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

What’s happening to the snow this year? Seems pretty bleak from anecdotal evidence. What’s news from the slopes?

Sorry if this has been done, I am being lazy and not reading back.

(Expert for many years, then hit a big round number and back to advanced. Responsibilities and less fitness have ruled out the crazy stuff these days but still love deep powder, trees and couloirs. Getting a little old for my old happy hunting ground of the mega bump fields. Young man’s playground. Steeper the better in general though.)

What’s happening to the snow this year? Seems pretty bleak from anecdotal evidence. What’s news from the slopes?

My memory for ski weather only goes back as far as March.

But the forecast for my resort has temps dropping to -13c by Monday. How much snow will be involved by the time I get there is anyones guess.

That said, the 1m of snow I saw forecast a few days back actually arrived as rain.

I’ll be taking my walking boots then.

Snow out here in Whistler isn’t good at all. We had a decentish dump in the village last week then it rained solidly for 2 days and wiped it all out again. Freezing level is at the valley floor but there’s no snow until later in the week when the freezing level has risen again 🙁

I was hoping to get out to Tignes next week but the Val Claret webcam shows a few sad bits of snow under the snow cannons and not much else so I won’t bother. The forecast for the Alps looks a lot colder in the next week so they should be able to make plenty of artificial snow if that’s your thing, otherwise it’s all looking a bit grim.

The joys of the early ski season snow lottery.

It was looking a bit grim in BC (Big White) last week but then there was a decent half metre dump. Still very sketchy base, but should be okay by Christmas. Anyway not going out there until March so who cares?

The forecast for the Alps looks a lot colder in the next week so they should be able to make plenty of artificial snow if that’s your thing

Not sure I have a choice about that 😀

The joys of the early ski season snow lottery.

I remember skiing at Christmas once. Got to the resort to see hardly any snow. First day was pretty shitty. Got talking to an old man of the mountains over beer that night. He said that it would snow from about ten that night.

He was right! Three straight days of massive phatttttttttt dumps of snow began at about 2205 that very night!

that happened to us one of the first times i went skiing, went to Folgarida. driving up to resort there wasnt a flake of snow anywhere, folk were grumbling it hadnt snowed in ages etc etc. ended up getting right on the lash that day and night coz there was nowt to get up for the next morning… yet the when we woke up it had seriously dumped! having to wade through waist high powder to just to get to the hire shop! mint

Got talking to an old man of the mountains over beer that night

Did he have a white beard, a red jacket and an unusually jolly countenance? 😉

Graham, he had a red jacket as it happens! No beard, though. His countenance may have been helped by the Birra Poretti! (No, not Moretti)

I went to a low resort on Austria over NY a few years ago and it was looking pretty grim until about 2 days before when it dumped. Dumped again while we were there and it was ace. Apparently the week before the main run down to the valley was completely green all the way from top to bottom.

We’re in Bavaria over the holidays this year but treating it as a winter road trip with some skiing if it seems worth it. Won’t be too gutted if we don’t get to do any as I’m doing a week with the family in Dienten in Feb and possibly visiting a mate in Les Arcs again if I can afford it.

He does exist. I knew it!

Got talking to an old man of the mountains over beer that night. He said that it would snow from about ten that night.

Same happened to myself and friends.
It was Montgenevre about 1998. Very little snow, so we walked into a nearby cafe. The elderly owner held his hand out of the door and announces that it will snow within the hour. Sure enough, it dumped a huge amount. The next day it was glorious.
Silly hubby was on blades that year 😉

Silly hubby was on blades that year

He is a lucky man, that is grounds for divorce right there.

He is a lucky man, that is grounds for divorce right there.

Ha ha, we had only just met and weren’t even a couple then. You would have thought that would put me off.

Divorce?

Decapitation at least!

Wonder if the weather predicting duffers is a Via Lattea thing, as mine was down the road in Sauze.

Wonder if the weather predicting duffers is a Via Lattea thing, as mine was down the road in Sauze.

Mmm that’s a thought.

Just out of interest what was the reasoning behind your Grading Scale stevomcd?

Chalet Guests, clients or folks being instructed?

doesn’t rely on people self-describing their skidded turns as “carving”

I can see exactly where you are coming from but doesn’t the inclusion of ‘carving’ (i.e. a pencil line(s) in the snow) give an indication of control and performance rather than just testosterone fueled speed?

What I don’t like about early season skiing is the sketchy base depths. A big dump is always welcome, but if it’s on a 10 cm base it can actually be pretty dangerous – obviously depends a lot on whether it’s grass or rock underneath.

The more I speak to you lot the more “Intermediate” I feel 😀
I’m a “couple of weeks a year” rider, so despite the fact I’ve been snowboarding for 20 odd years I’m still a punter and I probably always will be. I guess I’m okay with that.

That this years hols booked BTW:
1 week with the family, going back to Les Deux Alpes at half term. 🙂
2 weeks with the lads going to Whistler and cat-boarding 😀

And 49 weeks trying to pay for it all. 😕

I’m a “couple of weeks a year” rider, so despite the fact I’ve been snowboarding for 20 odd years I’m still a punter and I probably always will be. I guess I’m okay with that.

I find the age that people start skiing/boarding is probably the best indication of how good they are likely to be. Those that start in their 30’s or 40’s tend to struggle to get off the intermediate plateau unless they put in an awful lot of time and effort. So what age did you start? 🙂

Well I started at uni, so about 18-ish I guess (I’m 40 next April).
But way back then we were mostly just doing the odd day trip to the Scottish slopes on awful rental boards and crap kit. Regular holidays didn’t start till the wages improved!

I’m self-taught, which has undoubtedly held me back a fair bit too, but I’m usually enjoying myself too much to “waste time” in formal lessons. And a lot of holidays have been spent just cruising about with a large mixed ability group rather than pushing myself to improve, which again is my choice.

A few lads holidays in recent years have pushed me much further and into more off-piste stuff which has improved my riding a lot, but I’ll not be dropping any cliffs in this lifetime.

Well… not deliberately anyway!

I’m a “couple of weeks a year” rider

I guess the point I was trying to make in an earlier post was ‘don’t obsess too much about what level you are’

For sure, it’s important to have a fair idea of your own capabilities before you throw yourself down a slope that might be out of your comfort zone but I don’t think it’s worth obsessing over – all too often I’ve seen holidays and trips spoiled by people trying to prove something when they probably would have had a better trip with some lessons to get them out of a ‘progression dip’.

As others have mentioned it seems to be a very middle aged bloke affliction.

To be fair anyone that only manages a week or so per year on the ski hill is doing pretty darn tootin’ to be intermediate and there’s nothing wrong with that – it’s a holiday and you are there to enjoy yourself!

Although if my maths is correct you’ve got three weeks scheduled for 2015 GrahamS! 8)

Seems to me that you’ve been well & truly bitten by the bug … I look forward to hearing about your plans for a season & trips to far off lands! 🙂

Those that start in their 30’s or 40’s tend to struggle to get off the intermediate plateau unless they put in an awful lot of time and effort

lol … well I’ve been ‘pwned’ – I didn’t start snowboarding until I was 32 and my first winter holiday was in 2002! 😯

@tmh – its been a warm autumn and early winter, only snow at highest levels has settled. We are off with White Room Dec 13, happy to just chill out and/or drive to Tignes/Val if needed

After a while it doesn’t matter how many years you’ve been skiing, there is a level determined by talent which can be hard to break out of. FWIW I started when I was 15 but made he most improvement when I was in my late 20’s and I could ski 2 or 3 times a month when I was living in the UK. I’ve seen kids who started at 5 who are exceptional and others that have plateaued like everyone else.

Can I do a carved turn, yes. Do I bother most of the time, no !

Showing my inexperience – what is the difference between a carved and skidded turn?

i’ve never been snowboarding at all but seriously want to get into it. question is, where do i start?

the occasional lesson at the chill factor or save and go france for a week or so?

im 18 with a full time job so dont mind chucking a bit of money at it.

the occasional lesson at the chill factor or save and go france for a week or so?

IMO, do a course at an indoor snow slope, get a few hours under your belt before you go…it will be worth it when you get there.

If you can at least link turns before you go, you can jump on a lift when you arrive and just start snowboarding.

Otherwise you’ll spend the first couple of days on holiday on your arse 🙂

http://www.nzsia.org/ski/careers/resources/carving-vs-skidding/

when you turn, you lean the ski over so it;s on the edge. A carved turn leaves a clean line. A skidded turn doesn;t

what is the difference between a carved and skidded turn?

Corduroy P*rn … 8)

A well executed carved turn will leave a ‘pencil line’ in the snow from the edge of the snowboard or ski
A skidded turn will leave a large thick ‘brush-stroke’ since more of the base is in contact with the surface of the snow

i’ve never been snowboarding at all but seriously want to get into it. question is, where do i start?
the occasional lesson at the chill factor or save and go france for a week or so?

I’d say both if you can – but I wouldn’t bother going to a large French resort for your first trip.
Consider somewhere cheaper like Austria, Slovenia, Andorra, or even Slovakia.

And join SnowboardClubUK before you do any of that – it’ll save you money on snowdome lessons and trips abroad. (The 10% Neilson discount just saved me a few hundred on my Les Deux Alpes trip. Not bad for a £15 membership)

Seems to me that you’ve been well & truly bitten by the bug … I look forward to hearing about your plans for a season & trips to far off lands!

The bug is certainly taking hold – but a season would involve me leaving the wife and kids for a few months. That boat has sailed. Should have done it when I was young single and carefree.

I love the “ohhhh, I’m good”

Im going to categorize myself as generally hazordous to other peoples safety.

I’ve got some expensive Goggles though, which is what really counts.

Just out of interest what was the reasoning behind your Grading Scale stevomcd?

Chalet Guests, clients or folks being instructed?

doesn’t rely on people self-describing their skidded turns as “carving”

I can see exactly where you are coming from but doesn’t the inclusion of ‘carving’ (i.e. a pencil line(s) in the snow) give an indication of control and performance rather than just testosterone fueled speed?

I was just trying to come up with something more-or-less objective. Comes a little bit from doing instructor courses. People always ask what you have to do on the top-level exam that’s so hard and I think they’re imagining that the answer is going to be triple-corks in the pipe or something. I always feel a bit lame saying it’s just doing nice turns on a red run. Because everyone thinks they can do turns on a red run, but most people really can’t. Watch most skiers and, especially, snowboarders on the mountain and they’re just skidding sideways on alternate edges, going straight down hill. No turn shape at all, no performance coming from the skis/board. My scale is far from perfect, but at least it doesn’t require people to actually assess their own ability, just make factual statements about what they can ski. People do massively over-state that as well, of course.

In winter, I don’t get out on the mountain with my clients all that much (bloody French and their ski-hosting laws!), so it’s more often in the ski-hire shop that you hear it.

What kind of skis do you want? No idea.
What level skier are you? Expert!

Carving is definitely a great demonstration of control and skill, but the problem is that most people think it’s just another word for turning, so when you ask them if they can carve they say “of course!”.

Someone mentioned mountain-biking a few posts back and I actually don’t find it to be the same, or at least not to anywhere near the same extent. I think the difference is that most Brits don’t really have much of a clue about what really good skiing or snowboarding is, so as far as they’re aware, they really are experts because they can slither around the mountain at speed for a week every winter. On the other hand, most serious mountain-bikers ride regularly enough to have a better idea of what’s possible. For sure, you still get self-proclaimed “experts” who have never been outside a trail-centre, but it’s less common.

I actually changed our self-assessment scale recently because my original one kind-of boxed everyone who wasn’t either a beginner or racing DH into being a 3 or a 4 (on a 1 to 5 scale) so it wasn’t really of much use to us (because 99% of people ticked one of 2 boxes). I’ve changed the definition of a 5 now and it’s helped a lot.

Our summer scale, for anyone who’s interested:

1. I’m a new/nervous rider and don’t have much experience of steep, rocky terrain
2. I’ve done a fair bit of mountain biking, but often get off and walk on technical sections
3. I regularly ride red-grade Scottish/Welsh trail centres or moderately technical rides in the Lakes, Peak, Wales, etc.
4. I regularly ride black-grade Scottish/Welsh trail centres or rocky rides in the Lakes, Peak, etc.
5. I’m an Alpine / big-mountain veteran. Give me all the steeps, all the tech, all the switchbacks!

Again, I guess it’s mostly terrain-based.

That boat has sailed. Should have done it when I was young single and carefree

Never say never GrahamS! 🙂

I did a season (well – 10 weeks) in 2008 – my partner was very accommodating & supportive and my daughter was a grown up teenager.

But yeah – I do take your point that it’s easier when you are younger etc.

However for the past few years I’ve tried to make the lifestyle choices that enable me to spend as much time as I can on the snow!

If you really want it you will find a way of making it happen!

We rocked up in Les Gets last Christmas, valleys were totally green and pistes patchy with artificial snow. Cover was better up at Avoriaz but still plenty of rocks poking through. Christmas Day it pished it down with rain in the valleys (we stayed in, drank champagne and cooked Christmas dinner), then at some point between 10pm and 3am it turned to snow and 60cm fell down at velley level, much more on the tops. Woke up to a winter wonderland, more snow boxing day and the 27th was the best bluebird powder day I’ve ever had…

It’s crap at the moment across most of the alps, but it’s still early… Next week looking more promising.

As ever stevomcd … nicely put! I see exactly what you are saying:

I think the difference is that most Brits don’t really have much of a clue about what really good skiing or snowboarding is

… kindof hits the nail on the head! 😕

the problem is that most people think it’s just another word for turning, so when you ask them if they can carve they say “of course!”

I’m away in Meribel for the w/b 14th Dec. I will admit to checking out XC bike hire options! 😕

5/2. I’m an Alpine / big-mountain veteran. Give me all the steeps, all the tech, all the switchbacks! But I often get off and walk on technical sections.

Same with skiing. If messing up a turn is likely to hurt for months after (or result in death) then I don’t hesitate to hack my way down backwards with crampons and an axe.