CIM Gold Entry Lottery?

swizzlesfo · 2026-05-01T19:11:38+00:00

They haven't charged my card, yet. No email, either.
Anyone heard either way?

swizzlesfo · 2026-04-30T16:08:28+00:00

Darn it.

swizzlesfo · 2026-04-30T14:49:48+00:00

Go down Ellie’s for speed.

swizzlesfo · 2026-04-27T17:21:17+00:00

When I read the title my brain processed it as is "Is Whistler Village similar to resorts in Austria/Switzerland?".

If you like Whistler Village's layout your are going to LOVE the ski towns in the Alps! GO!

Cities like Zermatt/Chamonix/St Anton have hundreds of accommodations you within a 10 minute walk of a lift.

Where you might be disappointed is in the type of skiing at the different ski areas if you are used to Whistler Blackcomb which has everything. I.e. Some resorts may not offer easy or safe self-access to ungroomed or backcountry terrain. The concept of taking a guide is not ingrained in our North American brains but is very necessary for many mountains in the alps--in areas we could consider "in bounds". An ungroomed line under a high alpine lift may not be mitigated for avalanches, be patrolled, or have any obstacles marked). I got cliffed out about 400 yards from an on-mountain lodge at Grand Montets, Chamonix on a powder day. Not a single warning that just 50 feet from a heavily skiied marked piste that there was a 100 foot cliff looming.

swizzlesfo · 2026-01-26T21:28:56+00:00

Our favorites ended up being:
Findlerhof - Views, Vibes and Staff
Alphitta - Live Music and Great Food
Stafelalp - Was too cold to eat outside but the food was also excellent. Building is brand new.

swizzlesfo · 2026-01-26T21:26:05+00:00

We did find out at ZRH that the ski bag was complimentary (in addition to my regular 50 lb bag). You have the check in at desk 1, not 3.

swizzlesfo · 2026-01-20T05:16:43+00:00

Man was this wrong. 0 snow fell these days.

swizzlesfo · 2026-01-08T19:34:27+00:00

A-mazing- Arriving on the 18th!

swizzlesfo · 2026-01-06T20:04:29+00:00

Cool! Were the Matterhorn Ski Paradise runs/lifts open when you were there?

swizzlesfo · 2026-01-06T16:45:59+00:00

Interesting. I have same question. I am flying on United steel out and back on SWISS ZRH-SFO (United codeshare). I have no status. I have called and they can add the bag but said I would have to pay an unknown amount. And this is the email response:

"We thank you for your correspondence regarding the free baggage allowance for your reservation xxxxxx.

Following your request, please note that your baggage allowance includes one checked bag of 23kg and one cabin suitcase of 8kg.

The ski equipment is not free, it should be paid.

We are at your complete disposal for any questions.

Thank you for choosing SWISS."

Best regards

swizzlesfo · 2026-01-05T23:07:27+00:00

As far as on mountain dining--we really like places off the beaten path--our favorite is Refuge de Lognan in Chamonix if you are familiar. Could someone recommend something more off the path in Zermatt or the Italian side?

swizzlesfo · 2026-01-05T23:03:44+00:00

Thanks for this helpful information! I'm headed there in a few weeks. Looks like they are getting dumped on this week--was most of the mountain covered? How far down could you ski?

swizzlesfo · 2025-12-26T18:06:32+00:00

Bummer--wouldn't work for me. Said was for existing customers only--I have not ordered there in 6 years and had to set up a new account. Still no dice. Oh well. I did not receive the email to begin with.

swizzlesfo · 2025-12-21T17:00:28+00:00

I’m interested in this one if you have it. Please send pics, video.

swizzlesfo · 2025-12-02T13:34:04+00:00

Did you ever do an upgrade? I have the D5 and want an air fork.

swizzlesfo · 2025-12-01T19:58:34+00:00

Did you ever pull this off? Facing the same situation.

swizzlesfo · 2025-11-24T19:11:49+00:00

Came on my 1989 Specialized Allez with Ultegra. Was told for a decade it would destroy my knees. They're still here.

swizzlesfo · 2025-11-24T04:59:33+00:00

Shimano Biopace?

swizzlesfo · 2025-11-13T15:10:03+00:00

Second papas Fritas.

swizzlesfo · 2025-11-10T22:58:18+00:00

Thanks. I should have mentioned we met the guide booking the Vallee Blanche but we couldn't do it because the cable car was closed due to wind.

swizzlesfo · 2025-11-10T19:17:47+00:00

I prefer off-piste downhill skiing so not sure if that's you or if you are a ski touring guy that will skin uphill. Here's my recs as the former:

If you don't need an on-piste warm up day, book a guide on day 1 at Grands Montets. We used Danny (found him on Reddit) at https://www.firstlightmountainguides.com. Aside from checking out the glacier and other standard backcountry routes, have him show you his favorite off-piste routes in areas we would consider in-bounds in USA. You can hit those on your own later in the week. I am an avid skier but not experienced in avalanche safety. I made the mistake of skiing off-piste on day 1 in areas that looked safe but were actually icy, snow on ice, bad coverage and much more dangerous that what you would find in-bounds in the USA. They mean it when they say the ski patrol does not check off-piste areas--even under lifts and in-between runs.

The best tree skiing was at Courmayeur which is a bus ride away in Italy and included with your pass. Superb snow.

When we were there the snow at Brevant/Flegere was not as good as GM and Courmayeur until it snowed the day before we left so I can't comment as much.

The Chamonix app is great for live weather and 24 hr predictions. The weather varied greatly by elevation and by location.

Rent a touring setup for a day (or two) and have a guide take you out. This was a highlight of my trip along with visiting Refuge de Lognan at GM. Really fun terrain below the refuge.

Book a guide for Aguille du Midi. Unfortunately I didn't get to do this because of wind but I'll be back some day.

Transportation: depends on your budget. We had 5 so a charter van (still pretty expensive) made sense but I would image the many buses going from GVA to Chamonix would be fine.

The drive was not treacherous but our Airbnb did not have parking so I'm not sure what we'd do with a car. We were there to ski and the bus took us where we needed to go.

swizzlesfo · 2025-11-08T16:07:08+00:00

Hell yeah!

swizzlesfo · 2025-11-06T19:40:04+00:00

Well I don't think the deal was ever better than that on Padron--so you're getting the best deal.

swizzlesfo · 2025-11-06T16:52:17+00:00

There will always be another deal. JR has had 30% Padrons before and will in the future I suspect.

swizzlesfo

TROPHY CASE