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

84 EDT Evo XL CTs in a 168, please.

Or, some Unleashed Hells in a 177 would do as well.

Let me know when you can deliver, if you would. Thanks.

Nordicas wouldn’t be my first pick, but if they’re free…! 😉

Had a play on these last year for a bit;

Stupidly “Euro” graphics and definitely not a hangover ski. As in one where you just sit on ’em and meander down the piste. However, get on board and charge at the corduroy and oh my they were goooooooD!

Currently going through last years thread, watched the art of flights and GNAR the other day and thoroughly in the mood!

Find ‘All I Can’ – best ski flick of last winter: FACT.

FWIW (cheeky plug), if anyone reading this wants a stand at The Ski Show (london or birmingham), I might be able to get you 10% off – email in my profile if you want details.

Find ‘All I Can’ – best ski flick of last winter: FACT.

^^SCIENCE FACT^^

JP Auclair getting all of teh radnezz on da streetz.

WATCH IT!

Flashy, am I right in thinking that Serre Che is the collective name for a ski area above a group of villages? Which would be your village of choice – Villeneuve?

Yep, you’re right.

I favour Chantemerle. Few reasons;

The Terrace, The Station, the utterly superb http://www.hotelpleinsud.com/ , Sandrine’s little coffee stop in the square before the first lift (Take Bletonet), the lovely Piano Bar on the main road (It’s a quiet main road!), the odd little bar/shop/restaurant with the kinky sofa, and more.

Oh, and if you need a ski school – Use this lot – http://www.ski-school-connections.co.uk/ Davina and her team are acer than ace. (Especially Petit Paul and Christian)

Lunch? http://www.lebercail-serrechevalier.com/ up at the top of the Aravet bubble.

Need any more? 😉

Will try and get some Serre Che pics up tomorrow.

Oh that’s good, found a trip to Hotel Plein Sud. I promise to smuggle your marmalade 8)

OMFG – that segment from All I Can was unbelievable.

Going to have to look into Serre Che, it’s had a few recommendations now and has piqued my interest.

I will, funnily enough, be shredding the gnar in Sainte Foy once again! We have teamed up with some top snowboard guides/instructors to run some backcountry and splitboard camps, which I try to sneak along on, so pretty excited about that. Doing some BASI3 courses before/during the season and probably going to sign-up for the big one at the end. Wish me luck, I’ll need it!

Trying to avoid buying any new gear, but looks like I’ll need a board. Popped an edge on the last day of the season.

What is the craic with going into a catered chalet when there’s just two of you? Do you just share with other random people?

Aye, don’t know why some people think this is weird? Just think of it as a small hotel with one big table in the dining room!

Drove through Sainte Foy on the way to Tignes a couple of weeks ago – seemed really nice!

If you do go to Serre Chevalier, take advice from Flashy and DO NOT under any circumstances make the mistake I made this year and go to Le Grand Aigle in Villeneuve. Just awful.

Good skiing though and plenty choice, despite being limited by the rapidly melting snow 😀

wallop – that’s the village (which is indeed very nice!). The resort is higher up the mountain (turn left off the Tignes road at La Thuile). Also really nice – sensible planning rules means it’s all low-rise wood and stone.

Should have stopped instead of going to Tignes. Way better riding here! 😉

Evening Cap’n.

I’m back over to the UK for Christmas so thinking of getting a cheeky trip in for the new year.

I’ll definitely be getting some Asian skiing in next year, probably Japan though am tempted to check out Gulmarg in India for some serious powder.

Oh wow – Gulmarg looks amazing!

Can you post up details if you get some more up to date info on costs etc. Cheers

Ben, email when you’re here! Beers?

As mentioned, a couple of piccies from Serre Che. Mostly from January 2012, the signpost one was March 2011 when it was HOT!

Overall, it’s a rather sunny place…!

[/url] Top of Grand Serre[/url] by CT663[/url], on Flickr[/img]
Yours truly in the distance, grinning like a loon at all the corduroy to play on! Everyone else was in the valley, looking at the clouds. We got up above ’em nice and early!

[/url] Au balcon[/url] by CT663[/url], on Flickr[/img]
View from a South facing room at the lovely Plein Sud. There’s a great place to by saucisson on the road just below the hotel.

[/url] Above Monetier[/url] by CT663[/url], on Flickr[/img]
Yret is the pick here. Fast, huge and normally empty red.

[/url] Up above the clouds[/url] by CT663[/url], on Flickr[/img]

[/url] Coffee stop[/url] by CT663[/url], on Flickr[/img]
Lovely little stop for un ‘tit cafe between the Vallons lift and Frejus village.

That looks fab! Thanks for posting them.

Forgot to say, if you look at where the arrow for Col du Vent is pointing, that’s the top of the Cucumelle. From the top of Vallons or Cucumelle lift, you can hike it a little way up there for a massive area of slack/off that can run as far as you like!

The Cucumelle red, also up that way, is an awesome piste to play on as well.

One warning, a few of the chairs above Monetier aren’t the quickest!

Dropping left on the top pic (Above Grand Serre) takes you on to a massive mogul field. Rather fun.

Best day you can have? Start first lift, after coffee at Sandrine’s, natch. Head over to Briancon. All the way down, then back up and down in to each village along the length of the valley. Ears popping with altitude change all the way!

Thoes pics look ace.

This winter will hopefully be the odd weekend in the Scottish ski centres and possibly maybe a cheeky few days in Slovakia over new year if i can convince the other half.

Kit wise i will be looking for some new board pants as i put a hole in mine last season that was fixed by super gluing a patch over it. This was far from a delicate job so looks a bit crap.

Any recommendation on deals on clothing greatefully recieved.

[edit] so far the best place i have found for cheap reasonable quality ski/board gear is sports direct, and their helly hansen stuff. Some is at 50% and 70% off [/edit]

Any recommendation on deals on clothing greatefully recieved.

Likewise. Didn’t manage to find a suitable (snowboarding) jacket in the sales after last season. I’m hoping this season will offer a bit more choice than garish-block-colours or C&A anorak. 😀

100! Already! Good work, folks! 🙂

Snowboarding is soooooooo 90’s. Discuss.

Just been looking at the “put the heart back into STW” thread.

Snowboarding is soooooooo 90’s

Wooo hoo – I’ve finally got that hipster retro cool I’ve been looking for 😀

Things appear to be going well for the brand new gondola that will open up the South Chopok area in Jasná (Slovakia):

Due to open this season. Will completely transform the area I think.

GrahamS How far is that from Bratislava?

Possible day trip teritory?

Great photos CFH ! … especially the composition of the ‘beer on the balustrade’ picture ! 🙂

GrahamS How far is that from Bratislava?
Possible day trip teritory?

Mmmmm… it’d be a very long day! Train takes between 3-4 hours to go from Bratislava to Liptovský Mikuláš – see http://www.zssk.sk/en
Then from there you’ve got to get yourself from the town up to the actual hill.

However, I imagine Chalet Slovakia and Propaganda will both offer beds on a one night basis IF they have space available, so possibly a stay-over trip might work.

Thanks, Digby! A couple more…..

[/url] Empty Yret[/url] by CT663[/url], on Flickr[/img]

[/url] Well earned[/url] by CT663[/url], on Flickr[/img]

I can only go in December but not sure where yet.

Any recommendations, somewhere good for boarding and with a decent ski school so that 3 year old can have her first lessons.

OK cool cheers for that, my girlfriend and i took the train from Bratislava to Liptovský Mikuláš last summer so i know how long it takes. I didn’t realise it was that far up.

Flashy – Have you got any pictures of you actually skiing? 😉
They all appear to be about food (not complaining, as I always want to know where the nearest cafe stop is).

Bunnyhop, I’m in one on the previous page! 🙂

I’m usually the camera-lackey, so sadly don’t appear in many pictures….!

For snowboard clothing deals keep an eye on the Westbeach site. Last year they had a 70% off sale during the summer. For some reason their European online shop is down at the mo though…

Arinsal in January and La Thuile in March. Oh, and does Castleford XScape count? Went there a couple of weeks ago as a ‘six months to go’ refresher course. As for new kit, there’s nothing I need[b but now that the sales are on…

Fernie for 7 weeks, yeah baby! Will put me in debt for years but worth it for the deep powder (and chunky Canadian men). 😆

Kit-wise it’s Full Tilt boots and Line Sir Francis Bacons.

Has anyone been to Chill Factore at Trafford? Probably pants but a snow fix to keep me going and might be quiet in Sept when the kids go back to school?

Chill factore is o.k for an hour, more than that and you’ll be bored.

Fernie – brilliant! We went for a couple of days (as part of a Canadian road trip)and liked it so much, went back for a fortnight a few years later. Didn’t get any powder though on the second trip, however the first one was great (until I had a bad accident).

Winter in Vancouver and just bought some Volkl Mantras and had new boots last season but only got 15 days in them so they’re all good to go!!

So tempted to get a new jacket but will probably wait and go to Arcteryx factory store in North Vancouver.

I’m starting to get way too excited and there’s ages to wait still and more summer to be had!!

Only bad news is OH can’t come this year as she starts a course in September for a while. Might be able to fly her out for a little holiday though. Fingers crossed.

Hi Bunnyhop. Yeah I really hope it’s a good season for snow. I can cope if the men are shallow but not the powder!! 😈

I’ll give chill factore a go for an hour then. I think they have freestyle stuff to play on some nights. Providing I don’t break my leg.

I think they have freestyle stuff to play on some nights.

If they’re anything like the freestyle nights at Hemel, you’ll need to dress the part…

Bring the steez!

Woody – Will do, Gulmarg does look brilliant.

Captain – Beers sounds good. Should be in London village the weekend of the 22nd of December.

zesty7 – Fernie is one of my favourite places in the world! I did a season there a few years ago and have spent a month there each winter for the past 3 years – you will have an amazing time and 7 weeks is long enough to ensure some epic powder days! 🙂