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

igm – Member
Stoner – you out at half term

Daft idea. There’ll be loads of brats everywhere!

No, just the trip end Jan with Mrs, another in March with a pair of exiles and then back out April 10-20 with th kids for Easter. When are you and the rest of the clan out next? Half term?

Yes. First week of our Easter holiday is the last week of the Les Gets season, so it seemed like a decent year to do half term – particularly as there are two half term weeks and we’re in the slightly cheaper one which means it’s about the same price as Easter.

And if the season is good we might try for a late booking at Easter.

Well, now sat in Brussels, nearly every Easyjet flight from yesterday lunch onwards was cancelled along with lots of others. 5000 people had cancelled flights…..Easyjet very kindly offered to fly me home free of charge on 4th Jan?!?!

Sooo…..718 Swiss francs for a Geneva-Brussels-Manchester flight this morning it was.

Then need to get to Birmingham to retrieve my car!

Oooh, that sounds grim Tom.

Fortunately all the Brizzle EZY flights seemed to be OK. Our inbound arrived early and we landed at BRS early too. Sounds like it was UK airport fog issues and Briz tends to clear fairly early on being on top of the hill that it is.

Tom 🙁 a friend of mine had his Faro/Bournemouth flight cancelled and had to go to Birmingham today and do a 1-way car rental. All at his cost (2 of them)

seriously hard wind in åre today , a powder day but heavy pow with poor visibility. still fun though!

We’re in Les Deux Alpes at the moment. Not bad considering they haven’t had snow for nearly two months, 50 odd runs open, three blacks, half a dozen reds and a load of blues. Very thin and icy in places, my skis will need a lot of p-tex when we get back. On the plus side, not seen a cloud in the sky all week and beautiful blue skies.

[/url]Les deux alpes by Ben Freeman[/url], on Flickr

less than two weeks till we return to Sainte Foy. snow outlook obviously looking bleak (which it did this time last year too but we ended up with loads!) but like last year again im seriously considering packing some bike gear just in case. Would White Room or any ski shops be willing to rent a bike a bike out this time of year and provide any guiding for a day or two?

Im looking for a new coat, would like one i can wear at home when its very cold too, so considering the Alpkit Phantac? not technically a ski coat but looks warm and comfortable. any owners on here? anyone skied in one? the filo’s looks a bit too bulky for me.

Skied in one??

It’s a jacket to keep you warm in low activity situations or very cold conditions, not for skiing!! You’d be dripping if you tried to exert yourself in something like that!

really, that warm!? ok noted thanks.

just looking through the snow reports. one is extremely more optimistic than all the others – how accurate have folk found jet2ski??? 😆

They all run off a couple of models, and basically anything more than about 4-5 days is just fantasy. Get yourself over to Snowheads weather discussion thread for more informed views on what is likely to happen 🙂

Looking at the Vercors and the Chartreuse and the Belledonne: It’s like a desert out there. We havn’t seen any precipitation for all of December: I’ve seen reports saying it is the driest decemebr in France for over 60 years. It has been warm and bright blue skies with frosts here at 600m, but since the weekend it’s gone sgnifiacntly colder. Freezing fog forecasted for the next few days with maybe the odd flurry then hopefully some propoer snow in a weeks time.

Feel sorry for anyone having been on holiday here recently. I’m strangely detahced form it this year as I am in no rush to get out, recovering from my broken leg. I’m waiting for the good stuff: no way am I risking it on hardpacked pistes.

I this one, not bad. Mountain weather is particularly unpredictable of course.

http://www.snow-forecast.com

anything more than about 4-5 days is just fantasy

That’s true in the UK but in France the weather is a lot more predictable, especially when the Winter anti-cyclone pays a long visit.

We use lachainemeteo and find that it’s a good guide for 10 days ahead.

There’s nowhere like a ski resort to celebrate the New Year.

Edukator there are plenty of things we agree on 🙂

950 bl00dy cars burnt this year, it’s just nuts and not a single burnt car photo on TV !

950 bl00dy cars burnt this year, it’s just nuts and not a single burnt car photo on TV !

where? 😯

France, it’s about a thousand most years. If you have a fully insured car with a blown engine or gearbox set fire to it on New Year’s Eve and the insurers will be less likely to suspect insurance fraud. Also a good time to settle that petty dispute or just be an arse when pissed, high or both.

Edukator – Reformed Troll
anything more than about 4-5 days is just fantasy
That’s true in the UK but in France the weather is a lot more predictable, especially when the Winter anti-cyclone pays a long visit.

Since when has forecasting mountain weather been predictable??? 10 days out is mainly fantasy, either in the UK or the Alps. Sure, you can check the ensembles and charts as they are run several times a day and pick up on patterns emerging, but they are broad themes and lack any detail. Forecasting that far out is very rarely reliable, even when there’s a massive and stubborn blocking high in place, as even they can break down suddenly and unpredictably!

Take a screen shots from lachainemeteo for say Tignes and Font Romeu then get back to us in 12 days and tell us how the forecast compares with what happened.

I’ve changed holiday plans on the basis of the 12 day forecast and not regretted so far.

Today is Tuesday. There’s no snow forecast for Gourette for a week so I’m expecting cold sunny weather (cold enough to make artificial in abundance as of Saturday and maybe a little tomorrow. The following week it will remain cold and snow a little most days with heavier falls over the weekend of 14/15 January. RDV in two weeks time for the verdict, but if I were booking a holiday I’d be confident of skiing in good conditions as of 15/1/2017.

Check out my post on page 16 of this thread based on machainemeteo:

Pyrénées are icy and thin below 1800m at present. We took an eternity to ski down from 1600 to 1400 yesterday. It’s not going to improve for as long as the weather forecast is reliable.

By “improve” I meant there would be no new snow and I was absolutely right. Every time I post long term forecast on this thread (and previous ones) somebody rubbishes it yet I’m right every time.

Jet2ski forecasts an almighty dump in Ste Foy starting towards the end of next week, none of the others do tho…

French Cars. TV originally said that it was only 650 vs 600 last year and then someone pointed out that was not counting all the cars fire damaged just the one they actually set on fire. Mrs B agrees it’s always like that in the “sh.tty areas”, TV doesn’t cover it as they don’t want to encourage it 😯

Verbier conditions have been OK-ish at the very top but anything below 2000m and facing South is pure grass, not even artificial.

Edukator I admire your mid Jan will be OK viewpoint, seems very optimistic to me

Edukator – Reformed Troll
Every time I post long term forecast on this thread (and previous ones) somebody rubbishes it yet I’m right every time.

Why don’t you post your long term predictions on the snowheads weather thread – they’d love you over there 😉

Resorts only need cold weather and full reservoirs these days, Jamba. My local resort can turn a forest road at 1360m into a nicely groomed piste with three days at -5°C. That’s why I’m confident skiing conditions will be fine by 15/1/2016, even if the forecast snow isn’t enough the cold temperatures will allow enough artificial snow to be produced.

Natural snow is a bonus obviously but the erosion by skiers is such that even in a good year resorts can’t survive on natural snow only below about 2000m (and rising). There’s only so much pushing snow back up hill and back onto the pistes can achieve.

The climatic change issue is a thorny one but I’ve been skiing long enough to see trends, Madame has been skiing our local resort for 33 years. The tree line pushes steadily higher, the season gets steadily shorter and the number of days with a temperature inversion seems to be rising exponentially. Now there’s a doctorate subject for someone – “Changes in the temperature gradient with respect to altitude in the Pyrenees since 1950, with a focus on periods of temperature inversion in Winter”. So far this Winter we’ve had at least two weeks of lower daily minimum temperatures at 175m than 1400m, hence the inability to produce artificial snow.

I agree with Edukator. We have continental weather not a polar maritime. They can predict weather with more sucessful than in the UK.

However being cold enough to make artifical snow is fine…but… at least here it has been so dry over the summer as well as the autumn and winter so far that the reservoirs in the resorts are low if not dry : no water no artificial snow….

Anyway. Looks like snow from middle of next week for Grenoble area at least.

The southern alpes have been faring well I have heard: around Barcelonette etc in the haute ubaye. Amis Saw some great powder shots of Val Cenis area just before Christmas.

Just read in today’s Metro that Sir Bradley of Wiggins will be a contestant on this year’s series of Snow, Ski and A & E The Jump – that should be entertaining! 😆

too much send

Top Jerry

Resorts only need cold weather and full reservoirs these days, Jamba. My local resort can turn a forest road at 1360m into a nicely groomed piste with three days at -5°C. That’s why I’m confident skiing conditions will be fine by 15/1/2016, even if the forecast snow isn’t enough the cold temperatures will allow enough artificial snow to be produced.

If they bother to invest in snow cannons. Just back from Les Duex Alpes and they had bugger all snow cannons high up, just a few on the lowest slopes. We were skiing on water ice and gravel with just a dusting of snow which they kept moving around during the week. They need to up their game and invest in snow making if this sort of weather pattern continues.

That’s a worry footflaps – we were thinking about going to l2A near half term.

Been there a couple of times before and find it great for the kids – but the most of the bunny slopes are at the bottom.

Was it not any better up at the glacier or was that tracked out?

There’s a big dump of snow predicted later today across much of high altitude Switzerland. That should also carry on into Portes du Soleil, Chamonix etc. Unfortunately it’s going to be accompanied and followed by high winds at altitude so not sure how much of it will hang around…. 🙁

not sure how much of it will hang around.

Enough. Enough to create some nice plaques à vent that skiers can avalanche.

From distant memory (twas a long time since I was there) Alpe D’Huez has snow canons up pretty high on the blues.

Fingers crossed for snowfall, personally I have limited interest for an all on-piste mostly artificial snow type holiday. French friends did go for Christmas and kids did classes but parents hardly skied (1 or 2 days), saved money on ski passes and equipment rental and just did some walking, relaxing and reading etc. A bad snow season plus weak £/€ could hurt businesses and resorts pretty badly. I remember the local from Peisey saying last year that the Brits had “saved the day” recently.

Seen on Snowheads – the prettiest weather website I ever did see.

http://www.ventusky.com

That’s a worry footflaps – we were thinking about going to l2A near half term.

Been there a couple of times before and find it great for the kids – but the most of the bunny slopes are at the bottom.

Was it not any better up at the glacier or was that tracked out?

Well yes, but only if you like flat blues with a constant 5-15 degree gradient. Fine if you want to learn to snowplow but after clocking 70mph carving on Signal for the 100th time each day, it gets a little boring. All the reds / blacks were covered in stones / rocks and have eaten my skies down to the metal base plate (and they were brand new). They’d even dumped straw on one piste as a substitute for snow! So you got to ski on rocks and straw rather than rocks and snow (bottom of La Fee).

I would guess it will be back to normal by half term….

beanum – Member
There’s a big dump of snow predicted later today across much of high altitude Switzerland. That should also carry on into Portes du Soleil, Chamonix etc.

Very little forecast for PdS and Cham, “dump” is further east into Austria etc. Glimmer of hope out around the 11th Jan for PdS etc, but long way out yet.

footflaps: yeah it was Signal I was thinking of. Okay run that one, but only for a few laps!
If even La Fee had straw on it then you must have been very limited in what is already a pretty small resort. 🙁

You’re right the main drag off the glacier is pretty dull and slow in places – though that little subway funicular train to the top is quite cool. 🙂

From distant memory (twas a long time since I was there) Alpe D’Huez has snow canons up pretty high on the blues.

Les Deux Alpes is not Alpe D’Huez (remarkably common misconception). L2A is a much smaller resort, next to La Grave: http://www.les2alpes.com/en/ski-area.html

From distant memory (twas a long time since I was there) Alpe D’Huez has snow canons up pretty high on the blues.

We thought we could see Alpe D’Huez from the Glacier at L2A and if so, it had very little snow. The helicopters were running 1 way traffic all week, bringing people to L2A from all around as we had the ‘best’ snow in the region….

Alpe d'Huez? by Ben Freeman[/url], on Flickr

We’re in val d’isere at the moment. Yesterday was blue skies and good to v good snow all day. Today was a bit cloudy at times, a bit windy at times but always good visibility and mostly good snow – a bit icy on the less travelled pistes from time to time. Yesterday slopes were super quiet, today anything heading down to a main lift was pretty busy!