SkiBanter

SkiBanter (http://www.skibanter.com/index.php)
-   European Ski Resorts (http://www.skibanter.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5)
-   -   Paging Ace (http://www.skibanter.com/showthread.php?t=18408)

Colin Irvine[_4_] March 1st 09 06:21 PM

Paging Ace
 
Nice article on Engelberg in yesterday's Guardian.
URL:http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/200...hotel?page=all

--
Colin Irvine

Ace[_3_] March 2nd 09 04:01 AM

Paging Ace
 
On Sun, 01 Mar 2009 18:21:30 +0000, Colin Irvine
wrote:

Nice article on Engelberg in yesterday's Guardian.
URL:http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/200...hotel?page=all


Ta for that. Interesting article, but with a couple of glaring factual
innacuracies, most notably the population of 400 (it's actually 4000).

A better article appeared in the telegraph a couple of months back
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored...nly-place.html
and while searching for that I also came across one from the previous
year
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/72...of-angels.html

Skiing's been great so far this season - we've both had well over 30
days on snow - with plenty of snow at regular enough intervals.
Yesterday felt like spring, with genuinely warm weather for the first
time since one freak day of foehn wind in December. Had an earlyish
start so were happy to call it a day just after two when the vis had
got a bit **** higher up and the lower off-piste was getting heavy.

But there's more cold weather forecast for the rest of this week, with
a decent dump towards the weekend, so it looks like next weekend we'll
be skiing powder again. It's all too much, I tells ya!


Colin Irvine[_4_] March 2nd 09 09:33 AM

Paging Ace
 
On Mon, 02 Mar 2009 05:01:52 +0100, Ace squeezed out the following:

Skiing's been great so far this season - we've both had well over 30
days on snow - with plenty of snow at regular enough intervals.
Yesterday felt like spring, with genuinely warm weather for the first
time since one freak day of foehn wind in December. Had an earlyish
start so were happy to call it a day just after two when the vis had
got a bit **** higher up and the lower off-piste was getting heavy.


It was warm most of last week in the 3V.

But there's more cold weather forecast for the rest of this week, with
a decent dump towards the weekend, so it looks like next weekend we'll
be skiing powder again. It's all too much, I tells ya!


Luck sod! For us it's now Scotland or nothing until next season.

--
Colin Irvine

Pip Luscher[_3_] March 2nd 09 07:44 PM

Paging Ace
 
On Mon, 02 Mar 2009 05:01:52 +0100, Ace wrote:

On Sun, 01 Mar 2009 18:21:30 +0000, Colin Irvine
wrote:

Nice article on Engelberg in yesterday's Guardian.
URL:http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/200...hotel?page=all


Ta for that. Interesting article, but with a couple of glaring factual
innacuracies, most notably the population of 400 (it's actually 4000).

A better article appeared in the telegraph a couple of months back
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored...nly-place.html
and while searching for that I also came across one from the previous
year
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/72...of-angels.html

Skiing's been great so far this season - we've both had well over 30
days on snow - with plenty of snow at regular enough intervals.
Yesterday felt like spring, with genuinely warm weather for the first
time since one freak day of foehn wind in December. Had an earlyish
start so were happy to call it a day just after two when the vis had
got a bit **** higher up and the lower off-piste was getting heavy.

But there's more cold weather forecast for the rest of this week, with
a decent dump towards the weekend, so it looks like next weekend we'll
be skiing powder again. It's all too much, I tells ya!


I certainly had a good couple of weeks in Flaine at the end of
January, though the weather promised rather more powder than it
delivered, which as a slight shame because I was doing an SCGB
Freshtracks course on the second week. Still, our instructors found
enough powder for us to fall over in.

Annoyingly, it hammered down with snow the morning I left.

--
-Pip

Ace[_3_] March 2nd 09 09:01 PM

Paging Ace
 
On Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:44:36 +0000, Pip Luscher
wrote:

I certainly had a good couple of weeks in Flaine at the end of
January, though the weather promised rather more powder than it
delivered, which as a slight shame because I was doing an SCGB
Freshtracks course on the second week. Still, our instructors found
enough powder for us to fall over in.


Jann has always had the knack, or more accurately the knowledge, of
finding the best snow around. He and Regis, who used to work together,
gained an unequalled reputation for solid instruction with the best
fun. Regis gave it up three or four year ago, but from all I've heard,
Dianne has picked up where he left off and continues to please.

Hope you enjoyed it - next year maybe you'll feel up to a proper
mountain-guided trip?



Pip Luscher[_3_] March 3rd 09 09:48 PM

Paging Ace
 
On Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:01:44 +0100, Ace wrote:

Jann has always had the knack, or more accurately the knowledge, of
finding the best snow around. He and Regis, who used to work together,
gained an unequalled reputation for solid instruction with the best
fun. Regis gave it up three or four year ago, but from all I've heard,
Dianne has picked up where he left off and continues to please.


She's a good instructor and is a lively fun character. Even more
interested in pointing out wildlife than Yann. Then testing us on it!

I was initially put into her group but after a couple of days I was
bumped up to Yann's group, which made me both pleased and nervous,
until I realized that the pace wasn't that different. Dianne then
proceeded to take the ****: "So now you've changed instructor you
never speak to me! You're too good for us, eh?"

Because of the numbers on the course, Yann also had another
instructor, Alain, to take a third group.

Hope you enjoyed it


Certainly did, was a little nervous at times though. There was some
stunning scenery on one leisurely run we did down the back of the
'main' ridge, with Mont Blanc to our right.

I didn't get to enjoy the delights of the Aujon, as I'd booked a
(very) basic studio apartment for both weeks. The comments of those
who did suggested that I hadn't missed much.

- next year maybe you'll feel up to a proper
mountain-guided trip?


I think that if I did do a guided trip I would probably want it to be
the second week of two.

Can one hire a guide for half a day or so and specify that one wants
to find some powder that's not too challenging, (Conditions
permitting, obviously) as a sort of warm-up/refresher?

--
-Pip

Ace[_3_] March 4th 09 08:20 AM

Paging Ace
 
On Tue, 03 Mar 2009 21:48:20 +0000, Pip Luscher
wrote:

On Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:01:44 +0100, Ace wrote:


snip

- next year maybe you'll feel up to a proper
mountain-guided trip?


I think that if I did do a guided trip I would probably want it to be
the second week of two.


Yeah, makes sense to get your legs and confidence back first, although
TBH going out with a guide doesn't mean doing stuff any more difficult
that you'll have done with Yann and Dianne. They'll vary routes, and
pace, depending on ability and fitness levels just like an instructor
or SkiClub rep.

Can one hire a guide for half a day or so and specify that one wants
to find some powder that's not too challenging, (Conditions
permitting, obviously) as a sort of warm-up/refresher?


Half-days wouldn't be usual, but it may be worth asking. But certainly
getting a guide for a single day is perfectly normal practice, and if
you tell them what you want they'll try to oblige, I'm sure.

But they ain't cheap, so it'd usually be best if you could get two or
three others together to share costs. Most Ski Club reps will be happy
to arrange a guide for the group on one of the off-piste days, so you
might just like to join one of them...



All times are GMT. The time now is 12:22 PM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
SkiBanter.com