J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by admin

caron-a wrote:By the way, where's admin in all of this?

I can't plan next week, let alone the year after next! :shock: How much snow will there be in 2011 then? :lol:

Jonny220 wrote:maybe it shouldn't be stickied any more?

Fair point, well made... 8)

Dave Mac wrote:I am as unfit as I can remember for this time of year.

Me too... it was all going so well until my ankle became a dog-chew (culprit now under Doggy-ASBO, next stop Death Row).

Dave Mac wrote:followed by Sangria

You were doing so well until you got to that bit... 8) Have fun in the sun Dave.

Tony_H wrote:Been there. Done that. Bought the T shirt.

Had the slap? :wink:

AllyG wrote:I have managed to ski on this really hard, green glacier ice

We shall now refer to you as the Ice Maiden... 8)

But worth noting that what you have come across really is ice. What most skiing folk usually refer to as "ice" is actually just hard-pack (being pedantic).

You can get an edge on hard-pack if you try hard enough, but you'd need to be on ice skates to grip on real ice (like blue / green glacier ice). The best (only?) way to tackle ice, as you've probably figured out, is to stay absolutely balanced as you cross it - anything else and you fall - and then turn or stop on the snow / hard-pack the other side.

But better a day skiing on ice than a day, er, not skiing. I think. Hmm.

Anyway, big us (J2Ski) up to the folk at Edge2Edge - I had a chat to Marc (their owner) at the ski show last week and hope it's all going well for them.

Paradiski is throwing a party on 19 December to mark the opening of its ski area. The theme of the event will be good cheer and exploration.

The official relaunch of the Vanoise Express lift on 19 December 2009 will mark the opening of the Paradiski area for the 2009-10 season. Paradiski opens its gates to all skiers wishing to explore Europe's most prestigious ski area.

All day, on 19 December, the ski lift operators (SAP and SMA) will be giving away a Paradiski extension, free of charge to anyone holding a ski pass valid on that day for la Plagne or Les Arcs / Peisey-Vallandry. Valid oneday, holiday or season passes should be presented at a ticket booth to obtain the extension.

ESF instructors will be on hand to guide skiers round a special Paradiski circuit. Several routes will be organized to suit different categories of skier. This will be an ideal opportunity to explore the best "hot spots" on the area and all the sights not to be missed.

And after the sport there will be time for a warming drink, near to the Vanoise Express, with vin chaud and hot chocolate, as well as other local drinks and specialities.
www.paradiski.com

Absolute beginners (very first time on skis) are catered for in Arc 2000. There's one (maybe two) chair lifts that are free and a long (1km+), easy Green. A number of the Blues in the 2000 valley are pretty benign and should be doable by day 2 or 3.

Many of the Blues elsewhere should be manageable by just about any 2nd week skier. By paying attention to the piste map (!), early skiers can get a lot of miles under their skis and feel like they've been around the mountain.

Can't help with specifics for the ski schools, sorry.

It was "The start of the end of skiing in the Alps" two seasons ago when in the middle of one of Europe's worst ski seasons for snowfall the small French resort of Abondance announced it would not be running its lifts.

The Associated Press agency seized on the news and it appeared in newspapers all around the world as evidence that skiing in the Alps was coming to its end (eg: http://www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffarth/archives/2007/07/whatta-mean-the.html)

The problem with the story was that Abondance's decision was not really related to climate change, but more to economics – a problem faced by thousands of small ski areas around the world in the past decade. It's a very similar scenario to other business sectors, the decline of small local shops as customers favour supermarkets being the obvious parallel.

Their lifts, often built in the 1960s or 70s, are getting elderly, their costs for staffing, power, insurance are all escalating, the trend is for skiers and boarders to head to the big glossy resorts favoured by tour operators and newspaper reviewers. In short, the future's not looking bright and huge bills for maintenance and possible replacement appear unavoidable as a major government inspection looms.

Hundreds of small ski areas had already decided to call it a day, largely un-noticed, before Abondance, and this season, as every season, dozens more will decide not to open.

Abondance, happily, will no longer be closed. Alas climate change is still with us, but none-the-less Abondance re-opens this winter, thanks to its purchase by an American investor, who already works in the ski lift industry so can help there. He apparently wanted to get a toe in to the European market and sees Abondance as a good bet.
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