J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by smartski

Here's an idea. Ex-Hosts should where bright yellow jackets with "I WORK FOR xyz DO NOT FOLLOW ME" written clearly on the back.

When holiday makers arrive in resort they can be clearly advised in very great detail that "John" will be skiing very fast from the hotel at 9:30am each day, but he is NOT allowed to Host a group. "Janet" will leaving the hotel at 9:30am too, but as she's feeling tired this week she is not skiing quite so fast and so will be going a slightly different route, but she must not host either. In case the guests were wondering, Janet & John are in "luv", so they will being meeting each other at the '123mountain top restaurant' at lunch time, please try not to disturb them.

But no matter how hard they try, what Janet and John can't seem do is stop Guests leaving the hotel at about the same time, nor then stop the guests following them everywhere. They imagine that the French Authorities will accuse them of "hosting", so to ensure that it is very clear that they are not, they will need to wait at every lift, call the stalkers together and in no uncertain terms shout very loudly..."I'M GOING UP THIS LIFT, THEN A,B, C RUNS, you MUST NOT FOLLOW ME".

I think the TO would be making very "reasonable" efforts not to be hosting, but what can you do when a group of people simply keep following you?

-)

Iceman wrote:Smartski - was it a couple of hours lessons or just 1hr at a time? Know what you mean about skiing together. However she has said that there is a chance she will be too tired to ski all day every day :)

2 hours each time, just after an early lunch so warmed up from the morning, but not so late in the day to be too tired. I don't think 1 hour would really give enough time to get going.

verbier_ski_bum wrote:
There can be grading problem as instructors also have grades. I was asked when booking privates both in Chamonix and Verbier about the level, I think it helps them determine which available instructor will be suitable. Also with some schools as you move up price can increase, but you will be getting off-piste cover with it.
I found that what works best depends on where you are with your skiing and what you are trying to get out of it. Doing various drills is generally more fun in a group.

I hope instructor grading is not an issue at any Beginner/intermediate levels, otherwise the whole "hosting" argument is farcical.

Whether you prefer "drills" one-to-one or in a group is about your personal character. I would hate group lessons. And I am sure my wife had much more fun alone with her young, sexy, French man, than she would have done in a group...

Actually, I'm surprised she came back to me :shock:

I would thoroughly recommend looking into private lessons. Far more efficient way of learning. No group grading problems, lessons develop you at your pace, no pressure and no being left behind. Less waiting at lifts for a fallen class mate.

My wife had 2x one-to-one early afternoons this year. Strong evidence that she learnt more in those 2 than had she had 5 morning group lessons.

But there again I had to sacrifice my skiing time to be with her the rest of the time :? I should have been made a saint after that.

(I think the cost worked-out to the same either way.)

Mountain Addiction wrote:it's interesting that people comment how much coffee or beer is UP A MOUNTAIN, but would gladly go to certain high street coffee shops that are even more exorbitantly priced...

I'd rather pay 3,50 euro for a coffee sitting up a mountain than sitting in the Average UK high street chain paying 3,00 euro (or £2.60).

I suspect the mountain restaurants pay more rent and tax and have a short season to earn any money, so perhaps the Mountains are not so bad after all.

Julia Moss wrote:
We had to wait until our last day to go over to Champagny when we had perfect sunny day and powder snow to ski the red graded piste Mont de la Guerre from the top of the Verdons Nord lift. It's a must for that away from it all feeling and one of our favourite runs of the week.

"Mont de la Guerre" Was not open when we were there...therefore...I must go back again next year. 8)

NellyPS wrote:*Sob* This brought a tear to my eye. I loved what I saw of La Plagne and will be going back at some point, I never even made it to the tunnel! Or Les Arcs. But from what I did see, it was lovely, despite the concrete jungles, the area and the snow was fantastic and got better after I'd injured myself.

Thanks for the overview SS.

Sorry to hear you got injured, I didn't hear what happened, but hopefully you'll get straight back on that horse next year.

Snapzzz wrote:I'd just like to add that i also love La Plagne.

Add away Snapzzz -)

Tony_H wrote:

smartski wrote:

Tony_H wrote:Lhr to Grenoble?

Ermmmmmmm

"Errrmmmm", what, Tony_H?
BA Charter departs Heathrow 10:30 Sunday mornings.

For info, you cannot fly Heathrow to Grenoble with British airways or any other airline that I'm aware of.
There is a charter flight BA 9224c operated by mark Warner but you can't just get a BA flight out of Heathrow to Grenoble. It's a route which to the public doesn't exist

So you can't fly Heathrow to Grenoble, but you can. :roll: Thanks Tony_H.

For Clearer Information: I DID fly Heathrow to Grenoble, I have the ticket to prove it. :roll: ...and I said it was CHARTER.

Now if you want to question anything else I said then please first bear in mind the following small print:

The Hotel I mentioned is also 'charter' (T.O.) , so don't just turn-up.

The Ski lessons my family took were private, so the public couldn't just turn up for those either.

The lunches we had were on tables for four, so you'll need to find your own table.

The sledging, well I was allocated my own sledge, other members of the public could not sit on my lap, they needed to take a similar, but different sledge. And it might not have be as much fun as I had...but it might have been more.

-)

But overall I was expressing why I love La Plagne, so all of this detail is largely irrelevant. If you roughly repeated the holiday all over again, either with or without flights from Heathrow to Grenoble, yes they DO really exist, then you could compare your love for La Plagne with mine.

[PS I should never post when there 12 months to go until my next ski trip and that is making me feel very GRUMPY :evil: ]

Blue down to Montalbert (Her first "tracks")