UKC

Hello.

I am planning to do a second ski holiday this season in March or possible late February after my Bulgaria ski trip.

Can anyone suggest a good second location?

Bye

Savvas

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

Kaprun in Austria. It's just up the valley from Zell Am See. This is where I've just come back from snd it was lovely!

3 main ski areas:

The Kitzsteinhorn, which is a glacial skiing area at 2000 - 3000m. Runs of all levels and some off piste and a park. Cold but great snow and there's an ice bar!

The Maiskogl, valley floor to 1700m. Great beginners and family mountain, mostly blues with a nice black and a small red if you feel up to it.

The Schmitten, in zell am see, runs of all abilities at a lower altitude to the kitzsteinhorn and a bit warmer.

Good ski buses between the kitzsteinhorn and Zell, run every half hour. Lots of bars, restaurants and gear shops and a large supermarket in Kaprun centre.

And the locals are all friendly only issue is they didn't have much snow at the lower levels byt all runs and lifts were open last week.

Hope that helps

In reply to Mr-Cowdrey:

Hi.

Thanks

I had Austria in mind but I was not sure of what resort.

Kaprun and Zell sound lovely!

I was also thinking about somewhere closer to home like Aosta Valley or Les Deux Alpes.

I would not mind a bit of off piste with a guide who has a spare probe, tranceiver and shovel!

Bye

Savvas

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

That's the only resort I have info on I'm afraid, being my first ski holiday and all

But my girlfriend highly recommended Sweden. Not as high as the alps, but colder, better snow and more non-skiing based activities ie husky sledging, northern lights trips, ice climbing tasters etc

Hope you have a fun trip where ever you go and stay safe

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

Some of the off peast in val dezere is wicked

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

Just got back from Les arcs and it was fantastic! Loads of long blues, challenging reds and natural mogul fields and powder not too far off piste, plus glacier skiing in la plagne.

One tip though, we booked our catered chalet (for a group of 8) back in august, and another group of 2 chaps managed to get the same deal half price by booking the week before travelling, saving £250. So if you're a small group/alone, and flexible you can save a a lot of money. Also booking ski hire independantly (i.e not through the tour operator) online (even the day before) will save about 50% of that cost.

This was all through skiworld, chalet vanoise, if you were interested.

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

i love austria , cheap compared to most ski countries and friendly too . the only draw back is they dont have a full smoking ban . large bars are supossed to have a none smoking area but dont always .

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

Cervinia is where i'm going in april - guaranteed snow and cheaper than the swiss side. Norway and sweden are also great.

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

Chamonix

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

Everyone has their favourite resort of course - for instance I'd probably go for the 3 valleys over Les Arcs/La Plagne, all other things being equal, but that's just personal taste. Two things though: 1. You don't say anything about what you're looking for, what standard you ski at, etc, so it's hard for anyone to make a good recommendation, and 2. as you're obviously booking fairly late I'd just choose wherever had the best combination of good current snow conditions and a good late-booking deal. Italy tends to be a bit cheaper than France, Austria a bit more of an alpine atmosphere in the resorts, France good for big ski areas and ski-in/out convenience (there are lots of exceptions to all those three generalisations, of course)

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

Hi Just goy back from serre chevalier. We stayed in Chantemerle, which links up with villeneuve and montier les bains and Briancon. Has a bit of everything from lots of great on piste, lots of tree runs on and off and some higher runs upto 2850 mtrs all lift served. Also has some great off piste accesible from some of the higher lifts, and some good off piste with a little hiking, we managed the north side of the col du vent last week before it snowed a lot for almost 48 hours. There is a weak layer in the snowpack between all the early november snow and the recent stuff so care required if venturing off. The thing i enjoyed most was how quiet it was, we never sat in a que for any lift all week. I,d certainly go back this season.. HTH.

In reply to ripper:
Hi ripper.

Interesting you bought the whole ski level thing up!....

....I was at my second dryslope session yesterday and I mentioned ski touring to the instructor he told me I should not do much touring (not sue if he meant at the first trip or in general).

I then told I should leave touring till next year and he did not sound very happy or pleased.

I am not sure if he was suggesting to try touring this year?!

What do you think he meant?

At both National Mountain Centres the minimum prerequisite for ski touring courses - depending on the course - are red runs and parallel turns.

I never drysloped using the snowplough to descent.

As for resorts I am, up for anywhere.

Austria is on my mind aswell as France and Italy.

Bye

Sav

In reply to Mr-Cowdrey:

Hi.

Thank you for your advice.

Will consider Scandinavia in mind.

Thanks

Savvas

In reply to timmyhobby:

Hello Timmy.

Is it best to go off piste with a guide who has spare avalanche safety equipment that he/she can lend you.

Bye

Savvas

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

Sav, if you've only done a couple of dry slope sessions I would agree with your instructor and leave touring well alone for now... if you're going to book late I would suggest just choosing anywhere offering a good deal that has good snow cover. If you want to book well in advance just have a look at some brochures and pick somewhere that looks nice in the photos! If I was going to Austria I'd be most tempted to look at Ischgl, or St Anton.

In reply to AG:

Hi AG.

Thanks.

I like Cervinia and I had the Aosta Valley in mind!

Great idea!

What is your opinion on touring and going off piste?

Bye

Savvas

In reply to plyometrics:

Hi.

I had Cham in mind to!

Bye

Savvas

In reply to tim000:

Hi Tim.

I was a bit pissed off when I read your reply.

Since Skiing is a Cardio anaerobic sport and smoking effects your Cardiovascular system would it be logical for Austria as a top ski destination to half one?!

The bars should be non-smoking and have a small smoking area outside!

Bye

Savvas

In reply to ripper:

Hi again.

I was the one that suggested leaving touring till next year.

I have heard read great things about St Anton - not sure about Ischgl.

Ischgl is where Glenmore Lodge run there Intro Off Piste and Ski Tour course from.

I will look into Ischgl later today!

Bye

Savvas

In reply to The Norris:

Hello.

Thanks for all the advice and the tips.

Bye

Savvas

In reply to Lee Sheard:

Hello Lee.

Thanks for the asvice.

It looks interesting!

Bye

Sav

In reply to ripper:
Hello.

I think I know what you are getting at.

I forgot to tell the instructor about my second trip.

I may do a little bit of touring after my first trip.

I plan to do more lessons before I go - another two lessons!

Bye

Savvas

In reply to Mountain Spirit:






totally agree . it`s putting me off going back next year . some resorts are better tham other . this year i went to schladming and it was pretty bad . the last few years i have been to mayrhofen and it`s not bad . 3-4 bars have either total bans or a good size non smoking area. most mountain hut have split smoking/non smoking areas.

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

Hi mate, try schladming a fantastic place, me a my mates have been twice an still talk about going again.

In reply to Mountain Spirit:
im in bed about to get up to ski in cervinia as I write this. Its great here. Very deep power snow off the runs and lots more forecast. You can take a lift to over 3800 meters and ski down to 1500 meters. Its gorgeous scenery. The pizzas are great. Accomodation and eating out are quite cheap and you can ski from valtournenche to past zermat ( although everything on the swiss side is pricey). Also they have pizza. its also not too busy and nearly all the runs are blue and red so perfect for yr first season. Did I mention the pizza is great ?

I wouldnt worry too much about off piste and ski touring yr first year. I think yll be happy if you just get competent at red runs.

Fitness wise any thing that can increase the stamina in yr thighs for staying bent holding yr body weight for long periods of time is an idea.

hope you have a great time and stay safe,
stevo

In reply to nigeo:

Hi dude.

Looks amazing and very appealling!

Seems to be a Red and black resort.

Bye

Savvas

In reply to CurlyStevo:
Hey Stevo.

Glad to hear you are having a great time.

Cervinia looks amazing and Zermat is also a great red run area.

I cannot wait to go!

Ofcourse they will have pizza in Italy!

What is Powder Snow like?

When you learnt on dryslope did you start going down in a snowplough or in an parallel eleven?

The instructor got me to ski down in a parallel eleven and with hands on bent knees.

I am training at the moment at the gym and doing yoga at home.

I have a routine at the gym that includes HIIT on upright cycle or x-trainer, deadlifts, front squats, leg press, leg curl and extension, wall squats, weighted squats and calf raises on a stepping board.

Bye

Savvas

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

I learnt in snow plough in scotland as a group session but by the of my first weekend I was doing very basic paralell turns (but i was top of my group). I then went indoors on snow for about 5 half days, a year or two later and taught myself parrallel skiing to a passable level. Since then I have skiied 10 days but not many per year and yesterday did my first black runs, which went ok and I did ski properly going down the slope zig zagging rather than skiing almost perpendicular to the slope as you see some people doing. i defo still have plenty to learn though and am really still quite novice.compared to good skiers.

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

Perhaps you should think of some criteria and then use those?

Criteria are also not all about the skiiing.

Personally I look for good skiing over good nightlife/other resort facilites, but not everyone does.
Flight and transfer time (although it's almost as quick to drive to some of the resorts if you're canny)
For the skiing, some people really want a pretty landscape. Often that means trees and so a lower resort. Austria is great for that, but France tends to be more wide open spaces.
Depending on the time of year you go you may want to choose a high resort/glacier access. I prefer high resorts in general - although cold, the snow is drier and you don't get so much slush in the afternoon/rubble in the morning. You want lovely squeaky/creaky snow (or powder).
If you're done rather more skiing and are into couloirs/off-piste (I don't mean just dinking into the areas between pistes - although, yes, I know that's what Schumacher was doing), then some resorts are much better than others.
Personally I like lots of variety and long days - so big connected areas with an area pass are great, but you need enough experience ot know how far you can go in an hour and to estimate times for lifts etc.

There's no wrong answer of course - you'll have a blast wherever!

In reply to CurlyStevo:

Hi Stevo.

Well done on the parallel turns and doing your first black runs mate!

I was told to do dryslope lessons you learn better technique and posture on dryslope.

Did you know that skiing on a dryslope is harder than skiing on snow?

I think it is because the material dryslopes are made of kind of resembles bad snow and ice snow - the base.

Bye

Savvas

In reply to JJL:

Hello JJL.

Criteria would definitely help.

As I am not a drinker I do not care much about apres ski nightlife.

I will have to look into the transfer time thing - I do not have a driving license.

Glacier access in higher resorts and good squeaky/creaky snow sounds good to me!

I am not sure about off-piste yet.

Bye

Savvas

In reply to Mountain Spirit:
You've had a couple of lessons on a dry slope and you are intending to ski off piste on glaciers? For a start, skiing in deep powder snow on a glacier is nothing like a dry slope or a groomed piste and you need to be in total control or you could end up in a hole. I very much doubt that a guide would take you off-piste at your level.
As for your question, Les Arcs would suit you fine, lots of wide open cruising pistes and tree lined runs for when the weather closes in.
Forget the off-piste until you can ski properly, or you'll end up with snapped knee ligaments.

In reply to liz j:

If you read his post and the one he was replying to you'll see he isn't talking about going off piste on a glacier.

In reply to DaveHK:

"Glacier access in higher resorts and good squeaky/creaky snow sounds good to me!"

My mate nearly skied into a crevasse off the top of the Grands Montets, the slope is slightly convex and he couldn't see it. Luckily, he's a good skier and stopped. This was just off the top, off the marked piste. If someone like Mountain Spirit was in that situation, would he have been able to stop? Glacier access is very easy in some resorts, but can take you to some serious terrain. He's had a couple of dryslope lessons, so I won't encourage him to go off-piste, but I have recommended a place he would enjoy and hopefully be able to improve his skiing to a level where he could venture off the side of the marked runs without too much danger.

In reply to liz j:

Hello Liz.

I am actually talking about my second trip this year not my first trip to Bulgaria as in the post title!

Thanks for the idea of Les Arcs!

Bye

Savvas

In reply to DaveHK:

Hello Dave.

Thanks for the clear up!

Bye

Sav

In reply to Mountain Spirit:
First or second trip, same advice applies. Enjoy, but don't be in a rush. Learn to walk before you run!

In reply to liz j:

Hello Liz.

I think I will be able to stop.

Bye

Savvas

In reply to Mountain Spirit:
Carry on then....

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

If it's steep, icy or just unusual terrain you may be surprised at just how long it takes to gain control / stop

In reply to liz j:

Thanks Liz.

Any fitness advice tips would be helpful!

Bye

Sav

In reply to Mountain Spirit:
I thought you had all your training worked out? Shouldn't you be climbing E7 by now?

In reply to liz j:
Hello Liz.

I do have a routine but I am not sure what else to include in it.

I wish I was climbing E7!

On another matter related to skiing....

Will my The North Face TriClimate jacket and the winter walking over trousers I have be enough for skiing or is it wise to purchase a ski jacket and a pair of ski trousers?

What do you think is the maximum I should pay for ski gloves?

Bye

Savvas

In reply to Mountain Spirit:
The best advice I can give you is to remember to put suncream under your nose and on the inside of your nostrils. A sore nose will impede your skiing much more than any lack of fitness. That is, unless you have a very hairy nose.....

In reply to liz j:

Hello liz.

Thanks for that advice.

Will definitely don that!

Bye

Sav

In reply to Mountain Spirit:
Are your sponsors DMM paying for your ski trip? I'm sure we'll see the photos on their website. Looking forward to the lecture series, do we get to hear about your new Super Alpine route in N.Wales too???
Don't break a leg....

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

In regards to using your winter gear for skiing, this is exactly what I did. I wore a set of thermal leggings with my sofshell bibs over the top and that worked perfectly. Top wise, the usual layering system worked well (base layer, fleece, hard/softshell) but throw in an extra insulation layer in your rucksack just in case.

Glove wise, I bought my girlfriend a pair for £75, but used my ME Randonee glove (£55) and never got cold hands. But you can buy cheaper gloves from the likes of Mountain Warehouse, but I have no experience with any of their gear I'm afraid.

Hopw that helps

In reply to liz j:
Hello liz

I do not think DMM would pay for ski trips - they do not give that kind of sponsorship.

Black Diamond and Lowe Alpine are twitter followers of mine....

Maybe Black Diamond, Salomon, Scarpa, K2 and Rosignol if the ski trip is something amazing or maybe preparation for something like a winter ascent of The Denali Diamond.

Most people who are sponsored by ski equipment and/or ski clothing companies are expert topnotch creme de la creme skiers.

I would love to lecture about my adventures.

I thought that uk climbing article and logbook entrance had been removed!

Have you been looking at my social network profiles?

Bye

Savvas

In reply to Mr-Cowdrey:

Hello.

I asked in Snow and Rock and they said I should get a proper ski jacket and ski trousers.

I will ask on Tuesday at the Dryslope as I am having a third lesson.

I like ME products to - I have read that the ME Randonee can be used for ski touring to!

That is good to hear about using your winter gear for skiing.

Bye

Savvas

In reply to Mountain Spirit:




As for where to go skiing just find somewhere cheap. You could blow a couple of grand going to one of the fancy top notch resorts but as a beginner you'll not be able to do 70 or 80% of the runs so you'll have wasted your money. Think Andorra, Austria or Italy look for somewhere with more green and blue runs than reds and blacks. Until you can ski really well on piste forget off piste. Touring is off piste with a heavy pack on, it takes time to work up to it saviour the experience. It's the journey that matters not just arriving.

In reply to OwenM:

Hello Owen.

Thanks for the advice.

I am already looking into Austria and Italy.

I know what touring is.

For runs it will depend on how well I do on my first ski holiday.

Bye

Savvas

In reply to Mountain Spirit:
No Savvas, I am not interested in you enough to look at your social network profiles, and yes, that logbook entry is/was still on there. It would seem to be that you either are a compulsive liar, a troll or have a problem with reality. "Savvas is sponsored by DMM and Mountain Equipment" Is that not what have written in your logbook entry?. Your posting on here is entertaining at times, however, I think you would be better off being realistic about your climbing aims then you might get somewhere!!

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

Actually, just checked out your twitter page out of curiousity, what a load of bull!!
The large picture of the guy climbing isn't even you!!!
https://twitter.com/GREAKLHOULDING

In reply to Mountain Spirit:



Of course they're going to say that, they're trying to get money from you. Your mountaineering clothing is designed for the mountains. Next time you're in Snow and Rock, ask why you need a specific ski jacket and why your mountain jackets etc won't suffice.

Like I said, I used my mountaineering clothing and had no issue with comfort.

In reply to liz j:
Hello.

I have checked my profile and it does not say that!

This section is about skiing.

Bye

Sav

In reply to liz j:

Other people use photos that are not them.

In reply to Mr-Cowdrey:

Hello.

That is good news to my ears!

I will also ask in Ellis Brigham and Cotswold Outdoors.

Bye

Savvas

In reply to Mountain Spirit:
"rock climber, ice and mixed climber, alpinist, skiier, blogger. Mountain Guide in training, lecturer, coach, instructor and author."

Come on, this is ridiculous!!

You'll never get a climbing partner, and be able to progress, if you keep telling lies.

There was a previous poster who used to tell lies, he met a partner through this forum and ended up getting the guy in real trouble on Tower Ridge. He also claimed on his website that he was a qualified guide, and he also used pictures of other people on his FB page as his profile pic. Maybe you are him?

In reply to liz j:

Actually I am joining the London Mountaineering Club!

Bye

Savvas

In reply to liz j:

Well what is his name?

Bye

Sav

In reply to Mountain Spirit:




Good luck to them!!

His name was Icemonster/Mr Rain....

In reply to liz j:
Hello.

That is not me.

Why good luck to them?

Bye

Savvas

In reply to Mountain Spirit:
Are you registered with the BMG association as a trainee guide or are you doing your UIAGM qualification through an overseas organisation? What sort of routes have you done as an alpinist, I'm guessing the minimum requirement of 20 routes at TD and above? Just interested to hear your experiences on those routes.

In reply to Mountain Spirit:
Well????

In reply to liz j:

Well

Since this is is a skiing section.

Talking about climbing would be stupid.

Les Arcs...

I was going to ask you....

What arc and accomodation would you suggest?

Bye

Savvas

In reply to Mountain Spirit:
I have stayed in Les Arcs 1800, there are lots of apartments there. Nothing stupid about talking about climbing on a climbing forum. Just curious to know how you got onto the Guide Scheme if you've only climbed outdoors a couple of times?

In reply to liz j:
Hello Liz.

I thought this section was about skiing!

Are there any apartments I should stay well away from and any you recommend?

Strange thing I have a Dreamguides e-mail address and a Terry Ralphs one!

Also a member of the selection committee on the BMG scheme and the former training officer are Skillspages contacts.

Bye

Savvas

Savvas

In reply to Mountain Spirit:
That depends on budget, the MGM apartments are very nice but expensive and the cheaper apartments are not so nice but they won't cost so much!!! If you are going on your own, then it's going to cost you a lot of money as you'll pay loads in single supplements. In which case you would be better off going to somewhere that has a lot of hostels, like Chamonix. I wouldn't recommend Chamonix to you though, as I'm afraid you might ski into a crevasse on the easily accessed glacier at the top of the Grands Montets.

In reply to Mountain Spirit:






So that makes you a trainee guide??? Does Terry Ralphs know you use his email address?

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

Seriously, Liz sounds like she knows what she's talking about. Just pick a cheap resort with good snow closer to the date you want to travel. As someone who has skied for almost 23 years I wouldn't advise you to go looking for off piste skiing even for your second trip, powder skiing is a totally different skill to piste skiing and you really need to be competent or you could end up in big trouble. I doubt you would find as guide who would take you if they knew you had only done 5-10 days on snow unless you were a total skiing prodigy.

In reply to Mountain Spirit

Dear Savvas, please allow me to pass on some basic life lessons I've learned:

1. Nobody likes a bullshitter

2. If you want even a modicum of respect in the outdoor world, the less you say, the better.

3. When somebody catches you out (e.g. Liz), own up to your lies

4. When you're in a hole, stop digging.

5. and finally...for the benefit of all of the nice, genuine posters making helpful suggestions - stop being a f*cking idiot.

HTH, JW

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

You could stay here, cheap and easy access to the lifts of both Les Arcs and La Plagne.
http://chaletarc.co.uk/index.html

In reply to liz j:

Hello.

Seems nice!

Looks like a lovely place!

Thanks for the advice.

I am not going offpiste this year.

Bye

Savvas

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

Hi. That's my photo you're using on your Twitter page, please remove it, thanks. Alex.

In reply to alex:

Hello Alex.

I will remove it.

Savvas