The STW Ski & Snowboard thread. The 2014-2015 season

Well, seeing as people are asking for it, here it is! And yes, NBT, I’m looking at you!

Another edition of the thread that celebrates (almost*) all things to do with sliding around on snow!

So, as ever, where are you going? What are you going to be playing with? What’s caught your eye in the line of new toys, new films, new photography etc?

For me? Well, we’re hopeful that we’ll make it out this year, but with two little people in tow with us! If we do, will almost certainly be back to Serre Che, as we just love the place (As regular readers will know!)

Love the look of these Scotts for next year

However, I suspect my ski trip will be more about spending time at Decathlon or similar for kiddie ski clothes! 😀

So, let the season (or discussion thereof!) begin!

*No blades. Seriously, this time! 😉

Can’t wait for the snow.

I bought some Scott Mayas for Mrs E-T last year and was really quite impressed with them.
I also borrowed some Scott Crusades whilst my skis were away under warranty. They were heaps of fun 😀 , so Scott will be high on my list next time I treat myself.

I will be old in 2015

Just might get a MLC roflcopter holiday as consolation – do those blades count?

First time in ages I don’t need any kit, though new goggles might be nice (if I ever wear them).

Back (again) to Les Gets – think of it as my version of Serre C, Cpt F.

Big news though is that following this year’s successful 1 hour slide down some blue runs mainly holding the instructors poles, our younger son (4 in January) is booked in for a full week of morning lessons.

Looking forward to all four of us cruising some easy runs by the end of the week.

Booked already. 19 people filling a catered ski-in / ski-out chalet in Les Manures (Reberty) with Sauna and Hot Tub. Manchester flights, ski carriage all round, full 3Valleys lift pass, all for under £800 a head.

Gear-wise, it’s probably time to get a new helmet and possibly goggles to go with. I tried my mates Anon M2 goggles on our last trip and they were jolly nice with the easily-interchangeable lenses but by golly they’re expensive!

More importantly, when will the ferry companies open up the booking for next year? We tried to book for Feb half term and they’re not available yet. My thinking was book early, get them cheap, but not if you can’t book early!

It will be the first time we are going during the school hols in a long time. Can’t say I’m looking forward to the queues! The last few years we’ve gone the first week of Jan.There is something very special about been the first person down a run in the morning.

PS

A trip to Decathlon is almost as exciting as the holiday!

……I don’t get out much.

Excellent thread initiation.

@CFH they do look nice, simple and a little backcountry ethnic. Better some of the other tattoo’s on skis we’ve seen lately. Try and borrow/trade stuff, they only wear for 1 or 2 holidays at this age.

Working on the strengthening rehab. After March trip where I skied fairly lightly my knee wasn’t right for 2 months so need to work on that. Looking for some little inflatable cushion things to do the dynamic work.

Hoping for a Zermatt trip (missed out last season) and I imagine we’ll be back at ClubMed Peisey-Vallandry again at some stage.

Truth is still haven’t finalised Alps biking yet ! Knee needs to be stronger for that too.

Some of the K2 stuff for next year looks truly gopping, even by their own high standards of gop!

Booked already. 19 people filling a catered ski-in / ski-out chalet in Les Manures (Reberty) with Sauna and Hot Tub. Manchester flights, ski carriage all round, full 3Valleys lift pass, all for under £800 a head.

What he said 🙂

I just need lots of STWers to purchase lots of goodies from me so I can afford new skis. The old ones are on their last legs. Hint.
Oh just remembered boys don’t take hints 😉

Whistler for 11 days next January. Just want the summer over with 😉

Booked two weeks so far, the Christmas week and march 15th, both in Saalbach at my usual hotel. Then another week planned jan or feb somewhere like the 3 vallys or maybe st anton.
I’ll hopefully be buying new ski pants and a couple of jackets

Haven’t even booked summer yet.
Might have to reduce trips to 1 week and several weekends next season. December clashes with work. Jan/Feb might be OK.

As for new kit…
New jacket is highest priority. Can’t decide what, or what colour. Will wait till new gear comes in to the stores.

Not booked yet, but may need to stick to school hols as kids are getting older and are getting into year 9 and 7. Not done school hols before, but I am thinking of going 28/3, easter holiday. Been to Champery, nendaz and morzine. All first week of February in the past. Liked morzine best, we like a nice town and being able to ski a decent area without getting the bus.

We drive, so not too much further would be good….

Any recommendations for where to go end of march/start of April? I know a nice town and late ish skiing/ boarding don’t go well together. Can we risk morzine?

Simone

Flights booked already. Half term with my boys in beloved Oetztal.

hopefully bartered a hen weekend for a weekend away boarding with a couple of mates…

We were thinking it might be nice to ski in Whistler as we’ve only seen it in the summer. Nothing set yet though.

I was just wondering when this thread would commence!

Hopefully a group trip this year – a few lads and little old me (plus husband!) to Morzine for a few days. Haven’t skied there before – looking forward to it!

Simone – we did Les Gets at Easter this year, which was first week in April. Morzine village was snow free, but the slopes higher up and into Les Gets were fine if slushy in the afternoon, and Avoriaz was pretty good if a little busy. Les Gets was reasonably quiet. Apparently the Swiss side was very sparse snow-wise. Temperatures go into the 20s.
If you do go 28/3, might see you there.

igm – cheers, may chance it as we like the area. Don’t mind slush, don’t really like ice. Presume le pleney would be closed? And we are seriously considering just booking that week and taking a chance – great value accommodation on offer that week.

Will you be tagging a family along?

We’ll be off to Mayrhofen again, probably for two weeks around half term. One week with mates, the second with family. Woo hoo!

Two weeks, amazing! I’ve always fancied Mayrhofen.

Simone – four of us. My wife and I, and sons 8 and 4 (by then) with Ski Famille. I think Pleney was open in parts, but to be honest we didn’t head into that area. We did two days over at Avoriaz / Chatel, and the rest in Les Gets or further up in Morzine.

I’m a big fan of the crusades, but this year I may go up to the Ventures for my all-rounder just for that little extra width.

My plan is to get around Colorado and Utah a bit this year instead of working all weekend teaching. Free pass is great, never being able to use it, is not.

We are off to Val Cenis again for Feb half term. Apartment and tunnel already booked. Still waiting forI have a new set of SP Brotherhood snowboard bindings to try. Quicker to do up on chairlifts so I can beat my skiing family off the lifts.

Good timing on the thread CFH.

I’ve just bought my season pass for the 2014 season, lots of weekends skiing in NZ this year – some Treble Cone, Cardrona, Ohau and a lot of my local club fields in Canterbury 😀

I’ve sold my K2 Twin Tips from last season and will be getting shot of my boots. I’m getting some new kit so that SWMBO can take me touring.

Boots I’m going to get local from a good fitter.

Skis and bindings probably from Europe. I’m looking at all-round skis, not dedicated touring skis. Need to be my one-and-only ski for pistes, ungroomed, crud, crust and pow – with a bit of sidecountry, slackcountry and backcountry touring.

With that I mind I’m looking at Atomic Access, Black Diamond Warrant and K2 Hardside – all available for about EUR 200-250. Any opinions on any of these or something better for the money? I can find some Dynastar Cham High Mountains for not much more (and they weigh a lot less) but only in 87 underfoot.

I’m not going to get tech bindings yet – I have been steered away from them until I’m a bit of a better skiier…

It would appear that fluo colours are going to be making a strong comeback this year!

If Nordica get their stuff sorted out in the UK, I’ll be drooling after a pair of theses:

White Doctor for 2015 looking teh orsumz…

I’m hoping to get two trips in new t year. Feb half term on the UCPA solo travellers week and hopefully to Morzine over Easter with the Subvert guys. Quite fancy either Burton Hate or Salomon Villain this year. Maybe some new bindings too.

3 weeks in Japan with the wife and kids as a 40th birthday present to myself.

I shall be doing weekly snow dances in hopes of a better winter in the Sierras, as this season was so poor. Might even branch out and ski at a different resort, but the one we have been going too is just such good value.

I actually finished last season on a bit of a low. Despite being a fitness God for most of my life, age is catching up on me and after skiing for four days in Bormio with the lads, mostly like a teenager, I was welled and truly fcuked at the end. In fact the last morning’s skiing was soo awful as a result, I didn’t enjoy it much! Imagine? 🙁

(I still hit 60mph on the peak to creek run though!) 😀 😀 😀

K2 have a knack for gopping graphics Flash. Junior has a pair of Iron Maidens. Not being a fan of the band makes an already uncool ski tepid enough to melt snow. The good news is that that they do what they are intended to do very well and despite his best efforts in the snow park are still intact.

Ignore the graphics, read the ski tests. In the case of the Iron Maidens, three out of the four testers mention the gopping graphics, and all four provide useful positive feedback on the way they ski.

It got a bit nippy here last night and dumped a LOT of snow down south, seems the Cardrona crew can’t even get up the road as theres 50cm of snow
https://www.facebook.com/CardronaAlpineResort

**** you 🙁

It was a wet day in the garden city yesterday with snow over the port hills and now I can see snowy mountains in the distance form my desk….

good job I got these at the weekend and have the skis on order…

Garden City? Hemel Hempstead, right? Rockin’ the fridge at the weekend?

😉

Christmas/New Year somewhere snowy, not yet decided where but possibly Cham/Argentiere staying with friends who live out there; work trip in Jan to an as-yet-to-be-decided Austrian resort, probably Stubai; a selection of long weekends staying with a mate in Innsbruck and doing some touring.

New skis on the cards but again, as yet to be decided…

A little bit of snowy happiness from Slovakia to chase those summer blues away…

😀

I’ve booked flights to Turin and car hire for 3 days in mid Dec for the GF’s birthday. I’ll wait and see what the snow is doing before choosing which resort but there should be plenty of choice 😀

Hopefully there’ll be a big early dump somewhere so that I can really test out this baby; Rossignol Krypto