Good season - 5 days in the 3 Vallees followed by 7 days in Espace Killy.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I managed about 34 days on our 2 month trip to the French Alps in the motorhome. I normally get close to 45 days but busted my acromioclavicular joint a bit (though I didn't know it at the time) and took more rest days because of the relentless hardpack. My wife just got into double figures which is about normal.
I went with a new powder board which I didn't love, so I bought a new carving board to make me happy - which it did (Nidecker Blade)
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Tomorrow will be our last day.
18 days total: 4+4+6 days EK from Tignes, 3 days Verbier and 1 day Villars. Only one true powder day.
Lifts shut today but lovely granular snow, sunny weather and about 350m vertical available for ski touring and our 49th(ish??) day on Austrian and UK snow.
We're back at The Coe tomorrow for our final day of lift-served Scottish skiing.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
No season for me. Christmas trip was cancelled due to Covid and then I snapped my achilles in January
I only just started skiing in Feb 2021, Started with 2 spontaneous days at a little resort called Pec Pod in Czech Republic and 2 days in Karpacz in Poland, loved it, as a beginner the Eastern Europe resorts are amazing value albeit odd setups at times, they have had some serious money from the EU funding, brand new everything.
Went to zieleniec in Poland in December just before Christmas for a week skiing 10am until 9pm every day and finally to Livigno late Feb for a week - even did some of the smaller bits on the play park!
Interesting journey for a newbie but massively hooked, bought myself some new boots (hawx prime XTD) in the hope of maybe doing some touring with the dog in Poland this coming winter. Still to summon the stomach to stump up for pin bindings and skis though but the boots are tech inserts and gripwalk so they can work with most bindings so will use them for hire skis also if needed until I decide, I will try and find somewhere to hire a pair next season I think before I buy, I won't be undertaking cliff drops etc so the current costs to ability ratio seems wasteful for someone just starting out, abeit a fast learner.
Partner had some lessons in Poland which helped a lot for her (she is Polish, so helps she understands them), she struggles more with fear than I do, probably sensibly so but it does make the first 1-2 days of each trip a nightmare as she snowplows down everything and I spend a lot of time waiting around (I stay out of the way but in eye sight, I value my sanity and my life ) then day 3 onwards she's hockey stopping and doing fine, even going into the sides of the piste with me in the trees etc and beats me down runs, both trips the same.
I wouldn't say livigno was a step up from Poland and we did every single run in Livigno without an issue, actually felt easier than Poland as the runs are nice and wide more snow and less trees and moguls and the black runs in Livigno are NOTHING on Polish blacks, those guys have rocks and grass...
Livigno felt like more of a holiday as we were comfortable with skiing at that point and can only put that down to the help we got in Poland from the rental shops and the staff on the lifts and the "interesting" terrain in Poland, no buses, you have to ski to the next left...somehow, road, paths, buildings, forest...felt spoilt in Livigno with a bus!
Can't wait for next season!
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I'm off to Ischgl for a final fling for four days this coming Wednesday taking in the end of season concert next Saturday, the King's of Leon are headlining. Started the season off in Monte Rosa based at Gressoney over Christmas, then January was good with trips to Obergurgl and later in the month Grindelwald. End of Feb/March we skied the Stubai Glacier, Nordkette, Schlick 2000. Earlier this month we had a week in Zermatt. In total 30 ski days and three more to come this week. After last season's lack of action my wife and I decided to make up for it, plus now we're both retired we have plenty of time and absolute freedom on our hands.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Amazingly on the last day of a very dry season, the snow gods delivered!
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Well mine wrapped yesterday in whiteout conditions after a week of blazing sun. Skied pow in Cali, Tirol, BC and ( just about) a couple of windbuffy turns in VT yesterday. I pretty much lucked out wit hfresh snow every trip bar the EoSB do would have to rate season an A psrticularly as a comeback.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
We'll that is that...and the closing day in Verbier was a decent powder day too!!
And for me personally what a way to finish the season:
A full scale face plant!!
The first proper fall for a few years, I didn't spot the edge of the piste in the poor visibility and dropped off into soft powder that was on top of even softer deep slushy stuff...both skis off and I was down.
Nothing damaged except my not-fallen time record
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Thought I wasn't going to get away this year, then managed an awesome 4 days in Avoriaz in mid March.
Totally fell back in love with snowboarding - got a bluebird powder day, slushy park laps, early morning warp factor 9 groomers, a crazy afternoon session in the Stash with the day for Jake, and even woke up to a sepia landscape when the Saharan dust came in.
Bloody love the mountains, it had been too long.
Now working out how to take the kids out of school in Jan for a week.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Fresh snow yesterday for the last day of the season in Avoriaz.
Nice, but I wants sunshine in April
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Managed 2 trips this year, both to Skiwelt Austria, saw very little fresh powder.
1st trip was over New Year, what a Palaver to get to Austria, did we, didn’t we need tests, would we be able to get boosters, in the end we all got boosters and didn’t need pre flight tests, managed to cancel tests and Randox finally refunded 4 cancelled PCR, had a great trip with our adult kids until the dreaded Antigen tests for return flight home, kids did tests and we were due to return a few days later, youngest lad tested Positive and stayed behind for an extra week in B&B, luckily he wasn’t moved to State run isolation centre like others, we panicked slightly and when we received a negative test result cut our trip short and changed our flights, and missed last 4 days of our trip which turned out to be powder days and the day after we got home Irish government changed requirement for negative test. Finally today travel insurance paid out claim for sons extended stay.
2nd trip end of February, wall to wall sunshine, could have done with top up but conditions were still great, skied in Lofer 2 days and found some great powder.
New kit this year, a few bits from Dope.
roll on next Season
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Just finished my 17th day of the season - Saas Fee in January and last week and Nendaz in March. Conditions were better in mid-April than mid-March but I enjoyed them all.
And today the postman delivered our Magic Passes for next season.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Got back from the last trip yesterday, and it's been a good season. We bough Tirol Snow Cards for the first time, so all skiing was in Austria, mostly in resorts we'd never skied before. We had 38 downhill days, 4 touring days, and 6 evening tours, across Kitzbuhel, Skiwelt, Alpbachtal, Zillertal, Otztal and Kuhtai
The best powder day was unexpected in Reith in Alpbachtal. I'd gone there first thing to get a replacement boot buckle at H&N Sports, and checking the lift status, the gondola at Reith was open whilst the other resorts were still to open, so we headed straight up. There'd been 30+ cm of powder overnight, and the place was empty. We did 14 laps of the gondola, alternating between the unbashed piste under the gondola, and the slopes just off the right from the other piste, with fresh trackes every time. At one point I counted 18 sets of tracks on the unbashed piste; we'd made 10 between the 2 of us, one other skier had made 4, and 2 snowboarders had straightlined it twice. We also got good powder for several days in Skiwelt (mostly in poor vis) and Hochfugen.
No much new kit, which in one respect is a good thing as it meant I didn't break anything significant (other than the boot buckle), which is a good return for me other that many ski days (I break a lot of kit). Main new kit was new Intuition boot liners, which started very uncomfortable, then were transformed by H&N Sports (a worthy addition to my list of good ski shops)
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I like Reith im Alpbachtal. A really neat little ski hill and a good place to stay.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
mountainaddict wrote:
We're back at The Coe tomorrow for our final day of lift-served Scottish skiing.
I thought that was Iran or somewhere arid. Like those pics with a contrast snow and valley.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
We were very lucky this winter. We got a week in 3V early/mid December that was bright if not blue sky skiing every day, then two very succesful and brilliant trips to northern europe in January and March. In 20 potential days of skiing we lost 1 hour due to extreme weather, with very bad weather always seeming to be somewhere we weren't. It was a brilliant season, and even better, two of the trips were kick-ons, one from 2020 (postponed twice, 2020 and 2021), and one from 2021, and largely were already paid for. I hope plenty of other SH's had good seasons too. Few pics.
That's it here too, clothing, back-packs being washed as I type.
Had a couple of tours this week, one rubbish one good.
Boots now being stored along with skis / Avy packs etc
Could still ski-tour for a few more days, but it's also good cycling weather and I need to get my cycling legs back.
So much we didn't do this season, that said the OH very much got into her piste skiing, even buying piste skis and really got into using her Carv system, and I too had a brief session with mine and can see the benefits/attraction though I was using 93 waist All Mountain Skis, now I keep looking at discounted carving skis
unfortunately no trips abroad for me this year but at least a few memorable days nearer home.
Managed three weekends to Glencoe and Glenshee but only three days up at Yad Moss this season. Just a few other partial days of local touring and cross country.
So only 11 days of lift served skiing in total. The positives were that the skiing was challenging and fun. Glencoe, Glenshee and Yad Moss were as friendly as ever and the Mighty Coe festival was a high point this year. It was also a very CHEAP season. Sleeping in the car kept my cost down to £70 per day including fuel, food and lift pass ! The only other positive I suppose was minimising my carbon use this year.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Still snowing here in the PNW. Final season ends on May 29th. Will be up at the resort on Saturday for some skiing. Had light flurries this morning at the house. Forecast calling for snow flurries tonight and Saturday. Hope to get a bit of freshies!
After all it is free
After all it is free
i managed 33 days of boarding....
with all this trubulence from Covid (High risk area, No high Risk Area, once again High Risk usw) and 20 days in Quarantine because i was positive, and thats in Januar (total fXXXX up), and with two children (4 und 6 y old) i suppose i could be happy with the 33 days....
All of them in AUT, GER except one week in Livigno....
not bad at all....(for me)
far away from the 50+ days from the pro Covid years or the pro children years, but in those days we were only the two of us
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Really enjoyed this season:
Dec: Les Menuires, 3 days inc ski touring at night for the first time
Jan: Les Arcs, 2 days via the inaugural Travelski Express train
Feb: Crans Montana, 6 days with the family
Mar: Andermatt/Aletsch Arena, 3 days w first two touring in Andermatt
Apr: Les 2 Alpes, 6 days with the family (went to Courchevel for this, but not counting it as a day's skiing)
May: Going to Hemel Hempstead next week...does that count?
- Technically it's last season but still less than a year ago: 9 days in Austria in late May / early June (Kaprun, Hintertux and Stubai);
- This season saw a false start in the last weekend of October in Zermatt/Saas-Fee (CH) - lifts were closed due to the wind, so it turned into a hike+swim weekend;
- 4 days in Cervinia (IT) at the end of November;
- 2 days in Kirchberg/Kitzbühel (AT) in late Jan (at the weekend of the Streif, but I only watched it from afar, was way too expensive);
- Multiple days in Italy spread around February (mostly Ponte di Legno / Passo Tonale and Dolomiti Superski, and one day+night in Aprica and one in Pejo);
- 3 days in Aletsch/Fiesch (CH) in the last weekend of February;
- 10 days in St. Moritz in the last week of March / early April;
- 4 days in Kaprun over Easter;
- ...now depressed at home with the prospect of not skiing (at least not on the mountains) for over 5 months. Entertaining a 3-day trip on the first weekend of June but not yet confident enough to book it.
All in all for sure the best season I've had so far (despite covid restrictions, knee pains etc), partially also to compensate the end of 2020 and most of 2021 seasons when not much could be done.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
thecramps wrote:
We were very lucky this winter. We got a week in 3V early/mid December that was bright if not blue sky skiing every day, then two very succesful and brilliant trips to northern europe in January and March. In 20 potential days of skiing we lost 1 hour due to extreme weather, with very bad weather always seeming to be somewhere we weren't. It was a brilliant season, and even better, two of the trips were kick-ons, one from 2020 (postponed twice, 2020 and 2021), and one from 2021, and largely were already paid for. I hope plenty of other SH's had good seasons too. Few pics.
Sounds/looks amazing! Where exactly in Northern Europe is that? Lapland?
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Nice fresh turns in the PNW this morning.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@Gustavo the Gaper, yes, Äkäslompolo, Finland.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Finally managed to ski again following my cancellation of my trip to Whistler a couple of days before the resort closed for Covid in2020.
Fortunately was able to transfer my accommodation reservation and flights (BA voucher) forward to 2021 (and then again to 2022,when we realised that 2021 wasn't optimal).
Arrived mid March, fully vaxxed, documented and tested and breezed through YVR immigration.
Skiing was mixed: a few stellar days and a few that offered Whistler's finest fog. But still waaaaaaay better than not skiing.
The highlight: dropping into the Blackcomb glacier on day one and having my lifetime best ever run from top to bottom.
New toys: a new pair of boots for Mrs A (bringing about immediate relief from foot pain (and whingeing)) and a new pair of ski pants for me. Wasn't too impressed with the one pair of skis that I got to demo,though.....maybe next year.
The outcome: after 2 weeks the legs felt a lot stronger (immediately confirmed on my return by not getting dropped by my cycling group ).
Roll on 2022/23: now that I'm retired I'll be looking to take some more trips and finally attend a Bash.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Any ski holiday is a bonus but consider myself very lucky to have got 3. Flexibility was the theme as you might expect:
Cervinia in December via MXP, which until about two weeks before and the challenges of quickly changing restrictions, so evident for PSB, should have been Val Thorens via GVA......Loved the skiing, excellent conditions but not convinced I would book in advance to go there.
Hinterglemm in late January, a solo trip (always fancied it) which until friends decided against the travel risk was meant to be Flachau in early January, then was Flachau for the same week until my accommodation cancelled on me. After two weeks still not completely convinced by the skiing in S/H (I accept I seem to be in a minority there) though I had a lovely week. Heavy snow for a couple of days and lots of lifts closed before or during the day, including one gondola that closed while I was halfway up; that was entertaining! Followed by sunshine and able to cover a big distance.
Then finally got to Flachau in early March. Warm, fairly busy but plenty of snow and really enjoyed the skiing. Watching the world cup slalom probably the highlight of the season, in particular the noise from the Marco Schwarz Fan Club (we seemed to have stood in their spot) when he took the lead during the second run. Brilliant.
Downside is being spoiled by three trips and wanting the same for next and every following year.......not sure I can use the big birthday excuse again.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
A miserable week in Andorra with my 14 yr old daughter, snow was ok but came home actually disliking my own child, at least I won't have to pay for her again.
A much more enjoyable week on the gnarbug despite there being little offpiste worth doing then 3 days meeting up with old & new friends in Austria on the way home.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
we did 3 weeks in the Dolomites late Jan/early feb.
A weeks with friends/family in Madonna then two weeks by ourselves in an Apartment in Corvara. We wondered if we would get bored but the answer is a definite NO. Next year the aim is to do the same but for 4 weeks. Having the extra time and a hire car gave us the opportunity to do day trips so we popped over to some other resorts and really enjoyed those days out (Kronplatz, Cortina, Suis di Alpe). I was determined to improve my technique so did lessons every few days and that really paid off. We also invested in our first pairs of ski boots so no more hire boots.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@tangowaggon, …ah….
Grom1 - now age 18 (Gromette) - day one ‘too tired’. Day two ‘Ok…I’ll come…’. Day three ‘too tired’. Day four ‘I don’t want to go to Nax, it’s too cold’. Repeat.
Sigh.
Grom2 - now age 16 (The Grom) - day one ‘can we please get the first lift tomorrow’. Day two ‘yesterday was brilliant, glad we got the first lift’, Day three ‘can we get to Vercorin early…’, Day 4 ‘can we get to Nax to get on the hill early…’ Repeat.
I can only reliably get one week in a year. This season I booked in November for the second week of January, then held my breath on French travel restrictions. Hallelujah they relaxed the Thursday before I was due to go, and the week in Courchevel was fab. Excellent snow that hadn’t been skied much, not many people about until the last two days. I’d not been there for a few years and I’m a better skier than last time so many of the runs that intimidated me before were just fun to ski, which was great. It’s never a cheap place to go but I had a great time.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Season over for me, finished with three days in Cervinia and some fresh snow on Sat.
After all it is free
After all it is free
I had a pair of excellent ski trips near Edelweiss in Canada. The first in late December was memorable but my Feb trip was exceptional. The weather, the mountain and me. I think people were confused with health mandates, or just not into skying when I went, but I've never had the mountain almost to myself like that before. It was fantastic.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Hells Bells wrote:
Another pretty disastrous one. Couldn't travel to France at Christmas and our March trip was interrupted by appendicitis. So instead of skiing for 2 weeks, I skied for 2 days, spent 4 days in hospital, then sat and looked at the mountains until we came home the following weekend. I've had to cancel my trip to VT this weekend, as I am not yet back to 100%. No new kit, I was going to buy a new helmet and goggles while I was out there.
I hope you can make up for it next season, HB!
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
A very stressful but incredibly lucky season
The Swiss panicked a week before the PSB making its prospects look a rather wobbly, as so many snowHeads were due to pass through GVA - but they relented 48hrs later and we only lost a handful of snowHeads from our numbers in the end.
Then the French panicked and closed access... at exactly the time we didn't need to go there. Then opened up again just in time to travel through it, to Italy
There hadn't been fresh snow in the Dolomites for ages but we didn't need it as they look after their pistes so well.
The one bash that really really needed some fresh snow was the SOPiB. There had been none for weeks. Much of the offpiste normally available to us was green and the rest was uneven, wind-sculpted bullet-plate. 24hrs beforehand, the guides had met and decided that they had literally no idea what they could do with our group over the coming week. Then, on day1, we got 30cm of fresh, effectively a week's worth of useable snow - insanely good luck!
After that lot, the trepidation bar was set high but the EoSB went off without a hitch!
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
(Nidecker Blade)
) then day 3 onwards she's hockey stopping and doing fine, even going into the sides of the piste with me in the trees etc and beats me down runs, both trips the same.
Bash.
at least I won't have to pay for her again.
