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

Just booked mrs DD’s ski hire for Reberty 2000 through snowbrainer.

Discount code snow1 is still working. £60 for top skis and boots as opposed to £90ish booking direct with shop or £99 if booking with skifamille. (Although, tbh, I don’t know why anyone ever books kit rental direct with their travel company.)

Lift passes bloody expensive though. 😐

Lift passes are always expensive!

I did a lot of thinkign about the cost of things when over in Banff 2.0 and have pretty much decided that the next time I go there (or anywhere else I guess) I’ll spend the time and just book things myself instead of being lazy and going through an agent.

Lift passes are no cheaper, I can probably make my own kit pay for itself in a couple of seasons and I swear I could have got the hotel cheaper myself. Flights? Mebbe.

Ned, I’ll be in StAnton next week as well, coincidentally meeting another group of 7 people on Wednesday / Thursday… Your not one of them are you? Going out with Rich B?

ooooh! So close! Rich N, group of 6.

+ Christian K, his mate Theo ?

Arsebiscuits. Just dragged snowboard bag from loft (second hand Burton jobbie) and had forgotten that wheels were broken by the lovely United ( 😡 ) when we were in Whistler…I’d use it without the wheels but there’s a huge gash in the arse (yeah, yeah) of the bag. So, having booked snowboard carriage, I now need a new one. I don’t think I’ll go for the budget Animal bags that some sales reps use, but plenty of DaKine wheelies are showing across Amazon for good prices.

Anybody with a DaKine wheelie that can tell me if there’s sufficient room for a few jackets & slacks after loading up with board, boots and bindings?

Finally…any other recommendations sub £100?

EDIT: And finally, do the quoted lengths of snowboard bags indicate which board size goes in? i.e. will a 156cm bag fit a 155cm board, or does one need to go a bit longer? (waits for obvious joke from obvious contributors 🙂 )

sub £100?

Cheapskate.

Cheapski.

😀

Anybody with a DaKine wheelie that can tell me if there’s sufficient room for a few jackets & slacks after loading up with board, boots and bindings?

Hey DD, I think mine is a Dakine Low Roller (165)

I usually just wear my jacket at the airport, but yeah the bags aren’t enormous but there is enough room for slacks, tops, impact shorts etc

(We’ve successfully squeezed two boards and two sets of boots & bindings into a single bag before – with a bit of faffery).

Anybody with a DaKine wheelie that can tell me if there’s sufficient room for a few jackets & slacks after loading up with board, boots and bindings?

Loads of room. I bought this one for my last holiday and it’s got loads of room

https://www.absolute-snow.co.uk/V/Dakine_Low_Roller_Wheelie_Snowboard_Bag_175cm_Phoenix-(109817)

Thanks Gee2DaEss. Steezy man.

(We’ve successfully squeezed two boards and two sets of boots & bindings into a single bag before – with a bit of faffery).

Bleedin’ sleazy now have a 20kg limit on snowboard bags as well. 😡

Yeah luggage scales are a must if you’re trying to do it on the cheap.

If you really want to save weight and have no shame then wear your boots on the plane 😀

(or a snide foot under a corner of the bag when you place it on the scales 😉 )

I’ve got Dakine Low Roller snowboard bags. Not as voluminous as some bags bags, but to be honest I prefer that as I can still lift them when they’re full. We used to have a hugemungous Burton snowboard bags and they’d be stupidly heaving if you completely filled them.

Hokay. Thanks all. Looks like a DaKine low roller will be the way to go. Really only need to fit 2 x jacket+slacks in there as well as the three Bs. I can always vac-pac them in bags and figure the rest out on the way home.

Bleedin’ sleazy now have a 20kg limit on snowboard bags as well

The cheeky monkeys, that must have changed pretty recently. Need to pack carefully now.

Really only need to fit 2 x jacket+slacks in there as well as the three Bs.

Easy. Bindings stay on the board. Boots go in the end pockets (along with socks, tools, wax etc). Jackets and slacks go in the middle between the bindings.

I usually pack my helmet in there too.

I can get 2 boards (bindings removed), 2 pairs of bindings, boots, outwear + back country gear in one.

You might struggle with 3 board/bindings + 2 sets of clothing (you definitely won’t get boots in a swell).

Les Deux Alpes.

Big avalanche. School group.

🙁

nedrapier – Member

Ned, I’ll be in StAnton next week as well, coincidentally meeting another group of 7 people on Wednesday / Thursday… Your not one of them are you? Going out with Rich B?

ooooh! So close! Rich N, group of 6.

+ Christian K, his mate Theo ?

nope, how random. I’ll admit I only know the Rich B bloke so could be. All from surrey hills way.

Les Deux Alps, just seen that still five missing

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/france-avalanche-group-of-school-pupils-and-teachers-engulfed-on-ski-trip-in-alps-a6810396.html

Ha. none of mine are!

Apart from me and the wife, and then only just – far SW corner, but not where you’d think of when you hear “Surrey Hills”.

I’ll be red-jacketed, khaki-trousered, stupid blue-flappy-hatted, on an attention whore-y, pointy black board. Give us a yell!

Oh dear … it’s not looking good in L2A. 🙁

only saw Sui’s 1st when I started typing.

Horrible.

Seen there has been an avalanche above arare in avoriaz today as well. Fortunately it seems no fatalities.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1026548607406836

Les Deux Alpes.
Big avalanche. School group.

Jeebus – been there with the kids for the past two years. We wanted to go again this year but couldn’t afford it. 😯

Bellecombes is a very central area with black, red and blue runs.

http://www.2alpesnet.com/maps

Big avalanche in Tignes today, off the side of Trolle into the lake right in view of all the people in the main staging area. Helicopter and rescue teams attended but current reports suggest no one killed. A salutary lesson to all those who think “side country” is a thing; it’s either piste, or it’s off-piste and you need the appropriate knowledge.

More on the Les Deux Alpes slide on the BBC:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35303921

Sound like the were off-piste, possibly “side country” as Rio says. 🙁

on the subject of board bags – if space is really critical take off your bindings and strap your boots into them. they fit in r the boot pockets and leave the centre section of the bag void.

Good plan! ^^ 😀

That’s the kind of thing muppets like me never think of! Cheers.

Also fill your boots too – mine usually get stuffed with my tools and socks.

Also, fill your boots. Literally!

*Edit – great minds, Graham! *

Booties more like it.

From the news it now sounds like those French kids were on the Bellecombe black piste (which was closed). From memory it is a bit of a channel in parts, not a good place to get caught (if such a thing exists). 🙁

Ickle tiny weeny feets!

ned i’ll keep an eye out for ya. We’ll be a bunch of muppets that think we know what were doing but probably look bad!

Had just been reading that, Graham. Closed piste. FFS.

I guess the key question now is was it marked closed – I’m assuming yes in which case FFS+1.

Grauniad has some details: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/13/schoolchildren-caught-up-in-avalanche-in-french-alps

No idea what a school group was doing on a closed black piste, though it sounds like they were “experienced” skiers as their school do regular Wednesday ski trips!

The possibility of missed (or missing) warnings signs was raised in the article. That’s possible I suppose.

Avi risk was “only” a 3 out of 5. 🙁

the school kids were in a sport etude section , meaning that they were all skilled skiers .
2 kids confirmed deceased and 1 more person with no connection to the group caught in the avalanche also killed .

a sport etude section , meaning that they were all skilled skiers .

If, and I stress IF, they ignored markings that the piste was closed, sadly irrelevant.

I know I’m jumping to conclusions without all the facts, but it’s the same as last year. No snow followed by big dump = no stable snow pack.