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

these new fangled carver skis make it dead easy! It feels like cheating – was skiing reasonably competently down a black run within about half

Completely agree.
It’s very much like learning to ride a hard tail with cantilevers back in the day, with the old style straight planks and taking weeks to learn to carve.
Now a days you can hop on a full suss all singing all dancing bike and ski on the carving, oooh look at me I can ski in a day brigade.

Yep, carvers do make it to easy. I put tellie bindings on them though which makes me feel less of a cheat. 8)

Sorry, obnoxious post but I’m drunk in EGKK waiting to go home………

Peak District tomorrow. Gonna be awesome!!! Hours and hours of snow forecast from 2am this morning. Give it some!!!!

Winnats Pass and Mam Tor here we come!!

oooh look at me I can ski in a day brigade.

Are you putting me in that category? I learned to ski when I lived in Austria when I was 3. 😀

Cobra, in the F-lounge? If so, get busy with a Bloody Mary or three!

Are you putting me in that category? I learned to ski when I lived in Austria when I was 3.

Heehee, serpently not, I know you’re a sporty beast and all round snow God 🙂

Leaving Les Gets tomorrow morning. Slightly worried that snow may prevent me getting home.

Either at Liverpool airport or across the M62.

Heehee, serpently not, I know you’re a sporty beast and all round snow God

Haha, never been called a sporty beast before. 🙂

Tried to ski some powder today and didn’t feel much like a snow god – it’s so much easier on a board!

Leaving Les Gets tomorrow morning. Slightly worried that snow may prevent me getting home

Yup me too, bonkers isn’t it. 😕

Peak District gonna be mega for days. POW POW POW

OOOOOF!

Loads of snow reported in Serre Che, too!

That Oakley vid is ski porn of the highest order. I’m part inspired, but mainly jealous and dejected that I’ll never be even 10% as good as that.

OOoooooowww, MONSIEUR!

That Oakley video is pretty sweet. You’d think Oakley would insist they wore garms that actually fit them though. They look ridiculous!

1 week to go 😀

Anyone got any recommendations of anywhere that stocks hats (beanie style, non baggie)? My trusty lunch/apres hat seems to have lost all elastication and slips down over my eyes usually when I’m carrying some drinks. I’ve tried the usual ski shops and not seen anything inspiring.

People buy hats? I have a drawer half full of freebies from my time in the ski industry! They’re almost the default brand-promotion freebie!

🙂

You know you really want an Eisbär, though, don’t you….

this little number is called the Alpencocker (I kid you not!)

I already have an Eisbar, but it’s the less casual, more technical…

I have a load of freebie hats too, but they’re all a bit naff.

I think those Eisbar hats with the bit of imitation hair on top are hideous! Totally euro ski bum look. I always thought it was Eistnor btw… 🙂 .

Eisbar = Polar Bear.

Agree about the ones with hair on top, for ski bums or kids. Although they cost about £40!

Peak District this weekend.

Porter Clough Valley

Tree run Limb Valley

ESF….

A colleague returned from Samoens, where she had enrolled her six year old son in ESF lessons.

“Ah, oui, we speak English, oui. We will look after him” she was told when booking. She’d booked too late when I found out.

Turns out they, didn’t speak French, they didn’t look after him, they didn’t teach him, they left him behind. Just left him at the nursery slopes on his own, as he didn’t speak French like the rest of the group.

They LEFT A SIX YEAR OLD UP A MOUNTAIN ON HIS OWN!

The rage I’m feeling on her behalf doesn’t bear thinking about. The senior management of ESF will be getting a rather forthright missive from my colleague with my help, in French of course.

So, to soothe my ire, or not as the case may be, some abandonded ski resorts.

Spooky, scary, etc.

http://www.epicski.com/t/99211/lists-and-photos-of-abandoned-ski-hills

http://www.epicski.com/t/82323/photos-of-abandoned-iron-mountain-ca-ski-area

http://www.dcski.com/lostareas/index.php

http://pistehors.com/news/ski/comments/1073-the-ghost-resorts-that-haunt-the-alps/

Spooky CFH!

Do let us know what ESF’s response is. Shocking!

For balance, 360 (also French instructors, but very not ESF) at Les Gets had our 6 year old for the second year running and they were great. One very strict rule – one set of parents had to provide Haribo each day, which were then handed out through the lesson. Thanks to 360 he loves skiing, is confident on reds, is very proud to have been told to bring poles for the last two days, and just starting to parallel.

That said 3 years ago, he went to the ESF lesson (no one else took 3 year olds). Came back full of enthusiasm, but wouldn’t go back the next day. Turns out he thought they were shouting at him. Don’t think they were really, but too many children and native French speakers trying to make themselves heard was not a good mix for a three year old.

Some people of course have great experiences with ESF, but being shouted at and left behind does seem familiar.

Stunning day up at Cairngorm today. Perfect conditions and not crazily busy.

Since they ran the piste basher to the top of the hill I thought it would be rude not to walk to the summit and get a run in from the very top.

😀

Now sitting outside in the sunshine on the Moray coast with a beer.

Can Scotland be like this more often please?

Very cool Debaser.

We’re off for our Easter trip tomorrow to the Ski Amade region of Austria, first time DIY, need to go and pack.

Wow! Just back from a week in Val d’Isere and it was ace!

Firstly, thanks to all for advice given after my earlier request for help. After 20 years away from the snow I needed all the help I could get.

In brief, broadly speaking the snow was fantastic and the weather good enough. And one day, Wednesday, was as good as it gets. Awesome.

The skiing? My wife is a solid skier, and I went figuring I’d call the holiday good if she had fun, our little one (3.5) had fun and I was able to cruise some greens and maybe blues. Well, that and a good time with our friends. As it turns out, by day four I was making my way down (as per sprootlets advice!) La Face. The once. Red run cruising was my level, following a friend’s lines. Fitness was the killer for me – I was mornings only and even then by the end of the week I was broken, thighs like jelly. Friends and I had a couple days (sorry, mornings!) instruction with Al from Mountain Masters and he was great – really boosted my confidence, on top of technical advice given. The little one was taught by Nicci at Oxygene, and was happily pommering by day three, with early afternoons spent skiing Village tucked between Mrs Markie’s skis!

For the more advanced skiers out there, Mrs Markie reckons Orange and Sache were the pick of the bunch. Less discerning (well, and a world away in terms of skill), i thought Triffolet, Orange, Coupe de Monde and Moraine were great. Roll on next year, and a bit more fitness work before we head out!

We stayed at a YSE chalet, Les Gnellets, and it was satisfactory. I’d love to hear people’s thoughts on good chalet companies in Val.

Thanks all, hope your snow time was as good as mine!

Nice one Debaser. Walked up there myself. Great view from the top. Gonna hit Scotland later this month.

I’ve been hitting areas in the Peaks for the past couple of weeks. First two pics are slopes next to Higger Tor and Stanage. Third pic is a tree run at the bottom of Rushup Edge above mam tor car park.

Turns out they, didn’t speak French, they didn’t look after him, they didn’t teach him, they left him behind. Just left him at the nursery slopes on his own, as he didn’t speak French like the rest of the group.

Similar thing happened with a nervous (adult) beginner skier on a trip I was on. She was left behind from a beginner ESF group for not being good enough. Had to make her own way back down the mountain (crying).

Absolutely inexcusable in my book – as an instructor and as a human being.

Still dumping hard in Jasna (Slovakia). 20cm overnight.

Their season is usually finishing about now but they have announced they are now staying open till the 8th of May.

Might be a good shout if anyone wants a late season cheapie.

(Base gondola at Jasna this morning)

Great week so far in Ski Amadé, yesterday was deep mid winter, today was very April. Best Easter conditions we’ve had out of 4 Easter trips. Skied Radstadt/Alternarkt before they shut on Monday, then Zauchensee in the afternoon, Flachauwinkl/Zauchensee on Tuesday, Flachau yesterday and Schladming today. Two ski days left will do two areas we’ve not yet done this week.

Serre Che’s looking good for a few more weeks as well. Had word from a friend a few days ago that the snow is superb after the last dumps, but they are also back to sunshine. Bastards. 😉

Hammerite, POIDH! 🙂

Ok Flashy, not sure this’ll work……

Monday in Radstadt, perfect snow top to bottom….. Closed that day for the season! That’s Jnr in the green.

That
Looks
Awesome!

*Jealous!*

Today in Schladming, very warm, but surprisingly not too slushy or chopped up.

I don’t have many photos of yesterday as it was snowy and misty so not great for photos, snow was great though (will post naff unedited video when I get home).

Nice! Like Schladming. Been there twice.
Good snow, good lifts, good facilities (ski lockers and heated changing rooms!), nice folks.

grrr! that’s at the other end of a train ride from here. but I can’t go.

went to radstadt in november though 🙂 and will definitely be going back.

Agree Graham, the facilities for the whole area are probably the most impressive of anywhere we’ve been. Most the lifts are new, most lifts stations top and bottom have toilets, it’s incredibly well thought out. Some of the base stations feel like you’re ending your day at a shopping centre (Flachauwinkl and Schladming).

Being based in Radstadt means that most of the areas are 5-10 mins away and they’re all day sized areas which is perfect if you only have a week, you don’t feel like you’re missing out (except maybe if you’re into OP as that obviously gives even greater possibilities in each area). First time we’ve had a car when skiing too (usually do package trips), we’re liking the independence.

All we have to do today is decide whether we head to Reiteralm/Hochwurzen or Wagrain….

Little leg stretch today in The Pennines (Swinhope) which, much to my surprise, was just fantastic and I was gutted to have to leave after a couple of hours. Snow was still good and the gullies were great fun. Still find it hard to believe I can have this 40 minutes from my house in April, in England!

Sorry for dodgy iphone pic but you get the idea.

Roll on Flaine in 7 days time 😀

Nice Woody.

Back at work today 😥 had a great week last week though. On the hat dilemma, I gave in to the charms of Eisbar again and got one of these I look a twonk in it, but who cares. Matches my goggles too, even though I don’t wear a hat to ski in.