Ski season 2017/2018

a148pro

Sickening reports of crazy amounts of snow in europe. Taking some solace from some warm temps, winds and lift closures, but enough good resorts around those to leave me sick nonetheless.

DoraDelite

Crazy amount of snow around! heard from a friend in Val D that all the lifts were closed again today.

cormee

Mitch Buchannon wrote: »

Looking forward to the trip report. Snow is mental there at the moment.

It's pretty crazy at the moment, non-stop snow/rain depending on your altitude. Managed to make it up to Grand Montets on the first afternoon, but since then only Les Houches has been open. Today was ok, until mid afternoon, when it started raining, just back in apartment and my gear is absolutely saturated. Better conditions are forecast for tomorrow, which is my last day, it would be great if we got them because I'm a bit bored of Les H .

cormee

cormee wrote: »

It's pretty crazy at the moment, non-stop snow/rain depending on your altitude. Managed to make it up to Grand Montets on the first afternoon, but since then only Les Houches has been open. Today was ok, until mid afternoon, when it started raining, just back in apartment and my gear is absolutely saturated. Better conditions are forecast for tomorrow, which is my last day, it would be great if we got them because I'm a bit bored of Les H .

God damnit! Looks like it's Les Houches again today. About 6 pistes open on Grand Montets, and Brevent, and they're blues and greens. The other ski areas are closed.

*le sigh*

It's stopped raining, mind.

Mitch Buchannon

cormee wrote: »

God damnit! Looks like it's Les Houches again today. About 6 pistes open on Grand Montets, and Brevent, and they're blues and greens. The other ski areas are closed.

*le sigh*

It's stopped raining, mind.

I have been looking at it this morning. Have you thought about heading over to Courmayeur ? The lifts look to be open. (http://www.courmayeur-montblanc.com/?q=slopes_and_lift&language=en)

Im sure you would get a bus ticket today for the spin over.

cormee

Mitch Buchannon wrote: »

I have been looking at it this morning. Have you thought about heading over to Courmayeur ? The lifts look to be open. (http://www.courmayeur-montblanc.com/?q=slopes_and_lift&language=en)

Im sure you would get a bus ticket today for the spin over.

Currently sitting on a deckchair in the sun in Les Houches, gorgeous spring conditions

Scarlet42

The webcam over at Grand Montes makes the place look stunning .. plenty of people walking around! a few coming down Bochard

jones 19

Just back from Saalbach Austria, epic week . all of snow 2 days before we arrived. Last Four and a half days with sun. Nostalgia mode for the next week, one observation, The music they play everywhere is the greatest load of tripe I've heard, only drawback.

prunudo

jones 19 wrote: »

The music they play everywhere is the greatest load of tripe I've heard, only drawback.

Shocking statement, that music is what makes Austrian apres so good

mulbot

Just back from a really great week in La Plagne, seemed to arrive there on the tail end of a huge snowstorm which led to brilliant conditions with blue skies for most of the week. A great place

Scarlet42

Two British skiers killed in Chamonix yesterday .. very little news about it, Skiing off-piste near Grand Montes - Le Couloir Du Chapeau

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-42856594

blue note

I'm home from Zell am see since Saturday. It was epic. But I'm still too tired to put up a proper post on it. I could really do with a holiday right about now.

cormee

jvan wrote: »

Shocking statement, that music is what makes Austrian apres so good

Inordinate number of Austrian apres-ski songs are about Snoopy, for some reason. Or maybe that was the same song I was hearing, with about a thousand different mixes.

cormee

My lasting memory of my trip last week:

prunudo

cormee wrote: »

Inordinate number of Austrian apres-ski songs are about Snoopy, for some reason. Or maybe that was the same song I was hearing, with about a thousand different mixes.

Don't forget ice bears or should that be eisbären

blue note

blue note wrote: »

I'm home from Zell am see since Saturday. It was epic. But I'm still too tired to put up a proper post on it. I could really do with a holiday right about now.

Okay, so I'm finally coming back to life enough to actually think about the week just gone. But before I do, those of you giving out about the terrible Austrian music are wrong. So, so wrong!

So we got a transfer down from Munich - this worked perfectly. We were met at the airport and driven to the door. We stayed in the Alpin Apartments - they were lovely, price was amazing and we were 5 minutes from the gondola.

Weather wise - we had so much snow for the first two days. There was powder everywhere. It was glorious. The sun came out on day three and pretty much stayed for the week. That was also beautiful. My only other ski trip was Soll last year where we hadn't anything like the snow of this year. And it was so grippy in Zell am see. You could ski really badly and the snow would just correct you. It was great, although probably not the best to learn on!

I did lessons for the week. I was in a low intermediate class to begin with and I was incredibly frustrated in it. We were barely moving and doing no exercises. As in not a single one in two days so I asked to move up a level. I was nervous the next level would be beyond me but it was absolutely grand and I learned a reasonable amount. I was a lot faster this year, but my technique probably didn't improve as much as I'd have liked. The funny thing about the previous group was though - that I left my friend in it who I started the week clearly better than. He was slow and falling quite a bit. And at the end of the week I was a bit faster than him, but he was a better skier. I didn't think you could have learned much in that group since you weren't skiing enough and weren't doing any exercises. But, he was brilliant at the end of the week.

So I'm thinking of doing another week of lessons next year. I'd be alright going off on my own now, but I'd rather be able to ski better doing it.

Zell am see as a town - it's lovely. Loads of really nice restaurants, the nightlife was better than Soll in my opinion. And in general it was just much more of a town feeling than Soll.

The only hesitation I'd have of going to the same resort again is that we pretty much did all the runs in the week. And in my opinion we weren't pushing ourselves at all to get them done. I wonder if we went back would we be happy to do nothing new for the week. The glacier is nearby and I would have loved to have gone there. The non-lesson people did for a day and I must admit I was very jealous. But, I needed to learn.

But in a nutshell that was my week. It seems less exciting written down. But in reality, it was just brilliant. Up everyday skiing, tasty food, loads of drinks, perfect conditions. It's just the best holiday you can have.

cormee

OK, next trip is to Engelberg on April 7, yay!

Anyone else planning a second (or first) trip, in the near future?

Rew

Alp d'Huez Feb 17th, Mayrhofen March 3rd, cant wait!

irlirishkev

cormee wrote: »

OK, next trip is to Engelberg on April 7, yay!

Anyone else planning a second (or first) trip, in the near future?

Yep, Trip number two is Sauze D'oux, Italy, 25th Feb.

Chomping at the bit here!!

prunudo

Any pubs you recommend blue note? Heading to Zell next month.

blue note

jvan wrote: »

Any pubs you recommend blue note? Heading to Zell next month.

I'm not even sure of the name of them all!

The umbrella bar beside the cityxpress gondola was a good apres ski one. That finishes early. If you go down the town you'll see a street with about 3 bars with people drinking outside them - they were all very good. The Crazy Daisy was good from about 9pm too.

On the slopes the place I ate most often was Breiteckbahn - just down from blue slope number 1 where it splits into a red and a blue (leading into Trass 14, the toughest black out there). For on the slope food and drink that place was great.

For food in the town - we ate in Greens the last night and it was very good. We also ate in a burger place one night which was on the side street before Crazy Daisy about 100m down and Guissepe's pizza place (in the town centre, hard to miss). Both of those places were delicious and very reasonable.

To be honest, you can't go too far wrong with most of the places in the town. And if one is dead, just go to the next one.

But you'll have a ball anyway. I'm so jealous of you going out there now!

cormee

irlirishkev wrote: »

Yep, Trip number two is Sauze D'oux, Italy, 25th Feb.

Chomping at the bit here!!

Thought you were based in the USA?

irlirishkev

cormee wrote: »

Thought you were based in the USA?

Not me! Dublin

Dero

cormee wrote: »

OK, next trip is to Engelberg on April 7, yay!

Anyone else planning a second (or first) trip, in the near future?

Val-d'Isère (and Tignes) next week. Can't wait.

Very unlikely to get anything else this year.

daithi7

Dero wrote: »

Val-d'Isère (and Tignes) next week. Can't wait.

Very unlikely to get anything else this year.

I'm there myself next week skiing with friends and a guide all week which should be sweet in these conditions. but I'm also staying on for the weekend of Feb 10th & 11th till the Sunday evening, and I'm looking for a few ski buddies for that weekend if you're (or anyone else is) about??

Just let me know by pm, if you're around and would be interested in meeting up for a ski /beer that weekend.
Chat soon,
Daithi

Timmaay

blue note wrote: »

I'm home from Zell am see since Saturday. It was epic. But I'm still too tired to put up a proper post on it. I could really do with a holiday right about now.

My heart bleeds for ya

Dero

daithi7 wrote: »

I'm there myself next week skiing with friends and a guide all week which should be sweet in these conditions. but I'm also staying on for the weekend of Feb 10th & 11th till the Sunday evening, and I'm looking for a few ski buddies for that weekend if you're (or anyone else is) about??

Just let me know by pm, if you're around and would be interested in meeting up for a ski /beer that weekend.
Chat soon,
Daithi

Unfortunately we leave early on the 10th. :-/

Two of the lads I'm going with were discussing getting a guide for a day next week. I wouldn't as I'm not quite up to it yet.

Mitch Buchannon

cormee wrote: »

OK, next trip is to Engelberg on April 7, yay!

Anyone else planning a second (or first) trip, in the near future?

Yeah second trip this weekend. Back to Cham for a week.
I might also be lucky and get a third trip in March to Stowe VT. I have family who live there so that’s the accommodation sorted. I just have to try and sort out the annual leave for work.

Scarlet42

Heading to Cham on Sunday .. with no kids this year .. can't wait! I hope the weather doesn't get too bad .. been lovely all week but there is snow expected tomorrow and the weekend.. been looking forward to this since we got on the bus back to Geneva last year.

kal7

Heading to Grande Massif on saturday, great to see 95% of runs open, for first time this season.