Ski holiday 2010,

I am delighted to inform you that Dubai Ski Club and Snowsports are making another trip to Zürs. We are limited to only 20 adults, so it will be first come first served. To reserve space click here

Date 9th-16th of Jan. It will be like this year - full speed and great après ski, as a new feature there will be video recording for training purpose and off piste skiing if the snow permits. If you just want to chill out you are also welcome to join as we have a “Cupertino Team” with another Ski Club where you also will have a guide at your disposal. 

Awesome conditions.   Brand new skis.  Superb Austrian hospitality.

Why wouldn’t you want to come on the Dubai Ski Club trip to Zurs?

With near perfect snow and brilliant weather our first day proceeded to be the most breathtaking discovery of the Arlberg mountain range.  Wolfgang 1, our ski guide and expert instructor, knew the slopes like the back of his hand and we followed him in total confidence down challenging runs and sped along schuss’s to reach an amazing panoramic restaurant for our first well deserved lunch.  The afternoon was demanding but fantastic.  We skied our socks off and finally headed back down stopping at a traditional Austrian hut on the last run home for some cheer with fellow skiers. A 10am start and 4pm finish saw even the fittest of the group gasping for breath with sheer exhilaration from an amazing day’s ski.

The family run hotel was charming and comfortable with excellent service and gourmet food that gave any of the 5 star’s in Dubai a run for their money.  Packed full of enthusiastic skiers of different nationalities, the Dubai Ski Club of course proved to be the main event.  Our crew consisted of:

Mike and Alison

Lars “ El Presidente” Ipland

Andreas “ the terminator “ Teufl

Wolfgang 1 our ski guide

Wolfgang 2 our après ski guide

Myles “ the finger “ rebel and wannabe snowboarder

Ski chicks Claire and Andrea

Abid the Canadian racer

Late comer but totally unforgettable Mr Louis Moser

Solo the dog

Guest appearances from Mats and Bara Furskog

Movie Stars for a day

Such was the notoriety of Dubai Ski Club it came as no surprise half way through the week that a local TV station wanted to shoot a short movie about us.  Armed with a camera crew and strict instructions to ski in formation, which were largely ignored, we took to the challenge with Mr Lars Clooney starring heavily in every action shot.  Like kamakazis we tried to beat the time of Olympic gold medalist Patrick Ortlieb at the speed check schuss in Lech and narrowly missed....but it made for great footage anyway.

One to one interviews later that night had Finger on form showing the better side of his personality and pecs, the cameraman in uncontrollable fits of laughter on the floor.

Clearly the show biz events of the previous evening proved too much for 1 team member who did not surface until late afternoon the next day whilst the rest of us took to the slopes.

The only overcast day of the entire week, flat light and poor visibility did not deter us.  Wolfgang 1 expertly guided us around Zurs and Lech down challenging runs with ease and confidence that kept the group eager for more.  A brief stop at the FROZEN BAR, at 1800m schelegekopt mountain station had us itching for refreshments.  This amazing James Bond style igloo of pure ice embedded with Swarovski crystals and bear skin rugs had everyone positively purrrrrrrrrrrring for a cold drink and chill out. 

We skied and skied until we could see no more then retired for a top class shopping experience at STROLZ, in Lech, the Harvey Nichols of the Austrian Alps complete with bubbly bar for the discerning shopper.  3 hours later and 5 bottles emptier the girls emerged victorious with bags of ski bunny gear….the guys didn’t seem too bothered that Apres had started earlier than normal.   Back to the hotel for yet another amazing 5 course gourmet meal followed by a stealth mission to a popular bar to reclaim some lost belongings of the night before.

Fresh Snow!

The next day cleared beautifully to blue skies and sunshine, fresh snow christened every slope and made ski-ing an absolute blast.  We skied hard and fast taking advantage of the empty slopes and non-existent lift queues.  Zurs, Lech and Oberlech was the order of the day with a brief stop for lunch at a mountain hut with amazing panoramic views across the Alberg range.  Funny how a black run can seem so much steeper in clear conditions but as our President advised “whenever I feel scared I just shut my eyes and keep going”. 

Stuben, St Christoph and St Anton

Next day the intrepid crew boarded the ski bus with our trusted guide Wolfgang 1 and headed to the “ dark side “ for the day.  The short bus ride dropped us at Stuben where we picked up a well planned lift system and skied our way around and through Stuben, St Christoph and finally St Anton.  More tree line but also more people, having been thoroughly spoilt in Lech/Zurs we forgot that others wanted to share our slopes!  Our final mission of the day to give our selves a taste of Apres-ski St Anton style in the Krazy Kangaroo and  Moosvich.  Our efforts were not wasted.  Fellow Dubai Ski Club members Mats and Bara met with us to make our mark and we danced the night away “ dig-a-dang-dig-a-dang-woo-hoo”.  So much so that Wolfie decided against us ski-ing back and ordered 2 taxis to transport us back to Hotel Ulli.

Race training and Local Austrian Cheer!

What do I want?  I want race training!  So we hit the gates Dubai style for a few descents to improve our technique for the next world cup.  Ski, ski and more ski.  Wolfie guided us here and there never short of great runs to show us or mountain retreats to rest at.  We really took to the spirit of Austria with a long and relaxing tasting session in the cellar of a restaurant followed by a ski down to Lech by moonlight.

Every day was as different as the next in ski area, mountain restaurant and night time entertainment.  Bodies may have been tired but spirits were high and not one injury in sight.  Our final day’s skiing was as brilliant as the first.  The conditions held well as did the weather and we skied as aggressively as we were able.  Under recommendation from Andreas that we were to attend a superb traditional Austrian event at the Hotel Flexon for our last night of Apres, we finally hung up our skis and our muscles breathed a sigh of relief, and after 30,000 metres of vertical descent you can’t blame them. 

What at first seemed to be a fairly tame local bar exploded suddenly into a pulsating mass of song and dance Austrian style.  Louis demonstrated his remarkable ability to serve drinks in an alternative manner from the table top and spun Claire around the floor with some dance moves unknown to most in these parts.  We sang without knowing the words and laughed without knowing why!  And waved a fond farewell to our good friend Wolfgang 2.

Written by the English team captain, Clair Hunt.