Snow Sports Thread 2018-19

Mr Jack said:
I'm off Snowboarding in a couple of weeks, and I've just got my own board. As I understand it, it will need waxing before use and I'd like to do it myself. Anyone got any recommendations for a reasonably priced waxing and board maintenance kit?
Click to expand...

Did you buy it new? if so will be factory waxed and you won't do better than factory. if you bought used then yes give it a wax. Either way you'll need the gear soon enough.

One thing I would say is don't worry about a specific waxing iron. a cheap non steam iron will be fine. I have a temp adjustable tefal non steam iron that is great and was less than £20(FS2620 1200 Watt Dry Iron but any non steam iron is ok). flat base no holes for steam is key


I recently bought Xcman Nordic brush kit from Amazon. Much nicer brushes than ones in a one stop shop kit I've had for years. you'll need a perspex scraper too.

You'll want an edge tuner sooner or later but can wait if you bought new.
 
Mr Jack said:
I'm off Snowboarding in a couple of weeks, and I've just got my own board. As I understand it, it will need waxing before use and I'd like to do it myself. Anyone got any recommendations for a reasonably priced waxing and board maintenance kit?
Click to expand...

Personally I'd give it a wax yes, as the factory wax will most likely only last 2-3 days, but it's personal preference most of the time. As for waxing kits, Demon make a decent little Kit, But you don't need to spend loads! get a decent all temp wax, Data wax is a good choice, but then waxes does come again at personal preference, I however like Butta graphite.
 
Mr Jack said:
This is what I had read elsewhere, although after reading the answer from @Skidder I googled some more and there seems little agreement. I think I will err on the side of re-waxing the board.
Click to expand...
Ask/check with the manufacturer. My new board said on the packaging that it was factory waxed. I will be getting it rewaxed before we go away, but I use it weekly at a local dome so it will need it by then.
 
Syla5 said:
Ask/check with the manufacturer. My new board said on the packaging that it was factory waxed. I will be getting it rewaxed before we go away, but I use it weekly at a local dome so it will need it by then.
Click to expand...

That's... well, really obvious and sensible advice. Not sure why I didn't do that straight away. This is what they said:

All new boards are prewaxed but the wax used by every manufacturer is different from the one you can buy in a shop. The main role of the factory wax is to protect the base from drying and to protect the edges from rust. I recommend you to wax the board before you ride it.​

So wax it I will.
 
Right then, looking for a last minute trip. Two of us in a chalet.

Needs to be good conditions for a moderate beginner / intermediate snowboarder. Been to Les Arcs and Alpe D'Huez recently so don't want to go back there. At the moment I'm thinking Val d'Isere (cheaper than Tignes) but I'm worried about the nervous snowboarder who has only been doing it for a week. There seems to be only two blue runs to get back to the resort, with a lot of red. If we get caught on a "hard red" they won't have anywhere to go as an alternative.

Night life isn't essential and it would be good to avoid places where we need to spend half a day sat on lifts just to get anywhere. Don't mind doing the same slopes a few times but needs to be more blue and reds than two days worth.

Other options I've seen would be Les Deuz Alpes, Meribel or St Anton. Loved Val Thoren so could happily go with that as a backup. Soll? Bulgaira? Morzine? Never been to any of these before.
 
Last edited:
If it's last minute I would look to conditions personally. I was in the 3 valleys until Tuesday and fresh snow over Sunday made for some great conditions. Meribel/Mottaret, even Les Menuiers would be good shouts given your requirements. Not the liveliest night life but not bad. St Anton may be if you want the nightlife and they've had loads of snow I gather. Surprised you're finding Val cheaper than Tignes. Either would be good. May be Avoriaz?
 
Kemik said:
Right then, looking for a last minute trip. Two of us in a chalet...
Click to expand...

If skiing/boarding back into the town is important that VD probably isn't the best. Where are you thinking of staying there? The run into La Daille is fine but you would need to take a short bus trip if that isn't where your accommodation is. From what I remember the blue into VD was flat at the end so it might not be that snowboard friendly! Also surprised that it is cheaper than Tignes!

Soll is good value. A lot of the runs are a bit short for my liking but has a very good lift system.
Have you looked at Saalbach? Lots of great blue/red runs(most reds are on the easy side). One of best lift systems in the world. One of my favourite resorts.
Morzine/Avoriaz is a good option.
Meribel is a great location. Right in the middle of the 3V. Was there the second time I was skiing so I didn't cover a huge amount of ground but has great runs.
Haven't been to St Anton. It is viewed as one of Europe's best resort but is suppose to be on the challenging side. I am saving it until I improve my powder skiing!!

Having said all that - if it is only a 2 day trip then maybe going back to VT is a good idea. You can spend your time on runs you like rather than looking at piste maps!
 
If you want very good mixture of runs, amd a great lift system, I'd go for Courchevel, avoid 1850 as it's the most expensive in the whole of the alps! But look at le praz, la tania, 1550 or 1650. Honestly best resort I've been to! And they are having so much snow at the moment!
 
Furyus said:
If you want very good mixture of runs, amd a great lift system, I'd go for Courchevel, avoid 1850 as it's the most expensive in the whole of the alps! But look at le praz, la tania, 1550 or 1650. Honestly best resort I've been to! And they are having so much snow at the moment!
Click to expand...

Wasn't that where there was a fire that killed a number of resort staff recently? Might not be the best time to go.

I liked Courchevel but I thought Meribel/Mottaret was better a valley over.
 
Couchevel did indeed have the fire. I personally prefer Meribel/Mott as well. I actually like St Martin a lot although not good on the night life. Les Menuires I think is underrated to the same degree that Courchevel is over-rated (and 1850 is full of poseurs much of the time). Val Thorens I like to ride a lot and go to eat (as with Courchevel) but don't like to stay there as the core always feels a bit hectic.
 
First day of boarding in La Rosiere for me. The snow is in great shape, and more falling which has meant awful visibility higher up. It's a pretty poor resort for boarders in terms of lifts and uphill sections on many runs but the better sections are pretty good.. The skiiers in our group are happier.
 
I ended up booking a very last minute long weekend in Zell Am See. Looks like there's plenty of wide, beginner-friendly blues that start right from the top all the way to the base, and it's close to Salzburg so can get a 7am flight and be skiing by the afternoon. Kept looking at Saalbach but it was more expensive and I'd probably not even see half of it. Round 2 in a couple of weeks!
 
Mr Jack said:
I just use goggles that have a cutout to allow the arms of my glasses to go through. They strike me as a better option than fitting separate prescription lenses to your goggles, not least because when you stop for something to eat/drink you can take the goggles off and have your normal glasses underneath.
Click to expand...


You can buy googled that are just a little roomies to allow regular glasses underneath.
 
Somnambulist said:
I ended up booking a very last minute long weekend in Zell Am See. Looks like there's plenty of wide, beginner-friendly blues that start right from the top all the way to the base, and it's close to Salzburg so can get a 7am flight and be skiing by the afternoon. Kept looking at Saalbach but it was more expensive and I'd probably not even see half of it. Round 2 in a couple of weeks!
Click to expand...
Zell am See is a great resort/place - the town is v chocolate-boxy, if that's the right phrase, v picturesque. The local mountain is nice with tree-runs and on the same pass you can get over to Kaprun's Kitsteinhorne for free (about 30-40mins on a bus, i think). It's a glacier, so a lot higher up and amazing views on a clear day, with v open faces and quite different to Zell. So, if the local weather isn't great then check the conditions at the Kitsteinhorne and pop over ;) - it's literally 2 resorts in 1.
 
kaptainmarc said:
Prescription snowboarding lenses?

anyone got any suggestions?

seen this which looks like a quick fix:
https://www.uksportseyewear.co.uk/p...-a-standard-ski-goggle-to-take-optical-lenses
Click to expand...
As others have said - look for goggles that will fit over your normal glasses. Usually referred to as OTG (over the glasses, i think it's meant to be) - but, some are still better fitting that others... I've got a couple goggles marked OTG, and one certainly won't fit over my glasses... I grabbed a cheapo set of Scott OTG goggles for my 1st holiday over 10 years ago now, and they're still good to go (possibly as I've only used them sub 30 days)...

I have to admit tho - if you can wear contacts then use them. There are a couple issues/problems with glasses or lens inserts that are avoided with contacts:
1) fogging - it's another layer to steam up, especially if you're hiking
2) light reflections/spots/spirits - a bright light effectively reflects off the insert or glasses and reflects back on the inside of the goggles, giving a small spot of light dancing about. Usually only noticeable/problematic with night skiing, but I've still noticed it in daytime.

So, I wear contacts and normal goggles but still chuck that original pair of Scott OTG goggles in my bag, just in case I have a problem and need to use my glasses (or miss out on boarding, which isn't going to happen...)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom