 Poster: A snowHead
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I have been stuck drooling over the Snow Forecast 9 day forecast every day for the last month and Im now at that momentous point where its actually relevant to my trip on Sunday for a week with the family to Obergurgl. I know this is completely inaccurate but I have been totting up estimate snow falls for the 9 days and its been as high as 122cm earlier today to right now its at a lacklustre 70cms :-D
Putting the cms aside, its forecast to snow morning, noon and night the whole time we are there and the maximum temperatures are topping at -9 and the windchill at -20 something. At times wind speeds are estimated up to 40kmh. (red 27 please do not comment on this aspect)
I have never experienced conditions anything like this and dont know what to expect. In terms of powder I have been charmed as a boarder and now skier in 12 years to have only one white out day but many days of sunny powder. The deepest I ever experienced on a board was Chamonix and it was probably knee deep. On skis - about boot height on manicured Courchevel blue runs 3 years ago. On the scheme of things this is SFA, I know. So.
Do the pistes get bashed so there is an on piste / off piste divide?
How cold is that? I imagine every inch of my body needs to be covered? And the windchill? I bet I will have no trouble getting a deck chair at lunch time. When do you think to yourself "this is too much"?
And as for the kids, we are going with Ski Esprit and imagine it will be just too cold for them to be outside. Or is it? How will the Austrian ski schools for the kiddies deal with this? I imagine as a kid it could be a really horrible experience. Or will it? When as a parent do you say "this is too much"?
Will I be craving my nice warm office? That's probably "too much" isn't it?
And as to the skiing - I have had some great days this year when the snow gives great confidence and pointing the skis down a steep run is a whole new, amazing experience. But what happens to my heroic middling intermediate ski ability when it gets deeper on piste? BTW - I have no interest in off piste.
I have a lovely bottle of red in front of me and the Mrs is out in London, so look forward to an evening in with snowheads. (Except when Eastenders is on)
Cheers
PL
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Oh another couple of questions.
What skis are best in these conditions? On firmer pistes I usually ski on 165 or 170's and I am 178 tall. Does one go longer or shorter or stay with what you know?
What are fat skis? Do I want/need them?
Second large glass of red......half a bottle to go
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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?
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Just enjoy - those are some of the best sking conditions you will ever experience... empty pistes and fresh powder. If it's snowing it ain't that cold hehehe. If the wind gets up then buy the neoprene face masks.
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I skied at Obergurgl in -10C with a bit of a breeze - it certainly does feel a bit cooler, a hat would be a good idea and covering up the face helps - I tried this with ice, which felt a bit funny. Personally I didn't find it too exceptional, but I did have on several layers and a hat (which I don't normally bother with). I've experienced powder on piste a couple of times in Val Thorens, it tends to get pisted / skied away quite quickly - I found it great fun wooshing along with my skis submerged, to be honest I wasn't entirely in control, but falling over didn't hurt. I just used the skis I had with me at the time, they seemed to work fine...
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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As 'Stenders is finished and there's little on until Ashes to Ashes, I thought I would add my thoughts:
Hmmm...many many questions there, but not many answers really.
I guess firstly, I honestly doubt it will snow non-stop for the entire week. You will probably get some drier/brighter spells when it might all seem a bit more civilised.
I can honestly say I don't know what the Austrian ski schools do in this kind of weather, but I can also say in 20 weeks of skiing in Austria, I have never seen ski school 'crocodiles' out on white out days. What the individual schools do may vary, I can only comment on my own experience.
On softer/deeper snow, it's beneficial to have a bigger surface area under your ski, to spread your weight and allow you to 'float' on the top of the snow rather than sink. So for some people this might mean slightly wider or fatter skis. However, I think for most people sticking with what you know is advisable if you're concerned. Remember that if you are in deep snow you won't be able to see your skis!
Having said that, if you do want to have a play on some fat skis, this might be the week to do it!
They will piste the slopes every day, it's their bread and butter and they won't stop doing this just cos it's snowed a lot. The pistes will obviously then build up small accumulations during the day, but the resort won't just leave them. Be prepared though for some piste closures as they will be doing a lot of avalanche blasting to keep the area safe.
In terms of skiing ability, you might find you need to adapt to the conditions, but it will be a new skill that you will take away from the holiday, and it's always good to have experienced a range of conditions.
In terms of temperatures, I think you will notice the difference, but with good preparation I don't think it will be miserable. Really important will be goggles and neck and head gear, as well as layers keeping the warmth in. Special attention to 'gaps' that might let heat escape. Austria is the place to be in the cold weather, as the mountain restaurants are excellent - cosy with great service, good for warming up. If it was us, we would probably have later starts, longer stops and earlier finishes. With the kids, I guess only you can guage when they are happy and when they're not, but I guess as long as they don't feel they have to stay out when they'd rather be in, it should still be a fun experience.
I guess I haven't really helped at all, but I suppose my main point would be that it's your holiday, enjoy it - if you are loving the conditions and your family are happy, then stay out and make the most of it, if you don't feel like braving the conditions every day you don't have to. You're not obliged to ski all day every day, and for some people knowing when to say 'no thanks I'm off to the swimming pool' might be the difference between enjoying the holiday or hating it.
Have a great time, I am sure your worries will dissipate when you get there.
D
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Scarpa, Hoppo, Deliaskis, many thanks for your comments. Second glass gone now, and eastenders on Sky + for post Mitchell Webb.
Don't get me wrong. I am positively wetting myself in anticipation of this week coming. How could I not be? Where I am coming from is it reminds me of my week before my first ever trip to the snow in 1996 (FYI I grew up in Australia and had only seen snow once for half a day 10 years previous) whereby I had no clue what to expect. I am sure come day one it will all fall into place. But maybe, just maybe (and like 99.9% of people on snowheads about to go away) I just want to talk about it and build the excitiement even more 
All that aside, I don't want my kids to be miserable.
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Peter Leuzzi, interesting. Congratulations on getting some snow. I was in Obergurgl last January and we had to skin up the hill or rappel off the back of the mountain to find any off piste or soft snow worth touching.
-20 including windchill is not that bad actually. If the wind is low enough for them to open lifts they will bash slopes to make the snow stick. My kids have had ski school in Canada in -25 even before windchill. Easy to wrap kids up well. Skinny adults have more difficulty. Don't bother with fat skis unless you really want to advance your off piste skills or want to have a play.
Have fun. I think the predicted wind will may more of a problem (in terms of lift opening) than the cold or the snow.
Don't forget to eat a Germknodel.
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| stoatsbrother wrote: |
| ........ Skinny adults have more difficulty....... |
I'd be OK then.
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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.
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stoatsbrother, eat what?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
| in 20 weeks of skiing in Austria, I have never seen ski school 'crocodiles' out on white out days. |
Well I've seen quite a lot of them in France. Nothing seems to stop them. It depends on your kids; my nephew (now staying with us, and rapidly becoming expert boarder because he's an ace skateboarder) used to be a very "hot" little boy, always undoing his coat and pulling his hat off. His sister, skinny, very athletic gymnast, not a wimp, was always freezing no matter what. But kids really do love playing in lots of snow. Just digging in it, falling in it, rolling in it, kicking it about. Try to take spares of everything, especially gloves, as you won't be able to dry them fast enough. Goggles, obviously, and lots of layers.
Around here, slopes are never, ever, ever, pisted during the day with skiers around and in heavy snow it does build up rapidly on piste. Just lovely when untracked (makes you feel you can ski powder) but gets to be hard work when churned up and in piles everywhere. Can cause some quite nasty slow speed twisting falls. Never try to snowplough, even a little bit. Turn gradually, keep your feet together, and don't resist a fall.
It is very difficult when you can't see. I know that some people say they just love blasting round in a whiteout when nobody else is on the mountain, but for most of us, not being able to see where you're going is difficult. Puts you in the backseat, saps your confidence, makes you tense. An early vin chaud and some hot music on the MP3 is my personal recipe.
Seeing loads of snow falling is a magic experience most people never have. I am drooling with anticipation of the week ahead, even though I know I will simply not have either the skills or the stamina to do too much. It's very, very, tiring (though no doubt people with better technique get less exhausted). I personally do find that fat skis help, even on piste, when there's lots of loose stuff. So when I make a complete hash of it, I can't blame my skis. and when a few turns go well, it gives you a glimpse of what people are on about.
Have a great time.
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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.
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stoatsbrother, aaaah. Yes seen them. Very slimming no doubt 
pam w, thanks for your comments.
Deliaskis, cheers. Enjoy Scotland. Glasgow or Edinburgh? You should try and get to the slopes while you are there
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You know it makes sense.
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Peter Leuzzi, neither Glasgow or Edinburgh but Nevis and Glencoe, with a few other  !
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Deliaskis, was wondering if you'd bite on that one
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Poster: A snowHead
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If the weathers bad head for the runs through the trees at the top end of Obergurgl
The trees help with seaing the way and give sone shelter from the qind
First time we skied in Obergurgl it got down to -20 one day
As long as you dont expose any bear skin its not that bad
Main problem we had was with our skis not running that well on the snow at that tempature
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
As long as you dont expose any bear skin its not that bad
Main problem we had was with our skis not running that well on the snow at that tempature |
Bears have furry bottoms, no problem with temperatures. And they put low temperature wax on their skis.....
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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?
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Peter Leuzzi, Les Gets at Xmas two years ago, ambient temperature was rarely above -15, and I think it was -24 one day. It's true that there's no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong equipment. All the obvious advice applies - plenty of layers, good hat, good gloves.
However, the wind and cloud cover are more of a problem. My personal tip would be to make sure you've got goggles (not specs) suitable for flat light. Then you can have the mountain to yourself - the closest I've ever got to feel like a millionaire.
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FAQ
! Your post was very cunningly disguised as a worried one 
