 Poster: A snowHead
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I'll have a nosey at the medical care available here in Ruka as someone above has said it's too remote. Otherwise it seems perfect for you. Base 200m, top about 420m. You can ski most places on (generally really easy) blues, just 3 lifts at the edges have a red to or from them. Yes there are T-bars and buttons but in 2 days I've only used 1, and that was because it had fantastic gentle blues on either side of it. You can access loads of blues off 3 chairlifts. I'm a GP in south/central Manchester and used to work in Wythenshawe A&E (and Bury, Oldham, Lancaster and Stepping Hill) BTW
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| what...snow wrote: |
| I'll have a nosey at the medical care available here in Ruka as someone above has said it's too remote. Otherwise it seems perfect for you. Base 200m, top about 420m. You can ski most places on (generally really easy) blues, just 3 lifts at the edges have a red to or from them. Yes there are T-bars and buttons but in 2 days I've only used 1, and that was because it had fantastic gentle blues on either side of it. You can access loads of blues off 3 chairlifts. I'm a GP in south/central Manchester and used to work in Wythenshawe A&E (and Bury, Oldham, Lancaster and Stepping Hill) BTW |
We loved Ruka too apart from that run 5. The rep warned us about it but when faced with a sign literally saying "Easy" and a black, being an early intermediate it was a no-brainer. I found it so difficult and for part of it I walked. On a plus side, I left my purse with all of my holiday money in it in a restaurant (doh). Asked about it the next day and it was still there, untouched. The waitress had found it and put it safely in the kitchen and seemed surprised at my surprise.
Oh and there's the Northern Lights too of course.
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@bambionskiis, I think you mean run 7, not 5! 5 is very slightly steep at the top, off the chair on the left when you are in Ruka outside 'Piste'. 7 is the narrow one back to Ruka from the summit that filters into 5 where it is really gentle. The kids love it, the wife not so much. It isn't much less steep than 23 which is marked as a black (because it is the ski cross)  The Mrs does not believe this and refused to let me take us all down it.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@bambionskiis, @what...snow, - if you mean that horrid thin twisty thing back from the top of the 6 man chair to meet the run into the centre, I think that they mistranslated "evil" for "easy"!  The steep short reds back down were preferable, even in high winds on a snowboard. Horrid!
@scaredtoski, re earlier comments on insurance, many have a " have you ever" suffered from any psychological disorder, which would include anxiety. Some may have within last 2 or 5 years. Ditto any cardiovascular condition.
The "ever" or 2 or 5 years covers any form of treatment, tests or medication, so you'd certainly have to disclose the heart medication, treatment and condition(s).
Do not skimp with full declarations of every and all reasons for which you've sought treatment or advice/tests or take medication (even a small infection, cystitis, minor injury etc) within the specified periods. You know what insurance companies can be like, and you don't want to take risks at being refused payout, whether for medical or ski injury needs, not just for treatment but specialist medical transport home in the worst case. Different companies do offer different options, though it can take a bit of research, e.g. some will exclude at your request, some will just not cover whatever you don't declare, some require full disclosure and then may exclude or not. It's a hassle I'm afraid, and can put a right downer on holiday arrangements - but you need to read policy small prints carefully and make sure that you have disclosed everything up front according to whatever your GP notes are likely to record that you suffer or have suffered from within the given timescale. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Grizzler, insurance companies can be a bit random, though. I've just disclosed the results of a scan on my shoulder. Having dutifully listed all the numerous things that are apparently wrong with it (I'm amazed I can move my arm at all!) they just homed in on 'arthritis' and upped my excess in the event that I claim for that. Which is about the only thing wrong with my shoulder that I wouldn't ever bother claiming for. If, on the other hand, I completely tore my partially torn subscapularis - the latest injury which caused me to have a scan - then I probably would claim. Go figure.
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| Hurtle wrote: |
| insurance companies can be a bit random, though. .. Go figure. |
Oh indeedy  My point to the OP, really.
With lots of chronic medical conditions, I used to be able to get winter sports and altitude mountaineering cover no problems. Then the company in question slightly changed their wordings ("can you agree with the following statements", etc...) and suddenly I had far too many things wrong with me (including once having had mild depression when late teens over relationship breakdown and a bit of work-related stress a bit later. Clearly a high risk... and not, obviously, to diss those who have serious MH problems) for them even to consider me on risk at all. Obviously surprised that I'm fit or safe enough even to walk around, never mind ski or climb...
Years of annoying hassle followed trying to get anyone to cover me, certainly paying a lot of excesses for things which, frankly, weren't likely to be any more of a problem than with a 'normal' utterly-healthy person, or because I'd stupidly decided to see a hospital consultant just for a general once in 10 years review or for tests which were reasonably routine (etc etc), or had a couple of bouts of easily-resolved urinary irritation/infections, etc, etc.
As part of that process I got very good at reading the policy wordings of every policy which the comparison sites came up with rather than just going on what the sites had come up with per se - and the actual difference between what each will or won't cover or will separately exclude or cover, how long a period they want disclosure of conditons/treatment/tests over, what things they bother about (e.g. some don't ask about psychological stuff over 2 years, some "ever"), whetehr nondisclosure would utterly void te policy or just preclude payout for anything related to (and I presume that they'd argue in a pretty wide sense) the non-disclosed issue - and so on and so on.
Now the original company which I used will actually cover me again because I can fit back into the "can you comply with this statement" wording which they've reintroduced (or they just exclude things were you don't, and I'm happy with that): but they now charge a stupid premium for any kind of snowboarding, and since Mr G only boards and I sometime do, it's not cost effective even vs other medical-orientated policies, certainly for ski/boarding trips.
It's all really very unsatisfactory - but I prefer to try my best to be safe rather than sorry when it comes to making sure that I'm covered in the hopefully-never event that I do need to incur significant costs related to an injury or medical treatment of some kind.
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We are with LV Insurance and they seem good. Our daughter developed an anxiety disorder last year and when I went for ski insurance renewal I informed them, and they seemed non-plussed. I think they squeaked the premium up a bit (obviously - rude not to!), but it didn't seem to be a problem.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Once again guys thanks for being so helpful .
Appreciate it . I have a slight feeling i am going to get stung on insurance , maybe ...i will deffo do some ringing around !
All my medical records say I have anxiety disorders, history of self harm and heart attack ....so i think its going to be a bit of an expensive one ...ouch !
I do thank you so much everyone ...for being so flipping helpful .
I am genuinely touched and encouraged by everyones friendly helpfulness on this forum .
Bless you guys . Thank you for making my life better  x
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| scaredtoski wrote: |
Once again guys thanks for being so helpful .
Appreciate it . I have a slight feeling i am going to get stung on insurance , maybe ...i will deffo do some ringing around !
All my medical records say I have anxiety disorders, history of self harm and heart attack ....so i think its going to be a bit of an expensive one ...ouch !
I do thank you so much everyone ...for being so flipping helpful .
I am genuinely touched and encouraged by everyones friendly helpfulness on this forum .
Bless you guys . Thank you for making my life better x |
Ask them if they will exclude any claim relating to 'history of self harm'. I sold insurance for a decade and that was basically an uninsurable risk in every case. They should be OK with anxiety and heart attack > 5 years ago which is stable with treatment.....maybe a bit of a rating (increased excess or increased premium), but shouldn't be too painful on the wallet.
Everyone here is helpful....barring one or two.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Thanks Thornyhill.
Hopefully I am not a risk of self harm now :-/ . It was when i lost 2 of my beautiful dogs (& horse), close together that drove me over the edge . No more pets to lose sadly now & i dont quite care for humans in the same way , even close family , so hoping those days are behind me now !
When you say uninsurable risk .....does that mean i wont get any at all , or that i would get it , just excluding that condition?
Thanks
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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St Johann in Tirol would suit you well.
It is a small town with it own hospital. It has a nursery slope served by a magic carpet and some reasonably long, easy blues to move on to. The slopes are often pretty quiet if you get the right week and there is plenty of apres fun!
As with most austrian resorts, most accommodation is not ski in/ski out. St Johann is very low even for this region at 660m. They are very good at piste management however.
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You know it makes sense.
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@scaredtoski, Steinplatte-Waidring is what I would recommend, lots of mellow beginner runs with plenty of other resorts close by.
Also rated as one of/if not the best beginner resorts in Europe on http://www.skiresort.info/best-ski-resorts/europe/sorted/beginners/
Less than an hour from the main hospital in Salzburg too. I believe there is a medical centre/hospital in Waidring too.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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@scaredtoski, let's be positive hey!
the joys of the EU come to help here
Apply for an EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) it covers you for all medically necessary treatment before your trip home. Also including pre-existing conditions providing your trip is not for that sole reason. Remember it provides state healthcare as if you were a resident, there could be a charge included in the event of treatment but in some cases it is free. They will not refuse to treat you but I would expect charges if something went wrong with your heart, but this would be post treatment.
Insurance should be sought whenever you go skiing not just for medical reasons, but as with all insurances there are some good and some bad. I'd probably google "best ski holiday insurance" and go from there.
http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/EHIC/Pages/about-the-ehic.aspx
Also there is a country by country guide http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/countryguide/Pages/EEAcountries.aspx
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Fri 24-02-17 11:59; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Insurance covers you for more, outside of existing medical conditions. For example, in skiing it is important to have coverage in case you are sued by someone else (for injuring them), or medical costs associated with having an accident on the mountain.
As specified above - While Britain is still in the EC, an EHIC card will give you the same cover as a local (in a member country).
It may well be worth ringing the companies listed in my links and asking what they will cover (and reading through the advice on the website)....and to which you could add the Ski Club Of GB Insurance, which has covered me in the past for pre-existing conditions (at a premium), depending when my last treatment was.
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Fri 24-02-17 12:34; edited 1 time in total
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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From a very quick perusal I couldn't see MPI on the lists. They are well thought of by many sHs, including me.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Pyremaniac wrote: |
| Font-Romeu in the eastern French Pyrenees has lots of excellent, real greens and is very sunny. It's low, but has some of the best snowmaking in the world; they were a pioneer. I've always thought it to be an excellent place for a beginners' or scaredycats' holiday. There are also a number of difficult runs as well, and there's a lift pass which covers 5 or 6 other small resorts too. |
| Quote: |
| Actually, it's not as low as I thought; the greens are apparently between 2000m and 2200m. (A gentle gondola gets you up there from the village.) |
| Quote: |
| I should say that the other resorts are not lift-linked... You'd need a car if you wanted to visit them. Given your situation though, I think you'd be fine just to stay in the one place. (The closest other resort on the wider lift pass is Les Angles, which is also probably the one which is most appropriate for you.) |
Having just got back from my first visit to Les Angles I can confirm that it's also excellent for beginners, with two really long greens which run from 2050m down to as low as 1650m, and also has several long, fairly gentle blues. Again, it also has a fair few harder runs too. I think beginners would really feel like they are part of the action here, since the greens start at the middle station where there are restaurants and proper views etc.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Super stuff..... deffo worth a look at then thanks .
Sounds great !
What does surprise me, is a lot of places mentioned in this thread are not mentioned in the Crystal or Inghams ski brouchers so i would have never heard of these places if it wasnt for you guys.
Who did you book this holiday with ? Am i missing some of the main ski holiday providers here ?
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@scaredtoski, you book directly with the accommodation yourself, book a flight and a transfer and thats it.
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That's right, a lot of the places that get talked about on sH aren't in the brochures. Many of the regulars on here are lucky enough to either live in or close to the mountains, or else lucky enough to have gone beyond the flagship resorts and started to explore options that are off the beaten track. For me it's a case of driving up, and sometimes staying overnight in a place booked about 15 minutes before arriving at their door, via booking.com . (Though I accept that the scope for that is probably a lot greater in the Pyrenees than in the famous resorts of the Alps.)
[In the case of Les Angles / Font-Romeu which I mentioned aboved, I should quickly point out that neither of them are really Alpine terrain. They are both on hills rather than mountains, which explains their low altitude and suitability for beginners. Still, they have a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere and great views; you can check out my recent post on the Pyrenees snow report thread for some photos.]
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@scaredtoski, I'm really impressed at your determination to ski despite your fears! Give yourself the right to fall over a few times, it doesn't really hurt if your speed is in check and you don't fight it
Most Alpine ski resorts have a beginners slope which doesn't even need a lift pass and often has simple drag lifts to the top. These could be classed as 'greens'.
Tignes is a good example, although not the prettiest resort. Look at any Tignes piste map. The Bollin, Claret and Lavachet slopes have free lifts you can just get on (although they're actually chair lifts in Tignes).
You could do for this for a couple of days while you build confidence, then get a day pass and try the nearest blue run into the resort with a direct lift to the top of it from the resort. Top tip for this first blue would be not to do it too early when it could be icey, or too late in the day when it will be chopped up like mutton.
Grenoble probably has the best hospitals for ski accidents. If it would ease your fears to be nearer here, Alpe d'Huez is a great resort with "Les Bergers" area for beginners.
Val Torens is another brilliant resort with easy, free ski slopes right in the centre.
From what you've said, the choice of resort is probably not so important. You'll have a great time wherever you go. Perhaps look at ease of getting there as your main concern?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Could I be the first to recommend Soldeu-El Tarter in Andorra?
I did a lot of learning there as a child and the brilliant thing is, that you don't find in a lot of places, you can ski from the very top of the mountain to the very bottom on a choice of easy runs! When I first went there (1998 I think) these were marked as Green, but a few years later they must have got rid of the green classification and turned them to Blues. My folks keep going back there because they only do Blue runs, and they have a choice there of some nice long ones, so you're not spending all day sat on lifts or in lift queues.
You mentioned that it should be 2000m max, after typing all that and looking it up, Soldeu is higher than I thought, 2500m at the very top, so may not be suitable after all.
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You know it makes sense.
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Dolomites might suit too, plenty of easy blues and blues masquerading as reds. Alpe de Suisi and Alta Badia loads of easy runs and great food. Quiet too if out of school holidays. Possibly the most beautiful skiing in the world.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Hafjell, Norway. Max altitude 1030m. Super scenic.
http://www.onthesnow.co.uk/eastern-norway/hafjell/pistemap.html
Many green runs (genuine greens) which are wide open, gentle, but scenic in the trees. The main lift is a bubble, not a chairlift, and you can download on it to avoid the blue back to the bottom (although it is a super super gentle blue).
Get private instruction and you won't have to worry about being pushed out of your comfort zone. I think this is a place where you could have fun pottering around on your own, too, as the runs are pleasant and uncrowded.
Downsides: can be cold, short daylight hours (although floodlit skiing is also on offer!), quite a few T bars instead of buttons, alcohol is expensive
Upsides: beautiful, unusual destination, likely to have great snow as is often cold, stunning views, scenic pistes, nice food on the mountain, not crowded, easier to get to than you'd think
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FAQ
