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

I find it quite enjoyable edging forward 10mm at a time to keep ze Germans behind me! Certainly passes the time nicely 8)

Any ski pole recommendations for lift queue assaults?

Skiing in the alps this week 😆

I’ll quite often sit and chat to the folk on the chair lifts I’m sharing with and I’ve only met one grumpy anti-snowboarder guy out here so far. Seemed to think snowboarders had no respect for the mountain, didn’t know the etiquette and generally had it too easy. Can’t say I shared this attitude.

No more excuses, it’s white enough. First turns shortly.

For my 40th the lovely lady in my life has organised me a days backcountry touring in Rodger’s Pass as part of our trip next year.

Just a little bit excited.

backcountry touring in Rodger’s Pass

That should be fantastic, we had a few days in Revelstoke last season and it was great. The back country opportunities around there look endless.

For my 40th the lovely lady in my life has organised me a days backcountry touring in Rodger’s Pass as part of our trip next year

Sounds like the sort of lace you get a one way ticket too 😯

On a more serious note lucky you !

No more excuses, it’s white enough. First turns shortly.

Excellent. Pictures please. Hope to be making my first turns on Monday

Transport, transfer, accommodation, ski hire, ski passes, lessons all booked.
£2700 at the moment.

Can’t wait for next Saturday.

ski welt in the Tyrol opens tomoz…18 lifts out of 90, 20 km out of 280km. 20cm of snow on the mountain.

Not bad considering….. 😕

Here you go, Jambalaya. View from the balcony just after my last post:

1500m looking back at the resort

1800m good snow from here up.

2200m wild and woolly. My skin bag blew away 😥

My mrs is going mad because she’s quite tall and can’t find any long or tall salopettes in small or size 10 (any reccos welcome) but I said she should get some leggings like those in the pics above, and tuck em into her boots… Those leggings things warm & waterproof?

Those leggings are warm with thermals underneath, they’re the same Roubaix fabric as Winter cycling tights. Madame has another pair which have a windstopper front which are warmer. You’ll find them in any X-C ski catalogue, for example Worden. They’re not waterproof. We sometimes pull them over the boots on the way down to stop snow getting in. Salopettes don’t need to be long over ski boots.

Well that’s the Piemonsters packed and ready to go. 6.20am departure tomorrow should see us in the resort by lunchtime.

I’d have prererred better conditions (and forecast) but hey ho. There’s still turns to be done. 😀

And the rapidly approaching second trip is authorised and inbound. Although I’ve yet to settle on where, I’ve a shortlist if 3 options though. So will see how things pan out with snowfall.

http://www.travisrice.com/line-of-the-year-the-crack-qa-with-cody-townsend/

Article about The Crack and that mad ski / snowboard line

Article about The Crack and that mad ski / snowboard line

Getting that much gnar should be illegal.

Anyone have much experience with Picture clothing? Tried on a jacket I like of theirs in Ellis Brigham.

Just back from a few days visting mates in Geneva and Chamonix.

Cham lifts were supposed to partially open on Saturday, but it was announced late on Friday that they wouldn’t.

Headed to Verbier on Saturday and conditions were brilliant. It was the first day this season they’d opened Grand-Mont, so we rode freshies for most of the day. Oh, and it was a bluebird from about 10am onwards:)

Good snow above 2000m for the Sauze D’Oulx opening weekend, much better than Val Thorens on Friday but only around 400m of vertical as the snow line is so high.

K2 in Les Gets is being sold. 😥

Best burger bar I ever went to.
Where will I get my buffalo burger with cheese of my choice now.

Mmmmm, Sauze….

Pizza at the Orso Bianco for lunch, steak at the Village for dinner. Happy days!

Getting stuck for twenty minutes or so on the lift to the top of red 11….less happy.

@educator nice ! Verbier looks good too @peter, I heard from my friend there conditions where ok.

We are in Sainte Foy, went upto Tignes today to have a look, what snow there is is not bad but even from 2200 to 2600+ apart from pistes it’s mostly grass. We’ll go for a ski tomorrow and report back but I feel for those who’ll be out Christmas and New Year as unless there is a big storm or two it’s going to be dire.

Looking at webcam in les gets, most of the snow is gone.
Not good.

On Twitter they’re claiming it’ll be good by the weekend – I think

Finally getting to the point where there’s a decent base on the upper slopes here in Whistler, but there’s nothing in the village at all. The ski out is all man made snow and with the warmer temps recently it’s pretty heavy and thin in places.

That said, they opened up the high alpine this weekend, so Peak chair Harmony and 7th Heaven are all now open, which is good.

went upto Tignes today to have a look, what snow there is is not bad

My in-resort spy described it at the weekend as skiable from the Grande Motte down to Val Claret but said that having a resort’s worth of skiers on the same piste was giving the blood wagons plenty of early season practice.

Apparently the locals say they’ll be 2m of snow on Christmas eve.

Rio there where a few ambulances on the way up today too. Frustration is that the forecast precipitation on Thursday is going to be rain, the isotherm for freezing point is forecast to be between 2800m and 3200m 🙁 sadly that’s going to make a tough situation worse. We came for some general R& and I think Tue/Wed are going to be our only days skiing.

Almost no chance of snow in France on Christmas Eve.

Edukator that site is a bit more optimistic for this week, show Wed/Thur snow rather than rain.

Not looking good for Champagny and La Plagne over New Years!! **** all snow so far.

Whatnobeer that looks very bare!

C’mon Whistler – please don’t pick this year to be crap!

(Not going out till March though so plenty of time yet. Maybe a slow start will mean more snow later in the season…? )

Tignes had 5-10 cm last night. Morning skiing above Val Claret wasn’t bad with a bit of fresh powder to be found and the few pistes open had some good skiing, however by afternoon it was deteriorating. Resort thermometer showed +7 but felt colder. Pity it’s so warm as precipitation falling as rain. Tignes Lac (at 2000m) was thawing today 🙁

Fingers crossed the weather gods can deliver over the next week.

(Not going out till March though so plenty of time yet. Maybe a slow start will mean more snow later in the season…? )

Yeah…it will be fine!

whats the point of worrying? Chill Dude! 8)

Returning to the earlier discussion around carving …

C’mon Whistler – please don’t pick this year to be crap!

(Not going out till March though so plenty of time yet. Maybe a slow start will mean more snow later in the season…? )

My feelings exactly. Though it’s pretty much guaranteed to be fine by March. It has just started snowing in the village, just a flutter, but I’ll take pretty much anything at the moment.

Any recommendations on where to look for a cheap week trip (websites, resorts etc)in January- mate spotted a few Crystal offers at around £400 inc lift pass but accommodation looks poor (Tigne/somewhere in Andorra)

Red/black skiing, lots of terrain, lots of snow please 😀

@Digby. That video is great , I think there is a nice move away from the Backside triple 1620 mutes in Snowboarding to tricks with style , fun and carving. It’s great to see I think.

Also classical gas a s the soundtrack , managed to learn about half of that when I was at uny. Didn’t quite get there …

Love that carving vid. Last time I went boarding was a very snow free week in flaine and learning to carve was pretty much all there was to do all week…

Tommy Emmanuel brings Classical Gas to life:

I think there is a nice move away from the Backside triple 1620 mutes in Snowboarding to tricks with style , fun and carving. It’s great to see I think.

I think you’re right – although to be fair I think most of the big gymnastic inspired rotational spins & tricks have always been out of the realms of most mere mortal riders …only more recently the media are acknowledging the fact!

learning to carve was pretty much all there was to do all week

That’s what’s great about carving I reckon – it allows you to mix things up when conditions are limited – I’ve has some great days trying to lay down some big old carves … you know the ones where you realise you’re not coming back up from it! 😀

C’mon Whistler – please don’t pick this year to be crap!

You’ll fine I reckon GrahamS … plenty of time to offer sacrifices to the Snow Gods! 😉

Forecast turned out to be too pessimistic regarding warm temperatures. Its been snowing all afternoon and evening in Savoie all the way down to 1500m and its building