J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Wanderer

As Tony says, you will probably struggle to find any cheap options whereever you choose to go.

I went to Austria a few years back (Zell am See) over the New Year and it was great. The Silvestre (New Years) festival is a big deal for the Austrians. The hotel I stayed in put on a 10, yes 10!, course dinner and had a live band on from about 9 until 2 in the morning. Instead of Auld Lang Syne, we were treated to a Strauss medley at midnight while outside a fantastic fireworks display lit up the mountain - spectaculor. Naturally, the Irish and Brits in the hotel proceeded to sing Auld Lang Syne at 1am on the basis that it was midnight at home. I think we proceeded to "ring in" the new year for the Faroes, Iceland and Greenland before calling it a night - New York would have been too much :wink:.

All that celebrating didn't do much for the skiing next morning, even though the slopes were delightfully empty - a quick snapps at 10.30am was needed to help the recovery :twisted:

Anyway that long winded story is designed to make you consider Austria at that time of the year (unlike some others on the site, I like skiing in France though I do agree that many of the resorts can be somewhat soulless.

Enjoy.

Javi

Check out:

http://www.natives.co.uk/

It has lots of jobs, accommodation, etc that might be suitable.

Good luck with your search - I hope it all works out for you!

Sound's like you've been hiking for your turns Pav. That's amazing. Your determination is an inspiration

......... or has he been sampling the magic mushrooms growing on the emerging meadows :lol:


Nice writing Pav.

Absolutely Tony. Good luck Caron. You will be back on the slopes in no time and better than ever with your new improved bionic knee :lol:!

Its the mountains! Anything beyond 2/3 days is, to put it mildly, highly speculative, particularly when it is changeable. I think you will generally find that most forecasts are fairly close and reasonably reliable in their 2/3 day forecasts.

A question for all the obsessives, eh!

Note sure yet - my main week is usually with a big group, lots of families including my own. We tend to favour the big resorts - something for everyone! The Crystal clubhotels in the big French resorts, Tignes, Meribel, Flaine, Alpe D'Heuz, etc. are usually well placed to meet our diverse needs and things like free kids places and group discounts bring down the cost. Might try Morzine/Avoriaz next year - haven't been there yet. My real ambition would be to get the group to St Anton - it is simply fantastic. Unfortunately, suitable accommodation for large groups can be hard to find and most tour operator accommodation (affordable!) is quite bit out of town.

Four of us went on a lads long weekend to Soll in January this year - it was great :mrgreen:. Will probably try to do that again next year as well. Now that it is in the diary, so to speak, the missus will probably put up with me going again! Given the rave reports about Niederau, I might think about there for that trip. As far as I can gather, it is not much further than Soll from Munich airport (transfer times critical to effectiveness of weekend package - 3 days skiing for 1.5 days off work!).

Would love to do more but missus thinks one ski holiday enough for anybody and believes I am doing well with my second trip.

Its kind of nice to start thinking about it already but it really is too far away :cry: :cry: :cry:

I would like to add one caveat to what Skigirl said about booking ski school through your travel agent. That can be absolutely fine. However..... not all ski schools are the same! Check out reports on the ski schools available in your chosen resort - sometimes, it is better to go with a small operator - often smaller classes and sometimes better instruction. There are also a number of specialist UK ski schools in the alps so you can be sure of having an English speaking instructor. Generally reports would suggest that there are very good but can be much more expensive - might be more relevant later in your ski career when you want to make the jump from intermediate to advanced! Believe me that day will come sooner than you think!.

Bottom line, do your research before you go to maximise your fun!

Big open question but here are a few of my thoughts:

1. If you can, go for a full week - the cost savings of a shorter trip are usually marginal while you will get much more out of a full week your first time - the last 2/3 days of the 1st weeks skiing are the best part as it is usually then that you get to go all the way up the mountain!

2. As already mentioned pick a smaller resort - they tend to less expensive. Remember don't just focus on accommodation/ package cost - you will need to take account of cost of lift passes, ski/boot hire, lessons, etc. Also watch out for resorts that have free beginner lifts - you may get away without needing a ski pass for the 1st 3/4 days. Some of the ski companies, e.g. Crystal, now do all inclusive to some smaller resorts in France and Austria that may be worth checking out. Check snow reliability of your chosen destination - snow conditions can make a huge difference to your enjoyment.

3. Gear: as already suggested borrow whatever you can for the first trip (obviously skis and boots should be hired in resort - some "Learn to Ski" packages include them). If you do need to buy some stuff, TK Maxx can be good. Another, somewhat unlikely, source can be ALDI or Lidl - they usually carry a limited range of very cheap, reasonably quality ski gear around Christmas (especially good for kids stuff and for items like gloves, socks, etc).

4. Go for it! The overwhelming majority of people who try skiing fall in love with it (many, like most of the people visiting this site, become quite obsessive about it!). You will love it, your son will love it and there is something quite special about skiing with your kids. However, watch out - you can expect him to learn much faster than you and be itching to take on more challenges that you will not be comfortable about!!!

Good luck