The STW Ski & Snowboard thread. The 2015-2016 season

Too early for 2016/17 season? No?

Just been getting prices for half-term 2017. Not as bad as I expected.

Anyone want to suggest whether there will be decent snow then?

Tuesday 22nd, December BBC4 10.00pm.- Ten Things You Didn’t Know about Avalanches.

This looks interesting.

jaffejoffer – I’m gonna say no on the basis that all the trails will be hidden under the deep, deep powder that we’ll have by then.

Or yes, if it comes to that!

Skiworld have some availability for xmas week on super discount.
£279 for a week in St Anton ( Nasserin ) is ridiculous. Chalet board as well , so not alot extra to add and probably a decent xmas dinner as well.
Even if the snow is rubbish this is a cheap holiday

conditions in Avoriaz dont look too bad .

at least it will be better than les Gets last year .

2 more sleeps , cant wait !

Just back from 10 amazing days in Whistler. Best snow for 3 or 4 seasons over there and Solarider Jnr’s first encounter with the white stuff (although he didn’t look so impressed!). 1 or 2 days of low visibility, but many more bluebird days and totally empty slopes.

Best skiing trip for years. So happy to be back in the grey, miserable UK (ahem!).

Only four days to go before I leave for Banff. I still have work before then, so 100% excited is having to wait, but I’m starting to look forward to it.

Oh Canada

Just arrived in Avoriaz.

There is snow but not a huge amount.
Nothing at all in Morzine and not much more in Les Gets.

Nice one solarider.

I’ve been finding winter utterly miserable here but I’ve just booked a week snowboarding in Italy in February and a week ski touring/off-piste course in Switzerland in March – it’s cheered me right up!

Anyone seen any good deals on ski/snowboard pants recently? Never really like to spend loads on them for some reason.

grum, I always recommend them, but by January, Westbeach will have good reductions on their stuff. I bought a pair of Cockalorum slacks in their sale last year – so they’ve had one week’s outing but they were great for the money (not sure I even paid £50 for them). Warm, functional, comfy and I look quite sexy in them. They replaced a previous pair of Westbeach that had done me for around 5 or 6 years. (Their jackets/pullovers are good value too – I mean, it’s not Sweet Protection or the likes but for the ££, they’re bloody good value.)

Ta. Yeah I like Westbeach stuff – will keep an eye out.

No snow forecast in the Alps 🙁 – glad I’ve not booked for just after NY like I quite often do.

Les Gets are making a decision today about re-opening for biking 😯

Just looking at cams on the Via Lattea and over the hills in Serre Che.

Looks terrible.

I’m heading out on Saturday. Thank god I convinced my mate to go high altitude (Belle Plagne @ 2,500m)

Come on El Niño FFS!

cchris2lou – we’re on our way tomorrow morning. PM me and we may catch you for a hot chocolate in the village one day…

spending xmas at the flat. Not too disappointed about snow conditions, we will go up to Avoriaz for a few days over the course of the week to muck about. The kids are only just learning, and its only my first season on skis too so we will just be larking on the pisted learner slopes, and wont be missing out on too much. We wont bother trying to do 7x days ski school or suchlike.

EDIT: BTW, there’s a hockey match on on Weds evening and on the 30th.

http://www.hcmag.fr/

Just looking at cams on the Via Lattea and over the hills in Serre Che.

Looks terrible.

Heading to Sauze in 2 weeks. Feel for the people out for Christmas week. I know a lot can happen in two weeks, but I’ve pretty much given up hope for a turn around before we arrive

Heading to Sauze in 2 weeks. Feel for the people out for Christmas week. I know a lot can happen in two weeks, but I’ve pretty much given up hope for a turn around before we arrive

I dunno, I went to Bavaria just after xmas last year and there was barely any snow at all when we set off driving from the UK. As we neared Munich on the motorway it started snowing heavily and didn’t really stop for the whole week.

We’re in Sauze at the start of Feb – even then there’s no guarantees but I’m hopeful 🙂

Inspired:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1012801472114883

Les Gets open for bikes on Saturday on Mont Chery! 🙂

I assume they just mean Airline and the black next to it. Although I doubt there’s any reason (but mud) not to be able to ride around to Col d’Encrenaz…

Well it is pissing down in Avoriaz. Snowing above 2000m.

Went out this morning and got soaked.

What day are you coming up Stoner?
Forecast is good for rest of the week and the snow should be good high up.

Bet Stoner’s got a bike stashed out there too.

arrive at the flat in Montriond tomorrow pm, chris. I think we’ll head up to Avoriaz for a scout around sometime on Weds or Thurs. Can you get up there on Prolays from Lindarets (and Ardent) or do we have to take the navette up from town?

Bet Stoner’s got a bike stashed out there too.

I’m just trying to remember what state I left it in! I think it was all tickety-boo when I put it away after the summer. I was just planning on doing the foam rings and wipers on the forks. That can wait till next summer.

hell fire just looked at morzine webcams!! 😯

looks like some people braving it off Mossettes…

http://www.morznet.com/webcams/portes-du-soleil

Sauze is an odd one. Did Christmas there about ten years ago. Arrived with almost no snow then on our first night there it began. Turbopuke for three days straight. Epic!

Only on this thread would “turbopuke” be a good thing

“turbopuke”

Might just be my new favourite adjective.

I leave tomorrow. I’m now wondering whether to give up the pretence of work and concentrate 100% on getting excited about the trip.

It’s currently -12 and snowing.

I leave mid January

I’ve already given up on the concept of work

It’s a noun.

As in, “Massive fat dumps of turbopuke”. Or, “it was turbopuking last night. Bust out the powdaplankz braw!”

Just realised that I verbified the noun there. Sorry.

Isn’t that sort of thing a ban if the mods catch you CFH?

I believe that banification is the norm. Or a powder day on blades.

I ll check what is open tomorrow, but a lot of equipment on the slopes tonight so hoping for good conditions tomorrow.

Or a powder day on blades.

That’s just brought back the memory of my daft mate riding Flute bowl on Whistler after a dump on blades. Now I really, really don’t care for blades, but I have to say it was one of the funniest things ever.

Two months for it to put some snow down, not looking good in Morzine for the Christmas period 🙁
Lifts opening for biking at the weekend !!!!

Fortunately, they’ve been working on a new reservoir and pumped supply to artificial snow network over the last year so there are skiable pistes.
http://morzinesourcemagazine.com/avoriaz-lift-piste-update/

We got a newsletter in the post about it a few months ago and it’s pretty impressive.

Jesus, morzine looks very green on the Web cams. I’d be fairly disappointed if if I’d gone out 4 days ago (like my BIL!)

GFS ensemble temp/precipitation chart for Morzine @ 850hPa (around 1500m) for the next couple of weeks- temps in the middle, scale on left axis, precipitation down the bottom, scale on the right… the green one (control run) may be anomalous….

build one for your chosen resort here