J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Wanderer

cc7up wrote:Perhaps it's because they are more resistant to the anshluss of big brother style dictatorship spreading (this time) out of Brussels.

Imo, On many subjects, as well as the smoking ban,The EEC Club have interfered in how we live our lives and i for one would like the UK to leave the EEC.

What will they ban next that You might like but others don't, Just because they can?

Its funny how people love to blame Brussels for lots of things they dont like. The smoking bans have nothing to do with the EU. Where they apply, they were decided by domestic governments. The fact that some countries have them and others dont should have been a clue :shock:

On the more general point, I do not want to see nanny-style interferences in my private choices. The problem with smoking is that one individual's choice does interfere with other people. Its a bit like the off-piste argument. Nobody wants going off-piste banned but it is essential that anyone doing so has regard for the safety of others and dont set off avalanches on people lower down the mountain :evil:

The tour operators normally charge very high single supplements. They operate on the basis of "sweating" the assets to the maximum extent. If you are travelling off-peak, I think most Austrian hotels and pensions charge by the person and only apply a modest supplement for a single.

If you can get into a chalet at a modest cost, it might be better in terms of meeting a few people. YOu might also consider the Ski Club of GB. AFAIK, they organise ski guiding in lots of resorts - another good way of finding a few ski buddies once you get there :wink:

.... but you may need to find some new mates. Its essential to have plenty of skiing friends. Otherwise you start to feel furtive when you plan a trip, log on here, etc :lol:

cc7up wrote:Is Austia Non smoking in bars now?

Unfortunately and inexplicably, no. If the French and Italians can manage it, its extraordinary that the Austrians haven't followed suit.

My memory is that there are two bus services between St Anton and Lech. The skibus which is free and the Postbus which you have to pay for :!:

I am afraid that the bus service was one of my big gripes about the area. They charge a hefty fee for the pass, partly on the basis of the combined areas. This would be fine if the bus service between the different areas was anywhere near adequate to deal with demand. Its not :evil: :evil: :evil: .

There are too few buses and they are too infrequent. Its usually a horrendous scrum to get on, you often have to stand the whole way and can wait a long time for the return journey. Overall, the service is a joke :evil: On one occasion last year, we headed down to the bus stop in Stuben to find probably 300 people queuing for the bus to Lech :evil: :evil:

Apart from that, the area is brilliant :shock:

OldAndy wrote:

Tony_H wrote:

I actually posted a photo of me in bed with my skis a couple of years ago.

I hope you used suitable protection and checked your insurance policy .....
:oops:

.... I just hope he didn't go off-piste :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

You could try Resorthoppa. AFAIK, they are a UK company that acts as a booking agent for loads of bus companies around the world.

I used them recently for a transfer of 23 of us from Lyon to La Plagne (which cost €80 each return).

In terms of minibus hire, I think you need a special (PSV - Public Service Vehicle) licence to drive buses beyond a certain passenger limit - 9 maybe. If none of you have such a licence you are probably stuck with two large people carriers or 4 cars and costs may not be much different.

I suspect £80 may be the ball park whichever way you go - sorry :cry:

I would agree that drinking is generally not a problem on the slopes and do not see the need for nanny style interventions by the authorities. however, I seem to recall somebody saying that in the event of an accident, breathalysers may be produced in some areas :shock:

Speed, or as some have said, is a different matter. I have no problem with somebody bombing down a quiet slope where the risks are minimal, assuming the person has a reasonable level of ability. What is not acceptable, in my view, is people flying down extremely busy slopes because they are frustrated with slow beginners and there is far too much of this in Europe. :evil:

On my recent trip to La Plagne, I was taking the run down from Centre to 1800 at the end of the day. It was so busy, we actually had to queue up just to get onto the run (there's a narrow bridge at the start of the run) :shock:. The run is primarily used as a means of getting down to the lower village and most people took their time, effectively kiing the run at the pace of the slower skiers.

However, a few hotshots sped down the sides and could not, in my opinion, have reacted quickly enough if a beginner suddenly veered into their path :x They are relying on inexperienced skiers to ski in a a rational and controlled manner. This is not a reasonable assumption and does lead to accidents :x :x :x

It might be no harm at all if there was at least some supervision of the more outrageous behaviours :wink:

This photo was being used in an advert on a menu in one of the restaurants we visited in Plagne Cente (Vega, I think). I can't remember what it was advertising but I think it might have been Salomon. :shock: