The STW Ski and Snowboard thread: 2021-2022 Season

Also if the resorts might set up a scheme so that you could show your QR to the pass office and have ‘QR checked’ built into your pass.

Presumably they won’t sell you a pass unless you can prove eligibility?

It is sadly looking like yet again getting to the mountains is going to be too much of a pain in the arse this winter again.
Such a shame

Downhill woman’s is in lake Louise this weekend if you need a fix Eurosport.

Exactly 25 years ago I was on a jumbo to Calgary simple times
Board-beer-repeat.

I’m assuming that Fort William is the best option for Feb half term, based on the fact that Shitsville has a broken train and the masses always flock there…

But do you reckon everyone will have realised this by now and thus head to The Fort instead, thus leaving Cairngorm blissfully empty with ski on ski lifts all across the mountain…. 🙂

Yeah OK, I realise they don’t even have lifts right across the mountain any more, let alone empty ones….

But seriously, seems like a no brainer to go with Fort William, especially given the biking options there and at Laggan.

(This will be my third booked ski week to Scotland. Since long before my first one I swore I would never do it. After my first, and indeed second one that view was reinforced mightily. But the pain fades over time and once again Scotland feels like the best option)

Fool that I am 🙂

Glencoe has had good conditions for the past couple of years. Not sure about fort William.
Cairngorms without the train is doable, but some of the drag lifts are brutal. No good for beginners and hard work on a board.
As always with Scotland, you have to go where the snow is. If it’s in the west, Fort William and Glencoe will be great.

Stay central – Perthish, and accept that you will have to drive to wherever conditions are best on each day.

We’ve got the van booked into Grantown on Spey for the Feb half term. Will go to Lecht if snow is in and do some biking and walking.

Presumably they won’t sell you a pass unless you can prove eligibility?

As I’ve understood it you’re expected to show your QR code to get on the lifts. You can buy passes in advance, so your covid status at purchase won’t mean anything. I actually took a gamble and bought my pass pre-season at a discount; that may have been a bad decision!

qr codes are randomly checked at the ticket office, in lift queues and at the ski school here in Gourette.

I’ve done a bit of rando an x-c but most sectors are shut due to the wild conditions

Blizzard Black Pearl are my new rando skis for this season. The women specifique design seems to suit my weight and style perfectly.

Three lines is about all I can type before the site redirect to some nasty charity site with stinking rich directors.

Or is it the post length or??? I should have learned no to post on STW fr my phone by now

FWIW, I’ve been out riding the past two days (since the rule came in on Saturday) and I haven’t had my covid pass checked on the lifts yet, or seen it happen. Getting checked about 50% of the time in cafes/bars. Just got checked in the Marmot Arms!

Ressorts in Massif Central opening next week-end. And it is still snowing.

Ressorts in Massif Central opening next week-end. And it is still snowing.

The one time I can’t get out to the Lioran and conditions look the best I’ve seen in 10 years. 😵

OK, let’s all pretend that we will manage to get skiing in 2022.

I want to treat myself to some nice salopettes this year. Can anyone recommend any?

I also need some new low-light goggles, any suggestions?

Cheers,

Mick

@Mick have a look on SportPursuit They have a good range of trews and googles are decent prices.
Tkmaxx is also worth a look. Decathlon for the good VFM but less expensive end of things.

Re low light goggles, I’m a big fan of Smith ChromaPop.

I just got some Dare2B ski troursers cheap in the regatta offer that was on here last week. They seem ok on delivery, not used in anger yet though obviously

For Smith Chromapops, check over on snowheads where someone has a few for sale

The season started at my local resort in the Austrian Alps this weekend. I had a lot of fun in the powder. I have a season ticket for Carinthia and had to prove I had been vaccinated but it was quite easy at this site:

https://safe2ski.services.skidata.com/portal/

Masks have to be worn on all lifts. I ended up keeping mine on down the slopes too due to interaction difficulties with my normal mouth and nose covering. As it was still snowing the mask quickly stopped functioning because airflow was restricted by the moisture. I need to figure out a good system to prevent this.

As it was still snowing the mask quickly stopped functioning because airflow was restricted by the moisture. I need to figure out a good system to prevent this.

I was thingking about his recently and wondered about an 80’s style BMX clip on for goggles

I need to figure out a good system to prevent this.

I’ve been thinking about this too. It’s quite usually for my beard to become a sheet of ice, so I’m expecting the mask to do the same. Maybe wear a buff over the mask and shake the ice off it? A full vizor, not just over the eyes, might work well (edit, thinking about that, it won’t as the damp air will still go onto the mask and freeze).

Already had a couple of days splitting up Weardale and Teesdale, decent conditions and filled gulleys / depressions for the better runs.
Will concentrate on local and Scotland rather than plan anything for this season.

Been using Sungod goggles the last few years and can’t complain. Very customisable.

Ok – Scottish resorts – Someone talk to me and tell me whats good and bad.
I’m down by Peterborough so roughly 7hrs drive from Glenshee, and work (and family) are flexible enough that I could take a few days midweek and get some riding in this winter.
Wheres good to look? Any pointers apart from going where the snow is best? I’ve never been up there before, but anything has to be better than nothing right?
Given the mess that euro travel is in, I reckon this might be my only shot apart from the domes for this season.

@geomickb

I’m a fan of the picture ones I got last year, comfy, the waist band works well with the same brand jacket. Not too hot importantly either as I run warm (ok, I’m chubby). Not cheap, but they should last and Picture at least sell themselves as vaguely ethical/sustainable.

As for goggles I have some Yellow persimmon lenses for oakley goggles and they work well in flat light, but there is a point at which this fades and everything goes very flat, but only when it’s really flat dim light.

@bombjack it really is a case of going where the snow is, but if you base yourself central, like Pitlochry, all resorts are accessible for the day.
Glenshee – 1hr
Cairngorm – 1 hr
Glencoe – 2 hrs ish
Fort William – 1hr 40
Lecht – 2 hrs ish

But, if you want to hedge your bets, Glenshee is Scotland’s 3 valleys and so has more options if the weather isn’t great.

In Scotland I ski at Glenshee and Cairngorm – I much prefer Glenshee.

I’ve skiied all 5. All are fine on their day, though the Lecht is the smallest and not as varied as the others, and Cairngorm always suffered from queues even before the funicular stopped running.

My personal favourite is Glencoe – staying in Fort William mean you can get there in about 45 minutes, or get up to Nevis Range in about 20 minutes. Ballachulish or Glencoe village is small but nore central

Cheers @oldtennisshoes – I’d kind of earmarked Pitlochry or Perth as a possible base, with Glenshee being the closest of the resorts if conditions allow. I reckon a stop at Tebay then finish off with a 2nd leg up to the resort would be possible over night (2 X 3hr legs). Hell, I’d even crash in the car if needed to break the drive up.
I take it wind is the biggest limiting factor rather than snow line?

I take it wind is the biggest limiting factor rather than snow line?
It certainly plays a part. Another frustration can be if there’s been a dump and it takes a wee while for the cooncil to clear the road, so the snow gates can stay closed late into the morning, when conditions are amazeballs.

Like OTS I’d prefer Glenshee over the others.
Never skied at the Lecht but have driven through a couple of times and it doesn’t look great.
Learned to ski at Cairngorm 30+ years ago, last time I skied there (2017) the funicular was working and it was alright.
Glencoe been a couple of times and have never actually seen what it’s like due to low cloud and snow.
Nevis range is good but nowhere near as much piste as Glenshee.

There are a couple of Travelodges in Perth for comfortable jail cell style accommodation.
That’d be where I’d base myself.
If you do come up DM me as I have a few days leave left to take, luckily my boss is a skier and is very understanding!

Best Scottish destination varies hugely from day to day and also of course, on your expectations/skill level. They’re all tough in bad weather, but that’s what makes Scottish skiers & boarders so adaptable, able to extract maximum enjoyment from minimal conditions overseas.

Beginners and early intermediates are best at the Lecht, lots of short, mellow runs and very few rocks.
Mile munchers: Glenshee. Also has some surprisingly steep terrain on the fringes.
Touring, you’re well served at Glenshee as well as Cairngorm. In good conditions, long runs out to the roads well to north and south of Glenshee can be tremendous fun, especially if taken via a nearby peak as well. Cairngorm has excellent backcountry and serious steeps as well as more mellow stuff.
I only tour at Cairngorm these days, like many others now I refuse to give them my ££s in protest at years of utter incompetence at management level.
Nevis in good snow and visibility is the best site for strong skiers and off-pisters looking for a wild feeling but close to lifts. Views are spectacular and the back corries are simply epic on the right day. Nevis has arguably the greatest vertical from summit to the top gondola station. And you get to have a wee look at the MTB tracks on your access lift too. Piste patrol actively encourage conversations on snow conditions and safety over in the back bowls, rather than being aloof.
Glencoe is working on new intermediate terrain this winter with a new chair lift- not heard if it’s definitely ready yet though. The Mighty Coe has it’s diehard fans, yet is also surprisingly good for beginners too. Again, a spectacular setting on a clear day and if you’ve the guts, the Flypaper is the steepest in bounds ‘piste’ in Europe. Coe also argues that it has that greatest vertical prize in Scotland, although in reality skiing to the base station, on which the claim is based, doesn’t happen every winter.
It’s dumping again at the moment, the snow gates are shut tonight again and reports from the ski tourers this week have already been of excellent early season cover at Glenshee, Lecht & Cairngorm. The West resorts usually take longer to fill in their rougher, rockier terrain. There have also been a couple of early avalanches in the off-piste, one collecting a climber along the way, so as always in Scotland, extra care is required when travelling in the backcountry.

I’ve got to say, I don’t buy this Perth central base gubbins. Yep, it’s good for Glenshee and in theory OK for CG. But as outlined above years of mismanaged at CG means that no right minded person would go there unless they had no choice or were local ( in which case they wouldn’t be staying in perth)

It’s over 2 hours from Perth to Nevis or the Mighty One,which is a helluva long time to spend driving twice a day in a ski holiday.

Anyway, my viewpoint:
Lecht. Really well managed resort which tries really hard to maximise what they can get from a pretty small, low, limited resort. I’ve only ridden there once.

Glenshee: huge mileage and some great off piste to swallow the huge crowds.

Cairngorm: if someone would open a crowdfunding to do a private prosecution against the previous management I would gladly contribute. The last 20 years have been a shocking illustration of ” a compromise is a situation that suits precisely nobody” mantra

Nevis: if the back corries are open and in condition then it’s utterly mind bendingly good.

Glencoe: if you can find one of those rare days with good conditions and few people then it is amazing. I was lucky enough to be one of the 100 or so people vancamped in the carpark a few years back. A few of the lifties managed to get in early Saturday morning and then some tumschies blocked the access road by getting stuck in the snow. They had just enough staff to open the access chair and not much else.
For the lucky few lapping the dark side repeatedly and skiing down the midway waterfall it was the best ski day of their lives. For the hundreds of skiers and boarders stuck on the access road and A82 it was sheer torture.

I reckon 5 of my 20 best ever ski days were in Scotland.
I’m absolutely sure that 30 of my worst 30 ski days were in Scotland. But still I go.

France have closed borders to non essential travel now plus min 48hrs quarentine, so that looks to have well and truly kyboshed things for christmas and January trips at the very least :-<

Yep gutted trip to avoriaz is off😪

Yup it’s looking a tad grim.

Avoriaz here too at half term ☹️

Should get full refund but not until 2 weeks pre departure if advice doesn’t change…

I’ve got a few contacts pulled departures forward and going tonight/tomorrow. The buried part of this is that it’s to buy time to get more Boosters out so HOPEFULLY its temp for 2-3 weeks. Bit of a melter for places like Val, Meribel etc that have large British traffic, decimates businesses with no support, much like our hospitality sector here.

Hadn’t booked anything for half term, but def wanted to go.

Hoping* the petri dish that is the UK will bear out that it’s not that bad and things open up again.

* wishing?

We’ve pulled ours forward and are now leaving tomorrow at 3:30pm. Spoke to the resort today and it sounds like they are having a really tough time, it seemed to be fairly easy to get an apartment on the slopes for the Christmas week. The big deal is the additional cost to families with a couple of kids as they will need to be tested everyday which will cost about £500. Will also need to get children tested on the way down at a local chemist so they can ski on the first day. Good luck everyone

My desire to ski is less than my desire to be a part of the spreading problem. I was hoping late January would pan out, that looks unlikely so I’m hopeful that maybe March will be viable, either way a very late booking is the most likely option.

I miss the mountains, I miss the snow, I miss skis and I miss Tartiflette (this is a dish that only exists in the mountains for me, were it to exist at home I’d never get out of the ChubClub threads).

Good luck to anyone travelling, hope it goes well.