The STW Ski and Snowboard thread – 2011/2 Edition

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

Fresh powder 3 days out of 6 last week in Flaine!!Happy Days!!!

Having only got back from Austria a week ago I’m unable to enjoy this end of season snow that seems to be everywhere……

So I’ve already booked to go away at Christmas 😳 a week in Arabba, really looking forward to it as I’ve been wanting to go to the Dolomites for ages 8)

Just had an email from a friend in Serre Che. Lifts have closed, season’s over.

🙁

Thread of the year? I think this might just be it for me! Thank you, one and all!

So, when do I start the 2012-2013 edition? 🙂

Hold on Flashy, there’s another week to go in many resorts!
Just got home from les 2 Alpes, hired some BBRs (8.9, 176 long) and stuck with them for the duration despite having some Amplids waved under my nose and having a serious snowboard itch.
They were great fun carving on the pistes earlier in the week and as for Thursday and Friday’s offering… although in all honesty I would have enjoyed the pow on anything, maybe not blades, but most other snow toys.
I also got to have a close look at some those Dupraz thingys. Interesting sidecut concept! I think the fatski trend has reached it’s summit. Things ought to get sensible now that Salomon have shown that you can make a properly decent all mountain (dare I say Swiss army) ski with less than 9 cms at the waist.

Wooo! Let’s keep it going then!

I liked the BBRs that I tried. Looked silly, but were lots of fun. Those Dupraz look very similar.
I agree that the phatt ski thing may well have gone too far. So many people on piste on massive planks, when what they need is an all mountain/swiss army ski as you mention. As you say, you can enjoy the sort of powder that most of us mortals access on almost anything (Except blades, of course!)

For those of us who are Seth Morrison and living out of a heli in Alaska, then yes, monstaphatt skis are the way. For those of us who are mere mortals, there’s no need!

Back in the office today after 2 weeks in France.

Highlights:
Les Gets: Sun, friends and steak
Vanoise National Park: Pow, friends, air in the lungs, sunshine, huts and wildlife. Leading a short but very smooth slab.
Gran Paradiso: as above! minus climbing.
Helbronner/ La Toule: Enormous face to oursleves, sun, views, pizza, and finally figuring out where that shot from 15 years ago of Neil McNab airing over a valley was taken
Chamonix: Waist deep pow, face shots and first tracks on the Grand Envers, and the whole VB/Mer de Glace to ourselves.

Lowlights:
Hurty knee holding me back.
Rainy days
No cragging in Cham.

Will put a few photos up later.

Could keep the thread going with ‘end of season bargain’ links..
got some boots from here for a great price – http://www.edgeriders.com/
Hope they’ll fit!

Was final day of the season here yesterday. What a day. Epic. Best day of the season!

Had a week in Courchevel 1850 last week. Bonza.

Highlights
Taking advantage of the one sunny day to go all the way past VT to the Fourth Valley and back again
Remembering how much I love snowboarding after a 7 year gap
The powder on the last day
Finally managing to get a week away after it looked like it wasn’t going to happen for ages

Lowlights
Catching an edge in flat light and breaking my binding
Getting motion sickness on one day, the light was so flat!

Looking forward to next season already. Planning on taking the family for a week and then catching a cheeky last minute deal with the lads.

Thanks for all the smiles this season!

Si

Just got to the office here in NY, on a crisp spring morning. Had a quick shufty at the webcams over in Serre Che to see what the conditions are like now the season is over.

SNOW! Lots and lots of it! D’oh!

glitch

Charlotte/Easiski in Les deux Alpes tweeted yesterday that it was a shame to be closing the resort with all the snow they have still about…. but there’s no one about to ski it!

last day of the season here (avoriaz) was awesome – plenty of fresh, and quiet as hell as everyone was on the lash… we’ve had loads of snow recently. was going to go for a tour today, but i buggered my shoulder trying to climb back in a canoe the other day 🙁

heading to la clusaz this weekend – they had 60cm of fresh at 2000m over the past 2 days!

If anyone is interested in an end of season powder fest, there has been heavy (and continuing) snowfall in Aviemore, with most tows running this week, also Nevis Range is looking o.k.

More information here: http://www.winterhighland.info/

Where’s Digby?

How was Norway, Digby?

Great pic, Ned! Where’s dat at?

Oh, and check this out;
http://www.sport-conrad.com/Coreupt/709/pid_223

The whole Coreupt range of skis. 99euros a pair. 😯

Great picture nedrapier! Just read your end of season round up. Sounds fantastic. Hope the injured knee didn’t hold you back too much!

Apologies for being late with my report! 😆

Norway was absolutely incredible. It surpassed all of my expectations and the whole experience was somewhat surreal.

We were very lucky with the weather and had 7 days of sunshine; a great bunch to ride with; a fairly stable snowpack (things has settled down since the big slide there in March which had sadly killed 5 people); used the boat a couple of days to reach an island and then a hidden glacier on the peninsula.

We skinned up about 1000m – 1200m a day and then rode back to beach/shoreline; which is just a bizzare was to go snowboarding! 8)

An incredible trip and a fantastic way to finish a great season!

Nice photo that ned – would look good on a wall canvas.
Norway sounds interesting Digby.

Had some great snow in Switzerland last week – major dumps earlier on and skiing up to my armpits in fresh powder some days. But by Friday it was 5C at 2000m in the Urner Alps, and 30C at Zurich airport on Saturday as we left. The season there hasn’t just come to a gradual close, it’s switched directly to summer and everyone was getting their bikes out!

Going off topic a bit but sad news about Sheffield Dry Slope over the weekend. Been there a few times and for a dry slope thought it was awesome place with great history.

sad news about Sheffield Dry Slope over the weekend.

Haven’t pretty much every dry slope in the UK had a fire recently? Insurance? With the meteoric rise of indoor real snow, I suspect they’ve really been feeling the pinch.

Pretty good offer from Nevis if you ski and bike 🙂

SNOWSPORTS: Open for end of season snowsports on Sat and Sun on the summit and some goose runs to Tower 4 where we are uplifting from. Un-pisted spring conditions with a mix of firm and soft snow, lots of natural hazards around.
Suitable for good intermediate skiers and boarders and above only – sorry no beginners or lower abilities.

Access via Quad chair (skis off for uploading and downloading)

Also anyone wishing to use the downhill tracks and ski/board on Sat or Sun can buy a bike day ticket for £30 and use it on both activities on that day. First time we have ever offered a ski from the summit followed by a bike down the downhill to the carpark!
This is from Nevis range.

Anybody up for it? Take the Goose lift up, ski/snowboard down, get onto the bike and off you go.

Cover on Cairngorm actually looks quite good at the moment:

From http://www.snowboardclub.co.uk/news-11651.html

sad news about Sheffield Dry Slope over the weekend.

There was ANOTHER fire there yesterday apparently.
http://www.snowboardclub.co.uk/news-11660.html

🙁

Hmm. Once is possible, twice is doubtful, thrice is obvious….

No smoke without fire on the insurance scam front, I’d say. Pun intended.

No smoke without fire on the insurance scam front, I’d say. Pun intended.

It is (was) certainly in some trouble with pressure from nearby-ish snowdomes at Castleford, Tamworth and Trafford. There was also talk that snow+rock were pulling out of the site.

BUT… there have been repeated small fires over the years started by local toerags. And centre management have said they will be rebuilding and reopening, presumably with much heftier insurance premiums.

The fat lady hasn’t yet sung.

Today we experienced changing conditions on Cairngorm mt. One moment snowing, then beautiful bright sunshine, chilly in the wind, however I’ve never skied this late in the season before, so was anybody else up there today?

Also a visit to the famous Inshriach tea room for cake, a fantastic day.

pics to follow later if we can work out how to upload them

Ski area from the car park. This is May 5th remember

Snowline is about 15m higher than the bottom of the m1 poma

Tea and cake at Inshriach nursery almost merits the trip on its own.

We ended up skiing on Sunday too, which was a far more pleasent experience as the snow has softened up and put down a dusting of fresh.

However there were tears, as nbt took me up to the top of the ‘Coronation wall’ and skiing off piste on the hard pack snow, hearing the crunching under ski was not confidence inspiring. They have pisted the left hand side though for the first tine in 50 years, this is now like a French red and very enjoyable.

Lots more snow is forecast for the Cairngorm ski resort and well worth a visit for a last minute mini break to get some turns in on real snow (not man made or a glacier).

Month of May – who would have thought 🙂

Great picture Ned – anymore?

Cake looks awesome, but that pink monstrosity isn’t tea! 😉

Flashy – that pink monstrosity (word of the day) is a fruit concoction of wild raspberries, elderflower and other yummy herbal tea thingys. I forgot to stick my pinky out.

The tea room is in the top 10 British tea rooms and worth a visit, only open though between March and end of September, and the couple of weeks over the Christmas holidays.

They are thinking that with all the fresh snowfall on Cairngorm, the resort will be open until June. Wow!

Best
Thread
EVER!
🙂

It ain’t over ’til the fat lady sings:

Yesterday (7am!):

More here

Looks nice. I think I hate you. 😀

Think? You only THINK that!

I know it. 😉

Looks glorious! Love the goat/chamoix(?) on there!

Think? You only THINK that!

I know it. 😉

Looks glorious! Love the goat/chamoix(?) on there!