@nedrapier

did you recognise the hat, the black or the steez?

All three!

probably been a bit guilty of just going up, looking for the best powder line and hooning it

Excellent work my friend …

Pendantry corner though: It’s a backside slash from a drop-in above his head in the photo.

I believe the correct Fernie colloquialism is:

Giv’er!!!!

😆

@nedrapier, cool, let me know on the bindings! Could always do you a part-exchange deal if you fancy a trip!

Sainte Foy would be definitely be up your street. It’s quiet – you ride straight on to every lift, no hassles. There is great in-bounds freeriding after a dump and loads of hikeable backcountry stuff where the snow stays fresh & untracked for ages. North face of the Fogliettaz is about a 45-minute hike (enough to put most people off!) and is about 1700m vertical of epic steepness. It faces absolutely dead north, is sheltered from the wind and is huge, so there’s always fresh tracks to be found.

On-piste, it’s a small area but the pistes are all good (no flat bits/traverses/etc!) and very, very well groomed. Conditions are usually good due to the lack of crowds. A lot of mixed/family groups really like it as you get loads of space to yourself, no watching out for 3 other people every time you make a turn.

More info here:

http://www.whiteroomchalet.com/winhill.htm
http://www.whiteroomchalet.com/stfoybackcountry.htm

We also run this: 😉
The White Room backcountry ski and snowboard week

Has everyone got their Avi protection gear ready?

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150333912631627

Anyone interested in a Burton Custom 164.5 (about 2005) Drake Super S bindings (much newer) and a bag? £195 buyer collect?

I got a Rome jibber.

Looking forward to Aviemore in the new year and France/Swissland in March. Hoping for snow in the Peaks sooner rather than later.

Things are starting to get done, but the foehn isn’t helping. See
http://www.skitour.fr/

Dan

Can anyone help? Looking for a cheap deal (okay as cheap as it gets) to somewhere in Europe the week before Christmas for around 10 people – preferably chalet, half board, etc etc. Any recommendations of places/companies to try?

What sort of skiing do the group want?

Some of us are beginners, others have a fair bit of experience but don’t think many of us are bothered about crazy off-piste stuff…

Les Arcs or Serre Che are both great for all day charging! For cheap, check out Italy. Sauze is pretty good, and te food……!

Andorra’s supposed to be ace, but I hate transfers that long!

Companies? Crystal and Neilson are worth a look, IMO. Deals abound at the moment, trying to tempt some early punters.

newgal – do you want to include Christmas day or do you want to be home before that?

Need to be home for Christmas…lots of sentimental family types!

For that week then, I wouldn’t go anywhere other than Tignes. Maybe one of the high Austrian resorts (e.g. Hintertux).

cool – ta muchly!

Flash, not sure if it’s been answered but I have been using the scott Crusade for a season and think they’re great. I’m sure you’d find the Venture to be a good all-mountain ski.

Thanks, 10. Going to be trying them at the Hemel Alp at some point, along withh the Atomics. I really should have bought some Enduros last season, as they were simply awesome.

All-mountain is what I’m after, so intrigued to see how the Ventures stack up. They’re pimpy light, which is both good and bad. I’m not the lightest skier, and I like my kit to be burly. Will be interesed in how they stack up to my thighs driving them! 🙂

I know you pro tray boys will turn your nose up at it, but the Mountain Warehouse ski clothing seems pretty cheap and chearful. Is it cheap because it’s horrific, or is not too bad?

Anybody been to Steamboat Springs in Colorado ?

After missing last winter due to our first child we are flying him out to meet up with some ozzy family that are staying on a ranch out there.

Home of champagne powder, but don’t they all say that..

Can anyone here recomend a resort in Austria for 2 adv skiers . Will ski anything thats pisted ( although bottled the Grand Couliour in 3V ) , and dabble in off piste as long as its not stupid steep .
Went to Kitzbuhl and didnt enjoy the long walk through town , and long queue for the main gondola up .

Also , no ski buses as they suck big time.

Never been to St Anton and do not want to party at all. Having spent £200 on a lift pass i want to use it all day , everyday. StAnt does seem to have some deals already .

Must be pretty big or linked with another resort . We skied pretty much all of La Rosiere in a day , so 150 km + pisted .

Looking at 15 Jan so early season if it makes any difference .
Budget is approx £450 +Lp and normally book 12 days in advance .

Anybody been to Steamboat Springs in Colorado ?

Me, but it was over 15 years ago! And I was still very novice.

What I can remember: wide runs, but heavily pisted. Very easy to navigate compared to Euro resorts.
Blimmin cold at times (I remember frozen snot and defrosting our goggles in the hand dryers).
Nice town with cheap and enormous portions. Remember ID if you go out cos you won’t get served without it even if you have a beard and grey hair!

Also , no ski buses as they suck big time.

THat’ll be a sticking point, Mrs NBT’s made me avoid Austria for years becasue she hates Ski buses. We’re off to Bad Gastein over Christmas, I reckon a day at each of the smaller areas will negate the need for buses during the day, just one each way either end of the day wil be enough

THat’ll be a sticking point, Mrs NBT’s made me avoid Austria for years becasue she hates Ski buses.

There are plenty of Austrian resorts where the lift is within walking distance, even when they lay on buses. We’re off to Schladming this season. The hotel is about as far as you can get from the lift, but it’s still an easy walk, especially of you leave your boots and board/skis in a locker 🙂

And taxis are always an option if you’re in a group and can’t face mingling with the hoi polloi

@nedrapier – got any info on those bindings?

GrahamS, I think the idea was to avoid in resort buses, rather than transfer buses. I agree re transfer buses, can’t stand a long transfer!

In resort? Well, if they work well and it’s a quiet period, they’re no bad thing. Unless you’re a friend of mine who, on the first day of her skiing trip, got clouted round the head by the wing mirror of a bus! Concussion, in bed for three or four days. Nasty.

Just as well she was wearing her helmet at the time, though….! Can open, worms everywhere!

I saw a lady on a ski bus get badly cut after a pair of skis in the overhead racking fell onto her head .
Its just another level of faffage which would be nice to avoid if possible.
Looking at Zermatt , Verbier , St Anton + Schladming at the moment .
I have a 10% off Skiworld voucher from last year , after we had a super-sub chalet girl who couldnt cook , not even spaghetti or scrambled eggs .

Cheers Graham S

Looks like they groom some stuff daily but leave the fun stuff ungroomed 🙂

Never been to St Anton and do not want to party at all. Having spent £200 on a lift pass i want to use it all day , everyday

One of the advantages of StAnton is that you can ride hard all day and finish with a run down the Steissbachtal at dusk when the slopeside bars really start rocking – get smashed on huge beers while dancing with buxom girls to stupid music for two hours before sliding the last km back to town on the hunt for a pizza. I’m a surprisingly good snowboarder when drunk! I love StAnton, esp. when it snows like b******.

digby, how are you set for bindings? I’ve got a spare set of Spark Ignition IIs with Mr Chomp crampons if you’re interested?

Nedrapier; Do you still have those Spark Bindings for sale? I’ll take em off your hands!

Mrs nbt here – being small I was always crushed, pushed, sworn at on the Austrian ski buses. As anyone who travels to many European resorts know, they don’t have a queuing system and I’ve been left behind before now, with the rush to get the last bus back.
GrahamS – my worst experience was in Saalbach Hinterglemm, as our hotel was a good few miles out of the village, so walking wasn’t an option. Anyway I’m always too knackered at the end of any skiing day to walk anywhere.

digby, how are you set for bindings? I’ve got a spare set of Spark Ignition IIs with Mr Chomp crampons if you’re interested?

Nedrapier; Do you still have those Spark Bindings for sale? I’ll take em off your hands!

Woah there cowboy! 😉

I’m hoping to get up to Aviemore over the Chrimbo holidays and I’ve got a week in Bansko booked at the start of February. Apartment is 240 euros shared between four of us. Six day lift pass is about 130 euros, beer about £1 a pint (£2.50 on the slopes), and you can get a three course meal and a bottle of wine for way less than £20. Winner!

If you’re over there, you shouldn’t be able to miss me. I’ll be the overweight Scotsman slowly sliding down the hill on his newest pride and joy.

With new bindings to match!

Truly, I intend to hide my poor technique behind a veil of burnt out retinas! 😈

Beagy

Booked .
Verbier .- 14th Jan , Catered Chalet with Inghams . Got a BOGOF on the lift passes which makes it a tiny bit less expensive .
There will be buses involved as its a 15 min walk to the main lifts :(.
Better do some training on the SS i guess.

Pondering a three day weekend at the start of December….anywhere in Europe likely to have good snow?

There will be buses involved as its a 15 min walk to the main lifts :(.

???

Dont know if we will be going this year. Finally got the news yesterday that my shoulder is going to be reconstructed after four years of pain. Will be in a sling for six weeks. Hope they do it in January so that Ive a chance of a late holiday

Yes yes yessss!

Sudden unexpected wife-approval for a week (SOLO!) of backcountry action at la Plagne in January with my mates who live there. All I need now is for my stupid collarbone to heal more. Get in!

Pondering a three day weekend at the start of December….anywhere in Europe likely to have good snow?

You’d surely be looking at Tignes for early Dec, no?

Sudden unexpected wife-approval for a week (SOLO!) of backcountry action

Must. Not. Make. Obvious. Joke….