Viewing 40 posts - 1,641 through 1,680 (of 1,934 total)
  • The STW Ski & Snowboard thread. The 2016-2017 season
  • GrahamS
    Full Member

    French sites say piste and lift was open at the time.

    Oooft! That’s not good.
    I suspect some poor pisteur will be getting their derriere felt then!

    NZCol
    Full Member

    Le Marjorie

    dashed
    Free Member

    Yep, piste open and one of the few that was as they’d yet to open much else in the resort due to avi control.

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    igm
    Full Member

    We were in Majorie week before last. There was a big Kiwi named Jake running the place. Nice chalet.

    Morning tip get the navette down to the Perrieres lift for a faster link in to the bowl than fighting the ski schools at the Chavannes.

    jambalaya
    Free Member

    igm I think you where there last week of French half term hols, should be less busy now.

    igm
    Full Member

    We were. Perrieres still absolutely empty during the week – busier at weekends.

    NZCol
    Full Member

    igm – thanks for the tips, never been there so good to know.

    99percentchimp
    Free Member

    Was out in Les Gets too at same time as IGM. Good to bump into you Iain 🙂
    We were using the Perrier too to get into the bowl quickly and it was great for a first few runs in the morning. Seen some updates from the chalet we stayed in and the garden was clear of snow last week (like late spring) but is now buried under 70 – 80 cm. Looks great. The snow up high on Poite de Nyon was good but a bit icy in parts and lower down it was thin/slushy – be interesting to see how all the new snow holds onto that base.

    Bunnyhop
    Full Member

    Nbt and myself have picked a super week in Passo Tonale. Plenty of snow and cold, looking as though it could last a while. Had an excellant lesson this morning. The instructor took us up to the Presena glacier. Very cold and windy but fabulous conditions on the red and black. Not so good on the Ponte Di Legno side, but that’s because we’ve been spoiled in our area.
    The lessons were completed with nbt and myself getting our certificates for silver level, both ticked as ‘good’. I think nbt is a bit miffed as he’s a much better skier than myself.

    igm
    Full Member

    Waves at chimp

    CaptainFlashheart
    Free Member

    Loving this…!

    [video]https://youtu.be/VZbLWub7ybs[/video]

    sprootlet
    Free Member

    Loads of fresh powder in the grand Massif over the last 2 days, the visibility has improved this morning and it is lining up for a great day to play in the powder. Hopefully the links will open and we can go roaming.
    If anyone wants a last minute holiday at the moment the conditions are wonderful.

    Digby
    Full Member

    Oooft! That’s not good.
    I suspect some poor pisteur will be getting their derriere felt then!

    Thankfully inbound/on-piste slides when runs are open are pretty rare (I remember one in Fernie years ago that came quite a long was down Lizzard Bowl).
    I think pisteurs/patrollers do a pretty amazing job – it’s a tough job to balance safety and keeping runs open for the enjoyment of clients – it will be interesting to know whether this recent Tignes slide was a ‘natural’ release or triggered by a skier/rider. Thankfully no one was injured.

    Looks like there has been some epic snowfalls over many Italian & French resorts. Have fun folks and stay safe!

    GrahamS
    Full Member

    inbound/on-piste slides when runs are open are pretty rare.. pisteurs/patrollers do a pretty amazing job

    Absolutely. Henry (from HAT) was quick to make the same points yesterday when he was being interviewed for Sky News, despite the typically inane line of 24hr “news” questions.

    Digby
    Full Member

    Absolutely. Henry (from HAT) was quick to make the same points yesterday when he was being interviewed for Sky News

    I’ve been fortunate enough to spend time with the Pro-Patrollers in Fernie and the Avalanche Rescue Dog handlers – nothing short of inspirational!

    And there’s nothing brings a smile to my face more than seeing a dog riding a chair lift or a skidoo/sled with its paws on the handlebars … 😆

    Edukator
    Free Member

    Henry was on Sky, they’ll have fat iDave on there next advising about fad diets.

    Bunnyhop
    Full Member

    Flashy – That chap in the video above is wearing my old ski suit (and very fetching it is to). 🙂

    The reds and black from the Presena glacier were in tip top condition this morning.
    To top the day off, I spotted an eagle, before you ask, it wasn’t Eddie.

    scaredypants
    Full Member

    CaptainFlashheart – Member
    Loving this…!

    Yeah!
    For some of us the “windscreen-wiper” turn will never die 😳

    wallop
    Full Member

    Just got back from a tremendous mini break in Austria.

    Day 1 in Obertauern – hadn’t been there before and was pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t as bleak as I somehow thought it would be, the apres was very lively and a great kebab for dinner too! 😆 Vis was a bit poor on the day but the snow was good.

    Day 2 in Turracher Hohe – oh my god, this place is heaven. It’s a small resort with not very steep runs, but it is stunning. And deserted. I’m a much better skier than last time I visited and managed to enjoy a lot more of it.

    Day 3 in Kreischberg – on old haunt where a mate has a chalet (where we were staying). Good fun and family friendly – I recommend this place if you have sproglets. The black running back down to the valley was slushy from the start though!

    That’s it now. Winter holidays are over for another year 😥

    shifter
    Free Member

    <rings Sky to offer Edukator’s superior wealth of knowledge>

    Edukator
    Free Member

    I’d refuse. In the unlikely event I applied I’d make sure my CV had qualifications on it that actually exist.

    TheDTs
    Free Member

    CFH, progression regression, brilliant.

    My mum still has her K2 Onesie, same as the one in the vid..

    GrahamS
    Full Member

    Do you think Henry’s qualifications are suspect Edukator?

    Henry Schniewind is an internationally renowned snow and avalanche expert who studied avalanche forecasting as part of a Geology degree in the United States and then moved to the French Alps where he works as an off-piste ski guide and director of Henry’s Avalanche Talk.

    He has given over 750 talks and courses in the last 20 years including presenting at international snow science conferences. He has published many papers and articles, often in the British press. Henry created Henry’s Avalanche Talk (HAT) in response to the fact that 9 out of 10 victims of avalanches trigger the avalanche themselves and many of these could have been avoided.

    Henry delivers a risk management formula that will help you to see how riding off piste can be no more dangerous than the activities that you engage in every day. Henry has been guiding off-piste for close to 20 seasons in Val d’Isère. In addition to his academic work in snow and avalanche forecasting, he holds a Fully Certified French Ski Instructor Degree from the Ecole Nationale de Ski et d’Alpinisme. Henry Schniewind and HAT are endorsed by ANENA (The French National Association for Snow and Avalanche Study). Henry Schniewind is also a certified Professional Member of the American Avalanche Association and has many ties with other snow and avalanche organisations worldwide.

    http://www.henrysavalanchetalk.com/about-us/meet-henry/

    His AAA membership checks out. Not sure about the Anena endorsement.

    CaptainFlashheart
    Free Member

    my old ski suit

    #strangest

    progression regression, brilliant.

    Some testicular fortitude required for some of those lines on skinny planks!

    jambalaya
    Free Member

    Been watching the facebook feeds of a few resorts and conditions look epic around Tignes/Val and from Stevo at White Room round the corner in Sainte Foy

    CFH 5 mins well spent watching that. A mate had his 50th in Mayerhofen last year and they skied in similar era kit all week 🙂 I have a lovely set of SL Salomon’s with the orange bottoms, been kept in the bag now for 20 years. Matching poles of course. They where a buggar for me to ski in powder, the new AM skis are such a massive progression there.

    Edukator
    Free Member

    Moniteur de ski = diplome d’etat/brevert d’etat. Nothing to do with a degree which in French is licence.

    I’ve got a geology degree and he must have done a very unusual one to do anything serious about avalanche forecasting at undergraduate level. We did stuff on landslides, stable slope angles for various materials, the influence of pore pressure on shear force required for slip, deep rotational slip. all pretty superficial as are most undergrad studies.

    The style of the site really grates. It’s marketing, spin and hype in a field where digging pits, watching weather reports, local knowledge… can’t be replaced by reading a web site or going to a lecture.

    Does going to a Doug Scott lecture make you a better mountaineer? No, but it’s excellent entertainment, so I’m fine with it. Avalanche safety as a money spinner I somehow find distasteful.

    Lots of marketing and spin, little substance.

    jambalaya
    Free Member

    ^^ there is a lot of merit in this post. Local knowledge and experience. Henry’s stuff I always read as its informative and accessible. However the in-resort resources are the “gospel”

    TheDTs
    Free Member

    Edukator, I would suggest you go to one of his talks or go for a ski with Henry, every day is a school day.
    I have always been taught to listen to people with more experience than me.
    Henry does market himself well, he also has lots of experience, more than me. His talks are aimed at people who ski off piste a bit and want to learn more and ski more safely.
    He is very keen to help people understand more about skiing more safely off the pistes. There is nothing wrong with that.

    Edukator
    Free Member

    Some testicular fortitude required for some of those lines on skinny planks!

    On steep hard snow skinny straight skis work really well. On steep ground parabolic skis leave you on the tip and heel with the boot bouncing up and down in fresh air. I had a quite worrying time the first time I tried some new skis on a run I’ve skied on 1966 Rossignol medaille de bronze with screw-on edges.

    This years FIS GS skis have 35m radius which is why you sometimes see the racers sliding the heels like 30 years back. It’s down to 30m next year but that’s still a lot longer than the racers would choose if they had the choice. They’re horrible, even harder to ski than the 70s straight skis which were at least bendy enough to be a little bit forgiving. One descent and I put them back in the cupboard.

    I’ve finally binned my own straight skis, I’m getting to old to be jumping every turn.

    CaptainFlashheart
    Free Member

    informative and accessible

    Henry does market himself well, he also has lots of experience, more than me. His talks are aimed at people who ski off piste a bit and want to learn more and ski more safely.
    He is very keen to help people understand more about skiing more safely off the pistes. There is nothing wrong with

    Yeah, but when we have the greatest authority on avalanches and absolutely everything about skiing that’s ever been known in the world among us on this thread, who cares, eh?

    GrahamS
    Full Member

    can’t be replaced by reading a web site or going to a lecture.

    To be fair I don’t think they claim it is.

    They explicitly say “There’s no substitute for hands on training and practise, either in the UK or in the Alps.” and they do run practical transceiver sessions as well.

    And they do offer some “local knowledge” on the site in terms of snow reports etc though that’s of limited use to general readership.

    Avalanche safety as a money spinner I somehow find distasteful.

    I understand your point, but I still paid for Bruce Tremper’s books, despite the fact they should have been free to everyone. And I’d still happily pay for a guide. And a beeper. And a shovel. And a probe. And a backpack. And insurance. And…

    teamhurtmore
    Free Member

    Apart from my old 2m Kastle slalom skis in the 80s,*I have never really got the ski hype. I have skied all types on a whole range of skis and rarely noticed any difference. Skied deep OP two years ago on both Rossie slalom skis and AM – felt just the same. I am a bit like that with bikes though.

    Looking foreword to when 203 planks are back in vogue – have been thru 2 shorter ski cycles over the past few decades 😉

    * stupidly fast but tiring in bumps

    Edukator
    Free Member

    Yeah, but when we have the greatest authority on avalanches and absolutely everything about skiing that’s ever been known in the world among us on this thread, who cares, eh?

    If you look back over these various threads you’ll find that I made a comment that on poster had got closer to a cornice than was wise given the normal break points and got slated for that.

    I commented on another avalanche and got slated for that so I’m pretty frugal on here with my comments. Henry on the other is anything but frugal with his comments finding all sorts of special circumstances for every avalanche and how the victims could have avoided it. Convex here, break above skier there… it’s as though he wants it to appear to be some sort of black art when in fact it comes down to not being in the wrong place at the wrong time (which can be very easy or very hard depending on where you want to ski).

    Anyhow, I”m back in the position I was in being skeptical about iDave on the diet threads. Any criticism of him resulted in people taking the Micky out of me.

    TheDTs
    Free Member

    Well, I would suppose it would be a good idea not to be critical of other people then..:-)

    Edukator
    Free Member

    Well, I would suppose it would be a good idea not to be critical of other people then..

    Are you serious?

    Have a look at threads on Brexit, TM, Scottish idependence, Putin, Syria, Blair. or whatever – criticism. Why do STW heroes such as iDave or Henry have to protected form criticism?

    I got 10 years of flack on British forums for pointing our Armstrong was lying every time he said he’d never tested positive following his cortisone positive. Forumites have a habit of bigging some people up and refusing to hear criticism.

    shifter
    Free Member

    If you look back over these various threads you’ll find that I made a comment that on poster had got closer to a cornice than was wise given the normal break points and got slated for that.

    I remember those pictures and thought your comments were right. I don’t remember you being slated though.

    I got 10 years of flack on British forums for pointing our Armstrong was lying every time he said he’d never tested positive following his cortisone positive.

    Holds hand up – I was involved in some of that.

    You have loads of experience on the snow and I like your photos*, but your bed-side manner is stroppy to say the least and that’s why people want to (cyber)fight you all the time. You know that right?

    * except the motorbike helmet one.

    GrahamS
    Full Member

    Why do STW heroes such as iDave or Henry have to protected form criticism?

    Eh? I don’t think Henry is “protected” at all. In fact I just specifically asked you what issue you had with his CV. I don’t know anything about Ecole Nationale de Ski et d’Alpinisme. You seemed to so I was happy to learn.

    I remember those pictures and thought your comments were right. I don’t remember you being slated though

    Likewise. As I recall it I thought the same thing – except I was willing to accept that photos can be deceptive.

    mefty
    Free Member

    I got 10 years of flack on British forums for pointing our Armstrong was lying every time he said he’d never tested positive following his cortisone positive. Forumites have a habit of bigging some people up and refusing to hear criticism.

    You do like a bit of drama, does it really matter? It is just an internet forum, something easily let go. I think you are in your 50s, just be comfortable in the fact you made a good point, but don’t expect everyone to agree with you – it ain’t going to happen, it is the nature of the human condition.

    Edukator
    Free Member

    Sorry guys, I’ve overreacted with the exception of caaptainflashheart (I should have quoted him) and our petty bickering goes back years. He spent years trashing Bikemagic under a series of pseudos whilst congratulating himself on his work on “the secret forum”. He now implies he’s a moderator on this forum but won’t answer a yes or no question.

    So my “bedside manner” isn’t always good and when the patient is Flash it’s a ten-year-old grudge match in both senses.

    Back on topic, it’s rained heavily on the snow most of the way up in the Pyrenees so the powder has gone and what’s left is very much Spring snow.

    wallop
    Full Member

    He now implies he’s a moderator on this forum but won’t answer a yes or no question.

    I have never, ever had that impression of him.

Viewing 40 posts - 1,641 through 1,680 (of 1,934 total)

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