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

This is pretty awesome.

Oh, and 15:40. That’s all. 🙂

When is the best time to go to the US / Canada for skiing? School holiday constrained, but toying with the four of us going for a couple of weeks at Easter the year after next. Is that getting a little late? Would a week at half term make more sense.

We’ll have an 11 year old and 7 year old with us – the older one is already very competent the younger one can get himself down a blue but will have another two years under his belt by then. We board (badly, wheels on the ground style), the boys ski.

Thoughts? Suggested resorts?

Apres not a huge issue, bars on the slopes are good.

I think Stevomcd mentioned over on Snowheads that in the preceding months of one of the best snow years in a decade, there was not a drop to be seen up high on 30th November.

Or something like that.

A quarter of a century ago we were often out skiing in November over 2000m. In recent years it’s been rare and this year it’s very mild in France. The weather forecaster read out more broken records for temperature in November this evening.

2 years ago this tuesday just gone on Nevis Range:

https://www.facebook.com/BackCorries/posts/768087863319138?pnref=story

It’s sunny and mild here just now for sure. I am enjoying riding my bike for as long as possible and not thinking about snow yet.

As wallop says, 2011? (can’t even remember, about then!) I was mountain biking at 2500m with not a flake in sight on the 30th November, then riding deep, deep powder a week later.

Last winter, I almost got the splitboard out in mid-November, then Christmas snow conditions were pretty much a disaster.

TL,DR: Conditions in early/mid-November are pretty much irrelevant.

I shot this in late November 2008, but it’s far from the norm! :

When is the best time to go to the US / Canada for skiing?…going for a couple of weeks at Easter the year after next

Year after next Easter is mid April. In that case I’d be inclined to look at a resort that was higher. Usually mid April is not too bad in CO but it is a slush and corn fest in CA. Last year Loveland and A-Basin in CO were open till May because of the heavy late season snowfalls. If you can I’d avoid the U.S. resorts in March as the school and college spring breaks tend to make everything busy for the month.

Mrs.10 has given the ok for a future ja-pow trip. Good times, I can’t however ski like Sean Pettit.

Mrs.10 has given the ok for a future ja-pow trip.

It’s great. We went last year and are heading back again this season because it was so good. And last year was crap by their standards apparently.

Stevomcd, I’ve just sent you an e-mail enquiry.

It won’t be for a couple of years now unfortunately, but she has said more than once that she thinks i should go so that’s it almost in stone as far as I’m concerned!

IT’S BOOKED!!!

Just finished getting the booking done for a two week trip to Banff over Christmas and new year. Happy, happy, happy.

It is quite pricey, but I’ve saved for it, so that’s all right.

just noticed the temp drop here at the weekend so had a quick look at the Alps and see St Anton (for Example) is currently high of 11 degs and low of 2 degs.

By Sunday its a high of -6 and low of -15 degs and snowing! 😀

Looks like it’s going to dump on the Alps this weekend! Yay! 😀

http://www.snow-forecast.com/maps/dynamic/alps?hr=84

And all week and into next according to weather crave / chaine metro.

Can I request all European based folk start a Euro snowatch for me?

Pics of the first flakes, lovely pristine white blankets – that sort of thing.

Not going till Easter, but I think I can stay excited from now until then.

Not going till Easter, but I think I can stay excited from now until then.

Crikey…Easter!!!

You could go twice before then….if you really wanted to! 8)

You could go twice before then….if you really wanted can afford to!

😀

Not when there’s four of us, we’re tied to school holidays and I don’t have much spare holiday myself.

I think if I went without my older son my life wouldn’t be worth living when I got back.

Fair enough, must be great skiing with a son who loves it as much as you.

worth waiting for even….

It is. Like I said I start getting excited about now.

Here’s the image from my webcam on my balcony, Maria Alm, Austria. about 1000m.
It should keep updating every time you refresh the thread.
Hopefully be all white by Sunday!

Can you remove the rose tinted filter?

That’s just the way I view the world!

The camera auto adjusts it’s light balance all of the time when the sun is over the mountains towards Zell/Leogang.

There you go, moved it right a bit.

Lots of snow in Scandi-land now too .

Quite simply the bestest snowboard ever….. Huge fan of YES.

Colp – as you know, I have a vested interest in the conditions, but an unlikely to be able to check your cam during the day. So if you’re taking requests… any chance of night vision 😉

Night vision is a bit tricky, but here’s one from a few years ago, sunset at the start of the season.

This amused me! 🙂

One skier on an empty slope and the Boarder takes him out! ‘kin Boarders eh?

That made me chuckle. He could drop a bomb down a chimney from space that bloke.

“You stopped in the middle!”

😆

The more important question is why, when there appears to be a large amount of untracked powder all around, he’s riding the piste at all?

Although if he rides with the same level of technical ability as his mate, that would answer that question…

Don’t post much to this thread but it’s been a fantastic start to the season in Canada. Revelstoke opens in a weeks time with over 3m fallen and a depth of 1.5m at 2000m. Meanwhile even Sunshine has had over 1m of snow in the last week. So sweamrs and I left sweajnr in day care and headed out for some skiing.

Only got a couple of fresh runs as heading off the groomers was scary (basically no base) and lots of people out but still not bad for mid-November….

Don’t post much to this thread

With photos like that I can see why 😉

Waves at michaelmcc!

🙂

any recomendations for a transfer from geneva airport to Avoriaz ?
7 of us , Christmas week .

I’ve used https://www.skiidygonzales.com/ for transfers for the last 4 or 5 years and they’ve been good.

Late night thread!

Stuck on the Newcastle York train at the moment – dreaming of snow.

CaptainFlashheart – Member
Waves at michaelmcc!

Now I understand.

1st day on the mountain at Whistler today. Opening day was yesterday, but we were all working. Much quieter today by all accounts. Some nice cold weather made sure the snow was hard packed and crispy in some places, but a solid 80cm base and only a short download from midstation required. Due to dump on Monday night so we’ll see how next week shapes up.

The high country in Colorado got hit last night. About 12″ fell. Brings the ytd to 53″ at Loveland. I’m in Texas though sadly so I’m missing it.

I’m headed up to Colorado in 3 weeks so hopefully it stays pretty cold and I can enjoy it! Go up every year for a few rides. Funny enough I have a brother in Texas who flies up each year with us to join.

I ordered a Voile DIY split kit over the weekend. I’d thought about it last year but didn’t fancy knackering my only snowboard but now I have a nice new Lando Phoenix my Lib Tech TRS is going to meet with the bandsaw at work 😈

What’s good in the glove world these days? I found out at Snozone yesterday (before I got there luckily) that my current gloves have somehow decided to fall apart in the three years since the last time I wore them, so I am now on the lookout for a replacement.

Browsing the shops after the session I saw some Hestra three finger gloves. Gore-tex (obviously), but with a weird semi-mitten design.

Are they any good? Anything else to consider?