Season 14/15 Banter thread

Fattes

Bad News, after nearly 30 years of trading MCSki Belfast will be closing down at the end of this season! The Good news their closing down sale starts tomorrow!

cormee

Back from a snow-starved Les Arcs 2000, under-whelmed to be honest, not just from the lack of snow, but from the resort itself and the pistes. The only real good thing about it was the off-piste, which was great. There were a few nice runs in Les Arcs, but they were few and far between, the blacks were mostly moguled.

We spent a day in La Plagne, which was a lot nicer, the runs were more groomed, and wider, and the area appeared more manicured.

Les Arcs village/town 2000 is butt ugly, a concrete nightmare, it's dead in the evening and it's quite pricey (considering the quality of set-up.) An example of the frustrations, I went to the only ATM (I could find there) to get cash out, the machine was broken (it stayed broken for days), so I went to the shop anyway, the shop was way out the back of the resort on the fifth floor of some building, but it was closed between 2 and 4.30, I went down to the tourist information to ask about another cash machine and the tourist information was closed as well. Luckily Les Arcs 1950 is close by so I went down there and managed to find an ATM. Went back to 2000 to restaurant, got glass of Coke (made from concentrate) and it was €6.70! Yikes!

Anyway, out of the group of nine of us, no one really like the place, so it won't be on the cards next year. A bit more snow would have helped the experience, no doubt, but them be the breaks.

Anyhooooo, Chamonix in 37 days, yay!

hawkwind23

Fattes wrote: »

Bad News, after nearly 30 years of trading MCSki Belfast will be closing down at the end of this season! The Good news their closing down sale starts tomorrow!

Thats bad news , i really feel for small family companies these days , so many closing down to the detriment of us all.
No offence to the staff at say Decathlon or any other global multi-national but these small companies offer a service second to none and staff with the utmost knowledge of their products.The larger companies sadly dont have the same level of consistency or service.
Not just in the winter sports category but in every part of the retail sector.

In fairness , we go where the prices are cheaper and thats a lot to do with the closures!
Must have a nosey at the sale

fannymagee

cormee wrote: »

Back from a snow-starved Les Arcs 1950, under-whelmed to be honest, not just from the lack of snow, but from the resort itself and the pistes. The only real good thing about it was the off-piste, which was great. There were a few nice runs in Les Arcs, but they were few and far between, the blacks were mostly moguled.

We spent a day in La Plagne, which was a lot nicer, the runs were more groomed, and wider, and the area appeared more manicured.

Les Arcs village/town 1950 is butt ugly, a concrete nightmare, it's dead in the evening and it's quite pricey (considering the quality of set-up.) An example of the frustrations, I went to the only ATM (I could find there) to get cash out, the machine was broken (it stayed broken for days), so I went to the shop anyway, the shop was way out the back of the resort on the fifth floor of some building, but it was closed between 2 and 4.30, I went down to the tourist information to ask about another cash machine and the tourist information was closed as well. Luckily Les Arcs 200 is close by so I went down there and managed to find an ATM. Went back to 1950 to restaurant, got glass of Coke (made from concentrate) and it was €6.70!. Yikes!

Anyway, out of the group of nine of us, no one really like the place, so it won't be on the cards next year. A bit more snow would have helped the experience, no doubt, but them be the breaks.

Anyhooooo, Chamonix in 37 days, yay!

Wow that sounds grim! Lucky you have Cham to console yourself with ;-)

hawkwind23

€6 for a syrup coke!
is that typical of the alps?
Maybe the mods could sticky a post where we list the food and drink prices for each country/resort as that would be helpful when deciding where to go.
I enjoy the skiing but as a family we enjoy the lunch and beers on the slopes and a nice restaurant at night , prices like that would ruin a holiday for me!
If the kids all had a coke and we had a wine and beer and it came to near €30 i dont think id sleep the rest of the holiday , id probably have a breakdown and come home

cormee

hawkwind23 wrote: »

€6 for a syrup coke!
is that typical of the alps?
Maybe the mods could sticky a post where we list the food and drink prices for each country/resort as that would be helpful when deciding where to go.
I enjoy the skiing but as a family we enjoy the lunch and beers on the slopes and a nice restaurant at night , prices like that would ruin a holiday for me!
If the kids all had a coke and we had a wine and beer and it came to near €30 i dont think id sleep the rest of the holiday , id probably have a breakdown and come home

I've never paid that much before, wouldn't mind but a beer was €6 in the same restaurant!

Prices vary wildly, I paid €23 for a burger in Meribel last year, but that's a very expensive resort, full of rich Russians (the menus were also in Russian) - on the other side of the mountain, in St. Martin it was about €12.

I think if you want to get an idea of how expensive a resort will be the best place to start is to look at the hotel prices. Expensive hotels usually mean expensive shops and restaurants.

hawkwind23

I just couldnt pay €23 for a burger!
even €12 is crazy , do you get chips as well?
ill maybe throw a template together and see if anyone can be bothered to fill it in

Northern Monkey

hawkwind23 wrote: »

Thats bad news , i really feel for small family companies these days , so many closing down to the detriment of us all.
No offence to the staff at say Decathlon or any other global multi-national but these small companies offer a service second to none and staff with the utmost knowledge of their products.The larger companies sadly dont have the same level of consistency or service.
Not just in the winter sports category but in every part of the retail sector.

In fairness , we go where the prices are cheaper and thats a lot to do with the closures!
Must have a nosey at the sale

Have to agree, use it or lose it when it comes to local business. I will generally be happy to pay a bit more to keep the money local. Although in saying that I spend quite a bit in Snow and Rock, but again it is a local amenity for me. I bought my ski's from there, could have got them cheaper online, but would rather pay a bit extra (they discounted them a bit to come closer to the online price) to have the option of using their shop when I need to. I'd go crazy in Dundrum when shopping with the OH if it wasn't there!

hawkwind23

Countries

France

resort:

Austria

resort: KITZBUHEL

Slopes

Pizza/Burger meal: About 14 to 16 euro for meal with drink

Beers/Wine: 3.50 for a pint fiver for glass of wine

Minerals: from 2.50 small to 4 euro for large

Resort

Meal in restaurant: From 20 euro not including drink and food was better up the mountain.

cheap eats: Pizza place on main street and there is one local restaurant near the church

beers/wine:

Italy

resort:

Swiss

resort:

Spain/Andorra

resort:

U.S.A./Canada

resort:

Bulgaria

resort:

Germany

resort:

Eastern Europe

resort:

Worldwide

resort:



Prices

Slopes

Pizza/Burger meal:

Beers/Wine:

Minerals:

Resort

Meal in restaurant:

cheap eats:

beers/wine:

hawkwind23

Hows that look?
will i put a post up and see if anyone fills parts in?
Be handy enough for beginners to get a rough idea of spending money

dzer2

hawkwind23 wrote: »

Countries

France

resort:

Austria

resort: Kitzbuhel

Italy

resort:

Swiss

resort:

Spain/Andorra

resort:

U.S.A./Canada

resort:

Bulgaria

resort:

Germany

resort:

Eastern Europe

resort:

Worldwide

resort:



Prices

Slopes

Pizza/Burger meal: About 14 to 16 euro for meal with drink

Beers/Wine: 3.50 for a pint fiver for glass of wine

Minerals: from 2.50 small to 4 euro for large

Resort

Meal in restaurant: From 20 euro not including drink and food was better up the mountain.

cheap eats: Pizza place on main street and there is one local restaurant near the church

beers/wine:

Apres ski 3 for a pint and 5 for wine

Just from receipts from last week

hawkwind23

where was that dzer2 and ill add it in

dzer2

hawkwind23 wrote: »

where was that dzer2 and ill add it in

The streif
The legend
chizzo
the Londener Apres ski

2 Drinks in Flanagans was 8.80 in the Kitz skifree night won a heap of Capt morgans stuff in there as well.

Not much happens after the initial apres ski.

neilthefunkeone

Found Tignes(Val Claret) very expensive.

Mountain food(always expensive) €26 lasagna, chips and water.

Pints average €6. €9 was the most expensive!

cormee

Les Arcs

Slopes

Pizza/Burger meal: About €12

Beers/Wine: unknown

Minerals: €2

Resort

Meal in restaurant: €30+ (paid €20 for burger in resort, yes it had chips!)

cheap eats: unknown

beers/wine: 5 cheapest in Les Arcs 2000, €8 most expensive in Les arcs 1950

Fattes

70cm and still falling! It's not often I wish for snow to stop but heavy snow is delaying my return to skis agggghhh

Northern Monkey

I text my cousin about McSki as he was telling me that he was looking for new boots. He was there on Saturday with his brother and they bought a pair each (at full price!)

a148pro

Fattes you are destined to have to ski crud while uninjured then sit out two months of epic powder storms and revert to the crud thereafter. Its punishment for living the dream.

Pila:

Burger on slopes 5 euro
Bottle of mineral water on slopes 1 euro (I know most posters here will be more interested in price of pint but I had to post this as I couldn't believe it)

Cervinia:

the best lasagna I've ever had on slopes - 12 euro
bottle of house wine in resort - 18 euro
Pint in resort - 4 - 5 euro
Pizza in resort 8 - 12 euro
Good food in resort (pizza was lovely of course) - same price as good restaurant back home

There is a great burger joint somewhere in Tignes, think its Val Claret, 8 euro will get you a very good burger

AlternateID

This is a best of from last weekends FWT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIFb_n9th6w

Next meet is in Fieberbunn this weekend weather permitting.

a148pro

They are talking about serious snow this week. As I look at flights longingly...

fannymagee

a148pro wrote: »

They are talking about serious snow this week. As I look at flights longingly...

Buy the flights ;-)

dzer2

a148pro wrote: »

They are talking about serious snow this week. As I look at flights longingly...

Get the flights man you know you want to

Fattes

AlternateID wrote: »

This is a best of from last weekends FWT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIFb_n9th6w

Next meet is in Fieberbunn this weekend weather permitting.

The head judge of the FWT is crashing with me for 4 days after fierbunn!! Sadly I won't be skiing. With him has not stopped snowing here it's nearly 2 am and still dumping

Fattes

So much snow and my crippled knee is stopping me skiing it!

Imagine this is at resort level 2,000 meters above this is heaven right now

stevire

Is Austria getting the same snow? St Anton Saturday!!!!!

fobster

Got back from a great week in Flaine on Saturday night, UCPA all the way, 2 Swedes and myself were considered the "crazy" gang in our lessons, mind you we were the only ones wearing helmets, go fish :P

Would definitely go back, our GoMassif bus driver was saying every time she sees an article calling Flaine ugly, she smiles and says "Great, more for us!"

Fattes

http://instagram.com/p/yWuIm4OVw6/

Conditions today and we are due another meter! It's still snowing as I type

kal7

fobster,

I am off to flaine for first time to this resort in mid feb, any tips or advice for on/off piste.

I am reasonable skier, done 18 weeks or thereabouts. Is it correct that none of black pistes are open as flaine website indicates.

Did you use guide?

Can't wait, watching webcam and snow reports several times a day.

Fattes

kal7 wrote: »

fobster,

I am off to flaine for first time to this resort in mid feb, any tips or advice for on/off piste.

I am reasonable skier, done 18 weeks or thereabouts. Is it correct that none of black pistes are open as flaine website indicates.

Did you use guide?

Can't wait, watching webcam and snow reports several times a day.

Anything over 25-30 degrees will be closed right now, Flaine and most of that area are receiving heavy snowfall right now which means high avalanche risk

kal7

Thanks Fattes,

understand the very high risk at those angles of slope.

However the all the black slopes seem to be closed for last couple weeks according to piste guide, even without recent snow fall, was wondering if they were just not updating the info?

Hope your back up soon.