J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by jonG

:Dhi,
i agree,to be in or around the top thirty skiers on aregular basis is a serious acheivement for a skier of any nationality let alone a british one.

The lovely Miss Alcott may not be a race winner (yet) but is definately on top of the podium everytime as the most attractive female racer on the world cup curcuit.

jon.

:DHi,
one of my happiest memories(or strangest come to think of it) of Serre chevalier was ending the night taking a hot dip in one of the hot spring fountains about 2am in the town after one too many beers,oh the joys of youth.
indeed a great place :D

:DHi Karen,
glad you are once again deciding to go skiing again,there is a snow dome in Tamworth (real snow,or as near as it can be, not sure if this is anywhere near you) which might be within reach of you.

When choosing a resort idealy you want somewhere that has skiing on mainly north or northeast slopes and with runs from 16 - 1800m up to and over 3000m,a glacier thrown in aswell would be a bonus.

From a transfer point of view as you're children are 7 & 9 and would not probably like a long transfer( mind you none of us do i think) it might be a good idea to look at resorts that have transfers no longer than 2 - 2 1/2 hours,most of the resorts in the Tarentaise are within 2 1/2 hours with the longest about 3 hours,La Rosiere,Tignes & Val and Les Arcs (although i am slighlty biased towards the last),also the resorts of the Trois Vallee's down the road from the afformentioned have reasonable transfers aswell and might also be worth a look.

Another aspec that may be a deciding facter where to go will be the choice of catered or self catering.

From the financial point of view a rough cost for ski hire will be around £45 - £55 per person,lift passes around 195euro's(although there are some free chair lifts in most resorts that do not require a pass so beginners and normal skiers alike can find thierlegs for free),flights are relatively cheap also but over easter like most other places and business's prices rise above normal so expect to pay between £60 - £120 return per person if travelling independantley,and around £150 - £190 for car hire (this is normaly about £135).

On the fitness side i can only suggest that as with everyone else they should take everything at thier own pace,after all one of the main joys of a holiday in the mountains is to take the time to enjoy the majesty of nature that is all around,when i was a beginner i seemed to spend most of my holiday racing around trying to keep up with all the others(experienced skiers) and never got the time to take in the view).

Hope some of this is of help and enjoy you're return to skiing,and have a pleasant safe trip. :D

:DHi Franzklammer,
You should give Les Arcs a bash,with skiing up to 3226m and resort heights at 1600m ,1800,1950m and 2000m the skiing is pretty much sorted,in fact i always have a week in april as the resorts are quiet,and the slopes are not busy (mind you Les Arcs never seems to be ,which is great)in fact i will be there myself from 8th - 15th,also you can get fantastic dumps of fresh snow in april(but not 100%).
Just for the record the last skiable day this season is April 26th.
But wherever you decide to go have a great time.
jon.

:DHi,LOTA,
Have not used the Aero-ski bus before as i normally hire a car from Geneva,but if you click on the Geneva airport home page at http://www.gva.ch/en/Desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-11/
and then on the left hand side you will see -Access,Transportation,Accommadation ,then Public Transport ,then Ski Resorts(click on this),you will then come to a page with French Ski Stations,and the Aero-ski bus with time tables,fares,routes etc.

There is also a downloadable pdf in the top right of the page with transport info also.

I hope some of this is useful to you and wish you all the best for you're trip.
jon.

:Dhi Tony,
By trendy mega resorts i am thinking Val & Tignes,The Trois Vallee's resorts,Zermatt etc,normally the ones where english seems to be the national language.I sometimes get the feeling that the Les Arcs area does not get its dues because of a certain snob value(if thats the right word,or does not have the same bragging rights) some of the other resorts have,people tend to go where the masses go to fit in,and as les Arcs is not seen to be trendy people give it a miss and head up the valley.

But by doing this they are missing out,on some days at certain times of the season it is nearly possible to have the place to your self(some of the more popular resorts pistes can be dangerously crowded towards the end of the day on the final run home,St.Anton & Val to mention a couple)it seeems,also there is skiing for all standards,plenty of off-piste,the flying kilometer(where you can strap on some 200cm skis and try an overhall the world record,254 km/p/h for the price of a good steak dinner),and the area boasts some of the best restaurants in the alps,serving authentic local savoyard specialities.

Sorry i am rambling a bit it seems,but i think the area is a gem.
jon.

:Dhi,Val D'isere will be open until 6th may this year and is alsways a good bet as it has plenty of high slopes and is also linked to Tignes which has a village height of 2100meters and has the Grande Motte Glacier which goes up to around 3450 meters(11,400ft approximately),in switzerland Zermatt usually has a long ski season as does Cervinia on the Italian side,Chamonix can also be good with skiing in Argentiere and the Glacier de Montets(although the town of chamonix itself being at low altitude may well be free of snow by april,but in some cases april can bring heavy falls of snow).

I suppose the places to look for are resorts with high altitude skiing,mainly north or northeast facing slopes with a glacier thrown in for good measure,and to keep an eye on the snow reports and maybe make a last minute booking nearer the time when you an see which resorts will give the best skiing late season.

hope this is of use.
many regards
jon.

:Dhi again,
have been contacted by another apartment owner via my website ,they have an apartment in Les Arcs 1800 to rent,you can see thier details at www.ownersdirect.co.uk ,on the main page choose france and click on the rhone-alps part of the map of france,it will then ask you to select a region,choose the Les Arcs choice,the apartment code is Fr 1457,the owners Paul McDermott & Helen McEwen can also be contacted on 01245 266199