J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by AllyG

Thanks PSC,
That was a great report :thumbup:

Maybe we can meet up next year. We're hoping to go back to Courchevel for Feb half-term, and stay in the same place as last time - we really liked it.

Ally

Thanks Dids,
I must have missed that one - because 'latest ski chat' wasn't working.

I'm very glad it isn't just me :lol:

Ally

Thanks Dids - I wonder if it's the same for everyone else?

Hi Everybody,
Is it just me, or has that horrid rating box really gone?

A few days ago the 'latest ski chat' went haywire on my computer and I only had old threads, and now it's come back but the layout is a bit different and no-one has any stars any more and the rating box has gone.

This suits me fine. Has everyone got this, or am I the only lucky one?

I did look up the software systems that do rating, and I can see that Admin would have quite a problem altering the system, because he'd be confined by whatever system he's using. For example, the one I was looking at (for university students) gave the moderators (tutors) the option of only allowing the students to see their own rating, or only allowing the moderators to rate the posts etc.

Ally

Hi Dids,
I'm glad you're safely back. Did you have a good time? Are you going to write a report on it?

Edit
I suppose traffic in the U.K. is bound to be a lot more congested than in France, which has a similar population but is over 2.5 times bigger than us.

Ally

I read that article, thanks, and what I noticed was that he said he was much fitter the second time around (as well as being on very short skis). I think how fit (and flexible) one is makes a big difference. I've seen total beginners fall over and not be able to get back up again on their own, and in fact I had this problem myself when I started ski-ing again. And struggling to get up like this is really exhausting and demoralizing.

Also, he said to start with he was better than the others, because he'd done it before, so I suppose he had more confidence, and that definitely makes an enormous difference.

And they do start beginners off with shorter skis now - somewhere up to about your chin, I think, and generally most skis are much shorter than they used to be.

Ally

Tony,
I'm sorry you had such a terrible journey on the train. I do agree that the night train where you have to sit up all night is extremely uncomfortable. However, the day train is great.

I would think there must be about 20 resorts within about half an hour of the three direct train stations of Moutiers, Aime La Plagne, and Bourg-St-Maurice. Surely they're not ALL really expensive? We found La Rosiere quite cheap, and that's one of them, and Val Thorens is certainly not posh and all full of people from Surrey.

There's also the 5 Three Valley resorts (Meribel, Courchevel, St Martin de Belleville, Les Menuires, and Val Thorens), Tignes and Val d'Isere, La Plagne, les Arcs, Saint-Foy-Tarentaise and Champagny. And I expect there are several others that I don't know about.

And if you don't mind changing trains in Paris I would think there are a great many more French ski resorts you could get to on the train.

It would be nice to have the use of a car when in a ski resort, for going to see/ski neighbouring resorts, but it's too far for me to drive from here. I suppose, one day, I might hire a car once I get there.

Thanks Ian, I thought someone might like to know which insurer you were with. It sounds like they did an excellent job :D

Ally

Tony,
I don't think I've ever said that driving is no good and everyone should take the train. I think I said it depends on where one lives in relation to Dover/Folkestone, St Pancras, Victoria (for the Snow Coach), and the regional airports.

I'm quite sure all the regulars on here know that I go by train to try to help slow down Global Warming (which is why I didn't want to mention it and bore everyone by going on about it again). The train generally produces only 1/10th the carbon as the plane.

I did go by plane last October (because the direct train wasn't running due to it being out of the ski season) and I found it a very stressful experience (it's on my Tignes thread). I actually prefer the train. I like being able to walk about during the journey, and get food and hot drinks from the buffet car, and look out of the window at France passing by. I put insulation in the attic in two of our houses to try and 'save' enough carbon to 'pay' for the trip.

Also, I get car sick in a car after about 1 hour and a half unless I'm driving or a front seat passenger. So I can't go by coach.

What about you - do you prefer driving or flying, now that you've tried both ways of getting to the slopes?

Ally