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

Nice little film of backcountry skiing in Australia for your amusement:

We spent last Sunday afternoon in the chill factor e, with our nephew. He had his first taster session. Proud auntie and uncle looked on as he listened to every word the instructor said and acted accordingly. He’s now hooked and would like lessons. Whoops what have we let ourselves in for.
It was weird stepping out into the glorious warm day after.

I think I might have persuaded the husband that going skiing for Christmas is a really good idea.

Any recommendations? I’d love to go to Zermatt but I think it might be a bit *too* extravagant.

Actually, I think I’d quite like to go back to the Plein Sud in Serre Chevalier. There can’t be many better places for your Christmas dinner. Decision made.

Last season fizzled out slightly following a slightly scary (but not actually dangerous) tumble on Ben Nevis near the start of May.

Next season I would mostly like to ski some steeps in a style that pleases me rather than just get down them.

Time off booked for the first week in feb. Here’s the fun bit. If the other half is pregnant by then, I’m authorized to go on a lads ski trip. If she’s not, I’m going with her. I don’t know what I want but I’m fine either way!

Managed zermatt at the start of last season and had a trip to morzine in January as well. Thinking back to Austria for this season. Missed the beer and grub.

Cobrakai, you know what you really want……

Little Mini Ski Kids!

Good luck either way!

Little Mini Ski Kids!

Our 3 year old had his first go on the hills holding the instructors poles in April.

Next March he has a week of half day lessons.

He’s excited already.

Big brother is vaguely suggesting he’d like to try one of those big single skis you stand sideways on.

Brace yourself igm.

In March 2013 our 2 (nearly 3) year old had her first week of ski lessons with a very patient instructor on the nursery slopes of the Dolomites. Just an hour a day for little legs, but great to see. By the end we took her down a green run between a mates skis.

In March 2014 she was our 3 (nearly 4) year old, and was in the kid’s club in Les Deux Alpes doing a full afternoon of lessons every day for a week! She can now happily get on a button tow by herself, ride it to the top, get off with a little assistance, and ski back to the bottom again.

If only I learnt that quickly!

I really must bore you all with a video of her sometime. #prouddad

PS Afterwards she asked me if she was good enough to go on a snowboard yet 😆

Sounds familiar.

Our 8 year old dropped me on a red when I lost an edge and I didn’t see him again till the bottom.

😀 I look forward to the day she can out ride me. I suspect I won’t have to wait too long.

This article rings true:

http://www.powdermag.com/stories/skiing-dad/

So there are rumblings of El Nino this winter. I’ve tried to research what this might mean for European skiing but it’s not clear to me. Anyone more experienced have any wisdom to share?

Dunno, but so long as it brings about 50% of the amount of snow we had in the Dolomites last season, I’d be happy.

My kids started skiing at 6 and 9. My 16 year old son ski’s almost as fast backwards as I do forwards (I never started until I was 40 :-()

Hello.
My missus would like to know if there is a ski& Snowboarding equivalent of singletrack world?She has to do some research for a work related project.I told her about these threads on here ….but which other blogs/forums would you recommend please?

Think there’s a forum called snowheads, senior j

You could try the Snowboard Club UK forums senor j, though obviously they are snowboard oriented.
http://www.snowboardclub.co.uk

Very excited. Just booked flights for Japan. 😀

Japan for me too, end of January. Also quite excited.

Looking at going this year for the first time in 15 years for me. It will be first time for wife and 3 children. Looking at going first week at xmas.
Any recommendations? We want to fly, really good deals to grenoble at the moment.

thanks Graham & sprootlet.

Any suggestions for a week at the beginning of Jan? Looking for somewhere cheap with sights and things to do etc, skiing doesn’t have to be great, neither of us has ever skied but we fancy something a bit different. Any of the Eastern European countries worth a shout?

http://snowheads.com is the obvious choice

Any advice on Canada?

Thinking about two weeks late February early March.

What is it you want to know about canada? I went for 8 weeks four years ago

Oh bugger, hadn’t actually thought of any questions…..

Ummmmm, uhhhhh…….

Ok, if you was to ski in Canada just once, and as a relative novice.

Where would you go?

Whistler, big white, lake Louise.

Maybe as a relative novice I’d go lake Louise. Canada in my view is outstanding.. It’s ‘big mountain’ if you get what I mean

Like it.

Last winter we booked a last minute package that worked out pretty well, does that approach work with Canada (and the US) ?

Or is diy much better?

Whistler booked. Early January 11 nights. Never been there in the winter. I am told it gets exceptionally cold up on the mountains, so some extra thermal gear is on our shopping list.

I did DIY . It’s expensive there. Lift passes per day at around 100 dollars. But it’s worth it. Me and six mates went round to lots of resorts over 8 weeks . Best time of my life

Canadian and US lift passes are often a lot cheaper if you buy them nice and early through a UK tour operator 🙂

Has anyone flown to Boston and done a Road trip up through Vermont? Looks interesting – but I’m not sure if it’s too stressful logistically…

I’m not booked yet….waiting for action outdoors to release their prices. Feb half term is my most likely week….either Chamonix or Flaine I reckon. Although looking at the price of flights, I may have to wait until Easter 🙁

Sandwich Junior has a hankering to hit the slopes between Christmas and New Year. Any recommendations from the assembled company.

Cheap is really important as he is a student nurse. The timing is fixed as this is the only time available between placements/college in his last year. Another money saving forum had some clowns who suggested going at another time!!

Tell him to check out actionoutdoors.co.uk solo travellers week over that period is in Chamonix. Prices aren’t out yet but my guess is around 650 quid full board with tuition and equipment hire. He’ll need to add travel to that.

To answer a couple of questions from above: Banff is good but you have to go on a lot of buses. Did Boston to Killington on another trip, ok but quite tame really.

Cheers Tom. I’ll keep checking in for other ideas, if there are any.

Hoping to snaffle a Christmas week with White Room. Fingers crossed!

Tell me about Tignes….what’s it going to be like half term week?

Tbh I’m not too bothered about night life-I just want somewhere to get the serious hours of riding in. I’ll be having instruction, 50% of which I’d guess will be off piste.

piemonster – Canada lift passes are indeed much cheaper when bought in advance – some of the ‘early bird’ offers have already ended though (I bought my 14/15 season pass for Fernie in June).

Some resorts do another offer in the Autumn, so it pays to keep an eye out/subscribe to mailing lists etc.

Canada can be bitterly cold – especially the Rocky Mountain resorts in the ‘interior’ including Lake Louise & Banff (which can be quite icy), Revelstoke, Fernie, Red Moutain & Kicking Horse.

Whistler however can be milder due to it’s proximity to the coastal range.

It’s all relative however – if all you’ve experienced is European Alpine resorts with sunshine and tanned lifties with their shirts off then prepare for a bit of a shock … and pack the thermal merino! 🙂