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

Am a bit concerned that when we move I will be found to have a “surprising” number of skis in the loft.

😀

Maybe time to ditch the 207cm volkl RS?

Turning radius – Approximately 438 miles. 🙂

TheDTs – are you me? 😯

We are also supposedly buying a house – I’m pretty much in denial though 😆

I don’t think they have softened with age.
I would turn them into a sledge for the kids, but fear that would be lethal.

Now MrsDts, has seen this, she is threatening to go in the loft and have a audit…. Nooooooooooo.

Now MrsDts, has seen this, she is threatening to go in the loft and have a audit…. Nooooooooooo.

OK, so we know that’s where you keep your ski stash, but is it also where you keep your *ahem* gentertainment stash?

Nope, it’s in a hedge on the A38.

😀

I don’t have that problem.

My wife has at least as many snow boards and bindings as me (since I sold one of her boards and I gave an old snowboard to the LBS owner in payment for some work he did – he’s now hiding it from his wife as I understand it – apparently she expects him to be paid in money not old kit)

My wife also has multiple bikes.

The moral? Make them complicit.

(“gentertainment”? You’re on your own)

Visor Helmets then? Junior J (12) likes the look and fancies one. Assuming we avoid the bargain basement brands, are there any issues / practicalities worth considering? Then its a case of getting the right fit.

TIA

Without wishing to be too maudlin …

R.I.P. Ralf Tenbrink 🙁

Anyone have any tips on a decent splitboard package? Tell me what to buy!

@Digby didn’t see that till today RIP guide plus two climbers

@jambalaya – yes … very sad indeed! 🙁

@howsyourdad1 – when you say ‘package’ do you mean a Splitboard/Bindings deal ?

Can’t say I’ve seen much in the way of package deals as the kit choice tends to be very personal

May I suggest having a wonder over to The Sick and the Wrong:

http://snowboardexperts.co.uk/%5B/url%5D

They have a pretty extensive range of many leading products.

Splitboard gear has undergone a fair amount of development over the past few years, and whilst some of it is big chunk of change, the quality has really improved.

My question would be: ‘what do you want to use it for and where?’

if it’s just casual use to augment your piste riding and mix it up a bit then consider DIY’ing an old board, but if you want performance and features for technical backcountry descents then consider one of the purpose built splitboards from the likes of Jones or Burton.

There won’t be a Where to Ski and Snowboard for 2017 or indeed a book in the same format. I’ve had tons of value out of the books, so useful for researching holiday ideas or just dreaming

Linky

Zeal GPS Goggles on Sport Pursuit

Not bad considering they start at only £120

CFH an mtb fyi here Bike Alp relocated from Samoens and offer guided hols in Briancon/Sere-Chev now

Linky[/url]

@digby cheers i’ll take a look . Basically want to hike a mountain or take a loft up and access Off piste. No multi day epics or climbing etc

St Anton booked. Boom!

Wallop, never been, love to go one day. Not the place for small kids though I imagine. Not easy for a cheeky long weekender with MrsDT’s, from Bristol either.

@wallop nice. At Anton is fabulous one of my favourite resorts. Something for everyone, great offpiste too. We used to do long weekends there inc flying to Zurich with a minibus transfer. Popular weekend place for Germans as train station is right in the town centre. Have done lads and family trips there

St Anton is brill!

Nice one guys – I can’t wait. I love Austria but haven’t been for a couple of years (a relatively snowless Christmas in Saalbach).

It’s the number of ungroomed runs I’m looking forward to, as well as the excellent Austrian hospitality 😆

Interesting you mention Saalbach Wallop, we’re about to sort out a week to Saalbach for Christmas. Was only there a couple of weeks ago for a weeks biking (highly recommended). Hoping to check out the connection over to Fieberbrunn.

My favourite resorts are St Anton/Verbier/Val d’Isere/Jackson Hole – there is a theme 🙂 Fabulous skiing on and off piste, stunningly beautiful mountains, great atmosphere, party scene available if required, quality mountain late lunch venues for a lazy afternoon

Wallop have had some great days with Piste to Powder (in my 35 years of skiing its fair to say my progress has been limited but its not for lack of quality guiding/tuition – definitely a talent issue)

Ta – I’ll check ’em out.

Hammerite – Saalbach is really lovely. Bit of a gamble snow wise at Christmas but where isn’t? It’s still a really nice place to stay.

My local resort of Åre now has direct flights from Laaaaaandan via Easyjet if anyone fancies a cheaper trip to Scandinavia for empty pistes and loads of tree runs

Wallop – Yes Saalbach is great. We’ve been skiing every Christmas for the last 8/9 years. The last two years have been the only dodgy ones in that time. Last Christmas we were in Wagrain and I have to say they did an amazing job with the man made, pistes were hard and fast. I understand Saalbach did a decent job too last year.

The year before we were in the Skiwelt and to be honest they struggled, we just kept repeating the same runs and dodging the mud patches coming through – we finished early every day for the first time ever and headed to a bar.

We must be due a good Christmas this year surely!

Do we have any japan aficionados online?

What’s the best time visit?

^^ similar season to Europe, Feb / March is good I believe. I never went despite living in Singapore for 2 years as door to door (to Niseko) it took as long as getting to Switzerland and more expensive when there. Is supposed to be amazing for powder with snow filled clouds rolling in off sea and law abiding locals refusing to leave the piste

Hey folks,

I wonder if I can ask a wee question regarding travel insurance?

My last snowboarding holiday in February 2016 ended rather abruptly with me being hospitalised for five days in Bulgaria, before getting flown home in a private air ambulance, and spending another five days in hospital here. I’m assuming that until the wonderful NHS staff got me, I racked up a fair bill through my travel insurance. Although I’ve never heard a peep from them since.

Everything’s tickety-boo…ish now, to the point where a bunch of my friends have kindly invited me to join them on a ski holiday in Austria. Apparently, I have to learn to ski though, I’m not allowed to take my snowboard… 😳

I’m rather excited about this as I honestly thought my winter holidays were done and dusted after my little mishap, but as we organise flights, transfers and villas etc. I keep wondering about the insurance.

I’ve just had a quick look at travel insurance with snowsport cover online, and after answering all the online medical screening questions ( I have to go through medical screening anyway as I’m a type 1 Diabetic), there didn’t seem to be a problem or a penalty. Do you reckon that’s right? Has anyone else come a cropper one year and gone out the next year without having to jump through hoops to get insurance? It seems too good to be true….thus I’m very, very suspicious. It’s not that I’m trying to avoid paying more than I have to, kind of the opposite actually. I was prepared to take a mahoosive hike in the cost of insuring me as the price I had to pay to be lucky enough to get away again so quickly….but I do want to make sure I’m actually covered in case lightning really does strike twice! 😯

CokeItUpAndWatchItSmoke – Member
Do we have any japan aficionados online?

What’s the best time visit?

Just seen this, bit of a late reply – sorry!

Jan usually gets most snowfall, but visibility can be consistently bad so harder to ski any of the higher alpine / backcountry. Feb seems to be the best balance and we certainly had no shortage of snow last year when we were there. It was actually unusual when it wasn’t snowing – honestly!! Short season though and tends to end abruptly as lots of resorts are quite low – you don’t get late season, spring skiing in March / April like Europe, but then that’s not what you go to Japan for 😉

Snowfall can be highly variable between resorts, even those close by each other, so it pays to be mobile and flexible. We probably skied 8-10 resorts when we were there – only one I didn’t like was Niseko – hardest place to score fresh tracks as very busy, expensive and generally a crap hill to get around.

Overall, definitely recommend a guide over there – resorts vary widely in their tolerance of skiing off piste but in general it’s not like Europe where you’ll get rescued off piste and sent a big bill. They just won’t rescue you. you’re on your own and it’s a long way to drag yourself out of some of the back bowls with a broken leg (or even just a lost ski could turn epic pretty quickly).

What else do you want to know?? 🙂

ps. Sorry – can’t figure out how to embed video!

remove the s from the https

Ta! 🙂

Everything’s tickety-boo…ish now, to the point where a bunch of my friends have kindly invited me to join them on a ski holiday in Austria. Apparently, I have to learn to ski though, I’m not allowed to take my snowboard..

Friends eh………I’d still take my snowboard!

New Nitro movie! Great to get you stoked before you shred !

http://www.redbull.tv/video/AP-1NUBUM1191W11/boom

@dashed as jam bo says no “s” what’s bizarre (to me) is youtube links work with the “s” left in

cheers for Boom! I enjoyed that!

Looking at booking for end of Jan.
Has anyone been to claviere? Seems to have good links with the milky way area