Season 14/15 Banter thread

a148pro

Drive carefully fattes. You are banned from posting envy inducing powder shots unless it's in the 72 hours immediately prior to me heading out and I'm due some of the same

am i bovvered

Worrying day on the ski webcam watch, snow melted again !!! I'm in les Saissies Bisanne 1500 for a family holiday (14 of us ) on the 3rd Jan, I've been assured it has had reasonable snow conditions for the last 10 years in a row.

cormee

am i bovvered wrote: »

Worrying day on the ski webcam watch, snow melted again !!! I'm in les Saissies Bisanne 1500 for a family holiday (14 of us ) on the 3rd Jan, I've been assured it has had reasonable snow conditions for the last 10 years in a row.

Same in Les Arcs, couldn't believe it! The week ahead has loads of rain forecast, so it's just a matter of waiting for the temperature to drop a bit.

[ EDIT - Morzine is actually only 1000m, sorry... removing the paragraph referring to its altitude in relation to snow cover]

Fattes

am i bovvered wrote: »

Worrying day on the ski webcam watch, snow melted again !!! I'm in les Saissies Bisanne 1500 for a family holiday (14 of us ) on the 3rd Jan, I've been assured it has had reasonable snow conditions for the last 10 years in a row.

Calm yourself! 1,500 is plenty high anywhere, that has a village that high will normally have another 500-800 meters of skiing and you should be ok! It is early yet.

We have skiing from 3,300 down too,, 1,800 right now and the off piste around the glacier is skiable without fear of rocks. That said, no snow forcast for the next couple of weeks and bright blue skies and sunshine so it will be piste skiing for a few weeks now.

prunudo

I know there's still plenty of time, 2 months to be percise but I can't help but feel slightly on edge about the mild temps and snowless webcams for Morzine

cormee

jvan wrote: »

I know there's still plenty of time, 2 months to be percise but I can't help but feel slightly on edge about the mild temps and snowless webcams for Morzine

You'll definitely get snow in Avoriaz, which is either a 15min (free) bus trip, or a 30 min ski/board, away.

If you do get the bus, you then get a gondola up to Avoriaz. At the end of the day, if you're a competent boarder there's a great red that can take you the whole way back down to the bus - let the crowds take the gondola down while you sip beer in a pub, then when the last gondola goes, take that red down, most of the crowds will be gone by the time you get down there, and you'll have a great time getting down there. As added bonus you'll get jealous looks from those who were scared to board/ski down, when you slide up to the bus stop and unstrap your bindings like a boss.

prunudo

cormee wrote: »

You'll definitely get snow in Avoriaz, which is either a 15min (free) bus trip, or a 30 min ski/board, away.

If you do get the bus, you then get a gondola up to Avoriaz. At the end of the day, if you're a competent boarder there's a great red that can take you the whole way back down to the bus - let the crowds take the gondola down while you sip beer in a pub, then when the last gondola goes, take that red down, most of the crowds will be gone by the time you get down there, and you'll have a great time getting down there. As added bonus you'll get jealous looks from those who were scared to board/ski down, when you slide up to the bus stop and unstrap your bindings like a boss.

Do those buses run often? Can't beat boarding down a nice red to finish the day, polished off with a beer or 3

Dr Nic

So is it good bad or indifferent winter so far? Val d in 2 weeks... Eek

cormee

jvan wrote: »

Do those buses run often? Can't beat boarding down a nice red to finish the day, polished off with a beer or 3

Yep, every 5 minutes or so. They bring you right back to the centre of Morzine.

Re. beer for the last run, in Kaprun I used to love having one or two at the highest point of the mountain at the end of the day, then putting on the headphones, playing Fat Boy Slim, (Sunset) Bird of Prey, and heading down the empty slopes, back to town. After a day of packed slopes it was bliss!

I've seen people having BBQ's and a beer (with those disposable BBQ's) I'd never be organised enough to get that together.

Fattes

Dr Nic wrote: »

So is it good bad or indifferent winter so far? Val d in 2 weeks... Eek

Normal is probably the answer! I tell this story often, but here it goes again, in the 60's and 70's the village elders in Kitzbul, agreed not to market or promote the resort as a ski destination untill christmas and after, as the snow was not reliable enough.

Since the introduction of snow making and advanced above freezing snow cannons this attitude has changed considerably in resorts. In reality its way to early to call the weather, personally I think it looks pretty normal so far. Neither bad or good.

Its funny any resort that advertises 100% snow coverage should raise questions for anyone booking rather than provide comfort :rolleyes: Its amazing what marketing can do.

pgibbo

Fattes wrote: »

Calm yourself! 1,500 is plenty high anywhere, that has a village that high will normally have another 500-800 meters of skiing and you should be ok! It is early yet.

We have skiing from 3,300 down too,, 1,800 right now and the off piste around the glacier is skiable without fear of rocks. That said, no snow forcast for the next couple of weeks and bright blue skies and sunshine so it will be piste skiing for a few weeks now.

Where are you based Fattes?

Fattes

I do like this a Lot!!!

Deepsouthwest

cormee wrote: »

You'll definitely get snow in Avoriaz, which is either a 15min (free) bus trip, or a 30 min ski/board, away.

If you do get the bus, you then get a gondola up to Avoriaz. At the end of the day, if you're a competent boarder there's a great red that can take you the whole way back down to the bus - let the crowds take the gondola down while you sip beer in a pub, then when the last gondola goes, take that red down, most of the crowds will be gone by the time you get down there, and you'll have a great time getting down there. As added bonus you'll get jealous looks from those who were scared to board/ski down, when you slide up to the bus stop and unstrap your bindings like a boss.

That's a post that really gets my snow holiday juices flowing!

Fattes

The season starts now!!! Let's role baby

a148pro

Drop cliffs not bombs!

Hurls are also essential avalanche kit. "Get away snow, get away or I'll hit you a whack o this hurl!"

Fattes

Life is not complete without a Hurl, skis and beer

fmlarnapairce

nice clean hurls! i'll try and source a luminous yellow sliothar for ya!

Fattes

fmlarnapairce wrote: »

nice clean hurls! i'll try and source a luminous yellow sliothar for ya!

One is used plenty! The clean one is I has a grip colour scheme of our rival club! The moral of the story never send a friend to pick up your new hurls

fmlarnapairce

craobh ciaran?

G2DG

Did the 1 day course in Kilternan on Saturday and loved it. More importantly my wife loved it too. Fattes, we had Tony (I think) doing it. Great guy really pushed everyone to get the most out of it. He brought a couple of us up to the top of the main slope and side stepped down the green area a little before we took off down the hill. I did get to the bottom while remaining upright but found if hard to keep the speed down.

Anyway the reason for the long intro is I'm now wondering what level we should consider ourselves at. I think he told others not to bother doing the beginner lessons, instead book the intermediate ones where we would be tested and allocated into groups. I'm wondering if we should also do the same?
Also because it is only myself and wife we'd like to stay together or relatively close by. Just so we can get lunch together and stuff. We know we'll probably be operating a different levels but shouldn't be too far apart. Also hoping to get a 3 hour practice in Kilternan before heading off to Austria at Xmas.

In summary, looking for advise on what level lessons to book and how the whole testing / being allocated to groups works in Austria.

AlternateID

Couldn't say how it works for skiing but the testing for snowboarding is very basic. Can you get up, make a turn, remain in control and stop. I would assume the ski test would be similar. Your ability would very clear to the experienced instructors. You could start at intermediate level and if it's not working out the instructor will move you to a lower group. All the ski groups will remain in the same area. It's only when you're at an ability to tour a little that the goups go further afield.

I always recommend people get the full 5 days lessons. It's a lot of fun being with a new group for the week and you'll advance far more than you would messing about by yourselfs after only a few lessons.

Fattes

G2DG wrote: »

Did the 1 day course in Kilternan on Saturday and loved it. More importantly my wife loved it too. Fattes, we had Tony (I think) doing it. Great guy really pushed everyone to get the most out of it. He brought a couple of us up to the top of the main slope and side stepped down the green area a little before we took off down the hill. I did get to the bottom while remaining upright but found if hard to keep the speed down.

Anyway the reason for the long intro is I'm now wondering what level we should consider ourselves at. I think he told others not to bother doing the beginner lessons, instead book the intermediate ones where we would be tested and allocated into groups. I'm wondering if we should also do the same?
Also because it is only myself and wife we'd like to stay together or relatively close by. Just so we can get lunch together and stuff. We know we'll probably be operating a different levels but shouldn't be too far apart. Also hoping to get a 3 hour practice in Kilternan before heading off to Austria at Xmas.

In summary, looking for advise on what level lessons to book and how the whole testing / being allocated to groups works in Austria.

Thrilled to hear it worked out so well, that's some serious progress for one day! Kudos to you and the instructor!!

Book on as a beginner, the ski school will ask you to ski on day one, you are probably doing plough turns so they will have a look and put you in a suitable class. Enjoy every second of it

Fattes

I think I have arrived hard to see!!! Time to get the skis on in the morning probably should stop this!

AlternateID

lol blurry photo sets the scene.

Fattes

AlternateID wrote: »

lol blurry photo sets the scene.

The 2 day drive batters the hand eye co-ordination

Fattes

And so it starts, snow glorious snow

sallymomo

Fattes wrote: »

And so it starts, snow glorious snow

Awww man, that's just glorious!!
Enjoy :-)

stevire

Fattes wrote: »

And so it starts, snow glorious snow

Is that two instructors on ski bikes below you?

fmlarnapairce

Fattes wrote: »

And so it starts, snow glorious snow

words cannot describe my jealousy at this moment.

Fattes

stevire wrote: »

Is that two instructors on ski bikes below you?

Ha ha it looks like it but Nope they are collecting bags!


Weather the last few days has been warm and dry so we have about 600m of vertical open on the glacier starting a nightly snow dance