J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Timeforabeer

JonG - really useful advice, thank you very much. OH has a phobia about purpose-built, I will have to simply lie about it til we get there.

When I try and look at this thread, I'm told 'Ooooops you don;t have enough privileges.'

Admin Man can you explain??

amanda n wrote:right off on saturday, has anybody been keeping an eye on the euro? sending son into town tomorrow to fetch mine wondered if anybody can recommend which to to send him to please, thanks

In my experience the High Street is possibly the worst place to get euros, after the Bx de Change at airports... the spread (between what they will sell you euros at, and what they will buy euros at) would be hilarious if it weren't so tragic.

Luckily the ECB cut rates today along with the Bank of England, otherwise we'd be even worse off. 88p buys a euro; when I was last in euroland, val d'isere at Christmas, we were around 97p for a euro, so you're 11p to the good! Woo hoo!

Anyway. I've always withdrawn money from foreign ATMs for a better rate than you'll get over the counter... they will normally charge a couple of quid - check with your bank who they have the best deals with in Foreign.... of course if you've already done it, ignore this...

If you go to Geneva, perhaps hire a car as the only 'cheap' way to get a transfer is to get on a bus/minibus, which if you have a long transfer in my opinion is a bit of a 'mare. Try www.carrentals.co.uk - webcrawler that will trawl through loads of sites and come up with best price. If you hire from French side of the airport (it has a French and Swiss sector) make sure your car is 'winterised' - there's a fee to pay but means you will have snow tyres and additives to fuel and antifreeze etc...

And yes the choice is dazzling. Maybe get one of the ski resort guides to get an idea of what you want first; Hardy's or Where to Ski and Snowboard. They;re not perfect but will help you narrow it down...

Ian Wickham wrote:

It is really great to see the gremlins enjoy themselves and the developing passion they have for skiing and the mountains, I get more fun out of it now then ever I did BC, before children :mrgreen:

I took Son One up with me on his own for the first time at Christmas, I had a lump in my throat seeing his excitement at 1st skiing with dad...

I'm with you. It's a holiday. It's supposed to be enjoyable. Really good hotels make you feel comfortable and welcome whether you could afford to buy the place three times over or have saved up for a special occasion.

I'm off 13 March, leaving the kids at home. Obsessively watching webcams etc, normal behaviours.

Wow.. dam pics made me dizzy...

Hi Leigh-Anne the whole dry slope issue will being out lots of arguments for and against... but seems to me that the better way forward might be an indoor facility where there is 'real' (ish) snow. If nothing else, it will get yr BF used to putting boot & skis on and off, how they feel, and getting a lesson or two in before you arrive.

Wherever you choose to go, you might want to bear these in mind:

-Is it really easy to get to and from the nursery slopes?
-Can we handle button lifts or would we prefer 'magic carpet' travelator things to get up the nursey slopes?
-Is there enough TRULY beginner territory around for when we've found our feet a bit - so, for example, not Chamonix or Val d'Isere where the green and blue designation on some slopes can be misleading
-In general, am I making things easy for myself - well-positioned accommodation, the right ski school or private tuition (ask for specific recommendations on this site when you're sure of where you're going)

You'll get a ton of responses about where to go on this posting - from people who really want you to have a great time. My suggestion by the way would be Portes de Soleil, esp. Morzine/Les Gets; easy to get to, lots of easy greens, some good ski schools, not crazy expensive like some French resorts. But it's not very high, so keep an eye on snow fall in December... Also, people keep recommending Deux Alpes to me; not pretty, but good snow record and good green territory.

Whatever - have fun!