J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Dave Mac

Hired through skiset last week

The equipment was good. Skis were, poles were rubbish.

The discount was invisible, since the prices were the same as those offered by the rep.

The ski fitter in Brides Les Bain was nothing short of rude. He was much more interested in us giving him 20 Euros to use their lockers ~ even when we told him they weren't required.

We didn't get the particular skis we asked for, and had no way of knowing if we were getting a lower value ski.

Bandit, you presume badly of this lady, we not know if she has a lifetime of bad skiing habits. The fundamentals of skiing remain the same, albeit the techniques may have variation to suit different equipment.

Good skiers will learn to use a range of techniques anyway, to suit different conditions.

I am sure most good Austrian skiers started before the age of five. Equally, there are many Austrians that started at that age, that are no better than the average Brit.

My oldest student, a 65 yaer old called Dan, went home with sticking plaster on his face, but had skiied down Niederau's Marbachjoch, after just 6 days.

Anyone can learn to ski well, given reasonable knees and hips, fitness and coordination. You will learn more quickly on good snow, with good instruction. It seems to me that most skiers reach a level, after about 4/6 years, and stay there ~ because they stop trying to learn/understand.

Good luck, ski well.

Arthur,
I am same height, and same knees together bit, and it still looks the best technique! I also have 2m K2s, previously was on 210s. With regard to carvers, suggest you avoid wide shovels, unless you are planning to be mainly off piste. Also, look at the shapes, there are some carvers that are more extremely cut than others, suggest you don't go for an extreme radius at first.

Lengthwise, you will find that you can probably handle 165 to 185, suggest 175 to start with.

I believe that the most important aspect is stiffness. Avoid racing skis, these will be too stiff. If you do ski quickly, avoid soft skis, they are likely to "chatter", during a fast turn on the steep, and on a fast schuss. A medium stiffness would be about right.

When you are renting, talk to the people, and say that you will want to change skis during the week ~ it is a learning period for you. Most good renters will be helpful.

Just hired some Rossignal carvers in 3V last week, good for closed knee, open knee swing, downward unweighting, skidding. Interestingly, on the first run, the left ski kept turning into the right. I swapped skis and had no further problem ~ then marked skis L & R. Conclusion ~ one ski was stiffer than the other. (There are other possible reasons)

Good skiing.

Aeronic, thanks for the wishes. Yes it was a good visit. Snow good, lower slopes crowded, better up high, but poor viz and occasional high winds limited time at high areas. Best snow at Val Thorens. Chaviere Glacier was very special.

Didn't go for the on-line lift passes, no-one commented, so played it safe and bought in resort.

Did hire skis through ski-set. They claim 20% cheaper, but was same price as offered on coach by the rep. Also, although I do speak some French, there were communication issues with the ski fitter, who was also very impolite.

Can't help much with eating, was half board at the Amelie. Food mainly good, but Kangeroo steaks??? Several places to eat on the main street.

Ski well.

Pavel,

I have a pair of Raichle rear entry boots, that are ancient, and while the shell is strong, the inner boot is wearing. For instance it has almost co,pletely lost the outer plastic coating that kept them dry.

Do you think that these are replacable?

I agree with Austria. I respectfully suggest Niederau, it is a village with character. The beginner slopes are next to the village centre. The ski school has been rated highly, first or second in Europe depending on survey you read. English is widely spoken. Not a big night life, but a little of everything.

When it comes to cost, yes you do pay a bit more at peak times, in St Anton it is a lot more, in smaller villages the difference is less.

If price is a big issue there are ways to alleviate, outer edges of village, b&b, guesthouses.

Sorry, that should be "caring with children", although they do make you cringe sometimes.....

As Rossfrae points out you are linked to peak season, particularly this year where Easter falls early. It isn't just UK holidays, the whole of Europe adds pressure.

Suggest your process starts off by spliiting to two:

February ~ look at lower cost countries. Bulgaria has a good snow record, (check Iglu web site, snow history)and many resorts have good quality ski schools. Other aspects are not so good, but there are offsets ~ it is very nice to get a ride back to your hotel with horse and carriage for almost nothing. And, like the Italians, the instructors are are very cring with children.

March ~ If the snow holds up well across Europe, you may attain a reasonable cost holiday anyway. If it doesn't, trawl through the brochures and look at high resorts. Then cast your net accross the web. Lowest cost might be if you arrange your own travel and look for b&B, checking local eating costs. If prepared to ski just til 2.00pm, a lower resort might do, anyway.

Good hunting!