J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Hudman

More likely to affect the current British business model of cheap chalet staff

Already happening with Esprit. Exactly the same holiday in Peisey next January for me, my wife and 2 kids (2 and 6) is about 30% more expensive than 2 years ago. The chalet/package thing works for us at the moment but once both kids are older/more independent skiers we'll be reviewing our options!

Love Les Arcs but also wouldn't stay in 1950 or 2000 by choice. There is an argument that on good snow years ("good" not "mental" as we seem to have!) you can get first lifts all the way to the top of the Aiguille Rouge and ski all the way down to Villeroger but not enough of a reason IMHO.

I have stayed in Peisey a couple of times and in Monchavin les Coches once and had great holidays in both. Very close to the Vanoise Express so you have the choice of Les Arcs or La Plagne each morning depending on the weather/show conditions and you're slap bang in the middle of a huge piste map. I still find I favour the skiing on the Les Arcs side but nice to have the option.

Out of interest and if people don't mind saying, how much (roughly) does a weeks skiing set you back in the US?

My brother in law lives in Houston, TX and we've done a limited amount of research into linking up a visit with him and then flying to Denver or Salt Lake but the costs were prohibitive (one company quoted $4000 pp).

We have 2 boys (5 and 2) so it's unlikely we'll do this until the youngest has been on skis for a while (the 5 year old is on his 2nd week) but it would be good to have any advice around how people tend to do a US trip. What are the expensive things I can avoid? Are there better resorts for kids than others (given that my wife and I are fairly experienced skiers so will want some terrain)?

If it just costs that much then fine, we'll either postpone or just keep going to Europe but for someone who has mainly used catered chalets in France the cost was astonishing!

Cheers

Hi A.Beer and welcome to the forum.

Sorry no-one has replied before but I'll do my best and hopefully you haven't booked anything yet or are flexible!

I would suggest either The Nevis Range or Cairngorm. Both are an easy train journey, you'll probably have to change in Glasgow and maybe again in Perth for the normal trains but you may be able to get the sleeper straight through to either Aviemore (for Cairngorm) or Fort William for Nevis.

I prefer Cairngorm personally (but maybe because I've skied it more). Lots of accommodation in Aviemore or Coylumbridge, good cafes, bars, restaurants and a bus service from the town to the slopes (31) which runs hourly I think. Also a bunch of taxis who will take you up to the resort. There is quite a bit of snow up here at the moment (most of it on my driveway it seemed this morning) but there are lots of other things to do in Aviemore (low level walks, biking, spas etc) if conditions are not idea.

You can also access the Nevis Range from Fort William on the bus but not sure of the timetables, there'll be more taxis than Aviemore as well. Lots of accommodation and bars/restaurants as well.

For me Fort William feels a bit bigger, dare I say less friendly? The skiing is good, I haven't done so much walking around there (lots of white water kayaking but I'm not sure that's what you're looking for!) but there will be lots of great walks around.

For the northern lights, I've never seen them but a mate of mine has taken some great pictures this year from as low as Loch Lomond so you may be lucky. Fort Bill is higher up the country than Aviemore so that may be a variable to add into the mix.

Whatever you choose to do be flexible in your plans. Scottish skiing can, and often is brilliant. Not the pristine corduroy of the Alps but really good fun and with some of the piste signage, a bit of an adventure! However it can also be dreadful. I can't believe anyone loves skiing so much that they enjoy a day in the pouring rain and howling wind up here!

I haven't mentioned the other 3 ski resorts up here (Glencoe, The Lecht, and Glenshee) which all have their charms (Glencoe is my favourite of all) but are tricky to get to on public transport.

If you need any more info feel free to PM me.

Paul

Everyone wants snow but none of the side effects! Heavy snow ant night and bluebird days

Is that too much to ask?? ;)

I very occasionally ski with sunglasses on but A) think I look like an idiot with sunglasses and a helmet and B) always get watery eyes at speed as not all of the wind is deflected by the lenses.

Therefore have skied with goggles for years and echo all the comments above. I have had cheap goggles where the foam surround has started to degrade after not much use or where fogging is terrible or where the lens just doesn't cope with anything other than ideal conditions.

About 6 years ago I bought a pair of Oakley (A frames?) with their persimmon lenses, cost a bomb at the time but as others have said they fit my helmet and are supremely comfortable.

I've skied in bright sunshine and in white out and although not perfect at the extremes I've never thought about changing lenses around. This year I have considered changing both helmet and goggles but both are going strong (I think that I probably should change the helmet just because of it's shelf life) so the investment spread over 6 years isn't that bad!

Hi Gurlavie,
I've not got a huge amount of experience from VT but have skied the L3V a lot so can make some suggestions.

I've had great experiences with New Gen ski schools (admittedly in Vallandry rather than VT) for both off piste guiding and on piste lessons. They have a base in VT so it might be worth investigating them.

I have also had great lessons from Parallel Lines ski and snowboard school in Meribel. I should say my wife and I are good friends with one of the Directors but other friends of ours have also used them with great results. You're unlikely to be able to join a group lesson with Parallel lines as they'll meet at La Chaudanne (Meribel centre) but they could certainly meet you closer to home for private lessons.

Whatever you decide have fun in VT, the variety and expanse of terrain in L3V makes it one of my all time favourite places to ski.....in fact I'll be there in 19 days!!!

Yeah, would be good to know where else you are planning on heading!

Le Tour is often closed due to high winds so depending on when/how fixed you are it's not a place you can guarantee to be able to ski. If you are going to be based in Chamonix town then Brevent is the obvious choice but I have a soft spot for Les Houches which is worth a look.

If you want to mix up the countries you can head under the Mont Blanc tunnel and ski Courmayer. I wouldn't base a holiday there but for a day it's good fun.