Forum menu
I like Zeb @ Chalet Montana's (Morzine) forecasting techniques for this season's snow:
Well, my dear Reader, the most important thing about Wasps is this:According to the Morzinois locals a hot summer filled with Wasps is a sure sign of a cold winter filled with Snow.........and not only have we been sweltering under the hottest summer for many, many years, but, like a small child with an open can of Oringina at an outdoor swimming pool, we have been under constant assault from many, many Wasps
It may not be based on the most rigorously examined scientific principles, but the way I see it all boiling down is basically thus:
Wasps = Snow*
And with this in mind I am going to put my head on the metaphorical chopping board and declare this coming Winter 2016 as the best in a Generation!!!*
*Although it could be that Sun & Wasps = Cold & Snow it is also possible that it's all just down to global warming and this is just a taste of life 20 years from now living under plagues of wasps in a fiery desert. Either way, the best thing to do is book a ski holiday now before the Wasps take over..
have we been reading the Daily Express again?every year, they predict the worst winter for 50 years.
Yeah, they're known for it. Their weather "expert" is a chap called Jonathan Powell who basically makes it up as I go along. The Guardian ran a feature on him a couple of years back, when they started asking uncomfortable questions as to whether he actually had any researchers at all he promptly closed his company (then opened another one when they went away). Charlatan of the highest order, fits right in with the Express who have been recycling the same dozen headlines for years. There'll be new hope for Madeline McCann next week.
piemonster - MemberLove it me, the hills in winter (even in the dark) are a joy to my life.
because this is what you're expecting/hoping for:
[img] 
[/img]
but in reality, being outside in winter means 8 or 9 months of this:
[img] 
[/img]
which is why we're not allowed these:
[img] 
[/img]
Face it, with the exception of a couple of weeks of mild inconvenience as the inch of snow settles, then melts (causing traffic chaos in both states), the rest of winter is just going to be cold-ish, wet-ish and windy-ish.
Like normal.
What tyres for generic mild winter in Cambridgeshite?
Actually the DE uses the clueless James Madden of Exacta weather (They are one and the same) along with freelance storyteller Nathan Rao to supply their sensationalist weather BS.
I'm going for a warm, wet, wild, and windy winter as those tools have predicted the opposite.
Snow is horrible.
If you want to ride over something crunchy, buy a Crunchie.
I'm not too bothered about snow falling.
Frost generally makes off road winter rider a pleasure though.
[IMG] 
[/IMG]
The horrible mudfest that is winter
FWIW in both of the last two years we've already had decent snow on the mountains here. It's late this year.
The 4X4 will get you up to the back of all the other cars stuck in the snow. I find a good pair of walking boots more useful in these situations.
Mine got me home just fine past all the stranded cars at 9pm on the last hill up towards Matlock a few years ago - and that was with road/crossover tyres on. I was blummin glad of it then
Eventually of course, they'll be right. And they'll no doubt enjoy telling us at length about how right they were)
And of course nobody will believe them as they cry wolf every year. This will of course lead to much wailing and wringing of hands
well, you would hope so wouldn't you.
but the number of 'they say it's going to be a bad winter' type comments, that you hear every year from otherwise seemingly sensible people, suggests they're not as ignored as perhaps they should be.
Well I'm off to Chamonix with my bike on Friday and the weather is forecast to do this tomorrow:
PRECIPITATION : light and scattered ? at times light to moderate in the evening ? rain?snow limit rising up towards 1300 m at first, then dropping towards 900 m in the evening.
WIND - aloft : variable cyclonic light to moderate.
TEMPERATURE : low 0 °C - high +3°C.
May have to revise the plans of crossing 2,300m cols...
Maybe I should be taking the Moonlander instead of the trail bike?
A man can dream
Mine got me home just fine past all the stranded cars at 9pm on the last hill up towards Matlock a few years ago - and that was with road/crossover tyres on. I was blummin glad of it then
In my entire life, I've never failed to get to my destination because of snow. I've never needed a 4x4.
Snow is fun unless you have to deal with the idiots who can't drive in it.
Snow is fun unless it melts and then the resulting slush freezes and turns everything into an ice rink.
Snow rides are fun, the resulting slush/ice rides are not.
@awhiles
As well as hill/fell running I also like xc running.
So that second photo still scores highly on the 'ooh I'll have a bit of that' scale
And finally, in the last 5 winters, none of my riding or running has actually resembled that anyway.
Snow is fun unless you have to deal with the idiots who can't drive in it.
Being able to work from home also helps 😀
The solution to all your problems:Snow is fun unless you have to deal with the idiots who can't drive in it.
Snow is fun unless it melts and then the resulting slush freezes and turns everything into an ice rink.
Snow rides are fun, the resulting slush/ice rides are not.
[img]
[/img]
since buying a 4x4 (a nice little one, not a nasty big one) and some winter tyres 2 years ago we havent seen a drop round here. stil have cars and tyres so rest assured south Manchester is safe
In my entire life, I've never failed to get to my destination because of snow. I've never needed a 4x4.
Well done you, my hero!
That doesn't mean anything, you could live in Norfolk for all I know.
So when you were saying all a 4x4 is good for is getting you to the back of all the other stranded cars, how does your 2wd fare in that situation? Mine got me home in the Derbyshire Dales, whereas plenty of others were stranded. Had I not been in a 4x4, I'd have been in a van. If I were in a van, it would have been RWD and got stuck, or if FWD, would have had most of the weight in the back and still probably got stuck
trail_rat - Member
in the south east are we bikebouy.
😉
Bring.It.On!
+1
Scotland makes me feel more alive in the depths of winter than any other time.
Getting in the car on Friday straight from work and escaping the damp misery of the city, arriving, pitching tent, straight to pub, huge fires, relaxing/testing days climbing, skiing, biking and walking, world beating vistas, camaraderie, fewer of those people around who you sought to escape from, hearty meals, the sounds.
It's like someone letting you stay in your favourite bike/toy shop after hours.
Bring it on 🙂
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
was fun getting that out of there and up the hill round the corner
this is after a 150 degree corner - it climbs up -obviously picture after snow is gone
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
Im glad i dont live there anymore :d
I bloody love snow. And yes, I've had disruption, I've experienced proper cold and snow for long periods, just made me love it all the more.
Anyway - this is a good read for people interested in weather and predictions:
The 'buzz' section on there is a great read.
Wondering if 29+/b+ worth it for snow..
Im in the lakes for christmas so hopefully there'll be enough on the mountains but not enough to cause issues with getting there. The last time we were in the lakes was for christmas 2010 when the temperature never got above -10 and all the lakes were frozen. Which was brilliant.
Snow is great fun in countries that regularly experience it in it's proper form. ie feet of the stuff for several months.
XC skiing and snowmobiling in Finland was ace and everything worked as normal. Trains, cars, shops - everything just worked.
Over here when it snows, you end up with just enough to cause complete chaos and not enough to do any skiing, snow-biking or have a decent excuse to stay off work. Then it thaws, freezes, thaws, freezes into a hotch-potch of ice and slush and mud and is horrible for the next 2 weeks.
Snow is fantastic. Snow in the UK (with the exception of the higher mountains) is rubbish. There are exceptions, when was that really cold winter - 2010? That was brilliant. Proper snow on the ground for ages, lakes and rivers frozen.
Well done you, my hero!
Thanks!
That doesn't mean anything, you could live in Norfolk for all I know.
Do people never get stuck in the snow in Norfolk? I wouldn't know, but a quick google suggests they do.
So when you were saying all a 4x4 is good for is getting you to the back of all the other stranded cars, how does your 2wd fare in that situation?
It would get stuck. That was my point.
Mine got me home in the Derbyshire Dales, whereas plenty of others were stranded. Had I not been in a 4x4, I'd have been in a van. If I were in a van, it would have been RWD and got stuck, or if FWD, would have had most of the weight in the back and still probably got stuck
Cool story.
do they get snow on groundhog day?
everyone else- Member
In the lakes for christmas so hopefully there'll be some on the mountains which will cause issues with not only getting there, but moving around too. The last time we were in the lakes was for christmas 2010 when the temperature never got above -10 and all the lakes were frozen. Which was shite.
FIFY
Lives in London, can work from home, only hoping for enough Snow to entertain the kids and avoiding being forced to visit a customer.
So hopefully enough to cover the grass and suspend all rail and tube lines.
surely London is guaranteed snow, Boris bought all those snow cannons, just needs and excuse to use them.
"So when you were saying all a 4x4 is good for is getting you to the back of all the other stranded cars, how does your 2wd fare in that situation?
It would get stuck. That was my point."
Wouldnt be the first time ive driven round them.......
another forum user i know drove up a ditch past all the stuck cars and onto clear open dual carridgeway and was stopped by the police telling him it wasnt safe to drive on.......
but then that means you have a good understanding of the limitations of your vehicle- and given the standard of driving these days im not sure folks understand the basic workins of their vehicle let alone its limitations.
Love it... preparation!
[url= https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5603/15039833533_abdf55b61c_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5603/15039833533_abdf55b61c_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/oV25wH ]Traction![/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/99percentchimp/ ]99percentchimp[/url], on Flickr
The thing about "you'll get as far as the first stuck car"- it can be like that, in busy areas, when the snow starts and everyone's trying to get home with their inappropriate tyres and no skill etc. But not so much once you get away from the busy places, and even there after that, there's a big window where it still makes a difference.
I think a lot of this is kind of citybound thinking- if you drive in traffic jams then snow's very different from if you don't.
More worrying is the 'cold spot' recorded in the atlantic..
only hoping for enough Snow to entertain the kids and avoiding being forced to visit a customer
Seriously? If it snows, your company and your clients expect you to turn up anyway?
I've always been told not to go anywhere by everyone when there's been snow.
That's because they know what you're like.I've always been told not to go anywhere by everyone when there's been snow.
The thing about "you'll get as far as the first stuck car"- it can be like that, in busy areas, when the snow starts and everyone's trying to get home with their inappropriate tyres and no skill etc. But not so much once you get away from the busy places, and even there after that, there's a big window where it still makes a difference.I think a lot of this is kind of citybound thinking- if you drive in traffic jams then snow's very different from if you don't.
By definition, most people live in busy areas. Of course, if you live in a remote facility desert, then you can use your 4x4 for 364 days per year to drop off Harry and Cecily on the yellow zigzags, then bump up the kerb at Sainsbury's. On day 365, you get warm fuzzy feelings of self-worth for your astute vehicle choice.
ransos - MemberBy definition, most people live in busy areas
Well, no. By definition a lot of people live in busy areas, because that's what makes them busy- but that says nothing about most.
A small majority of the UK population lives in the cities, 54%, but not all parts of the cities are busy. Officially, I live in one of the UK's biggest cities, in practice not so much, and getting around in the snow is generally pretty simple. After the first snowfall, all the people who can't drive anywhere, stop driving. I had my fastest commutes ever in the big snows of a few years back because probably 90% of all the cars were parked up.
But also, you need to talk about journeys not people, car journeys get much less common in the inner cities, and generally shorter.
A small majority of the UK population lives in the cities
81.5% of the population (England & Wales) lives in urban areas. Source = 2011 census.
I live in one of the UK's biggest cities, in practice not so much, and getting around in the snow is generally pretty simple
I find much the same. I did once have to swap the road bike for the mtb on a commute.
Think I've used ice tyres twice in the last 15 years and even then only for a couple of days each time.
Think I've used ice tyres twice in the last 15 years and even then only for a couple of days each time.
^^ This.
I bought a pair very discounted from my LBS in spring time a few years ago. Left them on the CX for about 2 weeks during a very bad winter but other than that, they've been at the back of the shed. Nice idea but it never really works out in practice.