The STW Ski and Snowboard thread – 2011/2 Edition

Highlight: junior finishing sixth in his age group in the French ski-cross champs.

Lowlight: seeing the first snow fall washed away by rain.

Learned: how to ski an entire alpine season without falling once, I toppled over three time on my X-C skis though.

Highlight: skinned up in the back country at Stranda in Norway.
Lowlight: ACL Ruptured on last day of Norway ski trip.
Learned: That I am getting to old to be launching myself off huge kickers in terrain parks (See above ACL rupture).

Highlight: sitting on the edge of a piste in complete silence for 5 minutes while mate dug himself out of the powder and an Alpine hare ran up, had a shufty, then carried on.
Lowlight: trying to kip in a van at BSM after arriving 4 hours before the lifts open.
Learned: the Alps are a hell of a long drive away.

Some great stuff here!

More!

Highlights
– hiking for “ages” (for a fat lad) then dropping off the top of mountain into untracked pow.
– gaining a lot more confidence in the off-piste tree runs (even after our guide totalled himself on a tree!)
– messing around in the slush and learning to tail press.
– just riding in a new country (Slovakia).

Lowlight
– being stuck in the chalet looking after our little one as it dumped with snow outside. I love her to bits, but “no friends on a powder day”!

Learned
snow and rock do a good job of repairing a badly scraped up board – but it’s not exactly an invisible mend:

HIGHLIGHT – skiing my first ever black run off the top of the hoch salve and i didnt event fall or side slip i actually skied it properly, was well chuffed rewarded myself with a beer after that

LOWLIGHT – fairly large impact at speed right under a busy chairlift as i didnt see a rut and caught an edge and went down, it hurt, winded me and had a sore arm wrist for a few days afer that

LEARNED – Austria is my new favorite country / skiing in 20 degree heat can be fun!

Had a great time in Kitz last week, lovely town and really good ski area. Snow conditions on the first day were great (little bit of fresh overnight and cool), then it deteriorated for 3 days, getting better again on the 5/6th days as it cooled down with some cloud cover. I doubt we’ll go back soon as even though we were fairly steady we skied everywhere in 2 days, still a nice place to have been to.

I also skied my first world cup run, Fritz Stroebl’s course record wasn’t in danger.

Highlight – skiing the Streif downhill course.

Lowlight – feeling rather ill as we skied down to Zermatt from Cervinia and having to rush back. Or being the only person standing at the luggage carousel with no bags going round it, and it was likely that I’d miss some skiing with having no kit*

Learned – that quick short turns are a good tool when needed, and really quite easy when you can shift your weight and set a good rhythm.

*Last week my bag was left behind at Gatwick so I was still stood at the luggage carousel at Innsbruck airport when it stopped and the shutters came down. Everyone else’s bag had arrived except mine. All I had was ski boots, helmet, goggles, ski socks and a very thin jacket (my main one was in my case). I reported it and the staff at Innsbruck said they’d investigate, so I had the rest of the day worrying I’d never see any of my clothes/kit again. but I was more gutted that I might miss some skiing.

When we got to Kitzbuhel I called the airport, they said the bag had been located at Gatwick and would be sent on the following day. So I went on a mission to get some salopettes (bargain hire at €5 a day), then made up the rest of the kit out of the OHs clothes! Had to ski in my glasses with no sunglasses or goggles though as I had no contact lenses.

Luckily my bag did arrive the following day (Innsbruck airport staff were excellent).

So I went on a mission to get some salopettes (bargain hire at €5 a day), then made up the rest of the kit out of the OHs clothes

POIDH!

😉

I recycled my pants from the day before. I only borrowed a base layer and a t-shirt so it wasn’t really cross dressing of the highest order.

I think from next year on Jnr and I will be able to swap clothes. He already needs boots the same size as mine.

I was given these skis last week as hire skis Atomic Nomad Smoke. Got on quite well with them, this price seems good too. Was given 157cm skis (5′ 10″ tall)

Not sure whether to bother buying or just keep hiring though, we only ski 2 weeks a year.

Highlights:

This Thread!

Spending a month snowboarding in Fernie BC:
Fresh Tracks down Currie Bowl (on the third chair up the hill on a powder day)
Fresh Tracks in Cedar Bowl
View from the top of the newly opened Polar Peak chair with a temperature inversion in the valley
Exploring the MTB trails at Ridgemont, Fernie on a Splitboard
chairlift conversations

Lowlights:

a month is still not enough!! 😕

Learning:

That I’m not getting any younger and I’ve got to stretch more and more after a big powder day
That even top end snowboard boots don’t last very long and when foot pain starts only a new pair of boots will resolve it.
Having a skiing lesson to try and improve my splitboard touring technique!

Season not over for me yet though as I’m off to Norway this weekend so the best may well be still to come!!

I only borrowed a base layer and a t-shirt so it wasn’t really cross dressing of the highest order.

I’m not sure the frilly knickers and bra were required though 😀

This Thread!

+1 to that. One the most civil, entertaining and long running threads on STW ever. Well done peeps.

Lowlight

Not being Digby! JEALOUS!!

Highlights 😀
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=2014965&highlight=#2014965
Lowlights 😛
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=1966457&highlight=#1966457

Learning
50 degrees make me poop my pants slightly…

hammerite – hubby and I always put some of each other’s clothes split between our luggage. Also we put some spare stuff (again split) in the hand luggage, due to lost luggage not turning up. It’s worked well for us over the years.
However I once had to borrow a rep’s ski suit, she was ‘cough’ a good few sizes larger than me and it was bright pink – yuk!

I did notice that this years ‘Crystal’ ski reps were picked for their ‘easy on the eye’ looks, rather than some repping ability imo.

Highlights .- Nice Powder day in Bruson , New Boots that fit and are comfy out the box , Head Monster 88’s

Lowlights .- Being painfully single and not having anyone to share the experience with

Learned .- Some people really are stupid enough to take off their ski boots and walk around outside a coach in socks trying to extrapolate their skis from the other 40 sets / skiers. Im sorry I made you cry and hope your toes wernt broken

Rob, you have mail…

Bunnyhop – I know we should do the split luggage thing, but I do my own packing and not being as organised as the OH usually leave it to the night before!!
We were with Crystal too, I was offered the reps salopettes, he was XL and I’m very much not. Interestingly the reps in resort were very good, but not as easy on the eye. They’d already sent a load home when some resorts closed, and I think had moved some reps on to the remaining Austrian resorts open.

Highlights – realising I could still ski and having an ‘off-piste black’ all to myself 3 runs in a row

Lowlights – finding my hotel was really a youth hostel and that being overweight and not training beforehand is VERY painful for 3 days

Learned – when your ski buddy says he hasn’t skied a black run before, believe him and don’t take him down a black and scare him so badly he won’t ski anything except green and blue for the rest of the week 😳

Just seen something from a friend on Linkedin. She’s still in Serre Che.

There’s a lot of fresh. 🙁 for me, but 🙂 for her!

http://www.serre-chevalier.com/hiver/ski-alpes/live/webcam/
Yesterday, the one at the bottom (XC area in the valley) was dry, dusty and not a jot of snow. Super-turbo-puke!

Highlights – Doing a self-organised flight free (and therefore largely hassle free) drive to Morzine. Fresh pow.

Lowlights – none, really.

Learned – how to ride rails in the park. Gave me a stupid grin for hours. 🙂

The snow came last night so today has been fantastic powder. One of my best boarding days ever

Ditto Tracey! winter returned for a day!

can someone tell the clouds to bugger off I was riding 3 days ago now the tracks 40cm under snow again 🙁

Highlight a: Being able to leave the youngest at the Piou-Pious! 😀
Lowlight: Only having a weekend on the slopes so far this season. 😥
Highlight b: A week at les 2 Alpes starting this Saturday.

Ok, who’s had another Easter powder day then??! ME for one!
Awesome. 😀

Another lowlight –
Having to read DezB’s post above.

😉

Looking at the webcams, it looks just awesome for the late season!

sorry CFH, but its been amazing. Moreso as it was totally unexpected this week 😀

[edit]my slight lowlight has been not having the strength in my knackered knees to stay out the whole day

Stop it, stop it, stop it. Can’t. Concentrate. On. Work. 😀

Great week. Just got back in. Need to pack as we set of back home at 6.00am in the morning

[Packing the bags] CFH +1 [/Packing the bags]

Right, I’m off to “wax my board” again:

Wax off.

Just got back home from a great week

Highlights – Seeing Katie back on the board After her back operation

Lowlights – Kevins fall in Sestriere

Learned – I can go faster than I thought

Rest here

http://s1133.photobucket.com/albums/m588/traceylawton1/Snowboarding/Alpes%20Dhuez/

Well it’s been snowing steadily here in courchevel since we arrived yesterday. Off to find some powpow today!

One of my fave pics from last week – Me and the little dude off to go
boarding

STOP!!!!

Whilst I am chuffed for those who have ‘the powder’ now, I’m also 👿

ps. keep the pics coming 😉

Last week of the season for many resorts this week.

Radio and TV ads over here (Am in California this week!) are already doing promotions for season passes for Tahoe etc for next year!

$500ish for a season pass. Now that I like the sound of! Will be trying to get back here during the next season, after failing to do so this year!

For anyone interested in making the most of the current UK snow, looks like Glencoe will be opening for unpisted riding on Thursday/Friday this week if they have the interest. The upper mountain looks good from what I’ve seen. Cairngorm still open following the latest rounds of snow and the plateau has plenty of cover for touring at the moment. Nevis too has good stuff over the back by all accounts and forecast snow this week should mean a good end to a bit of a disappointing season.

**** brilliant here. Fresh snow, sun’s out, about 20 people on the mountain!

Oh, and I *nearly* landed a few 3’s.