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Rob & Andrea from London, UK
Jan-Feb 2014The best-value ski trip we've been on in years, and the most enjoyable. Pila might not be the biggest resort, but it has a host of gorgeous, empty red runs that make you feel like you have the entire place to yourself. Jane, David and Maria were excellent tutors and even better hosts - we were looked after on and off the slopes. Would have no hesitation about recommending to all and sundry.
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Nat and Sam from London, UK
Jan 2014We have just spent a fantastic week skiing with Jane, David and Maria. They really looked after us, from the delicious food, transfers to and from the lifts every day and the amount of time they spent on teaching. They are all BASI trained instructors, and the less experienced skiers in our group were able to have lots of individual tuition during the week – they improved so much and were confidently skiing down red runs by the end of the holiday. The snow was unbeatable, and Pila has a great range of runs, including lots of long, beautiful, empty red runs that are a delight to ski – the only time we encountered any lift queues was on the final Saturday. A wonderful week with lovely people – we will recommend you to our friends!
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Jeremy & Veronica from Geneva
January 2014Veron and i had never skied before and were wondering just quite how to start, david, Jane and Maria showed us just how easy it all is to catch the skiing bug. Pila is a resort with everything except crowds. The piste's were varied from nursery through to black with loads of variety. The snow on and off piste could not have been better. The whole group received what tuition we required. In our case lots every day whereas more advanced members worked on their off piste skills. In the evening we adjourned to the chalet for a lovely meal on four of the nights. Breakfast is lavish but bring your own bacon ! The offer of inclusive wine and beer is not to be underestimated. The home made Limoncello is lethal. and delicious. Avoid at all costs if you want to ski straight the next day :-)
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Carolyn and Chris Green from London, UK
Christmas 2013We did a week in Jane and David's lovely self catering apartment with our 3 teenage kids. It was a lovely spot, with great views of the Aosta valley and about 10 min drive from the Pila seggiovia. The apartment we stayed in was well furnished and comfortable, with everything we needed to cook our meals at the end of the day. Also very conveniently there is a supermarket located just down the hill about 10 min walk, great for stocking up on fresh italian bread every morning!! As we did not have a car, Jane and David operated a great taxi service to and from the lifts every day, as welll as giving us 2 1/2 hours of ski instruction every morning, and all this was free of charge!! An amazing deal..The resort of Pila itself was a great place to ski, with good options both for more experienced skiers and beginners. We would definitely recommend this resort and staying with the Stanton's!!
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Dave Pearson from Chesterfield, UK
December 2013This was the first time I've been on a chalet holiday and only the second time I've been skiing and didn't really know what to expect but this has GOT to be the only way to ski! Dave, Jane and Maria are the most laid back, relaxed people you are likely to meet but have a passion for what they do and are professional in how they do it. Nothing was too much trouble for them, after serving a hearty breakfast every morning they transported us to the gondolas and gave freely of their time in instruction on the slopes (all 3 are BASI qualified instructors) until 1pm when we were given free time to practice what we had been taught - I was lucky enough to get one on one tuition every morning all week! How good is that! Fantastic. We were then picked up at the end of the day and transported back to the chalet where every other day they prepared and served delicious home made 3 course dinners with complimentary wine and beers. Great food great company lots of laughs - if you are looking for a chalet holiday in a resort that offers slopes for raw beginners to slopes that kept my youngest son who is level 2 BASI ski instructor qualified more than happy then I can seriously recommend staying with JDSki. I'll be back.
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Malcolm Jackson from Ashford Mddx
10-15 March 2013I'm an experienced skier and I have to say that Jane & David have a great business Model ! They offer good value skiing with instruction (as required), including transfers to/from the lifts each day, based in a "snowsure resort" (check the records for Pila and you might be surprised) using comfortable chalet accommodation with homely cooking.
Having not skied for about ten years and having just finished chemotherapy, I was looking to restart skiing and was lucky enough to bump into David in the London area in Feb 13 (he was over for a "flying visit") and he sold me the idea of trying their chalet. I have skied at many, many places but didn't know Pila (or JDSKI) but was very impressed with both !.
Although well known by school parties, Pila has great skiing plus the bowl is very "snowsure" and if you want it, there is off-piste, some difficult runs and lots of cruising too. The runs are well maintained (majority manicured nightly) plus there is a snow park as well as some nursery slopes. So overall, there is something for everyone.
The ability to ski with (or get instruction from) Jane & David should appeal to all as they are both competent (BASI qualified and well known in the resort), friendly and try to make it fun for all plus it was all inclusive. The food at the chalet was varied and enjoyable plus the chance to eat out twice a week (if you like Italian food) rather than the once a week on other chalet holidays was an advantage (in my eyes). Also no problems with hot water so everyone having a shower after tea (or first thing in the morning) was no issue. Beer and/or wine included around the evening meals was also well appreciated !
On my first day, after an hour or so with them I was skiing almost as well as I used to, plus for the rest of the week they ensured I had ski companions including quality time spent with an old helper Jordan (excellent skier/BASI who happened to be staying in their nearby flat).
So overall, it was an excellent stay for such an experienced (but rusty) skier but then having said that, other people in the chalet were beginners and Jane and David got them skiing (and enjoying themselves) within a few hours.
So I wouldn't hesitate to recommend JDSKI to mixed ability parties or families so do consider giving them a try - YOU WON'T REGRET IT !
