J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by AllyG

The pound has now improved again against the euro, and it's higher than it's been for ages.

Visa are quoting 1 pound = 1.1596 euros now, if you use your Visa card for purchases/cash in euros, minus whatever fees your own bank might charge you.

But Visa have changed their website so the currency rates are in a different place. You now have to go to Visaeurope.com then 'cardholders', then 'International traveller', then 'more help and tips' which includes the currency exchange rate. The table for this is the same as before.

As I have said before, it's amazing by how much, and how fast, the currency exchange rate changes. It seems to be able to move by about 15%, which makes a big difference to the price of a holiday, or lift passes etc.

Ally

Thanks Offpisteskiing,
I will continue to do my slidy turns until I discover, or I am taught, a better way of doing them. I certainly don't want to catapult over the front of my skis by misjudging a carving turn at speed :cry:

I do feel rather like a puck in shuffle board when I'm doing them, because I have the strange sensation of feeling like I'm not going to be able to stop, and I have to judge them fairly carefully or I know I'll spin round too far. But looking at the others falling over in my ski lesson, it's very comforting to know that I'm not the only one who has difficulty ski-ing in powder :lol:

I suppose I will gradually improve with practice :D

Ian,
I'm not going to answer any of your posts today, in case I fall in your 'Ally trap' :lol:

Ally

We went ski-ing in a snow-dome in June, and it was just as cold as during the winter, and we wore normal ski trousers and jackets without the usual thermals underneath, and were quite comfortable.

I thought they maintain the snow-domes at a more or less constant temperature?

However, if you do feel too hot in ski trousers and jackets in a snow-dome, I should think you could wear breathable waterproofs - as for hiking in the Lake District :D

Outside on the mat type artificial slopes we wear jeans and long sleeve fleeces and thin gloves during the summer.

Ally

Bandit,
The only time I'm ever 'off' the piste, is during lessons - and I follow the instructor as closely as possible.

I also pay extra for the carre neige insurance (so I'm insured twice over) and I'm sure I'm covered for the sort of off the piste ski-ing I'm doing.

I'm glad to hear you're not laying 'Ally traps' for me :D

Ally

bandit wrote:

AllyG wrote:
In fact, I would think that many regular posters here can't ski real off-piste.

Ally

Ally, how would you define real off-piste?

Bandit, I wouldn't attempt to define off-piste, plus I can spot an Ally trap a mile off :lol:

I just know that what I have done I wouldn't count as 'real off-piste'. I have never been more than about 100 yards away from the real piste. I've been through the forest on those little tracks and over the hillocks (like sand dunes only made of snow), and in the natural half-pipes and through a small mogul field, and generally skied along the side of the piste but not further away from it than about 100 yards.

I had one instructor, once, who kept complaining about how all the pistes have been over-flattened, or whatever you're supposed to call it, and how it wasn't at all like real ski-ing, and he pretty much refused to take us on the piste at all and we had to keep ski-ing down the side of it, on the natural 'rough' or whatever it's called.

I certainly haven't been ski-ing through really steep unpisted couloirs with 3 feet of powder, or anything like that at all!

And as I said some time ago, I don't know how to carve in powder. All I do is very gently slide round, both skis pretty flat and parallel, on the surface, and pray that one ski doesn't sink and throw me over the front of my skis (again!)

Ally

Offpisteskiing,
I'm afraid that for some unknown reason I can't see your lovely vimeo video, but the frozen picture at the start was quite enough for me!

I'd have been terrified out of my mind :shock:

I can't ski off-piste either, but I will be having lessons next year in Courchevel (if there's any off-piste to ski). I am good at typing, but not so good at ski-ing :oops:

Ian has already admitted that he's not very good at moguls (because of his knees) or the snow park (but his daughter drags him through them), so I wouldn't be at all surprised if he does need off-piste lessons. And I'm sure he wasn't trying to be subtly unpleasant - if he has something to say he usually just comes out with it :wink:

In fact, I would think that many regular posters here can't ski real off-piste.

Ally

Thanks Admin :D

I have booked the flights now :D
And my flight costs include one bag each plus carbon offsetting but none of the other extras.

Total extra cost - £6 each for the balcony, and £5 more for the flights, so not too bad at all :D :D :D

I haven't included transport costs from home to/from the British airports, because obviously this is going to vary greatly from person to person depending on where everyone lives.

I just hope that there is plenty of snow and the sun shines. It will be great to try out my new boots and see if I am any better at ski-ing.

And we will probably book another coaching session with TDC like last time (cost last year 90 euros for 3 hours for the two of us). If it's the same guy, I hope he thinks we've both improved since last year.

Ally

Tony,
Never mind arguing about my description of the cost, the cost to me has just gone up :shock:

I got the early e-mail from them, because I pre-registered, and I e-mailed them straight back, and then left them a phone message, but I still hadn't heard anything from them.

So I phoned them again just now, and the only room left for us was one with a balcony, which costs more again :shock:

But at least I have booked it now :D

It is very busy because it is half-term.

Have you booked yours yet?

Now I will get the flights. They have probably gone up as well :cry:

Ally