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

like that GrahamS I’ve used his videos for butters practise alot in the past. He is so good but it i s almost too good…. like the style is almost robotic…

Yeah I found him when trying to learn how to butter too (I still can’t 😳 )

He is ridiculously smooth. Some of his videos are like watching a computer game.
In fact, if a computer game was like that the reviewers would complain it was unrealistic 😀

I wish I had 1/10th of that skill level – but then I suspect he has had at least 1000 times the slope time I’ve had!

On the phone with colleagues in Montana. Where they’ve got blizzard conditions! Am now trying to wrangle a trip instanter!

Yeah I found him when trying to learn how to butter too

I like Ryan a lot … I wouldn’t exactly say he’s ‘robotic’ – he just rides with quite a wide stance and a quiet upper body – and he makes it look so smooth and effortless which is certainly part of the appeal for me! The ‘carving with your hands in your pockets’ was one of the ‘carving exercises’/drills I was taught to stop you waving your hands about! 🙂

Whilst we’re discussing butter …

I can’t believe it’s not butter – [Fernie 2015]

currently thumping it down in Les Arcs http://www.lesarcs.com/livecam-arc2000.html#ong333 anyone know if there are similar conditions over the road in Ste Foy??
Yup. Early start tomorrow!

how was it, much between the trees??

Tripods for days Digby ! although judging by the snow and bits of tree on your ass you’ve stacked it once or twice!

although judging by the snow and bits of tree on your ass you’ve stacked it once or twice!

Haha … and the seat of those trousers needed re-proofing! I was trying to learn how to 180 ‘pop’ out of it … with ensuing comedy falls! 😆

Although its actually just snow stuck to my ass … the shrubbery is on the side of the piste! 😉

how was it, much between the trees??

You’ve not been following conditions in the Alps this winter, have you? 😆

Ask me again on Monday!

I can’t put my finger on what it is, but Ryan Knapton sets my teeth on edge. Watching his videos is like fingernails on a blackboard.

Nah you got to respect anyone who can ride a Super Mogul:

You’ve not been following conditions in the Alps this winter, have you?

Ask me again on Monday!

Blummin have!! I’ll see for myself on Monday!!

Enjoying watching these guys at the moment. SnowboardProCamp based in Whistler – here’s them doing Ruby Bowl in Spankys.

Despite the name they aren’t really very “pro”, but that makes them a lot more relatable and watchable for me. Plus they look like they are having a great time.

(wish they’d wear avi gear before going through the gates though!!)

You’ve not been following conditions in the Alps this winter, have you?

Ask me again on Monday!

Blummin have!! I’ll see for myself on Monday!!

Point was, there is no snow in the trees whatsoever. It would be easier to go mountain biking than snowboarding in them. The 10cm the other day was a good start, but go into the trees and you’ll still be riding directly on rocks and roots.

It is forecast to snow A LOT over the weekend, so Monday should be completely different.

Despite the name they aren’t really very “pro”

‘pro’ is definitely ‘self-titled’ but then North Americans seemingly use this to prepend almost anything in a vain attempt to make it seem more authentic.

I thought ‘Spanky’s’ was inbound and patrolled … but then I’ve not been to Whistler for over 10 years.

One of the ‘dudes’ has got an ‘Edge of the World’ Fernie snowboard shop sticker on his helmet! … not sure which is sadder – me noticing it or his ‘steeze’ with massive goggle lenses the size of double glazing advertised by Ted Moult! 😉

edit – can’t link a Facebook Video but have a look at Zero G Chamonix’s FB page for a video of a BD Jetforce Avvy Bag in action

Zero G Facebook Page

Advice please for a retired skier… used to ski 3 weeks a year but havn’t been for 20 yrs or so when skis used to be 2 meters +…. was a reasonable intermediate at that point.

I’ve a few free days in Brekenridge next month so hire skis boots etc whats the bare minimum kit that i need?

I thought ‘Spanky’s’ was inbound and patrolled … but then I’ve not been to Whistler for over 10 years.

Not sure if it is in-bounds or not but at 6:38 he says “Read the signs” and points out a sign saying “Avalanche Prone Area – Enter Only Through Gate”. 😕

Seems like it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have avi gear on at that point, even if it is officially in-bounds.

Anyway, while I’m on YouTube, I see Burton have re-invented Step Ins! Again.

I’ve a few free days in Brekenridge next month so hire skis boots etc whats the bare minimum kit that i need?

Warm coat, something that isn’t skiing specific will be fine, just layer up underneath.
Warmer trousers. Though shell type walking trousers and some thermal tights underneath can work if pushed.
Gloves. Pick a pair up from Aldi (ski wear is in today), for £10 they do the job well.
Thick socks. If you’re hiring boots then thicker socks work, Aldi, Decathlon or TK Maxx if you need to buy.
Helmet. When you skied I guess no-one wore them, not the majority do. I won’t ski without one which is odd as I spent years going faster and steeper in a wooly hat. You can hire them if you don’t want to buy

The rest you can hire. Expect your skis to be 175cm max, bendy and be remarkably easy to ski.

Spankys is in-bounds, requires a hike to get to it though. Normally (in Canada / North America in general) if the resort has such gates, they’re opened by a transceiver – no beep, no go as they say (i.e. If you aren;t wearing a transceiver, the gate won’t open to let you through).

Lunge, many thanks particularly the comments about the helmet i don’t recall anyone other than kids using them back then

It’s just the French Alps that has no snow, there’s mega powder in Austria.

Meanwhile in California… 9 feet of snow in 3 days at Kirkwood….. 😯

I see Burton have re-invented Step Ins! Again.

At least the binding has a highback. I remember some mates trying K2 Clickers back in the day walking round in agony as their boots were so stiff…

Lunge, many thanks particularly the comments about the helmet i don’t recall anyone other than kids using them back then

Very true, the last 10 years has seen a marked change. It was very odd to see anyone with one when I started skiing, now those without are in an ever decreasing minority.

I got one when I got the fear one trip and now can’t imagine skiing without one.

If you aren;t wearing a transceiver, the gate won’t open to let you through

The video gave me the impression they were going through a gate, but maybe not.
Or maybe they had beacons but no probe/shovel (no packs on).

At least the binding has a highback. I remember some mates trying K2 Clickers back in the day

Back in the day I used to ride Switch Team X bindings that had a highback. They actually worked really well and they never iced up or clogged, but you needed special boots with little bars on the sides and a heel strap on the boot.
The boots were still pretty stiff though because they were the only thing for your toes to pull up on (no toe strap/cup).

Not sure if it is in-bounds or not but at 6:38 he says “Read the signs” and points out a sign saying “Avalanche Prone Area – Enter Only Through Gate”.

I’m fairly certain that the transceiver ‘gates’ (as described by nbt) are for backcountry access [into the Garibaldi etc] rather than inbounds stuff like Spanky’s which is only opened when the ski patrol have assessed it. Happy to have my ailing memory corrected though – WB has expanded/changed quite a bit in the past decade.

But yeah … if conditions dictate, it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to be wearing at least a beacon. I seem to remember an inbounds slide occurred in Whistler a few years ago in which a skier was caught. Can’t seem to find any info but I think he’d ducked the ropes, so was ‘poaching’.

There weren’t any gates when i skiied Spankys, but that was 10 years ago. However I have seen gates inbounds at Sunshine, round the Goats eye area

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.

Well the forecast was accurate and the falls over the next three days are expected to be so heavy that there will be no lack of snow. I now predict the following problems:

Getting to the resorts: airports closed, trains cancelled, roads closed due to avalanche risk
Getting up the hill: lifts closed due to high winds and heavy snow
Getting down the hill: whiteout on piste, avalanche risk off piste. A good weekend for X-C for us.

On the Helmet front, only one of juniors ESF colleagues wears a helmet, the others have distinctive caps, bobble hats, berets and even an Australian cowboy hat – junior is the one with the orange bobble hat he’s “borrowed” from mother. His race coaches did their demo runs through the slalom course without a helmet. I’ve worn a helmet once this year, the snow was like concrete so there was a higher risk of falling than usual and the consequences more serious than usual.

When buying a helmet make sure you can hear well with it, some have ear vents you can open. If you hear scraping behind you can ski out of the way.

Have we done Tom Oye being avalanched yet and using his Black Diamond Avalanche Pack?

In la plagne now, big snowfall

Have we done Tom Oye being avalanched yet

Aye … mentioned it earlier ^^ , but it’s gone pretty viral for sure.

Sales of BD JetForce packs will probably do well in the next few weeks …

Have we done Tom Oye being avalanched yet

He’s not someone I’ve met, but mates of mates, but looking at that video, he’s a **** idiot. He’s done well to pull his airbag, and it’s definitely helped, but he shouldn’t of been playing on that slope at all. Obviously didn’t dig a pit, as if he had he’d of seen the same results as a group of snowmobilers up there which said it was sketchy as ****. And even then, that’s not how you do a cut. Should be a lesson of ‘this guy was lucky, you might not be’.

I thought ‘Spanky’s’ was inbound and patrolled … but then I’ve not been to Whistler for over 10 years.

Yup, in-bounds and patrolled. There’s areas (around Winky Pop and Surfs Up) which can be prone to slide even after patrol has been through. These areas have a warning sign, but nothing to check you have gear etc, but a helpful warning.

looking at that video, he’s a **** idiot

Assuming he didn’t trigger it deliberately to sell the JetForce system.

Though, yeah, he’d still be a **** idiot.

Yup, in-bounds and patrolled. There’s areas (around Winky Pop and Surfs Up) which can be prone to slide..

So would you have worn avi gear for that run whatnobeer?

I have to say that, as a bit of an off piste noob, if I saw signs saying “Avalanche Prone Area” I’d say **** that and hit something else, especially if I had no kit with me.

So would you have worn avi gear for that run whatnobeer?

For Surfs up? Potentially. I wouldn’t ride that line without some serious consideration if the risk is high. If it’s open and the snow looks good and I wasn’t on my own I’d probably ride it without gear, but that would be a judgement call.

Yes that Tom Oye video is interesting. not a fan of the attitude afterward, like it is funny and cool and that he is a tough guy ha avalanches LOL! etc….

just got these back from a colleague, might refresh the skills before the weekend !

<looks out of the windows @600masl 5km from Grenoble airport>

Yep. Snows coming. Good luck to anyone travelling tomorrow…..

Finally though looks like it’s starting!

Obviously didn’t dig a pit, as if he had he’d of seen the same results as a group of snowmobilers up there

To give Tom the benefit of the doubt he could have dug ten pits in ten different places and they could all have told him something different, but I suspect you’re right – that slab looks pretty widespread and probably easily detected underneath your board or by digging a quick pit before dropping into that slope – the slab depth looks less than a couple of shovels deep so might only take 15 mins or so – although granted I’m making assumptions as it’s not easy to see much from the narrow camera view.

And even then, that’s not how you do a cut.

This. absolutely! Even if he had to travel through an area that was ‘suspect’, shock-loading the slope with a heelside stop from a mid-point on a convex slope is to put it mildly perhaps not the best approach. (do that from a rope at the top when you are certain there is no one below).

He’d probably would have been better on his toe edge traversing this slope higher – heading for an island of safety – but then that’s easy for me to say from behind the comfort of my keyboard without all of the facts available. I’m just pleased he’s ok and has lived to ride another day.

just got these back from a colleague, might refresh the skills before the weekend !

If you can borrow another one I think it’s very useful to practice ‘multiple’ searches. Alternatively many ski hills now have practice areas. What surprised me with my Ortovox3+ was the time required to ‘re-calibrate’ when 5+ signals are detected. Whilst only seconds it seemed like ages when trying to find all of them in under 15 minutes

@Digby yes I have another at home. multiple search madness is on

shock-loading the slope with a heelside stop

I’m mistaken – just watched Tom’s video again and it looks like he was indeed on a toe edge