J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Wanderer

I think mtr259 is correct - I have yet to come across any online facility for discounted lift passes other than those offered by the lift company itself and my own attempts to use one of them, it may have been the Paradiski, was not successful but that might have been a problem at my end :oops:.

I generally just compare the price between the tour operator and the lift company - most TOs convert to sterling when they print their brochures and it can lead to price differentials so worth doing the comparison. If TO is similar price or lower, it can be more convenient to get it off them and they will usually deliver it to your hotel first thing on the first morning. BTW, also check if you need a photo and if so bring your own from home - will save you a few bob :lol:.

If you are bringing kids, it can be worth checking out family discounts, etc. A number of resorts now offer the 4th member (or more) of a family at half price.

Lovely resort and I would agree completely with RustyInn and Geoff. The Sarenne is a beautiful run and apart from the steep pitch at the top would not rate at more than a red (one or two pitches later on that might test an early intermediate). Because it is on the "other" side of the mountain, there are no lifts or other distractions so it can be really quiet, especially if you can manage to let the other skiers go ahead. If doing it take your time to enjoy the views, the silence and the peace.

The main runs of the DMC lift can be a bit busy though there are lovely gentle green runs that are great for beginners. The queues for the cable car to the top used to be horrendous but I think there is now a gondola or chairlift from the Bergers side that alleviates the problem. In any event, its much more interesting to head to the fringes of the resort as mentioned by Geoff.

Off the slopes, the Petit Creux Restaurant (I think thats its name) was really good when I was there last - its a bit out of the way not too far from the Vallee Blanche Hotel at the bottom of the town. For a late beer, we found the Piano Bar near the ice rink was excellent - very French and quite expensive but much more pleasant that the rowdy saisonaires Irish and English bars :twisted:. It often had fiarly decent live music from about 10.30 for a couple of hours before turning into a disco at about 1am :roll:.

Hi Rose

While it is many years since I skied Lech, I have very fond memories of it. It was my first time skiing and Lech had lovely long gentle blue runs that really gave me a taste for skiing. Not sure about more advanced skiing and generally, I think it would be regarded as a relatively easy resort, though perhaps this is because it is somewhat overshadowed by its near neighbour, St Anton. The fact that Ise rated it his favourite weekend destination suggests it has something for everyone!.

I can't offer any help on accommodation but it might be worth checking out pension type accommodation as Ise suggests - the hotels all seem to be around the 4* mark and are expensive. If that doesn't work out, you could always follow Tony's advice and stay in St Anton and then ski in Lech for a few days over the course of your trip. I seem to recall that it is actually possible to ski over to Lech from St Anton but I am not sure of this or of how difficult the route might be! But in any event, there are regular buses between the two resorts.

St Anton is itself a wonderful resort -fantastic mountains and beautiful traditional Austrian village (though it too would be considered reasonably expensive by Austrian standards and it now quite large - be careful about the location of your accommodation!). The apres ski is amazing but not compulsory :lol:.

BTW, I thought you were off to Finland this year - planning a second trip??? If so, lucky girl :lol:.

RoseR wrote

tino_11 wrote:

I think so. One of the things that always surprises me is the stiffness and aches i get across my shoulders after a hard day. I would never have thought there was so much upper body work involved in sliding down a hill on your feet.

Yes, I find that too, but had always assumed it was my age and the fact that I do have a dodgy neck.

I find the same - but I have been putting it down to tension :lol:. Must try to relax more :lol:.

I actually learnt to ski in St Anton - in retrospect not the best resort for beginners but like yourself we went with a group of friends who were experienced. I would really recommend that you go to ski school for the week - a lot of the blues in St Anton can be a bit tricky and its important that you know the slope before you take it on. an instructor will know exactly what you are capable of and will ensure that you are not out of your depth!

While St Anton would never top the list of resorts suited for beginners there are still plenty of nice beginner slopes. From memory, the Rendl area has a few nice gentle slopes. Also try to get to Lech - its about a 20 minute bus ride away but has loads of easy blues that you will really enjoy.

As Tony mentions, the Mooserwirt and the Krazy Kangaroo are two pubs worth visiting at about 4pm for an end of day beer. Not unusual to see people dancing on the tables with their skiboots on - great fun. But beware, they are located up the hill from the village so you will still have to ski down from there to get home - tricky after a few strong beers :lol:.

One downside is that it is much more convenient to go over to Les Arcs from La Belle Plagne. However, with kids in tow, you probably wouldn't bother with the trek across anyway and there is plenty of skiing in La Plagne itself.

Not familiar with Muhlbach but you would probably be safer looking to one of the higher resorts at that time of the year to be reasonably sure of good snow conditions. St Anton would be a good choice, though somewhat more expensive than most Austrian resorts.

Good Question! I think it would be helpful to consider what your priorities are. If you want to make as much progress as you can as a skier, I would expect that you would learn far more taking private lessons. On the other hand, if you want to meet a few people to enjoy skiing and, perhaps, apres ski with, then group lessons may be the answer (and you should still learn something, though probably not as much).