 Poster: A snowHead
|
|
Just back from Tignes Saturday 6th Feb - Awsome! Really super-duper week. Spot the Queue or what! Really quiet. Used all my pocket money to purchase large Snow Dump in the area before arrival and obtained mortgage for the sunny conditions! Had some snow on Wed 2nd, but some South facing areas were getting a little bit patchy on Saturday 5th, not many, but some. Off-piste a little crusty by the end of the week but still good overall for another week or so, but more white stuff needed then. L'Arolay's food is surpassing even it's own reputation - now tummy is full and satisfied until next time. Chambery airport behaved itself, resulting in Zen-like calmness on outbound & return journies, as distinct from the normal Anti-Christ feelings and I even managed to trick airport authorities by arriving and actually managing to purchase a nose-bag of excellent frites before they closed. Top Class.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
Bad luck with knee mechanics - hope it's on the mend. Bad enough to have a catastrophe on the last day, but Run 3 on Day 1! I wouldn't bother with the Lotto for a while if I were you! I have preened myself outside the Fish tank on lunch time or two and inside on the snowy day - must have missed you, or at least didn't see anyone looking like Terminator 3. Get well soon.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
I was in Val d'Isere last week too, and due to the fact that Val is basically a sheet of ice slapped on the side of a mountain (even though they'd had a massive dump of snow just before we arrived!), we spent quite a bit of time in Tignes. So it doesn't look as pretty as some resorts but we loved the skiing over there. Nice big runs, good snow, lots to choose from. Had a nice day skiing down to Les Brevieres, sat and chilled on the deck chairs down there for an hour, listening to really good music in the sun. We stayed in La Daille so we could get to Tignes quite easily, and also had easy access to the rest of Val and Le Fornet. Good time had by all.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Snowbabe - Skiing was really great. Sache run down to Les Brevieres was brilliant on Wednesday last. Skied with the Ski Club that day so no deck chair passes! Did you ski Col des Ves? It's chair is not often open in Jan/Feb as it is vulnerable to wind closure.
Frosty, Ditto DZ|J's positive state of mind! But Hot Chocolate & Baileys seem to be a powerful upper. Debs, Any clinics where you can get help for this addiction? What's your estimated mend time?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
And tell us more about the insurance you had.. it sounds great!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hi all,
Thanks for the conerns 
| Quote: |
I am stunned at your positive attitude
|
Positive attitude stems from the fact you have two options when you get such an injury A) you can be a miserable cow being down in the dumps and ruin the holiday both for yourself and everyone else around you, or B) you can get on with it and make the best from your situation. Negativity costs way more in energy terms than positivity does so cracking on with it actually doesn't take as much effort - well thats how I perceive it anyways! Oh and Bernard is correct - Hot Choc and Baileys goes a long way to rectifying one's state of mind  On the grand scale of things a duff knee is nothing compared to what some people suffer!
| Quote: |
Any clinics where you can get help for this addiction?
|
You see a basic thing about addiction is that to be cured of it you actually have to want to be cured or there is no point in attending a clinic! Tee hee!
| Quote: |
didn't see anyone looking like Terminator 3
|
That's because it looks more like Roboknee!!!!!!!! 
| Quote: |
What's your estimated mend time?
|
*Sigh* Well first thing Monday morning I trotted (well hobbled) to my GP surgery to get a referral to the Orthopods at a local hospital (James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough). Allegedly my GP has faxed a referral letter to the last specialist I saw (I have high riding patellae and severe hyperextension on both knees). I say allegedly because when I phoned said specialists secretary this morning she had not seen any such letter from my GP as of yet  Thus once it arrives the consultant will mark it as one of two things, either urgent or routine. A routine appointment could take me approximately 16 weeks to get, and an urgent referral is hopefully a little sooner than that. The Orthopaedic Consultants Secretary kindly informed me that the COnsultant would be on holiday next week so unless they do something this week I doubt very much that I'll be stepping through the door of the hospital before a week on Monday. I'm well aware that I need an MRI scan to determine exact damage caused as the French doctor (Dr Cristophe Nardin) I saw only took xrays and did a physical examination so things may not be as bad as they seem at the moment. If it turns out to be both my cruciate and medial colatteral ligaments torn then that will probably mean an operation to fix them back together or rejoin them to their relevant positions, followed by approximately 4-6 months of physiotherapy. But that is just speculation and it may not be as bad as it seems. I'll wait for the MRI scan to show my route of recovery!
| Quote: |
How did you damage the knee (bad fall, duff bindings)
|
It was a low speed fall in which my bindings did not release (as there wasn't enough speed in the fall). My left foot span outwards as I fell and i felt the crunch, grind and clicking inside my knee as I did so! It was rather painful at the time but I am now without pain (without pain killers) but the swelling and bruising to rival a Da Vinci masterpiece is still there! I have to say though the swelling has gone down tremendously since last week!
| Quote: |
And tell us more about the insurance you had.. it sounds great!!
|
First and foremost I payed the 2.5 euro charge for the Carte (or is it Carre) Niege linked to my ski pass which was a god send as it was worth 10 times the amount it cost! After I fell my friend assited by removing his skis, placing them in an X formation about 10 meters above me, removed my skis for me (as I begged him to do because they become so unbeleiveably heavy when you are in pain!). And a fair few people stopped to offer either immediate assistance or to contact the Piste Patrol for us (Big Thank you if you were one of those people!). The piste patrol seemed to take an age to get to me (though I'm sure it wasn't very long at all) and I remember the first guy getting to me and he accidently kicked my boot as he stepped to me (I apologise to all and sundry because I wasn't very ladylike or polite at this point!). More people arrived and they had a prod and feel of my knee (how I didn't sever my tongue I have no idea!) and they then decided to put me into what I can only describe as a body bag and put me on a sledge behind a snowcat to go down the slope. At the bottom of the slope I was transferred to a stretcher and then into an ambulance and taken to the Medical Centre in Tignes Le Lac (I was in Val Claret on the slope closest to the Funiculare - no idea what it was called!). That little outing would have cost me 250 Euros had I not bothered with the insurance Carte (Carre whichever) Niege on the Ski Pass.
Mondial Assitance is the major insurance company I used. It was purchased through Expedia (where we also got our hotel room from too). £32.20 for the weeks holiday including Winter Sports Cover and Excess Charge Waiver (which isn't strictly true as there is still the odd thing you have excess charges for but the majority of the excesses are waivered).
Here is a Summary of my cover (for the princely sum of £32.20)
Policy section Your Main Policy Limits Up To Excesses, which apply to each inicdent
Cancellation or curtailment charges £5,000 £35
Medical Emergency, repatriation, No limit £35
and associated charges
Loss of Passport & delayed £150 - Passport No excess
personal possessions £150 - delayed possessions
Personal Possessions & £1,500 - possessions £35
Personal Money £500 - money
Personal accident £25,000 No excess
Missed departure £500 No excess
Departure delay £250 - delay No excess - delay
£5,000 - abandoning your journey £35 - abandoning your journey
Personal Liabilty £2 million £35
Piste Closure £200 No excess
Avalanche closure £250 No excess
Legal expenses £25,000 No excess
Please note these are only summaried and there are various clauses and fuller information within each of the above sections than I have given here (email me on dzj@manx.net and I'll send you the .pdf document to match this summary).
At the time of the incident I was in no fit state to contact my insurance company but if I had have contacted them immediately then they would have paid for all of the medical costs there and then for me. The way in which I did it was to pay for all the medical costs and will be claiming it back from the insurance company. When I did contact the insurance company on the Monday morning they were extremely helpful, getting a full story from myself, requesting the Medical Centre information to get reports and such like from them. They gave me the option of being returned back to the UK earlier than planned, return on my scheduled plans or organising flights and travel to an airport closer to my home. My original travel plans would have taken me from Tignes to Lyon (via coach) and Lyon to Stansted (via Easyjet), thus I decided to ask to be returned to a North East Airport (wasn't fussy about it being either Durham Tees Valley or Newcastle International) on the day I was due to depart. Mid-way through the week they contacted me with varying flight options both to Durham Tees Valley and Newcastle for the Saturday I was due to leave and I opted for the Durham Tees Valley option. Mondial then booked me three seats on that flight so I was able to fly with my leg up (just as well because the brace prevents me from bending it!), they arranged for wheelchair assistance and baggage assistance both in Geneva airports and Durham Tees Valley Airports, and they also arranged for a taxi transfer from Tignes to Geneva Airport for me too. I got regular phone calls throughout my holiday from Mondial Assistance, making sure I was still alive etc and keeping me up to date on their arrangements for me. They passed my phone number on to the taxi firm who phoned me the night before travelling to Geneva to finalise travel arrangements. Taxi company was on time picking me up and I was at Geneva airport in plenty of time to catch my flight. As mentioned above the BMI Baby staff were great and looked after me very well
| Quote: |
Tell us more of how you filled in the time.
|
Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code went down a storm with myself and kept me entertained for a while (definitely recommended reading!), shopping, the Fish Tank clientele and staff were great too, Game Boy Advance helped a bit and there were many hours of entertainment provided by those wonderful people in the neon/dayglo/ rediculously patterned one piece ski suits 
Hopefully that has answered everyone's questions, apologies if I left you out! And apologies for the novel I appear to have just written!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Debs, Bravo for an extremely detailed, but concise briefing. This chould be used as an aide memoire for all those pursuing the slopes, on any width of plank. So many forget just how good Carte Neige is and so many forget to even carry their insurance documents on their person. Good news from an insurance company too - a lot of them get some bad press and its great to hear that they are not all of questionable parentage. Hopefully, your prognosis will be the better one! Follow up that faxed GP letter though & make sure it has been received - there is a fax black hole you know!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
| Quote: |
Follow up that faxed GP letter though & make sure it has been received - there is a fax black hole you know!
|
*sighs*
Well this morning I have phoned the hospital (more specifically appointments) to see if my referral letter has been received and quel suprise no it hasn't. So I phone my GP to see if they would print me a copy of the letter and I would physically take it to the hospital myself (good old addage of 'if you want something doing it is best to do it yourself') and I was politely informed that there was no letter on the system with even a vague aire of referral! I now have to wait til mid day and phone my GP back to find out what is going on. Now being a Medical Secretary I will offer to type the letter out as he dictates it tho technically I am off work sick!
| Quote: |
best knee man at James Cook is Mr Hui
|
I have previously seen Mr Hui last year so I assumed it would be a referral back to him, unfortunately with him being on holiday next week it is probably going to be at least a week and a bit before I get to see him *sighs as she watches what little muscle she had in her leg disappear rapidly  * At this moment in time I couldn't care less who sees me for the initial consult so long as they are qualified! I have also preveiously seen Mr Wallace (and been under the knife with him) so am quite prepared to see whoever so long as they get the ball in motion of fixing me!
| Quote: |
Good thing about James Cook Hosp is that if your knee is feeling better just before your consult, then by the timeyou have walked the 2 miles from the nearest point you can illegally park, then it willbe like a balloon
|
Oh how very true! As it happens I don't drive so will be either getting a bus or a taxi when they do manage to sort themselves out but on many a previous occasion I have left my house feeling fine and dandy and been willing to authorize amputation by the time I have got in to see the consultant! Parking is certainly abismal!
Should I also mention canteen prices in here? There's a good job there is a reasonable pub across the road!
| Quote: |
Original private consult is £100, a lot of money,but if you are classed as non urgent then might be worth a try
|
And definitely one I will consider this afternoon!
| Quote: |
so many forget to even carry their insurance documents on their person
|
I have to admit to being one of them! my friend had to go back to the hotel room to pick it up - I was treated without even being asked for insurance, money was not mentioned to me til I was ready to walk out of the door of the Medical Centre (asides from the money I handed over to said friend to go buy the prescription for me!)
Carte Niege rocks! Anyone who goes on a slope of any description without one is a fool! Claiming your head was in the sand is not an excuse, not with the sheer amount of information available regarding insurances, carte & carre niege. 2.5 Euros roughly converts to £1.75 and saved me £172.50 in fees to get off the slope!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Fume! Fume!
I am sure bureaucracy was a French revenge for Waterloo.
Patience Strong & polite, but firm telephone manner!
Bon Chance
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hard luck. I must say you're being very cheerful.
Do I need a Carte Neige in addition to decent insurance which covers skiing, including off piste?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
| Quote: |
Fume! Fume!
I am sure bureaucracy was a French revenge for Waterloo.
Patience Strong & polite, but firm telephone manner!
Bon Chance
|
Have just been informed by my surgery that they have actually done the letter and as she was reading it she said 'oh it does actually say Urgent Referral on it' *sigh* No poo-poo Sherlock! Thus she said (cough) she would fax it immediately. That private consultation is looking likely!
| Quote: |
Do I need a Carte Neige in addition to decent insurance which covers skiing, including off piste?
|
Yes yes yes yes yes yes and most definitely yes! For 2.5 euros per day it is so totally worth it! The piste patrol looked for my ski pass, saw that I had purchased the Carte Niege and didn't ask a further thing about insurance or money etc which is just as well because I wasn't being too polite as they kept prodding, poking and trying to bend my knee!
I assume you are going to a country that is covered by Carte Niege?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
DZJ1978, probably not (Austria), but I will be on some other occasion. Does the CN simply mean that you don't have to brandish your Amex card while writhing in agony on the slope (which is probably worth the cost in itself), or does it mean that you are reimbursed for something you wouldn't otherwise be reimbursed for? My insurance covers getting carted off the slopes, including by helicopter; I had assumed that that is all I need.
I hope that you don't mind acting as my insurance adviser.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
My insurance also covered getting off the slopes etc but as it was minus 10 (at least) and I don't own an Amex card I wasn't prepared to wait whilst they got on the dog and bone to argue the toss with the insurance company! They quite literally saw that I had paid for Carte Niege and got me off the slopes as quick as they could which after some of the horror stories I have read about others being taken off the slopes via the cash point was definitely worth it in itself! I suspect that whilst your insurance does cover such eventualities that you will have to pay for the service there and then, claiming a refund when you get back home, I'll have a look for the receipt I got when carted off the piste as I'm sure it gave an indication of costs for helicopter removal on it - that wasn't cheap by any stretch of the imagination!
I have no idea what countries are covered by Carte Niege but France is definitely one of them!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Which has just prompted the question - have all you good boys & girls obtained your NEW FORM E111? The old type Form E111 expired on December 31, 2004 and you must have the New Form E111, as a condition of most insurance companies policies. If not trot along to your nearest Post Office, immediately if not sooner.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
Maybe why it seemed so quiet to you Bernard because I was in the Fish Tank or shopping!
