J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by admin

Pavel, if you send him a PM, he should get a notification to his e-mail.

As this extraordinary saga approaches its finality, I've been asked to clarify the place in space and time of the server... 8)

Although physically located somewhere in London the server is currently running in European time. This is due, of course, to it being an International Machine of Mystery - and not just because it's always been like that...


As the competition ends at midnight "J2SKI Time" (I did get that number right didn't I Pavel?), our visitors in England need to post their final answers by 11:00 p.m. UK time. Synchronize watches.


I strongly suspect the post mortem will run for almost as long again, once Pavel reveals all... off to think of my numbers now!

ise makes an excellent point - the number one, no question, way of lengthening your skiing day is to improve your technique. And stance is fundamental.

A balanced, relaxed position working with the ski can be maintained all day with only moderate levels of fitness - but "taking a back seat" will punish the thighs from the first run.

To answer the question in the first post, as well as "general" fitness there's obviously a need to work on "ski specific" exercises; balance boards, etc. I have a Skier's Edge in the lounge and that certainly works the thighs - but it also works best with a good skiing stance (it also feels enough like skiing that I actually enjoy it - as opposed to being bored rigid on most gym machines).

I'm not a horse-rider but I'd imagine being balanced on the stirrups must be very good training for that relaxed stance (absorbing all the bumps while staying centred) - does that sound sensible SkiGirl?

Early December is always a bit of a gamble, although Alpe d'Huez has altitude on it's side so will have what snow there is. You could literally have anything between no snow and knee deep powder at that time of year - there is really no way to know.

Possible changes in climate patterns mean that historical records are even less of a reliable indicator than they were before. 2006/7 saw poor snow at low altitudes through most of the season - the year before had an abundance. Next season could be different again... sorry, that's the way it is. :(

You might want to consider Les Deux Alpes as an alternative, as you have a group of beginners. LDA is sometimes referred to as an "upside down" resort because there are beginners runs at the highest point - over 3,000 metres altitude.


Seriously, my advice would be to wait and book last minute. Early December is never busy in Europe and you're pretty much guaranteed to find accommodation at a good price. Wait and see what the snow does, then follow it - make a list of high altitude resorts and do some research between now and then.

You've also got the time to get your group organised - have a party and watch a ski vid or two, get the group along to your nearest Snow Dome (I'm assuming you're in the UK) to find your "ski feet" and get them stoked for the great adventure they're about to embark on.

Beware - this is a one way ticket for many people; your priorities may change, you may never take another summer holiday again (except to ski in the Southern Hemisphere)... 8)

Re-posted for maymay :-

hi i'm planning on going to the alpe d'huez for 7 nights on the from 08/12/07 and need to book asap as i found a really good deal but i was wondering what the probability of snow was.
was there good snow around this date last year?
i'm very worried since i'm planning not just for myself and so the whole trip would be pointless since were all hopeful beginners
if it is not possible to give me any information, would there be any useful websites to refer me to?
anything to help me with the snow conditions during that time so that i get a better picture of whether the ski resort will be ski-able during that week this year.
thank you for any help!!!

Hi Salski,

We're not going far! Spending a few days chilling in the Aravis now - warm and sunny so will probably do more walking than skiing.

Then we start working on enhancements for next season - no major changes planned but a lot of tweaking; new features in the snow mails, holiday / hotel search, more maps, improved ad targetting and integration of more content from our partners, stuff like that.

It's been a good season for us and we'll publish some detailed stats on the site shortly - but we've more than tripled our traffic since last season and are now solidly in the Top 4 UK Snow Sports sites (in terms of traffic / visits). So a big thank you to everyone who drops by! 8)

We'll be starting up the snow mails for the Southern Hemisphere (although our coverage is not complete) in a few weeks time, and for the European summer skiing resorts.

So have a great summer in the meantime and do drop in here from time to time - we'll be hard at work, and there's always new stuff to learn even in the height of summer!

Cheers everyone!

Well boys and girls, it does look like you're still doing those snow dances... keep it up! The Snow Gods seem to be smiling on the last month of the season.

The GFS Ensemble for Geneva is showing a nice lump of precipitation for the end of this week... and is starting to indicate a repeat performance about a week later, with temperatures staying reasonably cool too... 8)

So, powder in the last few weeks? Looks like it! So don't put your gear away just yet - go bag one last trip...

moonrover wrote:Everywhere I look looks melted away.

:shock: :?:

Where are you looking??? Most of Europe has been reporting the best conditions of the season over the past two weeks!

Snow Report for Chamonix - over 4 metres of snow and light snow forecast over much of the next week.
Snow Report for Flaine - 3 metres deep and more forecast.
Verbier Snow Report - 2 metres and more coming.

Have a browse around our Ski Holidays for a whole bunch of deals going out in the next week or so.

Hope that helps - you got plenty of choice...