Is TSA Covent Garden still going?  I used to get all of my shred sticks from there  🙂

Going to Monterosa in a couple of weeks, staying near Gressoney. First time in the area, any tips?

Was there for a day over new year. It was insanely busy. Not helped by the fact there’s really only one lift up each side the various valleys. Queues were 40 minutes, whereas up in Cervinia and Zermatt we never queued for more than a minute minute.

What we did ride was very nice. There was a black we did at the far end from Champoluc which was probably the best run. Wasn’t really a black bar a couple of steep sections but it was loads of fun

@wej
Did a day there a good few years ago. Loved the sense of travel across the three valleys. Go to Alagna for lunch one of the days. If you’re an off piste type get up to punta indren.

Spent a week there with the Snowheads bash a couple of seasons back, loved it. Never queued at all (end of feb / first week of march so prime french half term). We had off-piste guides and I loved the offpiste off Punta Indren. Lunch at Orestes Hutte was fabulous, but amazing to realise that it’s a veggie mountain hut. Their broccoli pasta was delicious.

Anyone been to Niederau recently?

I have, what do you want to know?

Anyone been to Niederau recently?

Probably 4 years ago, I was still quite an early learner and the conditions were not ideal for me, hard packed snow on the pistes back to town, better up the mountain. A mate broke his wrist in the first day and spent the rest of the week in hospital. Ski school was intense full day lessons with a old farmer type who was hard as nails, the slopes are all ‘white’ ignore the fact that your learner group are all pooping themselves on this steep red, as an ok learner I spent a LOT of time waiting for the rest of the group to pick themselves up before taking my kamikaze style down the slopes. Slope side was indeed white, views out from it were pure green fields.

The town itself is pretty small, a few small bars, all allow smoking indoors. If you are a confident skier you’ll probably spend more of your time in the rest of the Grandvilleria (I think that’s what it was called). I’d not venture back, other peoples opinions may vary. I’ve also never stayed so low again.

I’m off to Meribel on Saturday, I have 2 and a half days of trying to work while all I care about is webcams, piste maps and snow forecasts!

I have, what do you want to know?

What’s the resort and ski runs like?

We are only interested in the skiing, no night life as we are often in bed before 10pm! lol

For anyone heading to the Alps this weekend the refresh or snow arrived today and was much needed. Apparently there’s more to come but it’s stopped at the moment after a day is tipping it down, managed some skiing today, but it was tough going in the wind with little visibility. I still love being in the mountains more than most things though!

Alas back from obergurgl after an awesome week’s boarding.
done for mountain snow now until next winter.
should anyone be going to Hochgurgl make sure you go on the rodelbahn at the bottom gondola, it is a right laugh and bloody fast. Managed 37kmh with my 4 year old on board.
was hilarious

Two weeks of work to get through and then off. getting excited. Hoping for a few more days snow between now and then for perfection but I think this latest fall means decent on piste conditions anyway.

does anyone have any experience of re gluing skins?  Mine have become ‘gacky’ and i would like to refresh them before next weekends tour du jour . i have heard stories of waxing irons and baking paper….

Alas back from obergurgl after an awesome week’s boarding.

We had a week there in early Jan and really enjoyed it. Solden being down the road helps for a bit of variation.

i have heard stories of waxing irons and baking paper….

Sounds about right – https://vimeo.com/120086124

Can anyone compare Pila and La Thuile – family of intermediate skiers, cruisey blues are good. We’ve got accommodation and car in the valley, so can do both either. Only issue I can see is getting skies etc in the estate car (hired, no roof rack). I guess few days in each, leaving hire kit in shop.

@boxelder – when you going?
I’m there soonish so could report back.

We’re also staying in valley but own car so planning to visit 4-5 of the areas including those two.

I have skied Pila for a day but it was many years ago. Also my mate with a recent serious medical history said he felt unwell and walked off the slope to catch a train to the airport 4 days early….all a bit random and we were concerned so I don’t think I paid much attention to the skiing!

In a couple of weeks. Thinking 4 days La Thuile/La Rosiere and 2 at Pila (friends staying there).

you should easily get 4 people in a hire car with skis, if you have spit rear seats. Not skiied Pila, but I prefer Courmayeur to La Thuile personally.

5 of us, but 3 kids (though one’s 6’3′, so not really). Is Courmayeur not more advanced/off piste stuff?

Plenty of lovely piste cruising at Courmayeur, though you can access gnarly stuff if that’s what you want

I looked into re glueing some skins. I looked at the cost of the sheets which seemed reasonable. I then added in the cost of wrecking an iron and perhaps some clothes; added some contingency for clean up and decided it was easier to buy new skins and cut the others short for sweajnr……

The fresh snow in the alps got a bit slushy yesterday, 9 degrees before lunch here in 3V. Rain forecast for tomorrow :~/

cheers that video looks grand i’ll give that a go.

Off to Kitzbuhel for a long weekend 40th birthday. Anyone know a good hire place? Looking for all mountain skis (in the hope of freshies), most places online seem very Austrian with piste carvers.

Just arrived in tignes. Lots of snow as far as I can see but arrived in the dark. Will
Report back tomorrow on conditions

Anybody been to Three Valleys this year?

Looking at booking a snowboard camp in late March, but it’s a lot of money to drop if the snow is crap already…

Had a great time in Flaine, met some new people to ski with and the weather was largely brilliant with lots of sun and cold temps.
We had a couple of days of powder skiing in the last week before the rain came and ruin it a bit. Was great snow for the first 300m of the top then thaw/refreeze crust then slush. The piste wasn’t a lot better as the thaw/refreeze section was like skiing on ball bearings.
More rain forecast today then it’s going to turn considerably colder and snow a lot more later in the week.

To anyone heading out, make sure to head to the Hedgehog snack bar at Morillon and try their new duck burger – very good indeed

I have @jimdubleyou….I was in Meribel for 3 weeks late December-January. Snow was pretty crap for the most part I thought….only did a handful of days though as I was out there gigging. I was in Jasna, Slovakia two weeks ago….worst snow I’ve ever had, normally it’s really great easy off piste there. I think it’s going to be one of those seasons 😔

Anybody been to Three Valleys this year?

@jimdubleyou

Just got back on Saturday from Meribel, start of the week we were on compacted hard snow on and off piste, Monday pm it started coming down lightly, Tuesday it tanked it down (plus high winds meant closed lifts so stuck just around Meribel village) and Wednesday it was lighter so we had a hell of a lot of powder based fun. Thursday was another good day, Friday the pistes were good but crispy in the shade, then slushy later, even higher up, it was 12 degrees in the village (1450m) Friday afternoon, had lunch in a t-shirt.

So keep an eye on snow forecasts if you want off-piste otherwise deal with the snow canon created stuff and piste bashed runs. 3Vs is pricey, but it’s massive and really well organised with decent chairs and bubbles. Meribel was lovely and the free bus service was great in the evenings too.

We did have trouble with Chambrey on Saturday though, fog in the morning meant the early incoming flights were sent to Lyon, in itself not a problem, but Lyon was not staffed to deal with 4 flights of Crystal people. 6 hours to check in, then get herded through security and onto the plane. Driving next year is looking tempting at the moment!

Quick TR from a long weekend, well it would have been …..Plan was Fri-Mon in Morzine.
Arrived in GVA Fri AM all on time. Going through Les Gets car temp was 14 degrees. Fourteen. Degrees.
Got to Morzine and it was HOT, actually hot. Nipped up Pleney and over to LG for lunch and it was like 3pm in April, super soft snow with proper slush at the base. Really fun to ski actually if you enjoy that sort of thing ! In places i was poling downhill….Sun was out though so all good.
Had a few drinks and dinner Fri night in Morz, L’Etale which was quite good.
Sat dawned clear but obvs change was happening, still warm though at about +7 in Avoriaz. Snow was generally quite nice but wind was rising from SW, quickly. Skiied hard from first lift to 1:30pm then had lunch in Lindarets goat village, sat down as it started to pelt down with rain. That rain did not stop AT ALL. Went back up and it was raining at top of Avoriaz. Poured down in Morz pretty much all afternoon and evening. Cleared about 7pm but rained during night. Sunday dawned very very Wet and windy, it was absolutely pelting down and still mild, perhaps snow right up above 2500m but doubt it. Made a call to bail early and switched flight. Kept raining I am told until late PM. Pleney now green and a lot of LG is saturated humidified snow. Avi risk will be 4/5 now for a while and if it freezes and snow it will be super unstable. Incredibly sobering weather and I feel guilty for flying out to ski! Good luck anyone going next week, could be interesting

unlucky Col.
Im nipping out on Thursday night for a long weekend.
Weather forecast looks to be on the up, fresh dump tomorrow and much colder
https://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts/Avoriaz/6day/mid

Thanks for the 3V snow updates.

I’ve booked time off work for the 21st March, but I’m not paying for a camp just yet I think.

It’ll be a pita if we have to trek up to VT every day for snow…

Stoner – yep one of these things and it will be interesting to see what happens. The snow is so humidified it won’t have a chance to lose moisture before it freezes and then has a new layer on top. Avi risk will be super high, it was 4 anyway due to the weight of the snowpack. I’ve spent a lot of time in the hills and worked FT as an instructor and the only place I’ve had rain like that was Glenshee !! Still good snow depth all round but properly odd weather.

Just back from ardent and it was just like NZCol describes.

Did lap the Swiss wall on Thurs as the powder, skiers left, was pretty awesome.

Unfortunately our 4 year old broke her leg on Friday whilst going through the stash. Obvs not on the features, but by this point the snow was very heavy and wet.

Friday lunch time spent in morzine medical centre. Thankfully my cousin has lived in the alps for 25 years so was in morzine anyway for translation and help.

Not that we would have skied Saturday because of the little one but It looked warm, wet and miserable!

Unfortunately our 4 year old broke her leg on Friday whilst going through the stash.

My youngest did the same at Cairngorm a 5 years ago. She bounced back and now I can’t keep up with her on skis. Fingers crossed she heals quickly.

Thanks!

I sent pictures of the x-ray to doctor friend who showed them to a couple of orthopaedic surgeons at her hospital. They said it’s broken in a good place (tib not fib) and shouldn’t need pinned. We’ll find out wed when we go to Southampton for our appointment.

I was concerned she would be put off. Spoke to her ESF instructor and she was really sad that Sophie got injured. Said that she was doing great (got her 2nd badge!) And that if we went back next year, she’d love to teach her. When I told Sophie this, she said when her leg gets better shed like to ski again and have the same instructor. Hopefully that positivness continues!

Crazy weather in tignes last few days. Everything from high winds lo visibility to heavy rain sunshine and snow.

into the 4 week countdown now. Alp d’huez this year for a change. it will be my first time out of the Tarentaise Valley (in winter) for donkey’s. Our friends have stayed in Sainte Foy the last 7 years so they’ll be in for a shock, we were with them 5 of the 7 but have recently had weeks in La Plagne and Tignes so a bit more used to the big resorts.

Snow talk seems quiet this year, no monstrous dumps anywhere but no crisis either? we’ve been so lucky last few years with weather and conditions I cant help feeling like im due a dodgy one.

all inclusive hotel will take the edge of that tho!

When we left 3v on Sunday morning it was lashing down at 1850, gotta hope that this Atlantic storm will pass quickly and things turn colder again soon.

After her another crap ski hire experience where even after paying for premium we end up with 3 Yr old worn out rubbish and being charged 100 euro for the privilege I’m thinking of getting our own skis. We seem to be at a place where we’re not progressing rapidly so whatever we get now should be OK for 3 or 4 years.

Anyone here used Glisshop, they seem to be cheapest online.

Also looking at sending skis, boots etc ahead by baggage courier to save hassle of dragging them round airports. Anyone done this?

If it’s by overland services you would think tour operators would be falling over themselves to promote this kind of thing to reduce weight and fuel use on the aircraft….

Also anyone got any 1st hand experience of alpe d’huez for intermediate level skiers?