⛷️ ❄️ The STW Ski and Snowboard thread : the 2024-2025 season

Just home after driving from Val d’Isere to Scotland. We had a great week, although the snow was not as bountiful as hoped for, despite the storm the previous week. A lot of snow had simply blown away. Pistes were OK, just, but offpiste was too bony to contemplate. Sadly they were making artificial snow up on the Pisaillas Glacier, which is a sign of the times. We skied 6 days at Vd’I/Tignes, and then used the 7th day on the pass to get a “”discounted rate” at La Rosiere/La Thile (discounted was 41Euro per person). It was snowing heavily on Thursday night with maybe 25cm in Val D’Isere as we left for La Rosiere on Friday morning.

A day in La Rosiere with lunch in one of the restaurants in La Tuile is usually a nice treat 🙂

We’re driving to Meribel at the end of the week again. One of my fave resorts. Easy to drive to as it’s closer than Val d’Isere, Val Thorens etc, middle of the 3 valleys so fantastic/plentiful skiing and plenty of apres if that’s ya bag.

I did a month living in Meribel just before COVID, playing Apres gigs…..my liver still hasn’t recovered.

A day in La Rosiere with lunch in one of the restaurants in La Tuile is usually a nice treat

Have to call out the horrendous T-bars you need to take from La Rosiere to La Thuile

This is my 32nd year of snowboarding. I’m an extremely confident expert. I did a lot of freestyle competitions back in the day. I’ll comfortably hit 50mph+ according to my gps. Nothing fazes me on a board. Rarely see anyone I think is genuinely better than me other than young freestyle groms.

However, those 2 T-bars from la rosiere to la Thuile are absolutely horrific on a snowboard. I cut my teeth in the early 90s on horrific icy Scottish button tows and T-bars but nothing comes close to how bad those 2 are. The uplift track looks like it’s been subject to a heavy mortar barrage. They may be ok on skis but at every single point on a snowboard, the terrain wants to take you away from wherever the t-bar wants to go. Clinging on for dear life the entire way

Should you happen to make it over to La Thuile, I highly recommend Roxi Bar or Il Punto Gi

First day done in Obergurgl.

I was warned it was going to be cold, it’s not.

Mmm yes. We were there last week and warned of insane lows, but it was actually fine with a couple of thermals and a shell.

We’ll go and check out Solden tomorrow or Tuesday.

Be sure to go right up to the gletscher. I wasn’t fussed at first as the queues were a bit pisch, but when we got there it was immense. Really great easy wide emptyish carving  pistes.

Make sure you get the correct chair above the gondola station. There’s two right next to each other but only lifty’s right gets you high enough for the next piste to the glacier.

Also, if you descend past hochdolden then be sure to take the black. It’s not hard, and is soooo quiet compared to  the red.

2 weeks till Tignes, looking at the forecast it looks like some snow is coming over this week, so hoping the slightly slower drop of fresh carries on for a bit as opposed to the crazy heavy day and then nothing for ages.

Work is a mix of what I need to do and tutorial videos to try and learn to carve better!

@boardinbob There’s an easy fix ya know… 🙂 It is a schlep even on planks. The main issue it’s very open and when it’s windy – ya bugger…

I’m off to Corbier second week in Feb. Not been there before, any tips? Family skiing, mainly blues and reds.

Spent the new year ski touring at Purcell mountain Lodge in the Canadian Selkirks with sweamrs and sweajnr (11).

20cm of fluff on a supportive base made for excellent conditions better than my previous (solo) visit last February.

Spent the new year ski touring at Purcell mountain Lodge

<insert “Kelis – I hate you so much right now” gif> 😉

Had a day on NYD at Super Besse in the Cantal. A small resort and with only half of the area open it was pretty busy. Most of the runs were bumpy by 2pm. If the whole area was open, especially the link to adjacent Mont Dore I could see it being a decent enough place to ski for a couple of days and then maybe having a day or 2 at nearby Lioran. If it got a big dump there’s lots of mellow side piste stuff to have a go at too. Reds were more blue level and the Black which was open was a not very challenging red.

Not as many button lifts as feared but the main gondola is a little on the slow side, the chairs were decent enough. A few slopeside places to eat and have a drink which weren’t too expensive. Loads of camper parking nearby with a shuttle bus to the front de neige.

Lift price for the day was 42 euro incl insurance but a 4 hour pass would probably suffice at 36 Euro. I’d go 9:30 – 13:30 then stop for lunch as slopes are south facing and after lunch end up covered in bumps. There a zip line from the top and a luge on rails too if you’re in to that sort of thing.

Turns out my 1st day of the season was probably also my last though as the arthritis in the hip complained a lot more than last year the day after.

Been dumping all day here under Salzburg.

Got my first bit of backcountry powder under my belt. Sunshine tomorrow then more snow Thursday & Friday

BoardinBob

C’mon dude, the button lift (not Tbar) to La Thuile is undeniably long, but it is slow and not steep. You don’t have to take the second one.

Taken it dozens of times. Trivial compared to proper horrors like the Goose !

Managed to get the day off yesterday (Wednesday) and got up to Weardale. No wind and sunshine with sugary snow on the ‘pistes’. A very good day out.

Definitely glad of the Lidl snow chains on the road up mind.

Looks good @slowol – anyone out touring round the tops? Love that far side when the conditions are good.

Had a good lunch skive today. Wall to wall blue skies, good snow and ended up being several hours. Added to some urban freeride with the kids last Sunday and maybe a tour tomorrow night and then skiing with the kids again Sat/Sun it’s looking like a good week.

Snow was fairly deep but patchy in places from being windblown. The ground is well frozen so apart from rocks and gravel most of the tufted grass is probably skiable. The snow is very sugary and drifted in places.

Flying out early Saturday, this week is going slowly already, last week was snowy in the Alps, this week, seems to be a drought in Tignes all week and there doesn’t seem to be any fresh on the way, still a week in the mountains beats a week in the fens anytime!

I’m excited, have started packing and have my boots ready to re-adjust my feet to in the evenings this week.

Has anyone ever developed discomfort with a well worn in boot (10/11 weeks of use and abuse), I had the fitters adjust them before the last trip but there’s a pressure point on the top of my right foot. I’m wondering whether to replace or just have them heated and adjusted again? Talking ski boots of course.

Ha “drought in Tignes” …I’m not going to feel sorry for you as a mates just returned from his week there and been snow most days with no sun. So I think you’ve got the best of it coming. Jealous even though I’m not long since back from a cracking trip to cervinia/zermatt.