Sorry Digby, I linked Thomson and tui before I dug into it more and realised there wasn’t a connection. My mistake!

Sorry Digby, I linked Thomson and tui before I dug into it more and realised there wasn’t a connection. My mistake!

Thomson are now Tui. Thomas Cook had nothing to do with Tui.

After some help or suggestions as I know a few of you have apartments that you rent out etc. I’ve posted something on CHalets Direct solutions room but thought it worth a post on here too.

Looking for somewhere for 5 mates for a long weekend from 9 to 13 Jan (we can check out early on 13th but would need somewhere to leave bags as we’ll ski all day and have a late flight). Flying into Geneva so within easy reach of there and we’re 5 mates not couples so would need 5 beds (and would prefer proper beds / bedrooms than pull out sofa beds in the living area).

All married, will look after where we stay and are going for the skiing / boarding not the boozing!

Booked a week in aosta valley with the family. Looking forward to a bit of pila, Cervinia, Courmayeur and Champoluc. Woo hoo.

EXCITED

Booked a week in Ste Foy. Nice place for us gorwn-ups with no kids. Friends with kids in an apartment. There wil be snow, skiing and maybe some convivial beverages. What’s not to like?

Salomon Sickstick Split

That’s a good looking deck. I’d love a new split, ours must be 7 seasons old now. Sadly new boots are a more urgent requirement this season.

My local mountain is fillling up! Currently -10c and megasnow forecast for the weekend. was quite depressed about the end of riding season but this is getting me excited

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4ccmLJBABB/

That picture of Are is awesome. French Alps are also looking good – cold temps and more snow forecast for the next couple of days. Should start to build a nice base for the high up resorts.
107 days till I hit Les Arcs and I’m on webcam watch already.

50 cm of snow at Nakiska near Calgary as well so we’re planning a few early morning runs on Saturday.  See how much sweajnr has remembered from last year.  Sweamrs also super keen to try out her new GS skis but I’m thinking that’ll be like driving a Ferrari at rush hour if she’s also going at 5 year old speed.

 French Alps are also looking good – cold temps and more snow forecast for the next couple of days. Should start to build a nice base for the high up resorts.
107 days till I hit Les Arcs and I’m on webcam watch already.

Some promising pics on the Les Arc twitter feed yesterday. Only 45 days until we hit the slopes.

Nice plan. I had a blast doing that a few years ago. Where are you staying out of interest?

Saint-Vincent – seems to have a decent amount of bars/shops but no direct skiing so was pretty cheap accommodation. Seems about 35-60 mins on google maps from everywhere in the valley so reasonable central. Did look at staying in a resort but that added £200 minimum or Aosta (for crap weather access to Pila) but that added £100. Our hope is that the main valley roads stay clear plus both of us have done winter seasons so happy with driving crap vehicles in the snow…

Which reminds me we need to find a hire car, still no luck on guaranteed snow tyres, any pointers?!

EXCITED

Booked a week in Ste Foy. Nice place for us gorwn-ups with no kids. Friends with kids in an apartment. There wil be snow, skiing and maybe some convivial beverages. What’s not to like?

Not surprised – loved skiing there, especially the through the trees down the side of the Marquise chair and right down to Ste Foy proper in good snow! Also if you’re after a good meal out, I know it’s not actually in the resort, but where all staff would head when their family’s came to visit on their night off was “Restaurant La Ferme” in Villaroger, best Raclette I’ve ever had an I’m 1/4 Swiss…

@sweaman i saw that it is record early opening for the big 3 huh?  I was there in feb 2011 (i think) and we got 10cm snow in 6 weeks!

“Restaurant La Ferme” in Villaroger,

Ate lunch there when we skiied Les Arcs a few years ago. Was nice.

I did see a car hire place that offer a winter tyres option recently cost a fair whack extra though

Ah yes it was Sixt, from Greonble airport – “winter tyre option bookable”, and extra 14 eur per day. might not be available from all locations

I did see a car hire place that offer a winter tyres option recently cost a fair whack extra though

Ah yes it was Sixt, from Greonble airport – “winter tyre option bookable”, and extra 14 eur per day. might not be available from all locations

Yeah France and Switzerland are easy as the winter tyre laws are widespread and enforced – far less so it appears in Italy. My brother worked there for a few years and said people just relied on chains where he was rather than winter tyres as they’d had 3 crap winters in a row.

Saint-Vincent – seems to have a decent amount of bars/shops but no direct skiing so was pretty cheap accommodation.

I spent some time looking at accommodation all along the valley from there back up towards courmayeur with key things being parking, a decent kitchen and the right number of rooms and space for teenage boys. As a bonus we’re just 10 min drive from the Aosta gondola and so will do that for some of the days then play the rest by ear/conditions.

Lots of snow in the Pyrenees. Hoping they’ll be enough to hold out for the Christmas holidays, December being generally dry.

Went to the pro show in Tarbes today. Nothing radically new but I’ve never seen as much touring kit on the stands, especially bindings. It seems the pros think more of you will be using touring boots and bindings this season.

Madame equipped junior who’s in Berlin and couldn’t get there himself, I bought a roll of sticky tape for my X-C waxing skis from the Worden stand because I’ve got too lazy too faff with klister and poussette.

main valley roads around aosta have been good IME, it’s the main motorway from turin through the mont blanc tunnel so the roads have always been clear when I’ve been

Anyone know a good source for secondhand splitboards?

I spent some time looking at accommodation all along the valley from there back up towards courmayeur with key things being parking, a decent kitchen and the right number of rooms and space for teenage boys. As a bonus we’re just 10 min drive from the Aosta gondola and so will do that for some of the days then play the rest by ear/conditions.

Yeah – we’re an unfussy pair (brothers) who really just wanted somewhere to crash and spread the maps out in the evening! We’ve got parking and kitchen and the rather interesting bunker style layout!

It seems the pros think more of you will be using touring boots and bindings this season.

I’m definitely taking my touring boots – just can’t decide if the alpine boots come too, will weigh my kit over Christmas as an extra pair of boots my need more luggage allowance! I am also definitely taking the 100mm NRGYs but may also take the Head Magnums if the snow is looking crap.

Which reminds me – I need to (thoroughly) clean and reglue my skins after a rather muddy tour last season!

main valley roads around aosta have been good IME, it’s the main motorway from turin through the mont blanc tunnel so the roads have always been clear when I’ve been

Awesome – I guess we’ll go for the cheapest hire car and worse case if there’s too much snow we can always tour from where we’re staying or use the motorway to Aosta/Pila!

Has anyone been on any of the UCPA/Action Outdoors offpiste/touring courses. Being a skinflint nae mates, I’m thinking of booking onto one of these in Jan. Probably looking at Chamonix valley based, but not sure (trekking around the valley there early season to get to the best areas can be a bit of a PITA). Any feedback appreciated!

Yep, did a week in flaine a few years ago, great experience. Worth checking on snowheads, plenty of good feedback on there – search for me and I’ve posted in a few threads about UCPA feedback

My mate and I have booked an apartment in Plange 1800 for the week starting 1st Feb. Really excited! I’m a very nervous skier, I took a bad tumble a few years ago on a snowboard and haven’t really managed to regain my confidence. I can ski most blue runs and some easy reds. My plan is to take lessons in the mornings while my mate, a very accomplished skier, wears himself out doing crazy stuff, then we can head out together in the afternoons for a few gentle runs and a couple of beers.

Any hints tips and suggestions for the area (it’s new to both of us), would be greatly appreciated!

Stayed in Belle Plagne a few years ago. Nice and high so it’s snowsure. The easier runs struggled in the afternoon with some big moguls on the steeper parts where less experienced folk snowploughed them to death. Apart from that it was great. I was there over New Year and it wasn’t too busy. Easy to get over to Les Arcs too which has loads of variety. Not sure what 1800 itself was like but Belle Plagne was a very ugly purpose built resort. Wasn’t the nicest place for apres but our chalet was lovely so we spent most of the time there. I would definitely go back for the quality of riding available.

Anyone know a good source for secondhand splitboards?

Not used, but Sick and Wrong in Keswick have some splits on sale. Good shop, helpful people.

cheers, will take a look

+1 for Sick and Wrong in Keswick

Really helpful and a pleasure to deal with. They do rent out splitboards so may well have some ex-rentals to sell!

splitboards?

I have a hatred of them even though I’ve never actually used them (I only ski). I was handed one (or a pair?) to wax and edge as a ski tech and was happily waxing away and heard a cracking/splitting sound when scraping. This was a lovely silly light carbon setup, and one of the boards had a proper crack right across the width. I’d checked for damage upon receiving them but hadn’t spotted this due to the bad lighting – so assumed I’d somehow done this. Me having a heart attack thinking I was about to get the blame for this and thinking how I could potentially have done this goes to locate the customer – he knew about the damage but wanted to try them out anyway (they bent really easily in your hand so no chance in my opinion) the next day, as had broken them on the first run from new and injured himself so had 2 years off since.

From then on I ALWAYS asked if there was any damage or issues – not just reading the “Any other info, special requests or existing damage” part of the form. (which he’d filled out as N/A)

Beagle, the restaurant at the base of the luge/bob run is very nice.

^^^ thanks nbt, will check out snowheads for UCPA reports (might need a login to make sense of it by the look of things).

opening this weekend.  Never known it open this early. shreddy!

http://www.instagram.com/p/B4wYM-Xh9-1/

244cm due at Hintertux this week and sunny on Sunday. And I’ve a knee operation on Friday 🙁
At least I’m only off my leg for 2 weeks and the season is already looking good….

2.4m? That’s lots of snow!

I don’t NEED a new jacket, but this is lovely!

Kind of on topic.

Looking for some rucksack recommendations.

It’s actually to be used as a winter hill running back, but I want the ability to carry snowshoes as well so I was thinking of a well fitted ski touring pack. Something around the 30-35l mark.

Any suggestions?

Excelllent first shred of the season with my boy here in Åre . Also got to test drive a 4×4

My calf muscles are singing today!

Avalanches already

Lots of snow this week.

ok second hand splitboard purchased. Can anyone recommend some folding ski/ snowboard poles? Light please!

recommend some folding ski/ snowboard poles

Black Diamond Expedition 3 fold up small (which is important for snowboarding as you have them on your pack when you’re riding). They’re not ultra light, but they last. I have the old version and they must be 7 or 8 seasons old now.

Their compactor poles are also worth a look. They’re quicker when transitioning.

The super light carbon poles I’ve seen are expensive and only two pieces, so are longer when packed away.

Edit – what board did you get?

Got myself a Jones Solution 2014 163w. It’s rad!

Cheers for the suggestions. the Black Diamonds fold up to 60cm apparently, which i think is quite big?  I’m sure some i have borrowed were under 50cm…?

Sad news in the world of snowboarding, Jake Burton Carpenter the founder of Burton Snowboards  and arguably snowboarding itself, has died of testicular cancer.

I think I’ll dig my custom out for one last ride this christmas!

RIP Jake.