 Poster: A snowHead
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The trip is full so I'm sure there must be a few sH along. I'll be on the 11.50 flight from Gatwick, if anyone wants to meet up 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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cathy, Isn't Murat on the list of those going?
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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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cathy, Elmer
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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cathy, Elmer is lovely (he's quite tall, if that helps), David & Sarah are lovely too. c0ka1n3 (or however he choses to spell it!) ditto. not sure about that anarchicsaltire fellow, Lutonians are well dodgy 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Indeed he is.
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Takes me ages to remember peoples names, especially when there are real and sH ones  he had a baby last year?
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cathy, did he? I haven't seen him in ages. (He shares anarchicsaltire's real first name, if that's any help.) He took loads of lessons with I/O at Hemel in the early days, and always used to ski with his black jacket undone.
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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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cathy, Pedantica, I'm pretty sure that's a "No" as it wasn't mentioned in December.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Ah yes, I was thinking of Ollie! Although pedantica's description of a black open jacket is ringing bells....I'll have to wait until I see him 
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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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cathy, It looks as though there are quite a few people, that I've met and who are really good company, going on that trip
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You know it makes sense.
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Hope you all have a brilliant time - watch Mo on the slopes if he is going (speedy little so and so!). I've just booked onto the Tignes trip in June with Inside Out - whoop!
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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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cathy, 
It should be a fun trip. Altogether I think we have 21 people, but I have trouble keeping track of who is and isn't a snowHead.
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Poster: A snowHead
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cathy, He is about 6'3" or so if that helps....
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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skimottaret, what rob is? he hides it very well.
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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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| tiffin wrote: |
| skimottaret, what rob is? he hides it very well. |
LMAO!
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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PS - of course, forecasts can change etc etc.....
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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je suis le homme des neige (or something like that)
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skimottaret, you are melting away......come back.........
(knew I shouldn't have posted that it was going to snow, although the wigglies are still valiantly trying to wiggle)
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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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AND it snowed big time....
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cathy, glad you enjoyed it. Everyone seemed to have Fun and there was plenty of great Food to be enjoyed  Here's a little slideshow of the week.
http://vimeo.com/39191225
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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rob@rar, nice slide show with some really nice piccies  you did that quickly!
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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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rob@rar, very nice. Lots of familiar faces. Wish I'd been there.
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Are there left luggage lockers at Venice airport which are big enough to take a double ski bag.
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You know it makes sense.
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Kel, No lockers but there is a left luggage office. Turn left on entering the terminal and it's at the end.
Edit: That's entering the terminal for departure. If arriving it's a right turn from arrivals.
Someone posted somewhere that they were charging extra for over-size baggage this year. i.e ski bags. When we used it two years ago it was a standard charge per bag. I'll see if I can find the post.
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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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| geepee wrote: |
Kel, No lockers but there is a left luggage office. Turn left on entering the terminal and it's at the end.
Edit: That's entering the terminal for departure. If arriving it's a right turn from arrivals.
Someone posted somewhere that they were charging extra for over-size baggage this year. i.e ski bags. When we used it two years ago it was a standard charge per bag. I'll see if I can find the post. |
Thanks Geepee, I will have 6 hours to kill, so i need to have a tour round Venice.
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Poster: A snowHead
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There was a sign saying they were charging extra for over-sized bags but I got charged the standard 6 euros per bag, one of which was a ski bag. If you get the water bus just be aware it takes 1 hour 20 mins. Worth doing once.
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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 had a huge 2 metre quad bag and they charged me the standard rate of 6 euro...
quite please with myself found a museum in Venice i was looking for from memory after checking the website at home and made no reference to any maps, thereby dispelling any rumours that i am "directionally challenged" 
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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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skimottaret, which museum was that?
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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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Pedantica, peggy guggenheim...a very strong collection of some things i like..
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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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skimottaret, yeah, interesting stuff.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| skimottaret wrote: |
| ...thereby dispelling any rumours that i am "directionally challenged" |
And joke about that at your peril! 
Just been looking back at 'my' (ahem) photos and thinking what a great week that was! So it’s only fair if I do a wee report of the trip:
The basics
A coaching week with Inside Out Skiing http://www.insideoutskiing.com/ , ie Rob (rob@rar) and Scott (skimottaret), staying at Mountainsun’s Albergo Frohsinn chalet hotel at San Cassiano in the Dolomites. Flight in to Venice or Innsbruck & transfers arranged by Mountainsun.
The accommodation
The Albergo Frohsinn offers a pretty basic standard of accommodation but perfectly adequate. The rooms are large, with most I think having at least one extra bed in – very handy for laying out space. One very nice thing was the bathrooms had been refurbished and to a high standard – lovely! The food was fine, plenty of choice for breakfast with a different hot option each day. Evening meal always had a salad option which was good. Afternoon cakie was a wee bit lacking in imagination – oh, sponge again, as was desert but they were just minor quibbles.
Best thing about the Albergo Frohsinn though is its location, slap bang on the piste just a short slide down to the bottom of the Piz Sorega gondola. I ‘think’ there was a red run back down from the top….
The skiing
Wowee! What a treat of dramatic scenery and fabulous lunchtime stops! Have totally fallen in love with the Hidden Valley and the pistes round the Cinque Torri. We did the Sella Ronda clockwise, with just a few detours , on our free day, with all the links still open despite the warm weather. And the skiing over at La Villa was lovely, with quiet pistes, good snow and a hike up to the church. In fact the snow overall was pretty good and only in a few places was it really gloopy. Much better conditions than the Ski Welt at the beginning of March last year. And we only just touched on what the Dolomiti ski area has to offer – definitely one to return to.
The coaching
The coaching was offered as 6 half day sessions, which was arranged as 4 mornings and one full day, allowing one full day free. There were two main groups of about 7 or 8 in each, depending…and then also a smaller group in the afternoon of earlier intermediates. They swopped halfway through the week with their timings.
I was in Rob’s group and what a really great instructor he is. Can’t praise his teaching methods and analytical abilities highly enough. He explains everything very clearly so you’re left in no doubt as to what you’re meant to be doing, has the patience of a saint and I think it’s fair to say there was an improvement in all our skiing with some bad habits eradicated which had become entrenched for some years. His personal involvement in the week was great, beyond the role of just coaching, and ensured we all had a fab week.
These are definitely skills based sessions with a heavy emphasis on drills, not touring round the hills follow-me sessions. The full day coaching was spent in the Hidden Valley and Cinque Torri area, which was absolutely fantastic. Lots of video taken during all the sessions, with individual feedback given back at the chalethotel over tea & cake. No public humiliation here.
And a feedback form at the end of the week with homework 
The apres
I am very embarrassed to say I never even made it down for a walk round San Cassiano  so can’t really comment on bars in town. We did enjoy having sundowners in Las Vegas at the top of the Piz Sorega bubble before skiing back down the empty blue home – the bottle of prosecco there became quite a ritual. When the staff then pulled out the grappa bottle was when the skiing back home started to get more interesting….
Drinks were cheap in the bar at the Albergo Frohsinn and wine was freely provided with the meal.
On the staff’s night off we took the CatMobile up to the Las Vegas restaurant on the mountain top and had a great night of pizzas there before getting the CatMobile back – great fun! Basically a piste basher with a cabin on the back with 20 of us sliding around on the seats inside. Respect to those we saw skinning up the piste.
The trip home
I took the Venice option, never having been there before. Fantastic to spend a day there at the end of the holiday. Although a day actually turned into a long lunch and then a hunt for the bus station to get back to the airport.
In summary
Would I go on it again? Without a moment’s hesitation! Excellent value for money but excellent quality as well in terms of the coaching and the skiing. It really was a week of food and fun. Great company, I think there were 21 of us?, some of whom I’d met previously at Hemel clinics and a couple of whom were friends who’d come along. Thanks to all those who helped to make it such a great week .
Slideshow with photos here: http://vimeo.com/39191225
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Thu 5-04-12 14:06; edited 1 time in total
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Pedantica, only the standard rate I think I could have asked for more...
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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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Thanks for the great trip report Cathy, and the kind comments about my teaching. I do have to correct one point though: in the snowcat ride to Las Vegas on Wednesday evening you were the only one who was really sliding around as the rest of us were staying put. I still think it was a mistake to apply Zardoz to your derrière "just in case we have to slide down the mountain at the end of the night".
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