J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Wanderer

I am not familiar with Mayrhofen so I cannot comment either way on Tony's recommendation (other than to note that he consistently recommends it for beginners). More generally, I find the Austrian resorts tend to be beautiful, authentic and usually great fun. On the other hand, it can be a bit of a trek to and from whatever genuine beginner skiing is available and, as a lot of the resorts are quite low, the snow quality can be a bit hit and miss.

I would definitely agree with Tony's recommendation for Alpe D'Heuz for beginners. There are extensive green slopes in the bowl around the village that will make any first time skier feel like a champion by the end of their first week in ski school :lol:.

Been to Meribel twice and loved it both times, though quite a while back now (even if the resort is more Little Britain than authentic France). Skiing throughout the area is generally very good and very well connected, though it can be busy, especially over in the Courcheval valley. The run over to Val Thoren takes quite a while and I was not convinced that it was worth it starting from Meribel - you would be slightly closer in Mottaret. My favourite run in the entire resort is the Jerusalem run down into St Martin de Belleville. Its in a small area but for some reason I always found it very enjoyable and usually very quiet - you can often have the entire run to yourself and I loved it.

Enjoy. :lol:

The National Council for the Blind in Ireland organise an annual ski trip for visually impaired people. I haven't been on the trip but it sounds inspiring and great fund. Follow this link to a newspaper article about it:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2008/0206/1201903562447.html

It is humbling what some people achieve in the face of adversity and, I suppose, we should remember this when bitching about snow conditions, transfer times, etc :oops:

Many resorts have one or two free lifts for complete beginners but you would generally need to progress to "paid" lifts within a few days. However, for some lifts, you might still get aways without paying for a full lift pass :lol:. Some resorts have lifts that you can get "points" cards for - essentially you buy a prepaid card with a set number of points on it. Each time you use the lift you use up some points - very few for very short beginner lifts and more for the slightly longer lifts. These will often get you to about day 4 of your first week and can keep costs down. You will normally find a link to the lift company on the resort website and it is worth checking out the options.

Most tour operators brochures will offer "Learn to Ski specials" which include ski pass, lessons and equipment - these are usually offered in resorts where a pass is only needed for the 2nd half of the week.

Innsbrucker wrote

The winter tyres they use seem fine for driving up and down mountains in snow, I have done it around Innsbruck in an small car.

I wonder does he stick to blue pistes or does he drive on the red and blacks as well :roll: :roll: :roll:

Since you have just started going on blacks, you are absolutely right not to be getting up speed :!: :!: :!:

If you are a bit of a slow coach, I would suggest that you find a big wide empty blue that is well pisted and push yourself to ski with a fair bit of pace. After you have been doing this for a while, you should get used to travelling faster. Then, you can gradually transfer this speed onto steeper slopes, while still being confident of remaining in control.

You might also consider taking a private lesson, explain to the instructor what your concerns are and he/she will push up the speed but still ensure that you are not out of control.

Good luck and, most of all, enjoy :mrgreen:

You could try

www.getcover.com

Not sure how good they are in terms of cover or price but I guess your first priority to get some form of cover fast!

Good luck and enjoy your couple of days skiing - I am extremely envious :mrgreen:

Caron-a

I think you have answered your own question. You generally tend to get treated the way you treat others :!: By the way, I rather doubt that you "go out of my way to be friendly, courteous and speak to them in their language as much as possible". My guess is that you treat most people with respect and get treated with respect in return. The French tend to be quite formal and reserved and I think this can often be mistaken for rudeness. In my experience, most are at least as courteous as any other nation.

I ski in France most years and find it fantastic. Yes, the architecture leaves a lot to be desired in many resorts but I'm not there to admire the buildings. The advantages of ski-in, ski-out, large well-connected ski areas with efficient lift systems mean they deliver a great skiing experience.

As for cost - yes, the beer and food is a little more expensive. However, I usually go half-board or catered chalet, so eating out is normally confined to lunches - these are maybe €5 more than in Austria or €30 for a week - not much in the context of the overall cost of the holiday. Likewise the beer - yes, it can be difficult to fork over €6 or more for a pint of gassy beer. But even then, how much more does that add up to over a typical family holiday. Clearly, it is different if you are on a boozy trip with the lads/girls, where you are drinking most of the night. In this case, you would be mad to pick France anyway because the nightlife is way better in Austria :twisted:

I also enjoy Austria enormously; I would ski Italy more often if the snow was more reliable; I would love to ski Switzerland and North America, I would be happy to give Scotland a go, etc, etc, etc. In short, I am happy skiing wherever there are decent slopes and decent snow. The experience varies between each of them and that what makes live interesting.

Vive la difference :lol: :lol: :lol: