Latest posts for the topic "My goodness, that felt good....."

My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:13:39 GMT

....getting on the slopes for the first time this season.

Amazing.

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:34:33 GMT

I'm glad to hear you had a fab time even though it was early and not as much snow as you would have liked...I love Andorra. It's fabulous when the snow is at its best. :D

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:19:02 GMT

Tony,
Why were you only ski-ing in Andorra for 2 days? Were you there for work or something?

Ally

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:22:40 GMT

OK, so what Ski's did you end up hiring, and were they any good?

Glad you are back safe and well, and had a bit of a blast on some snow. At least I still have another 6 weeks before I get out there :lol:

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:33:05 GMT

FQ - a nice pair of Stockli Spirit's like these:

http://www.ski-depot.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SDO&Product_Code=stocklsprt07

Very grippy, good fun, pretty fast too. I enjoyed them, although narrower than I would have liked but fine in the conditions.

Ally - it was a press trip, hence only being a quick one.

You can see some info on my blog, but here are some images to get started:

El Bosc, Arcalis:

La Coma, Arcalis:

La Font, Arcalis:

La Balma, Arcalis:

La Portella del Mig, Arcalis:

Coll Blanc, Pas de la Casa:

Looking across to Cubil from Coll Blanc, Grau Roig:

Directa, Pas:

Piolet, Grau Roig:

Grau Roig:

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:35:40 GMT

:shock: :shock:

So it was overcast and snowing then!

:twisted: Looks like you had a good time of it, even if the snow was a bit thin on the ground.

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:40:26 GMT

Far Queue wrote: :shock: :shock:

So it was overcast and snowing then!

:twisted: Looks like you had a good time of it, even if the snow was a bit thin on the ground.

They were making snow most of the time, but there was enough to get about on. Sun and blue skies - it was gorgeous. Got a bit of a face tan too! I'd go back defo, more snow would make it brilliant as there is so much variety and off piste potential.

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:54:09 GMT

Glad you had a great time 8)

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:55:23 GMT

If I had a choice of one or the other, I'd prefer to have it a bit short of snow and beautiful sunny weather, than masses of snow but a bitter cold blizzard so I can't see where I'm going.

Edit - sorry, forgot to say thanks for the lovely photos, Tony. It does look a great place.

Ally

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:11:16 GMT

great photos Tony. Glad to see you enjoyed it :thumbup:

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:50:45 GMT

AllyG wrote:If I had a choice of one or the other, I'd prefer to have it a bit short of snow and beautiful sunny weather, than masses of snow but a bitter cold blizzard so I can't see where I'm going.

Edit - sorry, forgot to say thanks for the lovely photos, Tony. It does look a great place.

Ally

Poor visibility is the best type of roller coaster :lol:

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:16:41 GMT

I'll take good snow every time 8)

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:20:58 GMT

Pistes looked busy then! Far from the madding crowd.
I love Andorra & would give it five stars if it wasnt for the transfer from Toulouse.

My preferred snow conditions, I love it when it is a white out & you have to feel your way down the mountain to the nearest hut & sit it out, then when everyone else has left the mountain & the weather clears Ahhhhhhh heaven.

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:23:27 GMT

Finn wrote:Pistes looked busy then! Far from the madding crowd.
I love Andorra & would give it five stars if it wasnt for the transfer from Toulouse.

Its not shorter from Barcelona I am afraid, although more direct roads.
Yes, it was really quiet, they made an effort to open Pas especially for us and there were a few locals, the odd tourist, and a couple of ski clubs out that was all. Arcalis was even better, we had the pistes virtually to ourselves, it was amazing. And fast.

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:27:53 GMT

Tony_H wrote:

Finn wrote:Pistes looked busy then! Far from the madding crowd.
I love Andorra & would give it five stars if it wasnt for the transfer from Toulouse.

Its not shorted from Barcelona I am afraid, although more direct roads.
Yes, it was really quiet, they made an effort to open Pas especially for us and there were a few locals, the odd tourist, and a couple of ski clubs out that was all. Arcalis was even better, we had the pistes virtually to ourselves, it was amazing. And fast.

Can I enquire if it was a good deal? :mrgreen:

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:28:34 GMT

Finn wrote:My preferred snow conditions, I love it when it is a white out & you have to feel your way down the mountain to the nearest hut & sit it out, then when everyone else has left the mountain & the weather clears Ahhhhhhh heaven.

You have got to be joking Finn! I really hate it when I can't see, and I'm afraid I'm going to ski over the edge of a precipice.

As long as I can see, I'm not afraid of anything - long drops under the chairlift, moguls, ice, steep drops etc. And I can never remember which marks mean what on which side of the piste marking poles. I think if I was ever on my own in conditions when I couldn't see anything I'd stay where I was and wait to be rescued (or the weather to clear), rather than risk getting lost.

Ally

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:36:15 GMT

AllyG wrote:

Finn wrote:My preferred snow conditions, I love it when it is a white out & you have to feel your way down the mountain to the nearest hut & sit it out, then when everyone else has left the mountain & the weather clears Ahhhhhhh heaven.

You have got to be joking Finn! I really hate it when I can't see, and I'm afraid I'm going to ski over the edge of a precipice.

As long as I can see, I'm not afraid of anything - long drops under the chairlift, moguls, ice, steep drops etc. And I can never remember which marks mean what on which side of the piste marking poles. I think if I was ever on my own in conditions when I couldn't see anything I'd stay where I was and wait to be rescued (or the weather to clear), rather than risk getting lost.

Ally

Do you know how to build an igloo ????

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:45:37 GMT

AllyG wrote:

Finn wrote:My preferred snow conditions, I love it when it is a white out & you have to feel your way down the mountain to the nearest hut & sit it out, then when everyone else has left the mountain & the weather clears Ahhhhhhh heaven.

You have got to be joking Finn! I really hate it when I can't see, and I'm afraid I'm going to ski over the edge of a precipice.

As long as I can see, I'm not afraid of anything - long drops under the chairlift, moguls, ice, steep drops etc. And I can never remember which marks mean what on which side of the piste marking poles. I think if I was ever on my own in conditions when I couldn't see anything I'd stay where I was and wait to be rescued (or the weather to clear), rather than risk getting lost.

Ally

It's not like booking a taxi ride, the slope operators offer a rescue service, typically for those needing medical attention. Disinclination to ski down is unlikely to be covered by any insurance policy. Suggest you carry plenty of cash with you.

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:48:07 GMT

Tony_H wrote:

Finn wrote:Pistes looked busy then! Far from the madding crowd.
I love Andorra & would give it five stars if it wasnt for the transfer from Toulouse.

Its not shorted from Barcelona I am afraid, although more direct roads.
Yes, it was really quiet, they made an effort to open Pas especially for us and there were a few locals, the odd tourist, and a couple of ski clubs out that was all. Arcalis was even better, we had the pistes virtually to ourselves, it was amazing. And fast.

Tony, I'm liking your report, and the blog :thumbup:

Interesting photos, 1st time I've seen skier images from Arcalis, nice one :D

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:49:44 GMT

bandit wrote:

It's not like booking a taxi ride, the slope operators offer a rescue service, typically for those needing medical attention. Disinclination to ski down is unlikely to be covered by any insurance policy. Suggest you carry plenty of cash with you.

:wink:

Just pretend you have gone snowblind, it's almost the truth, and they will take you down for that.

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:58:02 GMT

AllyG wrote:

Finn wrote:My preferred snow conditions, I love it when it is a white out & you have to feel your way down the mountain to the nearest hut & sit it out, then when everyone else has left the mountain & the weather clears Ahhhhhhh heaven.

You have got to be joking Finn! I really hate it when I can't see, and I'm afraid I'm going to ski over the edge of a precipice.

As long as I can see, I'm not afraid of anything - long drops under the chairlift, moguls, ice, steep drops etc. And I can never remember which marks mean what on which side of the piste marking poles. I think if I was ever on my own in conditions when I couldn't see anything I'd stay where I was and wait to be rescued (or the weather to clear), rather than risk getting lost.

Ally

I didn't realize the marks on the marking poles had any significance. I will take note next time out, thanks for the that. :oops:

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:00:10 GMT

Far Queue wrote:

bandit wrote:

It's not like booking a taxi ride, the slope operators offer a rescue service, typically for those needing medical attention. Disinclination to ski down is unlikely to be covered by any insurance policy. Suggest you carry plenty of cash with you.

:wink:

Just pretend you have gone snowblind, it's almost the truth, and they will take you down for that.

Thanks Far Queue, I am nearly in a total state of panic, sitting here at home, just thinking about it.

I think I should add several items to my already long packing list, viz; one emergency whistle (like the one in 'Titanic'), igloo building instructions, program into my mobile phone all the emergency French numbers, bring a CB radio in case my mobile has no signal, a survival bag, emergency rations in my rucksack, masses of euros .... anything else?

Ally

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:05:02 GMT

:lol: :lol:

Is the Viz to read while you are waiting to be rescued? :twisted:

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:12:17 GMT

AllyG wrote:

Far Queue wrote:

bandit wrote:

It's not like booking a taxi ride, the slope operators offer a rescue service, typically for those needing medical attention. Disinclination to ski down is unlikely to be covered by any insurance policy. Suggest you carry plenty of cash with you.

:wink:

Just pretend you have gone snowblind, it's almost the truth, and they will take you down for that.

Thanks Far Queue, I am nearly in a total state of panic, sitting here at home, just thinking about it.

I think I should add several items to my already long packing list, viz; one emergency whistle (like the one in 'Titanic'), igloo building instructions, program into my mobile phone all the emergency French numbers, bring a CB radio in case my mobile has no signal, a survival bag, emergency rations in my rucksack, masses of euros .... anything else?

Ally

You will be ok, do what I do ski from bar to bar :wink:

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:36:13 GMT

Very good pictures, Tony. The La Balma run looks inviting.

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:50:33 GMT

Dave Mac wrote:Very good pictures, Tony. The La Balma run looks inviting.

Ah, at last, a non wibble post.....!
Yes, it was nice. A long cruisy red around the edge of the bowl, passing a natural lake where they do diving classes, and then down a steeper section back into the base the other side. Loads of off piste off it too.
The Portella del Mig was the really inviting run - a quite narrow entrance into it and very steep (black IMO) and then long, wide and a consistent pitch all the way back into the base. Very fast, when my legs didnt start telling me to back off a bit!

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:51:18 GMT

Finn wrote:

Tony_H wrote:

Finn wrote:Pistes looked busy then! Far from the madding crowd.
I love Andorra & would give it five stars if it wasnt for the transfer from Toulouse.

Its not shorted from Barcelona I am afraid, although more direct roads.
Yes, it was really quiet, they made an effort to open Pas especially for us and there were a few locals, the odd tourist, and a couple of ski clubs out that was all. Arcalis was even better, we had the pistes virtually to ourselves, it was amazing. And fast.

Can I enquire if it was a good deal? :mrgreen:

No :wink:

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:02:46 GMT

Heres a couple more I have just been sent:

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:36:17 GMT

It looks lovely and sunny, Tony, my perfect ski-ing weather. And I'm glad you had a good time, and there was a bit of snow for you.

Ally

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:40:01 GMT

I'm too jealous right now to say that it looks beautiful, even tho I'm thinking it....Nart ! looks like you had a good time mate and the weather don't look to bad :)

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:50:59 GMT

I've never been to Andorra, someone once told me it was a bit flat but it doesn't look very flat to me.

Lovely pics, glad you had a good ski :D

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:18:19 GMT

Funny isn't it....you get ideas in your head.
On arrival and being told the snow was dreadful and there was almost nowhere for us to ski, we had visions of green meadows with a thin grey line of ice running through them - WRONG!
Also, I had this preconcieved idea that Andorra was drastically different from the Alps; maybe not as mountainous, not as good, poor snow, flatter, slow lifts, etc etc. Again - WRONG!

So the snow was not at its best, but it was enough to get some good skiing in for a couple of days. A full week might have been more problematic, but their snow will come.

And as for the scenery, they might not have as many mountains as the Alps but they were mountains all right. One good thing about Andorra, they encourage off piste and there is so much potential for it after fresh snow. Sadly it was either gone or hard where we were so nowhere to give it a go, but you could see from the area where the good places would be.

Having now been and seen how large the ski areas are and how good the linking lift systems are, I would definitely go back for a week, preferably when there has been a massive dump of snow too.
I think maybe I was guilty like other people of dismissing it out of hand as a destination to consider, and my opinion has now changed.

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:42:13 GMT

Soldeu New Year 2008/2009 was one of my best ski holidays. (We did originally choose it because it was one of the cheaper options.) There was good snow and the skiing was brilliant. We loved the town too, it was a much nicer base than Pas de la Casa. I did tell you but you obviously didn't believe me. :roll: :lol:

I will definitely be going back but I would only go mid season to be sure of good snow.

I'm so glad you enjoyed your time there Tony.

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:10:22 GMT

snowb4ndit wrote:

I will definitely be going back but I would only go mid season to be sure of good snow.

I am so glad to read the above, and the read the comments of Tony and see his pics. I am taking my first trip to Soldeu on the 31st Jan, and like some others, I too had preconcieved ideas about Andorra, which clearly seem to be wrong.

Many thanks guys, I am getting more and more excited as each day passes :D

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:14:32 GMT

Far Queue wrote:

snowb4ndit wrote:

I will definitely be going back but I would only go mid season to be sure of good snow.

I am so glad to read the above, and the read the comments of Tony and see his pics. I am taking my first trip to Soldeu on the 31st Jan, and like some others, I too had preconcieved ideas about Andorra, which clearly seem to be wrong.

Many thanks guys, I am getting more and more excited as each day passes :D

Where are you staying?

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:15:23 GMT

The Sport Hotel.

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:24:32 GMT

That is a good place to stay by all accounts. I've not stayed there myself but it was so close to the gondola that I walked past it every morning and wished it was where I was staying. I have a vague recollection of Wickers talking about staying there once.

I stayed in the Hotel Bruxelles which is renound for very good food and I would agree. They are open as a restaurant to non residents so if your looking for a nice evening meal, that's the place to go.

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:33:18 GMT

Thank you, I will add that to the list. We are half board, but that was just part of the deal, so we plane on eating around and trying various places anyway.

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:47:15 GMT

Far Queue wrote:The Sport Hotel.

Being on a press trip, we noticed the hotels in resort. The Sport was pointed out by our hosts as being an excellent hotel with superb facilities. I was more interested in its position near the gondola station. You have made an excellent choice.
Soldeu looked ok as resorts go, and is one of the few in Andorra that really does feel high up. Pas looked a little bland and high rise for my liking.
By the end of Jan they will have had tons more snow, and they do work hard preparing the pistes.
Make sure you get over the link to Grau Roig towards Pas. You dont need to go into Pas but there are some great runs in the Grau Roig bowl between Pas and Soldeu.
Also, please make a day trip to Arcalis. The tour ops might organise a coach trip up there, if not get a car for the day and drive it. Seriously well worth it for a change of scene. It is on the Vallnord lift area, but I was informed that this season each lift pass covers 1 day in the other area so you just need to get over there. Arcalis is not linked by lifts, hence having to get there. But its superb.

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:00:48 GMT

Thanks for the info Tony. We are driving down anyway, so it should not be a problem to try a day at Arcalis. I will inform the rest of the group and hopefully sway their minds.

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:14:21 GMT

Thanks Tony, some great pics. I also always got the impression that Andorra was only for groups of beginners and lads on the piss but might just have to put it on my to ski list.

Re:My goodness, that felt good.....

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:46:04 GMT

Gareth Fair wrote:Thanks Tony, some great pics. I also always got the impression that Andorra was only for groups of beginners and lads on the piss but might just have to put it on my to ski list.

I always try to read up reviews and reports on places...they help me choose. Sadly most of what I read about Andorra before I went suggested very much what you said. I am sure at peak times it gets crowded and possibly rowdy in some bars and clubs. However, Soldeu looks a better place to stay than Pas, and personally speaking I stopped in Andorra La Vella which whilst you needed to do a bit of travelling, it offered superior accommodation, a city base, and access to all areas in quick times.
I'd have to say that I will most definitely return there, and that preconceived ideas can be dangerously wrong.