The STW Ski and Snowboard thread – 2011/2 Edition

Top of the Vallons/Cucumelle lift at Serre Che taken yesteday, I think

Nice!

Fairly new skier here – this’ll be my fourth winter skiing, will be heading out on my 6th and hopefully 7th weeks away.

We’re in Cervinia for Christmas, first time skiing in Italy (and Switzerland with the link to Zermatt). Snow up high is already looking good as they had a dump last weekend. Only 6 weeks to go.
Not booked the other week yet, but we’ll aim to go away end of March/Early April (OH is a teacher and Jnr is at school too so have to do school hol trips), I want to go back to Italy and stay somewhere like Selva, La Villa or Arraba on the Sella Ronda. We’ll see how we enjoy Cervinia first though.

I finally got my own boots last week after being warned off getting beginner boots which wouldn’t fit my narrow feet.

Off to Morzine for the season in 5 weeks 😀 Can’t wait to try out my new 32 Lashed FTs, but still can’t decide what to buy as my third board. Snow cannons on……. temperature dropping, fingers crossed the snow is coming

Hammerite – Choice boots! I’m just about to order some of the RX130’s after getting a new resort job and having received wife approval!

Just put in my first turns this season at Loveland, CO. It was crowded, but fun! Breckenridge opens today and I’m off up there this week.

Edit – Just found out there’s space for me on a trip to Park City, UT in feb too. Good day!

Just to be annoying:

I went snowboarding yesterday at Tignes. It was pretty good up-top.

Muhahahahaha! 😈

Lange….yum! Almost as yum as their models…! 🙂

Don’t fit my paddle shaped feet, though. I have these;

Custom footbeds and a heat mould shell. Super comfy….

Pondered getting a Booster, but not 100% sure if they’re really worth it.

10 – I’d like to say that I have a good taste in boots, but I literally went to the boot fitter (Solutions 4 Feet in Bicester), he measured me up and got them out the store room and sorted everything else out.

I’m now expecting that having my own lovely boots will transform me into a superskier (who can now feel his toes!).

Jamie Pierre R.I.P.[/url]

Sad news.

Palmer P04- 132/96/123 of twin tip goodness. Received today.

Oh, and a winter season in Vancouver 😀

off to Lake Tahoe [eventually] for 3 weeks through February… Let it snow…………

Strolled in to ZeroG in Chamonix for a “look” yesterday. You know that last set of last year’s Spark bindings? They don’t have them any more.

****! The wife is going to kill me. 😳

Yessss 😀

Booked to go to Courmayeur this year. Back to where I learnt to ski.
Driving down, hopefully should be a reasonable “budget” ish option
(in as much as any ski holiday is going to be costly 😥 )

So then, seeing as I’m driving – taking extra skis isn’t going to cost any more…

Very, very keen to try my retro K2 skinny skis (although I dont doubt they’ll be crap compared to my fat ones) trouble is – how much risk to take with an old pair of bindings 😕

On the other hand, been looking at some second hand skis on ebay…
Choice is surprisingly limited, especially for UK sellers.

Anyone skiied on Volkl Tigersharks? Fancy a go on a pair of these. had Volkls “back in the day” and they had the best edge grip of anything I’ve ever used… Modern fat skis don’t seem to be as grippy

Had a nice days skitouring with Mrs Mugsy from the Col du Lauteret last week. Managed to ski from the car. Well ok we had to cross the road first.

CFH – How do you find the Impact 10s??

I’ve been impressed – apart from a snapped buckle, which looked very much like metal fatigue…

Had two days skiing in Val D’Isere at the weekend.

Could not ski back into resort but still a lot of fun and the quality of the snow up the top of the mountain was surprisingly good.

RKK, they’re slipper like comfy, but really good and stiff to drive the skis. Work perfectly for me.

Right then – need some encouragement to be silly 😕

Really, really want to try my old skinny skis this year, even if it is only to accept that they are crap and consign them to a wall.

Anyhow, I’d taken the view that I wouldn’t want to risk skiing on the old bindings that are mounted on them…

Until a quick look at Snow + Rock’s brochure shows me that the classic Look turntable binding was re-launched a couple of years ago – branded as the most relaible Alpine binding ever…

They look (excuse pun) almost identical to the Look Forza Pro turntables that are mounted on my K2s. I see Rossi are also doing the same bindings as well.

Does this mean there might be someone around who’d service them???

Still rollerblading in the Pyrenees.

Reports reach me of turbo-puke conditions in the Alps! Muchos, muchos snow coming down!

This time yesterday, you could see the roof in this shot:
http://www.lesarcsnet.com/webcams/a-view-over-the-centre-of-arc-1950.html

As I post today, it’s under about 30cm with another 20-30 forecast.

Hopefully there will still be some left when I’m there in a month!

Oh yes! This is the best news I’ve had all year!!
Snow in the Alps for Christmas??!
You know, I think I might just cry with joy. 😥 + 😀

don’t think I’ve been so excited to check out the resort webcams and not be able to see a damn thing because it’s snowing so much 🙂

Went to Xscape MK last night to try the new boots out. Can’t get out of the habit of having my feet welded into my boots so even though I thought I’d done them up loosely I still suffered with frozen toes. Need to get into the habit of having my boots a bit looser.

Glencoe to open this Friday…

If they manage to open it will only be the 2nd time in 11 years they have opened before xmas. “Global warming” eh? 😉

121cm at 2200m St Anton.
http://lawine.tirol.gv.at/schnee-und-lawineninfo/messstationen/r1-arlberg-ausserfern/ulmerhuette/

2 days ago it was under 20cms!!!

Whoopeeee.

freeridenick – Member
121cm at 2200m St Anton.
http://lawine.tirol.gv.at/schnee-und-lawineninfo/messstationen/r1-arlberg-ausserfern/ulmerhuette/

2 days ago it was under 20cms!!!

POSTED 2 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST

Excellent should last the week till I get there. Was getting a bit worried I might look a bit stupid in the airport with my skis and snowboard and no snow to head to…

Iain

currently being puked on in morzine… avoriaz opens on saturday and morzine the following saturday. not enough on the pleny at all, yet, but i’ve heard of waist-deep powder in avoriaz today.

gonna be an epic season, can feel it in my bones 8)

I bloomin’ hope it’s an epic season after the major drought last year!

hmm, having said that, the dry autumn means that the reservoirs, round here at least, are pretty empty, so the resorts are worried about how much snow they can make this winter.

snow has turned to rain in morzine, but the freeze level is not too far above us. absolutely pissing down in morzine, so a good sign for the snow this weekend 🙂

sorry for hijack: what gloves for skiing & boarding, preferably around the £30 mark? any good deals around at the moment?

Have a look in TK max or a decathlon store.

rkk01 – Member

Anyone skiied on Volkl Tigersharks? Fancy a go on a pair of these. had Volkls “back in the day” and they had the best edge grip of anything I’ve ever used… Modern fat skis don’t seem to be as grippy

I ski Volkl Tigershark 10ft in a 175 and I love them, super responsive and amazing edge hold. They’re also wide enough that in the chopped up snow they’re ok too. All round top ski if you can get them for a good price!!

I like the cheaper Dakine gloves – I seem to like the pole grip better than more expensive, bulkier, gloves.

Take some thin glove liners in case it turns very cold.

will check them out thanks

greggparker9 – Member

I ski Volkl Tigershark 10ft in a 175 and I love them, super responsive and amazing edge hold. They’re also wide enough that in the chopped up snow they’re ok too. All round top ski if you can get them for a good price!!

Thanks…

I ski on 184 Apache Crossfires at the moment. Lovely ski for fast piste cruising and long stable turns, but they get very hard work for fast short turns and in off piste / edge of piste deep crud / crust… very difficult to turn.

Also, I don’t have as much confidence in them on ice as with my old long skinny, skis – seem to be more prone to letting go.

I have a very old pair of Volkl’s and the edges on those were phenomenal – one of the reasons I started to think about the newer Volkls. Tigershark 8′ and 10′ seemed like a good fit for what I was looking for. Not liking the price, though 🙁

Great prices for DaKine gloves from Boardridersguide on Ebay at the moment: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Boardriders-Guide/SNOW-/_i.html?_nkw=gloves&submit=Search&_fsub=1162673018&_sid=142360078

I got some of the Scouts. Come with a liner glove thats good on the road bike too!

Off to Zermatt on Christmas Eve, back on New Years Day with the board, should be fun 🙂

Cheers, Rich

Off to Kaprun in 9 days, i’ve been watching the weather religiously. It’s not snowing enough!

Our paths may cross turboferret – I’m the otherside of the Matterhorn and go out on 23rd Dec.

80% of avoriaz open for this weekend, only £16 for a day ticket too! (not got season pass sorted yet…)

my ski tech guy is doing a pre-season tune, says he’s made his own super fast wax, from 3 different ones. gonna be slippy 😀

Ski Park Pow in morzine, btw – awesome guys. their site is down until sunday though for a re-build i think