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Le Praz is my favourite place to stay in the 3 Valleys, it is only 1 lift to the Croisette on a morning and the run back isn't too bad.
Rather be in Le Praz than 1850 any day.....
We've only ever stayed in Méribel (or Brides Les Bains) so to me it just looks like a long way back from Val Thorens and Mont Vallon for example.
Also it looks like there are only red runs down to Le Praz. That's not a problem on my board but if I want to practice skiing I'll be taking a lift down...:-(
I guess you just adapt your day according to where you're staying, the small village does appeal as we're not certainly not into the pitchers of Vodka and Redbull side of Méribel après ski...
isnt Brides Les Bains about a hour gondola ride from the nearest slopes?
The final section of red into le Praz isn't so bad, depends on conditions really, is only difficult if it's bumpy or icy, and you can always catch the bubble back from 1650. It is a long way over to Val T but getting back from Mont Vallon wasn't a problem, and I was with a few slower skiers
We'll be skiing Courmayeur this season having rented an apartment there. Next year we will be in St Gervais Les Bains and moving there permanently. Cant decide whether to go back to ski's this season or stay on the board. Likely spend it riding this bad boy
175 wide custom build from DOUK snowboards
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Hope you all have a good season
Niall
Looks good Niall, and absolutely massive !
Due to budget restrictions I am looking at making my own splitboard . Anyone done it? I've read that they can be decent enough for a season or 2 to get into it....
I've just got a pair of these in the sales. I'll be fitting them to my Jones this weekend... My old APO Espresso step ins are still going fine but as my last pair disintegrated whilst riding them I don't want to push my luck for another season... 😀
SP SLAB 2015
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Top tips for nice all mountain skis, probably 60/40 piste off piste, good skier but not something to headbanger as I will mainly be cruising around with family.
howsyourdad,
I looked at it, I was going to make one for the wife, but adding up the cost of skins and all the splitkit wasn't exactly cheap, and I found a K2 Panoramic with skins and all the stuff (and no work!) for a very good price so I bought that instead. And I still have my old Salomon intact!
I may have a pair of Gen 2 Spark R&D Ignition bindings to sell this year if the wife fancies upgrading.
When are you looking to go away? All season Scottish, or have you got trips in the calendar?
Hi NedRapier, thanks for the reply. I am thinking the same thing. I have an old burton board, unridden but Japanese special edition that I got in a car boot sale for £10 . Would rather keep it as it is certainly no beater board . I have seen skins and the kit for approx £240 , plus expenses of tools and sealing the board, ptex etc, plus the work which I may well bodge! So say £300 all in plus my time. I have seen some splits boards and skins for around £500 ish.... Still nearly double but not insane money.
I live in Sweden so will be using it regularly , from my house for 'training' and a few little runs down, as well as driving to local mountains around an hour away. I've heard that homemade splits don't last as long and of course the board loses a little stiffness from cutting it in half .... So I may last a season and then I would need/ want to upgrade, so would end up buying a proper split anyway... But then it would be nice to have a spare for guests etc
NZCol - have a look at the Rossi Soul HD. I've got the original ones (selling them this season) - very easy to ski, will carve on piste as long as it's not bulletproof ice and fun off piste. Originals were / are a bit easy going for me, hence they're getting sold, but the new HD versions are a bit beefier...
Does anyone know of a similar setup (catered chalet where you don't have to rent the whole thing)
Most (certainly a majority of) independent catered chalets operate on this basis.
Agree with Nedrapier, I think looking for a second-hand proper splitty makes more sense than going DIY. You're likely to end up spending not massively more cash and you'll end up with a setup that works a lot better, both in split and snowboard modes.
NZCol, have a look at Nordica NRGY. Fit your brief perfectly.
NZCol, have a look at Nordica NRGY. Fit your brief perfectly
I have the NRGY 90s, awesome skis!
Bought last season after a recommendation from CFH.
isnt Brides Les Bains about a hour gondola ride from the nearest slopes?
It's about 25 minutes but seems like more because it's cramped and slow. The real problem is the last download is at 17.00 and you can't ski all the way down.
Lovely little film about snowboarding in Turkey , which goes back some 300 years!
Yes yes, all booked for another week in Obergurgl next Feb. Having skied in most European countries (and indeed NZ) I am fast coming to the conclusion that Austria is the place to go.
Off to Decathlon later to pic up some new gear, I am fancying some VERY bright salopettes I think.
Yep Austria is my favourite too. Heavy filthy food, loads of weird booze, stuck in the 1990s hotels and generals style of resorts plus lovely people and good prices win win win!
I love Austria. Nowhere else would you conga around a bar with a load of 60 year old men.
Season kicks off for me next week on the Kitzstein Horn, and riding Leogang now for closing weekend.
Austria rocks!
Obergurgl in March... Zermatt in April... really need to do something in January... but after going OTB a bit, not that fit...
Just out of interest, any snowHeads bases on here? (Andy I know...)
Is that up in Kaprun? We went up there for the day from Saalbach a couple of years ago and it was the windiest day of my life!
Top tips for nice all mountain skis, probably 60/40 piste off piste, good skier but not something to headbanger as I will mainly be cruising around with family.
Rossi [s]Sin 7[/s] Sky 7. Wee bit smaller than the Soul 7 but a wee bit more versatile I'd say.
Another Austria lover here for summer and winter holidays. Saalbach for Christmas.
Stoats - yes I'm a Snowhead.
any snowHeads bases here?
Me, occasionally. Stevec when I do log in but it's not as often as it once was.
I am also a snowheads poster in the winter. Not prolific though.
Austria is great (imo much better than 30 years ago now lift systems have caught up. Probably the best place
For Christmas, scenic, right mix of appreciation for religious and social aspects. St Anton has always been in my top 5
Stoatsbrother, couple of snowheads here too. More of lurkers than posters though.
Trying to sort out the house ready for ski season, off in Jan and back 1st April. Excited....just a little bit
What is a snowhead?
It's a skiing forum, even more middle class than this place. 'What car to drive to my Swiss chalet' threads are a hoot.
Trying to sort out the house ready for ski season, off in Jan and back 1st April. Excited....just a little bit
I bet 🙂
It's a skiing forum, even more middle class than this place. 'What car to drive to my Swiss chalet' threads are a hoot.
😕
thanks some good tips. any good online shops - have been looking at the nrgys, the ski and was also recommended the salomon qst92 which i am reliably informed are 'me'
Glisshop, Sport Conrad, Ekosport.
salomon qst92
Ooh, now they look nice. Fat, floaty tips and a nice waistline. Just how I like 'em!*
FWIW, I can't think if a Salomon ski I didn't enjoy. Hell, I even had some fun on the silly as BBRs a few years ago. Fun ski. Looked stupid, mind you.
*I set 'em up, you knock 'em over, etc.
Anyone else checking webcams yet?
Snow in the valley at Serre Che already! Nice amount up high as well.
Anyone else checking webcams yet?
Of course! 8)
Since I spotted it had snowed at my first stop (Courchevel), Ive been watching it occasionally. Nothing to get excited about yet though!
According to MeteoSuisse there will be snow down to 1200m this week. I was hiking in a t-shirt at 1900m on Saturday, won't be doing that for a while now I guess.... 🙂
According to MeteoSuisse there will be snow down to 1200m this week. I was hiking in a t-shirt at 1900m on Saturday, won't be doing that for a while now I guess...
You'll almost certainly be able to do it next week.... Snow watching in October is a waste of time people, you know it!
Snow watching in October is a waste of time people, you know it!
And yet, we all do it!
Les Arcs is thick with it (up at the top top)! But we aren't going to France this year - we are off to Austria which thus far has none 😆
Some in Claviere now
I started watching cams last weekend. See a nice fall in the morning only for it to be gone by the evening. Eventually one will stick. I get excited when I see a mound of man made underneath a snow cannon, at least it means it's staying cold for long enough.
Nice vid Up and on Snowheads
[url= http://www.powder.com/videos/powder-tv/all-time-marcus-caston/#TGkDvs0Y5vE1sbCb.97 ]Video[/url]
Liked that a LOT! Some great "real world" skiing. The sort of stuff that I like to do, just done a whole lot better! A nice change from all the loony tunes huckfest and cliff drop stuff, just back to the basics of having fun across the whole hill.
The groomer sections were delicious.
Not exactly marginal conditions but not the stellar conditions you usually see in these vids.
That's how I think I look, I do not.
You can tell he has done his time on the race piste.
That's how I think I look, I do not.
Same!
How fast!!??
That's the first skiing video in a long time that actually tempted me to try skis again after 24 years on a board.
Won't be this year though 🙁 . 6MO MiniMissTTP has stopped play.
Nice vid, as you say, that's pretty much normal skiing. Very good balance though and a man that can use his ankles *thumbs up*
That's how I think I look, I do not.
Same!
Me three, so far from this!
I don't even think I look that smooth. Or quick. Or effortless.
TheTallPaul - www.skifamille.co.uk
It'll be fine. Just mortgage a kidney.
^ That's who we are going with, wasn't as bad as I feared given its all inclusive.
This will be our 8th year with them.
No adults lunch so not quite all inclusive, but they're pretty good.
When you there / which resort NZCol?
igm - true, as all inclusive as I have ever had (we don't really do holidays but with a small one a break where someone else cooks and cleans is gold!) Les Gets 11th march.
Nice time of year there. We've had 20C skiing and fresh snow in the same week in previous years in early March.
Les Gets February 1/2 term for us.
K2 for a very good burger.
Ta- last year we can avoid school hols for us !
@igm - Wish I could, but it's been an expensive year, and Mrs TTP has just entered the skint part of her maternity. Even bike purchases have been curtailed 😀
NZ, enjoy it while you can. We did and Esprit all inc. last year, Brilliant but expensive.
Our school hols were the week before the rest of the country last year so it was only my wifes kidney we sold, this year we are going at Easter as the half term week is F*$king crazy price..For our group of 5 adults and 5 kids it is £3k cheaper at Easter than half term (Tignes 1800, Self catering, Driving with flexi-Plus chunnel) Not inc. any Lift passes or lessons for our two kids)
Fair bit of snow over the last week in Whistler, even down to the village (though not sticking) a coupe of times. About 75cm or so in the alpine, about 2 or 3 weeks earlier than normal. Not enough to ski on yet, and mountain still due to open in late November, but it's getting the juices going!
One for the [s]Gapers[/s] Skiers ,Bobby Brown's latest
Snow down to about 1500 in Austria last night, here's the view up our road.
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Balcony beer fridge is fully operational.
Got the offer of a cheap trip to Bardonnechia in January - will there be snow?
Crystal ball? 😀
Indeed - maybe thinking about sestriere too?
mmmmmm
Got the offer of a cheap trip to Bardonnechia in January - will there be snow?
It's quite low so who knows. Also, it's a nice enough resort but small and definitely not masses for better skiers (which may or may not suit you). You could pretty much ski every run in a day.
It's quite low so who knows. Also, it's a nice enough resort but small and definitely not masses for better skiers (which may or may not suit you). You could pretty much ski every run in a day.
Yep. I've done both Sauze (nearby) and Serre Che (just over the hill) around Christmas and have lucked out doing that. It is a bit of a lottery though.
Also, as above, Bardonecchia doesn't look huge.
Montgenèvre or Serre Che would be a better bet, I'd say. Bit higher. Bigger.
Mmmm
*heads back to Crystal website*
When in January Geoff? January isn't usually the busiest times so if you're travelling as a couple then you can probably find an offer closer to the time.
Looking at beginning of January for a 5-dayer to fit in with inlaws and shook hols.
Sestriere looks like a decent option. It's quite high which will improve chances - the village looks a bit soviet era, but as we are with kids, the need for s****y bars and restaurants is much reduced 😕
Serre Chevalier is an option, but the 3+ hour transfer from Torino is putting me off a bit.
First dusting in Avoriaz. And so it begins 🙂
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Finally a group decision has been made, three generations of the Taylor family will be taking to the slopes together in Tignes 1800 at Easter.
Phew. Now just need a short trip to tide me over till Easter...
I'm a snowhead. don't visit very much anymore.
Myself and girlfriend went to Alpes d'Huez last year and she didn't like the 'manufactured' look of the resort and wants to go somewhere a bit more 'villagy', can anybody recommend a good beginner/intermediate French/Italian snowboard resort that will tick the box?
If you want "village" then go to Austria. italy can be ok, but many (not all, bu many) french resorts are purpose built and can be a little bit soulless
[b]datsunman[/b] – you could try Sauze D’Oulx. It’s got quite a nice cobbled street villagey feel, especially the older part of town. Good skiing/riding too, links up with Sestriere, so plenty to go at. Cervinia is not as pretty but it's a pretty good place to gain confidence, it has some super wide cruisey pistes. Links with Zermatt, so again lots to ride.
.. and what [b]ntb[/b] said, Austria is more picture post card.
Thanks both, will go and check them out. 🙂