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Stoner - 1st. Keep telling myself it's early this year.
Note to the organised. Next year (2017) Easter is late, but Feb half term is split over two weeks depending on where you are. We're in the cheaper of the two weeks and getting it for less than the same holiday at Easter this year.
Will see if we can't link up on plenney then one day
With regards to the viking in moraine.
I have been twice with the wife. Couldn't praise it more. Food might not be to 5 star standard but there is plenty of it. They are not even bothered about you making a packet lunch from the breakfast buffet.
The gondola runs late nights so you can still spend the evenings chasing chalet maids. As for the early morning transfer, you luggage is transferred to the top of the gondola by the hotels ski doo. The gondola will open for you we had a 6am transfer last Jan.
Sunrise breakfasts and first cuts in the corduroy are worth it. Trust me.
Certainly all the photos I am seeing look very Spring like as does Les Arcs (@piemonster)
Just booked myself flights to calgary. Last 2 weeks in March. I have skied banff and lake louise before but does anyone have any advice on revelstoke? Anyone been heli skiing? With 2 dollers to the pound it's not the stupid money it use to be. Big bucket list one that.
I went to Revy a couple of years ago, and really enjoyed it. It reminded me of my favourite (and secret) Canadian resort, but with more modern lifts.
It's a very modern development with good lifts (gondolas with mid-stations) and posh eateries and condos at the bottom. The mountain is pretty 'volcano-shaped' so once you're at the top, you can go pretty much anywhere and end up getting a cat track back to the lift. The mid station means you can stay high also.
It's a very long vertical drop, you can really stack up the km's
Lift queues on powder days may look bad at the bottom (for Canada), but people disperse quickly at the top. There's also some good off-piste available a short hike from the top. I didn't get to experience the Cat/Heli skiing, but it's all serviced from the Resort base so very simple.
I stayed in town (10 min drive) and it's great. Go and eat in the Village Idiot, it's absolutely brilliant (and gets busy, so go early or book).
From Calgary, I would recommend a stop off if you're driving yourself. I was knackered by the time I got to Golden. Plus, you have to get over the Roger's Pass which is sometimes closed for avalanche control. The good news is you'll gain an hour from Golden to Revy.
Good info on the Viking dair86. Perhaps its not as much doom and gloom as I was thinking. So long as I get some boarding done, perhaps some earlier nights might be better for us anyway! Glad the food at the Viking isn't as bed as the Trip advisor whingers were making out.
Getting excited again now... will see what the next phone call from crystal brings...
The early morning flight out there might get me an extra afternoon on the slopes as well!
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Oh dear me these are beautiful. Wood grain and mad shapes . 2017 want
I want thone Powder Wolf graphics on skis! Lovely.
After dithering so much about the goggles, I had to make an emergency bindings purchase on Tuesday. 😡
(note to self...check hardware at least a few weeks before packing 😳 )
What did you go for?
I'm still using 15yr old El cheapo drakes.
*wonders about upgrades *
What did you go for?
Does it matter? He'll still look like a middle aged ball bag just like the rest of us!
Harsh but true
What did you go for?
Some Flow jobbies, ex-display from Absolute-snow, felt ok while snowboarding on a parquet floor last night anyway. Certainly comfier and lighter than my previous ones.
Oh , that does matter . Flows! Noooooo
[url= https://mpora.com/articles/skier-vs-snowboarder-man-falls-25ft-chairlift-disagreement-aspen ]Skier throws snowboarder 25ft off chairlift[/url] 😯
How can people get so stressed in the mountains?
I dunno, maybe they'd forgotten their phone to post some more pics or their tandem paraglide had been cancelled.
(Read that story a few weeks ago...if it's true, Jeez!)
So they didn't have the safety bar down... the snowboarder didn't try to grab anything or fight not to be thrown off... sounds like utter bs to me.
Flows
hur hur hurrr.
You know you're not going to be allowed to blame your bindings when you make a tit of yourself next month 🙂 At least you have the coming trip to work on your snow-covered-gallic-shrug....
I remember reading with surprise on the TGR forums that in some US resorts they consider putting down the safety bar to be a noob/gaper thing. 😕
Others, like the one in the photo accompanying that article, don't have safety bars at all:
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Love my Flows. Keep trying other things, but for piste work, they're quick getting off the lift and comfortable all day.
but for piste work
Which, next week, is pretty much all I'll be doing... 🙁
Am off again in March with a couple of asshats who aren't up to much to be honest, one big clumsy eejit who isn't sure whether he wants to board or ski and one who hasn't skied for around ten years, so I'll probably have to spend some time on my own getting some quality stuff done. I've heard they're a bit painful in deep stuff, but I don't think I'll be seeing too much of that.
Australians dont put safety bars down. FACT. They see it as weak and not manly. Like holding doors for others.
Apologies Aussies
but I don't think I'll be seeing too much of that.
every thing's deep when your chin is only 3ft off the deck.
US / Canada - common not to put the safety bar down. We had it loads when biking in Whistler in the summer too...
And yet they were the first ones to insist that everyone wore a helmet.
Go figure.
My experience is based on Australians in Canada , of which there were many .... A heady mix of bravado
Had flows for a while DD. They were great, apart from trying to start anywhere away from bashed piste.
Mine were old and heavy though being from about 2003 and the newer models look pretty good now but I went back to 2 straps and haven't regretted it.
They were great, apart from trying to start anywhere away from bashed piste.
Yeah, I can see how they would. These ones have the option of side entry if needed anyway - they certainly tighten up like traditional 2-straps.
That's good.
It's always nice to have the option of rear entry, but sometimes that can be difficult to slip into and a more traditional approach will get you there faster.
Fnar, fnar.
Do they ratchet from the front then? The tension adjust was all in the flip up lever on the back in my pair, could be adjusted from the front but not ratcheted tight.
I loved them for piste stuff as I could slide off the lift and put my foot in and go at the same pace as the skiers I was with.
That's why I used to love step-in bindings back in the day: with practise you could step in literally as you slid off the chairlift or drag and be heading down the piste before the skiers had got their poles untangled.
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Do they ratchet from the front then?
Yep. These are dem.
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Ah, very good. Seem like a decent all round option then. Flows were definitely more comfortable on the front of the boot but the slight movement at the back took a bit of getting used to. Boot dependant of course.
Never went down the route of "board-spd" GrahamS. Didn't you need to use proper stiff boots for that?
Yeah the boots were stiff and heavy (though not by ski boot standards) some had ratcheting heel straps on the boots. And you needed the right boot for your system (Switch, Burton SI, K2 Clicker etc).
I used the Switch Special X system - so my boots had little metal bars on each side which fitted into the clips. It was Crank Bros level of simplicity though - a nice open design that was self-clearing.
This shows it in action (though the guy must be new to them because he fluffs the first entry completely):
This explains the system better - but appears to have been filmed with a potato:
Wouldn't use them these days obviously!
Changing the subject to skis 🙂 I am skiing a couple of times a year these days, but am struggling to justify buying some. The cost of them initially, the cost to take them on planes, the ongoing upkeep, the hassle of lugging them around etc against turning up and hiring a pair in perfect condition every time and for not a huge amount either.
Thoughts?
I think the provision in resorts is far better for renting good skis than it is for renting good boards.
I used to regularly do the park nights/jumps and rails at Tamworth or Manchester so it was nice to have my own board as it got regular use. I reckon if you only use them once or twice a year they are definitely a luxury.
I wouldn't say the same about boots though.
I think the provision in resorts is far better for renting good skis than it is for renting good boards.
Yep. I use whatever the shiniest rental option is. Helps when I know to shop, but haven't been let down yet! Great choices in Montana last year, for example.
No service, no storage, no travel issues, etc. Plus, trying new stuff and changing with conditions.
Unless you're skiing five times plus a year, can't see the point.
If I was a skier, I'd definitely rent. My experiences with rental boards have all been a bit crap - y'know, not awful, but the bases have always been absolutely wrecked; whereas Mrs DD's rental skis have always been fine.
the bases have always been absolutely wrecked
Ah fond memories of doing a "Ski To Door" on rental boards after a few steins.
It wasn't [i]meant[/i] to be a ski-to-door you understand, but as long as you leant back a bit you could make it across the tarmac roads...
I think the old buy or rent dilemma depends on loads of factors. I have my own skis and did whilst my other half rented his, I don't know whether it was bad luck but he did get given some junk from shops.
I hate the rental shop on changeover day especially if its a package holiday and everyone in the hotel is there at the same time. Also, when you are outliers on the normal distribution curve (ie me - short and him - tall) the choice can be limited.
Some ski shops are just great though, my other half was renting, thought about buying and they mounted brand new skis for him to try, if he hadn't bought them they would turn them over to team rental team. Great service.
Own skis are a bit of a faff but for me they are worth it, especially as both pairs fit in a dakine board bag. Costs £30 ish to take them and 25 euros for an edge and wax 1 x yr. I've also been pretty lucky selling my old skis and a pair of salomon Xreams cost me £300 and I sold them 4 yrs later for £100...they were incredibly popular when they came out.
Buying means you get to keep them and display them in your man cave
Shocked about someone being pushed off a chairlift.
We've skied a few Utah resorts including Alta, where there are no safety bars.
safety bars are a funny thing. you're sat in a seat, angled backwards. How are you going to fall out? It's almost certainly going to nobody's fault but yours. And I'm inclined to believe that's the case with chappy who's claiming he was pushed off.
It's nice to be able to lean on something while you talk to your mates 2 seats away, and it's much more comfortable to have somewhere to rest your board/skis than having them hang, but your safe without a bar.
Euro bars are better than US ones as they usually have a ski/board rest on them as well. Nice to take the weight off tired legs!
