The STW Ski & Snowboard thread. The 2013-2014 season

Couple of pics from Lech last week. Missing it already!

Rob & Richard

The selfie. Dunno how that snow had got on me 🙂

We dun some tracks

We dun some tracks

OMG! OMG! THEY WENT OFF PISTE! OMG! OMG!

😉

Crazy guys huh! 😛

Shame the snow wasn’t better lower down – trees were no go.

2010-2011 actually came out as quite a “safe” year in terms of number of deaths in the end. I remember it as being really bad because of a number of widely-reported accidents in my local area where several people were killed in single avalanche incidents

Great post & very interesting stevomcd … is it possible that 2010/12 season is subject to the same phenomenon as the Everest Disaster in 1996? i.e. although the loss of life in particular incidents was disturbingly high, the overall (possibly subjectively calculated) fatality rate percentage was low making it a relatively ‘safe’ year …

I’ve just been asked if I know anything about these guys.

Home

I don’t. Any experience here?

Thanks!

Any rec’s for a resort for a family at the end of Feb please?
Taking into account avalanche risk naturally 🙂

Kids have skiied once, missus is hesitant and since I buggered my knee Im looking to ski more red than black

Location utterly flexible but have noticed our week is Paris half term so thinking not France
Missus fancies Austria – no idea why

Main ‘want’ is lots of greens and blues for the kids, decent instruction and not too busy

When we decide on resort I’ll look at accommodation

Thanks all 🙂

We went to Geilo in Norway when my kid was first learning. Perfect for beginners. Runs aren’t that long so good for your knee 🙂 Just don’t expect to get drunk out there.

Not used them myself. the owner / main guy is a poster over on snowheads. good reputation and good feedback in the main.

A little info on jacket tech
Gortex is patented and is expensive $10 per metre, most of rest is $4-6 per metre and works up to about 80% of Gortex.
There is only one breathability/permeability testing machine in Europe, so probably most manufactures claims are probably suspect!!
Add in a back pack with constricting straps and contact, and all bets are off.
Add in a couple of weeks, wear and tear and high UV and they prob only last 3-4 seasons!!
Info from someone who manufactures ski jackets and sells 1.7m per annum!!

nedrapier – pretty active over on Snowheads, lots of trip reports, etc. on there.

Digby – definitely possible. There were at least 3 incidents in Val d’Isere that year where big groups (skiing with guides) were caught in huge avalanches, resulting in multiple fatalities (at least 20 killed in Val d’Isere alone). For that reason, it sticks-out in my mind.

The stats definitely don’t back that up though. Stats from the last 40 years for France available here (helps if you speak French…): http://www.anena.org/5041-bilan-des-accidents.htm#par36720

Similarly, 1998-99 (the year of the Montroc avalanche) looks only slightly above average.

Cheers catvet – but presumably you’d expect a (branded) Gore-tex jacket, worn without a pack, to have a decent DWR coating that would still bead water during its very first week of use?

Missus fancies Austria – no idea why

Main ‘want’ is lots of greens and blues for the kids, decent instruction and not too busy

Austria is great – I’ve banged on about this many a time but in for a penny etc….

Austrian resorts tend to be in proper towns/villages rather than purpose built resorts. They tend to be a lot lower than French resorts, but still often have great snow. Year before last I went to St Johann in Tirol where the top of the highest lift is only 1700m and it was great – powder on several of the days we were there.

In Austria you get a wonderful traditional Alpine mountain experience, and food and hospitality is generally of a very high standard (and not at all expensive). All the resorts I’ve been to have been really child-friendly too.

Also, and this massively depends on your outlook – go to France and mostly the mountain huts will play music you’d hear anywhere, or bland French pop. Go to Austria and the mountain huts mostly play either traditional Austrian folk music, or ridiculous ‘turbo-folk’ – for me it all adds to the experience!

^ What grum said. Austria is good.

Graham
Yep I would contact Burton directly.
The guy that manufactures the ski jackets lives in the Alps for the season and has done for a few years now (an extremely wealthy man) would never buy a ski jacket for more than £200 !!

Graham, I would expect beading for a week, yes. Not sure why S&R have been a bit rubbish for you, as they’re usually a whole heap better than that.

Nearly bought a Burton jacket myself once, but just couldn’t get on with the fixed hood (As a helmet wearer)

would never buy a ski jacket for more than £200 !!

Most I’ve spent on a jacket – it was meant to be a bit of a treat for myself. 🙁 Given that I only get away a couple of weeks a year, a jacket usually lasts me a good while. Think my last one did a decade at least and is still wearable.

couldn’t get on with the fixed hood (As a helmet wearer)

Yeah there is a hood on this one. Not sure why. Useful for going to the pub afterwards I suppose.

Not sure why. Useful for going to the pub afterwards I suppose.

From my time in the ski/bike industry, I have a whole bag full of free beanies. These are worn for post-ski-walks to the pub* for a few beers when it’s a little nippy outside.

*Sorry, I meant, I wear them for apres, dahhhhling. I do so love some apres. They’re my apres hats. I wear them with my apres boots and apres gloves when I’m having some apres. Dahhhhling.

Hood is a big plus for me. Must be helmet-compatible of course.

Days when it’s puking and windy, but the snow in the trees is amazing – pull the hood up over helmet, goggles, facemask, the lot. Ahhhh, bliss….

Must be helmet-compatible of course.

Doesn’t that leave you with batman-neck?

Yup! +1 for a helmet compatible jacket with hood.

I’ve not needed it that often, but when I have I’ve really appreciated it (including being stuck on a chilly chairlift in strong winds for >45 mins … I did get a voucher though from RCR, which covered beer & nachos! 8-))

Doesn’t that leave you with batman-neck?

lol GrahamS – very good! 🙂

Depends really on the relative size of your hood and your helmet and how tight you like to cinch it up 😉 … make of that what you will!

I’ve decided I don’t need a jacket for this season. I’m just going to grow out my back hair instead.

I saw a man skiing in a kilt, earlier today. His balls must have been like frozen peas.

Gotta get the fit just right, so the hood turns with your head. Nothing worse than your head turning inside the hood! Especially when snowboarding…

stevo and nbt, cheers! will pass it on.

Just to throw another spanner in the works of the whole off piste safe versus not safe debate for this season in the Alps, here’s what Xavier de la Rue says about it.I was leaning towards the side of thought that the avalanche danger can change every day, but I’m not sure now.

YOUR knowledge is YOUR best survival chance ( please spread it if that can help your friends)

Watch out when you go out there, danger is not visible! The snow layer has a really weak foundation that you might not be able to see but is really tricky. It’s made of a tons of tiny small balls, which is real weak and will stay all winter. Exposed North faces are particularly something you should avoid and be aware avalanches can be triggered remotely. Get your ears open as deep “ wumpf” sounds can occur = proof of that base layer collapsing and that can trigger avalanche from flat part into close by steeper part of the mountain. thanks to Walter Steinkogler (SLF) for the pic and Johan Gaume from the SLF, swiss federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research based in Davos
http://www.slf.ch/

I was leaning towards the side of thought that the avalanche danger can change every day,

It can but something (most commonly temperature change) needs to happen to change it. So if it stays cold instabilities can persist for weeks or even months.

That photo you posted earlier Spin:

Thought you might be interested to hear the thoughts of Henry (from HAT) in a recent Google+ hangout.

Watch from 9:00:

Original hangout: https://plus.google.com/events/cokr8pg78vqr9gp6lc25eoh44a4

Despite the recent publicity it actually happened back in 2007.
And yes, he says it was exceptional and likely caused by rapid warming or rain.

There’s also some discussion about the current conditions and the whether the persistent weak layer is still a risk.

Couloir DouDou, finally!

BTW, high (3000m), north(ish) facing and ****ing steep. Stable.

I’ve seen the pic and info spread by Xavier de la Rue (as referenced by michael above). For sure, that shows a gnarly depth-hoar situation. But it’s not like that everywhere. We’ve been digging some pits over the last week or so and have generally been finding that the depth hoar layer has been heavily compressed or has transformed back to round grains.

(This description of depth hoar as “ball bearings” isn’t terribly helpful BTW. It doesn’t look like ball bearings at all, even if it might sort-of act like them.)

@Graham, that photo’s rather scary. @stevomcd very nice, I’m keeping an eye on Facebook some very nice offers just wondering whether to risk it with knee

@stevomcd – that’s a stunning photograph for sure! 😉 lovely composition!

Is that you riding or behind the lens?

On a lighter note, I’m quite looking forward to the guilty pleasure of The Jump on Channel 4:

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-jump

On a lighter note, I’m quite looking forward to the guilty pleasure of The Jump on Channel 4:

Shhh. Don’t tell anyone, but so am I. 😳

Hee hee so am I and I don’t feel guilty.

Oooh goody Marcus Brigstocke, I’m a big fan.

On my trip to St Anton me and my mate did a tranceiver recovery test.
Up on Rendle there is a football pitch sized area wit buried bleepers. You can select number of victims ( 1 – 5 ) and time to find ( 1 – 20min ) .
First go not so good, spend too long faffing with probes and didnt have a defined search plan so around 5 mins to locate and switch off the bleeper by lancing it 3 times with a probe.
Second time much better , dialled in 2 victims and 10 mins . Probed out the first box ( imagine a cake tin 30 cm down ) in 3 mins , then completed the second find in 7 mins.

Interestingly my Ortovox M2 is less sensitive than my mates , he gets the first indication maybe 5meters further out than me, but when it gets up close and personal mine is better , showing down to 20cm from source if using a slow moving arc .

You are not allowed to dig out the boxes so not a true representative sample, but locating a victim and leaving a shovelling team in place survival chances massively increased.

We had a good time , although I had a big high speed crash on sat afternoon and might have snapped torn my left UCL thumb tendon. Its OK though , having snapped the right hand one twice i now have non opposable thumbs and have regressed down the evolutionary ladder to the chimpanzee level. But it might just be torn a little bit and the doc on monday can refer me to surgery or not.

Digby – that’s me riding. Doesn’t really show the perspective, but that pitch is STEEP. I’m not actually leaning over very far…

You must have a good riding buddy stevomcd – someone who was prepared to stop and take the shot instead scoring the fresh tracks! 🙂

Nothing quite like the feeling of riding a steep pitch and being able to run your fingers through the snow is there? 8)

Just looking at that picture is making me ‘ache’ to get back on the snow!

3 year old’s first lesson at Xscape tomorrow.

Might take 7 year old on main slope but sciatica has flared up – I blame the thread on here a few weeks ago.

Confusingly people still saying bad conditions this year. got to say i think the experts must surely be right?

Anyway its beginning to look like I won’t be able to get a trip in this year regardless 🙁