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

Graham, I know they are different resorts, they are nearish each ofher hence my comparison.

@wallop love that site bookmarked 🙂

We’re in val d’isere at the moment.

My favourite French ski resort!

it is snowing in Morzine and Les Gets tonight . not sure that will be enough though .

30cm of snow here last night, you’re all holidaying in the wrong places

Graham, I know they are different resorts,

Apologies – it wasn’t clear from the context and I’ve had a couple of other people make that mistake in the past.

Blue sky and great conditions in Sestriere.
Might be a bit nippy tomorrow though (-15 forecast)

We won’t get negative 15 till the weekend here in Fernie – it was -30 this morning…. no skiing and no biking either. No uncovered skin or it will go white in a couple of minutes.
We will get four days of snow from the weekend to make up for the cold.

Thanks Griz.

-20 the last couple of days in Whistler. -14 today and due to warm up a bit, which my toes are thankful for 😀

Snowing in the Grand Massif and it was in desperate need of it!
Fingers crossed it carries on and more of the resort opens soon.

I’m off to Flaine next wednesday for a few days, have been following the snow conditions via the grand massif app over the last few weeks, hopefully the snow over the last 24 hours will open up more runs.

If things dont improve I may not go at all.

Sprootlet -Is it worth me going next week , or is everything that is open super icy and very busy?

A cautionary tale for those who like to wear a backpack when riding ‘inbounds’:

Dangling skier rescued from Utah chair-lift

A cautionary tale for those who like to wear a backpack when riding ‘inbounds’:

Could have been worse

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/12000022/Kieran-Brookes-Ski-lift-operator-guilty-over-death-of-Devon-schoolboy-on-Alps-trip.html

I always ski with a backpack, but carry it on my lap on lifts.

When I wear a pack it is this one:

BD Bandit

Specifically chosen because it is low profile and doesn’t have loads of straps and stuff that could get caught up on a lift.

(I did once, back in the day, suffer the indignity of somehow getting my suspenders caught on a chair resulting in an hilarious comedy wedgie when I got off. 😳 )

I always ski with a backpack

Do you mind me asking what’s in it? I’m often curious what’s in these backpacks when I see Brits in Europe cruising the groomers (i.e. not heading “back, slack or side” with transceiver, shovel & probe)

It’s a personal thing for sure, but I love the freedom of not wearing a backpack and the weight of it sometimes throwing you off-balance – both on the bike and the board!

I had a gap in between backcountry trips in 2015 so arranged to meet a friend in a nearby resort – for the first few runs, I had that feeling that I’d forgotten something, but at the same time had an overwhelming and ‘giddy’ sense of freedom when riding. Then I realised it was because I wasn’t wearing a 10Kg+ backpack! 😆

somehow getting my suspenders caught on a chair

Oooh missus! That’s the great thing about snowsports isn’t it? You can wear the wife’s underwear beneath all that GoreTex Pro and no one else will be any the wiser! 😳

I’m lucky it wasn’t my thong.

I ski with a backpack when with the family as I am the family mitten/hat/waterbottle/coat/marshmallow mule.

I’m lucky it wasn’t my thong.

… Eurovision Thong Contest? 😉

Saw there’s loads of lifts closed today in Serre Che. Was it wind? Or has all the snow disappeared 😥

From previous page – nowhere is very busy at present as there are so few people on holiday.

Don’t forget there are webcams in most resorts if you want a better idea of the conditions than a snow report. I use viewsurf.com both Winter and Summer.

I think backpacks varies depends on resort and type of skiing… when I was skiing in Europe and and was younger / keener I’d have a backpack. It’d have food / water for the day along with spare gloves etc. If you’re cruising a big resort like Les Arcs you might not be returning to base until late in the day. Stopping to eat meant less skiing time.

Now skiing in Canada where in most resorts (excluding Whistler) you’re probably ~2 lifts from base at most I just leave everything in the day lodge. Being older I also stop more to warm up etc.

Do you mind me asking what’s in it?

Mine is a 14l Marmot ski touring specific bag (can strap skis on and climb up steep ground etc).

I generally always carry on a hill (whether skiing or not)…

1st Aid kit
Survival Bag
Head torch
Camelbak bladder with 1-2l of water
Spare gloves
Spare mid layer
Some snacks
Spare iPhone battery booster thing
Compass, whistle, map
Goggles

Quite handy if you cock up off piste and have to climb back up something steep and narrow, just strap the skis on the backpack and climb up in boots using poles.

Quite handy if you cock up off piste

I’d add a shovel and probe to that list if you are heading away from the pistes …

Thanks for the list though footflaps – I’m genuinely interested in what folks carry around on the piste/inbounds with them.

Your pack must weigh quite a bit with upto 2Kg of water as well as all the rest of your gear!

Mine up there carries my shovel, probe, spare batteries etc if I’m planning on going off piste (slackcountry at best usually).

As per Stoner, if I’m wearing it on in-bounds days its because I’m hauling supplies for the kids or missus 😀

Your pack must weigh quite a bit with upto 2Kg of water as well as all the rest of your gear!

Can’t say I notice it, probably 5-6 kg all in, which is nothing when you consider you probably have the same strapped to your feet…

At some point I’ll also get a couple of the avalanche balloon backpacks (for the wife & I), just waiting for the Black Diamond / Arcteryx battery powered ones to come down in price a bit; seems a far superior solution to the gas canister ones.

In the spirit of “you show me yours and I’ll show you mine”

I purchased this last year for touring etc:

Plus points are that I can easily fit my helmet inside it! 😆

Backpack. Mine has caught in lifts before when I’ve been lazy and not put it on my lap. Cautionary tale.

Mine generally has spare clothes, eg warm hat for when I take my helmet off in the outdoor apres ski bar (eg Folie Douce), spare gloves/liners, windproof in spring which I wear on high/cold lifts, sun cream, shoes if I have a decent walk before/after skiing … as above I can strap my skis to it if necessary for a hike up

eg warm hat for when I take my helmet off in the outdoor apres ski bar (eg Folie Douce),

yep forgot that, always carry one!

I rarely take water in my pack, just eat the snow (provided it’s not yellow, or has a fag stubbed out in it)

yep forgot that, always carry one!

Nothing is more miserable than being too cold to enjoy a (extra) beverage. It is a holiday after all. Outdoor bar with view always superior to being crammed inside a place.

Never had one.

But I never go off piste.

And only wear a helmet if kids are with me.

probably 5-6 kg all in, which is nothing when you consider you probably have the same strapped to your feet…

Indeed, however it’s having weight on my back that I dislike as I find it impacts my ‘centre of gravity’ / ‘cone of balance’ etc so I have to adjust my riding accordingly – landing drops etc with a backpack on, even in heavy powder has a tendency to throw me off line if I’m not careful – even with the heavy stuff at the bottom of the pack.

Interesting that as others have commented, it has become commonplace in Europe to wear a backpack inbounds. Completely understand though when skiing with kids and having to carry spares etc – but shouldn’t they be in day care ski school though? 😀

And only wear a helmet if kids are with me.

I always wear a helmet, you never know who will take you out e.g. right now I have a duff right shoulder after being wiped out by a snow boarder who took me out on a blue in a designated ‘slow ski zone’ by failing to stop and ploughing into the back of me when I was just skiing along at 5mph. I had another near miss with an idiot who was skiing at about 40mph whilst looking over his shoulder behind him, I managed to take evasive action and missed him by inches. I don’t think he even noticed me at all. Would have been very nasty, we were both carving fast across the piste, towards each other, so something like 60-80mph potential impact. Luckily I was actually looking where I was going…

a bit like on the bike , i guess i need to try a few and buy one which fits properly , not like rental ones .

Helmet. Yes above you don’t when someone is going to smash into you.

I am going skiing on Saturday to Risoul , southern french alps.
There has been no new snow for about a month, and there is very little below 1800 – 2000m . The webcams look rather green.

I love powder , I have Shoguns which are 101 underfoot so plenty of float, plus arva kit. My mate has similar but always has poor conditions and rarely gets to go off piste into fresh snow.

I got a xmas bonus, and having seen the forcast for Arlberg did some research and found alot of offers at £299 for CC’s in St Anton and Lech.

So I ring him up and offer the chance to go on me( only difference to him is LP price + £60 so not alot really ) to a big resort with 50cm fresh today, 50cm+ due next week
…………….and he turned me down.

So I am spending a weeek in cruddy Risoul skiing on worn out man made stuff when for not a huge amount more we could be knee deep in the Arlberg

Fresh snow last night here in val d’isere – but today saw big winds and limited visibility. We found a run that worked well given the days conditons and which thus kept us happy through the morning but didn’t head back out after lunch – much to mrs markie’s disdain!

Fingers crossed tomorrow is good (and that mrs markie is functional – jr and I left her with her friends in bar xv an hour and a half ago and all the signs pointed to a big night)!

Helmet. Yes above you don’t when someone is going to smash into you.

And the worst part is that the person smashing into you will be wearing a helmet, which is ironically probably the best argument for wearing one yourself!

Markie
we used to head down to La Daille in grotty weather .
There are some runs in the trees that pop you out by the funival that always seemed sheltered.
Off piste is also good down there, in between a red and blue , nothing steep and the trees give good cover from wind and prespective if its flat light , snowy etc

3 weeks to go until we head to claviere, looks like the pistes are all artifical but nearly all the lifts open. Just hoping for a stack of snow before we head out there