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

Just been checking out prices with SkiFamille and FamilySki in Reberty, 3V. Both a bit sharp-intake-of-breath. 😐

Apart from the Neilson/Inghams offerings, and Esprit, anyone else have a recommendation for family offerings – just looking for a nice small “friendly” operation. 2 adults, one 3 year old who won’t be skiiing so crêch type affair in a chalet, skin-in-ski-out-ability would be good??

ESF do a Piou-piou creche out of Ardent (Montriond) for €200 for a week of mornings.

http://www.esf-montriond.com/ski-school-montriond/garderie-jardin-enfants/club-pioupiou.jsp?language=en_US&?utm_source=skinets.com&utm_medium=links&utm_campaign=skinets.com

Morznet tweeted some childcare options the other day
http://www.morznet.com/childcare/

BTW – Had a very useful session with Colin @ solutions 4 feet.

Not cheap as I paid RRP for a set of Salomon X Max 120. But it was worth it IMO to spend some time (an hour) learning about boots/fitting/progression from someone who clearly knows his onions. As well as obviously sizing and fitting the boot shell properly.

I didnt go for custom molded footbeds as I have pretty straightforward plates of meat and off the shelf pair were perfectly supportive. However, its easy at a later date to do custom molds and according to Colin all I’d need to bring back would be the inner boot, no the whole shell.

Purposeful looking.

@DeadlyD: We used SnowTrex last year for accommodation in Chamrousse. It’s relatively close to Grenoble airport as resorts go.
Family oriented friendly french resort.
Piou Piou club kids looked to be having a great time. The kids in my 7yo daughter’s lessons (all english btw) really liked the instructors.

Not much to do on an evening, and your accommodation choice is limited mostly to self catering. OK for us as we bought all our food at the supermarket near the airport and enjoyed a relaxed drive up to the resort.

Although it’s not a particularly high resort we had better snow than at a lot of the higher resorts down the road.
Accommodation was relatively close to the slopes (~150 yards).

Good luck.

@Stoner, it’s an informative session, I came out feeling like I’d had a full fitting class. Hopefully the boots work well for you, I’m looking forward to taking mine for a test run on an indoor slope in the next month or so, just need to find some cash for it from somewhere, I seem to be broke at the moment, can’t think why!

I came out feeling like I’d had a full fitting class

Exactly.

So now, either Im at the stage of a little knowledge is very dangerous, or, more hopefully/likely, I have a better idea of what a correctly fitting and specified boot should be like as and when I need to move on to a new boot.

Good boots for a chap of your athletic physique, Stoner.

*checks dictionary definition for “athletic.”*

So someone a couple of pages back peeked my interest with mention of Kessler snowboards. Any real world experince out there? They sound amazing in the limited reviews I can find online but never sure how much hype to believe. Currently riding 04 Burton Johan which I love and an 04 Burton T6 (alps board) but actually prefer the trashed Johan which is my Scottish board. Got a 10% Absolute Snow birthday voucher so would need to decide soon – are they worth it? Price is high but not when compared to a new bike!!

On top of the race successes, and the reviews that are out there, I’d take Stevomdc’s word for the difference they can make. He seems to know what he’s talking about. If I could stomach the premium, and didn’t have a relatively new board, I probably would.

But I think if I was buying, I’d struggle to justify spending that much on a board. I’d rather get the Amplid B 10/30 and a set of new splitty bindings for the wife. And some beers.

If you go for it, let us know how you get on!

I’ll set ’em up, DD. You knock ’em over.

I had a feeling you were doing that. I was merely doing the right thing.

You laff only coz your boots are VAT-free, DD.

😆

Very good…fair dues.

*goes off to have a think…*

*checks dictionary definition for “think.”*

You laff only coz your boots are VAT-free, DD.

😆

Thinking of some new bindings this year for my S3s. Being used in Whistler on the inbound but off piste stuff, blackcomb glacier etc. Any recommendations?

PSA: Whitedot skis are on offer on SportPursuit.

No idea how good they are, but the SnowHeads seem to rate them.

I Just booked onto a half-time off-piste week with the UCPA in Serre Che, can’t believe how excited I am!

I’m going with my girlfriend and another couple so I’ll spend half the time snowboarding with guides off piste and the other half cruising the pistes with the girls. I’m going to be glued to the snow forecasts from now on…

BARGAIN. My sister picked up a pair of Stockli Stormrider XXL with bindings for £40 in a charity shop.

LD: The Kessler’s are amazing, amazing boards. I’ve only ridden The Cross briefly, which is obviously quite specialist, but I think their freeride board is more-or-less based on it.

I’ll be honest – I’m a solid rider (working hard on getting my top-level instructor quali, raced boardercross last season and done 10 seasons) and it’s a LOT of board. I wouldn’t want to ride it everywhere. On race tracks, sure, it’s a beast. For carving on wide, empty, early-morning groomers too, it’ll hold an edge like nothing else. But outside of that, you’d have to be 100% on it all the time or it would eat you alive. I think for 99% of snowboarders out there, it would be way too much board.

Many would say the same of the T6… I’ve only demo’d one (indoors!) very briefly, so couldn’t comment.

That’s interesting, All the blurb says it’s very forgiving for a high end board – due to the cmber profile. While I’d expect the Cross to be less forgiving, the Ride and the cross have the same camber profile, so I’d have thought that would make the Cross relatively friendly in the same way?

The Ride might be different, but The Cross has a super-long raceboard sidecut radius (no need for a turny board on banked corners….) and is designed to be super-stable at high-speed.

Super-stable at high speed can also be translated as “a bitch to turn”. What it wants to do is go in a straight line, at very high speed, obliterating anything that gets in the way.

Riding it for a few pistes was a load of fun, it just batters through crud & death-cookes like they’re the finest groomed corduroy, but you do find yourself doing cheek-wobbling, life-fearing warp-speed in no time at all.

It’s not a board to just have fun on. It’s for going very, very fast and only that. Fast is fun, of course…

For comparison, I raced on my Amplid UNW8, which is pretty stiff as all-mountain boards go, more like a slightly extended pipe board than anything else, but I’ll happily take a run through the park on it, hit a couple of boxes, do some flatland, ride some powder. The Cross, not so much…

Obergurgl booked for Easter hols. Looking for feb half term now.
We’d like lots of trees, easily accessible off piste stuff would be great, any ideas?
Channel tunnel is booked as we will be driving. We’re at val/Tignes last year at new year, found tigne fun, val a bit steep but was Icy so didn’t help.

Playing the “Bollocks to it” card this time round and heading for Whistler for a week in January.

Hmmm, thanks for the replies steve and ned. The fact that it might be too fast and actually difficult to ride slow was one of my concerns. I do spend a lot of time riding with my son these days. I got the impression that the Ride is a bit more forgiving. Never had any issues with the T6 but do prefer the Johan cause I like the stiffness especially through the Scottish chop. Only 2 days left to decide!

I’m all booked now. La Plagne end of January and Morzine in March. Bring it!

Absolute snow have a flash sale on if you need any kit

If you go for it, let us know how you get on!

Wussed out I’m afraid. Couldn’t quite bring myself to risk that much money, I think I may have not ridden certain lines due to not wanting to risk damaging the board. Jones Flagship on the way instead. 🙂

LD – I’m a very mediocre rider and that Jones Flagship is fantastic if you get any fresh snow. Bit of a handful (bouncy – it’s stiff) in the afternoons if it’s warm and everything is cut up. Hard work in those conditions but surprisingly forgiving in terms of edge catching and the like. Nicest to ride a little faster rather than a little slower. And it goes straight very, very well.
Also got a Mountain Twin for a more relaxed ride.

Cheers, sounds like it’ll suit me well. Used to stiffness with an old Burton Johan atm so looking forward to it. Just need enough snow in Scotland to cover the rocks for some practice before 3V in Feb!

Deposits paid. Flights booked.

*moistens*

Anyone know when new season ski stock starts appearing on the shelves of Decathlon again?

returned some boots last end of last season and they gave me a credit note to use this year when the new ones appear…

That sounds like an excellent deal JJ – do you think they’ll let you do it again this year? You have to try really.

#better than rental

fair point might try it. just rip a buckle off…

I’m getting a new board tonight 🙂

Saloman Villain…..can’t wait…..freestyle at Chill Factore for the next 3 night so hopefully build up some confidence on it.

I have also got a few trips booked. VT for New Year and Morzine first week of April. Scraping together the funds for a week of off piste in Chamonix in Feb with UCPA too.

Roll on December!!!!!!

Here’s one:

Japan.

What’s a sensible budget for a trip to score some ridiculous pow? Two weeks, 10 days, Niseko, Hokkaido, (somewhere further out/further off?) low key, humblish digs, self catering sort of trip. 4 or 6 people?

Any thoughts?

Edit: when I say “humblish” I mainly mean the accommodation’s not a priority. Bed, shower, somewhere to sit, warm and dry. First world humble!

Leggyblonde, am jealous!

Some of the stuff of Isolée and the Col during Vent are ace!

oh, and do try and make time for lunch at Least Bercail at Aravet. Have the sugar cube with your post prandial coffee as well……

Ned, I keep trying to tie in Jap-POW with a work trip. Failing so far. One thing to bear in mind is the distance. However you cut it, it’s a long way! Two weeks would make sense. Allows you time to adjust after jet lag and plenty of time to really experience Japan.

Ned – check out black diamond tours… We’ve just booked their ultimate pow trip as part of our honeymoon in Feb. Not used them before but they come highly recommended and might be the sort of thing you’re after (accommodation is supposed to be clean but very simple).

Playing the “Bollocks to it” card this time round and heading for Whistler for a week in January.

Sweet! It’ll likely be busy but January had some of the better snow last year, so fingers crossed for you 😀