J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Ian Wickham

Eljay wrote:I can't remember how I learned about "the rules", but presumably it was in lessons. To me though, a lot of it, is just common sense and common courtesy.

Your bang on Eljay, but it does sometimes seem to missing in society today :cry:

This might help......

One of the most wonderful resorts in the Italian part of the Alps is Livigno. All the obligatory ingredients of a good winter stay you can find in it. What is more, you'll be surprised by the variety of entertainment. The easy availability and organization; the care to the last detail will ensure your good stay whenever you choose to visit this beautiful place.

The ski runs are situated on six slopes, with different level of difficulty. All in all 33 lifts service as many as 46Â 460 persons per hour. (3 cable cars, 14 chairlifts, 16 ski lifts). The overall length of the Alpine ski runs is 115 km, the longest of which is 4 km.

The lovers of athletic feats will enjoy the 40-km prepared cross-country ski runs adopted for different techniques.
For snowboarders there is a special park with a half-pipe.
Each year in December you may take part the international "Sgambeda" ski marathon, which is also the official opening of Livigno's winter season (usually around 14th of December).

In fact, there were three villages, which merged into one residential and resort area, long about 6 km.

The resort offers wonderful opportunities for intermediate skiing on sunny and vast 'motorway' slopes. However, the resort is most famous for being a duty free zone, due to its remoteness and some historical reasons. There are over 200 shops, mostly selling the usual duty-free goods: alcohol, cigarettes, cigars, quality chocolate and perfume. They say it's far easier to get a litre of whisky than a litre of milk in Livigno!

Even today, it's rather difficult to reach Livigno. The nearest international airports are Milan (at about 220 km) and Zurich (250km); the access is through a lot of it on mountainous roads, which can be dangerous during the winter, so you have to be driving carefully!


Strangely enough, there is no legal or logical reason for Livigno to be a duty free zone. There are legends that in the past all tax collectors went missing when they came up searching for taxes. On the positive side though, nowadays you can find in Livigno a number of cheap and ambient bards, cafes, restaurants, pizzerias... The number of shops per capita is one of the highest in Europe (5000 people, more than 200 shops). The number of hotels is also astounding - a little less than one hundred.


Although not especially close to any other resort, those with their own transport (or patient enough to use the bus service) and have a 6 day or longer lift pass, can also ski in Santa Caterina, Bormio, and San Colombano and one day in the famous Swiss Engadin resorts which include the Diavolezza glacier, St Moritz, Celerina, La-Punt-Chaumes, Maloja, Pontresina, Samedan, S-Chanf, Sils-Maria, Silvaplana, Surlej, Survretta and Zuoz.

Day trips to the world-famous St Moritz are very popular among tourists of all ages and background.

Pablo Escobar wrote:Eljay, I'm not fat or German either, TK MAxx? Jeez.

I'm fat and not German :shock:

LM wrote:

Ian Wickham wrote:

LM wrote:

Eljay wrote:

LM wrote:The one thing that I have noticed about boarders is ...they fall on their butts alot when they get off the chair :lol: I am afraid to take the chair with my boarder buddies..they may take me out when we get off :lol: :lol:

Boarding does look like fun though.

They scare the h*** out of me getting off the lifts with them.........but has to be said, if I were a LOT younger..........I might be tempted to give it a go

:lol:me too Eljay

It's only for young un's , you old un's stick to skiing :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Your right Ian )
..beside I dont think wearing my ski pants down by my knees would be very comfortable or attractive :lol:....seriously here in Canada the younger boarder guys are wearing their boarder pants down past their asses..so you can see their underwear and butts!!!! :shock: Looks sooo bad! not a look for me ha ha ha ....would be cold too!

They seem to spend a lot of time on their backside, but each to there own 8)

ise wrote:

Ian Wickham wrote:

ise wrote:

Ian Wickham wrote:
They should definitely be held accountable, I just think people don't know, they go skiing once a year and thats that, I still think etiquette should be taught in ski school, although ise has said that it is, it wasn't when I was first taught.

How many weeks of lessons did you take?

I'm adding up, about six weeks if memory serves

that ought to have been enough time for it to come up :D

I'm just a bit conscious that some of the people who complain this should be covered in lessons only stuck it for a week which isn't long enough for this to be covered.

I have had lessons on and off over a quite a long period of time, I guess the last week of lessons was 2001 Valmorel, an excellent instructor I might add, so I guess what I am trying to say is that they may have added Etiquette to the lessons since 2001.
They have not started covering it with the kids, I Emailed the older ones a copy of the FIS ski rules two years ago.

bandit wrote:

Ian Wickham wrote:

Nothing wrong with them, I'll try and take a photo of me in my Nevica two piece, that should cause a laugh :shock:

I thought that S&M was now a criminal offence. Please don't drag us down to the gutter :lol:

I really wouldn't know what S & M is, I've lead a very sheltered life :wink:

LOTA wrote:I acquired some Spyder gloves in Heavenly and other than on warm, spring days, they are crap - wet and cold!

As for fat German men, I'm not sure Spyder is the brand of choice - I thought it was the horrible Bogner or the even worse flourescent orange or lime Elho jackets and suits! Yuk!

Nothing wrong with them, I'll try and take a photo of me in my Nevica two piece, that should cause a laugh :shock:

ise wrote:

Ian Wickham wrote:
They should definitely be held accountable, I just think people don't know, they go skiing once a year and thats that, I still think etiquette should be taught in ski school, although ise has said that it is, it wasn't when I was first taught.

How many weeks of lessons did you take?

I'm adding up, about six weeks if memory serves