J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by catp

SwingBeep wrote:... Length and width are not of primary importance, the key area is around the ankle. If they don't fit there they won't function properly and there is very little that can be done to improve the fit in that area....

Even the ankle area can still be played by a good ski bootfitter; they can either replace the buckle(s) with longer ones, use extensions, or even remove and re-position the buckle on the boot in the needed area.

And I'd always avoid stating that Length and width are not of primary importance! In 2013 I almost lost both my toes to some severe frostbite, because of skiing too much in a frigid cold day wearing my Tecnicas 98mm last. I did get the boots to a good bootfiter, and he did enlarge the toe area which made it better but still no perfect. This past Spring, having bought a pair of boots that fit me perfectly, I could clearly tell the difference.

So I would advice to keep looking for a perfect fit boot, instead of going for ones which could need significant adjustments from the start.

sm4sh wrote:When are you all going to The Sauze Hotel then? I have just had a look at the prices for the 4th Jan but seems to be fully booked that week. With all this rep its getting its making me want to book up and see what its like for my self :lol:

The Sauze 8) group holiday starts on the 11th January -)8)

Well put Felthorpe! :thumbup:

To me the idea is quite simple:
I'll accept an outdated hotel/chalet (if it's clean & safe) as long as the quality of skiing (snow and ski-terrain) is really great! And goes without saying that having awesome company is a big plus as well!

I'd say that if anybody here would be happy to spend their ski holiday in a fantastic 5* hotel, even if they'd have terrible snow and ski terrain, then such people might want to look for a different forum. Cause I thought what brought everybody here is our common passion for SKI, so that should be top priority when planning a ski-holiday!

Of course, I'd be lying to pretend I would not enjoy the comfort of 5-Stars Hotels, but when budgeting is an issue, the lodging level falls far below in priority than the quality of snow, ski terrain and enjoyable company.

PS: While I kept saying SKI/SKIING, that that does not mean I forgot we also have some cool boarders in this forum! But, we can look at them as skiers with weird preferences (like choosing to use just one fat ski and wear soft boots! hmmm: could that be looked at as a form of budgeting :roll: :lol: ;-) )

Excellent review Ally, Thanks! :thumbup:

I recon this might be a very helpful resource for people who'd want to decide between the Tignes/Espace-Killy area and the "SKIAREA Campiglio Dolomiti di Brenta Val di Sole Val Rendena"; or for those who already went to one of these areas, and would be interested to go to another!

Here's my favorite quote from the J2Ski Snow Report on Thursday 16 January:

"Conditions in France are excellent but Italy seems to be nosing ahead as the snowiest of the big four nations at present; reporting the world's deepest snowbase and a greater proportion of resorts with deeper snow (over 2m on upper slopes)."

.... so horses or not, Flogy seems to prepare well for our visit!!!!

:thumbup: :lol: :P :P

Hi Icy,

If your only reason for considering lessons is to get to know the area and make best use of your time (since making choices in a huge ski area can be difficult if you are not very familiar with it), then maybe instead of paying for the lessons you could follow some *available* ski-itineraries?

Have you looked at this page, for example: http://www.valthonet.com/ski/area/itineraries.html
--- And what's nice in these given itineraries is that they break them down between morning and afternoon, so you get a good idea what can you ski during the morning before meeting with your OH at lunch time.

Have a great time! :)

Hi EOHARE,

YES, you should get only one double ski bag as your check-in luggage. That is the most convenient and cost-effective method!!!

However, here are my answers to your 3 questions:

1: Double ski bag going to fit in my skis, boots and enough clothes for 12days?
--- No, I strongly doubt you will be able to fit all that! And that's not necessarily because of volume, but because of weight!

My solution was:
___ a) Pack skis, poles, (helmet), and clothing in the double ski bag. Make sure you get a good quality bag made of strong, thick but light, ripstop fabric. When I was looking to buy one two years ago I found great reviews about the "High Sierra" brand which seems to be a bit less expensive than other good brands. (I personally ended up buying a Roxy brand just because I liked its looks more ).

___ b) Get a nice, roomy, light and strong boot bag/backpack to bring along as your carry-on. It that you pack your boots, goggles, sunglasses, gloves, ski locks and whatever else you can manage to stuff in there. The ski boots are heavy, but now nowadays the airlines do not restrict the carry-on weight as long as its size is OK.

___ c) You can also get a smaller backpack also as carry-on (in case you like to have a backpack on you when skiing). I know the airlines rules are "only one" carry-on, but on the other hand they allow one laptop (or iPad) with its carrying case and a camera. So I claimed that my extra backpack was the carrying case for my laptop and camera. (I flew like this from Boston to Austria with BA and Swiss and had no problems).

This solution has also has one other advantage: If it was for my check-in luggage to be lost, I'd rather lose my skis and some clothing, than my boots. So I always make sure to place in the carry-on some items that I would not want to be forced to replace.

2: Wheels or no wheels?
--- Definitely wheels!!!

3. Why the f*&k are they so expensive - £100ish?
--- Huh? This was a rhetorical question, right? If not, then errrrr… ???…. maybe because of the supply and demand law?

Anyway, have fun in Colorado and welcome to the forum!

Iceman wrote:Great example of why I love this website :thumbup:
So far on the possible list I have:

Cat tracks
Whisky minature - looked at Hudman's link and they have the same minature :)
ipad camera doofer
Ski Slings

-- So glad you started this thread Icy!!!

I planned resisting the temptation of any new ski gadget purchase this season, but I'm afraid that the idea of a gadget that would help me pull my boots on would be simply irresistible! :oops:
(… my boots are 90-100 flex with a 98 last, so they can be sometimes a pain to get into --- especially when cold)

So now I have to decide between the http://skisnowboardboothorn.com/index.html and the http://www.slippinltd.com/ :roll:

And, actually, the "cat tracks" as well as those ski carriers (http://www.skisling.com/ or http://www.skiweb.uk.com/featured/skiweb-ski-carrier-christmas-red.html or http://portaski.com/) look pretty tempting too :evil: