Courmayeur , mt Blanc Italy

Have a trip booked for Courmayeur over the x-mas holidays . I've never skied
anywhere out of the Northeast ( Vermont mostly ) and never even been out
west so I'm a little intimidated . One thing I'm wondering is if I'm better
off bringing my own skis or renting skis and just bringing my boots . Also
wondering what the weather might be like as far as the cold & if thin air is
any issue. I'm curious as to how it will compare to Vermont , like will it
be powdery or groomed . I'm going to start googling but thought I would ask
here too. Anything I should know about to prepare myself or
just go and have a good time ?

Ron - N.Y wrote:
Have a trip booked for Courmayeur over the x-mas holidays . I've never skied
anywhere out of the Northeast ( Vermont mostly ) and never even been out
west so I'm a little intimidated . One thing I'm wondering is if I'm better
off bringing my own skis or renting skis and just bringing my boots . Also
wondering what the weather might be like as far as the cold & if thin air is
any issue. I'm curious as to how it will compare to Vermont , like will it
be powdery or groomed . I'm going to start googling but thought I would ask
here too. Anything I should know about to prepare myself or
just go and have a good time ?

Ron, hi!
From someone who had not skied out of the northeast US until
two years ago. And I've been skiing for over 50 years now.

1) snow is snow.

2) inbounds is inbounds and groomed is groomed.
You'll find that groomed runs at high elevation
are generally snow whereas here in the east it's
often ice, so no worries.

3) altitude might affect you. It didn't affect me.
Except that I puff a little more at 10,000 feet
(top of Granite Chief at Squaw). None of the
altitude sickness symptoms that others report. It's
a good idea to read up on altitude sickness though.
Don't drink much. It'll affect you more at altitude
and it will dehydrate more readily.

My first day at Kirkwood, I had a beer with lunch.
Tasted great, no ill effects. But that's all.

If you tend to get a headache at high altitude, take
a prophylactic vitamin I (Ibuprofen) in the morning.
This should make it so you won't need lots later.

4) how many days are you going to be skiing. I'd guess
that up to 4 days, you'd be better off renting. This
is what I do when I go for a day or two, which is often
a family visit and that' all the time I can spare away
from grandkids. Always take your boots. In fact carry
them on. You DON'T want rental boots under any
conditions.

That's PacificNW and usually Mt.
Baker which is a lovely area, small in lift capacity
but large in pucker factor. PNW snow is invariably
heavy. That's why they call it Cascade Concrete. If it's
groomed and/or skied out, it's much like a warm day
at Killington. If it's fresh, don't even think about
quick turns. It won't happen, but then there won't be
much need to slow down anyway.

5) Beware of what LAL calls powder. If it's on the sunny
side it will pretty much resemble Cascade Concrete(tm).
Actually it's Sierra Cement(tm).

6) By all means try to hook up with a local. At Alpine
Meadows look for LAL. If you want to hook up, maybe
try to contact him off-group sometime. In Europe, at
a huge area, you might even try hiring a guide for
a day or part of one. Often they are also instructors
and will throw in instruction as they show you around.

7) As you can see I haven't been to Europe (yet) but
got around a bit out west for the past couple of years.
I think the experiences I had pretty much sum up
the possibilities no matter where you go.

8) I heart skiing above tree line. There are so many
choices of lines, but western and presumably
European trees will be further apart than here in the
east. The only thing to look out for are those damn
tree wells. A function of the wind acting on the snow
with the tree for a barrier. Also, snow tends to
sublimate directly off the branches of evergreen trees
helping to create tree wells. I hit one skiing with
LAL last year, found it icy, got off balance, then
back into the soft stuff and landed on my sunglasses
case for a cracked rib or two. In tighter trees, the
tree wells sometimes act as traps if you ski too near
and suck you in. Be careful especially if you are skiing
alone.

In any case go skiing wherever you go. It'll be worth it.

VtSkier

"VtSkier" wrote in message
...
Ron - N.Y wrote:
Have a trip booked for Courmayeur over the x-mas holidays . I've never
skied anywhere out of the Northeast ( Vermont mostly ) and never even
been out west so I'm a little intimidated . One thing I'm wondering is if
I'm better off bringing my own skis or renting skis and just bringing my
boots . Also wondering what the weather might be like as far as the cold
& if thin air is any issue. I'm curious as to how it will compare to
Vermont , like will it be powdery or groomed . I'm going to start
googling but thought I would ask here too. Anything I should know about
to prepare myself or
just go and have a good time ?

Ron, hi!
From someone who had not skied out of the northeast US until
two years ago. And I've been skiing for over 50 years now.

1) snow is snow.

2) inbounds is inbounds and groomed is groomed.
You'll find that groomed runs at high elevation
are generally snow whereas here in the east it's
often ice, so no worries.

3) altitude might affect you. It didn't affect me.
Except that I puff a little more at 10,000 feet
(top of Granite Chief at Squaw). None of the
altitude sickness symptoms that others report. It's
a good idea to read up on altitude sickness though.
Don't drink much. It'll affect you more at altitude
and it will dehydrate more readily.

My first day at Kirkwood, I had a beer with lunch.
Tasted great, no ill effects. But that's all.

If you tend to get a headache at high altitude, take
a prophylactic vitamin I (Ibuprofen) in the morning.
This should make it so you won't need lots later.

4) how many days are you going to be skiing. I'd guess
that up to 4 days, you'd be better off renting. This
is what I do when I go for a day or two, which is often
a family visit and that' all the time I can spare away
from grandkids. Always take your boots. In fact carry
them on. You DON'T want rental boots under any
conditions.

That's PacificNW and usually Mt.
Baker which is a lovely area, small in lift capacity
but large in pucker factor. PNW snow is invariably
heavy. That's why they call it Cascade Concrete. If it's
groomed and/or skied out, it's much like a warm day
at Killington. If it's fresh, don't even think about
quick turns. It won't happen, but then there won't be
much need to slow down anyway.

5) Beware of what LAL calls powder. If it's on the sunny
side it will pretty much resemble Cascade Concrete(tm).
Actually it's Sierra Cement(tm).

6) By all means try to hook up with a local. At Alpine
Meadows look for LAL. If you want to hook up, maybe
try to contact him off-group sometime. In Europe, at
a huge area, you might even try hiring a guide for
a day or part of one. Often they are also instructors
and will throw in instruction as they show you around.

7) As you can see I haven't been to Europe (yet) but
got around a bit out west for the past couple of years.
I think the experiences I had pretty much sum up
the possibilities no matter where you go.

8) I heart skiing above tree line. There are so many
choices of lines, but western and presumably
European trees will be further apart than here in the
east. The only thing to look out for are those damn
tree wells. A function of the wind acting on the snow
with the tree for a barrier. Also, snow tends to
sublimate directly off the branches of evergreen trees
helping to create tree wells. I hit one skiing with
LAL last year, found it icy, got off balance, then
back into the soft stuff and landed on my sunglasses
case for a cracked rib or two. In tighter trees, the
tree wells sometimes act as traps if you ski too near
and suck you in. Be careful especially if you are skiing
alone.

In any case go skiing wherever you go. It'll be worth it.

VtSkier

Hey VtS ! Thanx for the tips , actually I think I changed my mind and am
going to take my skis , I have a good ski bag and the skis are getting old
so I'm not so nervous about them anymore and I think I'll need the comfort
of knowing I have my own equipment . I'll be going for 6 days and will
probably also visit a place called Cervinia . I'm going with a girl who is
from the area so I'll have a guide and translator with me :-) , I'm drooling
looking at some of the pictures I googled and can't wait to fulfill this
dream . I'll watch out for the tree wells , if there are no terrain parks
there I might have to use them as ramps !

Ron - N.Y wrote:
"VtSkier" wrote in message
...

Ron - N.Y wrote:

Have a trip booked for Courmayeur over the x-mas holidays . I've never
skied anywhere out of the Northeast ( Vermont mostly ) and never even
been out west so I'm a little intimidated . One thing I'm wondering is if
I'm better off bringing my own skis or renting skis and just bringing my
boots . Also wondering what the weather might be like as far as the cold
& if thin air is any issue. I'm curious as to how it will compare to
Vermont , like will it be powdery or groomed . I'm going to start
googling but thought I would ask here too. Anything I should know about
to prepare myself or
just go and have a good time ?

Ron, hi!
From someone who had not skied out of the northeast US until
two years ago. And I've been skiing for over 50 years now.

1) snow is snow.

2) inbounds is inbounds and groomed is groomed.
You'll find that groomed runs at high elevation
are generally snow whereas here in the east it's
often ice, so no worries.

3) altitude might affect you. It didn't affect me.
Except that I puff a little more at 10,000 feet
(top of Granite Chief at Squaw). None of the
altitude sickness symptoms that others report. It's
a good idea to read up on altitude sickness though.
Don't drink much. It'll affect you more at altitude
and it will dehydrate more readily.

My first day at Kirkwood, I had a beer with lunch.
Tasted great, no ill effects. But that's all.

If you tend to get a headache at high altitude, take
a prophylactic vitamin I (Ibuprofen) in the morning.
This should make it so you won't need lots later.

4) how many days are you going to be skiing. I'd guess
that up to 4 days, you'd be better off renting. This
is what I do when I go for a day or two, which is often
a family visit and that' all the time I can spare away
from grandkids. Always take your boots. In fact carry
them on. You DON'T want rental boots under any
conditions.

That's PacificNW and usually Mt.
Baker which is a lovely area, small in lift capacity
but large in pucker factor. PNW snow is invariably
heavy. That's why they call it Cascade Concrete. If it's
groomed and/or skied out, it's much like a warm day
at Killington. If it's fresh, don't even think about
quick turns. It won't happen, but then there won't be
much need to slow down anyway.

5) Beware of what LAL calls powder. If it's on the sunny
side it will pretty much resemble Cascade Concrete(tm).
Actually it's Sierra Cement(tm).

6) By all means try to hook up with a local. At Alpine
Meadows look for LAL. If you want to hook up, maybe
try to contact him off-group sometime. In Europe, at
a huge area, you might even try hiring a guide for
a day or part of one. Often they are also instructors
and will throw in instruction as they show you around.

7) As you can see I haven't been to Europe (yet) but
got around a bit out west for the past couple of years.
I think the experiences I had pretty much sum up
the possibilities no matter where you go.

8) I heart skiing above tree line. There are so many
choices of lines, but western and presumably
European trees will be further apart than here in the
east. The only thing to look out for are those damn
tree wells. A function of the wind acting on the snow
with the tree for a barrier. Also, snow tends to
sublimate directly off the branches of evergreen trees
helping to create tree wells. I hit one skiing with
LAL last year, found it icy, got off balance, then
back into the soft stuff and landed on my sunglasses
case for a cracked rib or two. In tighter trees, the
tree wells sometimes act as traps if you ski too near
and suck you in. Be careful especially if you are skiing
alone.

In any case go skiing wherever you go. It'll be worth it.

VtSkier


Hey VtS ! Thanx for the tips , actually I think I changed my mind and am
going to take my skis , I have a good ski bag and the skis are getting old
so I'm not so nervous about them anymore and I think I'll need the comfort
of knowing I have my own equipment . I'll be going for 6 days and will
probably also visit a place called Cervinia . I'm going with a girl who is
from the area so I'll have a guide and translator with me :-) , I'm drooling
looking at some of the pictures I googled and can't wait to fulfill this
dream . I'll watch out for the tree wells , if there are no terrain parks
there I might have to use them as ramps !


Ron, the only thing you might have a problem with is the snow, we've not
done too well for coverage until early January, but there's enough
high places nearby with an hour or so's drive that you'll find something
and at Cervinia you can get on to the glaciers at Zermatt.

The other thing will be the crowds at Xmas, and the poor Q discipline
compared to the US. STill, it's all part of the experience and you'll
love it over here.

On Mon, 19 Sep 2005 20:06:33 -0400, VtSkier
wrote:


Always take your boots. In fact carry
them on. You DON'T want rental boots under any
conditions.

I just thought that part bore repeating, LOUDLY AND EMPHATICALLY.

bw

"Ron - N.Y" wrote in message
news
Have a trip booked for Courmayeur over the x-mas holidays . I've never
skied anywhere out of the Northeast ( Vermont mostly ) and never even been
out west so I'm a little intimidated . One thing I'm wondering is if I'm
better off bringing my own skis or renting skis and just bringing my boots
. Also wondering what the weather might be like as far as the cold & if
thin air is any issue. I'm curious as to how it will compare to Vermont ,
like will it be powdery or groomed . I'm going to start googling but
thought I would ask here too. Anything I should know about to prepare
myself or
just go and have a good time ?



Beautiful place but small and chic (and therefore cher!). Fabulous views,
greate restaurants and good (but pricey) shopping if you like Italian
fashion. It's a bit of Italy which speaks French but they are not -
definitely not - French. This can only be A GOOD THING.

Have skied early Jan and mid-Feb. V little natural snow in early Jan but
lots of snow cannons. For an expert skier, the area is attractive for its
off piste much of which is on glacier - for which you definitely need a
guide. Can ski to Chamonix (via the famousVallee Blanche) or can drive there
via Mont Blanc tunnel (though in Italy, its the Monte Bianco). Not sure how
much of this will be open at New Year.

Gets crowded at week-ends when the Milanese come up to play (same will be
true at Xmas) but Italians only ski til lunchtime.Great mountain restaurants
(but you may need to book - see previous sentence!). Best one generally
thought to be La Maison Vieille which is great on a sunny day - and they
have a lot of sunny days so you rarely have to worry about being too cold.

Big bottleneck is the large cablecar which links the village (small town
really) to the ski area - which starts about 1000m higher up on the other
side of the valley. Ski rental shops located near the top station which also
have lockers so you can leave boots and skis there overnight. Plenty of
choice of skis but I don't know if they are the same choice as you'd get in
NA. Here's one ski shop's price list as a guide
(http://www.skiincourmayeur.it/services.htm)

Cervinia is not near (well in Alpine terms anyway - north americans might
think it a hop-skip-jump). It's generally higher than Courmayeur (on-piste
anyway) so can have better snow but it is also bleaker and tattier. If you
have the wherewithal (i.e a car) to get to Cervinia, you might want to think
about Chamonix instead - but this will depend on the fortunes of snow.

I am skiing over Christmas myself this year but I'm going to Val D'Isere
precisely because of the snow question. Could still turn out to be be
snowier in Courmayeur - you never know (last time I was there it dumped all
week in Courmayeur and, when we emerged on the the French side of the
tunnel, they had had no fresh snow all week)

Have a good time.

Paul