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Looks like a last minute, later than late season dump has arrived!
This was Jasná on the 1st of April (not my video):
Looks like they got a late dump too, cos it was mainly slush when we left.
Wish I was still there, instead of being stuck in this office 🙁
Oh wow. This is good news for my Easter trip! 😀
Wish I could remember the name of the resort! Duh.
There's snow forecast for most French resorts for the Easter week. I'm not complaining though as our blue sky days were hot and sunny last week in Les Arcs, with more than enough snow still on the piste.
Still snowing here in South Manchester (most of it's melted now though). So lovely to wake up to thick fluffy flakes blowing wildly past the bedroom window.
Thought this was being bumped up to say that the Lecht, Weardale and Yad Moss are all open again following the latest snow. Worth a trip of they are local to you and you are looking for a slide.
Will be packing tonight for Saturdays trip, got the boards, boots and helmets sorted last night. Hope it put some snow down before we go.
[url= https://picasaweb.google.com/109240628664720372884/Gourettoise2012JanEtxe?feat=email ]Pics of one of the ways I like using skis.[/url]
Just booked a week in Courchevel, leaving on the 14th April. Can't wait!!!
Know I had to get a boarding trip in by the end of the season 🙂
Nice one surfdad - did you find someone to go with in the end?
Yup - found a group on snowheads.
Can't wait. Off to xscape at cas tomorrow to try out my new boots 🙂
Just ordered some toys for next yrear. Atomic Redster D2 Slalom SL 165. We'll see what difference a rocker makes on a proper ski rather than a ski trying hard to be a monoski. 😉
Well, I think the season may be well and truly over for the year. Lots and lots of bare patches appearing on my fave pistes from the webcams.
So, how about we have a season round up? This is something we do after every big weekend riding, and I think it's rather a nice way to do it. It goes like this;
[b]What was your ski/board highlight this year?
What was your ski/board lowlight this year?
What have you [i]learned[/i] this year? [/b]
For me?
Highlight - Getting up above the clouds on the first lift when everyone else was sulking in the coffee shops. Hitting the fresh corduroy like a stabbed rat in glorious sunshine.
Lowlight - Only getting one ski trip. My planned trip to the West Coast of the US didn't happen in time (Off soon, and no time to ski! 🙁 )
What have I learned? Well, that you should never trust the weather in the valley. Believe in the sunshine above the clouds. It will be there, oh yes, it will be there!
So, next year? Well, who knows at the moment. May not be skiing at all, might be getting to Japan for a powder fest. All very much TBC....! 🙂
Oh, and thank you to every single poster on this thread. One of the very finest, IMHO!
*Double post glitch!*
Highlight - skiing the off piste bits of really deep powder (well for me anyway) on New Years eve in Austria. I laughed so much there was nearly a little accident.
Also being with my fantastic skiing buddies.
Lowlight - Becoming ill on my last holiday, trying to battle on, however giving up and having to watch everyone ski down beautiful pistes on the sunniest week of the year.
Even the lowlight ski holidays are good.
Always learning - Hubby got me to try out a few things e.g. planting my poles when the powder got really deep and steep also trying to ski more down the fall line, rather than the big turns that are my normal piste skiing. It improved my skiing so much.
Agree that this thread has been one of the best ever on STW and I've been here a while as poster and lurker.
Scotland is due for a bit of snow next week, so there still maybe time to get a few end of season turns in.
Highlight - Sella Ronda loop on a powder day
Lowlight - Bailing out of 3 trips at last minute, which all turned into megadumps
Learned - That the race guys in Tignes with carbon fibre legs or sit-skis can still ski way faster than me.
Learned - That the race guys in Tignes with carbon fibre legs or sit-skis can still ski way faster than me
I ski with a lovely young lady who's a paralympian in a sit ski. She scares the whatsits out of me. She's [i]seriously[/i] fast! And insane. Utterly insane! 🙂
Keep 'em coming folks!
Well I'll post my highlights once I'm back from my only trip this season on the 21st! Conditions are looking good in the 3Vs at the moment, hope it lasts another week!
*Sends positive waves to Surfdad*
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Highlight - maybe yet to come,as I am currently sitting in a lovely Chalet in Vayonnez, with a week of fine spring snowboarding ahead, but the fresh, deep, powder on Christmas day will be hard to beat 🙂
Lowlight - pulling a hamstring on that same Christmas day and slowing me down a bit for the rest of that week.
Learned - not to go at skier speeds on the first run off the first lift...
Had two great days so far hope the snow forcast is right for tuesday night
Highlight: junior finishing sixth in his age group in the French ski-cross champs.
Lowlight: seeing the first snow fall washed away by rain.
Learned: how to ski an entire alpine season without falling once, I toppled over three time on my X-C skis though.
Highlight: skinned up in the back country at Stranda in Norway.
Lowlight: ACL Ruptured on last day of Norway ski trip.
Learned: That I am getting to old to be launching myself off huge kickers in terrain parks (See above ACL rupture).
Highlight: sitting on the edge of a piste in complete silence for 5 minutes while mate dug himself out of the powder and an Alpine hare ran up, had a shufty, then carried on.
Lowlight: trying to kip in a van at BSM after arriving 4 hours before the lifts open.
Learned: the Alps are a hell of a long drive away.
Some great stuff here!
More!
[b]Highlights[/b]
- hiking for "ages" (for a fat lad) then dropping off the top of mountain into untracked pow.
- gaining a lot more confidence in the off-piste tree runs (even after our guide totalled himself on a tree!)
- messing around in the slush and learning to tail press.
- just riding in a new country (Slovakia).
[b]Lowlight[/b]
- being stuck in the chalet looking after our little one as it dumped with snow outside. I love her to bits, but "no friends on a powder day"!
[b]Learned[/b]
snow and rock do a good job of repairing a badly scraped up board - but it's not exactly an [i]invisible mend[/i]:
[img] 
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HIGHLIGHT - skiing my first ever black run off the top of the hoch salve and i didnt event fall or side slip i actually skied it properly, was well chuffed rewarded myself with a beer after that
LOWLIGHT - fairly large impact at speed right under a busy chairlift as i didnt see a rut and caught an edge and went down, it hurt, winded me and had a sore arm wrist for a few days afer that
LEARNED - Austria is my new favorite country / skiing in 20 degree heat can be fun!
Had a great time in Kitz last week, lovely town and really good ski area. Snow conditions on the first day were great (little bit of fresh overnight and cool), then it deteriorated for 3 days, getting better again on the 5/6th days as it cooled down with some cloud cover. I doubt we'll go back soon as even though we were fairly steady we skied everywhere in 2 days, still a nice place to have been to.
I also skied my first world cup run, Fritz Stroebl's course record wasn't in danger.
Highlight - skiing the Streif downhill course.
Lowlight - feeling rather ill as we skied down to Zermatt from Cervinia and having to rush back. Or being the only person standing at the luggage carousel with no bags going round it, and it was likely that I'd miss some skiing with having no kit*
Learned - that quick short turns are a good tool when needed, and really quite easy when you can shift your weight and set a good rhythm.
*Last week my bag was left behind at Gatwick so I was still stood at the luggage carousel at Innsbruck airport when it stopped and the shutters came down. Everyone else's bag had arrived except mine. All I had was ski boots, helmet, goggles, ski socks and a very thin jacket (my main one was in my case). I reported it and the staff at Innsbruck said they'd investigate, so I had the rest of the day worrying I'd never see any of my clothes/kit again. but I was more gutted that I might miss some skiing.
When we got to Kitzbuhel I called the airport, they said the bag had been located at Gatwick and would be sent on the following day. So I went on a mission to get some salopettes (bargain hire at €5 a day), then made up the rest of the kit out of the OHs clothes! Had to ski in my glasses with no sunglasses or goggles though as I had no contact lenses.
Luckily my bag did arrive the following day (Innsbruck airport staff were excellent).
So I went on a mission to get some salopettes (bargain hire at €5 a day), then made up the rest of the kit out of the OHs clothes
POIDH!
😉
I recycled my pants from the day before. I only borrowed a base layer and a t-shirt so it wasn't really cross dressing of the highest order.
I think from next year on Jnr and I will be able to swap clothes. He already needs boots the same size as mine.
I was given these skis last week as hire skis [url= http://www.edgeandwax.co.uk/28463/products/Atomic_Nomad_Smoke_2012_Skis.aspx?utm_source=Froogle&utm_medium=PriceComp&utm_term=Froogle&utm_content=None&utm_campaign=PriceComp1 ]Atomic Nomad Smoke[/url]. Got on quite well with them, this price seems good too. Was given 157cm skis (5' 10" tall)
Not sure whether to bother buying or just keep hiring though, we only ski 2 weeks a year.
[b]Highlights:[/b]
This Thread!
Spending a month snowboarding in Fernie BC:
Fresh Tracks down Currie Bowl (on the third chair up the hill on a powder day)
Fresh Tracks in Cedar Bowl
View from the top of the newly opened Polar Peak chair with a temperature inversion in the valley
Exploring the MTB trails at Ridgemont, Fernie on a Splitboard
chairlift conversations
[b]Lowlights:[/b]
a month is still not enough!! 😕
[b]Learning:[/b]
That I'm not getting any younger and I've got to stretch more and more after a big powder day
That even top end snowboard boots don't last very long and when foot pain starts only a new pair of boots will resolve it.
Having a skiing lesson to try and improve my splitboard touring technique!
Season not over for me yet though as I'm off to Norway this weekend so the best may well be still to come!!
I only borrowed a base layer and a t-shirt so it wasn't really cross dressing of the highest order.
I'm not sure the frilly knickers and bra were required though 😀
This Thread!
+1 to that. One the most civil, entertaining and long running threads on STW ever. Well done peeps.
[b]Lowlight[/b]
Not being Digby! JEALOUS!!
Highlights 😀
[url] http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=2014965&highlight=#2014965 [/url]
Lowlights 😛
[url] http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=1966457&highlight=#1966457 [/url]
Learning
50 degrees make me poop my pants slightly...
hammerite - hubby and I always put some of each other's clothes split between our luggage. Also we put some spare stuff (again split) in the hand luggage, due to lost luggage not turning up. It's worked well for us over the years.
However I once had to borrow a rep's ski suit, she was 'cough' a good few sizes larger than me and it was bright pink - yuk!
I did notice that this years 'Crystal' ski reps were picked for their 'easy on the eye' looks, rather than some repping ability imo.
Highlights .- Nice Powder day in Bruson , New Boots that fit and are comfy out the box , Head Monster 88's
Lowlights .- Being painfully single and not having anyone to share the experience with
Learned .- Some people really are stupid enough to take off their ski boots and walk around outside a coach in socks trying to extrapolate their skis from the other 40 sets / skiers. Im sorry I made you cry and hope your toes wernt broken
Rob, you have mail...
Bunnyhop - I know we should do the split luggage thing, but I do my own packing and not being as organised as the OH usually leave it to the night before!!
We were with Crystal too, I was offered the reps salopettes, he was XL and I'm very much not. Interestingly the reps in resort were very good, but not as easy on the eye. They'd already sent a load home when some resorts closed, and I think had moved some reps on to the remaining Austrian resorts open.
Highlights - realising I could still ski and having an 'off-piste black' all to myself 3 runs in a row
Lowlights - finding my hotel was really a youth hostel and that being overweight and not training beforehand is VERY painful for 3 days
Learned - when your ski buddy says he hasn't skied a black run before, believe him and don't take him down a black and scare him so badly he won't ski anything except green and blue for the rest of the week 😳
Just seen something from a friend on Linkedin. She's still in Serre Che.
There's a lot of fresh. 🙁 for me, but 🙂 for her!
http://www.serre-chevalier.com/hiver/ski-alpes/live/webcam/
Yesterday, the one at the bottom (XC area in the valley) was dry, dusty and not a jot of snow. Super-turbo-puke!
Highlights - Doing a self-organised flight free (and therefore largely hassle free) drive to Morzine. Fresh pow.
Lowlights - none, really.
Learned - how to ride rails in the park. Gave me a stupid grin for hours. 🙂
The snow came last night so today has been fantastic powder. One of my best boarding days ever
Ditto Tracey! winter returned for a day!
can someone tell the clouds to bugger off I was riding 3 days ago now the tracks 40cm under snow again 🙁
Highlight a: Being able to leave the youngest at the Piou-Pious! 😀
Lowlight: Only having a weekend on the slopes so far this season. 😥
Highlight b: A week at les 2 Alpes starting this Saturday. 
Ok, who's had [i]another[/i] Easter powder day then??! ME for one!
Awesome. 😀