up to the hype... :wink: