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Best snow of the year so far. I went out on my narrowest skis for that deep powder feeling in only 40cms of fresh. We stayed in the area made safe by Gazex and heard some mighty rumbles from nearby mountains.
Following on from Mugsy's advice the thing that would have saved some local victims (apart from not skiing the wrong slope at the wrong time) would have been separating for avalanche-prone slopes. Stop at a safe place, one skis to the next safe place then the others follow one by one. And if you set off an avalanche, ski down the debris rather than skiing into more fresh and setting off another avalanche.
Innsbruck next Saturday. Can't wait. Drawing up rota of resorts to visit.
Where would the STW cognisanti recommend for a first ski holiday? Obviously suitable for novices, and as importantly cheap
May have to be march (feb half term is looking silly money everywhere)
Just done New Years week in Val d'Isère and now got a cheeky week to sort out in late Feb,
Done St Anton for the last couple of years and feel like a change, iv not skied the three valleys since i was all new to this skiing lark (greens/blues only)so did not see much of the mountain
Is Three Valleys worth the trip for mostly on piste skiing with a little dabble off piste if conditions are good ??
Cheers
Andy, re 3V, defitnitely, great varied skiing but expensive. From what you have said, I reckon Courchevel would be best. Nice variety of pistes, runs with trees low down (La Tania), broad motorways (1650), great intermediate stuff (creux, combe de Saluire), more challenging pistes (M, Suisse, the couloirs) and lots of off-piste (easy access and the stuff where guides as advisable.) The higher resorts (V Thorens and L Menuires) are starker places, more open, colder but often the best snow. Meribel combines both and gives the best choice of where to ski across the whole area.
Is Three Valleys worth the trip?
Is Chäteau Latour worth drinking? Is Christmas cake worth eating? The woman/man of your dreams has just made a suggestion that would get this post deleted, is it worth accepting?
May have to be march
Go high.
Les Arcs is well worth a look if you can get a bargain. Not a pretty "village", but snowsure and good pistes/schools.
It's not as good as Serre Chevalier, though! 😉
Go high.
Not Val Thorens though. Completely charmless place and despite the altitude didn't even have much snow when we went there.
I'm going to have to vote for Austria again. Somewhere with a glacier if you want snow sure later in the season.
I wouldn't worry too much about resort height in Feb. Late March/April ok, but it would be a crap season if snow was short in Feb, IMO
cheers chaps , i better go rob a bank now to fund it !
Temp inversion affecting the visibility low down, Cham valley is clagged in sun high up with a few metres of snow and -22.
*Gets warm coat out*
Come back Dales - the snow's here 😀
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Mmmmm doesnt seem to be working 🙁
Yep - Been on a few sH bashes (4 of them in Arabba). And Yep going on the s9BB too 🙂 There are other sH/STWers going.
Can't wait only 2 and bit weeks I think.
Just had a(nother) quick 2 day pre-bash warmup in Austria (need to sort pics tonight).
Captain-Bstard - Alpe d'Huez for a first holiday. Loads of gentle green slopes in a bowl close to town. Perfect for most of the first week. There's a pretty big jump up to their blues though!
Cervinia is very high, lots of long gentle wide pistes, so again good for beginners.
Neither of these are particularly cheap, but shouldn't be too pricey.
Apologies for minor spammage, but we've just had 3 people cancel on us at the last minute for our Backcountry snowboard trip next week. 👿
If you can drop everything to come ride some freshies next week (loads of powder at the moment and more snow forecast in the next few days), give us a shout:
http://www.whiteroomchalet.com/win_backcountry_weeks.htm
Sounds good really looking forward to it.
I wasted a good ski week over new year in Nendaz so the BB can't come quick enough.
Chamonix excellent snow conditions, mind it can stop snowing now thank you 🙂
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I just have to post this. The best short movie ski clip Ive seen in a long time! Such creative urban stuff 🙂 .
[url= http://freeskier.com/videos/real-skifi-presents-episode-8-complete-with-creative-urban-skiing-to-blow-your-mind ]Here[/url]
That was effing superb, Michael! Thanks!
That bit with the tips in the bin (At least, I think it was a bin or something) Awsumz!
And the gap to trolley to grind was cool too!
Ok i'm about to purchase some piste skis!!! 😀
The main candidates are the Rossi Pursuit Elite 18, the Head i-titan, or the Nordica Doberman Spitfire XBI CT TI.
Never tried the Rossis, only the narrower little brother version of those. I tried the i-magnum and loved them, and really liked the Nordicas. Anyone got any input? Thanks!
stevo, sent you a quick one on fb. Thought instant messaging might be the way to go!
Just bought some new skis, Rossignol Experience 88s.
First days skiing on them today, excellent all mountain ski. Took to steep trees off piste and they handled everything well,bumps they were at home on. Back on piste they are very stable at speed. None of the chattering from the tips or wanting to go off in different directions on flat Schuss' so common in modern wide skis.
Michael, of those three, I'd have the Nordicas. Never liked a single Head ski I've tried always felt dull and lifeless to me, and Rossis are just too ugly, IMHO! 😉
Loved the Nordicas, though. Almost like a full on race GS ski, but a little more easy going. That said, not a ski to take lightly. They needed driving hard, not just lazy hangover turns. Get them going, though and WAHOOOOYAY! 🙂
Zell am Ziller / Zillertal Arena on Saturday:
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Kaltenbach / Hochzillertal yesterday:
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Most of the pistes were like that. Bit of fresh on top of scratchy hard base. Snow cannon snow down in the valley (fair enough - the valley is *really* low).
The Eberharter black run down to Kaltenbach would be ace in good conditions. Think I hit it at the wrong time of day, so was a bit busy, and lumpy.
"Just bought some new skis, Rossignol Experience 88s"
What size did you go for ??
I was going to demo some in Val the other week but never got round to it...will deffo try some next time out
I need something a bit longer and wider under foot than my 162 Rossi Zenith 7 iv have had for a few years (great on piste but thats about it)
Not sure if the 178 E88 may be a bit too long for me but will try a couple of sizes if i can (im just short of 6 foot i guess and about 12/12.5 stone)
Wee up date. No upgrade on flight to Vancouver. My mates getting in shit for that. Transfer bus driver couldn't find any gears between the airport and whistler. Digs are good. Other halfs friends (whistler employee and other is ski patrol) took us on some of the best runs I've ever seen! Watched snow and fire show from GLC balcony. Cloud inversion on the way up to blackcomb glacier. Hiked up to the top of glacier. Proposed to girlfriend. She said YES! Cue group of ozzies cheering me on! skied down to crystal lodge for WAFFLES!!!! Then went up whistler peak to creek. Beer in roundhouse. Back down to hot tub. Now back in hotel after celebratory sushi! Hope you're not struggling in the cold in the UK! Will update in the next few days! 😆
Andy W - Member"Just bought some new skis, Rossignol Experience 88s"
What size did you go for ??
5' 10" and 15 stone porker I went for 178s, good shop in Cham lent a pair for the day. A hefty 20% off made them a bargain.
Going to Lange XT 100 boots from Technica Icon Alu Comps has made driving skis a new concept.
[quote=cobrakai ]
Proposed to girlfriend. She said YES!
Yay! All the best people propose in ski resorts 🙂
I tried making a thread but as no-one answered i'll ask here - can anyone recommend me some goggles? Ideally no more than £50. I've been looking at some Dragon DX that seem quite nice. Good anti-fogging is the main priority.
Most of the pistes were like that. Bit of fresh on top of scratchy hard base. Snow cannon snow down in the valley (fair enough - the valley is *really* low).
I was in Zell am Ziller on Friday and the snow was lovely and powdery almost everywhere apart from the lowest runs - seems weird it would have changed so quickly. Never made it over to Kaltenbach as it looked a bit drag-lift heavy on the lift map and my GF hates them.
I have these and a quick lens change means I can use them on my bike too. I found the persimmon lens to be great for most of the conditions I encountered, it was just the properly sunny bluebird conditions where I needed something darker.
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Oakley o-frame persimmon here, all the time everywhere
MAM TOR yesterday ..... bit ****in tufty.
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I just have to post this. The best short movie ski clip Ive seen in a long time! Such creative urban stuff
Tut - they'll ruin those skis...........
Cobrakai - Superb news! Congratulations!
Yes congrats CK.
MAM TOR yesterday ..... bit ****in tufty.
Good effort! Did you ride off the front side or the backside of Mam Tor?
Hiked up to the top of glacier. Proposed to girlfriend. She said YES!
Nice one!
I proposed to my now wife on the Hintertux Glacier near Mayrhofen.
I blamed the altitude. 7 years, one kid (+ one in the oven) and a lot of laughs later I can say it worked for us - hope it has the same good omen for yours. 😀
So Graham, if I get this right, propose on a glacier and you're allowed boys ski/board trips to Slovakia and beyond forever more?.....
I have a cunning plan. 😆
Yep, that's the way it works. 😀
Actually the transaction this year was more like:
Her: [i]"Can we have another baby?"[/i]
Me: [i]"Only if I get to go to Slovakia again."[/i]
Her: [i]"Deal. You get your trousers off, I'll get the mask and the Astroglide.."[/i]
😆
Not sure I can manage the baby part of the deal (I'm capable, just not keen!).
Rode cliff side of Mam Tor looking towards Winnats pass, guess that's frontside? Followed the footpath down mostly as more snow had collected there into little drifts. Drifted off the path a bit and started getting a bit stuck. Touched a few rocks on the way down but thats the risk you take. Worth it though. Been a long wait to ride the Peaks this season. Saw someone boarding down winnats pass as we went home.
Whoops had to google astroglide!........
Whoops had to google astroglide!........
Makes your base really slippy...