Ski Season 2018/2019

blue note

Is it too early to start the 19/20 thread? I'm home over a month now, so at least I'm a little closer to it, but God it's a long way away.

It was a great week again in zell am see. Conditions were amazing. 3rd week skiing and I decided to go without the week of lessons, the 4 of a just hired an instructor for ourselves for a day instead. To be honest, I'd rather learn more and would have spent another week in lessons, but my experience of them from the first two years were very mixed. 2 great instructors and two terrible. I wasn't going to risk another terrible instructor so just went off with my friends / girlfriend / fiance instead (I got engaged on the trip)

The one thing I plan to do next year is more skiing! The first day we took it a bit easy finding our ski legs. Day two was the lesson. Day 3 I got engaged so a lot of that day was a write off. Surprisingly I skied well before proposing and then had jelly legs after. I thought it would be the other way around! Day 4 we went to the Glacier and spent far too long getting gluwein, seeing the top and sheltering from the cold. Then day 5 was great! 6 days like that next year is the plan!

Trevor O

blue note wrote: »

Is it too early to start the 19/20 thread? I'm home over a month now, so at least I'm a little closer to it, but God it's a long way away.

It was a great week again in zell am see. Conditions were amazing. 3rd week skiing and I decided to go without the week of lessons, the 4 of a just hired an instructor for ourselves for a day instead. To be honest, I'd rather learn more and would have spent another week in lessons, but my experience of them from the first two years were very mixed. 2 great instructors and two terrible. I wasn't going to risk another terrible instructor so just went off with my friends / girlfriend / fiance instead (I got engaged on the trip)

The one thing I plan to do next year is more skiing! The first day we took it a bit easy finding our ski legs. Day two was the lesson. Day 3 I got engaged so a lot of that day was a write off. Surprisingly I skied well before proposing and then had jelly legs after. I thought it would be the other way around! Day 4 we went to the Glacier and spent far too long getting gluwein, seeing the top and sheltering from the cold. Then day 5 was great! 6 days like that next year is the plan!

Congratulations!

Snow Garden

Just back from Mayrhofen and I thoroughly enjoyed the skiing trip. It's a fantastic spot and easy to get to. Everything went smoothly and the ski lessons were great. We got fresh snow on Day 1 which set us up nicely. We were doing red runs by the end of it.

Thanks for all the advice here. I really needed it. On the clothing, I wore one technical tshirt and a ski jacket every day and it was plenty warm enough. A fleece as a middle layer would have been way too hot.

The Austrians were very friendly and the local food was perfect for our needs.

I absolutely loved the Apres Ski music! Mama Lauda!

a148pro

Snow Garden wrote: »

Just back from Mayrhofen and I thoroughly enjoyed the skiing trip.

Just booked a cheeky two day-er from tomorrow, due to be warm but piste skiing is underrated :pac:

Snow Garden

a148pro wrote: »

Just booked a cheeky two day-er from tomorrow, due to be warm but piste skiing is underrated

Plenty of snow up there and more was falling when I left.

Enjoy, it's a super spot!

AlternateID

a148pro wrote: »

Just booked a cheeky two day-er from tomorrow, due to be warm but piste skiing is underrated :pac:

Sitting in the airport now. 2 weeks in zillertal. Staying in hof as always.

Not a good season for me. This is my one and only trip.

a148pro

AlternateID wrote: »

2 weeks in zillertal.

Not a good season for me. This is my one and only trip.

2 weeks!

"Let them eat cake!"

a148pro

Any recommendations for food on and off piste welcome

Rew

a148pro wrote: »

Any recommendations for food on and off piste welcome

The butchers shop opposite the Penkenbahn does savage take away food thats so cheap you feel like your robbing the place. Found a lot of on piste expensive by Austrian standards but there were lots of options. The place near the Penkenpark did good pizza for reasonable money. Schneekar at the top of the Schneekar lift was nice and the view is epic (look downaand you might spot me)

https://goo.gl/maps/f9Ma3942oBn

a148pro

Rew wrote: »

The butchers shop opposite the Penkenbahn does savage take away food thats so cheap you feel like your robbing the place.

I saw that place and thought what the fcuk is a butcher's doing opposite a ski lift in a resort with loads of catered accommodation?

I'm going to be controversial now - I didn't like mayrhofen. At all. Did one day there before and did like it, this time was really busy, full of brits, ridiculously expensive and lifties and restaurant staff on mountain had an attitude. We're number one so why try harder.

Didn't help that it was really warm. Skied hintertux today and it was superb. Much colder, less busy, no one speaking english, great facilities on the mountain (could barely find a jacks in mayr) and really nice table service place. Big long wide runs.

Anywho I don't think anyone here will agree with me as its so popular, but mayrhofen - too busy, too booziey, too british, and in consequence to fcuking expensive. 45 Euro for one day's ski rental opposite penkenbahn. Queue inside must have been 40 minutes long (changeover day I think). 28 Euro in hintertux. Says it all really.

Rew

a148pro wrote: »

Anywho I don't think anyone here will agree with me as its so popular, but mayrhofen - too busy, too booziey, too british, and in consequence to fcuking expensive. 45 Euro for one day's ski rental opposite penkenbahn. Queue inside must have been 40 minutes long (changeover day I think). 28 Euro in hintertux. Says it all really.

I agree with your, Mayrhofen was a let down for me too, and we had good conditions. Im glad we did it and that we got down the valley both directions but I wouldn't go back. I also agree Hintertux is great to spend a day or 2. Piste signs in Mayrhofen were rubbish also, very easy to miss a turn and end up having go back round.

They really pissed me off one day were over the back side and were heading home bit late but nothing crazy. The closed the piste that takes you back down and hearded us into a gondella. Made us wait in there for 30 mins then finally went down, prob 100 people. We get down, its now very late and we shoot straight for the lift we need home, they close it in our faces and send us to another one, same story there. Now we have to bubble down to the next town and bus home. We had boots and stuff in the locker up top... :mad: If you're late your'e late fair enough but they made us late and knew there was ~100 people coming down looking to get back over to Mayr. Plenty of other better ski areas, Mayr isn't even the best of the Zillertal.

a148pro

Phew, I thought I was getting grumpy and old. Lifties were pricks to me too, had to hike back up the mountain when they hadn't closed off a piste, chap just ignored me in the cabin while he shut down the t-bar another one kicked me while I was stretching I niggle in my leg. Totally unnecessary.

Got to get back to italy where they don't give a **** enough to screw you.

Rew

a148pro wrote: »

Got to get back to italy where they don't give a **** enough to screw you.

Söll this year they couldn't have been nicer and in general I would always say the Austrians are really nice and friendly, esp when I had 2 kids on the lift with me they were brilliant. Something about Mayrhofen I guess.

fmlarnapairce

Off to Chamonix next week for a 4 day ucpa course, can't wait

gwakamoley

fmlarnapairce wrote: »

Off to Chamonix next week for a 4 day ucpa course, can't wait

Wow, I'd never heard of those UCPA courses but just looked them up and I'm really impressed!

mulbot

gwakamoley wrote: »

Wow, I'd never heard of those UCPA courses but just looked them up and I'm really impressed!

What are these courses? Just looked at it, wow. Really good setup

cocker5

Back from ischgl 4 days now ... for most of the 11 days weather was awful ... 3 blue birds, rest was virtually pea soup

Apres was great as always though ..6th trip to ischgl and while we love the vast ski area and German apres starting to grow tired of the middle aged Neanderthal German men... from experience many of them are pig ignorant... so gonna give ischgl a miss in 2020 and looking for a more non arseholy clientele

it’s never too early to start a 2020 thread

Booked Saalbach for a week over New Years and looking at maybe somewhere last week in feb.. keeps me going for a few months at least

accensi0n

Any recommendations for snowboarding in May?

cocker5

accensi0n wrote: »

Any recommendations for snowboarding in May?

Highest resort u can find for snow...
ischgl , Sölden, st Anton .. all their seasons go into mid May ... Sölden even longer ..

a148pro

cocker5 wrote: »

Highest resort u can find for snow...
ischgl , Sölden, st Anton .. all their seasons go into mid May ... Sölden even longer ..

Anton is pretty low and should be well closed by may. Ischgl I think runs till very early may, mainly for a concert.

I think you're looking at either val thorens which is probably open till 9th may or so, or one of the glaciers - hintertux, kaprun, zermatt / cervinia, solden I think has glaciers?

A lot of snow fall in austria this year so I assume that means a good base to keep skiing through the summer

There's a summer skiing sticky with a lot of info

maddness

cocker5 wrote: »

Back from ischgl 4 days now ... for most of the 11 days weather was awful ... 3 blue birds, rest was virtually pea soup

Apres was great as always though ..6th trip to ischgl and while we love the vast ski area and German apres starting to grow tired of the middle aged Neanderthal German men... from experience many of them are pig ignorant... so gonna give ischgl a miss in 2020 and looking for a more non arseholy clientele

it’s never too early to start a 2020 thread

Booked Saalbach for a week over New Years and looking at maybe somewhere last week in feb.. keeps me going for a few months at least

What’s pea soup?

Rew

maddness wrote: »

What’s pea soup?

thick fog

cormee

accensi0n wrote: »

Any recommendations for snowboarding in May?

Val Thorens is the highest resort in Europe and tends to stay open until late May.

BarryNumber1

Rew wrote: »

thick fog

Now that you mention in... Anyone have tips on dealing with low vis conditions? Aside from lens change and bending the knees?

Billy Mays

Stick to tree runs if possible

cocker5

BarryNumber1 wrote: »

Rew wrote: »

thick fog

Now that you mention in... Anyone have tips on dealing with low vis conditions? Aside from lens change and bending the knees?

Decent pair of low light lenses, and def try and stick to tree lined pistes .. helps a lot

Rew

BarryNumber1 wrote: »

Now that you mention in... Anyone have tips on dealing with low vis conditions? Aside from lens change and bending the knees?

As other have said, decent goggle lens, tree runs or try get above or below the cloud line. If you can't get out of it then prob go for a coffee/beer/early lunch as generally its not worth it to keep going.

DoraDelite

Off to Bad Gastein tomorrow for a 5 day trip, season finale!

BarryNumber1

Rew wrote: »

As other have said, decent goggle lens, tree runs or try get above or below the cloud line. If you can't get out of it then prob go for a coffee/beer/early lunch as generally its not worth it to keep going.

Thanks for the replies... With only a few days this year it was hard to call it quits, eventually did as I went arse over tit one too many times. I thought I had good lenses, i just couldn't see the changing moguls even on regular pistes (a mixture of dark grey sky and snowing at the same time). Can anyone recommend a particular lens type?

DoraDelite

BarryNumber1 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies... With only a few days this year it was hard to call it quits, eventually did as I went arse over tit one too many times. I thought I had good lenses, i just couldn't see the changing moguls even on regular pistes (a mixture of dark grey sky and snowing at the same time). Can anyone recommend a particular lens type?

I've use the Rose lens in the Oakley prizm range for the last 4 or 5 years in all sorts of conditions: https://www.oakley.com/en-us/prizm/snow

There's no magic bullet as when it's really bad you'll see nothing no matter what lens you've in! but I've found the above lens give me decent contrast in the majority of low vis days.