Snow Sports 2016/17

[Cyanide2600]

Just booked a last minute trip to Sauze D'Oulx ... had a year off last year to get married so can't wait to get back out again!

 

[Richdog]

Off to Davos next weekend, the snow is apparently pretty good with more to arrive in the next few days!

 

[Furyus]

I'm worried courchevel 1850 doesn't have to much either! But I'm off in march so hopping for so me big dumps!

 

[jpaul]

Seeing the Serbia recommendations from mid_gen, should I be worried about quality of medical services there, if you needed them ?,
obviously take insurance, but nonetheless.
(worst I have ever done need a few stitches in Chamonix putting a crampon into a leg, but wipe-outs on skiing can sometimes be a roll of the dice, maybe should get a helmet - seems like an arms-race)

How much additional time, with transfers does it take ? is it a night en-route flying from Paris or London say ?

EDIT cancel my reservation - not too convinced by Kopaonik

“Kopaonik is the biggest and the best ski resort in Serbia and with Bansko (Bulgaria) one of the best in south eastern Europe. It is affordable, has good snow reliability due to snow making equipment, and it is best suited for beginners and families. Slopes are great for off piste skiing. There are around 55 km of runs but they are not too long. It is not easy to get there but the situation is improving because Niš airport (2 hours and 15 minutes away by car) has introduced new low cost carriers (Wizz Air and Ryan Air). Before wars in former Yugoslavia lot of British tourists used to visit Kopaonik, nowadays domestic skiers and people from the region dominate. Serbian hospitality is well known, food in this area is delicious and affordable.“

Pros: Great for families and beginners, affordable ski pass, lot of off piste skiing options, good night life

Cons: Small when compared to west European resorts, problems with parking,

...
Slopes are great for beginners who have plenty of room for progress. Runs are not too long (the longest one is 3.5 km), there are only 2 slopes which will challenge expert skiers. Grooming isn’t up to western European standards but it is OK. Scenery is great because the mountain is surrounded with beautiful pine woods. Resort management has invested in snow making machines, as a result of that Kopaonik didn’t have problems although there was lack of natural snow in last two seasons.

 

[Amp34]

Interesting you don't wear a helmet. Out of interest what is the proportion of people you see wearing helmets in Europe now, it was fairly high even two years ago. Here probably 99% of people wear a helmet, there really are very few people that don't (usually the early 20's males, and even in that category most do).

Just finished a tiring weekend. Lots of first and last tracks. It's great skiing down a completely empty run, with not a single track on it. Shame about all the people in the middle of the day. We had a fair amount of snow over the weekend as well so great conditions. Bit chilly (-16) but not too bad, the groomers this morning were sublime, and the off piste was pretty good as well, although still way too many rocks in some places, hidden by the fresh snow.

 

[rogan]

I went 6 years without skiing, where I never wore a helmet before hand, when only total beginners 'required by ski school' and worried kids + parents were wearing them. now it i'd say its 75%+ if not more in the french resorts.

My first 2016 trip in january i actually had a few people ask me why on earth I wasn't wearing one and proceeded to wear one for my second trip.

Didnt hate it anywhere near as much as i remember hating trying it when I first ski'd and bought myself a Salomon MTN Lab, its unbelievably light, dont even notice its there

 

[cheesyboy]

Off to Norway for my first ski holiday later this week. Pretty excited to be honest.

Going with wife (her 2nd ski holiday) and our two kids (7 and 3.5) and 3 other families.

 

[peterattheboro]

Just finished my second day in VT and it's immense when you have your own gear.

Praying for some sun tomorrow as it'd been foggy and snowing for the 2 days

 

[beh]

Maybe not 99% but 90+ anecdotally the last few years. Oddly enough it's often instructors I see not wearing them. I guess what's the risk if you're skiing in control on piste? Colliding with someone else?

Wearing one off piste would be sensible if it's a bit thin or if you're a bit of a racer perhaps and like to ski full pelt down things.

I only wore one initially when I first had lessons because it was provided. Any convincing evidence to support their usage for the average skier?

 

[Jokester]

Natasha Richardson. Innocuous fall on the beginners slope killed her, could happen to anyone.

 

[Amp34]

It doesn't have to be rocks.

I ended up falling over last season going down an unpisted area. It looked soft from above but turned out to be rock hard ice. I managed to bash my head on some of that and it was pretty sore. I don't like to think what would have happened if I didn't have a helmet on.

That was off piste (between two runs) but there's plenty of rock hard stuff on piste as well, especially at the end of the day, and EVERYONE falls over at some point.

 

[Jokester]

I wouldn't go without a helmet now, not particularly because it protects my head from falls, but the protection it offers from the sun and cold, paired with compatible goggles and a buff they're great.

 

[beh]

Natasha Richardson. Innocuous fall on the beginners slope killed her, could happen to anyone.

It's speculation whether a helmet would have saved her given that information is scarce. Anyway, anecdotes aren't sufficient.

Certainly don't think it couldn't happen to me. Someone collided with me today even and my goggles and beanie were scattered.

Aye Amp34, scariest run of the day always at the end, everyone is tired, focus is elsewhere, hitting the same bottlenecks en masse which are cut up and scraped.

 

[Jokester]

A helmet would have almost certainly have saved her life. The fall was serious enough for the ski patrol to assess her for a head injury but she refused further treatment which may have saved her life, but by that point the damage was already done.

There isn't really a reason not to get one, you're going to be wearing something on your head anyway so you might as well wear something that might save your life one day.

 

[beh]

Genuinely, I would love to be convinced because it would make it an easy decision. My reasons for not owning one aren't great, the expense to buy/hire, uncomfortable and frequently too warm to wear, and they're a bulky item to have in luggage. Maybe more modern helmets solve some of these issues?

How fast do you ski? Given the testing standards they don't seem to be intended for typical speeds. Is it a false sense of security that will lead to more risks being taken?

As with cycle helmets it's a interesting subject for research, although I do wear one as they're far less intrusive/inconvenient.

 

[Furyus]

The main reason I wear a helmet is purely because I'm a father! And don't want my kids growing up while there dad is in a vegetable state!

And it only takes a small fall, you don't even have to be going fast! rocks are everywhere!

I've got one guy on the group with us, Who refuses to wear one! And goes on about how he's being skiing for 20+ years and never needed one! I can think of one word to describe him!!!!

 

[jpaul]

Interesting point here I had not considered

Make sure you check the conditions of your travel insurance before making a decision. Some travel insurance policies require the insured person to wear a helmet,

....
The current trend is for more people to wear helmets, with a three-fold increase over the past 15 years. In Europe, 60% of adults and 80% of children wear a ski helmet. As generations of children grow up and learn to ski with helmets being a natural part of their ski equipment, this trend will likely continue.

but they are selling insurance too;
otherwise the stats they give are unsubstantiated in article, and lack detail.

some more genuine stats etc. the survey's they have done ask the injured parties if they have had alcohol/other recently breath testing on its way ?
For snow boarders wrist protectors+helmet seem recommended.

Lesson I have learned, with own ski's, is not to skimp on edge maintenance, after a few icey encounters in Brevant/G.Montets - accident prevention is better ...

 

[mid_gen]

Seeing the Serbia recommendations from mid_gen, should I be worried about quality of medical services there, if you needed them ?,
obviously take insurance, but nonetheless.
(worst I have ever done need a few stitches in Chamonix putting a crampon into a leg, but wipe-outs on skiing can sometimes be a roll of the dice, maybe should get a helmet - seems like an arms-race)

How much additional time, with transfers does it take ? is it a night en-route flying from Paris or London say ?

EDIT cancel my reservation - not too convinced by Kopaonik

It depends what you want. I really enjoyed Kopaonik last time I went, and having gone to Morzine/Avoriaz this year, I think I'm going to go back to Kopaonik next. It's just better value. You can do a full week in a ski-in/out hotel at the lifts with as much food and drink as you can fit in your face for a fraction the cost of an equivalent long weekend in the alps.

Cons

4-5 hour transfer from Belgrade (cheap though)
Small resort
No black-level or even difficult reds

Pros

It's incredibly cheap (30 EUR six day lift pass, 1 EUR beer, 5 EUR steak dinner)
It's quiet (no queues, more slope time)
The snow is generally good
Has a park and some fun bumpy terrain for falling off
It's got some OK powder runs which the predominantly skiiing locals didn't touch
The people are great, they don't see a lot of Brits there
Got a few bars/clubs if you want to get into your apres

 

[mid_gen]

I always wear a helmet now. Not so much worried about me stacking it into a rock as some idiot hitting me and clashing heads.

 

[Furyus]

bit of a long shot here,

But I've got a friend in France (biarritz) and he's trying to get to Courchevel 1850 on the 19/03/17 and return 26/03/17, now he would drive, But it's coming in at a lot! apparently france have a huge amount of tolls! and fuel etc. any Idea how he could get there? Train bus or anything I've overlooked?

any help would be great.

Cheers