The STW Ski and Snowboard thread – 2011/2 Edition

So, who’s going where and when? New toys? etc…..!

Off to Serre Che in February, at least according to current plan, and possibly getting a cheeky long weekend at Tahoe/Heavenly in January if certain otehr plans work out! Anyone skied around Tahoe with any tips/pointers?

New toys? Well, don’t really need anything after my expenditure last year. But I rather want a pair of these;

or maybe these;

So, what’s in the diaries….?

Schladming in Austria[/url] mid-term in Feb.
Hopefully a few runs up in Scotland.
Ideally might hop over to Switzerland for a lads weekend with a mate that lives there and drive down to Portes du Soleil[/url].

No new toys this years, but still getting used to my Bataleon Goliath:

with the weird but cool TBT base

http://www.documentsnowboard.co.uk/news/gear-news/20092010-bataleon-goliath-review

Got one of these in the garage that was awaiting the winter season, but now I’m off to sunny places instead.

Kind of 🙁
Kind of 😀

Tahoe is ok but better skiing to be had at Squaw & Alpine. Better atmos too – Heavenly is just a big american town. Mind you awesome view from the top of Heavenly, 10000ft up & its one of highest points around for miles…….

My plans? Dont know for sure. Ive got a heavy training load for next yr so not sure how much skiing Im going to get done, if I do it will more likely be the land of Chocolate, cuckoo clocks & dodgy bankers..

Looking forward to family trip to La Thuile[/url] in Feb

It’ll be Glencoe or Nevis as often as possible for me, with a sneaky trip sans-enfants to the Tarantaise some time in January.

I need these new snowboard designs explained to me though – my trusty Option Vinson (which, despite buying about 7 years ago and hammering off rocks at Glencoe ever since, I still consider my “good” board!) could do with replacing, but because I’ve not ridden anywhere near as much as I used to over the past 6 seasons I’ve not bothered.

Now there’s all this TBT, reverse camber type and all these new manufacturers on the market and I can’t grasp what it all means! In the past I always thought the choices were basically Burton or not, forgiving or stiff/snappy and short for mucking about or longer and wider for those all-too-rare deep powder days.

What’s all that about then?

A week in Les Gets at the end of March… can’t wait, even sent my board off to be repaired a couple of weeks back – completely trashed it in the trees in Courmayeur last year.

No new toys this year, although probably need a new helmet

re. Rockers, Cambers, Combo boards, it seems to be about 80% marketing and 20% substance. I ride a LibTech TRS which is a rocker design i.e. if you look at it side on it’s a bit more banana shaped than a cambered board – the bit between your feet curves down rather than up, think of a stretched out U shape rather than a soft ‘W’ (A better description)

In reality in powder it does seem to float a little better – the nose comes up more easily than my previous, longer board… I don’t think it carves quite as well on piste and if you running flat it definitely wanders around a little more… fun in lift queues the first few times you use it. The differences really aren’t night and day though.

To be honest, have a look at the specs, make sure you’re chosing the right type of board (freestyle, freeride etc) then pick the one with the best graphics.

All current plans (we were supposed to be hitting up Canada again this year) have been placed on hold due to the re-fracture of my wife’s leg in August.

Current planning is that she should be out of the cast by Christmas, but won’t be making this season at all. Which means that I won’t be able to either. Which sucks a bit.

What’s all that about then?

Marketing. 😉 Skis are as bad these days, with all manner of rocker/camber lunacy going on!

Was planning Serre Che, but have now booked Les Arcs. No idea what to expect, it’s only my second time skiing.

All tips gratefully received!

Wallop

Have a look at Snowheads.co.uk[/url] lots of good advice on there.

Nendaz (part of the Verbier area) for Christmas. I spend all my cash on bikes and a toddler so not bought anything new for a while!

Was planning a week in the Espace Killy, staying at one of the cheaper Tignes resorts the week before Christmas. However I can’t persuade anyone to go with me, and although I’d be more than happy to board on my own all day, the prospect of a whole week on my todd doesn’t really appeal 🙁

Will most likely be a boring sod and save my pennies instead.

Cheers, Rich

Bad Gastein for Christmas – first time in Austria so quite looking forward to something new

Serre Che in March, with UIAGM guides for the week and possible daytrips to places such as Montgenevre and maybe La Grave, dependent on conditions

No new gear, the stuff I have all works fine 🙂

Markie – 1999 Burton Rippey 157.

Do I win a prize? 😳

(Could be a smidge earlier than 1999 – I had the 2000 one with the sparkly topsheet and nekkid girlies frolicking on the bottom).

I’m after some new boots as I just didn’t get on with the new ones I bought last year. Anyone want to buy some Burton DriverX’s in size 8? Only used for a few days, not even heat-moulded yet!

If anyone is interested I put together a 10 week fitness program for skiers and boarders, which I’m mainly marketing in Geneva – email me for details so I don’t have to do any more blatant selling on here! The idea being to avoid injury and make more of every day of your trip.

Scotland at some point after Christmas, not going abroad anywhere though. Absolutely loved Winter Park when i went, but i just wish i’d been on skis rather than boarding. Altitude sickness wasn’t fun mind….

Wallop

Have a look at Snowheads.co.uk lots of good advice on there

cheers!

Fernie, whitefish again for us over christmas

Same fish and malolo boards for me

No need for more kit than I already have just looking forward to plenty of powder and the nice food, not to mention cowgirl coffee

iDave, was that that thing you were antsy about hearing about a little while ago?

Was planning Serre Che, but have now booked Les Arcs. No idea what to expect, it’s only my second time skiing.

All tips gratefully received!

Yep, you should have gone to Serre Che! 😉

Les Arcs is ace, though. You’ll have fun!

After last years rather expensive, shiny toy filled jaunt, I’d planned on finding somewhere quiet, chilled, with a good mix of fun for all abilities and great touring. Friend of mine’s talking about a 2 week ski-mountaineery traverse in Iran. I’m trying hard to not be interested, and not quite succeeding.

plumber. I’m hearing rumours of a repeat of la nina this year. You could be balls-deep, as they say. Where are you staying in Fernie?

Yep, you should have gone to Serre Che!

Les Arcs is ace, though. You’ll have fun!

It wasn’t down to me, sadly. There are 16 of us going! 😯

What’s all that about then?

The TBT base on Bataleons is very noticeable. (definitely not just marketing!)

Basically the cross section of the board looks like this graphic:

When you are on the flat then only the middle section of the board is on the snow. No edges. So you can squirrel the board around underneath you. Makes riding long flat link trails a lot easier and you are less likely to catch and edge on boxes or dodgy landings.

As soon as you lean it flops onto the edge section, engages the edge and starts the turn.
Turns feel very “engaged” and you have to shift your weight a bit more to come out of the turn.

I like it a lot. The only downside is that the transition points on the base get bare VERY quickly so they need a lot of waxing.

If you’re interested in new boards the get yourself to a demo day. I bought my Bataleon after trying loads of boards at the Big Bang Snowboard Show in Glasgow. Think you’ve missed this years though.

GrahamS, presumably you have to crank it over harder to get the same edge in the snow?

Whistler at Christmas then Meribel in Feb for us. No new kit this year. Bah!

Tahoe? Alright if you like gambling, the resort is a bit sh1t though… There’s a resort near there (can’t recall the name) where you ski the State line, Nevada desert (with Chicken Ranches) one side, snow the other. Heavenly’s alright, just seems a bit small after the 3 Valleys, Milky Way etc…

Currently got Wengen for Christmas and 12 days in Whistler in march booked in. Might try and get a lads weekend back to Wengen for Mens Downhill weekend in too, funds and mrs allowing!

Wrecked my skis at the end of last season so going to get a new set off a mate, not sure what though, depends what he can dig out the garage!

Hmm. Thanks for notes re Tahoe. So, if I was in San Francisco and wanted to squeeze in a cheeky three day ski trip, which resort?

I have a Bataleon and agree with the above.

Still have an old Rippey somewhere.

Hey stevomcd, close enough for the prize I reckon! It’s from sometime between 1994 and 1996, a Rippey Mission 56. Sparkly white top coat.

Verbier the week before Xmas, and St Anton the first week of Feb 🙂

on my new Rossignol S86 skis 🙂

Wallop
Have a look at Snowheads.co.uk lots of good advice on there

Think snowheads.com is the official URL (without the www’s), but it seems to redirect OK.

Planned so far:
Nov/Dec = Tignes
Jan = Zillertal
Feb = Arabba
Mar = tbd (San Cassiano maybe, but I don’t want to be too greedy)

nadrapier – no the antsy thing is still up in the air. The slope fitness is bread and butter stuff.

I’m pleased to say that a good friend is having their apartment in the alps renovated in time for the season – deep joy

also want to do some nordic stuff

Jackson Hole – December
St Anton – January
Serre Che and a bit at La Grave – March

CFH – I had a pair of nomad crimsons – not bad at all

The planks I really want to use more this year are
these

Andy – my first time not making it on the snowHeads Birthday Bash… 😥

No new kit apart from a new file and errr, I’ve bought my son a board having sold my own because I was fed up with hurting myslef on it. I might borrow it when there is some fresh powder – if my wife doesn’t hide it or saw it in two.

Where? Up the hill and up other hills if I have to drive for my son’s club.

Just looking at booking a Shallot for a group of us – possibly Zell if Austria, Serre Che if France. I’ve forgotten which are the cheapest weeks to go again – anybody enlighten me?

Stoats, Serre Che in March last season was roasty-toasty warm, but still good snow cover above the tree line. Only the Alphand back to Chantemerle was really doable, and even then not in the afternoon (Massively churned!) so we just stayed up high and then downloaded.

Have also been to Serre Che in March – it was bloody roasting!!