The STW Ski and Snowboard thread – 2011/2 Edition

Must get there some time. Hmmm only a 10.5hr drive. Might sling bike in the car and head over that way in the summer.

Yep. Folk here at the mo that drove across for a six-week stay.
Or Ryan Air is £30 each way, plus 26 euros for first class train from Bratislava.

Chalet we are staying at does mountain biking during the summer: http://www.chaletslovakia.com

Fortunately I live half way there, so car or maybe train. €26 1st class sounds like a bargain too. Quite fancy ticking Poland off the list too (which can’t be that far away).

Will check that place properly tonight.

Woody – if you have a problem with the hotel, you’re best off complaining while you’re there. They may be able to do something about it.

Doctordee – have you had your week at Chalet Yves yet? If so how have you got on?

Woody – grand doesn’t mean grand in French…

Cheap and cheerful when I stayed.

Woody is not alone in his views. This made me smile:

We travelled with Equity Ski on a school trip first week of the season. Admittedly it was the staff’s first week of the season, but that is no excuse for the quality (or lack thereof) of nearly everything in the hotel. I am frankly amazed anyone could have anything good to say about the hotel. I’ll start with the rooms- we had five in a room that was the size of a twin room in a travel-inn. The window didn’t shut properly, so after a couple of nights we were all sleeping in thermals, when you turned the radiator on it filled the room with a smell like burning plastic, so we left that off for fear of asphyxiating in our sleep, at first there was no hot water and even after our teacher had negotiated for the hotel to bring in a plumber to fix the problem (our rep was hopeless, wouldn’t recommend Equity either) we were given a choice of cold enough to give you brain freeze or scalding hot water. TV didn’t work either. The food was revolting- made the school canteen seem like a michelin starred restaurant- the cottage pie made people vomit. The ski rental was incredibly poor- the beginners and experts were all given the same skis with DIN settings varying from 5.0 if you were a beginner destined for some painful falls to 6.0 if you were an expert- aggressive skiers beware and the boots were older than the hills. The staff with the exception of the bar staff were surly and unhelpful and the Villeneuve area was closed for the duration of our stay due to poor snow so we had to bus out to Monetier and Deux Alpes to ski (the first journey an irritant, the second a major pain)
On the other hand the bar area was nice.

Please don’t stay in this hotel, there’s a Club Med down the road, its worth the extra cash.

vague spam: anyone interested in a splitboard? 14 day’s use? Voile Mojo 166 all hardware and skins. email in profile.

Can’t see why anyone would bother with a splitboard! Too much faffing around. Just stop snow boarding and get skis with touring bindings, enough said.

Why, you can’t do this on a pair of touring skis

Good point well made, frn. That you? Looks like a big board!

mmcc, bit more faff, not much more, really. You could say the same about touring vs riding the lifts. Or skiing vs sitting at home on the sofa.

Not me, I took it of my mate last week in switzerland. He is on a custom made igneous split (hard booter as well!)
This was me on my Jones
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7178/6830418968_452d95b5f7_b.jpg

urg. looks good! Your mate’s not norweigian, is he?

No from suffolk! But a chamonix/jackson hole veteran…

Ned – have you seen those Edison bindings from Spark – looks like a massive leap forward to me…. 😛

I have been waiting for a split development like this and have held back on bindings – next year could be the year. The massive bonus being you only need 1 set of binders for both boards…

Why, you can’t do this on a pair of touring skis

Of course you can, or could. The only real difference is the bindings so you can walk uphill in them, you can use any fat alpine skis and just whack a pair of skins on.

I like the backcountry, slackcountry thing, I just hike up to somewhere from the top of the chair lifts though, don’t see the point in starting any lower unless you are in the proper back country with no chair lifts around.

@freeridenick – agreed – those Edison bindings look really promising and I might be tempted to replace my Blaze bindings with them next year.

It’s definitely been a interesting couple of years in Splitboard development, what with Spark, Voile & Karakorum all coming out with new/innovative products but the Edison systems looks like a winner if it does away with the Voile ‘pucks’ and you only need one pair of bindings for both your split & regular board.

Guess it just depends how stiff the Edison binding setup is. I know Spark has addressed some of the early concerns with soft highbacks and heel straps, but an interface setup that restores some torsional stiffness looks like a fantastic idea! 🙂

edit – nice shots btw! 8)

Of course you can, or could. The only real difference is the bindings so you can walk uphill in them, you can use any fat alpine skis and just whack a pair of skins on

I don’t think that’s quite the point that was being made. From my perspective a splitboard gives you the benefit of ski-touring going up and snowboarding going down. Not saying snowboarding is better than skiing or owt – just different!

But it is better 😉

Just back from Chamonix
Spring conditions across the region meant frozen pistes first thing . As soon as the sun had been on the slopes for an hour or so they started to soften , as early as 10am for the lower SE facing slopes . By midday most had some areas of porridge . No stones or rocks coming through so pretty much all skiable .
There were a few ‘home’ runs down from Flegere / Brevent that were shut , as was the long red down to the station at Vallicine ( Le Tour ) but these are low level runs C 1500m .
We saw 16’c on a terrace in Courmeyer. The area pass buys you 2 days there , and a free bus transfer . I have never skied in such warm conditions . It was uncomfortable in a helmet , googles , jacket etc .

As it had been freeze / thaw for a while didnt find any powder to play on , so stuck to pistes and did alot of technique work . 1 footed carving , fakie , 1 footed fakie ( very hard, cant get it ) and alot of mogul bashing.

Dont think i will be rushing back to Chamonix . The buses and trains mean faffage of the highest order just to get to the bottom lifts . Be different with a car perhaps . Although as it was so hot we didnt attempt the VB , so thats a possibility.
usual overpriced crap in the mountain restaurants with indifferent service .

and there are many many reports on the interweb about the Grand Aigle, bit late now though

Please don’t stay in this hotel, there’s a Club Med down the road, its worth the extra cash.

Back now and I didn’t let the ‘hotel’ spoil the holiday and I paid the price for a panic booking. I can only agree with what was said in the review above (particularly re the Club Med hotel nearby which I would happily have paid a couple of hundred quid extra to have been in) but add that with the odd exception, I have never seen such a useless bunch of staff in all the years I’ve been skiing/boarding and it would have been pointless complaining while I was there. I definitely blame the management, as although pleasant and polite, seemed entirely clueless on how to run a hotel, motivate and train staff and were completely oblivious to the loud complaints from most guests, mainly about the food which lacked both quality and quantity. It is a VERY basic hotel and really only any use for their main clients ie. schoolkids, there were 40+ kids when I was there but well behaved.

Despite the fact that they haven’t had any big snowfalls since early February and it was so warm I skied in a base layer and light fleece all week, the area was still very skiable and I had a great time, particularly on the last 3 days when I decided to get the best off the “off-piste light” and found conditions much better than the piste when you got the timing right. I can imagine that with the right conditions it would be great as a lot of it looked easily accessible from the lifts.

Don’t think I would go back though as, (per usual) I felt the French were only interested in fleecing you at every opportunity and the atmosphere was much less welcoming than my last two holidays in Austria. Also, Villeneuve is not the place to go if you want a bit of nightlife!

All in all, I would say its a good resort and probably great given the right conditions and if you know where to go at night, but for my money I think there areas which offer a much more rounded experience. Certainly wouldn’t want to put anyone off, as I think the area has a great deal to offer – just don’t stay in Villeneuve and definitely avoid the Grande Aigle!

I agree with your experience Woody. We had some of the worse skiing holidays with Equity.

In Austria we had some fantastic food on the hill, prices that were competative and such good,friendly, welcoming staff at mountain restaurants. Same in the hotel really.

We’re off to Les Arcs soon, so will be prepared to make sandwiches because of the off putting prices in mountain eateries.
Hope the snow keeps before we can get there, although I heard they’ll be more on the way over the next few days.

Like anywhere, there’s good and bad, Woody. Not everywhere in my local French resort is trying to fleece people. Most are trying to make a living by providing a good service they hope people will appreciate and come back for again.

Personally I found Austria somewhat expensive and the famous après ski in Ischgyl (rated the best in the world by partisan German rags) amounted to people standing around drinking cold beer in the cold for about an hour before even the locals decided it was too cold to stay out and went back to their (very expensive) hotels or camper vans paying 5e a night on the car park.

Edit: almost forget to say today was ace; fresh snow on/off piste, sunshine and falling snow at the same time.

Edukator
I realise that not all French are like that and I generally like most I’ve met, especially in smaller resorts but there are a few who’s attitude leaves a sour taste eg. I had lunch in the same mountain restaurant all week and initially the waitress had a face like a spanked arse which instantly transformed after the first tip into a friendly person who couldn’t have been nicer for the remainder of the week. In fairness that may be due to the way that many Brits/English behave, however, on the last day a young couple wandered in and asked to see a menu. This was treated with what can only be described as contempt and two waiters then called over the manager who then waved his hand dismissively towards the blackboard menu. I can only assume they were treated like that as the staff initially (wrongly) assumed they had only gone in to use the toilet.

BTW the staff in Grande Aigle were all English.

Woody, sorry you had a bad time with the hotel. Serre Che’s a top spot, though. Try Chantemerle and the Plein Sud another time.

Now, Didier Cuche – bowing out in style!

http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=87921&highlight=

Love it! 🙂

Lordy – Cuche has pinched my skiing technique, style and gear.

‘Whispers’ no helmet!

Brave chap to ski down that icy, steep race course, could have come a cropper. Very entertaining.

Those skis appear to be wooden ones without edges. I’ve got some 60s Rossignol Médaille de Bronze with screwed on edges and they work quite well.

I’m going on my first ever ski trip on April 8th and I’m really excited. I just hope the conditions will be ok – I’m crossing my fingers for a big dump of snow the week before I leave.

Woody – £129 if you want to go back to your favourite hotel next week! £170 to L2A. http://www.rocketski.com/ski-resorts/france/serrechevalier/clubhotel-le-grand-aigle/?airport=MAN&date=24/03/2012

You know what hammerite, at that price I could be tempted 😆

If I wasn’t going the week after to Kitz I’d be tempted too. I can generally put up with a dump, I can also put up with poor quality, although I’d kick off if there wasn’t much food like you had!

So I’m back at boring old work now after my Slovakia trip – trying not to think about snow, beer and sunshine (this thread doesn’t help!)

Great holiday!

Weather was typically springlike: some snow (and hail), fogbound, cold and windy for the first 4 days, then blazing sunshine, blue skies, temperatures in the 20s and a little slushy for the next 4.

Some things:

• the travel out sounded like a total faff on paper, but actually went incredibly smoothly (car, train, train, bus, flight, taxi, train, van!)

• Slovakia has nice high-speed trains that are better than any I’ve been on in the UK (restaurant car with big menu, wine and table service for the price of a GNER sandwich!) and much cheaper (26eur for a 3 hour journey in 1st class, without booking ahead!)

• our chalet was great[/url]. Good friendly hosts and a nice relaxed vibe, probably helped that we were the only guests for the week.

• Dan, our chalet host and well seasoned guide, smashed into a tree while taking us through the forest on our second day 😯 and had to take several days off with a sprained back.

• the official Freeride Zones on the piste map turned out to be fairly intimidating for normal people, especially when the snow was bulletproof:

(please excuse the cameraphone photo)

• but there was a crapload of excellent tree skiing that was easily accessible without any major hikes, and there was soft snow to be found in there even on the worst days.

• the Slovaks and Polish have some interesting ski outfits. 1980 flouro-Nevica onesies are still remarkably popular.

• there is apparently no Slovak translation for “Health and Safety”

• despite everything being ludicrously cheap, I still spent a decent whack.

• turns out that riding hard for 8 days is considerably more exhausting than pootling about with the usual family group. Who knew?

Anyways, Slovakia: highly recommended for anyone who wants cheapness, decent off-piste and something a bit different from the Alps.

In sadder news, I see a 22yo British rep has been killed in Val d’Isère after hitting a snow cannon. 🙁
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17455429

Be careful out there folks!

Yes very sad about the young Crystal rep.

On this….

• despite everything being ludicrously cheap, I still spent a decent whack.

Did you make up for it being cheap by pushing the boat out and eating/drinking/doing things that you wouldn’t usually do (and in greater volume?)?

Did you make up for it being cheap by pushing the boat out and eating/drinking/doing things that you wouldn’t usually do (and in greater volume?)?

In short, Yep.

“Why not go for prime steak with blue cheese sauce, it’s only 8 EUR?”
“I’ll get these drinks, it’s only 10 EUR?”
“Go-karting night? 5 EUR? Why not?”
“Aquapark night? Might as well for 5 EUR eh?”

etc etc etc

It adds up eventually, but does make for a better holiday 😀

Tonight: drive
Tomorrow: Arcs
Friday: Rosiere
Saturday: Tignes
Sunday: tba
Monday: home
8)

Nice itinerary shifter.
Pack the sunscreen it’s hot in the Alps at the mo!

Yeah just packed that, plus black Iridiums ; )

Sounds great Graham.

Agree with the sunscreen thing. Jnr has one of these sunscreen sticks, last year he put some on his face in a haphazard manner while we were in Les Arcs… he spent the rest of the week looking like he’d sunburnt the Union Jack onto his face!

shifter – Member
Yeah just packed that, plus black Iridiums ; )

Snow or bike variant?

the former is on a positive contrast base and is far better at depth perception in bright, monochromatic situations such as snow.

Crikey. I need to get out more. 🙂

Oh, and Black Iridium (In either variant) is perfect for admiring the views. Ahem. 8)

Snow variant, yes you do & I’m hoping for nice views… : )

Yup, be careful out there folks, that could be you standing on the edge of the piste taking a photograph rather than a snow canon. “le jeune homme skiait “très vite” quand il a heurté la base du canon à neige”.