With the Captain MIA, and it being August already, I thought it was time to kick this off.

Current hopes are for another great Scottish winter that we can make use of this year and probably a couple of trips to Italy – maybe a road trip over Christmas involving the Newcastle to Amsterdam ferry.

I’m probably due some new planks too.

What about you lot?

We’ve got a 14 day trip planned to Sun Peaks, BC in February… if the Canadians will have us.

First year of Motorhome ownership, so will be doing our trips mainly in that.

Hopefully some Scotland stuff over Xmas/New Year. Combined with some winter walking. Then 2 weeks either Italy or Austria at Easter.

As for new gear, need to get my gf some Skis….and will probably treat myself to a Splitboard funds allowing.

Hope all is well with CFH, not sure if anyone on here knew him irl?

The Captain is alive and well, just not active on here

We came back from Ste Foy in Jan 2020 and bought new boots for Mrs NBT which have remained unused. Various plans for a second week or just a trip to Scotland at the end of the 2019-20 season were made and quickly abandoned due to lockdowns

2020-21 was a write off from that moment to be honest.

The original plan for the 2021-22 season was three or four weeks in Whistler for my Big Birthday (and that of a mate), but given the pandemic I honestl don’t think I’ll travel intercontinental for quite a few years.

As a replacement, I’ve been dreaming of a longer trip to a european resort, but a trip like that requires a bit of planning and at the moment I don’t think I’m ready to commit to stuff as we don’t know how things will go. Anyone got a place in a French / Italian / Swiss resort that they might want to rent out for a long stay covering non-peak weeks?

Timely as just booked Accomodation and euro tunnel for a feb22 family trip to the Aosta resorts. Fingers crossed!!!

Our hotel booking that we made for 2019 has just been reconfirmed for this year in March so hopefully make it to Obergurgl this time of asking. Might drive it this time though.

Hopefully get a trip in (probably France) at the end of Jan too and try out the new skis I bought 2 weeks before the 2019 trip got cancelled !

Hell if the weather and travel gods are smiling a trip to our place in the Massif Central and a cheeky ski at the Lioran might happen around New Year too

We came back from Ste Foy in Jan 2020 and bought new boots for Mrs NBT which have remained unused.

How familiar. Although in our house it’s boots for me.
I wonder if I can still ride a board.

Booked for the Alps.

Nothing booked as yet, but hoping to get out to Bulgaria in Feb and hopefully good few weekends in the Cairngorms / Nevis range.

New skis and boots last autumn and only used in the field at the end of the street…

When there’s snow up the hill we’ll be making good use of it. Last year was a bumper year for snow up to confinement and a busy buying year in terms of gear so I’ll be selling things I don’t use much rather than buying. I used the Dynastar Vertical Bears just once last year, they’re a good all round ski but I’ve got skis that are better when it’s hard and skis that are better in powder/soft so they get overlooked. I might put some bindings back on my old Atomic MX 11s and think about entering a race but probably won’t.

The main objective is to get X-C fit again, that starts now.

Week booked with our ski club in Sauze d’Oux for March.

Hopefully get some decent snow on the Scottish hills.

And no having to walk up the lofty peaks of the Bathgate Alps for 30 seconds of icy downhill action!

Booked 10 days at Les Deux Alpes for Easter – high up & it’s a glacier resort so hopefully still got a mixture of stuff useable at that time.

Feel really down about the whole Covid thing (currently getting over it, so more Mardy than usual); I feel robbed; would normally get away a couple of times but didn’t get anywhere last season. Fingers crossed hey?

Sauze d’Oux end of Jan then Saalbach for the Feb HT, looking forward to it!!

Anyone know if there are other decent resorts within say an hours drive of Sauze, we’ll have a car and like to see as many places as possible.

Sauze d’Oulx is on the Via Lattea so there’s plenty of skiing available there. In terms of other resorts Bardonechia is quite close, add from there you can go through the Frejus Tunnal towards Modane where there are plenty of resorts in the Maurienne. Easier though too drive through to Montgenevre at the other end of the Milky Way, it’s then only a short drive to Serre Chevalier

Nothing booked so far, we normally go twice and would have booked Xmas / NY already. Still unsure as to what will be open / will we be able to go etc…..

We have a week at New Year arranged using a customer of mines place in Zel am see. Driving out so leaving on Boxing Day. It’s a very relaxed arrangement so nothing ventured yet. We will hopefully have the camper van build done for Easter and have an apartment booked for a week in Tignes and hope to take a bit of time to get back. Will see if the family want more skiing or something different en route home. And several of my mates are all passing their half century this year so there is a suggestion that a bit of skiing may be in order so a possible cheeky one for without the family.
I will be amazed and delighted if all or any of that happens though!
Kit, I quite fancy a pair of full fat slalom skis. I have most other things covered in the current quiver and like the idea if a proper piste sl carver. Usual used eBay ex hire type thing for under £250 but got confused by additional tax stuff.

Missed two seasons now so am gagging to get to the mountains next winter. Hoping we can get out to my sister’s place in the Pyrenees for Christmas and New year, then maybe get a trip to the Alps as well later in the winter.

@nbt

Got somewhere in Grand Massif may be of interest for you in non peak Jan or March.

PM me I’ll give you more details
Doz

We’ve got early Feb Dolomites booked.  Val Gardens is beautiful when it’s cold and clear

I’ll be staying local in Scotland this season, really hoping for a repeat of the conditions we had earlier this year, chest high powder within 5 miles of the house was epic.
I’ve got some Spark R&D bindings on pre-order from the Sick and Wrong for the splitboard so that will improve my set up no end.
I’ll mainly be at the Lecht & Glennshee. Hoping to get over to Nevis and maybe down to Glencoe, I’ll be giving Cairngorm and all it’s stupidity a wide berth though, well other than touring obv’s 😎

I’m on holiday in Speyside just now and took a drive up Cairngorm on Monday.
Was surprised to see actual work being done on the funicular!
Any idea when or if it’ll be back in service?

Much the same as Swavis for us; last winter gave us a lot more powder than we could have possibly hoped for, even within the confines of Angus county. More of that would be just grand…
Glenshee is our nearest and dearest, Nevis for a longer day out and a change of off-piste options. Coe combined with Nevis on a long weekend.
As above, touring only at Cairngorm. The waste of public money there is simply obscene. Should be nuked from orbit next time the HIE folk are there on a sightseeing visit. If they even know where to find it.
Have neither booked nor looked at overseas yet, unsure if we will bother until certainty improves a bit. But would love a week or two somewhere sunny in Italy for a change.
No kit needed, got plenty. Maybe xc kit for the Mrs, mine has had a lot of use these last two winters.

Covid, sick dog, changed jobs once already this year and changing again in October. None of this brings with it the impetus to book an expensive and liable to cancellation ski holiday, but I really missed not going last season, did manage a week in 20, while aware of Covid at the time we got back, just before all the carnage from Austria kicked in, so we were lucky to have made that.

Looking at France catered chalets in Feb half term, flights included (first time we’ve done chalets in Feb).

Are they usually £1500-1800 per person or is it covid tax?

I think we paid close to £1100/1200 per person last time we went at Xmas.

Third time lucky feb/March Corvara, great snow last two years but no travel, so this year will be travel and no fresh snow 👍

I don’t often go at half term, but if you paid £1100 for Xmas then £1500 for half terms seems about right – it’s a more popular week than Xmas. Looking at a place we stayed at last tme we went out, prices do seem higher though – the 2nd week of Jan was priced at £750, but this year it’s listed at €975

Feb half term

As I understand it half term in France is a 2 week affair with half the country on 1 set of 2 weeks the other half on week 2 and 3, so a 1 week overlap in the middle, add to that UK half term and demand goes through the roof, plus snow is usually good in Feb, so yeah, it’s just normal.

Half term dates can be seen here

https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=154963

half term in france lasts a month, overall, with a @toby1 says 3 zones overlapppoing their 2 week periods. Avoid the paris half term if you are looking at the northern end of the french ski resort (portes do soleil, grand assif etc), and avoid the middle 2 weeks if you have any chance to do so

Half term dates can be seen here
https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=154963

VERY helpful – thanks 🙂

We’re 12th through 19th 🙁

Yep 👍

Our 2021 booking for 4 weeks of January has been moved to 2022 so fingers crossed we’ll be in Flaine and the Grand Massif to start 2022.

Just hope that the skis and boots we left in the resort in 2020 are still there, we left them at the end of Jan as we were going back for a long weekend in March …. just after lockdown started.

Just hope that the skis and boots we left in the resort in 2020 are still there

It depends which Apres-Ski bar you left them outside I’d imagine

The bar happened to be in a ski shop so quietly optimistic they will be there.

Still hope to ski with dozofoz at some point 🙂

Get those skis waxed @sprootlet. It will happen. it will happen.

Glencoe rolled seasons passes, hopefully this season will be the usual mix of English and Scottish skiing. Not really sure about booking anything else as the long covid is too random on fitness.

Hi Dozofoz,
All ready to go. Surely it’s going to be third time lucky behind high winds/lift closures and COVID. We’re going to get the season lift pass before end of September as they have a full refund promise if you don’t use it.

No new purchases needed – I’d bought a new Norrona jacket before Brexit so it’s unworn despite having it since 2019 and some new insulated ski pants from sports pursuit in 2020 when we still had hope that we might get to ski in 2021. I will be rocking a green and purple look

We’re going to get the season lift pass before end of September as they have a full refund promise if you don’t use it.

Oooh, that’s interesting as we’re considering a long trip but we’re not looking to spend lots on a trip that might not happen. GM is definintely on the radar, will have to look at that. Might see if any other resorts are doing it too as it’s a very interesting development…

Some good prices on gear at the moment. Bought me and Mrsdts new ski jackets from Ellis Brigham sale website yesterday. Didn’t venture into looking at skis, “move away from the skis, you have enough skis”

Madame picked up a Vertical jacket and trowsers for 300e last weeek. 30 000 jacket and 20 000 stretch rando trowsers.

A week over New Year and a week in February booked for Italy.
Just trying to decide if it’s worth looking on ekosport for some new skis.
Can I be arsed with the customs charges etc? 🤔

There’s still some amazing deals online at Ellis Brigham.

We’re 50/50 on a few days in Jan in Slovakia. Got Chunnel booked for Easter.

Did a quick stop off at some ski resorts in Scotland whilst we were up there a few weeks back (actually we visited all but Glencoe) Shame about Cairngorm as they’ve got the best place to stay in our motorhome, and we really like Aviemore too.

Historically, what are the chances of anything being open in Scotland over Xmas?