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

So looking forward to the Winter Olympic games.

opening ceremony tomorrow night 🙂

Yep, Jamie Nicholls has already qualified for the Snowboard Slopestyle final!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/winter-olympics/26063907

I’m kinda disappointed there’s no Ski Ballet this year though – I think it really showcases what skiing is all about:

😉

Ski ballet! Orsumz

From today:

Like!

Not sure what I’m more impressed with: the little drop off, the nice bluey exposure of the snow, or the fact you apparently matched your board base to your outfit.

Cheers – not me in the pic, I took it. I had just done the drop though. 🙂

It’s snowing again

It is here as well this time 🙂

Snow? In the Alps? In winter? Well I never.

No not jealous. Honest. Really. I’m enjoying the drizzle in Yorkshire.

Yup bucketing it down here in Peiesy-Nancroix – big snowflakes. Day off today but will be riding tomorrow when it should be pretty quiet.

No not jealous. Honest. Really. I’m enjoying the drizzle in Yorkshire.

Drizzle in Yorkshire? Who’d have thought it? 🙂

why oh why didn’t I go to glencoe today 🙁

Stopped snowing around 3pm but by then we’d had a fabulous day involving powder snow (on and off piste), trees, some “unscheduled rest stops” and face shots to round things off. To make things even more fabulous, we saw a chamois as we downloaded on the gondola, then saw a few more as we waited for the shuttle back to the hotel. We also had confirmation that the HUGE birds we saw yesterday on the way back from La thuile were actually Bearded Vultures, not eagles as we’d thought. Sadly we didn’t manage to meet Stilltortoise during our visit to LT, although we did wave at Grum and Crewlie when we dropped over the border into France and got a great view of the Aiguille Rouge, Villaroger and the Arc 2000 bowl. pics to follow

[/url]
Courmayeur 2014[/url] by Notoriously Bad Typist[/url], on Flickr

[/url]
Mont Blanc has got his hat on[/url] by Notoriously Bad Typist[/url], on Flickr

[/url]
Grum and Crewlie[/url] by Notoriously Bad Typist[/url], on Flickr

Edit

Off to Oetztal Sunday. 😀

If you look closely you can see me waving back from Villaroger. Everywhere out of the 2000 bowl was closed except for a little drag lift into the Villaroger sector. Great snow but bad visibility, must have been earlier than your photo.
10 years coming here and not a sign of a chamois or a vulture…you can go off people 🙂

Cairngorm was fantastic yesyerday after the sun came out and the CM folk dug out the funicular track to get the train running.

hopefully heading back up the mountain for a winter (walking) skills course with Glenmore Lodge today. Weather is a different story today though. Interestingly have been issued shovel, probe and transceiver which are being trialled on courses. Getting some basic training with those will be an unexpected bonus.

cant believe we’re leaving behind some awesome scottish conditions………………….for Kitzbuhel 😆

Another fab day of powder, trees, unscheduled rest stops and beer. The snow is falling again (it was fine and clear this morning, the snow started early afternoon) but we’re leaving at stupid o’clock in the morning. Apparently it’s forecast to snow for the next TEN DAYS, so if you are looking for a last minute break you could do worse than consider Courmayeur. It’s been great.

Lovely day today – met up with some Quebecois friends of the guy I’m staying with and showed them around. They are doing a 3 day trip from Canada due to getting some silly cheap flights!

You can’t really tell but the blob in the bottom right is some sort of bird of prey.

Any ideas?

3 days ago at La Plagne.

Who needs another chairlift photo?

Back from the Dolomites. Strangest, most adventurous bash ever. Shame so many of the group were not able to safely get to resort due to so much snow and avalanches.

and one that is slightly nsfw, so linked…
What a lovely set of teeth!

any idea on size Grum? Medium, big, huge, tiny? I’m stumped as the colouring suggests osprey but the location certainly doesn’t.

Another one from today – possibly not quite as extreme as it looks. 😉

Not too sure Julian. I didn’t notice it until I was looking at the photo later on.

I would have thought it was quite far away so quite big.

I’m thinking of taking the kids to Scotland to give them a short introduction to skiing, any recommendations, do’s and dont’s which station/resort? Accomodation? We’re looking at going around March 8th. So will obviously be keeping a close eye on conditions.

Is anyone interested driving to Scotland on Friday evening and back sunday evening, not this weekend but next? I have a t5 so plenty of space for 5 leaving from hastings via London and the m1

TheDTs – I would recommend Cairngorm/Aviemore resort. Either staying in Aviemore or very nearby. There is the mountain train (funicular) for them to enjoy the ride up and down. Cafe/restaurant at the top and bottom of the hill. Nice gentle slopes and plenty of snow.

A topic that cropped up on the Olympic thread, but let’s ask it here as well!

Mittens or gloves? And why?

Also – Idiot strings round the wrists. Does anyone NOT use them?

For me, as a result of a while in the ski world, I have several sets, all of which are gloves. I tend to run warm, and so don’t really need the extra warmth of a mitten. My current fave are a pair of TNF Decagon;

That said, I’m still sorely tempted by a pair of these at some point;

Dakine Scout gloves for me. And idiot strings.

http://eu.dakine.com/p/snowboard/gloves/mens/scout-glove

Mitts for me. Idiot/kiddy strings are a must.

May I just say that I thought Chemmmy was amazing this morning. All by herself (her words) and after many injuries the girl was good 🙂

These are the best gloves I’ve used. Somewhere in between a mitten and a glove.

Never used idiot strings though.

I use idiot loops all the time. I had some dakine scouts and was impressed but they didnt last a huge amount of time. Saw some Dakine Titans cheap while skiing in Solitude and picked themup – think they were about $90

http://eu.dakine.com/p/gloves/ski-snowboard/mens/titan-glove?clr=ATH

although mines a slight different colour scheme and the zip’s a bit different, it being an older model. The inner glove is not secured by velcro or anything so it can come out easily, but to be honest I’ve rarely used them anyway

Gloves, currently Dakine Titan – I prefer the dexterity of gloves and don’t need the extra warmth of a mitt.

No idiot strings.

Another silly pic:

It was my last day of the trip today – been a bit ill so not done too much but it has been awesome. I’m scheming on how I can spend more time in the big mountains next winter.

Awesome photo grum. Touch of the 80’s about it with those blues and the sunburst. Love it.

Somewhere in between a mitten and a glove

glotten? milve?

Cheers Graham. Yeah we thought that – we were saying it would have been good if he was wearing a brightly coloured all-in-one suit with hard boots and a carving board.

glotten? milve?

I just refer to them as the lobster claws 🙂

I have the Hestra’s in CF’s post. They are great, never been cold or wet. Even in -35c. They do have the idiot straps but they stow out of the way between the liner and outer if you don’t want to use them. By the amount of use they get (sadly not as much as I would like) I can’t see I will have to buy another pair until I will be taking advantage of a free lift pass..

Bunnyhop, good points, thanks.