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

Washing up liquid rubbed on inside of lens can help

Washing up liquid rubbed on inside of lens can help

😯

The inside of my lens never gets touched by anything except the inside of the goggle bag. That’s something they were very clear about when I bought them, otherwise you just strip off the anti-fog coating.

Just to make sure, its my normal glasses that are steaming up, goggles are fine.

Ah right – that makes more sense – have a look in the ski shops they might sell little anti-fog cloths. They help a bit.

This stuff is good if you can find it:

they steam up and I can see bugger all

I found OTG goggles give you a restricted field of view and make you look like a Minion! 8)

I tried everything years ago to prevent steaming up of glasses – without success.

Are you wearing a beanie/toque or a helmet?

Dunno if it’s a possible solution for you, but changing to contact lenses in 2004 was a revelation for me!

Yeah probably a bit late for you on this trip bash, but seriously consider contacts if you can.

I’m happy enough wearing glasses day to day, but I keep a stock of disposable contacts for snowboarding and other sports.

Washing Up liquid on the spectacles rather than the goggles, but I wouldn’t be too prissy about googles as the anti fog coating don’t last that well. Mind you goggles only come out on bad vis days.

Cheers for your input. Was expecting a wave of “replace it” comments but actually may stick with it. It rides well, holds an edge and it stable when charging about. May demo a rocker out of curiosity but if I am not amazed then prob service what I have. Cheers again.

Was expecting a wave of “replace it” comments but actually may stick with it

If it still ‘pops’ … don’t stop! 😉

A (very recent) post from one of the Avalanche Canada field teams who got caught in an avalanche. Perhaps not as dramatic as previous footage but worth watching.

There you go (delete the s from the http and the video will embed)

Really interesting sweaman thanks . For my benefit , why weren’t the shooting cracks taken as an immediate red flag? Did they think the risk was manageable ?

Pop, rocker, cambered, charging about, split boards, I have not got a clue what you are all on about. Is this what normal people are like when they first read the bike forum?

Not a complete n00b, done 5 hols (spaced over quite a few years) and a few dozen sessions at the dry slope in my early twenties, guess I just don’t follow boarding like I do MTBing. Would do if it was more acessible tho, it is bloody good fun.

Guess I’m a PoB rather than a boarder 😉

Don’t worry D0NK, I’ve been boarding for 20 something years and I’m still a PoB. (And look like one too!)

It’s the curse of the “two weeks a year or less” crowd. 🙁

DONK – normal people understand bikes – but there’s a lot of weirdos out there who don’t appreciate the difference between a 2.3 and 2.35 tyre.

See this is why I shouldn’t be reading this thread this year. 🙁

That looks glorious piemonster, enjoy it for me!

Really interesting sweaman thanks . For my benefit , why weren’t the shooting cracks taken as an immediate red flag? Did they think the risk was manageable ?

I hesitate to second guess professional forecasters but based on the commentary I think they thought the slab wasn’t “too bad” as it was only 10cm and seemed soft. When they then skied off line into a steeper than intended area it propagated much further then they had thought.

I guess the problem with being an avalanche professional is that you have to go where the avalanches are and potentially even ski bits that you would advise other people to avoid.

Top of the agile rouge ? Piemonster ?

Top of the agile rouge ? Piemonster ?

Yes, and what a fantastic run. Superb timing really, it was flagged up all morning, and started to clear as we boarded the Varet lift, by the time we got off the Aguille Cable Car it was just stunning up there. By the time we’d got off Comborcie it’d clagged up again.

A lot of skiing today, easy day needs to come up soon or I’m going to need a leg transplant.

Lovely view when its like that and fund run – Its sort of my run homne come sunday as im staying in Villaroger. However the reports looking a little dry for me and my powder board unfortunately . Im snow dancing every day !

Enjoy the conditions !

@piemonster – roll on the weekend!

Thanks for sharing the pictures, not that I need help to get more excited, but I am!

Nice photos PM. I was guessing Aig Rouge from angle of Mt Blanc and the view down in the third photo. Just could place the second one. The third photo shows the route of the first avalanche in the clip doesn’t it? You can see the piste/mt road that gets covered when the couloir goes!

Bag update for those that were talking about them at the weekend… The Dakine Fall Line Double arrived today. It’s pretty big (I managed to get inside and pull the zips up past my waist – 5’10-ish, 12.5st), I couldn’t resist trying. It can easily fit two pairs of skis, a pair of boots and some clothes. You could probably squeeze in 3 pairs of skis and no boots, but I probably wouldn’t risk it. Wheels seem decent quality and the fabric is fairly sturdy.

One minor down point, there are no straps inside to secure the skis, so I’ll probably pack it with clothes fairly well. Bought from a company called Extremepie, reasonably priced too.

Jnr’s skis arrived too. I decided to go for some adult intermediate piste skis for him instead of twin tips. I figured that fairly recreational adult skis aren’t going to be too much stiffer than Jnr race skis which he uses weekly. Ekosport are ridiculously good value and excellent delivery.

I’m currently in what may well be the flattest place on earth. Those pictures aren’t helping!

🙂

I’m currently in what may well be the flattest place on earth. Those pictures aren’t helping!

Have a look at the temps forecast for next week. That’ll cheer you up, I’m going from full alpine winter to spring in 48hrs
😕

Quite a few folk seem to think -17 is too cold, but I absolutely love it. I’m giving serious consideration to a full arctic experience next year, Ylass keeps popping up.

Nice photos PM. I was guessing Aig Rouge from angle of Mt Blanc and the view down in the third photo. Just could place the second one. The third photo shows the route of the first avalanche in the clip doesn’t it? You can see the piste/mt road that gets covered when the couloir goes!

Yes, and the slopes of to the right(off picture) get blasted too. It was looking particularly loaded in places as well.

Just realised I’ve only been skiing for less than 4 weeks now. Seems like it’s permeated my entire existence! 😀

Goggles, goggles, goggles…

Smith i/ox vs Oakley Airbrake vs Anon M2

I have just bought an Anon helmet and my old goggles don’t fit very well…at all! Seems more sensible to go for Anon goggles, but I’m not keen on how they look. Are these “frameless” jobbies worth the slightly “astronaut” look of them?

@DD have a look at Summit Worldwide[/url] too.
I have a pair of their Evolve goggles, and found them to be comfy and not to restrict my vision. Fit very well with my helmet too (Can’t remember the helmet make). Make me look like a fighter pilot. NEEEEEEEEoooooooowwwwwww!

Great customer service too. Worth every penny I spent.

Friday 15th January 2016. A day that will live long in infamy.

Video here

That looks as if you had a rather nice day!

Frameless goggles. I really don’t know about them personally. If I as much as looked at them, I reckon I’d scratch them. At least with the frames I can get away with dumping them unceremoniously on a table at lunchtime.

I just got some Oakley flight deck. No idea how good they will be but I think they look ace. My wife thinks I look like a cock in them.

These goggles are pretty popular here at the moment:

http://www.nakedoptics.at/winter/

My wife thinks I look like a cock in them.

sports wear, spousal abuse is par for the course.

Ordered a pair of all three and will return the two I don’t like.

Oh, and I’d mentioned it earlier in the thread, but a heads up for anyone flying Sleazy and taking a snowboard (bag), you ARE restricted to 20kg. (I think some had thought that the £60 for a snowboard meant that the weight didn’t really matter.) Anyway, from their “Sports Equipment” info page:

Sports equipment
Sporting equipment can be carried in addition to your hold luggage allowance for an additional non-refundable fee, applied per item.
Payment of the non-refundable sports equipment fee entitles you to an additional weight allowance of 20kgs (small sports equipment) or 32kgs (large sports equipment) and increases your checked in hold luggage allowance to a maximum of 40kg or 52kg, respectively. But a single item cannot weigh more than 32kgs in total. To find out what is a large or small piece of sports equipment, please have a look at our lists below.
The table below is a guide on how your luggage allowance can be distributed:
Sports equipment allowances
0 hold bags and 1 small sports item: Total allowance of 1 item = 20kg in total
The item must be on our list of small sports equipment
0 hold bags and 1 large sports item: Total allowance of 1 item = 32kg in total
The item must be on our list of large sports equipment
1 hold bag and 1 small sports item: Total allowance of 2 items = 40kg total (20kg each) made up of 1 item of hold luggage and 1 item of small sports equipment
You may distribute weight between items but a single item cannot weigh more than 32kgs in total.
1 hold bag and 1 large sports item: Total allowance 2 items = 52kg total, made up of 1 item of hold luggage and 1 item of large sports equipment
You may distribute weight between items but a single item cannot weigh more than 32kgs in total

That looks like an epic day stevo.