Alpine Meet 2016

DaBoom

Worlds fastest Amish
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Feb 18, 2007
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Kouvostoliitto, Finland
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So, ringmeet done, neeeext. :cool: Second attempt at the Finalgear skiing trip. 3 people made it last year, so let's try to improve from that.

No set plans yet, but as Beni has family in the Dolomites area we thought to suggest the Dolomiti superski area for this years destination. Beni can fill in on what he had in mind when it comes to accommodation, but IIRC their family place was a bit south from ski villages Canazei and Colfosco. And seeing as the place is on the south side of the Alps, Venice and Milan airports should provide cheap options for those flying in. I don't have any planned schedules at the moment, so if anyone who's interested has any time constraints please suggest some dates on when this meet could happen. I'm most likely aiming for a weeks trip again, while (I assume) some will want a long weekend only.

edit: Also, if lip is joining us, he said he could provide some skis, so people with loaner gear only need to rent ski boots. I'll try some skiing as well if this is the case. It's only been 18 years since I last tried, how hard can it be. :p
 
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I'm definitely up for it this time around (the finalisation of the divorce this year put paid to my participation in 2015 :() and I just looked at flights with Easyjet and should be able to book a return flight with checked luggage for a reasonable sum if we can set a date fairly quickly.

I have all the gear barring a helmet which I should be able to borrow and of course skis and poles - if someone has spares they can loan all the better but renting isn't too bad I guess and of course if Beni can provide a place to crash for a modest sum so much the better. Desperate to get back on the slopes although I will most likely be a bit rusty so don't expect me to be following in your tracks down a black run....
 
~3 months before the trip is usually the best time to be shopping for plane tickets. So we should still have some time to figure out some dates.
 
Not with Easyjet. Prices will increase gradually the closer we get. Currently ?33.50 each way before I add a checked bag which should bring it in around ?100 all in and they are really my best option as they fly from Gatwick which is easy for me to get to whereas Heathrow is a pain in the arse.
 
I'll fill in more detailed information later when I have the time so just some quick facts:

- Our house is in Forno di Zoldo
- We have eight beds in four bedrooms, other accommodation can be arranged if necessary, I don't know any prices atm
- Our house would cost us nothing besides the wood pellets for heating. We'd have to clean it at the end
- Next skiing resort (Civetta) is twenty minutes away, it's good for beginners and offers nice landscape. Should be fun for seasoned skiers as well for a day.
- in about an hour other resorts can be reached, Cortina for example, which has three small to midsized resorts itself, the Colfosco and Marmolada area as well.
- A loop of around sixty kms of skiing can be done covering several resorts with two buses somewhere along.
- Best airports would be Treviso (Ryanair) or Venice. Milano is already quite far away. I could also take people with me from Frankfurt or pick them up along the way (Stuttgart, Innsbruck, Munich).
- I'll post more about dates later
 
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Screw everything, I will not be missing this. 60 km of loop sounds ossum. I'll also be driving (and can offer pickups along the way), since I'll have a pair of skis and a snowboard with me (whatever I'm not using on any particular day, everyone's free to grab ofc). Depending on how many there are to pick up, we could also share the majority of the ride, Beni :)
 
Actually considering this as well. The Alps are within a driveable distance for me, and it's been a while since I've gone skiing :) Not making any decisions right now, but will at least keep this in mind.
 
Screw everything, I will not be missing this. 60 km of loop sounds ossum. I'll also be driving (and can offer pickups along the way), since I'll have a pair of skis and a snowboard with me (whatever I'm not using on any particular day, everyone's free to grab ofc). Depending on how many there are to pick up, we could also share the majority of the ride, Beni :)

That would also work for me. Diesel plus the return channel crossing would work out about the same as flying I reckon and if you have skis I could borrow all the better. A lot easier than lugging a heavy case around airports that's for sure.
 
I'll have the Legacy with a box on the roof for skis and boards which should transport 4 adults in comfort...and awd might even come in handy. I also wouldn't mind picking up people from Venice or Treviso airport if cheap flights are available.

Date wise I think late January or February would be best and it shouldn't be too crowded. If possible we should avoid the carnival week as Italians use it as holiday as well. It starts on Monday 8th of February.
 
Also try to avoid the British half-term vacation as well if we can which is generally the first full week after Valentine's Day. Sounds like either the first or last weeks of Feb are favourite. I'd personally prefer the end of Feb or even the first week of March otherwise I'm barely back at work after Christmas before going away and I like to space my vacations as evenly as possibly through the year if at all possible.
 
Our local resort barely goes over 2000m of altitude and whilst the first week of march should be pretty secure snow wise and of course there are higher resorts in the area, it would be great if we find a slot in either January or February I think.
 
In that case my vote is for 20-27 Feb (Saturdays). Avoids the festival and school holidays, still in February and long enough after Christmas.
 
Me, my wife and our little Magdalena would like to join, if you guys don't mind. Kristyna enjoys skiing a lot and she's wanted to do a winter holiday for some time now, so this might be a great opportunity. I'd probably do most of the babysitting during the day and go skiing for just one or two days, since I am a not-that-avid skier.
 
Why do you need custom boots?
 
Because hobbit. Also, some lovely free skiing and great story from the area.




 
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Yeah, GT, awesome. My cousin who lives in the house as well has two small girls so there's some company as well :)

Here's some info on the general area:

Our house is in Forno di Zoldo in the Veneto part of the Dolomites. It's right on the south-eastern edge of the Dolomiti Superski area, next Resort is called Civetta.

The whole Superski area is pretty large but it can't all be accessed by ski only, some busses are needed as a connection between some resorts. The furthest resorts are around 1,5 to 2 hours from our house.

Cartina_Dolomiti_Superski.jpg
Forno di Zoldo is just outside the map in the lower right.


There are some tours that can be made in a day across several resorts. The Sella Ronda is rather famous but I haven't done it myself yet. It's about an hour away from the house but then no further busses are needed.

sellaronda.jpg


The Grande Guerra (World War) Tour spans several resorts as well and can be started in our resort, two busses are needed though. It roughly goes along the Italian Front of WW1.

skimap-medium_giro_della_grande_guerra.jpg


Driving to the other resorts isn't that bad though as there are a lot of nice roads around :) So I usually don't have to go skiing every single day and explore the area on other days. Venice, Padova, Vicenza and other cities are pretty close and not at all crowded. Just if someone needs a day of break from the winter.

Dolomites.jpg

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Scie-di-luce-strada-del-passo-Giau-febbraio-2014.jpg
 
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It has to be said though, the resorts mostly aren't as modern and fancy as some of those hyper resorts in Austria or Switzerland, no 8 in a row chairlifts with heated seats and hardly any apr?s ski action. Especially Cortina still has some of the old charme. It's all a bit cozier (and food is better ;)).
 
i don't care one bit for all the apres ski idiocy that's going on in most places anyway, so i rather like some old charme. good food is always great of course!
from 12+ years of serfaus-fiss-ladis i'm rather spoilt in regards to fancy liftery (is that a word? if not, who cares?), but i've survived a few holidays in rather shabby french resorts as well, to i'll be fine. i only use lifts for snacking anyway, i don't want to relax and get a massage :p

great, now you guys have made me all giddy for skiing, i miss barreling down mountains! ... also i'll have to buy a new pair of sticks, as i seem to have lost mine somewhere o_O
 
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