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

Off to Mayrhoffen tomorrow – 1st ever ski holiday, 1st time skiing anywhere but Cairngorm/Glenshee. 1st time skiing in 5 years… It’s quite expensive isn’t it.

Oh yes. But such good value in grins terms.

St Gallenkirch half term week. Super quiet, amazing snow- recommend it!

Off to Mayrhoffen tomorrow – 1st ever ski holiday, 1st time skiing anywhere but Cairngorm/Glenshee. 1st time skiing in 5 years… It’s quite expensive isn’t it.

Have fun! Yes its not cheap but Austria is good value and when you see the infrastructure, you understand why the ski passes cost so much. You’ll LOVE it!

Off to Mayrhoffen tomorrow – 1st ever ski holiday

I love the Hoff.

Make sure you take the option to go to the Hintertux glacier if you are offered it (if not book a trip).

Mayrhofen tomorrow for me too Hills. Keep an eye out for a vision in green and yellow…

Those pistes are amazingly quiet for half term Matt.

I wasn’t a fan of Hintertux. My favourite bit around Mayrhofen was Zell am Ziller – lots of easily accessible fun slack country.

The snow report for Grimentz is getting more ridiculous. Hope there’s not too much snow. 179cm in the next 9 days now. 😀

I’m probably biased on Hintertux because (many years ago) I proposed to my wife there on a nice spot overlooking the Alps. 😀

My memory of the ‘Tux is very wide rides, quiet, and cracking scenery.

216cm between now and next Sunday, forecast for Chamonix!
I’m going out Wednesday week so I hope some will be left..

194cm for Avoriaz. Hmm I doubt it, but still, it suggest a lovely new dump before we arrive on Saturday night 🙂

2 sleeps until Couchevel 🙂 Hope it stops snowing on Thursday morning so we can enjoy the fresh stuff!

very wide rides

That’s no way to talk about her!

Dammit, I thought I’d got away with that single entendre. 😀

@grum, there is a great off piste descent off the back of Grimentz. Old town is real picture postcard / chocolate box stuff. Was there for a day last summer, first time I’d been there outside the ski season.

We should be in La Clusaz Thursday evening 🙂

oh my word. Forecast for Flaine looking good – not as much as some of the figures above but enough to keep me happy and give us a chance of getting off piste – need the snow to settle and give us a reasonable chance to not get avalanched…

It was the “cracking scenery” I’d been wondering about.

It’s worth taking the forecast with a pinch or two of salt, but it was surprisingly accurate when I was in Peisey in Feb. For about a week in advance they forecast the quantity of new snow accurately, if not the day!

Yeah, tbf, when we were in Reberty, that snow-forecast stuff was pretty accurate too.

Off to Avoriaz in a few days too – hopefully I’ll be able to avoid Stoner – it’s much easier for me to hide anyway. 😀

nbt, I think we might be in Flaine at the same time. If you see pink pants and a matching helmet give me a wave…..

194cm for Avoriaz.

it’s much easier for me to hide anyway

stand still long enough and….

anyone got any space on any trips from the 6th of March? Geneva flights are still temptingly cheap…

I’m glad that roughly 105% of me is falling before I get there. 🙂

105% of me

tis barely a dusting 🙁

Anyway…in other news, my over-priced L-shaped pieces of sticky foam appear to hold my heel in place. 😀

We should be in La Clusaz Thursday evening

I’ll be expecting a report Jamba as I’m there on the 11th!

(trying not to think about it all the time! :|)

194cm for Avoriaz

Woo hoo!

Meanwhile, in Bozeman, Montana….

194cm for Avoriaz

Almost exactly the same forecast for the Whistler alpine in the next 5 days. Freezing level is being pretty cooperative too, hovering between 650 and 1400m. No photos, but had a fantastic day today. Got up early for the fresh tracks breakfast, got 3 clean runs in before the lower mountain was mostly skied out. Then headed up Harmony and got a sweet lap down there before hitting peak chair for a couple of West Cirque/Christmas Tree laps, followed by still fresh powder down the Cirque for a couple of laps plus VD Trees and Million Dollar Ridge thrown in.

Unless you know the area well most of that is probably over your heads, but it was an epic day.

In other news, anyone skied a set of Salomon Q-Labs?

Cool! We’re in the UCPA on the off piste course so the forecast is looking pretty darn good for us!

CaptainFlashheart – Member
These were a little more 65/35ish, but the best ski I’ve used in ages.

Nordica NRGy 100

Enough of a carver on the groomers, but still plenty phatt enough for off piste stuff as well. As ever, a compromise, as a pure piste ski is better on piste, and a phatt powdaplank is better in the fluffy stuff, but this ski is as close as I’ve found to being a balanced compromise.

Well after this recommendation I bought some Nordica NRGy 90s and used them last week in Val d’Isere and I have to say they were most excellent, way way better than my previous carvers. I’d also got Zip Fit custom moulded boot liners which meant I had much improved control over them (thin feet used to wander about in normal boots).

Top recommendation!

Getting back into riding switch…

I first learned to ride goofy, before realising the next holiday that I should have learned regular…long story, but anyway, when I tried riding regular, everything just clicked more than it had riding goofy.

Now weirdly, after that, while I was still pretty slow on the board, I could ride switch much better than most “beginners” as I still had riding goofy in my mind. However, as I improved and speeded up, I left switch behind. Tried it once or twice when we were in the 3V this year and I was all over the place.

So for stevomcd and others who know…if I fancied trying to improve switch again, would it be best to adjust the angles from present +15 -6 over to equal each side?

Ride 15-15, centered stance on a true twin.
If you have a remotely directional side cut on your board, you’re going to find it a challenge whatever you do.

I’ve got a spare week (w/c 14th March). There’s snow in Europe. It’s just me n my snowboard… What to do?!?

So for stevomcd and others who know…if I fancied trying to improve switch again, would it be best to adjust the angles from present +15 -6 over to equal each side?

Not sure if I qualify as someone who knows but yeah, equal angles or close to them will make riding switch a lot easier.

I ride +15/-12 which is close enough to ride switch (badly) on my directional non-centered board. 😀

Cheers Gee. I’ll give +15/12 -15/12 a go and see how I get on.

I’ve got a spare week (w/c 14th March). There’s snow in Europe. It’s just me n my snowboard… What to do?!?

If you need a “friend”, I’m available. Just pay my flights, passes, lodging and beer.

NO KISSING though. 🙂

Seriously…you could book flights to a “ski” airport, but pick, I dunno…Monday out, Monday back or other weird times. And accomm separately.

Or just get a last minute deal based on a charter flight. They’ll just be looking to fill a seat and a bed. I reckon this would be cheaper. Book a chalet and you might at least have some company.

Good dump of snow last night in Morzine with more to come. Spent the day on pretty much empty powder slopes in one of the quieter areas of the Portes de Soleil, except for the early morning fresh tracks rush hour.

Reports of 150cm on the Aiguille de Midi in Chamonix!!

If you need a “friend”, I’m available. Just pay my flights, passes, lodging and beer.

Youd buy your own food?? 🙂

I’ll look into the suggestions!

Food included in “lodging”…you stingy ting! 😮

Dezb , you could go somewhere with your mate?

I have the 12th March – week booked off . There are limited deals about for France and the snow is pretty good .

I guess you are on a budget and cheap is good , but would like catered???
Steve mcd might do us a super swervy if we ask very nicely perhaps?