The STW Ski & Snowboard thread. The 2016-2017 season

Living in Bristol, Stanstead is a pain to get to though, especially for a short weekender…with the Grandparents looking after the kids 3 hours this end matter.
Nice pic Swavis, Bristol-Inverness?

Lecht opening tomorrow, cairngorm hopeful next weekend which is handy as I am there the whole week after, the shee filling in nicely.
Just got some qst92s and a some ransoms for mrsnzcol and skis for juniornzcol. Skint but new stuff – woo hoo

First snowboarding of the season complete , went to our local resort where they have had a metre of snow in the last week, so was a great start but only one lift open. The amount of snow took them a little by surprise . The bigger resort opens next weekend but I’m in bloody London!

Home made box rail is in place in the garden as well, testing tomorrow

Love it!

Looking terrible up top of Mossettes 🙂

https://portesdusoleil.roundshot.com/

Agreed. Awful.

Looking terrible up top of Mossettes

It’s all so early, hopefully this continues on till the end of January – with a few nice sunny days through the 21st to 28th!

cairngorm hopeful next weekend

I reckon unlikely TBH. Was up there on Saturday morning, and it looks very thin. Was 12 degrees just north of Perth this morning at 6am 🙁

@ The DT’s: There’s not much difference between Grenoble and Lyon airports distance and time wise as Grenoble is north of Grenoble pretty much half-way between Grenoble centre and Lyon airport. And it’s a good 15 mins by coach to the auto-route. Lyon airport is on the right side of the city for heading towards the Serre Che part of the alps. Only issue is (and admittedly it can be a big one on change-over days:) From Lyon airport you have a fairly major peage/ toll booth too get through which gets jammed up when busy. But even then there are petty obvious routes to avoid this.

My season’s lift pass turned up this morning …. along with some gratuit day passes for PdS and 2Alpes.
Smiling….. just a bit

mugsys makes a very good point – in fact if you go round the galibier via the north valley and Italy, Via Michelin reckons the difference to Briancon is 1 minute (just over 3 hrs).

I was comparing the Turin Transfer, good point about the difference between Lyon and Grenoble, But I haven’t seen the Col du Galibier open in Jan before. Is that the route you meant mefty?#
Also looking at a long weekender so a 3 hour transfer would be out of the question.

Is that the route you meant mefty?#

No via St Jean de Maurienne and close by Modane into Italy, but agree long transfer for weekend.

Val d’Isere webcam looking equally rubbish 🙂

http://www.valdisere.com/en/now/webcams_valdisere/

Verbier. It was only 3 weekends ago they closed the bikepark in Autumn sunshine. Opening weekend of ski season

The trouble with going via Modane and Italy to get to Serre Che are the queues for the Frejus tunnel toll booths and the cost of the tunnel (€43.70 each way).

Sprootlet – where is your season pass for? PdS and L2A are a fair trek from each other!

More advice required if folks could be so kind. So work, family life and stuff in general leaves me looking at a Wed to Sun trip in Jan. Flights etc fairly cheap but cannot fight my way through google to find any basic cheapish accommodation in resorts close to Geneva. Any tips much appreciated.

LD
http://www.chaletmontana.eu/
and Zeb can sort out transfers for you from and to GVA for about €25-30 c.80mins e/w
Ski buss leaves from straight outside the Chalet up to Ardent Lift, 5mins away.

Mmm, that’s the idea. Not sure PDS has enough runs to keep me occupied though!

Mid Jan won’t be sold out so you could leave it last minute, tricky bit may be sat night as most companies offer Sat-Sat. Your golden option is to find last min availability for a company with Sun-Sun trips

Not sure PDS has enough runs to keep me occupied though!

I know what you mean. 400 miles of piste seems so little these days! 🙄

😆

Stoner’s suggestion is good for access over the back into Switzerland, over the side into Chatel, over the other side into Avoriaz and in the other direction Morzine/Les Gets. Short free buses each time. Not a bad place. Of course Stoner is, give or take, one of your neighbours there… 😉

Within about 1.30 from Geneva we have stayed at the Best Western in Morrilon, Grand Massif.
BW
Apartment Hotel so has Kitchenette, for breakfast and also has a pool, which was nice.

Apologies if this has already been posted.

Any thoughts on L2A as a destination for a group of very mixed abilities? One happiest on blue runs, one starting reds, one starting blacks, 3 experienced/off piste skiers and one trying to keep up with them? I’ve offered to try to find a location, and the accommodation looks good, but would appreciate opinions on the skiing suitability!

Im off out to work in the grand massif for the season so hopefully should get some time on the hills! 😀

I may have to appoint myself moderator of this thread and weild my icy hammer of ban towards anyone displaying excessive smugness!

😉

Any thoughts on L2A as a destination for a group of very mixed abilities? One happiest on blue runs, one starting reds, one starting blacks, 3 experienced/off piste skiers and one trying to keep up with them? I’ve offered to try to find a location, and the accommodation looks good, but would appreciate opinions on the skiing suitability!

The 3+1 are made up, over the top to La Grave and more challenging off piste than you can shake your ski poles at. Grab a guide from L2A’s or La Grave’s Bureau des Guides, or http://snowlegend.com/en/ or Tina/Francky http://www.bandofboarders.net/

CFH bans himself shock 😉

L2A will suit the others too, the whole mountain is mainly blue with shades of red. Special mention for the Signal run off the glacier, it’s made for mixed ability groups

cairngorm hopeful next weekend

We’re due more snow this week but I doubt Cairngorm will have enough to open, they need quite a lot to cover all the boulders up there 😉

The Lecht might run again, as long as the showers head far enough east.

Some more pic’s from my micro split adventure the other night

Tomintoul in the background

I may have to appoint myself moderator of this thread and weild my icy hammer of ban towards anyone displaying excessive smugness!

I’d second that, the more seasonaires we can ban the better the bar stewards! Not that I’m just horrendously jealous, oh no, not me 😀

😀 @igm

On the other hand if you want to do a season in Europe, best to do it before we lose freedom of movement of labour.

Other ski areas are available but I can’t see for example the French handing out a load of work permits for kids to work for UK holiday companies.

The days of “cheap” European ski holidays may be numbered.

Of course, perhaps not.

I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!1

Does L2A still offer days out on their pass? Think it used to be AdH and Serre Che, but I might be wrong.

Hello to Turbo1397
What will you be doing in Grand Massif? We’re largely going to a pair of ski bums with various friends visiting…smug, yes indeed

Don’t you love how for a week’s on the snow the excitement starts building about 6 months in advance.