 Poster: A snowHead
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| flaming wrote: |
Instead of multiple UK/Euro addapters, just take 1 and a 4 way extension lead. This has the benefit that most french plugs seem to be tucked away behind furniture etc, and you can lay the extension plug out where you can get to it.
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I can't believe I never thought of that. So many years of "my turn with the adapter" could have been avoided. Thanks, great tip.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I know, that'll be on my next packing list....
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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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| chrisJersey wrote: |
| Daughter doing seasoning - what should she take? |
Very little I can add to all the suggestions above, apart from 'usual range of herbs, spices, condiments, contraceptives' etc.
The latter joke was suggested on p.1, so can't claim originality on that score.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
Likewise taking plenty of socks is not always needed. For example where I've been in Austria, Innsbruck (now has a Primark) and Landeck have been within striking distance on a day off (and we did a couple of times each season) for cheap socks.
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Have you ever thought of just washing your socks now and then? 
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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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| Lizzard wrote: |
| ... staff accomm is usually a veritable sauna. I used to spend whole seasons with the window open. |
In that case you're not sharing a sauna with me.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I would be inclined to let adult children make their own mistakes and learn some self reliance.
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| Lizzard wrote: |
| Quote: |
Likewise taking plenty of socks is not always needed. For example where I've been in Austria, Innsbruck (now has a Primark) and Landeck have been within striking distance on a day off (and we did a couple of times each season) for cheap socks.
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Have you ever thought of just washing your socks now and then? |
I do wash my socks, it's in response to people saying you need to pack loads cos they get lost/stolen (only ever lost one sock in my 7 seasons so not too sure what people are doing with theirs...).
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| sock puppet 1 wrote: |
| Have you ever thought of just washing your socks now and then? |
| sock puppet 2 wrote: |
| I do wash my socks |
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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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Lol.
Forgot to add, if travelling out by coach, a blanket and pillow is a good idea to try and make the journey a little more comfortable.
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| Sitter wrote: |
| External hard drive and laptop with films is a very good shout for white out/duvet days |
Duvet days?! Any idea how little free time tour companies give you? I was lucky to get one full day off a week last year. Take the films and tv by all means but don't expect to be sat lounging about in your room (which will be the size of shoe box) for hours on end. I only saw mine to sleep.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Snowboarder Repellent should also be on her list. Local name for it is soap
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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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Go to Primark and buy about 10 pairs of super cheap gloves (2 for £1) for wearing to pub etc
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I never wear gloves in the pub. Are we talking about surgical gloves, gloves for opening packs of pork scratchings or just ordinary drinking gloves?
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You know it makes sense.
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Me . . . nuf said?
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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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thedrewski, good grief, who were you working for? Chalet and hotel staff can bank on being free between about 11am and 5pm. Reps and techs get even more time off. My lot regularly spent bad weather days watching movies and playing poker.
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Poster: A snowHead
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That was my experience too Lizzard,
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Alarm clock and cheap camera...really? isn't that what phones are for these days?
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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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| holidayloverxx wrote: |
| Alarm clock and cheap camera...really? isn't that what phones are for these days? |
Phone cameras generally suck (unless it's a v expensive phone), and you can guarantee that the one time that you're the most in need of an alarm clock you're phone will have run out of battery. Or maybe I'm just unusually disorganised 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Lizzard wrote: |
| thedrewski, good grief, who were you working for? Chalet and hotel staff can bank on being free between about 11am and 5pm. Reps and techs get even more time off. My lot regularly spent bad weather days watching movies and playing poker. |
This. I also worked with somebody one season who preferred to spend her evenings/nights drinking, and thus after finishing work (if you could call it that, she was about as useful as a chocolate teapot when hungover) she would go to bed and sleep/watch a film. And she wondered why it got to mid season and she still couldn't snowboard...
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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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| fatbob wrote: |
| Nah show up in a mid Jan quiet week - she might have got the mid season blues by then and in any event should always appreciate free decent food and the opportunity to have extra stuff bought/brought out to her. |
+1
Son got the blues about mid January in his first season and was all ready to pack it in. He stuck it out and is about to go on season 6. A visit from family about mid January, taking - English cheese, Chocolate Digestives, Tea Bags, CDs and music as requested - did the trick
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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my son never asked me - I dread to think what he took, though it did include a big roll of knives, which are no problem in checked baggage.
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| Lizzard wrote: |
| thedrewski, good grief, who were you working for? Chalet and hotel staff can bank on being free between about 11am and 5pm. Reps and techs get even more time off. My lot regularly spent bad weather days watching movies and playing poker. |
I was a ski host, ski tech and chalet lead guy (not chef, but server and spokesman). My normal day started at around 7.30 and didn't finish till ~2200. Transfer days were 0500-2300. The 'day off' ended up being the only time to get the tech things done.
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| andy wrote: |
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only from pharmacies
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same in germany (and holland), and I presume also austria, switzerland etc. too.
Anything more pharmaceutical than toothpaste only available from a pharmacist. |
And that is how it should be.
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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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Hells Bells, because?
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Lizzard, s'obvious, isn't it? Can't have any ignorant Tom Dick or Harry buying themselves a pack of generic Paracetamol for 40p! 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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As a parent whose 2 sons have done seasons.......
Mighty Bright Xtraflex LED Book Light. Use it as a v small bedside light ( not primarily for reading) ...useful for room sharing and not disturbing your room mates when you come in at 3am . It clips on bedhead/book etc or just sits on bedside cupboard....honestly...its was v useful! about £8 Amazon. Batteries last forever.
Thin gloves for bar hopping...squash in pocket easier than bulky ski gloves.
Cosy "slipper/boots" for slopping around indoors if you have room
Yes to flip flops and shorts for end of season.
I would add multi vits but she will probably never take them.
Have a great time!
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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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| thedrewski wrote: |
| Lizzard wrote: |
| thedrewski, good grief, who were you working for? Chalet and hotel staff can bank on being free between about 11am and 5pm. Reps and techs get even more time off. My lot regularly spent bad weather days watching movies and playing poker. |
I was a ski host, ski tech and chalet lead guy (not chef, but server and spokesman). My normal day started at around 7.30 and didn't finish till ~2200. Transfer days were 0500-2300. The 'day off' ended up being the only time to get the tech things done. |
Sounds like a nightmare. In my seasons (first as a rep then as a Resort Manager) I had the opportunity to ski 4 full days and 2 half days every week. 1 of those days would be ski hosting, but nonetheless it was still time on the hill. Especially towards the end of the season duvet days were frequent; in our apartment in my first year we got through absolutely loads of films and TV series.
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| thedrewski wrote: |
| Lizzard wrote: |
| thedrewski, good grief, who were you working for? Chalet and hotel staff can bank on being free between about 11am and 5pm. Reps and techs get even more time off. My lot regularly spent bad weather days watching movies and playing poker. |
I was a ski host, ski tech and chalet lead guy (not chef, but server and spokesman). My normal day started at around 7.30 and didn't finish till ~2200. Transfer days were 0500-2300. The 'day off' ended up being the only time to get the tech things done. |
So you didn't ski at all then? Why on earth were you doing 3 normally separate roles, and more importantly, why did you allow that situation to continue all season?!
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You know it makes sense.
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| clarky999 wrote: |
| thedrewski wrote: |
| Lizzard wrote: |
| thedrewski, good grief, who were you working for? Chalet and hotel staff can bank on being free between about 11am and 5pm. Reps and techs get even more time off. My lot regularly spent bad weather days watching movies and playing poker. |
I was a ski host, ski tech and chalet lead guy (not chef, but server and spokesman). My normal day started at around 7.30 and didn't finish till ~2200. Transfer days were 0500-2300. The 'day off' ended up being the only time to get the tech things done. |
So you didn't ski at all then? Why on earth were you doing 3 normally separate roles, and more importantly, why did you allow that situation to continue all season?! |
Seriously. That sounds terrible! Instructing is more of an actual job than most in resort, but even I get more time off than that!
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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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| Dav wrote: |
| Sounds like a nightmare. In my seasons (first as a rep then as a Resort Manager) I had the opportunity to ski 4 full days and 2 half days every week. 1 of those days would be ski hosting, but nonetheless it was still time on the hill. Especially towards the end of the season duvet days were frequent; in our apartment in my first year we got through absolutely loads of films and TV series. |
Not a nightmare, but certainly not all that enjoyable or worth the £80/wk wages.
The only time I had films/music going was as background noise while I was sorting out everybody's ski hire on the first night/first morning.
| clarky999 wrote: |
| thedrewski wrote: |
| Lizzard wrote: |
| thedrewski, good grief, who were you working for? Chalet and hotel staff can bank on being free between about 11am and 5pm. Reps and techs get even more time off. My lot regularly spent bad weather days watching movies and playing poker. |
I was a ski host, ski tech and chalet lead guy (not chef, but server and spokesman). My normal day started at around 7.30 and didn't finish till ~2200. Transfer days were 0500-2300. The 'day off' ended up being the only time to get the tech things done. |
So you didn't ski at all then? Why on earth were you doing 3 normally separate roles, and more importantly, why did you allow that situation to continue all season?! |
I was a ski host - I skied everyday bar transfer day. I didn't ski for myself, however.
And I didn't. I was home by February, working at Castleford as an instructor.
I appreciate my case is probably the exception to the rule, but feel it's worth mentioning so that people don't get rose-tinted views of what goes on.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Bloody hell- I've done two seasons and haven't come across a working pattern like that!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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thedrewski - can you mention the operator? One to avoid...
Worst season I ever did was as a barman - working hours were generally 10am -> 7pm, with one late start, one 2pm start and one day off per week - not much skiing done.
Since then, while the work can be very hard, I've been skiing 4 days a week and earning what I consider decent money along with it.
As to what to bring, is she coaching out? If so the baggage allowance should be fairly relaxed. What job is she doing? Can she find out her living conditions in advance? My packing list would vary hugely depending on what I knew in advance about things like availability of washing machines/drying facilities, how many people I'd be living with, working hours... If she can learn basic ski tuning then you can do that for guests for €10/pair, or for other seasonnaires for perks.
AVI kit would be great if she's going to be skiing hard - although you can always rent it for the day in resort, so few first time seasonnaires do... Would be great if she could get educated about that and start off with good habits.
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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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AVI packs have been mentioned a number of times, worth getting one if she will be doing a lot of off piste, but would question the value of them if nobody else that she will be skiing with doesn't have. I worked for a large TO a couple of seasons ago and out of the around 90 staff in resort, I was the only one with transceiver, shovel and probe. Needless to say I didn't ski/board off piste with any of them, instead went with friends working for other companies. Also, some shops in resort will put together sets for a reasonable price comprising backpack, transceiver, shovel, probe and sometimes first aid kit, and do a seasonnaire discount on it.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
I've done two seasons and haven't come across a working pattern like that!
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Nor have I in nearly 20. No wonder he left half way through. 
Can we all stop wittering about 'avi' gear as well please (irritating pseudo in-crowd abbreviation) - most first time seasonnaires never get near needing it, as I have pointed out before. The bulk of them are kiddies, and their priorities are getting pissed/getting laid/having a good time. Jibbing and the park are what it's about on-snow, along with the sort of off piste which amounts to not much more than cutting across from one run to another. Yes, this is a generalisation, and yes I have no doubt that a whole mob of people will turn up in a minute to say that their seasons weren't like that and they went to bed early every night and did all sorts of gnarly stuff every single day, yada etc. This doesn't change the fact that as far as MOST people doing a first season are concerned, money spent on avalanche rescue kit will be money entirely wasted.
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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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| Quote: |
| Can we all stop wittering about 'avi' gear as well please (irritating pseudo in-crowd abbreviation) - most first time seasonnaires never get near needing it, as I have pointed out before. The bulk of them are kiddies, and their priorities are getting pissed/getting laid/having a good time. Jibbing and the park are what it's about on-snow, along with the sort of off piste which amounts to not much more than cutting across from one run to another. Yes, this is a generalisation, and yes I have no doubt that a whole mob of people will turn up in a minute to say that their seasons weren't like that and they went to bed early every night and did all sorts of gnarly stuff every single day, yada etc. This doesn't change the fact that as far as MOST people doing a first season are concerned, money spent on avalanche rescue kit will be money entirely wasted. |
Have to completely disagree I'm afraid, even while acknowledging your generalisation. My team last year certainly included those who enjoyed a ski as a cure for a hangover, but there were also definitely plenty of people starting to push themselves off-piste and doing so without taking any precautions. First time seasonnaire doesn't mean they've never skiied before, I get a lot of people in my teams who've skiied maybe 2 or 3 weeks a year since they were 8, which is a great base to start from. 2 years ago my team did nothing but off-piste, hiking for as long as was necessay, and we finished the season off with a heli-ski in Italy.
If your daughter's interested then I'd send her out there with the kit, or with the cash to buy it as soon as she arrives from one of the people doing a seasonnaire kit deal. She'll find plenty of people to hook up with who are doing things properly if that's what she wants to spend her time doing.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Plastic bottles of HP sauce  They can be traded like marmite. Anything bulky, buy from Amazon or ebay while there.
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| jiagedaping wrote: |
| thedrewski - can you mention the operator? One to avoid... |
I'd prefer not to. I know they're on here and don't want to get into any legal issues. And, tbf, I know they have many staff who return season after season to work for them quite happily.
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If her phone is locked to a UK network, get it unlocked and buy a local SIM card once there. Got caught out like this over the summer in China when tried to put a China-Mobile SIM in my phone only to discover it was locked to a UK network and wouldnt run the local one.
Last edited by After all it is free  on Sun 29-09-13 20:44; edited 1 time in total
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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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| austin7 wrote: |
| If her phone is locked to a UK network, get it unlocked and buy a local SIM card once there. Got cought out like this over the summer in China when tried to put a China-Mobile SIM in my phone only to discover it was locked to a UK network and wouldnt run the local one. |
To be fair, I wouldn't bother with this unless you only plan to call local numbers (and I can't see too many reasons why you'd need to do this without it being wrok related). I got a pay as you go SIM in my first season but the cost of texting home was ridiculous, my credit disappeared so quickly. In future years I just maintained my UK contract.
Some TOs (especially for rep's positions) give out company phones which allow calls back to the UK. My first season with Crystal gave me a phone that, between 8am and 8pm, allowed me to call the UK unlimited. Outside of that its better to use Skype.
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I wouldn't bother with this unless you only plan to call local numbers (and I can't see too many reasons why you'd need to do this without it being wrok related).
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Texting all your mates in resort who also have local SIM cards? That's what people usually use them for.
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FAQ
