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

Fierce Earth on cbbc yesterday was all about avalanches. Aimed at kids obviously but interesting viewing for 30mins. Filmed at Tignes and it’s on catch up.

Torridon tomorrow. Bit of a gamble but got to be in it to win it.

@piemonster, general wisdom is that you buy boots first and absolutely in person from a shop with a deceit range. i would rather pay full price and get what I want/need than try and save money and get the wrong thing as thats all that was left. if you’re skiing on holidays (i.e. to full seasons) good boots should last you 10-15 years. Buying skis is more difficult to recommend, the designs have changed massively over the years where boots haven’t changed much. Skis do wear out/get broken and if you buy your own you’ll have maint to do so its a personal preference.

Torridon tomorrow. Bit of a gamble but got to be in it to win it.

Tomorrow’s forecast looks about the best for that area – make the most of it and post a quick report if you can. I might be not too far away on Sunday if all is well.

Find a proper boot fitter!!!! Don’t just accept snow and rock Saturday staff etc – try rivington alpine in NW or Colin at solutions for feet in Bicester – worth making the trip and getting job done properly…

Ski touring boots are never “comfy”, some are less miserable than others

My Maestrales are like slippers.

My Maestrales are like slippers

Likewise. I’ve done multi-day tours in my Maestrales including the Haute Route and never had as much as a sore spot never mind a blister, and I have oddly-shaped feet that don’t generally play well with ski boots. On the other hand a friend tried some Scarpa Freedoms earlier this year without having them properly fitted (they were a test pair so weren’t thermo-moulded) and managed one run before taking them back to the shop in agony. At the end of the day it’s all down to finding a good fitter; I had mine done by Lockwoods in Leamington Spa..

Find a proper boot fitter!!!!

It’ll be a Scottish fitter, I’ve already stalked a few snow heads threads for ideas. Will have a mooch at winter highland too. If anyone has any recommendations they’d be appreciated. Anywhere in the highlands or central belt will be fine as far as distance goes. Dundee based.
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So, trees are fun then.

make the most of it and post a quick report if you can.

Climbed North Gully and skied Central Couloir on Sgorr Ruadh. A great day out but not great skiing.

Safely back from France, unlike some 🙁 Stopped by the Menen gate on the way back

You lot must have very uncomfortable slippers. 😉

Two things I’ve noticed this season. 1) It looks like snowboard pants are getting tighter and ski pants are getting looser? A lot of the boarders in my resort this season are rocking the tight pants. Orage ones this year all look pretty tight. Doesn’t seem to fit the boarder image to me.

2), What’s with all the bright neon jackets and pants on the slopes??? It just looks a bit wrong to me. Neon yellow should be kept to construction sites and builders yards, imo.

And lastly, one small thing that does my head in a bit. The way skiers are called skiers and snowboarders are called ‘riders’. We are all riding the mountain and I think its just snowboarders way of trying to be a bit superior over us?

Also, can anyone remember who makes the skis with the weird looking dent in the tip? Like it was beaten in with a hammer or something? Was just talking about them to a mate but couldn’t remember who makes them.

can anyone remember who makes the skis with the weird looking dent in the tip?

Kastle?

@michaelmcc – Snowboarders are called ‘riders’ because ‘boarders’ sounds so shitty; like a posh kid that gets sent away to school.

Why do people get so hung up about what to call things?
Boarding, snowboarding, boarders, riders? What the **** does it matter?

What Dez said!!

Spin – Member
can anyone remember who makes the skis with the weird looking dent in the tip?
Kastle?

Could be;

Skipron!

I believe the idea is to lighten the tips to get faster changes of direction. Either way, Kastle skis are lovely to ski, but they do look a little ‘Hedge fund manager’s skis’ for my liking! 🙂

A bit like Salomon BBRs. Perfectly decent all round ski, but looks silly.

Well I’m back in the office today after another awesome holiday in Jasná with Chalet Slovakia[/url]

It was warm and the snow was pretty poor. Very thin and slushy. More like end-of-season conditions than late Feb. So proper off-piste was pretty much out.

But luckily we’ve got a really good crew to ride with there, so we adapted, borrowed some little bendy boards and mostly spent the week practising presses and butters. 😀

We did take the newly-purchased avi gear out for one day – just for a play. Hiked the top ridge, practised with transceivers, dug a couple of pits and attempted to apply our book-learning to the results. And stalked a herd of ten Tatra Chamois, which was cool.

Jasná has really got under my skin – we always have such a great time there, regardless of the conditions.

Good people and fun times.

I guess this helps too:

Now, just nine days of work to survive till I’m off to Les Deux Alpes. 😀

The way skiers are called skiers and snowboarders are called ‘riders’. We are all riding the mountain and I think its just snowboarders way of trying to be a bit superior over us?

I guess it all comes down to etymology; Not really worth getting hung up about at all, but certain words and phrases sound ‘right’ and some don’t!

For me ‘boarding is either getting on an aircraft or a pupil ‘living’ at [public] school.

Looking at other ‘standing sideways’ hobbies & activities:

Riding a skateboard is skating; riding a surfboard is surfing but this doesn’t tranfer to snowboading as ‘snowing’ already has a different meaning and sadly the term ‘snurfing’ didn’t catch on.

It was once decribed to me that skiers ski the piste and snowboarders ride the mountain, however this has clearly changed in recent years with the cross-over in technology between skiing & snowboarding.

The term ‘riding’ when referring to snowboarding has been acceptable and preferred use in North America for decades, but has gained some popularity recently in UK & Europe where english speakers have previously used the term ‘boarding …

I really don’t see it as and ‘Us & Them’ thing … I really get very weary of the seemingly ‘Brit abroad’ division between sking and snowboarding but I personally don’t see using the term ‘riding’ as perpetuating this in anyway or trying to claim superiority in anyway.

In a similar way the term ‘biker’ doesn’t sound right ro me when referring to someone on a bicycle, but ‘rider’ does for someone on an MTB, whereas ‘cyclist’ seems most appropriate for someone on a road bike

However I wouldn’t get offended if someone else used any of the terms.

I snowboard ok, but ski quite poorly for what it’s worth, but I enjoy both.

vive la différence! 🙂

I really get very weary of the seemingly ‘Brit abroad’ division between sking and snowboarding but I personally don’t see using the term ‘riding’ as perpetuating this in anyway or trying to claim superiority in anyway.

+1

It really is only the 1 week a year brigade who seem to be so wound up by the skiing/snowboarding “divide”. Presumably because most only do one or the other.

As a member of the “1 week a year brigade” I’m really not arsed. 😀
We often ride board ski.. erm.. “slide?” in a mixed group with skiers and snowboarderists.

Any “us vs them” comments is purely banter.

Also I really don’t think that “ride” is “just snowboarders way of trying to be a bit superior over us?”. It’s just a lot less clumsy to say.

I sometimes just say “ski”, but that can lead to confusion.

e.g. Do you really say you are going out “mountain bicycling”? 😕

As a member of the “1 week a year brigade” I’m really not arsed.

*cough* said by the man who is counting down 9 days to his next trip to feed the monkey on his back! 🙂

Pleased to hear you had a good trip GrahamS!

I sometimes just say “ski”, but that can lead to confusion

Yeah – I always refer to directions as ‘skier’s left’ down the hill, even if I’m on a snowboard …

Just been to S&R at lunchtime to pick up some bits and bobs, and spent some time lusting/dribbling over these…

So light for a stiff boot, and beautifully made too.

Yum.

said by the man who is counting down 9 days to his next trip to feed the monkey on his back!

😀 Guilty as charged. Okay, 2 weeks a year brigade then 🙂

So light for a stiff boot, and beautifully made too.

Ooh carbonny.

(Possible uneducated snowboarder question) What’s the little metal “port” near the toe for? Boot fitting? Or for attaching bindings/crampons?

What’s the little metal “port” near the toe for?

For tech/Dynafit/touring bindings. Lets you release the rear of the boot and pivot vertically at the front for skinning uphill.

Guilty as charged. Okay, 2 weeks a year brigade then

That’s how it starts … one week becomes two … two becomes three and then suddenly you’re doing a season! 🙄

I’d love to do a season. Can’t see the wife being too happy about being left with our two kids for 3+ months though 😀

Maybe in my next life.

Heading back home this afternoon and with skiing on the brain after a fairly successful week learning in Norway.

Went into a shop more or less en route to have a bit of mooch around looking for ski boots.

What’s the score with these custom fit shells? An extra £40 on what I was planning on spending, so not much. Is it just marketing BS or worth while?

Us playing with the new arva gear near Chopok peak.

Interesting stuff just trying to apply what I read in the books.
(I will be taking a proper course in the future obviously)

What’s the score with these custom fit shells? An extra £40 on what I was planning on spending, so not much. Is it just marketing BS or worth while?

I have a pair of Salomon custom shells. There was no extra cost* for the boot itself, but you may find you pay** to have a custom footbed fitted to yours as well.

Put simply, the footbed supports your arch, and ‘fits’ the way you’re going to stand on the skis. Makes it super comfy, and stops any tiring in the feet. The shell of the boot is then moulded to fit your foot and calf better. If, like me, you have cycling calves, this can really help. My boots are super-comfy, often forget to undo them at the end of the day, which I think is the sign of a comfy boot. They also really help me control my skis better, as they’re fitted properly to my shins, etc.

* I didn’t pay for mine.
** See above.

8)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaBBp5f2mFM&feature=youtu.be

Oakley skiists doing silly things. Daaaaayum they be gooood!

Cheers Captain

Sorry, its not £40 to have the custom shell fitted.

Just that the boots cost £40 more than what I was looking at.

Ah I see. Well, if you can afford it, I would say that custom fitted shells are more comfortable in my experience. Comfortable boots = A Good Thing.

Better fitting boots also = A Good Thing.

It basically means you can hear the shells in the oven and then they mould to your fit. It is a marginal thing, and is no substitute for proper boot fitting but they should give a better, more comfortable fit. Traditionally it was only liners that could be heat moulded in this way…

Agreed, but would also agree that moulded shells should only be a part of a proper boot fitting.

With that advice in mind.

Just picked up a pair of second hand touring boots. I’ve not tried them on, but they’re probably the right size.

It’ll be fine.

For free btw.

Ok, someone point me in the direction of an idiot guide for touring skis and bindings?

Nothing like getting carried away, being able to see Glas Maol from my office window doesn’t help.