Snow activities - Skiing & Snowboarding day trips

this is way off season, well actualy it isn't but as i've just got back from my summer hols my thoughts allways turn to winter sports.

i talked to a couple of people about this after rugby one night, but who's interested in going on day trips? who can teach and who wants to learn skiing or langlauf or snowboarding?

jolly bolly and myself discussed teaching a bit of skiing for those who would love to try it and would willingly do so at somewhere like reit im winkel (extremley cheap learner passes on the winklemoosalm piste) or st.johann in tirol (cheap passes on the eichenhof piste), both of which offer relaxed, comfortable and not so busy pistes.

but could anybody teach snowboarding, as i'm sure there would be interest there.

oh, and aliving in munich tip. the end of september or start of october is a cheap time to find snow sport bargins, as shops get rid of last years unsold stock. sports experts near OEZ is good as it's an austrian retail chain.

(i guess this post will not recieve answers untill the first snow flakes start drifting slowly down from the sky )

Thread cross-reference: Skiing / Snowboarding near Munich

i cant teach anything in snow, apart from making snow angels. but i think trips would be really cool, and yeah cheap is always good!

I am always up for skiing but I can't teach. since i never leanrned it proper miself (self-taught, you see)


There is a good secind hand market for ski stuff, can't remember where at the moment, but it gets advertised quite heavily, so I'll repost when I see something

This post must surely win the prize for most forward planning - we're not even half way through August yet!

jimbo,

he who plans, wins.

if there'S good snow then zugspitzt will be ready in only roughly six weeks!!!

oh, and what's my prize

and you can Ski now on the Subaier Gletscher!

ANyone fancy some summer snow?

hey g, you've been in d-land too long! only germans plan their holidays an half a year ahead! i'd just enjoy the summer while you still can. this year sucked, august has been fantastic. the weather will be crappy soon enough.

I'm up for going on a TT ski trip. No problem. I can probably teach some people...although they have to follow me down steep cliffs and over hard core moguls...Yeah right...

Might be up for the summer skiing in Stubai, depending on the snow (lack of snow) conditions.

Christ almighty...I suppose you're one of those bastards that buggers off to the Canaries in January as well aren't you?

This year will be my first skiing. Good thing for me is that my cousin has got a job this season in Austria as a Ski instructor, so I will be planning on a trip there.

Note - At least I will be when Sparty finds those skiis & Ski boots for me

@Gideon - I could well do with a couple of lessons, is anyone else offering?

l can teach snowboarding but you really need a couple of days and not just a daytrip. Otherwise you get all the pain and not much of the gain.
But after a whole weekend practising then you should be linking turns together and be starting to get a bit of confidence.

but it is just a bit early for this...
on another note, is anyone up for a biergarten trip next summer? We'd better start planning soon...

Not a bad idea, we should plan ahead so as not to interfere with the touch rugby

guy's i love skiing and whats wrong with thinking ahead???

no i don't go to the canaries in january because... suprise suprise da da i'm skiing!

so i've been here long and??? i've learnt that germans don't plan and as soon as they see a snow flake all rush off and get there skis waxed causeing massive delays for us foriegners. plus i like snow. plus i thought it would be interesting to see who's interested, i was only trying to be pro active and kind and nice.

billybob, good to hear that someone out there can teach a bit of schneebtretl'n.

3-lions, no problem, that was the point of the post. i would put you in small skis first (120 cms or as small as they'll rent you), as then you'll learn the basics within four hours and be confidently carving down the slopes within a day...

EDIT what's the problem with touch rugby, it's not yet interfeared with my drinking

Can't teach but can provide exellent crash amusement. Up for some Boarding as soon as the conditions allow.

Me is also planning to improve my snowboarding skills considerably during next winter, but I can't even plan ahead one weekend, let alone half a year.

great idea!!! i'm so looking forward to go skiing again!!!

it's never to early to start thinking about going skiing

@gideon --- I think planning ahead can be fun.

I picked up a flyer last week, it's about a Ski-Opening in Sölden/Ötztal (glacier)from October 29th to November 1st. Friday afternoon until Monday night - Monday is a public holiday in Bavaria.

More information:

Ski-Opening

It's not exactly cheap 269 or 289€ per person, but you get a skipass and accommodation (incl. breakfast + dinner) for three days, the bus ride to Austria and you can test skis and snowboards plus free carving courses.

Don't know whether you get the test equipment the whole time...

Anybody interested? Unfortunately you have to book until August 31st.

I have lost my catalogue but I think a really good idea would be to organise a TT ski/board weekend using one of the travel companies.

They do coach trips to cool places like Ischgl and it is all organised (passes included, 1 or 2 days accommodation etc). Last time I looked prices looked very fair but that really IS something that would need to be booked in advance to get the places, and so that more TT'ers can stick it in their diary.

I taught 3 mates to board on a trip a couple of years ago...and for most people Day 1 is a pain in the arse (literally) so you really do need 2-3 days to get any appreciation or enjoyment. The danger in doing 1 day is you might say "sod this for a game" and not return - which would be a real shame.

So if anyone reading this thread is near a travel agents can you please pick up one of the coach-weekend ski brochures and post some example prices?

My vote would be early/mid Jan (to get us going early!) and Ischgl out of choice but as it will be a TT crew we probably dont need a real rent-a-crowd resort.

Coach trip, excellent idea. Been on a LOT of those - though non from Munich - and they are great fun because the party starts when you get onto the bus here and doesn't stop till you return.
The only rider I'd add is that if 147 TTers want to go then it might be hard to find a bus big enough On the other hand it would be easier than trying to find accommodation for all those people independently.
Went to a Sölden ski opening once. Fun was had by one and all but it was busy and there's generally not a lot of snow to go around at that time of year, so although you could test different skis all weekend the time available was limited in practice. But then going skiing is not just about skiing or boarding...

thanks, i was getting worried there, was beging to think i'd been here too long and was becoming a kraut by osmosis.

As I said to Graham and Gideon,
I am up for a trip, I think at least a weekend would be good for the first trip for beginners, as discussed above (1 day only puts you off, and we need a night for Aprés-Schi!)

As for teaching: Yes I am/was a trained ski instructor but I have paid my dues to society, spending money on ski passes to stand around helping beginners all day whilst my friends bomb past having fun. Don't get me wrong, I love helping, but at the end of the day the friends I teach are all earning money and could be paying for a course...

So my suggestion is, if we teach:
1) the beginners at least chip in towards our ski passes for the time we are helping them, as we can't actually ski whilst teaching (I also have to hire skis and pay to get there, so it is an expensive way to do volunteer work! )
2) all beginners agree to use "Snowblades" or similar short skis. These allow you to learn in a day or two as they are shorter and easier to control. They also save loads of effort when you fall over (it is exhausting to find and clean skis ad poles every time you fall, the snowblades are just an extension of your foot, so you can just stand up and continue).

I have wasted perfect ski days trying to teach adults who believed that 2m long skis are the only way to ski "properly", leaving them exhausted and frustrated and me freezing my arse off up some mountain, for over €30 in lift pass fees...

Didn't Hazza do a beginners (learning not to) crash course? He said that was really good. It included travel, teaching in English, accommodation and went for several weekends. Apparently the people he went with are fantastic for hopeless cases (meaning me not him - I don't think anyone is that good at teaching to get me to ski though).
Katrina

Well in my opinion Skiing isnt cheap and some people just have to learn with what they've got. So in my case I have just been given some 198cm skiis & boots for nowt, which according to Gideon(Cheers for the PM mate) will be difficult to learn in, but I wont let that deter me. Now JB you can call me a "Selfish Git" but if you dont like it...dont teach

@3 lions. - i've just pm'd you about your length mate!!!

@JB. - completely forgot about the aprés

ski pass chip in isn't that bad an idea, but 2 meter long skis are a big time no no, and never a give a learner poles full stop. also, i didn't realsie that you hire skis - thats so un-munich my dear! maybe i have been here way too long.

@ 3 Lions: what size feet have you got? cos I have some spare ca.170cm skis with boots about size 41.

@Graham

Thx for the offer, I'm a 44 I think. I will just look at hiring some to do the learning with, I am getting the impression that I may be better off with those to start of with.

definately, never buy gear until you're sure!

@gideon I did have skis but split them. I did have a snowboard, but gave it away after breaking my coxyx (sp? arse!)

so now I am waiting to see how much my fave Völkl racing carvers are reduced by in October, and if they're still over € 350 I'll be hiring... then I get them for €20 per day with freshly sharpened edges

oh and @3lions, I agree... that's why I wrote that. I don't like teaching when I have to pay for the pleasure! Half a day is fine or course, I'm talking about if people expect me to teach for a whole weekend or something...

@JB

Just PM'd you.

Absolutely, I agree. Whenever this is sorted out, I dont expect the instructors to be picking us up all day. Hell if I am still crap and still cant ski I am just going to steal a sledge and have a bit of a laugh!!

Plus I will reimburse the instructors with a few bevvies at the end of the days anyway.

Just picked up a Tui brochure (not the coach weekends brochure) and they have some interesting deals of course.

For example I am interested in checking out Saas Fee in Switzerland sometime this season - and they have a glacier so you can even ski there right now! So anytime is in theory "safe" at this resort.

Anyway for example you can get 1 week half-board in a twin room for 199 Euros between 27.11 and 18.12 at the Unique Dom Hotel. Peak season the same room is 610 Euros.

I have been skiing the week before xmas before and it can be some nice exercise before all the beer & food! Saas Fee is about 5-6 hours by car.

More on Saas Fee here: www.saas-fee.ch

They also have the "Winter Opening" deals in St.Moritz and Zell am See which are both closer of course. Too much choice frankly...tiring my brain.

you can also do a weeks trip for 170 Euro to Kaunertal 11-18. December. Not sure of the website but I'm sure it's east to find on the net.

Its never to early for planning - I still dream of skiing in my sleep - only the other morning I woke up and my knees were bent and my feel were still in parallel. Last year I took my kids skiing and am proud to say my daughter was still too small for the smallest skis and helmets in the shop - she hated it - BUT! we shall be going again, and again until she loves it - why the hell do you think we moved here and not Ansterdam or London (we had a choice yer know!).

I think the idea of day trips is excellent - weekend trips better, but can you direct me to an agency like 'Ski Butler'? Someone who can carry my skis, change my kids nappies and tuck me in my duvet so my knees don't rise up during the night?

Thanks

Sal