Corvara Group Arrives: People and Luggage All Present

Day One Friday:  The 2011 SM Euro pre trip gang, 24 in number, made it to Frankfurt, the first leg of the trip, without a hitch. Lufthansa did a great job. The next leg was a bit of a challenge. Due to an Italian “work action” the flight to Venice was cancelled. The planned three hour Frankfurt layover extended to a 12 hour visit.

But the intrepid travelers were not deterred. Warned of the possible delay before leaving Seattle, Val and Greg Nelson prowled their laptop exploring “things to do” in Frankfurt. As soon as we landed in Frankfurt Kim Kaiser was on his IPad searching for nearby hotels. Kim was able to identify several options (Sheraton at airport $220; Steigenberger near airport $95). The group gravitated to the Steigenberger where four couples purchased their own room and said adios to the group. The rest pitched in and purchased one room to store hand carry luggage in and then headed out to “do Frankfurt."

In the end both groups seemed pleased with their choices. The “hotel” group was able to log about five hours of welcome sleep in a four star environment followed by a very German dinner at a charming restaurant on the hotel grounds.

The “tour” group spent much of their time in motion;

• Bus, airport to hotel to drop luggage.

• Bus, hotel to airport to catch train.

• Train to Frankfurt, tour and eat.

• Train to airport.

• Bus to hotel to recover luggage and catch a nap in group room.

• Bus to airport.

While in Frankfurt the group engaged in what they referred to as a “meat festival.” Apparently a meat platter was recommended and ordered that contained an incredible variety of meats, most of which could be identified.

A Canal View from the Hotel Room

The rest of the day went as scheduled, just twelve hours later than planned. All luggage arrived, skis were stored and the group boarded three water taxies for the short trip to Venice and a waiting hotel room. Arrival time: about midnight.

Day 2 Saturday: What a glorious day to tour Venice; sunny, light wind and cool weather. Planning for the trip we were prepared for the worst (rain, wind and hill) so were delighted to be greeted with relatively balmy March weather.


It was an open day for the travelers; i.e. everyone was on their own. Some did a tour in the am while others employed a guide in the pm. Mostly people just wandered. Venice is a wonderful place for wandering as long as you have the name of your hotel in your pocket. You can easily get lost but, if you look for the landmarks, like Plaza San Marco or the Rialto Bridge, you can find your way back from whence you came.

A Guided Venice Tour

Report for the day are good and no one is lost as of this date.

Day 3 Sunday: Everyone is together at last. The Venice group wrapped up their touring and boarded a 12:45 water taxi back to the airport. The only mishap reported was Bob McDonald's mogel run down the stairs at the hotel. He caught his foot on a loose carpet and rode the carpet down about four stairs ending up on his back at the bottom. We will see how he feels Monday AM.

At the airport we met the other 8 independent traveler and waited a short time for the Seattle group of 15. All people and luggage arrived on time; a good start!

The bus ride was longer than anticipated due to snow on the primary route. It took almost five hours to make the Corvara run with a single pit stop at a very surprised but welcoming bar/rest room on the way. The McDonald's were kind enough to purchase an ample supply of local wine to share on the bus. Bob and Jim Smersh managed to pour for all wished to imbibe and (to the best of my knowledge) spilled nary a drop.

The snow falls and the group anticipation builds.

Corvara Italy, One of Our Favorites

It would be hard to pick a favorite European ski destination. If you like furs, fashion and flash then Cortina, St Moritz or Zermatt might have some appeal. But if you are up for friendly people, fabulous food and scenery to die for, Corvara Italy, on the Sella Ronda, is hard to beat. It’s one of our favorite resorts.
Corvara, the village, is no head turner. It has everything you need, however; shops, bars and hotels. There are other villages on the Sella Ronda; Arabba (too small), Val Gardena (too big) and others you just pass through and whose names I don’t recall. Covara is just right.

The Posta Zirm Hotel, our base, is family owned, well located and very friendly. Oh, and the food is good.


The Horse Drawn Rope Tow



As for the skiing, each day you can pick a new adventure.

1. Bus to Passo Di Falzarego and take half the day to ski down and back to the Sella Ronda loop. The run even includes a horse drawn sleigh as a rope tow across a flat area at the bottom.

2. Circumnavigate the Sella Rona clockwise.

3. Circumnavigate the Sella Rona “anti-clockwise.” You would think it wouldn’t matter which way you went but each direction involves different runs, lifts and, if you choose, restaurants. (Did I mention the food on the hill?)

4. Ski over to nearby San Cassiano, a decent ski area all by itself.

5. Ski over to Arabba, another nearby village.

The choices and combination of choices mean you can ski new slopes each day or go back to any favorite you discovered the day before.



Weather and schedule permitting night skiing is an option. You take a chair ride to a slope side restaurant for dinner and entertainment followed by a snow cat ride or ski down. Just another adventure! (If interested in the ski down pack a headlamp. The slope is unlit.) 

A Word About the Ski Down: In 2004 I decided to ski down and joined the “hot dog” group.Big mistake. I tightened my boots, looked around and found myself alone on the mountain. Never trust the “weasels.” Fortunately for me I was able to hear them whooping and hollering down slope and just skied to the sound of the laughter.

So, stop number one on the 2011 trip, Corvara, Italy, should meet the expectation of even the most discriminating traveler.

War Comes to the Dolomites?

In 2000, after enjoying lunch in the sun at the Sella Ronda resort of Arabba, I wandered into a nearby mountain top building marked as a war museum. Though the captions were in Italian I deduced that the area had been the scene of heavy fighting during World War I, nearly 100 years ago.

Curiosity led me to read more about the area when I returned home.

The Dolomites, on the border with Austria, have been fought over for centuries. During World War I, when Italy and Austria were adversaries, the border moved several times. The small Arabba museum told some of that story. Soldiers spent summer and winter months perched in caves and bunkers on the hillsides, defending the few passes through the mountains. It was not a great place to be.

Other evidence of war can be found at the top of the nearby Passo Di Falzarego (which is also a wonderful place to ski). A number of mountainside caves and bunkers have been restored and are available to tour. Wear your ski helmet. Space it tight and head bangs are guaranteed.

Interested in learning more about wartime life in the Dolomites? There is a wonderful novel by Mark Helprin, A Soldier of the Great War, that I can highly recommend. It is more than a war story and a good read.

Over the Counter Drugs: Pack’em if You’ve Got’em

You might assume that Italy and France; first world nations with all the comforts of the good old U. S. of A, would have all the consumer goods we might want on our trip? Yes and no. In almost every instance, you can find what you are looking for or a reasonable substitute in a local market. But with over the counter drugs, maybe not. 

On early SM Euro trips it wasn’t a big issue. Ron Lyle, a professional pharmacist, seemed to have pills for every malady tucked in his luggage. I’m not sure how he did it and never asked questions. But he could treat and cure most conditions from the depths of his boot bag.

Last trip to Switzerland I was shopping for basic cold medications and came up empty. The ladies in the white uniforms at the local pharmacy couldn’t come up with NyQuil, my favorite nighttime cold medication, or anything else that was familiar. Perhaps they don’t allow the sale of cold remedies that we take for granted. I don’t know. Now, they didn’t leave me without treatment. I explained my condition, in my best fractured French or German, after which she went behind the counter and came back with some small white pills that were supposed to do the job. They didn’t and, since I couldn’t read a word on the box, I wasn’t sure what they were intended for so tossed them when I returned home.

I don’t recall what is on the pharmacy shelves in Italy and France. It’s just that they might not have the ones you are comfortable with and you can’t read the box to make a reasoned selection. They may have meds for any condition you might have. But if you have a favorite, that you are comfortable with, why not take along a few pills from home to avoid the confusion and increase your peace of mind.

As an aside, some experts suggest you keep pills in the original packaging so there is no confusion at customs as to what the pills are for. We don’t want anyone busted on drug charges.
Read more on the topic at Martha’s Travel Blog

The Sella Ronda & Courchevel; Destinations for 2011

The 2011 trip will take the SM Euro travelers to two of the best ski areas in Europe. Let's look at each of them.

Sella Ronda and Corvara:
The following is an excerpt from the Sella Ronda web site:

Joining the skiing circuit is easy: just follow the roads that take you to one of the four villages around the Sella mountain. The length of the circuit, including both, ski lifts and ski runs, is a little less than 40 km and it is an easy route to ski along.

But, because it is high up in the mountains, you need to check the weather forecast in order to avoid running into snowfalls or high winds which can turn what is supposed to be an enjoyable day out into an unpleasant and risky enterprise, with the danger of getting stranded. Any skier interested in doing the Sella Ronda must be fit, even if the runs themselves are of middling difficulty rather than advanced.

The time spent on ski lifts is about two hours altogether, without counting the time spent queuing for them or having a break in one of the many refuges dotted along the circuit.

To learn more, visit this Web Site. It is full of information for the traveler.

Double Click the Photo to Enlarge

Courchevel

Courchevel is a part of Les Trois Vallees (which means the three valleys to those of us from Ballard.) Resorts at Courchevel, Meribel and Val Thorens inconnect and offer a huge range of ski options.

SM Euro stayed in Val Thorens in 1998 and some of us made it to Corchevel during our time there. My only recollection was that Val Thorens was a modern town with good skiing and little charm. Corchevel, on the other hand had much more of the charm and old world quality some look for on a European trip.

Fellow traveller, Ed Meyer, was kind to do some research and uncovered a wonderful site on Courchevel that should answer all your questions. Click here for Ed's site.

It won't be long new before we climb onto the big German bird for the trip to Frankfurt!

Ski Weather Watch: Que Sera Sera

As the departure day for the 2011 trip approaches there is a temptation to check the ski resort weather and snow depths on a regular basis. My advice; don’t.

Why? Doris Day said it best. Que sera sera, whatever will be will be.



Blizzard Alpe d'Huez 2009



It may snow and it may not and there is nothing we can do about it. We may get a chest high dump of snow so pack warm and bring your powder cords. Or we may have two weeks of blue sky and old snow. Be prepared for some fun spring skiing.



One bit of advice for the Venice pre trip travelers; bring warm clothes. We have been there twice in March and, though we had blue skies on occasion, it was cold. Remember, it’s March, Venice is on the sea and the breeze is a regular factor. Think Seattle weather in March. (A small umbrella might be appreciated as well.)

Regardless of the snow depth we will most likely have a wonderful time. The resorts are masters at stretching whatever snow they have into a white carpet thick enough to ski on and the hillside food, whether we eat out of the wind inside or on a sundrenched outside deck, it’s Europe. Enjoy it!

Claudeen's Excellent Italian Adventure

The 1996 San Cassiano Sleep Over


Today, Claudeen Lyle owns and operates Ski Masters European Trips and her mother, Lenore Lyle, sometimes comes along as a guest. In 1996 the roles were reversed. When the ski group headed for Cortina Italy, Lenore was the leader and daughter Claudeen was a guest. Keeping track of Claudeen on that trip may be one of the reasons Lenore now has such silver hair.

Lenore had a reputation for running a “tight ship.” She took responsibility for her guests and did not rest well until they were all accounted for whether it was on the plane, a bus or tucked into bed at the hotel. So one evening when Claudeen called Lenore to report that she, and the three other guests who foolishly followed her, were stuck in a small mountain village, one can only imagine the gist of the conversation. But I’m getting ahead of the story.

Those who’ve made one of the seven SME trips to the Italian Dolomites know that the highlight of the area is a trip around the Sella Ronda. The “Sella” is a giant butte that is ringed, at its base, by a series of small towns (Selva di, Val Gardena, Corvara, Canazei, Arabba) which, in turn, are linked together by an integrated lift system. The trip around covers about 25 miles and can be taken either clockwise or, as they say, anti-clockwise. To do the skiing, the views and the food justice the trips can easily take an entire day.

That was root of the problem. Claudeen, and her seven loyal followers, didn’t begin their circuit until noon.

The plan for the day was straight forward. A bus would pick up the skiers at their Cortina hotel and transport them about 18 miles to the top of a breathtaking pass, the 7000 foot Passo Di Falzarego. From there the skiers would board the tram to the top of the peak and begin an 11 mile journey down a magical valley to the small town of San Cassiano. While San Cassiano was not on the Sella Ronda, the lift network there connected to the Sella and the skiers would be free to explore parts of the Sella, returning to San Cassiano for a late afternoon bus pickup and ride back to Cortina.

Foolishly, as it turned out, my wife Kathy and I joined Claudeen, David, Marsha Hines, Sharon Harker, Tom McGrath and a fourth male (whose name I’ve forgotten) for the race down the mountain from Passo Di Falzarego. When we reached the Sella two decisions had to be made. Do we go left or right and, most importantly, do we try for the entire circuit even though it was well past noon. We chose left, or clockwise, and those familiar with Claudeen’s sense of adventure can guess the answer to the second question.

Soon we were flying across slopes and whisking through lift lines in our attempt to make the full circuit. There was no sympathy for laggards and, as one of the slowest in the group, I was confident I would be left behind if I faltered. A single potty break was allowed. We grabbed a quick snack at an outdoor bar and maintained our breakneck pace.

The uncontrollable element was the lift lines. They were long and slow. The current area guide indicates the lift rides take two hours, not including time in lines. In 1996 they took even longer as many of the high speed lifts hadn’t been installed. I can still recall the old single chair that took us at a painfully slow pace from the town of Val Gardena.

In the end, we failed. We coasted back into San Cassiano as they were shutting down the mountain, a full half hour after the bus had departed. I thought we had a problem. But for Claudeen it was just the start of another adventure. The group plan for the next day had included a bus from Cortina straight to Arabba, on the Sella, so that everyone would be able to spend the entire day going around the Sella Ronda.

“Why go back to Cortina,” Claudeen asked? “Why not just stay in San Cassiano and meet the group when they return tomorrow?”

The desire for clean clothes and fear of the tour director drew four of us onto a $60 taxi ride back to Cortina where we were greeted like long lost explorers.

Claudine, David, Marsha and Sharon elected to stay at a local pension and thus began part two of the days great adventure.

The good news was that there was a small restaurant at the pension and they didn’t seem to mind serving dinner to four Americans in long underwear and stocking feet. The bad news was that they didn’t accept credit cards forcing the intrepid travelers to pool their meager cash hoard, stretching it through cocktail hour, dinner, lodging and breakfast.

As a famous writer once said,” all’s well that ends well.”

The next day the “lost” skiers were reunited with the main body of tour and everyone successfully made the trek around the Sella Ronda.

No record exists of the discussion that Lenore, the trip leader, had with her errant daughter. We can only speculate. But we suspect that even Lenore would have to smile, knowing where Claudeen got her sense of adventure.

To paraphrase another unnamed writer, the nut doesn’t fall far from the tree.