So looking forward to the Winter Olympic games.
opening ceremony tomorrow night 🙂
Yep, Jamie Nicholls has already qualified for the Snowboard Slopestyle final!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/winter-olympics/26063907
I'm kinda disappointed there's no Ski Ballet this year though - I think it really showcases what skiing is all about:
😉
Ski ballet! Orsumz
From today:
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Like!
Not sure what I'm more impressed with: the little drop off, the nice bluey exposure of the snow, or the fact you apparently matched your board base to your outfit.
Cheers - not me in the pic, I took it. I had just done the drop though. 🙂
It's snowing again
It is here as well this time 🙂
Snow? In the Alps? In winter? Well I never.
No not jealous. Honest. Really. I'm enjoying the drizzle in Yorkshire.
Yup bucketing it down here in Peiesy-Nancroix - big snowflakes. Day off today but will be riding tomorrow when it should be pretty quiet.
No not jealous. Honest. Really. I'm enjoying the drizzle in Yorkshire.
Drizzle in Yorkshire? Who'd have thought it? 🙂
why oh why didn't I go to glencoe today 🙁
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Stopped snowing around 3pm but by then we'd had a fabulous day involving powder snow (on and off piste), trees, some "unscheduled rest stops" and face shots to round things off. To make things even more fabulous, we saw a chamois as we downloaded on the gondola, then saw a few more as we waited for the shuttle back to the hotel. We also had confirmation that the HUGE birds we saw yesterday on the way back from La thuile were actually Bearded Vultures, not eagles as we'd thought. Sadly we didn't manage to meet Stilltortoise during our visit to LT, although we did wave at Grum and Crewlie when we dropped over the border into France and got a great view of the Aiguille Rouge, Villaroger and the Arc 2000 bowl. pics to follow
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7448/12370038793_964cf2b65d.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/n_b_t/12370038793/ ]Courmayeur 2014[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/n_b_t/ ]Notoriously Bad Typist[/url], on Flickr
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7366/12369971315_a546bc5680.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/n_b_t/12369971315/ ]Mont Blanc has got his hat on[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/n_b_t/ ]Notoriously Bad Typist[/url], on Flickr
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7371/12370011025_445d2d6e9a.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/n_b_t/12370011025/ ]Grum and Crewlie[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/n_b_t/ ]Notoriously Bad Typist[/url], on Flickr
Edit
Off to Oetztal Sunday. 😀
If you look closely you can see me waving back from Villaroger. Everywhere out of the 2000 bowl was closed except for a little drag lift into the Villaroger sector. Great snow but bad visibility, must have been earlier than your photo.
10 years coming here and not a sign of a chamois or a vulture...you can go off people 🙂
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Cairngorm was fantastic yesyerday after the sun came out and the CM folk dug out the funicular track to get the train running.
hopefully heading back up the mountain for a winter (walking) skills course with Glenmore Lodge today. Weather is a different story today though. Interestingly have been issued shovel, probe and transceiver which are being trialled on courses. Getting some basic training with those will be an unexpected bonus.
cant believe we're leaving behind some awesome scottish conditions......................for Kitzbuhel 😆
Another fab day of powder, trees, unscheduled rest stops and beer. The snow is falling again (it was fine and clear this morning, the snow started early afternoon) but we're leaving at stupid o'clock in the morning. Apparently it's forecast to snow for the next [b][i]TEN DAYS[/i][/b], so if you are looking for a last minute break you could do worse than consider Courmayeur. It's been great.
Lovely day today - met up with some Quebecois friends of the guy I'm staying with and showed them around. They are doing a 3 day trip from Canada due to getting some silly cheap flights!
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You can't really tell but the blob in the bottom right is some sort of bird of prey.
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Any ideas?
3 days ago at La Plagne.
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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/ThievingGypsyBastard/P1020136_zps93743a90.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]
Who needs another chairlift photo?
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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/ThievingGypsyBastard/P10201612_zps163ed216.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]
[URL= http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/ThievingGypsyBastard/P1020077_zpsa9eacd09.jp g" target="_blank">
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/ThievingGypsyBastard/P1020077_zpsa9eacd09.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]
Back from the Dolomites. Strangest, most adventurous bash ever. Shame so many of the group were not able to safely get to resort due to so much snow and avalanches.
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and one that is slightly nsfw, so linked...
[url= 
]What a lovely set of teeth![/url]
any idea on size Grum? Medium, big, huge, tiny? I'm stumped as the colouring suggests osprey but the location certainly doesn't.
Another one from today - possibly not quite as extreme as it looks. 😉
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Not too sure Julian. I didn't notice it until I was looking at the photo later on.
I would have thought it was quite far away so quite big.
I'm thinking of taking the kids to Scotland to give them a short introduction to skiing, any recommendations, do's and dont's which station/resort? Accomodation? We're looking at going around March 8th. So will obviously be keeping a close eye on conditions.
Is anyone interested driving to Scotland on Friday evening and back sunday evening, not this weekend but next? I have a t5 so plenty of space for 5 leaving from hastings via London and the m1
TheDTs - I would recommend Cairngorm/Aviemore resort. Either staying in Aviemore or very nearby. There is the mountain train (funicular) for them to enjoy the ride up and down. Cafe/restaurant at the top and bottom of the hill. Nice gentle slopes and plenty of snow.
A topic that cropped up on the Olympic thread, but let's ask it here as well!
Mittens or gloves? And why?
Also - Idiot strings round the wrists. Does anyone NOT use them?
For me, as a result of a while in the ski world, I have several sets, all of which are gloves. I tend to run warm, and so don't really need the extra warmth of a mitten. My current fave are a pair of TNF Decagon;
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That said, I'm still sorely tempted by a pair of these at some point;
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Dakine Scout gloves for me. And idiot strings.
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http://eu.dakine.com/p/snowboard/gloves/mens/scout-glove
Mitts for me. Idiot/kiddy strings are a must.
May I just say that I thought Chemmmy was amazing this morning. All by herself (her words) and after many injuries the girl was good 🙂
These are the best gloves I've used. Somewhere in between a mitten and a glove.
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Never used idiot strings though.
I use idiot loops all the time. I had some dakine scouts and was impressed but they didnt last a huge amount of time. Saw some Dakine Titans cheap while skiing in Solitude and picked themup - think they were about $90
http://eu.dakine.com/p/gloves/ski-snowboard/mens/titan-glove?clr=ATH
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although mines a slight different colour scheme and the zip's a bit different, it being an older model. The inner glove is not secured by velcro or anything so it can come out easily, but to be honest I've rarely used them anyway
Gloves, currently Dakine Titan – I prefer the dexterity of gloves and don't need the extra warmth of a mitt.
No idiot strings.
Another silly pic:
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It was my last day of the trip today - been a bit ill so not done too much but it has been awesome. I'm scheming on how I can spend more time in the big mountains next winter.
Awesome photo grum. Touch of the 80's about it with those blues and the sunburst. Love it.
Somewhere in between a mitten and a glove
glotten? milve?
Cheers Graham. Yeah we thought that - we were saying it would have been good if he was wearing a brightly coloured all-in-one suit with hard boots and a carving board.
glotten? milve?
I just refer to them as the lobster claws 🙂
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I have the Hestra's in CF's post. They are great, never been cold or wet. Even in -35c. They do have the idiot straps but they stow out of the way between the liner and outer if you don't want to use them. By the amount of use they get (sadly not as much as I would like) I can't see I will have to buy another pair until I will be taking advantage of a free lift pass..
Bunnyhop, good points, thanks.
Dianese gloves were too cold in Serre Chevalier 2 weeks ago so resorted to the mitten version of those Hestra lobsters, almost too warm! Always use wrist loops to avoid chairlift catastrophes when digging for sweets.
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I had a previous version of these for 13 years, still going strong - never got wet or cold. One of the best purchases I've made - no idiot strings.
Don't you just hate it when it dumps as you're leaving a ski resort. 😡
Can't really complain though. Been lucky to have fresh powder days on every trip in the last few years. 😀
Is there a good snowboard rental/demo place in Les Gets, or are they all Twinner type chain stores?
Ideal would be something like ZeroG in Chamonix with a good range of interesting boards, that would take your rental price of a board if you bought one. The missus is in line for a new board, and it would be great if she could try out a few and get a good deal on the one she likes.
Don't you just hate it when it dumps as you're leaving a ski resort.
I'm on the opposite foot: it's dumping hard in Slovakia at the moment (70cm in 2 days) but I'm not due there for another week. Gah!
[i]*crosses fingers and toes, touches wood and salutes a magpie*[/i]
grum, it sounds like you had your fair share while you were there, though? 🙂
I'm looking at Hestras too, they are nice, I've tried them on a bunch of times, but I'm not sure how they'd hold up to being dragged in the snow and carrying snowboards.
Besides, I've got some level gloves that haven't even entered their duct tape period.
grum, it sounds like you had your fair share while you were there, though?
Yeah mustn't [i]grum[/i]ble. 😀
I'm on the opposite foot: it's dumping hard in Slovakia at the moment (70cm in 2 days) but I'm not due there for another week. Gah!
At least there will be some snow then - it was pissing down with rain when I was there.
Time to give my board a wax. I was thinking that to spare the kitchen table I might look at a proper tuning vise. But blow me they are expensive for what you get. The cheapest I can find is:
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Ski Man Board Stopper, [url= http://www.maverix.org/snowboard-board-stopper-workshop-vice-ski-man-vise/ ]£60 from Maverix[/url]
Which seems a bit steep. It's not much more than a couple of g-clamps with rubbery bits on top and [url= http://www.screwfix.com/p/forge-steel-g-clamp-75mm/45550 ]a G-clamp from screwfix costs £4[/url]!
Does anyone make their own?
Couple of blocks of wood and some rubber matting would probably do the trick. Like this one:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Portable-Snowboard-Tuning-StandVise/?ALLSTEPS
it's dumping hard in Slovakia at the moment (70cm in 2 days) but I'm not due there for another week. Gah!
Hmm.. then again.. perhaps just as well:
😯
We watched a fairly big slab go off from across the valley yesterday. Some skiers set it off - looked like they got away safely off to one side but it was hard to tell. You could see there had been three big slides already on a steep face loaded with snow, and these guys were skiing the one bit that hadn't gone. 😕
They didn't appear to be taking it in turns either.
I've got a set of Hestra guide gloves. On their 3rd season* and still going strong.
*And I do mean season, not week! 😉
Aha! Cheers stevo, that's worth a bump for them for me! Still some duct tape time to go yet, though.
@GrahamS - I've got something very similar to the snowboard vice in your picture - it fits nicely to my Black & Decker Workmate for a 'Pop-Up' Snowboard Workshop in the shed. 8)
They really do make a simple job so much easier, but I'm liking the DIY version very much - I might have to have a go at that as my splitboard is too chunky to go in my vertical slot! *cough* 😳
I'm liking the DIY version very much
Looks alright doesn't it.
I was thinking a much simpler approach might be to just stick some bolts through a bit of 2x4 and into the binding mounts. Then you can just clamp the 2x4 in a workmate.
Though I suppose that doesn't solve the vertical issue and means you are waxing with the binding bolts in which folklore says is bad.
Casey Neistat keeping it real in New York City:
Though I suppose that doesn't solve the vertical issue
My current workaround to the vertical issue is to clamp the splitboard in the 'jaws' of the Workmate with some protective rubber (old DH inner-tube). I'm less bothered about edges on a splitboard anyway
I reckon a quick wax/top up is ok with the bolts in but for a good service would always prefer to remove the binding hardware. That being said there's loads of bolts in a splitboard for touring mode etc and I've never bothered to remove them when waxing ... I reckon your idea would be pretty peachy & robust - look forward to seeing the results and 'scotch-brite' pad finish! 🙂
Conditions in Scotland were not too bad at the weekend 🙂
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Think it's about the same andy, about 5m. What a winter eh? 🙂
They've even got a buried rescue hut too!
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Conditions in Scotland were not too bad at the weekend
Which hill is that? Looks pretty quiet?
My mate was heading to Glenshee with his kids on Sunday - but the traffic was backed up for two miles and the car park was full, so they just played on the foothills instead.
Glencoe.
Saturday wasn't too bad at all. A wee wait at the tows, but nothing unusual, particularly given that it was a weekend in half term which exceptional snow conditions and good weather!
Is there a good snowboard rental/demo place in Les Gets, or are they all Twinner type chain stores?Ideal would be something like ZeroG in Chamonix with a good range of interesting boards, that would take your rental price of a board if you bought one. The missus is in line for a new board, and it would be great if she could try out a few and get a good deal on the one she likes.
There used to be a cool little shop called magic board, I've not been out to Les Gets for far too long though, so cant confirm if its still there or not. They were good guys when I used to pop in, did me a good price on some Drakes I seem to remember.
Been too scared to visit this thread! Don't want to know how good conditions are now 🙁
Gloves: Been impressed with these:
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£30 from Boardridersguide (down from £60)
Replaced some Level gloves that I got from eBay for £15 and lasted years, so hope they have a similar life!
(ps. they don't have Idiot strings 🙂 )
(ps. they don't have Idiot strings )
I'm out 😀
I was in Serre Chevalier last week. Rode powder every day!
I hate this thread!
Nice fresh powder in the Vercors yesterday 😛
Saturday's ski tour in the Chartresue wasn't so great though.We've had rain upto around 1500m at the end of last week, which turned the snow to wet and heavy. Still with the dump on Saturday night and Sunday morning hopefully it's back to being good now.
Just been to town to get some broken screws on my Plum Guides replaced so now hopefully back to business. Although I do have to go and ride my bike (strange idea...)around the med next week....
can I just mention that I am off on my lads trip to Bormio on Saturday!
😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
Bormio? Isn't that all rainforests and monkeys?
I'm off on my lads trip to Slovakia on Saturday. 😀 Ski pass arrived this morning, which was cutting it a little fine!
One from a over Christmas and NY in Morzine:
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[i]Bormio? Isn't that all rainforests and monkeys?[/i]
kin hope not! Although its an easy mistake to make in the Travel Agents.
Peak to Creek run of 1800m drop......BANZAI!!!! 😈
So I'm in La Plagne this week for my first ever trip to the mountain. I'm currently getting absolutely trashed in a bar with a guy from Lebanon on a girl from Hong Kong.... mental stuff!
Bluebird pow day yesterday:
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*and a girl not on a girl!!! Christ I'm drunk!
Are you sure it's a girl from Hong Kong and not a ladyboy from Thailand ? Standard advice in Asia is to be very afraid of the beer goggles !
Tom B later that night:
Sure it's not a lesbian, rather than from Lebanon?
Easy mistake to make...! 😉
Well today was rough! Amongst other things, I managed to lose half a toenail lastnight which made the 2 hours on the slopes that I managed very painful!
Apparently we went through 400 euros at the bar between 10 of us and John the guy from Lebanon (top guy!) ended up having a pretty guilt ridden 3am Skype chat with his girlfriend after pulling some Mexican au pair 🙂 no more alcohol for me this trip!
I'm starting to get to grips with halfpipe though....almost made it to the top today!!
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I used to snowboard Grum, if that helps? Did so for about 10-15 years but won't be going back 😉
I used to snowboard as well. Tried it, was rubbish at it, went back to skiing!
🙂