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

Back pack and crash hat .
Contents of back pack
Foil blankets
Food enough for a lunch stop
Maps, bus timetables ext.
Extra goggles for my eyes as I struggle in low light and whiteouts
Spair hats and mittens
WIFE STUFF
WIFE STUFF
WIFE STUFF………….

sad news that someone past away in La Plaine today

Again?! Someone died in La Plagne the other day as well! 😮

In other news Rocket Ryding gets 7th in men’s slalom in Zagreb, he’s going bloody well.

La Plagne – skier (47) / boarder (40) collision where two slopes joined. Skier died. A helmet won’t necessarily keep you alive but you’ve a better chance if you are wearing one.

Chris I bought my helmet after I fell at some speed and really smacked my head on a mogul run. A good mate really smashed his head on one of those icy ski ways / links. I think the old days where helmets where for serious colouir’s and roping down are long gone.

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.

I’ve been watching the BD Jetforce bags with interest since they were introduced. They now do a splitboard ‘vertical carry’ version which was missing when they were first introduced.

Not sure about ‘a far superior solution’ but it certainly alleviates some of the problems with airline flying restrictions and single use canisters.

Back on helmets, the first year I wore one I got flipped out of a hole I didn’t see and was sent head first into a hard packed path at around 25mph. Despite trying to roll out of it, I never quite made it and my head followed by shoulder impacted so hard, I was seeing stars! Seriously it hurt so much, it was like someone had smashed me over the head with a log.

Wouldn’t like to think what the result would have been without it.

Riding ‘Inbounds’:

The following will be distributed in trouser & jacket pockets:

Lift pass
small tube of lip balm/SPF50 cream
phone (sometimes a larger camera)
jimi wallet
toque/beanie
thin glove liners
goggle ‘sleeve’
Tissues (although in Canada etc they often provide ‘sniffle stations’!)
Clif Bar (or similar) – I generally avoid stopping for lunch but will stop for a quick mid-morning and/or mid-afternoon coffee (esp. in Italy) thereby avoiding the lunchtime crush
small multi tool

I bought a helmet a few years ago when we heard a rumour they were enforcing them, turned out they weren’t but wore it anyway. Would be tempting fate not to. Quite enjoy it now, feels as natural as wearing a bike helmet.

carvey

carvey

Niiiiice! 8)

Good to see more folks gettin’ their carve on … it’s been a while coming back in vogue!

The Ski Club app has just been relaunched and it looks great with all the required info from your preferred resorts. I’m pleased to see it’s suggesting that Courchevel is getting 43cm in the next 9 days. A good start!

Ta, off to download

Hmm, can’t find it in android play Store

Ah, iPhone only. Boo.

However the website predicts 92cm for avoriaz. Should be lovely at the end of the month

Just nice for 1/2 term then. 😀

That prediction is guaranteed isn’t it?

Anyone found any good offers on ski & boot hire (for Avoriaz)?

Last year I got an offer from Intersport which brought ‘black’ level skis and boots down to 90 euros. This year I can’t find anything close – around 148 euros for the same thing.

The weather forecast from a few days back is doing pretty well so far. The -12°C for the east has been reached, the first snow for the northern Alps has fallen with more on the way. Here in the SW it’s cold enough to produce artificial snow as predicted and the forecast for snow on Tuesday is maintained.

A glorious 8 degrees in the sun at lunchtime at Sestriere.
It’s been a fabulous short break – 4 days of blue skies on perfectly pisted runs with a few forays ‘twixt the trees for a bit of offpiste dabbling.
It’s been quite busy although the lift queues haven’t been too bad. It’s going to be a long wait until April for the next jaunt. 🙁

nemsis – what dates are you looking? End of Jan the intersport site for avoriaz is offering 50% off for Black kit at €100.

Start of Feb…

That’s Parisian half term for you …
Never any discounts

Strange. I thought that was the same week we went last year

Geoffj that looks great. loads of snow where I am but cold and not so sunny. could do with some of that sun

Told.You.So Chapter 1 by Edukator 😉

@nemesis start of Feb meaning 6th ? I’ll ask the wife to look at some French sites later, usually slightly out of the way shops will do good rates if prepaid. Note for example the one we used in Peisey last year was a long walk or a short drive from ski lifts and no ski bus.

Nemesis, The 3 French holiday zones are on rotation every year. This year Paris opens half term and the easter holidays, so I’d best avoid the first week of April too.
You might get 5% off at skimium or more at an independent shop, but you will be hard pushed to get a genuine bargain

Ski Club is just recycling snow-forecast.com – I use that and it’s excellent with much more detailed info than the app. Sorry to be grumpy but I don’t see the point ?

Thanks for the info. Guess I’ll just have to pay up…

Ski Club is just recycling snow-forecast.com – I use that and it’s excellent with much more detailed info than the app.

Quite possibly, there are so many forms of info about that I wasn’t aware of, such as snow-forecast.

Anyway….just checked and it now says 77cm in the next 9 days. Wahey!

PSA – Ski Sunday back tonight at 1815.

Howsyourdad1 the sunshine has been fantastic. I’ve not had the sunnies off during daylight hours. Reminds me a lot of home (Perthshire) 😥

Anyone been to Les Menuires?

Looks like typical French soulless concrete monstrosity in the Three Valleys, but just seen a deal there at £590 a person for the week before half term, including flights from Newcastle and kids club included.

Thoughts?

(Or pointers to better deals also welcome for those dates!)

A “typical French soulless concrete monstrosity in the Three Valleys” but with lots of good skiing above it as I recall.

And access to a spectacular sledge run at VT.

cross country thrash for me today

“Lay Min-weir” phonetically is a fine resort with lift access to some really good skiing. There’s an open-air heated pool, all the shops you need, good places to eat and drink. If you can put up with the tasteless concrete everything else is fine.

Looks like typical French soulless concrete monstrosity in the Three Valleys,

Skiing is great which is all that matters!

Any idea how it is for young kids? (3 and 6, first year skiing with the 3yo, the 6yo can do the very basics: turn, stop, plough, drag lifts).

One concern is that the transfer is apparently 3hr+ from Geneva or Grenoble which is never fun with little ones.

flipping ‘ell

I know some of us like our drones 🙂

Woo hoo – week before half term in Les Menuires[/url] booked with Crystal. 😀
Kids will just have to suck it up on the long transfer – we’ll bring sick bags 😕
(and yes I will be taking my kids out of school thanks 😉 )

I feel like I can finally join this thread properly now. 🙂

Bring on the snow.

and yes I will be taking my kids out of school thanks

Fine with me, I reckon learning to ski is an essential part of a well rounded education 🙂

I can’t imagine it’s three hours from Geneva airport. It doesn’t take us three hours to get from Lausanne to Méribel on a good run and we’re 45 minutes from the airport. It looks like it’s a bit further from Moutiers on a different road but unless traffic or snow is really bad I think you’ll be fine.