16/02/08

Hello all,

This season looks as if it may well be one of the best on record, for Europe at least. We hit the slopes a couple of weeks' ago and had a great time, we'll let you have the details later.

On 10/01/08 we asked the question "Where can skibikes be hired?" This year we found the answer; well in Saalbach/Hinterglemm we did. Yes it's official - 2 ski rental shops in Saalbach have Stalmach Snow Horse skibikes for rental at 25 Euros per day including footskis, or 33 Euros if you need boots as well. The ski shops in question have the skibikes on display outside for all to see.

www.snowacademy.com

www.sporthagleitner.com

Should you happen to be staying at the Glemmtalerhof Hotel in Hinterglemm, then things are even better, they have 5 Brenter CM's available for the use of hotel guests (possibly with a rental fee), you have to provide your own boots though.

And so to the competition! Want to be a 'Goat Person' but cannot make the trip to Hinterglemm for the hat? Then we are here to help. We have 2 Goatstall baseball caps to give away, one for the funniest picture sent to us, and one for the prettiest picture sent to us - must have a winter sport theme. So get clicking and send those pictures in, the closing date is: 30th April 2008, PS: The Goatstall has been voted best apres ski venue in Europe for the last few years we believe.

Gail & Mervyn.

10/01/08

Hello all,

The current season is now well underway, and we are looking forward to hitting the slopes in a few weeks' time ourselves, we'll let you know how we got on.

Every season we get emails asking where skibiking is allowed and even more importantly, where skibikes can be rented!

The first part of this question is fairly easy as a trip to your chosen venue's website will usually get you an answer: the second part is a different story however. For example:

John wants to hire a skibike for a forthcoming winter sports holiday, we have the Tony Marsh special, unfortunately John lives in the USA and will be visiting Austria. We however live in the UK so the logistics, let alone the cost make that a non-starter, and how would we get the skibike back to the UK? Finding a resort with skibike rental is an even bigger challenge, so what's the answer? We want to promote our sport! but would you consider buying a car without at least a test drive? We think not.

We ask all skibike manufacturers is it not possible to produce a basic skibike, one with no suspension or frills at a price which would allow ski rental shops to stock a couple - knowing that at the end of a couple of seasons if the skibikes were worn out they had at least made a reasonable profit? Surely that would do more to promote our sport than anything else? I'm not asking skibike manufacturers to lose money promoting our sport, but surely there must be a way of getting more backsides on skibikes.

Gail & Mervyn.

08/12/07

Hello

Looking for something a little different to slide down the mountain on? Then head over to the the Ktrak web-site, a link can be found in the Canadian section of our Links page.

Regards Gail & Mervyn.

18/11/07

Hi all,

Once again the new ski season is upon us, with the mens and womens giant slalom taking place last week on the glacier in Solden Austria. The snow is early this year with some resorts able to open the lifts as early as 10th November. Our favourite resort Saalbach/Hinterglemm opens today with 135cm snow on the upper slopes and 55cm on the lower slopes so its a good start to the season for Austria at least.

Once again UK's Nick Fellows is covering the world cup skiing events for channel 4 at 7:55 on Sunday mornings which can also be seen one hour later on channel 13 aptly called channel 4+1

Again a quick reminder that any pictures news or points of view you would like us to include are most welcome and should be sent to the email address below or skibikers@hotmail.com

Wishing you all a safe and enjoyable skibike season.

Regards Gail & Mervyn.

 

04/11/07

 

Hi all,

Ever thought of skiing in Italy? We did many years ago and we had wonderful time, the only problem in those days was getting there, not any more take a look at Skiing Italy in our links page.

Regards Gail & Mervyn.

 

16/12/06

Hi all,

Welcome to our new Blog site, http://skibikers.blogspot.com click the link and air your views on any topic posted there. We do however reserve the right to edit or sensor material of an unsuitable nature. That said, we welcome your views on any aspect of winter sports whether it be controversial or not, and when we are happy with the running of the site we may well allow skibikers to add their own posts.

Which brings us to the point where we have a decision to make. When its possible to have a page like our Blog page, where enthusiasts can read its contents and reply to posts at a mouse click, and when information can be posted quickly and easily, is it not time to move on and cease the News & Views page in our web-site. Your thoughts would be much appreciated.

Regards Gail & Mervyn.

11/11/06

The Ski Club of Great Britain has just launched the UK’s first Internet TV channel dedicated to snowsports - SkiTV.co.uk. Subscribers can view ski and snowboard movies on their personal computers or laptops 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The content is updated every Monday and is divided into several categories to allow the user to pick and choose the videos that they are interested in.
Interested? Subscribe for as little as £10 a year! Or join the Ski Club and view all footage for FREE!

14/05/06

Kongdoori, India

Indian Kashmir, which has been battling a 15-year-old insurgency by Islamic rebels, is hoping to entice skiers and adventure tourists from around the world with the world's highest gondola ski lift. The ropeway stretching 2.5km (1.4 miles) will connect the bowl-shaped Kongdoori Valley with the 4,390m (2.5 mile) high Afarwat peak.
It is the world's highest cable car using gondolas and the only one in the world that takes skiers to a height of 4,390m. It is hoped it will attract skiers as well as trekkers and adventurers to the picturesque Himalayan state.
French and Indian engineers worked in huge drifts of snow to erect towers and lay cables in the area that lies close to the Line of Control, the heavily militarized de facto border that divides Kashmir between rivals India and Pakistan. The two countries have been observing a ceasefire since Nov. 26, 2003.
Authorities are convinced skiers and tourists will be more than willing to pay the 150-rupee fee for a round trip on the Afarwat cable car.
It is hoped not only skiers but other tourists will come," Mohammed Dar, a state government official in charge of skiing in the area who is also region's leading ski instructor.
Dar has visited ski destinations around the world and claims slopes at Kongdoori are "beyond a skier's imagination."
And then there is the price advantage in a sport that is often considered an expensive hobby.
"Ours is the cheapest ski destination," said Dar. "For 1,000 rupees a skier can have equipment, a gondola ride and accommodation for a day."
Until now skiers on Afarwat, which has ski-able slopes from January until the end of April, had to be dropped by helicopter -- an expensive option.
Dar said Afarwat was likely to draw enthusiasts of other winter sports such as snow boarding.
The area has hosted an international cross-country ski competition, which aimed at sending the message that the region could hold top ski events.
More than 700,000 tourists visited Kashmir annually before the insurgency began in 1989, causing the number to nose-dive to a trickle within a year.
Tourist arrivals have picked up amid peace moves between Pakistan and India, with more than 370,000 tourists visiting Kashmir in 2004.

www.jammu-kashmir.com

20/04/06

Hello,

Now here's an interesting idea! We think that we all may have all had this feeling at some point in our quest to go ever faster down the piste, but this idea may be the answer to our prayers, and it sure made us laugh. We do not know who the owner is but if he or she would e-mail us with some details we will give them a mention.

Gail & Mervyn.

27/03/06

Hello to you all,

We feel a change to our web-site is now due, so we have started by replacing the Guest Pictures page with a Nostalgia page. This section is open to all nationalities including our friends "across the big pond", all we ask is that your input be reflections of days gone by, and be relevant to our sport of skibiking.

Gail & Mervyn.

25/03/06

Is it my age or have the temperatures in the Alps got a little cooler these last few years? Winter sports activities can provide some of the most hostile environments the human body is ever likely to encounter and an air temperature of just zero centigrade in a wind of approximately 25mph will produce a wind-chill factor in the region of minus 16c - it is also thought that the human body can lose up to a third of it's heat through the head. There are a variety of hats to be purchased in the ski shops and indeed the current European rage is for funny or unusual styles, but what about your chin and neck, they too can get rather cold? A particularly cold day last season resulted in me going to my local doctor suffering from frost burn on my chin which was rather painful and taught me to keep them both covered well. The knitted neck bands to be found in the ski shops are great for dry cold conditions but can get wet and uncomfortable in blizzard conditions. Enter the "Oxford Neck Tube", primarily designed for motor-cycle use, it is lightweight, water and wind-proof and has a thin fleecy lining for comfort (and it is unisex.) I have been trialling one that Gail bought me and have found that I can travel some 15 miles on my scooter at speeds of 55mph and in minus 5c conditions without feeling the chill, at a cost of £9.99 the Oxford neck Tube is good value, the water-proofing works well too and I'm looking forward to using it on the alpine slopes next season.

Regards.

Mervyn.

18/03/06

Probably the best winter sports resort bible to be had in the UK is our favourite book "Where to Ski & Snowboard", It contains a wealth of information covering over 1000 resorts, and at a cost of just £17.00 we think it is value for money. If however you do not have the inclination to read the printed matter preferring to go online, then check out their new web-site - you will find a link to it in our "links" page.

Regards.

Gail & Mervyn.

03/03/06

Hello Mervyn,

I hope you had a great time in Austria, how was your holiday, did you have any problems?

Stuart.

Hi Stuart,

We had a great time. I have to admit that on the first morning I had some trepidation about going up the mountain and in view of the circumstances it's not surprising really, but everything went well in the end. I had decided to leave the Tony Marsh special at home "due to it's weight" and use the spare Brenter Downhill Snowbike we have, even so I found the first run rather daunting so I decided to take things nice and easy and not over do it, I finished skibiking early afternoon, I was expecting an enforced day off the next day but it was not to be, yes I did have aches and pains from the previous day but I get them every year I go, due to the lack of preparation on my part. However I did find the cold weather more noticeable this year but I've been advised this can be a symptom of the medication I'm currently on, and it has to be said the weather was a bit indifferent this year. So there you go all I've said over the years is true, you can skibike after illness and if you do not believe me then ask Henry Wuga and his team at "Blesma".

Many thanks & best regards.

Mervyn.

Ps: Keep a look-out for this seasons new pictures in our gallery page, we hope to start adding them in the coming weeks.

 

18/02/06

If ever you find yourself in Saalbach/Hinterglemm and looking for a skibike friendly Taxi service, then look no further. We have used Taxi 6620 many times over the years and find their staff most friendly, helpful and obliging, they can be contacted in the resort on Tel. 6620, or www.taxi6620.at / saalbach@taxi6620.at

Gail & Mervyn.

16/02/06

Microsoft Power Point Presentation

So what do you think of this?

Next you will be telling us you can sunbathe in bikinis on the sunny winter slopes of the Alps!

Regards to you all.

Gail & Mervyn.

26/01/06

Hi! How are you?

My name is Marie-Michele Tremblay-Lavoie and I would like to have information about your product skibikers. I would like to buy four skibikers and I would have some questions to pose to you. This project is important for me and I would like to make known your product in my area in Quebec.

Firstly, what is the true name of your product? What is the unit price? Is the price different for four?

Then, I would like to know the co-ordinates of the supplier, his electronic address to if required join it. Are There suppliers in Canada?

Finally, I would like to know if this sport requires particular equipment?

Please, write to me as soon as possible. Thank you to attach importance to me.
Marie-Michele.

Hello Marie-Michele,

Many thanks for your E-mail and interest in skibiking.

We are fine and looking forward to our forthcoming trip to the slopes of Saalbach/Hinterglemm (Austria.)

We do not actually manufacture skibikes although we have experimentally done so in the past. Our web-site serves to promote the sport we are so fond of rather than the actual manufacture of skibikes - we leave their production to those better equipped than ourselves. Skibike manufacturers can be found in the Links page of our web-site but we have included them here for your convenience.

http://www.snowbike.com/ (Austria)
http://www.stalmach.com/ (Austria)
http://www.m-flachsmann.ch/ (Switzerland)
http://www.koskisnowsports.com/ (America)
http://www.winterxbike.com/ (America)

We are unsure if any of the companies listed have agents in Canada, but we feel sure they would be able to deliver, they may even be looking for agents in your part of the world. We suggest you contact the companies direct.

Skibikes used to be called ski-bobs in the past, but the name has now been replaced by Skibike, Snowbike or Sno-bike, but they are all one and the same.

No special equipment is required for skibiking, a regular ski suit plus ski boots, hat, gloves & sun glasses/goggles and short foot-skis are all you need.

Further information can also be found in the Hints & Tips page of our web-site. We hope this is of help to you but if you require further information please do not hesitate to contact us again.

Best wishes,

Mervyn.

17/01/06

Hello Mervyn,

I heard about your recent illness and was wondering if you are still going ahead with your trip to Austria, and if so how will your ski insurance be affected. All the best for a speedy recovery.

Best wishes.

Stuart.

Hi Stuart,

I suppose before answering your question I had better bring other readers up to date on my escapades.

This September gone 2005 Gail and I went to Lake Garda in Italy for our annual summer break. Unfortunately on the very first morning of our holiday I started experiencing health problems, and what should have been 2 weeks relaxing in the Italian sun, turned into 3 weeks in an Italian hospital undergoing heart by-pass surgery, not exactly what I had in mind but there you go, such is life!

In answer to your question:

I'm unsure if this applies to all insurance companies but the company I'm with honors any policy taken out if the beneficiary of the policy was unaware of potential health problems at the time of booking the insurance, as I say this may not be the case with all insurance companies so please check out your own policy, either way you must advise your insurance company of any changes in your circumstances.

There may well be hurdles for me to cross in the 2007 winter season, but yes I will be hitting the slopes on Feb. 4th, probably not as energetically us normal though.

Interestingly though the Italian's were not interested in my holiday insurance, all they wanted was a copy of my E111, which by chance I had forgotten to bring with me from the UK. My ever resourceful wife Gail came to the rescue though, and by using a local Internet Cafe was able to secure a copy from the Department of Health in the UK, so be aware all you Brits, never travel in Europe without your E111. You can get the application form from your local Post Office, or register online. www.dh.gov.uk

I would at this point like to express my sincere gratitude to the Italian doctors and nurses for their caring, and treatment by them.

Best regards to you, and to them,

Mervyn.

29/12/05

Looking for a new skibike bag, (or a custom-made bag)? Then check out Gardner of Wakefield at www.bags4everything.co.uk/ . The company produces a wide range of bags to suit your personal requirements using a variety of materials ranging from light weight canvas to heavy duty coated materials, all at competative prices. Their website can be found in the British section of our links page. We've just ordered a custom-made bag for one of our bikes, when we receive it we'll update you.

Our new skibike bag was ready for collection 4 working days after we placed the order (see photograph). The quality of the material and standard of manufacture seem to be of a high quality, though only time will tell if this is the case. Prices are variable and dependent on individual sizes, material used and specification. Ours cost £40 for the heavy duty coated material; we think its a small price to pay for keeping your pride and joy safe and in one piece during transit to the slopes.

Regards.

Gail & Mervyn.

01/12/05

Hi there

I am going to Sestriere for my thirtieth birthday and booked with the express interest in doing snowbiking however I am having great difficulty finding out whether it is offered in that resort , if you could help in any way it would be much appreciated.

Yours sincerely

Russell Stuart

Hello Russell,

Our only experience of skibiking in Italy was a long time ago in Cervinia, so we thought it best to get in touch with the resort direct for the current situation on the use of skibikes, we will let you know the outcome in due course.

In the meantime if any readers have first hand experience of this resort please contact us at the email address listed at the bottom of the page and we will pass your information on.

Best regards.
Gail & Mervyn.

28/02/05

Those of you who have visited Hinterglemm in years gone by may well remember a little bar on the left just at the end of the Reiterkogel run. It was a small bar serving beer and simple food, but its main attraction was the small herd of goats it kept in the back. The goats had a glass screen that separated them from human contact but allowed people to view their antics in the stalls. Things have changed somewhat in recent years and the "Goat Stall" as it is now known is the place to be between 15:30-19:30 for the best apres-ski party in Hinterglemm. Visit their website at: www.goasstall.com

Gail & Mervyn.

02/02/05

During the first week of our recent excursion to the slopes, the weather turned and we got a snow dump of a metre or so in the space of 24 hours. We knew it could be a problem because the hotel staff put avalanche warning number 5 notices on all the breakfast tables (the avalanche scale only goes to 5 in Europe). They had so much snow, the locals had to start clearing it from the roofs of the hotels. The inevitable (avalanche) happened on the Tuesday night, a couple of miles down the road from Saalbach. The picture does not do the avalanche justice as its width was approximately 40 feet with a height of approx. 20 feet. It did bring down a lot of pine trees though (enough to build quite a few alpine chalets we thought.) It looked to have travelled in excess of a mile, but fortunately it happened late at night so only 2 vehicles were damaged and no one was hurt. It did however, take 48 hours to clear the road and Brian the Boarder was not very pleased as he had ordered some new snowboarding trousers from the snowboard shop and they were due for delivery the day of the avalanche - yes, you've guessed it. they were on the other side of the avalanche!

The second avalanche was on the west cliff in Hinterglemm and was caused by controlled detonation from a helicopter, unfortunately it dislodged more snow than was anticipated and what started as a controlled event quickly became out of control. We were biking on the piste on the other side of the valley (Reiterkogel) and got a bird's eye view of the event. We saw the helicopter hovering then heard 3 loud bangs, but nothing seemed to happen. Then the avalanche started and just kept on going, finally stopping 100 feet short of an apartment & hotel complex down by the road side. We were amazed at its speed and now understand the very real danger if caught by an avalanche - it happened so quickly that Brian the Boarder was the only one to catch it on film. I'll post his photo of it here when he sends me a copy (as with the first avalanche, no one was hurt but a further 100 feet and it may well have been a different story) - it just goes to show that even with modern technology and years of research and experience, the elements still have the upper hand.

Gail & Mervyn.

05/02/05

A quiet drink,

Gail, Sharon & myself had just stopped at middle station on the Zwolferkogel for a quiet lunch time drink when we saw a gentleman alight from an unsual looking machine, unable to resist the urge I went over to check it out, it would appear the machine is called a Snow-Scoot and was being ridden by George who had driven up from Salzburg for a days skiing with a friend, hope you made it to the bottom OK George.

Gail & Mervyn.

14/07/04

Hallo Skibikers!
Ich möchte einige Fotos meinen Produkten zeigen. Ich baue Skibobs für Freunde und Familie.
Der Gelbe ist im letzen Jahr mit Alu-Rohre Rahmen für Gewicht des Fahrers max.115 kg gebaut. Es war nach einem Total-crash. 15 Jahre alte Cr-Mo Rahmen ist im Schrott.
Der kleine unlakierte ist für meinen Sohn.
Tschüss.
Petr.

Hello Petr,

Nice looking skibikes, but we are not sure what materials you have used to make them. Are they made of steel or aluminium? Our first thoughts are that they are made of over-size aluminium as used in mountain bike production, but it is hard to decide from your photographs. The welding looks to be of a very high quality and we do like the cool material used for the seat, we have a similar material in the UK but cannot recall it's name. Do you not have a front suspension on the skibike or have you produced the ultimate front ski suspension?. Our understanding of Czechoslovakian is a bit limited but reading your e-mail leads us to believe you make skibikes for your friends and family, so maybe you have some pictures of your skibikes in action on the slopes that we can include in our Picture Gallery? Keep up the good work and enjoy.

Best regards.

Gail & Mervyn.

03/07/04

It's a small world or so they say!

On our recent trip abroad we had decided to take a look at one of our favourite ski regions to see what it looked like in the summer months, and very pretty it was indeed. We were based in Zell am See and realised we were but a short distance from what is reputed to be the highest mountain in eastern Europe and certainly the highest in Austria ( the Grossglockner 3.798m.) We thought it would be nice to drive the mountain pass which skirts the side of the mountain and take in the magnificent views to be had. Some 10 minutes into our ascent we rounded yet another hair- pin bend only to find ourselves behind an English car with a young man stuck out of the sun- roof holding a video camera. He waved and promptly started to video our car, it was then we spotted the BBC SPORT sticker in the back window. On arriving in the restaurant car park at the top of the pass we were greeted by the film crew who commented that we were a long way from home and asked our destination, it was then I asked one of the team if I knew him, for his face was familiar, but he did not reply. Off they went into the restaurant and we stayed to take some scenic pictures. A little later we met them again as they came out of the restaurant and Mervyn asked if he could take a picture of them with me for our web-site, for which they happily obliged. It was only when Mervyn asked them their names that the penny dropped, the cameraman was called Rob and the driver was Graham, yes you've guessed it, Graham Bell of the Bell brothers - Britain's former World Cup Skier and now the presenter of the BBC's winter sports programme SKI SUNDAY. Naturally I got an autograph which has pride of place in my treasure box and it goes without saying that skiing friends of mine are green with envy (not to mention a few none skiing ones!! (Girl stuff!!)

It would appear that the BBC are making a documentary for the run-up to the Olympics called "The Road To Athens" and Graham & Rob will be contributing to it. We wished them well on their journey from London to Athens and hope they enjoyed the alpine scenery as much as we did.

Talking of coincidence, the next day we were having lunch at the middle station on the Reiterkogel in Hinterglemm when we met Jocelyn and Gordon Mayne who we believe originally came from Yorkshire but now reside in Lancashire. They were last in Hinterglemm in 1972 when Gordon and his son skied and Jocelyn skibiked! Fancy that! It was nice meeting you both, we hope you enjoyed your alpine holiday and had a safe journey home.

Those of you who have skied the Saalbach/Hinterglemm Ski Circus will know the superbly long red run down the west in Hinterglemm which almost takes you right back to the village centre. Its a joy to ski on those sunny days but "Oh" the journey back to the top - 30 minutes on an old 2- seater chairlift which was long past it's sell by date and which seemed to take an eternity to reach the top. Not any more, the chairlift has gone and is currently being replaced with a new telecabine for the 2005 season, this means that all the major mountains in the Saalbach/Hinterglemm Ski Circus will now be serviced by telecabines of some sort. We congratulate Saalbach/Hinterglemm for the effort and expense it has put into it's lift system improvements in recent years, and we look forward to our stay in the Hotel Sonnblick Hinterglemm Jan/Feb 2005.

Regards to you all.

Gail & Mervyn.

12/03/04

Hi Merv old mate, long time no see.
Remember Hinterglemm ?, not half !!!!
John Bramms red face, and the loose elastic hanging from another lads goggles, getting psed in the (beer barrel) on snaps.
Seems a life time away, and is a lifetime away (25 years eh).
Where did you disapear to after the record bar?
I too have finally seen sense and thrown in the towel, re shops, and am just in the process of selling up, to disapear for ever to:
Wait for it.:
New zealand,
See pic.
We spent 6 weeks there to explore, and didn't want to come back.
Whats first on my list to take?
My 2 ski bobs.
Yep still got em, a lot rusty but still there, I still have a hankering to ski bob, so ski bob in Nz is for us if they let us., will this be a first or what?
If you go to Canada, Whistler is fantastic fantastic fantastic,the moguls are huge, and the snow like whipped cream, though We only skied and boarded there 3 new years ago.
The food was out of this world.
I'm pleased to hear you and your new partner Gail are bobbing together.
Diane has never seen us in action, is there a video out there somewhere I could have a copy of, it will be easier to show than describe the experience.
I need 2 pairs of foot skies, which I lent out and lost, and possibly later a new bob for my 3 year old Ryan, where from?
Now I hear you've been skibobbing I feel well sick, and wish I had kept in touch, both with you and Brett.
Drop us a line sometime,
Have another run on me.

Hi Chris,

Remember Hinterglemm! how could I forget, although I have to say some of our antics are a bit hazy, not sure if that's the passage of time or the quantity of alcohol we consumed at the time, sadly the Beer Barrel was pulled down years ago. By pure coincidence we are off back to Hinterglemm next season for two weeks. The lad with the dangley goggle strap was John Beaumont as to the year I'm not sure, my first year on a skibike was in 1977 so it must have been around 78/79? Glad to hear you still have the bikes after all these years although I cannot remember what type you have got. We still head for the slopes on a regular basis and only miss when the pressure of work dictates. Think I may have a couple of pairs of the old style Brenter foot-skis you can have if you're interested and if I can find them in the garage. Regarding children's skibikes, I think your best bet is probably Brenter or Stalmach though all the manufacturers web-sites can be found in our links page. I'll also have a look in our archives for any old footage we may have, let us have your new address just in case.

Our reasons for selling the record shop were purely economics and I went on to be the sound recordist/engineer in the other side of our business which produced fire prevention films, that side of the business is still on the go though I left in 1991 to pursue a career with BT Mobile (now called o2) and am still with them (I'm based in Leeds.)

Brett is now a commercial pilot with a well known tour operator and lives near Manchester airport where he does most of his flying from so we do not see much of him these days, who knows, you may find him flying the plane you are on one day, he does a lot of long haul. Don and Joan are still OK and moved to Spain a couple of years ago but do not like it very much and are currently selling up and moving back to the UK.
How are your family? Hope they are all fit and well, give my regards to your brother and sister.

(Chris is a founder member of what was the Yorkshire Ski-Bob Club).

Best wishes Chris on your new adventures,

Gail & Mervyn.

07/03/04

Hi all,

On our last excursion to the Alps we noticed a trend towards fast 4/6-seater chair lifts from middle station to top station; you know the ones we mean - they have a conveyer belt that you stand on which puts you in the correct position for takeoff so to speak and have a plexi- glass shield that is pulled down for protection from the elements and to give reassurance to the faint- hearted who cannot stand heights (we really cannot understand how people can ski down a black run then complain about being 30 foot in the air on a chair lift.) These lifts look great, but how does one negotiate them with a skibike? On seeing a skibike the lift attendants in Saalbach/Hinterglemm wave to you as if to say "Come on, all is OK", but we keep bottling out. What happens when the Plexiglas comes down - do you drop the skibike, do you lose all the feeling in your legs, due to the pressure of the skibike - thus rendering you virtually incapable of getting off the dammed lift at the top with any form of dignity?

Can anyone help us with this from personal experience? If so get in touch (this problem is here to stay and we do need a way round the problem.)

Regards Gail & Mervyn.

06/03/04

Hello Gail and Mervyn.

I see from your fun pictures page that you will be going back to Saalbach Hinterglemm next season but you do not say where you went this season, did you make it out to Canada, if so how did it go.

Best wishes.

Dave.

Hello Dave,

Sadly we are unable to hit the slopes this year, there are various reasons why but none of them will we bore you with at this time.

We are still looking at Canada for the future but the costs "can" be more than the UK brochures lead you to believe. The prices quoted are usually (though not always) based on a number couples or persons sharing some form of accommodation be it an apartment or family room; our feelings are that while prices can be reasonable once there, its the getting there that can be expensive, and we do like some privacy from time to time, a commodity that is not always possible when the lounge has to double as a bedroom as can sometimes be the case, we still need to explore all the possibilities on offer, of course there are numerious alternatives and these we will explore over a wine or 'two' in Italy this September.

Granted we have booked early for next season, but we have secured 3 star hotel accommodation for 14 nights half board for £801 sterling per person which includes flights, transfers and skibike carriage. The lift pass for 14 days is around £175 sterling and covers 52 lifts with around 200 km of piste.

In view of the comments above you may well be wondering about funpix for 2003, sadly there will be none, unless you guys out there want to send a few in and thus broaden the spectrum. Failing that, I may well dig out the Tony Marsh special and do the strip down of the beast I proposed as a project last year "if this is of interest to anyone let me know", the time element for this project will not be a consideration anymore as I will be riding a revamped Brenter Downhill for the 2005 season (only problem is, I will have to get Gail to teach me how to ride it, back to school