The STW Ski & Snowboard thread. The 2018-2019 season

Happly I’m ok with that, and I’ve bought the kids so much they should never get cold! Even insisted that Mrsbits gets mereno wool thermals this year – they will be warm!
Can’t wait, just wish I could shift this bloody end of flu that seems to drag on for ever!

After a painful tumble at New Year in Cervinia which ended up with very sore ribs, I’ve ordered one of these

and it would have been rude not to buy some new skis for the Easter jaunt too 🙂

Roll on April

Off to Sainte Foy on Friday night

Had my first trip to St Foy earlier this month – completely taken with the place!
Really enjoyed it and we were very fortunate with the snow – 40cm of cold smoke blower powder and no wind!

Will definetely be on the list for a return visit but I’m tempted to take the snow train to B-S-M next time!

Yep, it’s a good place especially for the family. No waiting at the lifts (outside term time!) and lots of area to muck around in while being able to get back in 15min to the kids in ski school. Another 60cm of snow before I get there, or actually as I’m arriving but I’m not taking a stupid rwd bmw this year, 4WD Amarok with snow tyres and chains – there’s nothing stopping me getting to resort! Some other friends are taking the snow train, they’ve just realised they are getting into BSM at 6:00am, with no idea what to do next…..

Haven’t they banned drinking on the snow train now? I’m out! 😄

Haven’t they banned drinking on the snow train now? I’m out!

Yes, but nothing to stop you pre-loading/getting squiffy at the St Pancras champagne bar and then sleeping it off on the train … 🙂

Possibly the most depressing thing I saw in the Alps last week was a party of Brits buying drinks until they counld barely get any more on the table before the end of Happy Hour. I did think of shouting “bollocks to ******” to see how they reacted but wasn’t sure I could run fast enough.

Why do you think they had to ban drinks on the snow train?

yeah Sainte Foy has been out go -to resort for the last 5 or 6 years. absolutely love it there.

one extreme to the other this year with a trip to La Plagne but looking forward to doing some mileage in and getting a bit lost.

You could always do a day trip to La Rossier, and nip over the top to Italy. Bloody good day out (other than the mega drag lift to get you over the 2nd Col into La Thuile…) without the crowds.

Face shots a plenty in PDS today.

Question for all you folk who’ve been to Morzine / Avoriaz / nearby this year –

Anywhere I can rent one of these (or similar)? I really want to have a go on one…

Im sure I saw some hanging outside ALAN shop earlier this year. I can check this weekend.

http://www.alanbike-morzine.com/rent-a-bike-in-morzine.html

although I dont know why Im enabling such disgusting behaviour.

Why do you think they had to ban drinks on the snow train?

I think it’s fairly obvious why they had to ban drinking on the snow train, but what a shame that groups of rowdy Brits have to spoil it for those like me who like to enjoy a few quiet glasses of vin rouge in the evening.

Also heading to la Plagne this weekend, and pleased to see my long-term near-faultless record as Bringer Of Snow looking set to continue! Hoping we’ve picked the right week ahead of the big half term ones that it won’t be too mobbed. Conditions look pretty mint.

Lots of snow in the grand massif today, a couple of times I was stuck in the powder due to the sheer volume of snow I was up against (admittedly I am less than 8 stones so not the biggest mass to push through).
The snow is light and powdery, all the heaviness of early in the week has gone. Hugh grin factor apart from when a binding spontaneously popped off and I head planted – woke me up though.
Looking forward to tomorrow and more snow is forecast – whoever is doing the snow dance for us please carry on.

Why do you think they had to ban drinks on the snow train?

We took the snow train once. Our carriage was right next to the disco car, which of course was noisy. No big deal.

The drunken **** used the toilet inbetween our car and the disco until all the water ran out and it wouldn’t flush

… and for about 3 hours afterward. Shite, puke, christ knows what else all over the floor & walls. Frigging Brits abroad

Ots, really enjoyed Pila. Different feel to it compared to Cervenia. Nice wide pistes with some undulations and tree lined areas. Also looks good from a value point of view, certainly compared to Cervenia. If I was to take the family away it’s somewhere I’d definitely consider.

Worked out really well for us as a load of the lifts were shut in Cervenia and the conditions in Pila were fab. Bit of a pass snafu on our part meant we had to buy a day pass but the Cervenia one should have covered it. It was 20 euro for the bus organised by Crystal.

Sounds worth a look. Heading back to Cervinia for the first week of April to may nip across then.

If you’ve got an Aosta valley pass and a car I can highly recommend the Monte Rosa area starting at Champulac. Had a great day there going across to Algna and back.

Quick question for boarders (or skiers). Does anyone keep on top of their skills by visiting indoor slopes? Or even getting lessons through the year? I don’t think I’m far off where I was when I was boarding last though there is definite room for improvement. And also boarding seems to have changed a bit in the last 20yrs, picking up some new skills may be a good idea.

I don’t have lessons out of season. But this year had a 3 hour refresher lesson on the slopes.

Possibly the most depressing thing I saw in the Alps last week was a party of Brits buying drinks until they counld barely get any more on the table before the end of Happy Hour. I did think of shouting “bollocks to ******” to see how they reacted but wasn’t sure I could run fast enough.

Don’t be such a curmudgeonly olde git Ed…its expensive at current exchange rates and us clever Brits need to use every trick in the book to get value for money! 🙂

Quick question for boarders (or skiers). Does anyone keep on top of their skills by visiting indoor slopes? Or even getting lessons through the year? I don’t think I’m far off where I was when I was boarding last though there is definite room for improvement. And also boarding seems to have changed a bit in the last 20yrs, picking up some new skills may be a good idea.

I just watch a few events on Eurosport or Ski Sunday and I’m ready! 🙂

Im sure I saw some hanging outside ALAN shop earlier this year. I can check this weekend.

http://www.alanbike-morzine.com/rent-a-bike-in-morzine.html

although I dont know why Im enabling such disgusting behaviour.

Ta 😛

I’ve got an old Santa Cruz Bullit out here in Austria that I want to stick a ski on the front of, I reckon it’ll be mega in the park.

Still great powder to be had here, and a beautiful sunshine day today.

High winds and patchy visibility meant a day playing in the powder of flaine, went up Grand Vans once with a vague idea of skiing to Morillon but the high winds and sign at the bottom saying we might have to shut the lift put us off and we skied back into flaine.
Thankfully the high winds have gone but the snow is coming down hard this morning, fingers crossed that it is as fluffy as yesterday 🙂

dammit, Brizzle runways closed until 12:00. Our flight is going to slip 🙁

Well I’ve just started the long (got to go via the office) journey to Les Arcs. Eurostar tonight and getting picked up from BSM. Kinda glad of the drinks ban on the train as we want to be out playing by mid morning tomorrow!

We do a couple of fridge sessions each year – 1 mid summer just to keep on top of things, one just before we go out so we don’t waste proper snow time skiing like muppets. Actually had a really good bumps lesson at Castleford last week.

harrumph, flight from Briz to GVA cancelled.
Fortunately was sat at computer when notification came through so managed to grab a free change flight to tomorrow evening and slip the return back a day too.

Transfer tickets non refundable though, so will have to shake down insurance to get those back. And Id just bought two more tickets as “backstop” transfers to make sure we could get away from GVA this evening if our flight as late…just before the cancellation notice came through.

Anyway, not a disaster. Trip salvaged for an extra €80 which I should get back from insurance.

But Stoner, look at the week you’ve picked.

Snow, snow and more snow (on chaine meteo at least).

indeed. Id just rather 100% of the snow was in France and not Bristol 😉

Quick question for boarders (or skiers). Does anyone keep on top of their skills by visiting indoor slopes?

Not these days I don’t … not since SSV burned down. I’d also tried Castleford but I could only get there when it was busy, so didn’t seem to get many laps in:

2 hours in the fridge seemed to be about the same as the first 15 minutes of a trip on real snow … I fall down a couple of times and then the ‘muscle memory’ starts to engage!

Or even getting lessons through the year?

I’m always up for lessons/improvement. In fact the more I ride the more I want to try and improve. I got 50 days last season and quite a few of them were spent working on technique etc

@colp – nice indy! 🙂

Quick question for boarders (or skiers). Does anyone keep on top of their skills by visiting indoor slopes?

Personally didn’t enjoy the conditions at either Mk or Hemel, so tend to get a lesson or two in resort each time. Although not this year for some reason (weather was a bit unpredictable).

Heading home tomorrow, I’m going to miss this snow!

Have been doing freestyle boarding all year in mk, have definitely seen a massive jump in my ability in the mountains this year.
mind you having over a metre of snow in a week helps with that.
unreal conditions and it’s up to about 50cm in les gets for today on its own

I hate snow chains but I doubt Winter tyres will be enough tonight. Two sets or one?

Just got back from an impromptu visit into Flaine – didn’t happened as we had to help 2 young lasses get their clio up the road. She was busy burning out the clutch and sliding backwards into a snow bank. Managed to get them going forward to a safe area then the snow plough came up the road so they snuck in behind it.
A small truck got stuck a little further down the road then the car which pulled out to over take it then got stuck – road completely blocked so we aborted and came back home.
The resort shut this afternoon due to 5/5 avalanche risk after a bad fall. I think at one point the magic carpets and one poma were running.
It is still snowing hard and we’ve had a lot more snow fall than was forecast. Getting slightly worried that I won’t make GVA on Sunday for my flight home to my Dad’s funeral on Monday.

PDS has been epic this week. The 2nd half was not so great as the high lifts were mostly shut for wind reasons, but over to pre la joux was full of untracked powder. Prob because seasoners don’t have lift passes for there!

Today was a let down. Loads of snow, but temp has risen and got soaked to the bone. It’s wet heavy snow that’s covering what was left of the fluffy soft stuff.

Little one joined ski school from mid week and still managed Ourson in the ESF scheme. Not bad for 3yrs 9 months.

Got a leave window in early March so already floating the idea with the other half.

We have a week in Val Cenis for half term, and are planning on driving there on the Friday/Saturday. Not having driven to the alps in the winter before, what are people’s recommendations for tyres, etc. I currently have standard summer tyres on the van, should I a) get winter tyres? b) autosocks? c) chains?

From what I’ve seen on google maps and from others, the drive to Val Cenis is on the main road, no big switchback climbs. Anyone been?

Just spotted a nice deal with Eaprit for me, Mrs DD and dd for St.Anton for mid-April. Anybody have any idea what kind of a gamble wrt snow that might be? It’s generally in the top ten of lists of best places to ski in April. Esprit have deals for under 2k for 2 adults, 1 kid (childcare included) – plus lift passes and hire (just for Mrs DD).

EDIT: NOT including lift passes or hire.

I LOVED St Anton, but we went in January so can’t comment on the snow. Like you say, it’s one of the better places in Austria for late season.

Just don’t let this happen to you, because there’s no public hospital in the resort:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BP-cxY9DX2A/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link