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

Chamonix tomorrow for a quickie, may get a sprinkling, but not a massive dump.
Happy to take what we get.

Conditions have been ace here in Austria this week.
Not taken many pics but here’s a couple from today, last run down of the day just before sunset and then the view from my road over to the village.

Had some lovely sunny days in good conditions here in Courchevel this week, but today the wind has picked up and quite a few pistes are looking thin in patches.

There’s a chance of a small shower tonight but it’s quite warm on the meribel side and here in le Praz.

it’s 6c here in Sweden! madness gone mad!

a quickie, may get a sprinkling, but not a massive dump.

So much better out of context.

3 valleys needs more snow for sure, especially Meribel. I’m glad I’m not here next week as it’s getting very icy in places and a lot of stones coming up too. However skied this morning and lots of freshly groomed pistes were lovely. Great week but nothing like last year.

Just had a week in Obergurgl. Amazing weather and pistes in fantastic condition considering not snowed for over a week now. Had a day at Solden which was excellent but some of runs there in a bit of a state – especially low down.

Hi jet26 off to obergurgl for a week in March, if the snow is good is solden worth the day out?

a quickie, may get a sprinkling, but not a massive dump.
So much better out of context.

I knew Someone would pick that up!

More snow also needed in Cham. Stones showing here and there, bit icy in places.

Smokey Jo definitely worth a day down there. Bus is free and 20 mins with lift pass.

Much bigger area at solden and some cracking runs high up on glacier. Very different feel to Obergurgl. Good day out.

heading back to the PDS with Mrs S for a few days on our own on Sunday night.
Conditions are getting icier I gather, and only slim chances of a flurry while we are out there until Thursday. But just planning on mooching about the area for a few days, most pistes are open now, sunshine, vin chaud and exploring some of the further parts.Will take pics and report back from Monday.

The Pyrenees have been at their best over the last few days. The coming week looks mild and wet then more snow the week after.

Just caught up on Ski Sunday on iplayer and was disappointed to see Dave Rydings efforts getting such a short part of the program.

Don’t look at the week after Stoner. Assuming forecasts are accurate.

Conditions are getting icier I gather

The home runs in Serre Che grew more comedic as each day passed last week. Friday in particular was great entertainment.

@stoner – pistes holding up well considering the lack of snow. Linga area, Le Croset and Fornet bowl all skiing well yesterday and today. Only bad section was the run back to the top of Super Morzine lift – avoid!

Forecast variable for next couple of days – chance of a few cms but freezing level looks like it could be quite high…

Edukator – Reformed Troll
The Pyrenees have been at their best over the last few days.

Oh yes. We spent the day at Cambre d’Aze and although there was a ski mountaineering race on over the whole weekend (Kilian Jornet got a Dsq for missing the flower ceremony), the mountain was still not fully tracked out this afternoon. Great snow conditions.

awesomo5000 video that makes me want to snowboard ALL THE TIME

Love it. It’s how most snowboarders imagine how they ride made real!
I landed my first switch 360 in eons off a side hit yesterday, but I’m kidding myself if I was any more than 2 feet off the ground 🙂

so much style, brilliant

thanks for that howsyourdad1 … I enjoyed that – some of my best days ever have been just razzing around resort and that video captured that feeling quite nicely!

Just got back from a week in PdS, mostly Les Gets. The forecast looked amazing about two weeks before we left, with lots of snow, however by the time we got out there the forecast was just for a dry week.

True to forecast, it didn’t snow at all during the week. It’s been very dry and there’s virtually no backcountry snow. Almost all the off-piste areas that are easily accessible to piste bashers have been scraped down to near-bare earth to push snow onto the pistes, the north(ish) facing slopes in the Ranfoilly bowl are thin muddy snow and Mont Chery is looking very bare. It’s a real shame.

Still, got some fun snowboarding in and had a family holiday. And, more importantly, our 4yo son had a brilliant week getting his Ourson badge skiing and also playing with a Riglet board we hired for him. We’ll need to find some time (and money) to go to Hemel or a South London -ish accessible dry slope this year.

On the more costive side, I need some new boots as one of mine is starting to collapse…!

Oh, and FWIW:
Age: 39
Jacket: Orange Analog, also needs replacing
Helmet: Black Bern, with goggles (strap on the outside!)
Clean shaven: maybe twice in the week
Pants: Black with pinstripe. Can’t remember brand.
Skis: Lib Tech T-Rice, bought from Jackson Treehouse in 2010. Amazing ride, hideously ugly board. Lots of stickers.

Black with pinstripe

Pleased to hear that at least some people are making the effort to look smart on the slopes these days … all too often one sees some slack-jawed youth, wearing ill-fitting baggy clothing in the most garish of colours.

Clearly these chaps have never heard of Hawkes of Savile Row …

😆

Am disappointed that the tannoy chime at GVA is no longer the first few notes of “how much is that doggy in the window”

Fellow snow people, any suggestions on how to get good (cheap?) transfers, between Innsbruck and Obergurgl in my case? The prices I’m being quoted are approximately double what it will cost for me to hire a car for the week and that really doesn’t seem right at all.

I’ve looked at getting the train some of the way to Ötztal-Bahnhof but with the time of our flight home it doesn’t really work.

Related, if I do hire a car do I need to add on snowchains? Or will the winter tyres suffice?

Thanks all.

Buy snow chains mail order and return if you don’t use them?

Am disappointed that the tannoy chime at GVA is no longer the first few notes of “how much is that doggy in the window”

Ha! Yes, every time! Still have to leave for home from one of the gates in the Circles Of Hell, although they now have a mezzanine cafe floor.

Plus there’s the travelator game of Nice Watch / Hideous Watch when looking at the ads…

Seeing as we’re all doing it…

FWIW:
Age: I was around for purple anodising the first time. 😉
Jacket: Eider. Solid black, getting on a bit. (Freebie*)
Helmet: Smith Holt, with goggles (Oakley Crowbar, black with gold iridium or persimmon. Strap on the outside!) (Both freebies)
Clean shaven: Always when skiing. Easier to get suncream on
Pants: North Face stonkingly bright orange things. (Freebie)
Skis: I rent. Whatever is on the bling option, but currently favouring Nordica Nrgy.

* worked in the ski and outdoor industry, built up many favours…..

Oakley Crowbar, black with gold iridium or persimmon

persimmon as your ‘goto lens’ is so very last year apparently. 😆

This season, I will be mostly wearing … VR28

Age: 47
Jacket: Oneill brown/blue thingy commonly seen on kids 1/3 my age
Helmet: Black Smith one with adjustable vents
Goggle: Oakley Handbrake with the quick change lenses
Only need to shave once a week
Pants: Bonfire brown ones, indestructible and hide the dirt well
Board: extremely garish Libtech Skate Banana, the ski school toddlers love it.
Bindings: Flow NX2s
Boots: Flow Talon Focus – best boots ever, 100% waterproof, very stiff but amazing connection to board.

I love VR28, especially in my Pro M Frames, but really prefer the darker iridium for sunshine (correction – it’s snow Black Iridium) and as I have Persimmon, that’s what I use.

Gift horse/mouth also applies….. 😉

So whats the long term prognosis for snow in the French Alps then – thinking 2 weeks away.
Looking at Scotland which has had basically nothing of note this season at all which is a real shame for the industry – I’d done 10 days this time last year at the mighty ‘shee (my employer is very flexible if they knew).
Cham on 23/2 then Les Gets 2 weeks later – fingers crossed.

Fellow snow people, any suggestions on how to get good (cheap?) transfers, between Innsbruck and Obergurgl in my case?… Related, if I do hire a car do I need to add on snowchains? Or will the winter tyres suffice?

We’ve always hired a car and its been pretty cheap and easy. Gives you more options in the resort as well which is handy if you are living in a slightly less accessible area or the snow is limited. Never needed chains in Austria yet. I’d wait and see what the snow is like but at the moment you definitely won’t need them. Easy to add to the hire

Related, if I do hire a car do I need to add on snowchains? Or will the winter tyres suffice?

Winter tyres are what makes the difference. You won’t need chains too.
And Obergurgl ain’t making money if the roads aren’t passable. (So you can bet they will be!)

So whats the long term prognosis for snow in the French Alps then?

not bad….Chamonix getting 120cm in the next 9 days apparently! (Ski Club GB)

These guys[/url] were the cheapest taxi I could find at the time for Innsbruck to Obergurgl and their customer service has been excellent.

162 euro return for 2 of us but could have taken 3 at that price.

not bad….Chamonix getting 120cm in the next 9 days apparently! (Ski Club GB)

Snow Forecast is only showing 50cm over the next 6 days at 2440m. Most of that arrives tomorrow. Sounds like wishful thinking to me… 🙁

I use to make the SCGB snow reports up with their rep in the bar many year ago.

Generally put a good report in on Thursday so that people would travel happy. I hope they do it properly now 😉

Age: very old.
Jacket: westbeach. Approx 15 yrs old.
Boots: ;Head
No skis atm, will need to hire.
Trews: Decathlon, grey colour.
Helmet: Salomon with peak
Goggles: Oakley about 8 yrs old.
Hip: New 😕

Age: Mid-30’s…ish
Jacket: Bright yellow, offensively so.
Boots: Salomon, black
Skis: whatever the hire shop is pretending are “premium”
Trews: Black
Helmet: Giro, white.
Goggles: Oakley, black. Occasionally wear sunnies too, Jawbones. Sorry.
Pack: Black, filled with food and warm gear for the inevitable afternoon sugar crash my wife has
Technique: Self-taught and poor. Wide stance, weight too far back, reply on brute force.
Hip-flask: Port, ideally vintage.