J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Gaz C

Hotel minibuses seem to be part of the deal in lots of Italian resorts. It's just another one of those little things that makes the Italian experience so civilised. I think every hotel in Folgarida has its own minibus; we even used the one at the Renzi, which was about 150m from the lifts. I have also used them to get to the lifts in Courmayeur and Gressoney and in Sauze d'Oulx the hotel minibus would even pick you up in town after a night on the 'razz'! I think the Italian word is 'simpatico'. ;-)

Mind you, I'll bet poor old Dmitri was ready for a 'lie down' after you lot had driven him up the wall with lost phones and mixed up skis! ;-) :-D

Glad to hear that you all had a great time, although I kinda knew you would. It doesn't matter how quiet it is at night when you take your own party with you. :-) It's a nice little resort in a superb ski area and I'd certainly return. In fact, the only reason we didn't go for a third visit last year was that the kids wanted to compare the experience of skiing in a different country.

La Grotte was a bit rough and ready but it had a great atmosphere. Saw a terrific band there called Muntfinger (check 'em out on You Tube ;-) ). We had been chatting to the lead guitarist/singer the previous evening and when they came on, with his face painted and looking like a cross between Kurt Cobain and Marc Bolan, my immediate thought was, 'You'd better be good to carry off a look like that, lad.' They were brilliant! The Clash, Cream, Thin Lizzy, Hendrix, Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, RATM....; they could play anything, and play it really well! The place was absolutely banging. In stark contrast to Le Frog, where there was more life in a tramp's vest! The owner of La Grotte was a good egg, too. He also had The Station at the bottom of the slopes in Chantemerle. He played/sang in The Harper Brothers,a comedy/pub-rock band that really got things warmed up straight off the slopes. They even gave us a lift back to Villeneuve in their van after their gig. Aah, happy days! :-D Now, there's another resort I must get round to re-visiting.

Ha-ha! I had to get it written down while it's still fresh in the old memory. :-) I shall have forgotten 90% of it by next week. :-) I can't say I'm familiar with the Crystal Dark run at St. Foy so I don't know how it compares. The Schilthorn is pisted though, so that's one thing in your favour. When you do get the opportunity to go, I would suggest you kill two birds with one stone and get over to Wengen and have a go at the Lauberhorn run (but not at the speed of Kueng & Co.!) ;-)

The term 'intermediate' covers a huge group of once-a-year (twice if we're lucky), UK skiers but the fact that you are considering having a crack at the Schilthorn suggests to me that you are in the higher or strong intermediate group and have skied black runs in other resorts, with varying degrees of style and accomplishment -). If this is the case I would say, 'Go and take a look at it.'

I had two away-days in Murren last week and skied the Schilthorn three times while I was there. Visibility was good on both days and the piste was in nice condition with very few scraped or windblown, icy patches and no moguls. I don't know if the Schilthorn's reputation scares people away but there was only light traffic on it each time.You could say I caught it in a benign mood.

LOTA's assessment was pretty much spot-on. Right at the very top it is steep, but with very few bodies around there was always plenty of room to get the turns in. I would advise against doing it on a 'poor vis' day as after the second, (not as) steep pitch there is a long, flat section that connects to the final, easier pitch down to Birg. It pays to let the skis run and get into a tuck as soon as you are confident on this second pitch; otherwise you will be poling or skating on the flat section. From Birg you have the option of blue or black (black was closed last week :( ) as you continue down, before picking up red 15 or black 15b which lead to the 'notorious' Kanonenrohr.

Personally, I couldn't see what the fuss was all about with this section. It does get a little narrow in parts but isn't all that steep. On my first run I skied into thick cloud on there and found myself in almost zero visibility. The hardest thing was sighting the piste markers. I survived -) and on subsequent runs it was a pussy cat. Here, I think, lies the flaw in what is otherwise a great little area. This black piste connects the Schilthorn/Birg sector, which has some nice red and blue runs, with the rest of the Murren and Winteregg area. The alternative is to down-load in Murren taking the Schilthornbahn cable-car.

It isn't possible to ski the entire 'Inferno' course (even if a couple of steep uphill sections float your boat) as the slopes above parts of it are prone to avalanche. I assume that these slopes are blasted prior to the race and then the area is closed off afterwards. I took the train back from Winteregg, after playing around in the trees there for a while, as the red piste 3 was signposted as closed even though there was no shortage of snow in relatively low-lying Lauterbrunnen. On the train back to Wengen I spoke to quite a few people who had chosen to ignore the signs and ski all the way back to Lauterbrunnen.

In a nutshell, I would say that if you feel you are in the higher half of the intermediate group then it's worth taking a look over the edge. The 'walk of shame' back to the cable-car is a very short one -) and, as Murren isn't a 'full on' sort of place there won't be hordes of jeering, Red Bull and adrenaline-fuelled 'yoofs' to face if you do decide that discretion is the better part of valour. Choose your day, speak to your rep or locals the day before you intend to go about the weather forecast and if all's well, go for it. Don't be put off by the sheer numbers making the trip up; most of them are there to take photographs or for the 'James Bond Experience' It's worth the six-minute ride for the stupendous views from the top (on a clear day) and a coffee at the Piz Gloria. Hope this helps and that you enjoy the area as much as I did. 8)

Exact-a-mundo! Still reckon the best skiing (on or off the donut) is in Arabba and Selva.

Scarlet Fez wrote:Researching for 2015 trip. Have skied Austria last 10 years. Ski with a mature group, range from very good intermediate to advanced skiers. Looking for a great ski area, with decent après and good 3/4 star half board hotels in town near lifts. Does Sella Ronda tick these boxes?

The short answer is 'Yes! Absolutely!'
The best skiing is in Arabba and Selva. The best après is in Selva and Canazei. Canazei is handy for skiing in both Arabba and Selva. Don't know what you're used to après-wise but it isn't St. Anton or Ischgl. Lots of nice hotels like you describe in all three resorts.

You could land me in a whole world of trouble!!! :-) I'd normally be all over this like a scabby rash. Unfortunately, Our Maud has big birthday coming up and I have promised to take her to Vienna to see the Lippizaners at the Spanish Riding School. She paid for me to go to Val Thorens last year, so fair's fair. :-) Quite looking forward to it actually, but I'd rather be trying to scare/kill myself off the top of the Punta Indren. ;-) I don't know how well you know the area but when conditions are right (like now), there is no better place to be skiing, in my opinion. Have a good one, and I'll try not to get too bitter and twisted. :-D