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heading back to the PDS with Mrs S for a few days on our own on Sunday night.
Conditions are getting icier I gather, and only slim chances of a flurry while we are out there until Thursday. But just planning on mooching about the area for a few days, most pistes are open now, sunshine, vin chaud and exploring some of the further parts.Will take pics and report back from Monday.
The Pyrenees have been at their best over the last few days. The coming week looks mild and wet then more snow the week after.
Just caught up on Ski Sunday on iplayer and was disappointed to see Dave Rydings efforts getting such a short part of the program.
Don't look at the week after Stoner. Assuming forecasts are accurate.
Conditions are getting icier I gather
The home runs in Serre Che grew more comedic as each day passed last week. Friday in particular was great entertainment.
@stoner - pistes holding up well considering the lack of snow. Linga area, Le Croset and Fornet bowl all skiing well yesterday and today. Only bad section was the run back to the top of Super Morzine lift - avoid!
Forecast variable for next couple of days - chance of a few cms but freezing level looks like it could be quite high...
Edukator - Reformed Troll
The Pyrenees have been at their best over the last few days.
Oh yes. We spent the day at Cambre d'Aze and although there was a ski mountaineering race on over the whole weekend (Kilian Jornet got a Dsq for missing the flower ceremony), the mountain was still not fully tracked out this afternoon. Great snow conditions.
awesomo5000 video that makes me want to snowboard ALL THE TIME
Love it. It's how most snowboarders imagine how they ride made real!
I landed my first switch 360 in eons off a side hit yesterday, but I'm kidding myself if I was any more than 2 feet off the ground 🙂
so much style, brilliant
thanks for that howsyourdad1 ... I enjoyed that - some of my best days ever have been just razzing around resort and that video captured that feeling quite nicely!
Just got back from a week in PdS, mostly Les Gets. The forecast looked amazing about two weeks before we left, with lots of snow, however by the time we got out there the forecast was just for a dry week.
True to forecast, it didn't snow at all during the week. It's been very dry and there's virtually no backcountry snow. Almost all the off-piste areas that are easily accessible to piste bashers have been scraped down to near-bare earth to push snow onto the pistes, the north(ish) facing slopes in the Ranfoilly bowl are thin muddy snow and Mont Chery is looking very bare. It's a real shame.
Still, got some fun snowboarding in and had a family holiday. And, more importantly, our 4yo son had a brilliant week getting his Ourson badge skiing and also playing with a Riglet board we hired for him. We'll need to find some time (and money) to go to Hemel or a South London -ish accessible dry slope this year.
On the more costive side, I need some new boots as one of mine is starting to collapse...!
Oh, and FWIW:
Age: 39
Jacket: Orange Analog, also needs replacing
Helmet: Black Bern, with goggles (strap on the outside!)
Clean shaven: maybe twice in the week
Pants: Black with pinstripe. Can't remember brand.
Skis: Lib Tech T-Rice, bought from Jackson Treehouse in 2010. Amazing ride, hideously ugly board. Lots of stickers.
Black with pinstripe
Pleased to hear that at least some people are making the effort to look smart on the slopes these days ... all too often one sees some slack-jawed youth, wearing ill-fitting baggy clothing in the most garish of colours.
Clearly these chaps have never heard of Hawkes of Savile Row ...
😆
Am disappointed that the tannoy chime at GVA is no longer the first few notes of "how much is that doggy in the window"
Fellow snow people, any suggestions on how to get good (cheap?) transfers, between Innsbruck and Obergurgl in my case? The prices I'm being quoted are approximately double what it will cost for me to hire a car for the week and that really doesn't seem right at all.
I've looked at getting the train some of the way to Ötztal-Bahnhof but with the time of our flight home it doesn't really work.
Related, if I do hire a car do I need to add on snowchains? Or will the winter tyres suffice?
Thanks all.
Buy snow chains mail order and return if you don't use them?
Am disappointed that the tannoy chime at GVA is no longer the first few notes of "how much is that doggy in the window"
Ha! Yes, every time! Still have to leave for home from one of the gates in the Circles Of Hell, although they now have a mezzanine cafe floor.
Plus there's the travelator game of Nice Watch / Hideous Watch when looking at the ads...
Seeing as we're all doing it...
FWIW:
Age: I was around for purple anodising the first time. 😉
Jacket: Eider. Solid black, getting on a bit. (Freebie*)
Helmet: Smith Holt, with goggles (Oakley Crowbar, black with gold iridium or persimmon. Strap on the outside!) (Both freebies)
Clean shaven: Always when skiing. Easier to get suncream on
Pants: North Face stonkingly bright orange things. (Freebie)
Skis: I rent. Whatever is on the bling option, but currently favouring Nordica Nrgy.
* worked in the ski and outdoor industry, built up many favours.....
Oakley Crowbar, black with gold iridium or persimmon
persimmon as your 'goto lens' is so very last year apparently. 😆
This season, I will be mostly wearing ... VR28
Age: 47
Jacket: Oneill brown/blue thingy commonly seen on kids 1/3 my age
Helmet: Black Smith one with adjustable vents
Goggle: Oakley Handbrake with the quick change lenses
Only need to shave once a week
Pants: Bonfire brown ones, indestructible and hide the dirt well
Board: extremely garish Libtech Skate Banana, the ski school toddlers love it.
Bindings: Flow NX2s
Boots: Flow Talon Focus - best boots ever, 100% waterproof, very stiff but amazing connection to board.
I love VR28, especially in my Pro M Frames, but really prefer the darker iridium for sunshine (correction - it's snow Black Iridium) and as I have Persimmon, that's what I use.
Gift horse/mouth also applies..... 😉
So whats the long term prognosis for snow in the French Alps then - thinking 2 weeks away.
Looking at Scotland which has had basically nothing of note this season at all which is a real shame for the industry - I'd done 10 days this time last year at the mighty 'shee (my employer is very flexible if they knew).
Cham on 23/2 then Les Gets 2 weeks later - fingers crossed.
We've always hired a car and its been pretty cheap and easy. Gives you more options in the resort as well which is handy if you are living in a slightly less accessible area or the snow is limited. Never needed chains in Austria yet. I'd wait and see what the snow is like but at the moment you definitely won't need them. Easy to add to the hireFellow snow people, any suggestions on how to get good (cheap?) transfers, between Innsbruck and Obergurgl in my case?... Related, if I do hire a car do I need to add on snowchains? Or will the winter tyres suffice?
Related, if I do hire a car do I need to add on snowchains? Or will the winter tyres suffice?
Winter tyres are what makes the difference. You won't need chains too.
And Obergurgl ain't making money if the roads aren't passable. (So you can bet they will be!)
So whats the long term prognosis for snow in the French Alps then?
not bad....Chamonix getting 120cm in the next 9 days apparently! (Ski Club GB)
[url= http://austriatransfers.at/ ]These guys[/url] were the cheapest taxi I could find at the time for Innsbruck to Obergurgl and their customer service has been excellent.
162 euro return for 2 of us but could have taken 3 at that price.
not bad....Chamonix getting 120cm in the next 9 days apparently! (Ski Club GB)
Snow Forecast is only showing 50cm over the next 6 days at 2440m. Most of that arrives tomorrow. Sounds like wishful thinking to me... 🙁
I use to make the SCGB snow reports up with their rep in the bar many year ago.
Generally put a good report in on Thursday so that people would travel happy. I hope they do it properly now 😉
Age: very old.
Jacket: westbeach. Approx 15 yrs old.
Boots: ;Head
No skis atm, will need to hire.
Trews: Decathlon, grey colour.
Helmet: Salomon with peak
Goggles: Oakley about 8 yrs old.
Hip: New 😕
Age: Mid-30's...ish
Jacket: Bright yellow, offensively so.
Boots: Salomon, black
Skis: whatever the hire shop is pretending are "premium"
Trews: Black
Helmet: Giro, white.
Goggles: Oakley, black. Occasionally wear sunnies too, Jawbones. Sorry.
Pack: Black, filled with food and warm gear for the inevitable afternoon sugar crash my wife has
Technique: Self-taught and poor. Wide stance, weight too far back, reply on brute force.
Hip-flask: Port, ideally vintage.
Age: Early 40's
Jacket: Yellow & grey (so the wife can see me) or black - both a bit on the big side
Boots: Salomon, black
Skis: Hire shop intermediates
Trews: Yellow & grey or black - baggy ish.
Helmet: Black
Goggles: Ancient Scott things where the white has aged to a pub ceiling beige pre smoking ban - need to change these maybe
Pack: None, something from breakfast jammed in a jacket pocket if going for a big day out.
Facial: Tend to only shave on the last of the holiday so passport control isn't an issue unless going somewhere posh for dinner.
Technique: better than ever but still a bit shit, especially on the icy stuff and still to conquer powder despite lots of teaching by my significantly better friends
Ive got these [url= https://www.snowandrock.com/p/oakley-men-s-airbrake-xl-goggle-I1112696.3657.html ]Goggles[/url]
Can anyone explain why both lenses supplied appear to be designed for exactly the same conditions?
I missed apres tonight.
We'd just stepped out of the hotel to head to a bar when some poor guy walking down the street slips and swings his skis into my face, just below my left eye. There was a fair bit of blood and I needed four stitches but it could have been a lot worse - and I was back in the bar in under an hour!
I'm sure it'll hurt tomorrow...
Oof! Healing vibes, Wallop! As you say, could have been much, much worse!
I feel very, very lucky tonight!
And thank you
I feel very, very lucky tonight!
*Fires up the G550*
😈
I don't even know what year is 😆
Healing vibes wallop
53.9 😉 None of my kit is newer than 10 years, much 15
Jacket: Mammutt choice of Black or Orange/Blue, I have a 20 yr old White Stuff smock I really like
Trew: Mammutt choice of Grey or Blue
Boots: Nordica
Skis: Dynastar (will dig out the 30yr old Salomon GS's for a spin some day) - usually rent these days as skis won't go in car
Finally Dave Ryding's Schaldming number draw (Buckingham Park according to the Austrian MC)
Age: 39 tomorrow
Jacket: Quiksilver mustard and blue jacket (cheapo for gore tex TK Maxx purchase)
Boots: Lange low volume jobbies
Skis: Rossi Experience 80
Trews: Black, usually baggy-ish though due to big thighs
Helmet: Smith Vantage
Goggles: Smith IO
Technique: Regular-ish lessons, not great though, over the back too much and legs too wide. As soon as conditions get lumpy I get thigh burn like mad.
Après hat: Eisbar La Vie Clare style thing.
Spent Saturday afternoon looking round shops for new kit to Jnr. Noticed the O'Neill shop in MK had some nice looking kit with 40% off.
Oh and hope you heal soon Wallop, sounds nasty.
Loooong flight back from Geneva, tried to land at Bristol three times and ended up diverting to Brum for fuel before a return to Bristol and an uneventful landing. Would have been less stressful if the four drunk girls hadn't demanded to leave the aircraft at Brum.
Certainly lots of people doing the snow dance in the alpes at the moment. We had a morning at St Gervais and it was pretty patchy in places. Still nice to ski a new area though.
42
Nordica nrg100, movement le fer, plus various others
Garmont endorphin mg boots
Giro m10
Dragon optics with swappable lenses, strap outside
Arcteryx red jacket
Spyder pants in black
Scott racer poles (15 yrs old)
enjoying the profiles, but just to check, you guys only have one snowboard or pair of skis? no quivers? I iz dizzapoint
'some poor guy'
Sounds like you are being very charitable Wallop, as you sound like the 'poor guy ' and he sounds like a bit of a Twonk!