what was the snow like Digby?

It was really good – although I think some areas have now been impacted by the more recent milder temps & rain in some places – which is a real shame as it was shaping up to be a pretty decent start to the season!

Just got back from an early season week in Tignes. We drove again and whilst lift prices etc have all gone up from last year we tried to keep costs down by cooking in the Appartment every night (8 of us sharing!) It worked out pretty well actually!

It does worry me more and more that Winter trips in Europe are increasingly becoming the reserve of the wealthy few … there’s been a stark drop in diversity I think over the past few years … and the Pandemic seems to have exacerbated it!

For solo travellers in Europe – have a look at ‘Cold Fusion’ based in the Chamonix Valley – they cater specifically for people travelling alone – although you will probably have to share a room with someone else. ‘Mark Warner’ used to offer something similar, but I’m not sure if they do anymore – many of the UK winter tour operators in Europe have apparently struggled to retain/recruit people eligible to work in the EU …

This is absolutely heartbreaking! A lovely bloke and a fantastic rider! My heart goes out to his family and friends – he will leave a huge hole in the cycling community – especially amongst the Glasgow, Borders and Tweed Valley riders …

I’ve been using the Accuvue MOIST 1-Day Multifocal for a few years now and really recommend them.

I’m -3.0 in one eye and -3.75 in the other and the Multifocals are great for Snowboarding, cycling and running etc as you can see in the distance and also read a map etc.

I did trial some fancy Japanese DoF Multifocals, but whilst they were super comfortable and the near vision was great, it did come at the cost of clarity for distance – which I can’t really afford to sacrifice – especially when snowboarding and cycling.

My understanding is that the Multifocal lenses ‘work’ by ‘tricking’ your brain into correcting the information it receives. Some people just don’t get on with them apparantly as they end up doing the equivalent of ‘focus breathing’.

Go and see a decent contact lens optomistrist would be my recommendation

… and yes … I’m old!

Thanks @stwhannah – I really enjoyed watching and reading that!

Iceland is somewhere I want to go back to as I’ve only seen a limited amount of it driving from Reykjavik to Akureyri (en route to Greenland) and missed all the geological wonders etc. Despite the wind and the bleakness I always feel drawn to such barren landscapes … but maybe I’m just channeling my ‘inner goth’! ;-)

Still trying to process this myself … he’s been one of my favourite singers for years.

First saw him at The Leadmill with Screaming Trees in ’96 (with a young Josh Homme on 2nd Guitar! and he references the gig in his book SBAW – heading out to score heroin afterwards) and I’ve seen him countless times since in various guises and collaborations, including Isobel Campbell @ Leeds City Varities , Soul Savers, to Mark Lanegan Band in small venues and tents at Leeds & Lattitude etc … every single gig was amazing.

Was listening to Marc Riley when he tentatively announced Mark Lanegan’s death – he was clearly hugely upset by it. I took some solace from the fact that the sad news was broken to me by someone who actually knew him, and was also a big fan.

I’ve been dipping into my extensive CD collection of his body of work since the news broke on Tuesday. Hit the City with PJ (posted above is definitely one of my favourites)

Met him last at The Leadmill in late 2019 … he was still an imposing figure … especially with a mouth full of metal implants!

R.I.P. Dark Mark/Old Scratch … there’s not many from the late 80s/early 90s PNW scene left!

TBH I think there are some great films again this year!

Hoping to catch Andy & Aneela’s film ‘After the Storm’ and Canadian snowboarder Spencer O’Brien’s film ‘Precious Leader Woman’

And pakora, so common and tasty in Glasgow, is scarce and poor quality in Yorkshire. (Unless someone knows a good source)

… I’ve always quite liked the Pakoras from the Kashmir Curry House in Bradford (next to the morgue)

I think a lot of climbers have a very selfish streak in them, I saw it in my Father and some of his friends.

From the climber’s perspective I think they often have to be/or at least perceive themselves to be ‘focused’, ‘driven’ & ‘single-minded’ etc … but to the people around them I think it can be construed as being selfish … and to a certain degree I think you probably have to be ‘selfish’ in order to pursue those kind of ‘goals’ and ‘achivements’.

It’s a trait I’ve observed with quite a few people who climb/mountaineer to a high level … interestingly this trait softened in number of them when they had a family … but it’s not always the case …

Seems that UPS are worse than others …

A recent order from Denmark and shipped by DHL incurred no extra payments (VAT inc at source)

A recent order from Sweeden and shipped via UPS incurred VAT handling, brokerage etc … but the worse was the fact that despite shipping being free UPS also charged VAT on estimated shipping.

So on a order value of £146 I ended up having to pay UPS an extra £63.

#CaveatEmptor

My experience of using Cush Core for 18 months (on the rear wheel only):

Hope 26″ Enduro Rims & Maxxis High-Roller with Cush Core:
– Tyre was a nightmare to fit and couldn’t get it seated properly as it always had a slight ‘bulge/wobble’.

– So I swapped it for a Schwalbe Hans Dampf … which could be fitted with the Cush Core by hand and seated nicely.

Ridden for a 18 months with no rim dings etc … really like the way it feels!

However after 18 months almost all of the Schwalbe Hans Dampf side knobs had torn off, so decided to replace tyre. This time it was the complete opposite – the Schwalbe Hans Damp was incredibly difficult to get on the rim – I even had to resort to using my Pedros Downhill Tyre Lever. However there was a wobble/bulge again and I’d actually damaged the rim tape trying to get the tight fitting tyre on over the Cush Core.

So I removed the Hans Dampf, re-taped the rim and tried a new High-Roller. This was much easier to fit, but it turns out that the Cush Core actually gets slacker in use and so when following the recommended install process and spraying with soapy water it had a tendancy to pop off when fitting the 2nd side so I swapped it for an unused Cush Core insert and everything seated nicely.

In conclusion:

Not all tyres are equal and just because one tyre brand/model worked is no guarantee of faff-free install when you replace a worn/trashed tyre

The Cush Core are expensive, fiddly to fit (make sure you allow a couple of hours and some choice swear-words) and seemingly lose some of their molecular integrity over time … but when riding I really do like the confidence and consistency etc they inspire!

That still leaves a 4% chance that you won’t walk away every time you try one of these features

Haha … true … although I’ve been spared too many trips to A&E I do have a ‘litany’ of injuries ranging from ‘glass-back’, separated shoulder, bust ankles and sprained knee ligaments that mean I have a very good relationship with my Sport Physio … and a regular yoga routine!

There’s a risk attached to everything isn’t there? – especially things like crossing the road and driving a car … but for me it’s about managing that [personal] risk to a level that makes you feel comfortable … but still having fun!

I’m also 53 and whilst I have to achnowledge that my days of extreme snowboarding are probably behind me (in terms of technical, steep and exposure – rather than massive kickers) as I don’t think I have the ‘speed of reaction’ required anymore …

… but I feel like I’ve still got some progression to do on the mountain bike … and I’ve been really enjoying trying to get better at jumps during lockdown. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I’ll never be clearing the big doubles on the back straight at Bolehills – but I’m still having fun and still learning!

I’ve always had a rough formula when it comes to big ‘features’ etc either on the snowboard or the bike:

Before I hit it, I need to be reasonably confident that there’s an 80% chance of me being able to ride it out … and in the 20% chance of wiping out and stacking it, there needs to be an 80% chance of being able to walk away.

If I still lived in Hathersage this would be me

Had a bit of an argument with a old friend recently who moved from Grindleford to Castleton a few years ago and now has an absolute pathological hatred of cyclists because ‘there are so many of them riding around’ …

I did point out that if he had moved to Castleton for some peace and quiet in a remote rural village then he’s moved to completely the wrong place … there are other places that tick that box.

However the complete lack of thought and consideration that many people have shown recently for many ‘public spaces’ is really sad (it’s not just limited to the Peak District). The littering, shitting, burning and cavalier* parking is not acceptable …

*other Vauxhall models are available

i live in north sheffield, 3 miles from the peak national park and haven’t been there since before christmas. Combination of covid restrictions and how busy it has been. Now i am allowed to head over there, i dont want to

Yep similar here … Live close to the edge of the Peak District and tbh Hope Valley and surrounding area is that last place I would think of going at the moment – never mind on an Easter BH weekend:

– It will be Sooo Busy
– The locals already hate you … they really do!
– There will be loads of litter
– Increased numbers will lead to confrontation between different user groups about who has the more right to be there and who impacts the trails etc the most (although precious few will see the irony in chewing up the soft-grass verges as everyone fights for the limited parking spaces)
– Social Distancing will be non-existant
– The countryside will be covered in soiled tissues as people take toilet breaks ‘au naturel’ to avoid queuing for the already limited facilities

They have paid out a lot in this round, they will up the stakes to cover themselves against the next thing!

Genuinely interested in how people got a payout on insurance during the pandemic. My own [bitter] experience is that the majority of underwriters are trying their best to avoid paying out anything since:

– Cancelled Flights should be refunded by the airline. (agreed)
– Many policies limit ‘Travel Disruption’ cover to around £1k and that itself is limited to ‘unrecoverable’ costs – which means the onus is on you to try and recover the money paid. Even if you can’t recover it, the underwriter can say ‘well you should be able to’ so can seemingly refuse to pay out!

If you elected not to go anywhere due to COVID-19 then that’s disinclination to travel which isn’t covered (FCO advice is Travel Disruption – see above).

Re-reading through my policies it transpires that the ‘cancellation’ cover actually only provides full cover in a limited number of scenarios – namely your own death or serious injury, jury service or an aircraft crashing into your home etc. The policy itself was quite cleverly worded so that when initially reading through, it appeared I was covered for £5k cancellation when in actual fact it was only £1k travel disruption in this situation – so the one time I try and claim they are digging their heels in!

So with hindsight, for future trips I will take out cover for medical/repatriation only if possible.

And use some or all of the following:

credit card to pay for holiday/flights etc
ATOL/ABTA registered company
cross my fingers that nothing goes wrong

Holiday Insurance companies have been added to my list of organisations to try and avoid using in the future.

Of course their is an element of ‘Caveat Emptor’ and Read the Policy properly and then read it again.

As a positive note, when our snowboarding trip to Italy was cut short when Aosta valley closed and we were repatriated at very short notice. However Crystal/TUI (ABTA) refunded us automatically for the week we lost. Massive thanks to Crystal. So lessons learned and all that …

Just got repatriated by Crystal yesterday – very quick turnaround.

We’d been in Aosta Valley for a week already, but folk arrived on Sunday midday, the announcement was made about the whole valley’s resorts closing was made Sunday afternoon and by Monday evening everyone was flown back out of Turin on ‘special flights’ late at night just before the entire country was locked down.

Top marks to Crystal and their staff. Real shame for all the hotels, bars and restaurants etc … not a good prospect as the season had been pretty quiet already.

I have a Black Diamond Bandit.

I was thinking more along the lines of the Volcom Iguchi Slack Vest or the Dakine Heli Vest but yeah … the smaller the profile of the pack the better I reckon when in resort – and of course spare supplies with the little rippers is required

Problem with big packs is there is a tendancy to fill them … (I know this only too well as my touring pack is 40 litre … )

I don’t think I’ve seen any problems with the ruksack on,

I think the issue is if a strap gets caught when someone is wearing it, they could easily be dragged round and over a big drop. If the bag is held in the hand and then gets caught then all that is required is for the owner to let go. Never heard of someone being told to wear it on their front … that sounds a daft rule …

Just leave the damn things on your back, all strapped up like they’re supposed to be

Problem with this is that packs (especially big ones) often shift people’s body & weight forward, which can make lowering the safety bar and getting off the lift problematic for other people on the lift especially at busy periods.

Up to the individual and how they roll, but personally, if I’m riding in resort then I won’t take a bag – suncream, toque/beanie etc can all fit in the pockets.

I saw quite a few lift incidents in Baquira a couple of weeks ago with bag straps getting snagged – one was only seconds away from being serious.

The low profile camelbag type thing under the jacket sounds like a good idea for those hot spring shred days when you need fluids. Also a number of brands have made really low profile ‘stab-vest’ type things that can take shovel and probe but don’t have loads of unnecessary straps etc, which makes them ideal for slack-country days

Regarding the OP – personally I over-heat quite quickly so I like being able to layer according to the days weather. This makes a mountain shell type jacket ideal.

Had haunted dancehall and Stockwell steppas on this avo

Sabres of Paradise’s Haunted Dancefloor was one of my favourites from the mid-90s.

They played The Leadmill in Sheffield as part of a Warp Records night with LFO and Autechre … the whole night was just mental! #ClicksAndBeeps

Very sad loss indeed!

o hundreds of thousands of guilty people were not prosecuted for practical reasons.

Indeed … but modern Germany doesn’t try and cover this up – check out Topography of Terror museum in Berlin: there’s a whole section on what happned to many of the people in ‘involved’ in the Holocaust after the end of WWII and the positions in post-war German society that they held.

The scale of the murder is incomprehensible and as Baddiel said at the end this is one of the problems

This … I remember first reading about the Holocaust as a young boy. Up until that moment, I believed the basic premis of Western Christian idiology that teaches children that people are good and kind etc … initially I struggled to rationalise and comprehend the sheer scale and monstrosity of the cruelty metered out by human beings on other human beings. It was a steep learning curve.

In the 1980s I then discovered that I had elderly Polish relatives that has survived the concentration camps. In 1989 (the same year as the Berlin Wall fell) I visited the site of the Bergen-Belsen camp, which had a profound effect on me.

Well done David Baddiel for continuing the education …

Bond theme for goths.

This made me smile!

I’m 52 and I like some of her her stuff as for me it has a whiff of Portishead – album has a couple of slow-ish tracks but she’s really got something performing live … and a great relationship/rapour with her audience.

and +1 for what DezB said.

Very sad loss … his style was a massive influence on me and many of the bands I like growing up.
:-(

I hope all of you criticising the Police are actively badgering your democratically elected Police and Crime Commissioners to get the Chief Constable to reprioritise their resources,

Yep – and also escalating to SYP Chief Constable Stephen Watson.
Complete waste of time though.

and are prepared to pay the extra required to give them the resources they need

Yep I’d pay extra – but see earlier comments about trees and football … e.g. SYP’s own figures for the 2017/18 season show that the cost to SYP for policing football in South Yorkshire was £1,004,718 – equivalent to 27 additional Police Officers.
Also plenty of info in the public domain about SYP acting as private security firm for a commercial organisation and various FOI requests including details concerning the fact that between 2017/18 and 2018/19, police spent more than £110,000 on overtime relating to staffing tree-felling protests in Sheffield.

So it isn’t just about giving the Police more money …

Police forces up and down the country do a very difficult job (often with conflicting priorities from my perspective) and in an ideal world the OP should feel that he could report a traffic incident and the Police would do something about it … however the reality is that they have neither the time or the resources:

I drive between M1 junction 36 and 42 and (then the M62) on daily basis. I probably see a bad accident at least once a week, and I see poor, agressive and dangerous driving on a daily basis including ‘punishment passes’, undertaking, lane hogging, drifting, phone usage.

I’m not convinced that filming and reporting each of these incidents would help the Police or the safety of that motorway, but I’m open to any compelling arguments!

Sadly, there have also been a number of fatalities along that stretch of motorway recently that take up a lot of SYPs resouces, one earlier this week and another in October – both involving ‘pedestrians’ near junctions 36 and 37.

Let’s hope it’s South Yorkshire Police

most forces are not even going to reports of burglary because of cuts to police numbers

Personal experience would suggest that SYP would adopt a similar approach – sadly because of continued cuts, football and trees, SYP now seemingly view burglary and the recovery of stolen goods to be at best an inconvenience despite the fact that as reported recently on BBC Look North Leeds, South Yorkshire now has the highest rate of burglary (up 9% from 2018 in recent ONS figures).

Unless you’ve got plenty of free time to waste getting increasingly frustrated with SYP, I’d chalk it up to experience and move on.

I was once recommended to put the car in reverse gear when trying to set off and negotiate the likes of downhill slippery compact snow or icy patch. Then, rather than jamming the brakes, locking them and sliding you would bring the clutch up and the vehicle would descend very slowly but without skidding and sliding into the curb or worse another vehicle in front. Not sure if this actually constitutes engine breaking! :-)

Clearly not great for your clutch long term, but I’ve used the technique on a couple of occasions and it does work very well.

Also useful to know how to turn into a skids and +1 for winter/all season tyres.
Probably not worth teaching Winter driving skills for much of the UK though … these days we only seem to get a few days of actual winter!

I watched the stage version of TLOG last night and noticed how many of the good characters were Steve Pemberton and how few were Gatiss. Be interested to know how much he contributes to Inside No9.

Inside No9 is Pemberton & Shearsmith. Gatiss is not involved, but there are nods etc.

Personally I prefer Inside No9 to TLOG, but suffice to say I think Steve Pemberton is one of the best character actors around at the moment, and I love the broad sweep of writing and genres that they cover in Inside No9. One of my favourites is ‘Bernie Clifton’s Dressing Room’

@stevomcd – yep … completely agree with your take on the industry and Burton!

I never understood what seemed to be some form of inverted [brand] snobbery.

I’ve never owned many Burton boards, but to be honest I’ve gone back to Burton’s ‘solid board’ bindings again and again over the years … the Mission & Cartel bindings just ticked all the boxes and could be considered design classics they now been around that long!

My fear with Private Equity and Venture Capital ‘ownership’ of so many ski, snowboard, outdoor & lifestyle brands is that when the brands have been ‘bled dry’ and crippled with massive debts, the Private Equity companies etc will just move on to the next market segment leaving a massive hole in the industry. I understand the need for such PE companies as otherwise it’s very difficult for an organisation to grow and expand (especially since the banks aren’t lending), but I can’t help thinking of the PE companies as just ‘loan-sharks’ in designer clothing.

+ for the Black Diamond Compactor poles and for being able to put your poles in your backpack.

My only criticism with the Compactor is that they would feel a bit flimsy/noodly if I had to put my full weight on them when negotiating certain technical kick turns or icy sections and I’ve managed to shave quite a bit of aluminium off the bottom section using them to stop my lower spitboard-half from slipping on short, but really icy traverse sections etc when using ‘ski crampons’ would involve a lot of faff for a short distance.

I’m now using the Grivel – Trail 3, which also folds up small but feel a bit more stable under full load. I also really like the grips but this is very much a personal choice

and yeah … #RIPJakeBurton :-(

Agreed – the likes of Tom Sim, Jake Burton Carpenter and Craig Kelly all helped shape what I know today as modern snowboarding … which has provided me with immense please and huge enjoyment.

+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!

Met him very briefly many years ago – top bloke.

Found it very difficilt to read his post yesterday, but at the same time his positive attitude, honesty, and it has to be said his cracking sense of humour and perspective shone through!

#RideForMichael

For the organised/targeted thefts, (as opposed to the opportunistic/junkie theft) my theory [based on my own bitter experience] is that there are established networks to split frames and components, move them to another part of the country and sell them privately.

The frames and components then get sold on various times until eventually a year or so later an ‘unsuspecting’* person pops the stolen goods on ebay …

*I say unsuspecting as the 2nd hand ‘used’ mtb market really drives this black economy since many people are willing to overlook the legality of an item’s ‘provenance’ when they are ‘getting a bargain’

Had this on a Sumsung ‘Smart TV’ the other day where iPlayer just loads with the purple background.

Other Apps like All4 and Amazon were ok.

Had to do a ‘Smart Hub Reset’ – the apps are then refreshed and iPlayer worked again

The thing I don’t understand is why these landowners even care.

The landowner/manager has a legal responsibility to maintain & clear a PRoW

So gates, stiles & vegetation etc all have to be repaired and replaced and PRoWs made safe so as not to endanger users, which means unwanted expense for the landowner.

One of the previous landmanagers in the Ladybower area was well known for his dislike of pretty much everyone using the PRoWs across his land including walklers, cyclists & fell-runners. His attitude was ‘why should I have to pay for the upkeep on paths and gates etc for these people who contribute nothing’ …

Some Peak District residents and businesses seemingly take the view that extensive ‘tourism’ contributes little and costs alot. For sure lots of local businesses rely on vistors but those that don’t often view ‘grockles’ with disdain.

Happy to talk about it all at the AGM.

Thanks for the invite @Pook

The Advocacy Files – a celebration of effort

Just re-read ‘The Advocacy Files’ in your link and I’m left with the impression that apart from perhaps Whinstone Lee Tor and involvement in Cut Gate, the Advocacy Files actually reads like a celebration of what has been achieved predominantly in the Sheffield area by Ride Sheffield …

I’m not doubting PDMTB’s efforts and attempts at trying to change the current situation in the Peak District area and attitudes towards MTBs or the challenges faced by having to deal with the various landowners/land managers/tennants etc but fair play and massive thanks again to Ride Sheffield !!

Finally: Why don’t people get that cheeky trails should be kept to yourself like wild camping? If you tell everyone where the best wild camping spots are they get ruined. That’s why traditionally you don’t find loads of details on the internet or in books.

Do some research yourself and go out and explore. You’ll find places no one else goes and they are the best. Then keep them secret and they’ll stay amazing.

Wise words indeed!!!

The problem will come if access never quite materializes whilst the group is basically co-opted as an anti-MTB police force.

+1 Fully appreciate it must be a difficult position trying to hold the middle ground but I guess a fair question is who does PDMTB actually represent? The Landowner/Landmanager or the Mountain Bikers?

Just to close this off – I sent my jacket back to Arcteryx and they repaired the cuffs and also the hemline drawstring cord channel thingy, and also the hanger loop, neither of which I’d identified as bad, so I’m pretty happy.

Yep – it’s a pretty good service isn’t it?

Buying a plastic jacket is expensive not only in initial purchase price, but also environmental impact … the least we can do is minimise repeat purchasing and but items in the hope that they will last a long time and try and avoid some of the pit-falls of our modern disposable society …

#MakeDoAndMend

which makes me wonder why so few of these bikes come with cable routing for a (stealth) dropper

I did the Hope Pre-Peaks a couple of months ago and I found myself wishing I had a dropper on some of the wet, slippy and more technical descents …

A few other riders also had them fitted

Of course I could have done the event on a mountain bike with a dropper fitted, but part of the challenge was to do it on a ‘gravel bike’, but I would have appreciated being able to move around a bit more without the saddle being in the way.
Same for riding the likes of ‘Cut Gate’ on the ‘gravel bike’ as well.

Turns out my Orange RX9 actually does have [internal] cable routing for a dropper!

Pleased you managed to get the gearbox sorted Tracey!

Enjoy Southern Italy!