The STW Ski & Snowboard thread. The 2012-2013 season

I’ve been told Graeme at Rivington Alpine is good

Have heard the same. Certainly seems well praised.

S&R had a great team of fitters up there a couple of years ago, but I’m not totally sure if they’ve kept up the quality for this year. (Haven’t been oop Norf in a while!)

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/mods-can-you-fix-the-new-page-glitch-please

Re: the luggage shipping companies we’ve used Andy at Deliveries to the Alps to get stuff out to resort in the past. Lovely guy and very organised. When he was out in the Alps last season he we out on Friday nights and delivering on Saturday and Sunday.

Graham at Rivington is great and a really nice guy too. Very helpful and good service.

Re: the luggage shipping companies we’ve used Andy at Deliveries to the Alps to get stuff out to resort

Cheers. Slight issue is that I want it for Slovakia (the Tatras, not the Alps) – most of the only seem to do Alpine resorts, and then mainly France.

http://www.fetchmyluggage.co.uk cover Slovakia but its £102 return which is (just) more expensive that RyanAir.
Possibly still worth it to save hauling a bag around the airport and trains though.

http://serrechevalier.livecam360.net/cucumelle

Fresh (animal!) tracks atop the Cucumelle today. The Serre Ratier cam looks like it was turbo-puke over the weekend!

Eeep!

What could those pud prints be from?

There are wolves in the Serre Che area, but I don’t think that’s what made those. Most likely to be rabbit, as it’s a little small for marmotte or ibex, I reckon. I’ve seen similar on many a first lift day up at the tops.

Vicious little blighters are yer ackshewal marmottes. Vicious.

We saw a fair few marmottes in Les Arcs in the summer. Difficult one to add to my repertoire of animal noises.

On one of my first days skiing I saw a mouse trying to cross the busiest green run in Alpe d’Huez during the busiest week of the year. I got our instructor to stop and transport it off the piste. Had to get him to do it as I was barely capable of moving in a safe manor, let alone stop near the mouse bend over to pick it up (without falling over and crushing it). 😆

Chamois?

I remember one of these stood watching us as we hiked up a ridge last year. You could almost hear it thinking “What are they doing??” as we stumbled on deep snow pockets and icy rocks. 😀

We got the last laugh though – his brother is polishing my car.

Edit: just looked at the photo. Could be Mountain Hare? Note the two big prints at the back and front feet together in front of it.

Just confirmed:

Feb – week on the Stubai Glacier, work trip
Mar – long weekend in Chamonix, staying with a mate who lives out there

Unfortunately no new gear this year, except maybe new speccy goggles…

We got the last laugh though – his brother is polishing my car.

😆

Bit of speed flying/skiing action from Glencoe:

Awfully quiet around here these days *see’s tumble weed blowing across*.

I’m about to defriend my mate who lives and works in whistler. apparently it was opening day today….

Montgenèvre opened today with 60cm of natural snow. It looked great on the news. Also on the news and of interest to those who climbed in the 80s, Patrick Edlinger died at home yesterday.

Montgenèvre opened today with 60cm of natural snow.

Ooooh! Drive through Monty en route to Serre Che. Always liked the look of it for a day trip, especially the weird way it’s on both sides of the road. Worth a trip?

From day-trip experience from SC I’d say yes. Links up to lots of Italian stuff.

Thanks! I’ve done most of the other end of the Via Lattea, Sauze to Sestriere etc, but never got that far across. Might have to try it next year!

PSA if you like Oakley gogs and interesting colour schemes:here. Those come with two lenses.
I have three 14yo nieces all going skiing in February – makes Christmas shopping a doddle 8)

Thanks! I’ve done most of the other end of the Via Lattea, Sauze to Sestriere etc, but never got that far across. Might have to try it next year!

Yeah, I’d like to go for a week some time.

Serre Ratier yesterday. Cannons-a-go-go!

I can say Zermatt is skiing well these days after 5 days out there. We made a pretty bad ass bumps line too!!

Anyone know where I can download the new level 1 Sunny film? Apart from Itunes.

Also, I’d like to do a few weeks instructing from Jan – March, if anyone knows any company’s who could offer a few weeks here and there. I have one week with Interski in Feb but I’d like more.

Cheers!!

Michael, I reckon your best bet is to contact almost every single company and offer yourself as emergency cover etc. You’d need to be flexible in terms of locations, and a fast learner of the pistes, but that’s got to be the only way.

New board ordered today! http://www.amplid.com/en/Snowboards/UNW8.html

Now if I can just sort out the knackered shoulder in time for the start of the season, I’ll be all set…

MichaelMcc – that’s some rut-line! Think the one we were riding in Tux a year or 2 ago was about half that length!

Snow cannons outside my window just been turned on!

You’re BASI2 at the moment, right? About your only option is Switzerland then. As CFH says, just pound every ski school in CH with your application and hope for some work across half-term season.

Ooooh! Drive through Monty en route to Serre Che. Always liked the look of it for a day trip, especially the weird way it’s on both sides of the road. Worth a trip?

I quite like Mongenevre. It’s not the most challenging of resorts, however there’s plenty to keep you occupied for a week (with Via Lattia) and the shops have a nice feel. The old part of town is quite pretty.

We once had a very dry first few days in the resort. A local cafe owner opened the door looked up to the skies and announced it would be snowing heavily within the hour. My giddy aunt he was right, it dumped. What fun for the next few days.

Steve, ye it turned out to be pretty epic! I didn’t see anyone do the whole thing without stopping, that would’ve been some challenge.

And Ye I have BASI 2. I’ll apply to as many places as google throws up!

We once had a very dry first few days in the resort. A local cafe owner opened the door looked up to the skies and announced it would be snowing heavily within the hour. My giddy aunt he was right, it dumped. What fun for the next few days.

Had the same in Sauze once at Christmas. No snow at all when we arived, well at least in the village.

Old chap in a bar said, 11pm tonight, it’s going to snow. Boy did it snow! FRESH EVERYWHERE!

May have been the same year Flashy – late 1990’s?

Any baby news yet?

Courtesy of snowheads, the skiing version of The Rules curated in the cycling world by the Velominati[/url]

1: It’s all about the kit.
2: tanlines should be restricted to panda eyes. Deliberately skiing in t-shirts in an effort to get a better tan should be discourged.
3: The correct number of pairs of skis or snowboards in your quiver is n+1 (where the minimum value for n is 3 : piste, off-piste/tour and park)
4: Don’t suffer ‘kit confusion’ Dress appropriately for your skiing and/or image : If you’re a park-rat, then wear the appropriate baggy kit. If you’re carving down the piste, then look suitably streamlined. Also, refer to rule 22.
5: Harden the fsck up
6: Eyewear should be snow-sport specific : aviators or clip-on tints are a no-no
7: Don’t be a tw@. If you insist on being a tw@, at least be a funny tw@ : we’re all out there to enjoy ourselves.
8: keep your kit well maintained, clean and shiny. If it’s too knackered to be clean and shiny, then apply rule 3. Exceptions to this are where your application of rule 4 is towards stinky telehippy or the core duct-tape dude. Even so, rule 3 should be applied anyway.
9: Runs should be measured by quality and not quantity. It doesn’t matter if you skied that black 25 times, one set of fresh-tracks out of sight of the piste is immediately worth more.
10: Respect the earth; don’t litter. Put your chocolate bar wrapper back in your pocket on the chair, rather than letting it flutter off on the breeze
10a :If you smoke, tin your butts. Fag ends take between 5 and 25 years to break down.
11: the Racing Tuck should only be employed while racing or in race training. Sliding down a blue with your backside and poles pointed skyward is wrong. (Exception to this rule is when skiing in Scotland, and a racing tuck is the only way to maintain any forward motion against the wind)
12: If you’ve chosen to go out in a blizzard/whiteout/howling gale then you’re officially ‘rock hard’. If you’re not out in those conditions rule 5 applies.
13: Drink Espresso at the mountain cafe, it may be accompanied by some water or other drink. if espresso is too strong for you, then rule 5 applies.
14: You shall not ski with headphones. Skiing and boarding is about getting outside and into the elements and you don’t need to be listening to skrillex/abba/metallic/mozart See Rule 5 and just ski/board. Exceptions can be made to parkratz as headphone can be considered relevant to rule 4.
15: Don’t exaggerate incidents: crashes are only worth announcing in the bar if one or all involved required a blood wagon or helicopter evacuation. Anything less requires the application of rule 5.
16: follow the rules.
17: Help others : if they aren’t following the rules, it’s your job to educate them
18: Anyone found following or enforcing the rules so blindly that they spoil it for others, taking them too seriously or ignoring the spirit of the rules should refer to rule 7.
19: The only thing people will be interested in seeing from your helmetcam footage is you or others falling over, everything else is pure personal gratification an therefore best done without an audience…
20: wearing a helmet cam makes you look like a telly-tubby with it’s aerial poking out it’s head. Ensure your ability is sufficient to override that look.
21: Remove your peeps when in the bar afterwards, and refer to rule 15
22: Ensure your accessories/kit/hardware are appropriate to the conditions : snowploughing down a cruisy-blue with airbag rucksack, shovel, probe, GPS and transceiver is almost as daft as going off-piste with nothing but a piste-map. (but daft for different reasons). See the Gaper Spirit Animal as an example
23: Days off: You are here to sample the delights of sliding down the mountains, not have a spa day, do some shopping or other non snowsport pursuit. If you want a spa or shopping holiday then go on a spa or shopping holiday. Also refer to Rule 5
24: Lifts open and close for a reason, it is your duty to ensure you arrive as near to lift opening as possible and not return home until at least one lift has officially closed (not due to mechanical failure). For clarification see Rule 5.
25: Choice of Aprez location should be based on bragging rights in terms of cost, either the cheapest or most expensive, never the average
26: when you go to any on-slope bar/restaurant, leave your skis somewhere sensible. If you are unable to do this, self-ban yourself from all said locations.
26a: When leaving skis or boards, remember you are not attempting to recreate the Domino Toppling world record. Place your skis or boards in a manner that is not going to result in a large row of skis and boards crashing to the ground.
27: Chairlifts are to be used for getting you up the mountain. If you want to go on a swing, go to a park with the other children.
28: Uplifts (Charlifts, Gondolas, chairlifts and cablecars) are self-describing. They are for getting you UP the mountain. If you find yourself using one to come down when you’re not in a position to apply rule 15 then you SHOULD apply rule 5.
29: The run-off from the top of a chair-lift is designed to allow you to leave the area. It is not designed as a chatting/kit and boot faffing zone.
30: If a lift is deserted, and you decide you absolutely, totally must get on THAT chair which is already occupied by a family and/or small children, you’re not allowed to complain if a small child throws up on you. Either way, rule 5.
31: If a woman asks a man to carry her skis, she owes him a whoopee!. For anyone else asking for someone to carry their kit. Rule 7 and 5
32: extra points for skiing off-piste on piste skis or skiing with any sort of style on piste with elongated snowboards on your feet
33: Outwardly, bases are for scraping up and edges are for bashing. Never show anything less than casual pride in damage dealt to your skis. If you are not racing, hotboxing and excessive attention to sharpening and angles are the same as a man purchasing exfoliant. Wax is permitted but no more than once every 7 skiing days. If in doubt see rule 5. However, this does not mean rule 8 can be ignored. It’s a fine line, but a line all the same
34: You’re not taking lessons. The correct term is clinic or skiing with your coach.
35: Warranty claims beginning with “I was just skiing along….” are the mark of the fraud and scoundrel. If you are going to break anything ensure it was at least done as a result of being rad or in conjunction with rule 15.
36: When sat outside a bar (and observing rule 13 of course), you must always be the last to put jacket on or suggest going inside when it starts getting cold. Otherwise rule 5 applies. NB losing parts of your anatomy through frostbite and stupidity do not qualify for rule 15. In those cases, rule 7 applies.
37: Keep up with your friends. If one of you skis it, then all other membes of the group are obliged to, otherwise, Rule 5. However, rule 7 can apply if someone deliberately takes a line which will knowingly bring rule 15 into effect.
38: Skiing/Boarding is not a cheap activity. If you want to save money – don’t go. If you’re heard to complain about the cost of things, rule 5 is likely to be applied
39: The only reason for sitting in the middle of the piste is during incidents leading to application of Rule 15

Source: http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=93341

Please Please Please check out the Gaper Spirit Animal. If you see him, report your sightings. He had me *crying* with laughter

LOL at the skiing rules!!! 😆 .

1/ It’s all about fitness, technique and mental approach.

2/ Stripping down to a T-shirt when working hard uphill is advised

3/ If you can only carry one pair of skis then X-C skating are the best choice.

4/ Dress with whatever is in your wardrobe. Cycling kit for X-C and jeans/hoodie on piste. When sking fast, what everyone else is wearing.

5/ Harden the fsck up

6/ Lidl sunglasses are the mutt’s.

7/ Be a tw@, you know you want to.

8/Runs should be measured in heart rate x minutes.

9/ Why worry about a bit of litter when you’re doing the most environmentally unfriendly sport second to F1.

10/ If you smoke, smoke more. You won’t be around for as long and save us your pension pay outs.

11/ Only abandon the racing tuck when lactic acid forces you to.

12/ If the weather is really bad, stay in bed, the race will be cancelled for sure.

13/ Like souvenir shops, mountain cafes are there for the tourists.

14/ Headphones are heavy.

15/ “Me? No not me guv – you mean someone wiped out a whole group of learner boarders? Couldn’t be me, I never crash”.

16/ Rules?

17/ Others?

18/ Rules? Others?

19/ Helmets are for racing, in which case a cam will only add drag.

22/ You only need the ARVA, the shoval and sonde can’t help anyone save you.

23/ Rest day = bad weather day.

24/ Lifts are for downhill racers and lazy slobs.

25/ Après ski = waxing, food and and early night.

26/ Never let go of your skis, even when you go to the toilet (and they think I’m joking).

27/ See 24

28/ See 24

29/ See 24

30/ See 24

31/ If anyone asks you to carry their skis tell ’em to… .

32/ Fat planks are for fat people.

33/ Hot wax every night and add accelerator before every run.

etc

Glitchynonewsyetbump!

I did think of double posting to beat the page-change glitch, Flash, but knew you’d be along soon. 😉

Has anyone done a weeks off-piste holiday as a solo traveller? Want to try and get a week in March, and am weighing this up as an option.

I have done two winter seasons, so can get around in “off-piste” snow, but need to improve technique and learn more about mountain safety.

@torsoinalake – never done a whole week myself but know those who have, works well as a solo traveller – you book your own accommodation then sign up for course/tuition.

I have used these guys and would recommend them, I am looking at a similar thing myself this season

Piste to Powder in St Anton
TDC in Val d’Isere

Alpine Adventures are well known in Val too but I’ve not used them