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

My best mate is moving from Malta to geneve in 5 weeks for work. Nice timing. Free digs this winter and the use of his car.

Whoooh whoop, bursting with excitement. I have a little money coming at Christmas and it’s enough to buy some new skis.

I don’t weigh much and am a proficient recreational piste skier who likes to keep her feet on the ground, also likes odd bits of off piste when the snow/powder is good (who doesn’t).
Suggestions please……

A fun little video from Avoriaz last season. Unfortunately there were massive dumps for the 2 weeks before we went last season and it didn’t snow once for our whole stay. We are going earlier next year so hopefully we will get some pow like this.

I don’t weigh much and am a proficient recreational piste skier who likes to keep her feet on the ground, also likes odd bits of off piste when the snow/powder is good (who doesn’t).
Suggestions please……

Ooooh, a challenge, I like a challenge!
A few other questions…

Budget? You may even get lucky with a 2012/13 model if you’re not too worried about;
Colour? Go on. Be honest. It matters, doesn’t it? 😉

FWIW, I’ve been mightily impressed by Rossignol skis for the ladies of late. Mrs CFH tried out some Temptations in (I think) a 78ish flavour and was very happy on board.

Hey Bunnyhop!!!

Speaking from what my lady friends like and use, I’d suggest something like the Salomon Lady (Which is called the Q line this year by the looks of things), or the K2 Miss-behaved or Miss-demeanor (Which are now called the Superstitious and Superbright). I imagine something about 80 – 90 mm underfoot would be best!
If you know what you want you could get a good deal on last years skis.

Thanks guys.

Flashy – for some strange reason (maybe I wasn’t wired properly) colour didn’t even occur to me 🙂
Not sure about the budget as to whether this money all goes on skis or on cheaper last years model, then keep some back for bike bits.
Oooh decisions, decisions.

Another question. Is it worth buying own skis nowadays or are the rental ones so good, this is for a person that only goes a couple of weeks a year?

Another question. Is it worth buying own skis nowadays or are the rental ones so good, this is for a person that only goes a couple of weeks a year?

Once again, the can is open and there are worms everywhere.

Personally, I’m on the renting end of things. No storage/service costs. No depreciation. And….every year you get something new and fun to try. Rent ’em right and you get to pick and choose during your week if you fancy trying something else, or if the conditions change. Spanky GS skis for sunny piste bashing days, swapped in the shop for some phattt water skis for da pow, braw*.

*I feel the male honorific suits you more. Don’t care about the colour? Pah! Call yourself a girl?

Another question. Is it worth buying own skis nowadays or are the rental ones so good, this is for a person that only goes a couple of weeks a year?

Pros and cons to each really. I bought my own skis for the first time when I was doing a season so knew I wouldn’t have to deal with all the airport faffing around. Some rental skis can be really good and the current season models, but from my experience a lot or most rental places only have piste skis so not good if you feel like playing in the deeper stuff. And they can also be very busy places as we all know, flashy mentioned you could maybe go back and change for phatt skis on a pow day but Ive found sometimes they don’t have any other skis in your size apart from the ones you have out!

But on the other hand, if you’re only going away for a couple of weeks a year you’ll most likely spend the first day or two finding your feet again. Add to that equation rental skis that you aren’t familiar with (presuming you go down the rental route), it could be an extra half day at least finding out how you get on with the skis you’ve never had before and what you can get away with on them etc. If you really want to progress your skiing I’d say make the effort to get your own, but if you’re purely just doing it for the fun then I’d say stick with rentals.

Beware though, it gets a bit like the bike buying addiction in that you’ll want a different pair of skis for every condition 😉 .

Rent vs Buy ?

IMO it depends totally on how much time you spend skiing, the types of trips you take and how much you care about “knowing” your skis. If I were skiing one week a year I’d rent. Two 1 week holidays a year would be the tipping point. I subscribe to the school of though that says you buy boots first. Changing skis for conditions and on/off piste is fun but I hate not knowing what I’ll be skiing on until I arrive and wondering whether I’ll like them.

buy boots first

Fully agreed!

I also agree that the quality of your ski hire spot can determine your choice. I’m very lucky in that I know the place I use in Serre Che well enough to drop them a line before heading out and doing some digging/cheeky reserving of things I’m pretty sure I’m going to like. Never been let down yet…! Also, knowing the resort well helps in another way, in that I can often sneak in advance of a snowfall by knowing the weather patterns. Means I can change my skis the night before some freshness when there’s choice aplenty.

Pah! Call yourself a girl?

T’would be nice to be called a girl once more, however I fear at my (cough)age it’s not going to happen. I’ll settle for lady 😀

Great info and food for thought.

Having spent a couple of hours at a demo day in our local fridge last year, it was amazing how different even piste skis can be. some were awful and some I wanted NOW!!

Oh how I’d kill for a set of these Prior skis with custom graphics!!! (Not literally of course!)

Might have to pick up a pair this year depending on how the tips go 😉 .

You’ll have found about about the instructor pro-deal then? I like Prior.

Have you accepted the Seymour job?

Theres an instructor deal for Prior? No one told me that!!! 😀

Yes I have, at the end of the day its full time work, and the only other offer I had was a few weeks with interski, but I couldn’t get a four week block so they would have been spaced out which would have sucked. Anyway I’m really excited to be going back to Canada! And they do tip over there from past experience! 🙂

Does anyone know Tignes quite well/at all?
3 mates and I have booked flights to GVA for 14th dec and we need a snow sure resort for the week.

I know Tignes is split up into several areas – Le Lac, Val Claret etc and there are plenty of in budget apartments in these.
The thing is, i’ve found a decent sized and specced apartment for half the price of others but in Tignes La Lavachet – slightly downhill from Le Lac. Can anyone confirm that this early in the season there will be lifts running from Lavachet, or is it likely to be a bit of a gamble? Happy to walk in the evenings for aprez ski, but not a huge fan of squeezing onto ski buses!

Don’t really know la Lavachet, but been to Tignes Val Claret the last 2 Decembers (late November, very early December).

2 yrs ago, there was not very much snow at all, so was the man made double-M slope and glacier only. Had to walk from hotel to funicular. It started to dump snow as we got the transfer bus home.

last yr was plenty of snow, avalanche guns going all day, etc. Most of Val Claret / Le Lac was open, and link over to Val d’Isere, except when it was closed due to too much snow.

Personally I’d pick Val Claret in early December, but 14th ought to be alright I’d have thought. Most Alps resorts would open then, or the weekend after for lower resorts.

Cheers! Sounds like it will be worth spending a bit more for Val Claret accomm.

If the snow is anything like that week last season I won’t have anything to worry about.

PSA: EXTRA20 discount code at eyewearoutlet.co.uk ends midnight. You could have some Oakley O frames with an Iridium lens for about 40 quid if you don’t mind interesting colour(way)s 😉

Breaking news from Serre Che…

Galibier pass closes this evening 5.30 pm due to weather conditions

It’s snowing.

🙂

Lavachet in Tignes is just a slightly different bit of Le Lac but it’s only a few minutes walk to the centre of Le Lac. There will be lifts running from there, or the bus to Val Claret. I don’t think you need to bother getting an apartment in Val Claret if the price difference is that much. As for snow, well it just depends. As has been mentioned a few years ago there was no snow, the following year they had as much snow by the Christmas as they had in the whole of the previous season.

Just booked my flights to Morzine for the 1st of December. Winter is coming 😀

I know there are a few people on here who’ve been on courses with Nonstop Ski & Snowboard.

They’ve been selected as finalists for Best UK Tour Operator in the World Snow Awards.

“These awards are usually the reserve of the big corporate players like Crystal, Thomas Cook etc. not niche operators like us so needless to say we’re pretty stoked on this news. … the next stage is down to a public vote.

Although we’re a very different scale to the other finalists we think that with our supporters’ help we can put up a strong challenge! So please vote for us…”

If you them and like them and want to support this very well-regarded family owned and run company against the likes of Thomson and Crystal, clicky linky: http://www.skiandsnowboard.co.uk/london/world-snow-awards/public-vote/

Snow at Cairngorm yesterday: 😀

Source: Cairngorm facebook page.

nice.
getting chilly here now, and snowing 6 hours drive south of here (even down in the valley).

Lavachet in Tignes is just a slightly different bit of Le Lac but it’s only a few minutes walk to the centre of Le Lac. There will be lifts running from there, or the bus to Val Claret. I don’t think you need to bother getting an apartment in Val Claret if the price difference is that much.

Thanks dirtycrewdom have emailed the Lavachet property owner to book. Getting excited now!

Had a quick look at the bus timetable and it seems like it only takes 15mins from one end to the other which is considerably less than I am used to in Kitz or Chamonix.

@CFH it’s been snowing above 1000m for a few days even as far North as Alsasce, been mentioned on evening news weather forecasts, web cams in Val Thorens show quite a covering … early days but we’ll take it. Sadly just found out that Ste Foy lofts nit opening till 20th or so, basically a week later than last year.

@asherh.Tignes is a reasonable bet early. Check date of first downhill race in Val – around then usually FYI

Yup nedrapier! – I’ve already voted for NONSTOP! 🙂

Would be really good if they won!

So, looking like a nice phatttt base if this weather continues!

No worries Asherh.

Just been sent an email from the owners of Snowytrees chalets in Morzine saying they woke up to 10 cm of snow in their garden and nice little shot of Avoriaz. Getting excited now

http://avoriaz.livecam360.net

I’m hoping a nice big base early on means that the season will be nice and long.

Ok I know it’s not directly related but it can’t hurt for the “school holiday at Easter” crew, can it?

nedrapier – Member
and absinthe

On the movie front, saw absinthe premier a few weeks ago in whistler… Really cool film but also saw Valhalla which I thought was way better – bit arty and a random section of fireworks in the middle but some of the cinematography was mind blowing. Was probably helped by the full cinema of canadians in trucker caps and lumberjack shirts who were hooping and hollering all the way through 😉 Now available on iTunes or a little trailer here: linky

Anyone else spotted that lifts are now showing up in Google Maps?

Pretty cool!

Yup. There are a few missing though in places.

Some OSM maps have them marked too.

And if you’re really lucky, your favourite resort might even be featured on Street (well Piste) View too. Sella Ronda certainly is.

http://serrechevalier.livecam360.net/cucumelle

WOOOOOO!

That’s like a good day at Nevis 😉
Like the way the compass pointer moves around with the camera.

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Avalanchekit[/url] by woldspinner[/url], on Flickr[/img]

This season’s purchase [flashmode] from the nice people at gravityprotection [/flashmode].

Not often I buy something hoping to never see it used in anger 😐

Not often I buy something hoping to never see it used in anger

Unless you need the shovel to dig your car out of the snow at the end of a hugely satisfying ski-trip. Apart from building kickers, thats all mine has ever done since I bought it 16 years ago! Fortunately

Not often I buy something hoping to never see it used in anger

[Can opener]

Helmet?

[/Can opener]

Don’t be starting that in here!
I definitely expect my pushbike helmets to hit the ground from time to time. Snow and motorbike versions not so much, but they both bear scars.

premier a few weeks ago in whistler

I miss those Whistler premiers 🙁 .

Anyone seen Partly Cloudy yet?

Got a news letter from Neiderau this week saying they have snow, which is very exciting as I’m there with my daughter in Dec.

I still don’t have a helmet and am holding out against getting one……am I wrong?