[Closed] The STW Ski & Snowboard thread. The 2017-2018 season

We're about to get 2 weeks of sun and not a drop of precipitation in sight. Freezing level way above the mountain top too, but today wasn't too shabby.

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i cannot wait to go away snowboarding............just saying

Like Whistler the Rockies is also suffering from a forecast lack of snow in the near term. It's so bad that looks like I might be out on the summer mountain bike by next weekend if the long range forecast persists.
Despite being in Calgary 8 years I'd never skied at the Olympic park but a $10 special offer meant I gave it a go last night.

Surprisingly good and not too busy once all the after school race teams had finished. What lens tint for night skiing 😀

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Gourette doesn't open till Saturday so we randoed up to make the most of the fresh, -8°C in the resort when we set out and somewhat colder at the top:

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La Pierre St Martin has been open since Sunday so we spent this afternoon cruising the groomers:

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You can make out La Rhune on the horizon if you know where to look. Into Spain we could see at least 150km.
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The stoke is high!

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So, in a spur of a moment thing I've booked to go to Les Arcs skiing for a week - end of Jan.. Going with my other half and 4 friends - 2 experienced snowboarders, 1 experienced skier, my wife who has never snowboarded but kitesurfs and I haven't skied since I was a kid..! Should be interesting! Any tips? I was confident when I was younger, off-piste etc, having skied in Megeve and Flachau..

Val Thorens for Xmas.

Looks like it needs to snow a bit more...
http://www.valthorens.com/en/live/livecams--webcams/webcam-folie-douce---plein-sud.418.html

Just got my new Party Socks 🙂
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Getting pretty excited now...

but today wasn't too shabby.

Nice, is that North Flute? (The cat track is confusing me.) Looking forward to getting back out there at the start of Feb. Hope the snow returns before then 🙂

The weather forecast is amazing.

I WANT TO GO SKIING!

Just booked a short weekend to Poland!should be a giggle!looks cheap and pretty and night ski ing!
Couldntjustify a week ski break as much as id love one (due to buying a house)
Somewhere new too!going in march cant wait!

Philstone - which bit of Les Arcs are you staying in?

Any tips?

Get yourself and your wife to the snowdome for a few one hour lessons over the next few weeks. It'll take the sting out of the learning curve when you arrive.

Looks like it needs to snow a bit more...

wallop - Staying with WhiteBeams at Peisey..

bluebird - we're in Jersey - not that practical! She's going have lessons anyway, I'll do a couple of days to get back up to speed..

Peisey is lovely. Anybody having lessons?

I’ll drop some lunch recommendations in here when I get home later!

Nice, is that North Flute? (The cat track is confusing me.) Looking forward to getting back out there at the start of Feb. Hope the snow returns before then

Nope, Flute currently requires skinning out to as neither Harmony or Symphony are running, and my touring skis still don't have bindings on them.

This is above Crystal, just above the cat track that you would ski down to get there from Glacier chair.

Wallop - Yeah, my wife is going to learn to snowboard and I’ll need a couple of refresher lessons I reckon. Can you recommend anywhere? I know Les Arcs pretty as well as I usually go there in the summer on the bike.

Ah good, that means you’ll be familiar with how to get between different villages. I have to say I prefer it in the summer to winter but the familiarity is nice.

Ski school wise - lots of people recommend New Generation in the Peisey Vallandry area.

Lunch wise:

The mushroom shaped bar up in the Arc 2000 bowl is good for cheap coffee and pizza

The Sanglier qui Fumé (or something) - The Smoking Boar - is a nice cosy stop just off the cachette piste just above 1600.

There’s a good noodle restaurant on the side of the piste just below the Transarc mid station.

The Arpette restaurant has a cracking view on a nice day.

There’s a creperie opposite the bottom of the Grizzly and Vallandry lifts which isn’t open in summer - it does THE BEST French onion soup.

I like my grub when I’m skiing 😆

Keep an eye out for the golden eagle - especially above Peisey!

Still no one with local knowledge of grands massif conditions. Thinking about a few days pre Xmas

philstone - Member
Wallop - Yeah, my wife is going to learn to snowboard

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😉

😆

THM - Flaine is forecast a shitload of snow this weekend (as is PDS) - I should imagine conditions will be fine but I’m not sure when the domaine is fully open.

Also trying to persuade the spouse that a quick pre-Christmas trip is a good idea but we are going to Samoëns in March so would opt for PDS this time.

[url= http://shift-bindings.salomon.com/en ]Shift Bindings[/url]

These look very interesting from Salomon for next season. Tours like a pin binding, descends like a full alpine binding.

This would be the sort of thing I'd go for, not crazy heavy but with the safety features and performance I'm used to from a DIN certified alpine binding.

Thx Wallop.

Next weekend is opening I bekieve

That seems to be the case for most areas but interestingly the full PDS isn’t scheduled to open til the 22nd. Which is annoying 😆

PDS lift dates - https://www.morznet.com/lifts/dates
Its not just the snow they need - its the other infastructure like the buses / bins / lifties etc. Looking good for those out there over the next week or two though.

whatnobeer – are they just saving them for the holidays? I presume there's enough snow up there by now.

whatnobeer - cheers, really interesting and I've been holding off replacing all my touring kit as i just do not like pin bindings. Might repair my current stuff and hold out.

Great dump overnight here in Sainte Foy, probably 10cm at 1250m with a lot more forecast!

(For reference the road with a few tracks along is the main Bourg to Val D'Isere road)
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Got up to Val D'Isere yesterday, some great conditions up high with a few bits of sheet ice on the lower slopes, but looking like this dump should fix that!

whatnobeer – are they just saving them for the holidays? I presume there's enough snow up there by now.

Definitely looks like enough snow to open, and from the stuff we hiked, apart from a few shark fins it's been pretty reasonable. I assume it's just a case of the new owners wanting to save a little cash and not run them until it's a little busier. Either that or lift opts are still working their asses off to get them ready after getting hit with the early opening. 7th heaven was rumoured to be opening this weekend, so they shouldn't be far away.

whatnobeer - cheers, really interesting and I've been holding off replacing all my touring kit as i just do not like pin bindings. Might repair my current stuff and hold out.

Aye, Blister had a first look review today and reckon they could be the real deal but obviously waiting on further testing. Looking like a potential game changer.

Morzine on Friday, whoop!

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Fantastic first day of the season here in åre. -10c, windstill and alot of good snow about . Got to test some new boards including the highlight above , a Nitro squash 153. Its good to be ripping again!

Probably a question to get chucked back at me, but I've always skied "on the kindness of strangers" - through work, or though friends who have places in france or switzerland.

I'm now looking at taking the missus out for a week in february (not half term!) - but am sort of stumped as to where to look. I'd like to go french alps unless it's prohibitively costly - I'm an intermediate, she's a beginner so we probably won't ski out a small resort in a week.

Is the general STW advice to try and find a package deal? Find others to go with to rent a chalet? Try and do it as a bum?

I thought best to stick on here rather than add another random thread.

I think it depends on what sort of accommodation you like but for sure a package deal is probably the most straightforward. However if you’d prefer self catering then I’d say avoid the likes of Crystal, etc.

Any particular reason for choosing France though? Austria can be smashing for beginners.

Am now the owner of season lift passes for the Grand Massif, it was cheaper to buy now rather than the day rate for our trip in March !
Might have to try and get a sneaky weekend in Jan to get some more use out of them....

Tignes closed today - circa 150cm of snow overnight, all lifts closed while they clear avalanche danger.

Courmayeur website also reports all lifts and pistes closed, they had a handful open last week

@continuity - if there's only the two of you then book the time off work and grab a last minute deal. Don't get hung up on the french alps - skiing in Italy is gorgeous and the food is wonderful, Austria is great too.

We're happy to cook cheaply ourselves, make packed lunches, avoid most of the costs.

Keys for us are comfortable accom that isn't scummy (I've been in some proper dives in places like Les Arcs with work), cheap skiing and steady access.

Italy and Austria would be fine.

But do I got to a large broker or try and put it together by searching hotels and then lift passes individually? If seperate, any good suggestions on where to start - and if package how last minute should I look and any suggestions aside from crystal?

Lots of variables - which airport is easiest for you to get to in the UK? Are you happy to hire a car at the other end?

For example - I live in Bristol and by far the easiest airport to get to from here is Geneva. If I’m going for a week, I don’t mind hiring a car so I’ll go for somewhere which is a longer distance from the airport such as Val, Tignes, Les Arcs, La Plagne or Three Valleys. Then I’d look for a self catered apartment on Airbnb or HomeAway.

Similarly, I can do Salzburg or Innsbruck for a week, but I’d probably do half board in a hotel in Austria (I’ve never had much luck finding SC accommodation in Austria) and the standard of hotels is very high in Austria IMO - rooms are bigger than French shoeboxes. In which case Crystal all the way.

If I’m doing a long weekend, then I’m stuck with Geneva and I’ll want somewhere close to the airport so I can get a cheap transfer - this means Morzine or Grand Massif.

Don’t worry about lift passes - they are easy to buy in resort.

Personally I’ve never booked a last minute package deal so I can’t comment on tour operators in that regard.

@Continuity
Igluski.com are a good place to start for last minute packages.
Pierre Vacances for direct apartment in France possibly other EU countries too, I don't know what the Italian or Austrian equivalent is?

Last minute chalet package can be hit and miss depending on who else is in the same chalet and what the chalet is like. Had some shocking chalet operatives in the past but had some great ones too. Also met and skied with some nice people so can be good.

Continuity, I'd be looking to Austria myself, it's prettier, the lift pass is cheaper and it generally feels friendlier than the French resorts. Obergurgl is my default recommendation, 90 mins transfer from Innsbruck, lovely village and the slopes are perfect for beginners and inters.

For the first trip together I'd do a package through someone like Crystal just for lack of faff. However, it's not difficult to stick it together yourself, flight in, hire car (often cheaper than a transfer bus), hotel, ski hire and lift pass are all easily done on line.

Also - the apres is way more fun in Austria 😀

If you fancy Austria and self catering my friends at [url= http://www.skifix.co.uk ]Skifix[/url] will be able to sort you out with a small apartment.
Very pretty village 1hr from Salzburg, resort has 150km of piste, no queues at the lifts

Thanks gents - that's a great point in the right direction.

gents

Erm....