PaoloSmythe

so i spent this weekend with the missus on her laptop, me on mine, trawling thru all the resorts in italia, looking for places with snow, that are near to milano

the sno gods are still pissed off at me for some reason.... Val Senales over the east side of the country has had 220cm in the last 7 days!!! meanwhile, cervinia has had 30cm!

but even if they had tons of flake, they haven't any hotels rooms for less than about $200 per peron per night! fekkers!

Even if i could sell such a price tag to the missus, we still need to get a gazillion trains, planes and hovercrafts just to get there!

i don't get it... zee phrench can suss trannie links, so why not zee wops? blargh!

we have a Plan B tho.... as the in-laws have given us first dibs on their apartment on a hill that is no higher than 2500m and so far from snow sure.....



and so there's the crux.....

go for the defo place with low snow risk..... or risk getting wallet raped for a place tuff to get to but more likely to have a huge domain......



i guess we do the guaranteed lil hill, pack only the Rome plank and butter my balls off for a week?

__________________
Just coz you don't understand it
Doesn't mean it makes no sense!

swmike

My daughter's soccer teammate and her Dad were in the snowboard shop a few seasons ago - come to find out they also tolerated summers just to get to winter again. (Rare attribute on the east coast.) So anyway - I learned he was also an instructor but at a resort 2 hours further north so every weekend they'd drive 4 more hours than us. I lamented to him "oh, how nice it would be to have that kind of terrain every week!" And his response was "yea, but your commute is only 90 minutes... and on either hill you can still only make one turn at a time!"

So I'd probably take the same option - it's not worth wasting good money IF you can enjoy the smaller resort... you just make fewer turns between lift rides, but you can still make them!

And, make longer term plans to live somewhere closer to the mountains... yes, leaving UK is a heretical thought I realize. But there are other countries you could enjoy... like just the other side of NY state in Canada - then you and MPD can party! 8-)

PaoloSmythe

ah contributions from the wise! all received with thanx!

i realise that each turn is done one at a time.... however what those turns are made on are my over riding concern;

the small local hill might be more accessible, but over xmas last year (and in fact for the enitre season!!) it was the green green grass of goat country! no turns had there at all!

and so we might venture beyond, spending big bucks (what else do we spend it on anyways?) to go somewhere high and white (albeit on freeze - thaw bullet proof piste......)

i see the webcam image in my first post is a live update rather than a still grab from earlier today... that's pretty kewl! and as the shiny snow suggests, it is either mostly slush or purely ice! urgh!

and so the hunt continues.... it seems cervinia has a decent bus service connecting it to the aeroporto..... but has it got the room availability? buh!?

wolfie - the canucks had promised to sort something out within the next 3 months (about 4 months ago!).... as nice as it would be to sort something out.... it is tuff to up sticks and leave completely and perhaps prematurely, just for the gain of a few extra weeks of enjoyable winter.

meanwhile in london, rain and 15C is forecast!!!

__________________
Just coz you don't understand it
Doesn't mean it makes no sense!

PaoloSmythe

a little help?

__________________
Just coz you don't understand it
Doesn't mean it makes no sense!

T.J.

paolo, is the better mtn with cheaper accomodations an option? i'm sure the hotel is $200 per night on the mountain but you can prolly find a room for less than half that just outside of the "resort" area. there are usually plenty of ways to cut corners, use your imagination.

__________________
Passion Over Fashion

killclimbz

Paolo,

I don't know how much more of pain it is to get there, but isn't Austria just getting pounded with snow this year? Why don't you look there?

st.stark

Wow...that's exactly what I was thinking. I mean it's not like a balls to the walls trip with the boys where if you aren't shredding to the max all the time you will be disappointed right??

PaoloSmythe

Are you taking the michael? You under-estimate both my intellect and imaginative ability; Of course I have sought cheaper satellite options; tis the first thing we do! Result is, only inner resort, uber pricey options remain (probably due to their economic exclusivity!)

Yesterday we found such a bargain place however, roughly about half the price of the next best offer, 1km out of town. However, they want cash or bankers draft from an Italian account. So far further e-mails have gone unansa’d. t’riffic!

It is in all honesty a tremendous pain. Those alps are a pesky obstacle. However Switzerland is closer, although again, the hills require a trek thru france to get to the closest resort. I am looking at Austria as an alternative to canuck mid season tho!

This I can fully agree with. However, when you consider size in the context of my enquiry, it is more accurate to consider SNOW! Small = mud. Big = snow pack. The small hill was shut all season last year. The big hill already has over 150cm.

I ain’t fussy about peak altitude; we have been to the small hill many many times as the in-laws own a gaff up there. But without snow, there is nothing and I mean FUCK ALL to do! And besides, me and the missus are ALWAYS together.

The thing you have to appreciate about my missus… She is the ONLY person I ever 'shred balls to the wall’ with; her alpine skills are what got me into this in the first place!

__________________
Just coz you don't understand it
Doesn't mean it makes no sense!

PaoloSmythe

oops! how rude of me.....


thanx for your efforts and replies. they are sincerely appreciated.

__________________
Just coz you don't understand it
Doesn't mean it makes no sense!

killclimbz

Hmm the Alps are a pain and you have to go through France. Chamonix or La Grave paolo (maybe they are the same). Wtf are you waiting for???