I’ve frequently parked at both T1 & T2/T3 over the years.

If it’s a really early T2 flight and I’ve got snowboard bags etc then I’ve stayed at the Radisson Blu with a parking package – it’s fine for what it is and only minutes walk to the desks/security etc

You can often get a 10/15% discount with the like of holiday extras

However I used the ‘new’ T2 Meet & Greet in March. (you drop off you car near the checkin desks, leave your keys, then they drive your car somewhere else and then you collect your keys and car from near arrivals on your return.

The new T2 M&G photograph & scans your vehicle on entry to record and damage.

When I went to collect my keys I was told that my car had had a puncture (a nail apparently). Since this may have occurred on or off-site, as a gesture of good will, T2 M&G had got National Tyres to fit a new ”like for like’ tyre.

Initially I was quite grateful however as soon as I drove off it became apparent that not only had the wheel not been balanced they had swapped out a nearly new Goodyear All season for the cheapest in that size. (which I’ve since had to have replaced).

Contacted Manchester airport to ask to see the National Tyres report as I don’t understand why the tyre wasn’t repaired if it was just nail and the side-wall wasn’t damaged. I’ve had a case number provided, but no follow up despite trying to chase.

Bit disappointed in the lack of response to be honest. The small print states that they are not liable for any damage to your vehicle, but I would have liked the option of keeping the original tyre and having it repaired. Kindof makes me think that they must have cased the sidewall when moving the car which doesn’t inspire confidence.

Have also recently used T1 multi-storey where you park your car near the terminal and it stays there for the week. Not cheap either, but at least your car stays in one place.

My thinking was that most base cleaners just seem to be degreaser and evaporant. Bike degreasers tend to be water-soluble so I was just going to rinse it down after degreasing

@GrahamS – I be tempted to get some base cleaner to remove dirt, grease & contaminants etc. I’ve had good results from Dakine’s base cleaner and Holmenkol’s. Both are fairly widely available, not really expensive and last for years – you don’t need to use it everytime you wax.

I did once try some bike chain citrus degreaser and it made a bit of a gooey mess that just made for more cleaning.

Chamonix looks good with a few different places to go, anyone else been?

I wrote the following a few pages back about a month ago which may help a bit.
Not much really in Chamonix for folks with only a week or so under their belt – especially in March when many of the lower slopes (apart from Grand Montets) will have vanished – especially during this very warm spell that the Alps is having!

anyway :

All depends on the weather/conditions I reckon – especially these days as it can be slim pickings in resort. (although there is always the option of getting the bus through to Courmayeur – when Chamonix is lacking, Courmayeur often gets the goods and vica-versa),

My pointers would be:

Brevent & Flegere are southerly facing so can get slushy late in the day. but during freeze/thaw conditions this means they are great from mid-morning onwards unlike Grand Montets which doesn’t get the sun so when it’s icy … it stays icy. Brevent & Flegere are also close to town so get tracked out pretty quick after a storm.

La Tour – good for low vis storm days and low coverage (as it’s a meadow rather than rocky mountain-side). Has the largest number of ‘mellow’ slopes for those wanting to take it easy.

Grand Montets – great if the slack-country/off-piste is in condition. Should also be good for touring over towards the Lognans since the cable car and top tickets burned down. Also good later in the season.

Les Houches – good trees on a storm/low vis day

Downside is that you can spend a lot of time travelling in Chamonix valley and there is always the panic that whichever area you choose you might be left wondering if you’d made the right choice …

Buying individual day passes for each area can work out expensive so a 6 Day Chamonix unlimited *might* be better value but that depends on what you and your group have planned. The unlimited includes the Montenvers railway & the Midi, so if you get a guide for a backcountry day it can work out economical.

Very nice indeed Rockhopper – I’ve got one of those to make myself!

we’d never even heard of an probe in the 80s!

… and now you can even get a Black Diamond/Pieps probe with an integrated receiver!

agreed @dashed – we all started out without much knowledge and learning by mistakes etc is all part of the process isn’t it?

But as you say what equipment there was available was pretty limited – 12 or so years splitboards tended to be either DIY or Voile …
a decade or so earlier again and Powder & touring skis weren’t as common as most people (especially in Europe) tended to stick to the groomers. (Some Canadian friends did a trip to Austria about 15 years ago and they couldn’t believe how few people were skiing the powder when it got more than a few cm deep!).

Nowadays the level of equipment and availablity of it is pretty amazing – and the off-piste backcountry has become ever more aspirational (how many people on this thread alone reference how good the off-piste was?) as people want to move away from the pistes and experience the sensation of skiing and riding pristine powder …

I think it was 4 killed in Aosta (Courmayeur) and 8 in Italy total.

Yeah – it was a pretty grim weekend to start February.

pleased to hear you had a good week Jon Taylor! Courmayeur is a favourite of mine.

Regarding the off-piste though, it’s a tricky one as seemingly these days more and more people are accessing the easy lift-accessed slackcountry/backcountry and most of the time nothing happens …

But then it goes pear-shaped …

Non of the off-piste areas or itinerairies accessible off the Youla & Arp should be underestimated in my opinion. Of course if the snow-pack is stable then many of the routes are relatively straight-forward. Reading the reports from 3rd Feb fatal avalanche it would appear that the slide happened in one of the couloirs that drop downs into Val Veny. (near the ‘forbidden zone’) In other words quite a significant ‘terrain trap’ that buried the victims under two metres of snow.

I can’t (and won’t) speculate about the decisions and skills of the unfortunate people involved but the wife of one of the victims was quoted as follows:

“He never took risks, always carried a collapsible spade to dig himself out. ”

I can only hope that this is either sloppy journalism or a lack of understanding on her part

Please … if you do want to head off-piste, go with a guide/suitably qualified person; make sure you’ve got an avalanche beacon, shovel & probe (and know how to use it); do an avalanche awareness course; read the local resort area avalanche report & assess the dangers
(the risk that weekend was level 3 – Considerable (not high as reported in some bits of the media) This is the level when most incidents occur.

#KnowBeforeYouGo
#IllGetOffMySoapBoxNow

Sad news coming out of Courmayeur this morning

Very sad indeed. Take care out there everyone and #KnowBeforeYouGo

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! :-)

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 … :-)

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!

Living in Sheffield – Yes Absolutely!

Living in a shared house in a British Columbia ski town – Nope. I don’t think anyone in the house actually had a key to the front door!

Off to Chamonix on the 3rd Feb for 4 days. Have skied there a couple of times but not for 10 years, any reminders on places to hit? We’re all a reasonable standard.

All depends on the weather/conditions I reckon – especially these days as it can be slim pickings in resort. (although there is always the option of getting the bus through to Courmayeur – when Chamonix is lacking, Courmayeur often gets the goods and vica-versa),

My pointers would be:

Brevent & Flegere are southerly facing so can get slushy late in the day. but during freeze/thaw conditions this means they are great from mid-morning onwards unlike Grand Montets which doesn’t get the sun so when it’s icy … it stays icy. Brevent & Flegere are also close to town so get tracked out pretty quick after a storm.

La Tour – good for low vis storm days and low coverage (as it’s a meadow rather than rocky mountain-side). Has the largest number of ‘mellow’ slopes for those wanting to take it easy.

Grand Montets – great if the slack-country/off-piste is in condition. Should also be good for touring over towards the Lognans since the cable car and top tickets burned down. Also good later in the season.

Les Houches – good trees on a storm/low vis day

Downside is that you can spend a lot of time travelling in Chamonix valley and there is always the panic that whichever area you choose you might be left wondering if you’d made the right choice …

Buying individual day passes for each area can work out expensive so a 6 Day Chamonix unlimited *might* be better value but that depends on what you and your group have planned. The unlimited includes the Montenvers railway & the Midi, so if you get a guide for a backcountry day it can work out economical.

Can’t really comment too much on the night life as these days I tend to be knackered from a full days riding.

There are a few places in town:

<slight-irony>
L’Amnesia has good DJs … doesn’t normally open until after mid-night
Chambre-Neuf tends to have people dancing on tables in their ski-boots & sweaty salopettes. Across the road at Elevation is more my thing – locals and a pitcher. Dancing in your harness with crabs attached is frowned upon …
The Pub is owned by a brit and attracts brits … usually telling the entire bar what an amazing powder run they’ve just had!
Beer prices drop a bit when you move away from the main tourist drag so around Cham-Sud is a bit more seasonaire vibe etc. So follow the happy-hour signs.
Argentierre used to have a cool vibe but everyone has now sold up and moved (mainly down to Les Houches).
</slight-irony>

Flown with snowboard a few times to Tromso, but had to fly to Oslo first. Used SAS – luggage is forwarded automatically when flying onwards with same airline now in Oslo – you used to have to collect and re-check from memory a few years ago.
If you book SAS Plus you get two hold bags (one of which can be sports) which can *sometimes* work out cheaper than ‘Economy plus extra baggage’ and you get ‘priority baggage’ …

The hipflasks would be buried deep in our “main” bags.

My understanding from a friend that did this journey a week ago is that Eurostar security is like airport security:

Given that they only allow ‘soft drinks in sealed bottles’ I’m guessing you would struggle to smuggle booze on board the night train

…and the ‘Boulder Hut’ is a great trip – one of my snowboarding highlights for sure!!

it’s a shame Jess Strange didn’t work out

Yeah agreed … I thought she was a good addition to the team of presenters!

Anyone got any tips for Courmayer?

You can take the piste down from the Youla (the lower lift) and you can go up the Arp just to check out the views etc, but the ‘itineraries’ and backcountry accessible off the Arp require solid backcountry skills, equipment and preferably a guide.

I’ve ridden there loads and was there in 2017 when a big slide happened in the area below the Youla (and the FWT couloirs) and next to the Gabba, killing 3 people. Please don’t under-estimate the ‘slack-country’

If the relatives want to tour near resort, then I can definitely recommend getting a local guide (there is a Guides Company in the town) and heading off the back of the Arp into Val Venny. There’s a long summer road along the valley bottom to return to resort lift (Zerrota) but one of the restaurants near the lift will come and pick you up with a rope and skidoo/sled. (you don’t have to but it’s kindof expected to have a pizza in their restaurant when they’ve picked you up)

As others have said the Helbronner area is a step up from the resort area – it’s glaciated and really requires a guide, plus touring gear inc skins; boot crampons; ski crampons; harness & glacier kit & ice-axe. If it’s in condition it’s a 2000m run down to the valley bottom. There’s also the ‘Marbre’ on the other side of the lift/refuge towards the dent du geant. I’ve done both sides on both solid board & splitboard so touring might be optional depending on your route but boot crampons etc are mandatory. Your guide can advise further.

The main ski area is great – it has wide open slopes on the top and tree lined runs facing Mont Blanc/Monte Bianco. It’s usually pretty quiet during the week (unless it is an Italian Holiday).

what else am I looking at?

Korua Shapes ‘Pencil’ or Jones ‘Mind Expander’ might be worth considering

@jonswhite – interesting. Thanks for that. :-)

If looking for a new brand model, then I would definitly go to a shop like TSA/EB or Snow & Rock that have a reasonable selection for you to try. Also don’t discount small independant places like ‘The Sick and The Wrong’ in Keswick (behind the pencil museum). They carry a fair amount of stock as well and are super helpful.

As others have said, Salomon tend to be quite a narrow fitting/foot last; 32 & Vans tend to be wider, but since feet come in many different shapes & sizes trying them on is a must I think. Burton boots seem to give me terrible ankle pain for instance …

Generally I aways hope/expect to get about 12 weeks (i.e. a ‘Season’) out of any piece of Snowboarding gear – including boots. Splitboard Touring seems to excelerate the liners packing down, but you can reduce the ‘volume’ with the like of ‘Superfeet Volume reducers’ which extends the usuable life of a pair of boots.

Cold Blower Powder in the Alps last week …

@jonswhite

Looking forward to testing this out tomorrow.

Interested to hear your thoughts on the board (and K9’s as well! :-) )

I don’t know, but amongst our big annual boys trip it’s definitely true to say that the skiers prefer to travel longer distances in a day than the boarders

This may well be true in many [large] European Resorts which have seemingly developed along the lines of ‘getting the miles/km in’ and ‘ticking off the runs’.

in my experience (and as As sweaman2 mentioned) that is not often the case in Canada.

However, in general though, I think that [piste] skiing is much easier for getting the miles in (especially at a beginner/intermediate level) and doesn’t suffer as much from long flat sections and heel-side traverses on off-camber pistes etc … which is perhaps why many snowboarders tend towards doing laps off a run that’s in good condition with features etc.

As for snowboarders hitting the piste later in the day this again may well be true in lower latitude European resorts where (unless it’s a powder day) the snow may well need to transform a bit first (especially late in the season with freeze/thaw conditions) – since rock-hard groomers can be a bit wearing on a board after a while. Those are the days when I wish I could ski a bit better so I can use double the number of edges! :-)

Closed til the end of December

Opening this weekend apparently …

https://urlz.fr/8ujq?fbclid=IwAR2XbL3yUH3TeKRU03wpDwx0sQ-iWOKC7INYARLXNh_Chv3Sjb0EnONqehg

I’m wondering whether to replace my snowboard. I bought it in 2009 and my question is how much things have changed since then?

How has it been stored/kept? Much damage to the base/core?

If you lie it on say the kitchen floor does it still have it’s ‘camber’ etc.

Do the four corners all touch the floor evenly? i.e. your snowboard isn’t warped? (keeping your board in overly hot/damp storage can cause a board to warp or twist over time)

If you board is still fun to ride then stick with it.

Board shapes have seemingly remained pretty much unchanged for quite some time as the Snowboard industry matured and plateaued. There were a few ‘quirky’ ahem innovations like magna-traction but most boards fell into the slightly directional twin-tip design.

However in the past few years there has been some interesting innovation from smaller rider owned/led/focussed companies that are experimenting with shapes and designs again.

How relevant this is to you depends on the kind of riding you like to do and how often? i.e. we all might like the idea of riding bottomless powder in the backcountry everyday but the reality is not the case – therefore buying a Winterstick Swallowtail might be hard to justify! :-)

If you are interested in getting a new one, use the hire shop and demo a few.

Unfortunately depending on the resort, snowboard hire often isn’t as extensive as ski hire, so this might not be an option for you.

Shops like Zero G in Chamonix will be able to supply a different board to demo each day, but smaller resorts may only have limited brands/sizes to choose from – often because most snowboarders will buy their own board, bindings and boots

+1 for getting a guide or going with an experienced group.

Everyone should be equipped with harness, cows-tail/lanyard and 2 screwgate crabs, transceiver, shovel & probe and at least 1 person (if guide or 2 people if no guide) should have 30m rope and crevasse rescue kit (and know how to use it).

If some people are nervous and/or it’s windy then the rope can be used for the arête. (boot crampons also). It starts at 3800m so the altitude can sometimes make people feel a bit ‘panicky’ anyway. But it is quicker to get down the arête without a rope

The rope-hand-rail on the arête is always there in winter – at least as long as I can remember

The ‘tourist route’ is pretty straight forward and not usually technical but depending on the recent weather & snowfall etc there can often be big crevasses opening up. Knowing how to read and navigate the crevasse terrain is imperative. There are a huge number of optional tours and variants that can make it more interesting but many people enjoy the VB just for the views rather than the technical skiing/riding.

The weather can change very quickly – with blue skies at the top and a complete whiteout for the long flat spot towards the end so you need to be able to navigate in bad vis as there are no piste markers etc.

There have been some pretty bad rock/ice falls in recent years including a massive section of the Periades that came away so some of the extra tours out of the valley may not be available.

Anyone who doesn’t think that the climate is changing and the glaciers retreating should take note of the rapidly shrinking glacier with the years marked on the climb up the stairs to Montenvers Railway

I don’t see why you coudn’t get insurance, I’ve had insurance for climbing in the Alps (without a guide) on stuff way more dangerous than that stroll in the park!

Insurance must state ‘off-piste (with or without guide)’. Standard cheap winter holiday insurance probably won’t cover you so you more than likely need extra cover. The like of Snowcard have levels of insurance – you just have to pay a premium for the extra cover … and often a big extra chunk of change if you are a snowboarder!

I’ve done the ‘long weekend in the Alps’ Snowboarding a few times but not with bikes, but many places in the alps seem to be catering more and more for the last minute / long weekend customer as more people try and catch the good weather [or snow] window without taking too much time off work. This tends to be very popular and easier for folk from London and the South East though.

As others have said driving from Sheffield to Dover is pretty tough and leaves you knackered for the Calais to the Alps leg. Unless there is a group of you that can share the driving I would avoid.

From Sheffield to Geneva by air you are also pretty much looking at the best part of one full days travelling at each end, so your travel/’time on the bike’ ratio isn’t going to be great:

Both Leeds Bradford and Manchester have low-cost airlines that fly to Geneva, but when travelling with oversized luggage in my experience you are best turning up nice and early for check-in … especially when flying from Manchester – it’s worth getting an overnight hotel for a really early flight even if you technically only live an hour away from ‘Ringway’!

Transfers from Geneva with bike are pretty straight-forward and maybe preferable to a hire car as hire cars are often only economical when there are a few of you and then they are too small for all the luggage!

Can’t comment on the bike hire situation, but I would have thought that having your own gear/set-up was pretty important – it certainly is for me.

So in a nutshell I’d say it’s doable if you are cash-rich and time-poor. Otherwise I reckon there are probably better places and ways to spend your cash and/or time on the bike

Once I’m caught in a slide, I’m thinking of nothing else but pulling that handle. Once you’re caught, there’s no getting out of there. If I’m still on my feet, yeah, for sure, I’m going to try to get out to the side or break the sound barrier straight-lining down the hill, but if I’m off my feet and I’m on a slope of any significant size, I’m pulling that handle.

@stevomcd – yeah – I was referring to those few microseconds when you are aware of the sudden change in the snowpack but the slide hasn’t quite gathered momentum, and you are still on your ‘feet’ (and thankfully/hopefully your toeside-edge!): My focus was on picking my nearest exit/island of safety!

I’ve also considered getting an ‘avalung’ but again I’m not sure how effective they are in the ‘moment’: – if you are on your feet you’d want to be trying to get to the side etc and if you were off your feet I’d be trying to ‘swim’ etc rather than trying to fit the mouth piece in.

Completely agree about ‘law of averages being a dangerous thing’ though … I’ve lost too many friends & acquaintances over the years! :-(
When doing a serious number of backcountry days a year though like you – for sure, you need to mitigate risk in every possible way!

I’ve never used the more traditional strap in bindings so I’m wondering what the advantages of them are?

As a sweeping generalisation I think the step-in and flow type bindings have emphasised comfort and east-of-use, whereas the traditional two-strap bindings have emphasised ‘performance’ as your foot can be securely positioned and held in place thus allowing more ‘control’ via ‘foot-steering’.

Whether this is important to you though is personal and above all any system your choose should enhance your enjoyment.

The new Burton StepOn system looks interesting, but as I think was discussed on last years thread it seems a bit like a solution for a problem that perhaps doesn’t exist and pretty much ties you into narrower choice of boots. But if it works for you then go for it!

Haven’t tried any Flow bindings for 10+years but I found them loose & sloppy even when cranked down. Other folks swear by them in particular some of the more recent models which are seemingly more of a hybrid of Straps and Rear Entry … ahem …. :-)

with regard to technology advancing, I think it’s slowed to a real crawl

Agreed – I think Avalanche Airbag technology is maturing rather than advancing – the last big innovation was BD’s JetForce which is being licensed to other manufacturers now – however this was introduce 4 or so years ago, so isn’t exactly new and as I mentioned earlier there have been a number of recalls.

What I do see though is the 4 main systems being licensed and tweaked by different manufacturers and integrated into their own back-pack designs – which has improved choice in terms of fit & comfort.

But I do agree with you @dashed that the market uptake has perhaps plateaued despite the continued popularity in backcountry touring, and I think this is because of the weight/bulk issue – I did a 2 week expedition to Greenland and not one of the 10 people in the group had an avalanche airbag: by the time you’ve got layers/boot crampons/ski crampons/skins/food/water/ice axes etc in your backpack there’s not much space for much else and the size of a big heavy airbag can throw you off balance a bit.

Perhaps more useful for multi-drop heli-days (where you don’t need to carry much more than beacon, shovel & probe) and where a buddy/guide can remote trigger some of the new ones whilst you drop in filming your latest edit … but I’ve not done a heli-day for about 4 years now! :-)

Has anyone got an Avabag pack or similar pack?

I’ve been toying with the idea of getting avalanche bag for a while – and a number of people I ride with do wear them, however:

Still haven’t quite made up my mind yet, but my thoughts [so far] are as follows:

– they will only improve your chances of not getting buried – not eliminate the risk

– they are big heavy and bulky and the technology is still maturing

– Can’t fly trans-atlantic with them (apart from the Jetforce types) and even some European airlines will confiscate a cannister (a friend got his confiscated flying through Amsterdam to Tromso)

– the Jetforce system looks good, but the battery isn’t great in cold temps and there has been a few recalls. Snowboard carry on the Jetforce ones it still limited.

– when caught in a slide you have a few seconds to react and try to get the **** out of dodge – do you really want to be trying to faff trying to detonate your pack etc

– for them to be effective many require the use of a crotch harness, but seemingly very few people actually use them

– they mitigate risk, but they should not allow you to ignore the 5 warning signs of avalanche risk (aka ‘Know before you go’)

Saw them at the venue I worked at (Coldplay were the support act) circa 2000 ish – thought they were promising if a bit Radiohead-ish.

Gave a copy of Showbiz to my daughter when she was a young teen ‘searching for the new sound’*

They are still her favourite band. Career highlight for me was Origin of Symmetry, but then I’ve always had a weakness for amplified distorted guitars …

*#TheMightyBoosh :-)

In terms of sizing they tend to be geared towards tall slender Scandinavians rather than generous North Americans … so an XL will have a long inside leg rather than space for a spare tyre/tire …

That being said the sizing guide on the Norrona website is really useful for sizing up or sizing down when in-between sizes

All the folks I know who have bought Norrona gear have got great wear from it too making the initial high price less of an issue due to the longevity

I think this is sometimes overlooked when people initially see the RRP.

Brands like Patagonia, Norrona & Arc’Teryx all offer a repair service:

The hem/drawer-cord seal on my 9 year old Arc’Teryx jacket started to fray earlier this year. I sent photos to Arc’teryx and they repaired it for free and also replaced the hem seals on the cuffs … meaning I should get at least a few more years out of this jacket. Which not only helps justify the initial purchase price but also helps minimise the environmental impact.

I’m not a massive fan of backbacks for running, cycling (or even snowboarding for that matter), but there are clearly times when you need one to carry at least some protection from the elements:

Some sage advice from Edale Mountain Rescue after a runner was reported ‘over-due’ by his partner yesterday:

The duty team leader received a call from Derbyshire Police regarding an overdue male who had failed to return from a run in the area surrounding the Derwent reservoirs . Questioning of his partner (who was waiting at the Ladybower Inn and had raised the alarm) increased the concern for his welfare as he was only dressed in tee shirt and shorts and had left his phone behind. A full team callout was therefore immediately initiated in addition to a request for search and rescue dogs.

Luckily as our first members were arriving on scene he phoned in to say he had made it home having flagged down a passing motorist.

A timely reminder that a bivvy shelter or bag could save your life especially if you insist on travelling light.

I’ve got quite a few pieces of Norrona and I really rate it, but like many things I guess it depends on what you are going to use it for.

Given you’ve posted this in the bike forum I’m assuming you are referring to their mountain bike clothing rather than their ranges aimed at ski-touring etc.

Yes it’s relatively expensive but the attention to detail, cut, comfort and durability are all really good. One pair of fjørå flex1 shorts lasted me 5 years of regular use before the water repellency started to suffer a bit. So yes – I would say that if they fit you they are worth the money. Bike Treks in Ambleside carry Norrona now so you can try them on for size.

Some of the shorts are cut quite high so can result in gaps between shorts and knee pads. Other shorts are cut well below the knee. Their use of merino spun around man-made fibers makes for quicker drying and harder wearing tops ideal for cold and cool weather riding but perhaps too warm for UK summers etc.

Many of their items are ideal for multi-discipline activities – I use some their Lofoten & Lyngen items for cycling, running, walking & splitboard touring.

They have recently introduced a ‘loyalty’ program that increases the warranty from 5 to 7 years.

@JonEdwards – very nice indeed! :-)

In all honesty I reckon a decent timber shed, built on a concrete base is about as secure as a tin one.

Based on my own [bitter] experience, one of the advantages of the ‘Police Approved’ Asgard type bike sheds is that the thieves can’t actually get inside them to work on chains, anchors and padlocks etc – unlike most wooden sheds (even the ‘security’ ones) which once broken into can allow the thieves to work undisturbed …

That’s pretty organised crime planning, not opportunistic ruffian

I reckon that’s pretty much the case in many recent thefts – see Stif in Summerbridge who had a massive number of carbon Santa Cruz stolen and Trek in Stocksbridge who had load of Trek eBikes nicked.

So yeah – it’s targeting by organised criminal gangs, but as @legend said:

“that guy has several bikes” way, same as everyone else that gets done over

Anyone remember Ghost Dance?

Yep – Used to follow them quite a bit, especially when Salvation were supporting.

Seen Anne-Marie/Skeletal Family a few times since they ‘reformed’ – they do a few Ghost Dance tunes!!

Always felt that Ghost Dance never quite reached their potential despite being a great live band – like many late ’80’s indie/alternative bands they often needed to sign to a major in order to survive, but when they did the record company wanted to turn them into something that they weren’t … and then drop them when they failed to be ‘the next big thing’!

I was a massive sisters fan on the back of First Last and always. Went to Wembley to see them.

That would be Vision Thing in 1990 though wouldn’t it? Quite a big departure from the Marx, Adams, Hussey & Eldritch line up of FALAA.

Tony J, Andreas & Tim B & Mr T from memory with backing vocals from Maggie ‘Moonlight Shadow’ Reilly ! :-)

@zippykona – great story! :-)

Always liked Curve too. They played the venue where I worked in the early 90s, Got lumped in with ‘Shoe-Gaze’ but I always though more post-punk/goth as well.

I know what you mean about DIV though …

Hussey wheeled out Hinkler as special guest guitarist. How does that work?

Simon hasn’t been a full time member of Mission for years – he left in early 90s I think and relocated to the States (Texas or Arizona I think) and worked on tranferring old films to digital. He’s made a few guest appearances over the years.

Basically, Eldricth, Hussey & McCoy all suffer from L.S.D. (Lead Singer Disorder) so the band is often just them plus hired-hands.

last time I saw Sisters, they were awful. At the very least they need a live bassist to join the two guitarists. And a new sound man

Saw The Sisters in Sheffield last year and then the following night in Leeds (as Near Meth Experience – fund raiser for Simon D former Nurse to The Doctor and vocalist for The March Violets and Batfish Boys) … the 2nd gig was much better as it was in a smaller venue (Brudenell SC) and I think their PA is better than SUSU. Eldritch still mumbled and yelped though!!

I haven’t seen FOTN since they split in the early 90’s (and formed Rubicon without McCoy).

I think I first saw FOTN supporting Gene Loves Jezebel. From the ‘Home Pride Men’ to ‘Hinge & Brackett’! :-)

Saw The Mission for their anniversary gig in Leeds a few years ago (with both Craig & Simon). Hussey was always a plonker but now he’s a plonker who thinks he’s Bono …

… I’ll still buy his book though if he ever finishes it! :-)

When I say “saw them”, it was briefly at beginning and end, they disappeared behind a wall of dry ice for much of their set

I think they started using smoke machines in anger early ’83 … certainly by Spring ’84 onwards they were a regular feature at gigs.

Most smoke-y Sisters gig I can remember was Blank Canvas, Leeds in 2003 … half the audience were enveloped in a curtain of fog … didn’t improve Andy/Mr Taylor/Spiggy/Eldritch/Von’s voice though as he barked and yelped his way through the set like a scalded Alsatian …