J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by LOTA

These surveys are becoming increasingly peculiar what with 'innovating ski boots' and changing the design of your ski jacket to suit a particular resort!

Swiss - always my first choice for ski trips. This is excellent news.

Not bad considering I was skiing that very slope (with around two feet of new snow on it) on April 28!

A very short summer!

A reliable and frequent bus service runs during lift opening hours up and down the Glemmtal, calling at all the major points. If you miss the last bus, taxis are cheap and plentiful!

Les Menuires is neither scenic nor atmospheric but it does have the quickest access to the best skiing in the Three Valleys at La Masse!

I've been to Fernie (twice) and it's not a big ski area, certainly not by European standards. Small town, a couple of miles from the ski area (a few hotels, lots of houses, but not much else). Quite lively in town but I have serious doubts whether this would suit you, on or off the hill, for a season. Oh, and lots of Australians there for the season.

Do you mean St Christoph? -) If so, yes!

A sneaky late trip - April 24 to April 28 - to Engelberg for some late season turns and I was not expecting the amount of snow that fell during the week. It started snowing around noon on Tuesday and was still pouring down when I caught the 17.01 train on Friday afternoon! Here is a short trip summary.

Logistics: caught the 6am flight from Heathrow to Zurich with the excellent Swiss airline. No quibble about my large Dakine coffin bag (the check-in attendant didn't even weigh it, just asked how heavy it was! Around 20kg was my honest reply :? ). My transfer driver was waiting in arrivals and we were in Engelberg by 10.45 and I was checked in to my hotel, changed into ski gear and buying my lift pass by 11. On the slopes soon after. The return trip was equally painless. Finished skiing about 3.30, quick shower and caught the 17.01 train to the airport. Plenty of time to enjoy the business lounge at Zurich and back in London by 9.45pm!

Accommodation/resort facilities: Stayed at the centrally-located Hotel Crystal which is also very handy for the railway station and free ski bus. The hotel was very quiet, in common with the rest of the resort, and the restaurant was closed. However, breakfast was adequate and the staff friendly and helpful. Much of the resort was on a weekend-only footing with popular watering holes like the Yucatan and the Chalet closed. However, the Old Monk bar and the Core Irish pub were still going strong. Prices of food and drink are typically steep Swiss although the quality of the offerings are pretty decent.

Skiing: The resort was deserted and although the number of open lifts and slopes were limited (it was like having a private mountain at times, conditions were excellent. Snow on the glacier slopes was excellent and on the first day, spring conditions prevailed lower down with wettish snow close to Trubsee. Downloading at the end of each day was by the new Titlis Express gondola. It started snowing around noon on Tuesday and conditions made a dramatic change. It snowed, snowed and snowed all the way down to the village level. This meant visibility could be a little difficult at times, but there was skiing on fresh powder everywhere. The ride down the Rotegg itinerary was different on all three days - hard pack, soft snow and knee-deep powder! There were a few Scandinavian freeriders around on the Friday, despite the poor visibility; needless to say, there was no queuing anywhere and lap after lap was the order of the day. Engelberg is a magnet for organised tour groups from India, China, Korea etc and it was quite common to be stopped on the way to the glacier slopes to be asked to pose for a photo with one of these visitors!

It was something of a gamble to book so late in the season, but it was a gamble that paid off in great style with, what the locals said, was the very best snow of the whole winter! Fantastic!!!

Pictures to follow.