J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Wanderer

Relax - its a ski holiday and its going to be a little bit expensive whatever you do. I can't tell you anything about Verbier but I think it would have a reputation of being expensive. St Anton is fantastic, possibly some of the best skiing in Europe and probably the best apres ski. It will be a little more expensive than other Austrian resorts for food and drink but only marginally so :lol:. Your bigger problem may be in finding moderately priced accommodation in a good location - it can be done but is not easy.

Good luck with your plans. :wink:

Anita

You clearly love skiing but you do not want to repeat the experience of walking down the mountain. One thing that is particularly hard for beginners is to judge the difficulty of a slopes and it can be really frustrating to find yourself on a slope that you feel is beyond you.

I think the best advise I can give you is to take lessons, whether private or ski school. The instructors will work out your capabilities within about 30 seconds and will bring you on slopes that will test you but which will be within your growing capabilities. Just make sure to pay attention to where he/she brings you so you can return to slopes that you enjoyed when you are skiing on your own. I would be very surprised if you did not find this much more enjoyable than trying to muddle through on your own.

Good luck with it. :wink:

phils226 wrote:In Val Claret next weekend and went to keep the price of apres-beer down!Are there any bars to recommend for happy hour(s) - well 4 to 7pm anyway??

Aren't all hours spent in ski resorts "happy" :lol: :lol: :lol:

I think I need a career change and a new job in the mountains:shock:. I am extremely jealous of you living with that outside your window. Beautiful picture. :wink:

tino_11 wrote:Man that looks confusing, I think I would freak by the fact I was getting no-where )

I know what you mean. I haven't tried it out yet but plan to do so sometime before Christmas. If nothing else, it should help with "ski fitness". I'll post a review afterwards.

Started both of mine at about 3 and a half - I simply don't think they would have been up to it any younger than that. Even then, they accomplished little more than staying upright on a very gentle glide. However, they loved getting a little bit of speed up skiing between my legs on the run home after ski school (just be careful that their skis do not twist).

I would have concerns about trying your little one at 2 and a half unless you take it really gently - they have so little strength in their legs at that stage and you run the risk that they will be turned off.

Ise

I think you have moved from providing encouraging photo's of the rapidly improving conditions to downright gloating :evil:.

Even though they are stunningly beautiful pictures, it is most unfair to taunt us poor mortals stuck hundreds of miles away from the mountains with another 52 days to wait until we get on the slopes :evil:.

In the meantime, I plan on checking out this rather interesting addition to the "skiing opportunities" available in Dublin:

http://www.skicentre.ie/ski/

I had a look into the centre and it looks pretty cool - they claim that it very good for perfecting technique, while not having to spend ages going up a drag for a short run down a dry slope is a definite plus :D

Can't help with advice on Christmas dinner, though I would certainly want to try the authentic Austrian version if its available. While I can understand your desire to have a traditional Christmas day for the sake of the kids, I would personally hate to give up the days skiing and wonder is there something special that you could do to keep skiing while still making it a special day, e.g. everybody skis in Santa hats (maybe one of the dads in full Santa outfit!), arrange a special meal on the mountain, get Santa to bring up a sack of presents to be opened at lunchtime (1 per child), etc. I also liked the suggestion of having "Christmas Day" when you get back.

I did, however, have a fantastic News Years Eve dinner a number of years ago (in Zell am Zee). The hotel actually served 10 courses of beautiful food spread out over several hours. We were entertained by a live band that played just about everything - plenty of pop, some traditional Austrian music and a Strauss medley at the stroke of midnight. Great to dance to! At midnight, there was an amazing fireworks display outside which reflected off the mountain - spectacular. By the time we had toasted in the New Year in about 4 different times zones - it seemed like a good idea at the time :lol: - we were very happy, if somewhat "tired and emotional" :shock Skiing the next day was a bit of a challenge :shock: