Introduce yourself to the message board

[imported_admin]

Hello all and welcome !

So we are a new enough website, and we hope to be the one stop shop for people looking for skiing holiday advice in Ireland. You can use this forum to ask for advice on where to get skiing equipment & clothes rental in Ireland, or for recommendations of great locations to go skiing in Europe, the USA, and further afield.

Of course the ski season of 2007 is all but over, so it is our aim to hit the 2008 season running, hence we are starting a little bit early with our preparations.

If you have any feedback or questions, do feel free to leave them here. And don't forget to tell your friends about us !

regards,
skiing.ie admin

[pete railing]

hullo, I'm new. Just came across this on www.google.com

[imported_admin]

welcome pete ! I hope you enjoy you stay. :D

[john510]

I'm new too ! Just back 4 weeks from Austria and I want to go back again next year.

I was in Kitzbuhel in Austria and the skiing was okay, but the partying more than made up for it !

[up to much]

hello, I was forced to come here (under pain of death ;))

[xcountry]

hi there ! Greetings from Galway (but my heart is in France on the side of a mountain ;))

[imported_admin]

welcome everyone ... and as for you up to much you better watch it ;)

[off-piste]

me here too ! :D

[phil]

Just popping in to say hi ......... "HI" !

[pete railing]

Good to see some friendly faces here ! Admin : when will the main site be ready ?

[imported_admin]

welcome all.

pete : Currently the new site should be ready by June. But I'm sure you know how these things tend to lagg !

[imported_admin]

http://www.skiing.ie/images/joomla_logo_black.jpg

here is the first mock up of the new logo.

[xcountry]

sweet !. It looks like the guy is sking on air and has a big bum too.

[tomas]

This seems like a great resource. I've added it to my bookmarks. Keep up the good work.

[phil]

That's well cool

[ClaireBear]

hi all ! I'm new too. 5 months 'til ski season !

[imported_admin]

welcome everyone. I have plans to get this place ship shape in September. So please be patient.

[guidon]

I've never gotten around to saying 'hi'. So HI everyone. My name is William and I'm a skier at heart. I love everything about skiing, even the wearing of silly hats

[john510]

nice logo there admin !

Hello to everyone :D

[imported_admin]

The site has been updated, and the theme of the forum should now blend in a little more with the overall site. Feedback is always welcome :D

[Powder Fairy]

These seems like a fantastic resource. I'm sure it will be useful for people looking to ski next season.

[raul]

First visit here so I thought I’d say “Hi!” first.
A ski racer in my youth and after that a ski instructor for 8 years before moving to Ireland in 2000 I’m really happy to find this forum.

Cheers,
Raul.

[paul]

Welcome raul ! I'm sure you can teach us all a few tricks !

[Doc]

Hello, just joined today and I am hoping to pick up some useful ski tips and advice.

[pete railing]

like the new look here Paul !

Hello to all the other new members aswell !

[ClaireBear]

oohhhh SHINEY :D I like it. Keep up the good work !

[joy]

de new forum is pretty fancy ! I likes , I do :D

[paul]

many new people here, feel free to say hi and introduce yourself.

[youtellme18]

Hi all, happy new year, about to go skiing for the second time this year. Am looking forward to it.

[bridge9]

hi, new member here, also new to snowboarding. try'd it for the first time this year in andora and fell in love.

[paul]

welcome bridge & youtellme ! Thanks for joining in :)

[panbartek]

hi everyone and happy new year!
just joined today, i'm a polish snowboarder and skier, been living in ireland for a while now.

[paul]

welcome aboard panbartek ! You have some nice sites there in your sig. Cool designs ! Looking forward to seeing you joining in.

[ClaireBear]

hiya panbartek / bridge / KevinNeill / YouTellMe , greatto see some more bodies around here. :D

[panbartek]

hey guys, its nice to be here. hope we'll bump into each other on a slope sometime!

thanks paul, and congrats for winning the blue jumper contest :) seo is still black magic to me to be honest!

[paul]

thanks paul, and congrats for winning the blue jumper contest :) seo is still black magic to me to be honest!cheers, did you enter ? FYI for those people who don't know it was a SEO contest, my entry is at Geansai Gorm (http://www.mybluejumper.com) , snowboarding is my main passion though ! ;)

[panbartek]

I wouldn't dare to enter with my basic skills!
I'm much more into design and shredding the snow ;)

[guidon]

IT's Really cool that there are more people here. I really like this message board, better than that of boards.ie 's winter sports board, as there is simply too many people on boards IMHO.

[SnowBeard]

Hi & Happy New Year to everyone at Skiing.ie

I'm looking forward to joining in the chat & craic.
I've lived & worked in the Alps & Pyrenees for a number of years, now a travel writer specialising in ski resorts & snowsports.
Hope I can help out.
Best regards

[paul]

hey Snowbeard, glad you took the time to joining. Looking forward to hearing your tips on resorts.

[raul]

Great to have new friends around so Welcome all !

P.S. Paul, I cannot believe you still add links to Geansai Gorm (http://www.mybluejumper.com) :D

[Andy]

Hi All-

Just saw the site and looks very good

[phil]

welcome andy, and all the other people ! I really like this message board. I think it's something that is unique. I was on boards.ie before in the winter section but it was a little crazy for my liking.

[onemanclapping]

Hi, joined this site a while back, but never got around to posting, apologies paul.
I have been skiing for the last 7 years, my most recent holiday was to courchevel 1850 (i am not that rich) in February this year. I stayed in a "chalet", most people would have called it an apartment, but the skiing was brilliant. It was the first time that I have skied on powder on piste. I would definitely go back there, but definitely would not stay there, prices are way over the top. A good alternative would be 1650 or La Tania if the snow is good.

Looking forward to booking next year's holiday already

[charlie-dee]

Hi everyone
Ive been skiing about 7 years now and this is the first year I've missed ..joined here to get my fix or 2 drive myself crazy :)
Ive been to Andorra Italy austria & France, last year went to Val' D'Isere it was amazing. Chance of getting away this year getting slimmer by the day... this dam recession!

[pawdie]

Paul has hounded me for an introduction - so Pawdie here. I joined the site a couple of years ago in order to gain an insight into the best places to ski. I have done the usual ski one week packages to Austria, Italy and France over the past ten years. In my opinion, best resort for ski-ing - Three Valleys in France, and best nightlife in Austria (Bad Gastein or Westendorf best in Austria). Tried boarding for three days this year and will probably continue next year. Great snow this year but believe this to be the case throughout Europe. Would be interested to hear what ski nite life is like in the States or Canada as considering going next year.

[phil]

3 new members in 1 day ! Wow. Hi charlie-dee, onemanclapping, pawdie !

charlie-dee : there are probably more than a few deals for ski holidays available on short notice. So all you would have to do is book the time off work, and then start calling up tour companies 3-4 days before your holiday starts. I did this for a break in Tignes earlier this year.

[paul]

Thanks to the new posters, sorry for harassing you to post ;) I hope to hear some more about these resorts.

Pawdie : regarding the nite life it can be just as good as Europe, one thing is that the drinking age in the US is 21, so that might increase the age of the clients. US is much more expensive than Europe, a day pass can go for $80 these days !

[Crilly]

Sorry,for not saying hello Paul im just back from a week in the Alps with my ski Team. It was good to hear from you all te best!

[ChrisMcG5]

Hi All, am I the only one getting itchy feet about the next ski season, was thinking of France, would really like a short transfer with loads of different slopes!

[frankb]

Been back to chamonix first week in march,for third year in a row.To date we have lost out on 6 days skiing due to bad weather(we lost 3 day this year). We are thinking of Austria first week in March 2010,any advice for intermediate skiiers.

[SuperSean11]

I was skiing in Morzine France in February. It was great loads of snow and a decent night life. Anyone else been there?

[paul]

Welcome to the board FrankB & SuperSean.
@frank : it's always possible with skiing that you will loose days due to bad weather. In your case was it just stormy or lack of snow ?
@supersean : never been to Morzine, how would you rate it on price ?

During the summer months things here are a little bit quiet, but a few people do check in here every day/week.

[simon]

Hello skiing.ie members.

I just discovered the site so signed up. I run an Irish ski holiday company, Highlife Ski & Snowboard (we offer chalet holidays to the French Alps). If anyone is thinking they would love to really get some quality ski time (ie spend a winter in the Alps) we recruit approx 30 people every year (chalet hosts, chefs and managers) to work in Morzine, Meribel and Val d'Isere. The jobs are advertised on jobs.ie so check it out and apply if it is of interest. Otherwise I think the site is great and look forward to contributing where possible.

Simon Egan

[bored..er]

spent a week in mayrhofen last week in jan..feckin great..bit cloudy 2 days but no stoppin us... spent a week in val thorens at xmas one year conditions very good. considering a week at xmas this year wondering any word on possibilities of good early snow? or any tips on booking everything seperately want to get away from package.

[guidon]

welcome to the board boreder ! This place is a bit quiet at the moment, but once people start to think about next years holidays then it will be hopping ! How long have you boarded ?

[owen]

hello all, the name is owen, I'm from Clondalkin , and popped in here to meet some fellow skiers. Looking forward to part taking on the forum.

[Woody]

first timer / hi . Dont break a leg

Heading to Zell Am Zee, This Jan. Any Tips ?????

[paul]

Hi Woody,
Is it your first time skiing ? Are you a snowboard or a skier ? Welcome to the forum !

[bretom]

Hi there,Austria is my favourite skiing destination,that said I am off to Sauze D'oulx next week as lack of snow fall was a bit worrying in Austria. Soll was my favourite destination fantastic ski area lots of variety. Night life check out the Blood Shot eyes for a great nights entertainment
Bretom!

[casadalloro]

hi, live in newtownards but almost finished having an old house renovated in Lunigiana, north tuscany which we are going to rent out. 4 ski resorts close. best are

http://www.pratospilla.pr.it/

http://www.cerretolaghi2004.it/

just a beginner and went up cerreto last week 1st time while alex (5) was having a lesson...nightmare...mostly ice and really seep with a few stones..... need more lessons

will post up some pics and keep you updated on our progress with sking and house...

mark.

[Theo]

Hi everyone, My name is Theo and i work in the ski Centre in the sandyford/stilorgan. Im a BASI level 1 ski instructor and also a freestyle skier. Been skiing for over 12 years now.

em thats all that i can think of, if you want to know anything more just ask

[ClaireBear]

I theo, that's the place with the magic carpets (http://www.skiing.ie/news/learning-to-ski-in-ireland/) ? Welcome to the forum ! Where did you learn to become an instructor, in Ireland or on bigger mountains ?

[dzer]

Hi New member just joined as I was messing with google and ended up here.
I am an avid skier and have skied in europe the US and Canada. We have skied as a family for the last 5 years
There is my wife and 4 children with myself and we always do it ourselves and have come up with many ways to ski cheaply.
I will try to post regularly and leave tips when possible. just need time to brouse the forums.

Cheers for now
d.

[Brian]

Welcome to the forum Dzer, glad the googling paid off. ;) Looking forward to hearing about skiing in the US / Canada !

[Theo]

I went over to Val D'isere, very nice place to learn

[David]

Hi! I'm new on the forum, and do lots of skiing in Austria, so maybe I can give a few tips on where to go.

[mneylon]

Hi all

I thought I'd signed up for the site previously, but obviously I'm losing my mind :)

I'm not much of a skier - my last couple of escapades in Italy were more drink and food focussed than anything else !

[paul]

Welcome to the forum mneylon and dave ! I hope you find some interesting ski conversation here.

[snowball]

I'm a newbie too, didn't get too go skiing this year yet, with this recession. Hope to get away on a weekend break mid april on a shoe string, any ideas would be appreciated. A couple looking to hit some decent red slopes with good snow conditions.

[guidon]

Hi there and welcome snowball ! There are some tips here on where you can go skiing late in the season (http://www.skiing.ie/forum/showthread.php?t=303). You can save lots of money if you organise it all yourself, but even for a weekend you are talking a few hundred euros to go skiing.I'm a newbie too, didn't get too go skiing this year yet, with this recession. Hope to get away on a weekend break mid april on a shoe string, any ideas would be appreciated. A couple looking to hit some decent red slopes with good snow conditions.

[Joanna]

Hello!

I'm new to snowboarding and I would be interested to make friends here so that I know somebody when I go to Ireland!

Greetings from Poland! :)
Joanna

[Caromurf]

Hi Everyone,

Just introducing myself, Im brand new to this website and think its brilliant, good advice from fellow Irish people!

Planning a trip in Jan to Andorra for first skiing trip ever!:eek: Im thinking its a bit early to book but as there aint much activity on here yet, but will have to start saving! Heard its so worth it tho especially in a big group! Cant wait!

So where do all the Irish hang out?? Us typical Irish, travel far away and then first thing we do is head straight for the Irish bar! :D:D

Caroline

[skijunky]

Trying to find out if there's any interest in skiing for people who may have a disability of some sort in Ireland. There is loads of interest abroad and it is well advertised but there is no service in Ireland for Irish people. Even just to promote that it is very possible to do so as many people may not be aware of it.

[paul]

Hi Ski junkie, I'm sure there are people interested, but they probably think that it's just not possible for a disabled person to ski. After seeing some of the winter special Olympics I was really impressed with how the skiers overcame their disability. I wonder do the Special Olympic committee have info on this ?

[skijunky]

Thanks for replying, that's a good idea, i'll send an email to them and see what the story is!

[Henry]

Hi
Just joined. I'm a ski instructor based in Portlaoise and Soldeu, Andorra. Happy to advise anyone looking for info on Soldeu, technical skiing questions or equipment choices. Cheers

[Brian]

welcome Henry and Skijunky ! I hope you find some interesting posts to share your knowledge and experience.

[Rip Mc Shredder]

Hi. Found this site while looking for something else. Been skiing since 2002. Only problem is I can't afford to ski all year round.

[guidon]

Hi Rip, nice to see you on here. The forum hots up in October, so looking forward to reading your posts.

[PaulAxford]

Hello, Im new here. I'm a Welshman living in Cork for the past three years. Have been skiing since the days of lace up boots and non release bindings!

Question....why the lack of choice from Irish travel agents? Last year it was easier and cheaper for me to get the ferry back to the UK and then fly out on a package from there. I did this both ski trips last year, and it's looking likely again for 2011

[paul]

Welcome Paul !

I think that they Irish operators aren't really operating on the same scale as the UK ones, due to the smaller size of the Irish market. Also they are not as price competitive as booking yourself, and they tend to offer a lower "added value" product IMHO.

The ferry to the UK is an interesting one, did you take a train / bus to a UK airport then ?

[PaulAxford]

I took my car over and parked it at the airport. I went Roslaire to Fishguard on the ferry and flew from Bristol. From Dublin I would fly from Manchester, although it may not be cheaper using that route as it tends to be more expensive than the Southern crossing.
Bristol flights were great to Chamberry last year, leaving at 9:30am. we drove straight from Fishguard, leaving at 00:30 and arrived in Bristol at about 3am. Not for the faint hearted but you then get loads of time to sleep!

[Snow-White]

Hi everyone.. I'm new to the world of skiing and winter sports!!
I've put together a ski holiday myself just from browsing the web and doing a bit of research. I wanted to go away from the 20th - 26th of December. I found ski brochure package offers too expensive for my budget. Most of the transfers to the resorts were anything from 1.30min to 3hrs by coach ( my son 11) doesn't travel well by bus. Train transfers were at an extra charge. We are a family of three and are heading to Oberstdorf in Germany on those dates.It's all sorted now.As beginners we are really excited. I came across this link while looking for ski wear! I hope to be a regular visitor!

[joy]

welcome Snow-White ! Glad you have joined here. I'm happy to see that more and more people are indeed looking to organised their own ski holidays.

[Frenzy]

Hey all,
Been snowboarding a few years now and just took up skiing, we'll see how much i actually do during this years holiday! Roll on February:)

[ClaireBear]

welcome to the forum Frenzy !

[Nervous Nellie]

Hey kids!
Just a quickie to say hello and I'm a newbie here on this forum.
I've been boarding for around three years (i.e. three weeks) and am still at that stage where I'm flapping my arms and screaming like a banshee...but I love every minute of it!
Roll on next February when we're off to Kaprun....

[ClaireBear]

Hi Nellie, you'll get there. Snowboarding takes a little longer than skiing to get going (I've found). The saying goes, Skiing is easier to start but tough to perfect, where as snowboarding is tough to start but easier to perfect. Basically the skiing movement is a little bit more natural, as you are going forward rather than sideways.
Welcome to the forum ! I hope you will share your tips about your holidays. Who did you book with ?

Claire

[Nervous Nellie]

Aww thanks for the kind words Claire, much appreciated.
We always tend to book with Crystal as they seem to do the cheapest and best deals. (My fella has been boarding for around 14 years now and he prefers Crystal as well).
So far I've only done two years in Soll and last year in Kaprun. We're a mixed bunch of skiers and boarders of all levels and Kaprun really suited everyone hence why we're going back again in Feb. The night life wasn't huge but it did the trick..
I'm delighted to join this forum and will most certainly share tips, stories (and disasters!) with everyone :D

[missraw]

Hi every one I am also new here! I've been going on skiing holidays ever since I was a child, I've been going pretty much every year since then, so I think I might have quite a liking to the activity! So I decided that I needed meet like minded people, and this forum seems like the great place to do so, it also seems like a great place to find information a different and exciting skiing locations!

[theskibug]

Hi!

Not sure how I came across this forum but if its to do with skiing or boarding I'm there! I live in Courchevel each winter season (France in winter, Bulgaria in summer) and we run an airport transfer service called TheSkiBug.fr. We are just a small company we set up last year after we have both worked ski seasons working for other people. Just preparing for another year on the piste. Hopefully more snow than last season. Happy to answer any questions about the Three Valleys and also know the Paradiski area quite well having lived and worked there for a season.

Rachel

[Skyhawk]

I have been here a while, although I never filled this out :-)
I ski a few times a week on dinex, and 4 or 5 weeks a year on snow, I have done many performance courses including off-piste and instructor PPC courses in Austria & France. I have qualified as an IASI level 1 alpine instructor and I am currently working towards level 2. I would love to be more competent at off-piste skiing :-)

[lenmeister]

Howya folks. Ski forums for Ireland keep shutting down but I see this one has been around for a few years. I took up boarding in 2006 with college and went on 3 holidays, 2006 to Meribel, 2007 to Andorra, 2008 to Livigno. I was in Whistler for the season during the Olympics and have to say was easily the best experience in my life. Got about 50-60 days of riding in and loved every minute of it. Will be going away in January to Tignes with a different college this time and well looking forward to it.

Any questions on any of those places or general snowboarding tips then hit me up.

[paul]

Hi lenmeister, welcome to the board !

We've been around awhile, and no plans for going away ;) ! irishskier.com (http://irishskier.com/) now redirects to us, so maybe there are a few people coming to us that way. We tried to get IrishSnowboarder.com too, but we failed to get that.

[lenmeister]

Ahh yes IrishSnowboarder is gone a while now, no idea what happened to it. Nobody on boards knew what happened to it either.

[Gav]

Hi all, new on the Irish site but been around a while skiing and snowboarding for about 7years and heading into my second season spent in resort. Are there many Irish seasonares around ?

[lenmeister]

I spent a season in Whistler 2009/2010. Where you at the moment bosco?

[ClaireBear]

Lenmeister, as far as I know IrishSnowboarder was sold, the sale was in 2 or 3 parts. I think to a snowboard shop actually, and the 2nd or 3rd part didn't go through as promised, so the deal broke down. I'm not a fan of boards.ie simply because of the distraction factor as there are so many other boards on it.

IrishSnowboarder.com seems to be owned by some domain squatters now.

It's great to see some new faces on here !!

[lenmeister]

Aye tis. Didn't know that about IrishSnowboarder. But if that's the case then most likely we won't see it back. I was hoping to use this site for some info on getting away this year but it turns out nobody wants to go away so I won't be hainging around here as much as I thought I would unfortunately!

[paul]

Sorry you didn't find anyone yet Len. People always post, about looking for people for trips, I'm sure someone will turn up (fingers crossed).

[theskibug]

Why don't you booked a chalet holiday lenmeister....may have to pay the single supplement but will meet lots of like minded folk.....

[lenmeister]

I've considered it before but I'd like to go away with friends. Though I don't mind going off myself, it can be quite steep to book a a chalet for 1 person pricewise. Sure I might meet some cool people, but then again, thye might not speak a word of english! It's mainly the price though for 1 person, at the moment I'm not sure if I want to pay it. I'll wait and see what comes along for now. Some late deals might pop up.

[theskibug]

It can be pricey but often depends on the week and the chalet. And if you book through an English company, 9/10 all guests will be English. A friend runs a fab chalet in Bozel, just below Courchevel and does catered for around £50 pp/night or around £350 a week I think. She is very accommodating and can do any day of the week arrivals and allowances can be made for single travellers, depending on what other guests she has in. And she usually shows guests around if you wanted someone to ski/board with (and we live up the road and can always be tempted out on the mountain!!!)

[lenmeister]

Haha ok mr salesman! Sounds interesting! I know nothing about this Bozel place though. Any good websites? If if looks tasty I might be tempted to take a bite :)

[theskibug]

Bozel is a small town just below Le Praz. There is no actual ski lift going from the resort but we are on the free ski bus run. It is a 10 minute ride up to the ski lift at Le Praz, Courchevel. Or you are a 10 minute bus ride from Champagny en Vanoise which is the far end of the La Plagne/Paradiski area.

Bozel is a proper little town where many people (like us) who work in the ski resorts live as it is much cheaper. No it is not ski in/ski out (unless a lot of snow) but much cheaper and we have a few good restaurants and bars, without silly Courchevel prices.

My friend's website is http://www.skicourchevel.net (http://www.skicourchevel.net)

[hermanater]

Hi all,

I stumbled across this site whilst going off-piste from a google search. Looks like a great forum though!

So close to the snow now!!

[lenmeister]

Hey hey, the chalet looks and sounds great. Though getting there might be a little annoying, will bring the price up aswell. If I could do it all for €600 or under I'd go for it, even if I miss a few days of college. Though Bozel seems like Brides les Bains in a way. One major problem I had with that place is the ski lifts stop after 5pm or something and the town was totally dead. I don't mind a quiet town but that place was a bit too silent, almost eerie. It mentions a bus that goes back and forth to the lifts but not how often they come or when they stop. I guess I'd have to email them about it. Oh wait you work there also! How expensive is a pass for the 3 valleys, I'd need the whole area.

At the end of the day it's €350 for accom. Then flights, transfers, and a very expensive lift pass on top of that makes for an expensive holiday. But it is a chalet so I guess I should stop whining!

[theskibug]

Bozel bit more lively than Brides and bigger. There is no lift to Bozel, it is on the ski bus system. The last bus down is around 8pm. We usually ski, then go to apres-ski in Le Praz and see a band or something and then come down on the last bus. Not much happens in any of the resorts later on in evening.

Three Valleys passes are expensive (6 day pass is 241 E) - but then if you want, that you'd have to pay for that where-ever you stayed in the Three Valleys.

Of course it will depend on your dates, if you can come anytime can probably get you a good deal and flights will be cheaper, but if stuck with say school holidays and Sat to sat flights, then more expensive.

Transfers - will depend again on when you come and if just on your own. Specific transfers for one are expensive, but again if you can fit in with other transfers we have it would be 50E each way.

[lenmeister]

Nah fraid it's college times. I finish up 19th December and back 9th January. Next semester finishes for midterm on 11 then back the 20th. I wanted to go away early January and maybe miss only a few days. €241 yikes that must be 1/3 the cost of a seasons pass! So €591 for accom and lift pass. Flights & transfers after. Ya it's a bit over budget that. How much is the Courcheval pass for the week, about €90?

[theskibug]

A season's pass for non residents is just over 1000 E for the Three Valleys.
Courchevel lift pass for 6 days - 199E

but pretty similar to everywhere else:

La Plagne area - 254 E (Paradiski)
Sella Rhonda circuit (Italy) - 240 E
Kitzbuhel - 210 E
Chamonix - 255 E

Skiing is expensive I am afraid.

Otherwise try Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia......even Bulgaria fairly expensive at around 150 E per week.

[lenmeister]

Bah Maybe I should have went away with UCD after all.. Nah 35 hours on a coach no thanks!