Poster: A snowHead
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Returned Sunday after a week in Ortisei...
All in all a wonderful week. Positives: Short transfer from Innsbruck, about 1:25 out, 1:15 back. Spectacular scenery compared to France (first time elsewhere); fabulous hotel, (Adler) and a great week's skiing. The pistes were all man-made: there was a dusting of snow on night 1, but had no effect. All areas were open as far as I could see. The snow went from rock hard corduroy, to decent snow to slush as each day progressed, and dependent on aspect, but every day was skiable and enjoyable. Short queues in the main, but see below..
Less positive: Apres is very different! When you descend from the Alpi de Suisi to Ortisei, the ski vibe evaporates, so it's just another (very pretty) town. All the (many) 'huttes' served exactly the same things, for exactly the same Germans and Austrians! We lunched daily on the piste, and in not one place could we have a pizza! Not one! Two meals and 2 drinks was usually about 35E, which is better than France, I'd say. The lift infrastructure is tired in most places (2 seat chairs), but with a small amount of new 6 seaters too. Something I'd never seen before, was a mix of chairs and bubbles on the same cables to accomodate the many walkers. Looked really cool and odd at the same time!
The skiing is not demanding enough for thrusters, but was perfect for developing my timid wife's range and style. As a result, I'd say the 3V will really open up to her now, in a way they weren't in only January. Very cruisy reds (= blue in France in the main) and only 2 blacks I could find for me to play on.
We are both late starters (3rd year, 6th trip), and at 60, I can see this bit of the Dolomites being a 'knackered knees' ski venue in a few years! But not yet.
CG
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