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Just back from Leogang. Surprisingly good conditions given how warm it has been around the Alps. First impression: Saalfelden is a rather ugly medium sized town. Trails are fine enough. Hochfiltzen just up the road in the other direction from Leogang is much nicer, and a great trail network. There i...

Garmisch will work out fine, and there's more going on there than in Oberammergau. I would highly recommend getting the bus up there for the race rather than driving yourself. It's 30-40 minutes from the main train station, runs frequently, and you won't have to worry about parking. I think the race...

A bit of a late reply ... Seefeld is a good choice, especially if you're going posh. Oberammergau is a cool little village, but once you've done the König Ludwig Lauf you will have pretty seen all the trails. Nicest place I've stayed there is Hotel Wittelsbach. Best meal I've had is at Gastof zur Ro...

This is all great information. Unfortunately (and surprisingly) there are really only two stores in Seattle that sell Nordic equipment, one being REI (and over the years that's really eliminated the competition). And even the REI flagshio store does not carry much of a selection of classic skis or ...

Lots of good info here, some new places I can try out. Back to the original post, the disadvantage of Garmisch is that it is all completely flat, and it is at a pretty low altitude. The snow can really suffer. Oberammergau is a bit higher and the snow holds up better. It's also pretty flat, but the ...

Just got back from a long weekend in the Garmisch area. Trails around Oberammergau were decent on Friday. Lermoos, Austria was good on Saturday with heavy snow falling. Snow turned to torrential rain Saturday night, and by Sunday morning there had been considerable melt. No skiing Sunday; watched th...

Cheap and Switzerland are not normally words associated with one another (although you can do Engelberg cheaper than many other places in the country). Where you should go sort of depends on where you are coming from and what kind of skiing you are looking for. A large, well organised, well prepared...

There's not a ton of trails in Engelberg, but it's OK. At the valley level you can ski from the village for about 10 km up to the head of the valley. It has a slight incline, and you can easily get the free bus from either end. The trail is however not groomed that often due to the relatively low el...

I haven't been to Solden, but it has a reputation as a fairly down-market alpine resort with lots of wild apres ski. That doesn't make it bad, but it's a place that a lot of people go to ski who care more about partying than skiing. Having said that, I have no idea what the xc is like there. I don't...

Mine are also vertical in a bag. Can't see what harm it could do. Only point would be not to have them held together with a velcro strap. Imagine that could damage the camber over the course of the summer.

Simply put, Norwegian is Danish pronounced properly. I lived in Denmark for nearly 2 years, and I understand Norwegian better than I do Danish. NorwayNick, yes Norway would be perfect if only the beer were cheaper (I've paid €14 for a pint), but I have to say that Norway is producing the most intere...

Near Oslo? I'd reccomend Oslo. Serisouly. There is an extensive network on the hills above the city (Hollmenkollen) as well as many city parks around the city. You hop on the city's commuter train system with your skis and head to the hills. There's a reason Olso hosted the Nordic World Championship...

We usually stay in Garmisch 1. because it is closer to Munich so I can get a late flight after work and still get to the hotel at a decent hour, and 2. because it is in the middle of a lot of places to ski. However, the cross country skiing in Garmisch (and the downhill skiing, too) is not as good a...

I saw xc guide book for Oregon a while back that included a section on beach skiing in the summer. If you let that count, your task becomes a lot easier.

The webcams in Garmisch and Lermoos have snow in the valley, so I'd assume there's snow in Seefeld and Leutasch as well. That can all change, of course. In my numerous trips to that area, I've never actually seen enough snow to open up all the trails throughout the region. It would be nice to finall...