J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Wanderer

Chuffy wrote:For anyone who has been to Mayrhofen:

Do some of the bars/cafes near the slopes have kids ski racks? I ask this because my skis are 105cm long and I think I'll have trouble when I go to lock them up on the free standing ski racks.

Yep that's right, I have skiboards. Revel8 Trees. Anyone interested there is a link to these boards below. Cheers.

Why not just keep wearing them? I'm sure nobody will notice :twisted:

1. I would agree with HYMAC - go with TO for your first trip at least. Even if the local reps are pretty crap, they should still be capable of helping you get started.

2. In terms of resort, have a look through the brochures and try to get a sense of which ones you like - you can investigate further through websites like this one or www.skiclub.co.uk. Just remember as a beginner you dont need a big resort with lots of runs - you really only need a small number of runs suited to a beginner. The smaller resorts also tend to be cheaper :lol:.

3. Take lessons - preferably full-day. If you have been reading this site, you will realise that you never conquer this sport. As a beginner, you will enjoy yourself much more if you put the time into mastering the basics and a good instructor will push you along quite fast. For beginners, ski school is usually fun with a bunch of people in the same situation making the same mistakes and then the same progress :lol:

4. Get cracking - its time to book!!!

5. Enjoy :wink:

I don't think there is a straight answer to this one. DIY can give you a much wider range of options and provided your flexible can save you money. Especially useful for mid-term weeks when the TOs will rip you off big time :evil:. By going DIY, you can often eliminate the TO loading.

At other times, discounted packages from TOs can be great value. Things like transfers, flight baggage supplements, etc, can quickly erode the savings to be made by going DIY.

Booking late probably works best for small groups - the larger the group, the more difficult it is to secure good deals and you run the risk that you will be spread over accommodation all over the resort or worse still not being able to get everybody into the resort (possibly not too much of an issue if you travel on 24 Jan). On the other hand, a larger group can make the cost of transfers much cheaper. Finally, if you have a decent size group, the main TOs usually offer quite substantial discounts. We are getting 3.5 free place for a group of 20 adult places (unfortunately, they do not count child places for the purposes of the group discount) departing on 31 Jan - a discount of 17.5%.

shining star wrote:We're going to Zell am See in January for 5 days, and hoping that our 4 year old will take to the slopes for the first time.

I have a question regarding ski school for kids - does it usually only run on set days to tie in with the usual change over day in the resort? We're going to be skiing Friday - Tuesday, so I hope it's possible for him to go in to ski school these days (have literally just booked so not looked in to this too much yet).

Do you usually leave them at ski school the first day, and go off with your own group / class and leave them to it? I'm not sure if I should be staying to watch or help?

I'm happy to spend a few days just hanging out skiing with him if a private lesson is the best option?

Most ski schools will be completely flexible about the days - the main disadvantage of your plans is that the composition of the class will probably change completely on the Sunday - not sure this matters much to 4-y-os though!

One piece of advice: drop him off, then get out of there. It may sound callous but it really is the only way to go. I think the point has already been made earlier in the thread that if you hang around, he will more than likely act up and nobody will be happy - let him and the instructor get on with it. If you must check on him, do it from a distance, where he cannot see you. Oh, make sure he has a chocolate treat in his pocket for a snack during the day :!:

bandit wrote:Would it make the waiting easier if I said that the lifts are not open here until the weekend, so I have to earn my turns if I want to ski )

Not really :twisted:. I am so jealous of you people getting out for the early season snow. I have another 51 days to go and it seems like forever :x.

However, I suppose some respect is due, if you have to skin up the mountain to enjoy each run, no matter how wonderful :wink:.

As regards scary journeys, my worst experience was in a minibus from St Anton back to Zurich leaving at 4am in the middle of a blizzard. As the minibus slowly climbed up the mountain roads, conditions got worse and worse - at times, it was virtually impossible to see where the road was because of the drifting snow. However, the driver still didn't see any need for chains. Thankfully, we got through it safely with only a few minor skids. Afterwards, I found out, the driver could have avoided the mountain altogether by using the Arlberg Tunnel but he was too mean to pay the toll :twisted:

David

Sorry to hear about your situation. I am very wary of dry slopes for this very reason. Even though I have skied for about 15 years and sometimes go to a dry slope, I am always somewhat apprehensive about falling there and injuring myself - something that rarely enters my head on the mountains. BTW, my local slope is in a place called Kiltiernan and the local hospitals refer to a condition known as "Kiltiernan Thumb" - the severe sprain of the thumb that you can get when your thumb gets caught in the brushes in a fall :evil:.

I know that you really want to get back to the skiing and would love it if you could convince your OH to give it another go. At this stage, I think I would be inclined to let a bit of time pass until she is fully recovered physically and mentally :!:. Then when you feel the time is right, I would focus on trying to get her to the mountains, rather than bothering with dry slopes, realli-ski, etc - it is so much more pleasant learning on snow, in beautiful bright sunshine, with spectacular views all round you and a bunch of friends all high on endorphins. If you can get her to that spot, I suspect your problems will be solved :lol:.

JamesA wrote:One good post deserves another.... here goes,

Ski with some people that ski better than you. Emulate what they do and you too will improve. Call it cheap lessons if you want to.

If you ski with an "expert" try the following:
- follow them down a hill and keep up
- follow in their tracks carve big and little turns as they do
- ski the terrain that they choose follow their "line" down
- copy their posture and hand position see how balance is achieved
- ski short pitches together turn for turn - try "figure eighting" their turns
- tap your poles in time with them to feel the rhythms of the sport
- ski up to their speed, to go a bit faster - to let the ski work
- try new stuff arms high, low, wide, close and feel the difference
- watch how they ski holistically and let your brain and eyes follow

Good suggestion James. While I agree with you, in principle, I would have reservations about suggesting that a fairly inexperienced intermediate should try to follow an expert. IMO, it might be better to suggest that you should target somebody who skies well at a level a little bit above your own. In this way, you will push yourself but not be beyond your capabilities.

Also a word of advice: don't try this with an instructor giving a private lesson - if he sees what you are doing, you are likely to get a right earful :evil: