J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by verbier_ski_bum

pavelski wrote:Now that is a comprehensive response.

Think of writing a book on, "The Perfect Ski Tourist "


A small comment on the "tourist" label.

Not all skiers are tourist. For some it is a life time activity which borders on a "passion" or obsession so it is not a "one week affair", but a life time of "passion".


You can tell the difference at the chalet and in the slopes.

Just my opinion.

Life time of passion can well consist of one-week affairs. Otherwise not so many people would be skiing.

I've been to Abondance a few years ago but not when resort was open. The place is pretty. The snow situation is very difficult to predict generally. There were years when as late as mid-january you could still see brown and even green on hills and some years it can be all white by mid-November. For snow-sure you will need to look at resorts that will have a glacier, like Saas-Fee/Zermatt in CH or Tignes etc. in France.

This is the first time I heard that boots should be size bigger. Usually they are size smaller or the same size as your feet depending on BSL of a specific boot. Going bigger = needing new boots in two weeks or even after a day of skiing. Plus as Bandit and Ranchero mentioned above, there are other things that you need to pay attention to while buying ski boots and as a minimum you should be able to try them on, but better still see a bootfitter. Buying online only makes sence if you already know which boot exactly fits you well and can get it cheaper online otherwise it may prove too costly - bad days on slopes + wasted money.

Snapzzz wrote:

SwingBeep wrote: I have a rescue card (Carte de sauvetage) it provides cover when the insurance company won't. I get mine from Air Zermatt, because I live in the region they cover. They are also issued by Air Glaciers and Rega, it could be the best 35 francs you ever spend. Rega have written a guide on calling out a rescue helicopter

Now i can certainly see the value in this. Do you know if this kind of cover is widely available in other regions?

However having said that do you think that it could also make the less than expert skiier that little bit braver and possibly reckless knowing that they effectively have a 'get out of jail free' card?

Mountains are not an amusement park and there is no really such thing in skiing as "get out of jail free" card. Insurance doesn't equal a safety margin and is a totally separate concept. Having a good insurance cover is not a safeguard against returning home in a body bag or sustaining severe injuries. You don't need to be an expert skier to understand this. Plus claims can and have been disputed.

I am not sure if you can get Rega or Air Glaciers cover if you don't have a Swiss address, but if you can get it - it's a good thing to have. On the other hand, if you are a piste skier and don't tour, usual insurance you buy with your ski pass is generally sufficient.

Check with Swiss. My friend is flying mid-Feb from London and she's paying for Sat-Sat return 220 pounds (but her outbond leg is via Zurich).

Iceman wrote:No reason why you cant do that....

There are problems on planes when you buy a return and not buy the first leg but then want to return ;)

I think you need to inform the airline asap when you haven't used the first leg otherwise they might cancell your reservation. happened to my Mum once when she came to Switzerland with one way ticket, took a train to Paris but her flight from Paris home was actually a return one (it was cheaper) and she didn't use the first leg.

I know how, this is how people I know ended up paying for their rescue. They took too far to the left on the back of Savoleyres (from top of Tournelle liftand when realised started climbing back but in December it got dark very quickly, so they had to call a chopper. untracked powder at 2pm stays untracked for a good reason. Nice place to ski but you need to steer as close to saxon piste as you can. Untracked stuff to the left can be a death trap.

But there are warning signs, though not every 100m, so some may think if the move further ahead then it would be OK to go in the direction the sign they just passed warned them against.

Thank you for posting this, that explains things. One of the solution for the Club would be to insist that their resort leaders if they want the position learn the area themselves and pass exam on how well they know it. Instead of what they ask for now - first aid and skiing skills. SCGB might have a case here too, though they probably had never even expected something like that and of course they have little influence/control/knowledgge of what ski passes their members buy on their ski trips or what sort of insurance (preventive rescue might well cost 10000CHF - I know people to whom it actually happened) and many trying to shed costs will go for the cheapest options from what I've read on forums. Still it's misleading to designate as "ski leader" someone who doesn't know the area. It's plainly silly to get there in 4 Valles area with so many skiing options if you have the right ski pass. Warning signs there are actually for a reason and more often than not the reason is not that you can wake up a couple of marmottes but that you can actually die. Very sad.