J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Wanderer

As you are all beginners, you definitely do not need a big resort. There are a few small resorts that effectively specialise in beginners and which are much cheaper. I think Crystal feature at least 1 in France (La Rosiere?)and 1 in Austria (Rauris?).

Once you have identified a resort, it might be worth emailing or speaking with the ski school and checking to see if they will let you all do ski school together. With 4 beginners in a quiet week, they might be happy to treat that as the basis for a class with the addition of a few others.

Snapzzz wrote:

Wanderer wrote:I they take a very rigid approach and will have no qualms about failing a kid at the end of the week

They FAIL kids? Fail them at what? You mean they have a set curriculum and your kids can go on holiday and FAIL at the weekend?
That is total bo****ks.

I would never put my daughter in a ski school that would do that.

My family are there for fun. I don't care if she hasn't reached a certain set standard although i do like to see her progress.
In Arinsal she only did three days of ski school, learnt the snow plough and could turn only one way. She got a certificate and a medal that stated how well she had done.....even though in reality she did pretty poorly.
But she certainly didn't FAIL.

Who do they think they are?

ESF operate a grading system - Snowflake, 1*, 2*, 3* and competition if memory serves. They have set criteria that kids must attain before they "graduate" to the next level. This would appear be be designed to facilitate the assignment of kids to the appropriate class the following year. I agree completely with you about the absurdity of failing kids who are there to enjoy a holiday. I've heard of kids who refused to go into ski school the following year as a result of failing. Presumably French families are happy with the approach!

I have to confess that I do tend to make every effort to avoid ESF. While I know their instructors are probably as good as any other ski school, my reasons for going elsewhere are

- smaller classes - ESF tends to pile them in during busy periods. I have seen as many as 15 kids in a class;

- attitude (1) - they take a very rigid approach and will have no qualms about failing a kid at the end of the week if they do not feel they have progressed sufficiently. While I would not dispute their assessment, I do not want my kids being demoralised in this fashion;

- attitude (2) - because they are the dominant player in each resort, it always feels to me that they do not make as much effort to accommodate your needs.

I have used ESI in Flaine a few times and was happy enough with them. Generally a bit friendlier than ESF and, IIRC, a limit of 8 kids per class.

As others have said, the quality of individual tuition is very much a matter or luck in getting an instructor that is right for you (different styles of instruction suit different people).

I would not claim to be an expert but the following would be my understanding of these terms:

Hard Pack: Plenty of snow but compacted with no new snow. Likely to be quite icy in parts, especially on steeper pitches. Good for high speed cruising for confident skiers but not particularly liked by the more nervous :shock:

Machine Groomed: Any fresh snow has been pisted and I would expect conditions to be fairly nice. :D

Variable: Expect areas with horrible conditions - ice, slush, brownish thin snow with bits of grass showing through, etc.:evil:

Hard Packed Snow: not sure there is any difference from Hard Pack. :shock:

Powder Snow: as it says on the tin. Light fluffy snow on piste. Wonderful skiing conditions :mrgreen:

Wet Snow: High temperatures resulting in heavy, wet snow that is not pleasant to ski on :evil:

Fresh Snow: Doesn't really tell you too much other than the good news that you will have fresh snow :shock:

More than happy to receive any corrections/clarifications :lol:

EmmaEvs wrote:

Wanderer wrote:I was referring to intelligence. Helmets are usually brought into use through stupidity on somebody's part!!! I am less concerned about sartorial elegance on the slopes. In fact, I find it rather amusing to see German skiers in 20 year day glo outfits. Much more interesting that today's, mainly, drab black, red and grey pallete of colours for ski outfits!!!

OOOOOOOOH Wanderer is a closet rompersuiter. Show us a pic Wanderer go on :lol: 8)

'Fraid not Emma. I did have a romper suit for my first two ski trips nearly 20 years ago (in a rather awful olive green!). It was the cheapest thing I could find at the time. It had to go after letting me down on the slopes following a fall when the rear split. My fellow skischool classmates reckoned I was leaving a trail of polyester stuffing in my tracks that day! Not a pretty sight!!! Never wore one since and I don't think I have any pictorial evidence of that one - possibly destroyed to help me get over the trauma of that experience!!!

It still does not stop me "admiring" the cheesy seventies look of some skiers who still strut their stuff in such outfits!!!!

I was referring to intelligence. Helmets are usually brought into use through stupidity on somebody's part!!! I am less concerned about sartorial elegance on the slopes. In fact, I find it rather amusing to see German skiers in 20 year day glo outfits. Much more interesting that today's, mainly, drab black, red and grey pallete of colours for ski outfits!!!

.... if only this could be combined with smarter skiers on the piste!!!!

You can also take the train direct from the airport to St Anton (though with a change in Zurich main station). Its a very civilised way to make the transfer. The train takes about 2.5 hours.

St Anton is a wonderful ski resort and the more experienced will have a ball. However, it is quite demanding for beginners and if you can afford it, Lech, a little bit up the valley, might be a better option for a group that includes beginners.