Was up in the mountains at the weekend. There is a lot of snow already. It is fantastic.
Beautiful. Do you live there (you lucky bugger)?
Winter 2012/13
- Thread starter Guest2
- Start date
Beautiful. Do you live there (you lucky bugger)?
Soldato
- Joined
- 11 Sep 2009
- Posts
- 14,068
- Location
- France, Alsace
I wish, it's my parents place out there, I like a couple of hours away.
Although, this is the view from our place, 10mins from the above place.
Poifect!
Although, this is the view from our place, 10mins from the above place.
Poifect!
I wish, it's my parents place out there, I like a couple of hours away.
Although, this is the view from our place, 10mins from the above place.
Poifect!
So, OcUK ski meet at your parents place then
?
Associate
- Joined
- 26 Feb 2012
- Posts
- 1,763
- Location
- Hokkaido
Goddamn, that looks incredible.
Soldato
- Joined
- 4 Aug 2007
- Posts
- 22,675
- Location
- Wilds of suffolk
Looks like a load more snow heading for the alps if La Plagne is anything to go by...
http://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts/La-Plagne/6day/mid
http://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts/La-Plagne/6day/mid
Soldato
- Joined
- 11 Sep 2009
- Posts
- 14,068
- Location
- France, Alsace
So, OcUK ski meet at your parents place then
Dude, I wish! Why do you think I had to buy my own place? Haha although on a much smaller scale.
6 more days of work, 6 more days of work...
Lots of snow in la plagne in early Feb please! Went last year and it didn't snow once during the week but luckily they had a ton just before we arrived so that saw us over.
Can't wait to get back over there such a nice resort with some serious views.
Can't wait to get back over there such a nice resort with some serious views.
Lots of snow in Val Thorens too!!
Looking forward to using my nice shiney new Head i.SuperShapre Titan's!!!!!!!!!!!
I've heard that Skiing in Austria is apparently the best in the world, though, I've only been to France and Canada!
I can personally see the difference between North America and Europe, not sure how it would vary greatly in Europe as our cultures are so similar!
Soldato
- Joined
- 4 Aug 2007
- Posts
- 22,675
- Location
- Wilds of suffolk
I have skiied France, Austria, Italy and Andorra
No country is clearly better or worse from them, so I make the assumption you can included spain and switzerland in the same list.
The resort makes all the difference, its the resort you have to understand. You want one that matches you skiiing ability and expectations, you may want to do lots and lots of different runs or have a few very god runs to suit your ability which you can ski over a few times and work on technique predominantly as opposed to skiing new stuff.
If your a beginner you want a resort with a decent number of low level eg grren blue and ignore ones with a high percentage of red/black. If your a great piste skiier you will want mainly red/black and if you want off piste you again need to understand the availability of SAFE off piste skiing.
Also height of resort can make a diff. The resorts that will typically get the best snow early are the higher ones, the lower the resort the harder it is for the early season snow to fall and remain.
I am yet to go to the US so cannot comment on their resorts but I get the impression they are larger with more options typically
No country is clearly better or worse from them, so I make the assumption you can included spain and switzerland in the same list.
The resort makes all the difference, its the resort you have to understand. You want one that matches you skiiing ability and expectations, you may want to do lots and lots of different runs or have a few very god runs to suit your ability which you can ski over a few times and work on technique predominantly as opposed to skiing new stuff.
If your a beginner you want a resort with a decent number of low level eg grren blue and ignore ones with a high percentage of red/black. If your a great piste skiier you will want mainly red/black and if you want off piste you again need to understand the availability of SAFE off piste skiing.
Also height of resort can make a diff. The resorts that will typically get the best snow early are the higher ones, the lower the resort the harder it is for the early season snow to fall and remain.
I am yet to go to the US so cannot comment on their resorts but I get the impression they are larger with more options typically
Associate
- Joined
- 26 Feb 2012
- Posts
- 1,763
- Location
- Hokkaido
Looking to book my holiday tomorrow. Anyone used Igluski before? I've never had to book holidays through operators like this before as I've usually just been rocking up for seasons and sorting everything out myself. You always hear horror stories though, and looking online for reviews brings up a few very bad ones. People only seem to bother reviewing if it's bad though so it's hard to get a read on them.
Ski republic are good
We Igluski this year for the first time. The Chalet we had was taken off the market by Ski France. Iglu offered a replacement chalet with an upgraded food package. It is a worse chalet and we argued with them to try and get either money back or another chalet - They said they could not move on it because it was booked through Ski France.
My 2 cents - Go with Ski republic, they have always been really good. I think we just fell on a bad issue this year that was no fault of Iglu - HOWEVER, Iglu offered no compensation or anything else in return. They said we could not get a refund either through Ski France or them. (The chalet we initially booked has been taken off the market/is no longer available)
Associate
- Joined
- 26 Feb 2012
- Posts
- 1,763
- Location
- Hokkaido
Thanks for your reply mate. I ended up just booking everything separately as it was actually cheaper. Austria here I come. I cannot wait. I'll be buttering pow like it's on toast. 
I was at MK Sno!Zone on the weekend demoing Bonafides, Mantras and the Sir Francis Bacons so I thought I would put some thoughts down for anyone who was interested. I grabbed a 2 hr sessions and ran back and forth between the slopes and Ellis Brigham who do free ski demos.
The first ski up were the SFB; initial impressions on these were not favourable. The skis were SO wide and seemed to take and age going from edge to edge. I was seriously struggling to get them to work for me. I was on the 176cms and they ski incredibly short. The skis were also soft and very light, which is a new sensation for me. The skis needed a wax and are wide so they really had trouble in the artificial snow running. The slope was packed and I was a bit gutted so moved onto the Bonafides.
The bonafides were instantly more accessible to me- they felt like my current set (Volkl superports). They felt stiff, easy to switch from one turn to another and felt a little longer. This helped me try out a bit of carving and get a feel for them. I was hugely surprised at how little difference there was between my current set and these. The stiffness and ability to hook into a carve meant that I could just do what I normally do.
After 25 mins or so I went onto the Mantras. These felt almost identical to the Bonafide's to me. Turn initiation was easy and the skis were stiff and felt the length that they were.
So after 20 mins or so I came to the conclusion that if I wanted a longer pair of skis that felt like my current pair I could go for either the Mantras or Bonafides and know that they should get me through powder. The question that remained being what length would be appropriate given that the ~178cms felt a little longer than I am used to.
I had a nagging doubt on the SFBs; I know the Mantras and Bonafides could do a job but given that this was my first time skiing in 11 months I thought the SFBs had been given a rough ride as my technique was all over the place and had returned with the Bonafides.
Off I toddled and grabbed the SFBs again. This time they were awesome. They are slightly slower edge to edge but they just begged to be played with (especially as my technique had returned a bit). The lightness and softness of the ski just made me want to jump around (something no other ski has given me the inclination to do). They didnt fly into a carve as much as the other two pairs but they whole ski just gave me this huge grin. They are totally different to what I currently have and I really appreciated that.
Unfortunately Ellis Brigham didnt have the Prophet 98s but I think my ideal ski is now the SFBs or a thinner version of them. I like the lightness, I like the softness that encourages playtime but I am slightly unsure of the edge to edge speed. The other 98mms were very stiff and wanted to charge but they are harder to land and dont encourage you to play; does anyone know if the Prophets are thinner equivalent of the SFBs?
I cant make up my mind at the moment. The SFBs are so much fun but
- I wasnt able to demo the right length
- The skis needed a wax big time so I couldnt get a feel for how much was fat ski slowdown and how much was the need for a wax
- I would love to play with a slightly thinner SFB to see the difference.
The first ski up were the SFB; initial impressions on these were not favourable. The skis were SO wide and seemed to take and age going from edge to edge. I was seriously struggling to get them to work for me. I was on the 176cms and they ski incredibly short. The skis were also soft and very light, which is a new sensation for me. The skis needed a wax and are wide so they really had trouble in the artificial snow running. The slope was packed and I was a bit gutted so moved onto the Bonafides.
The bonafides were instantly more accessible to me- they felt like my current set (Volkl superports). They felt stiff, easy to switch from one turn to another and felt a little longer. This helped me try out a bit of carving and get a feel for them. I was hugely surprised at how little difference there was between my current set and these. The stiffness and ability to hook into a carve meant that I could just do what I normally do.
After 25 mins or so I went onto the Mantras. These felt almost identical to the Bonafide's to me. Turn initiation was easy and the skis were stiff and felt the length that they were.
So after 20 mins or so I came to the conclusion that if I wanted a longer pair of skis that felt like my current pair I could go for either the Mantras or Bonafides and know that they should get me through powder. The question that remained being what length would be appropriate given that the ~178cms felt a little longer than I am used to.
I had a nagging doubt on the SFBs; I know the Mantras and Bonafides could do a job but given that this was my first time skiing in 11 months I thought the SFBs had been given a rough ride as my technique was all over the place and had returned with the Bonafides.
Off I toddled and grabbed the SFBs again. This time they were awesome. They are slightly slower edge to edge but they just begged to be played with (especially as my technique had returned a bit). The lightness and softness of the ski just made me want to jump around (something no other ski has given me the inclination to do). They didnt fly into a carve as much as the other two pairs but they whole ski just gave me this huge grin. They are totally different to what I currently have and I really appreciated that.
Unfortunately Ellis Brigham didnt have the Prophet 98s but I think my ideal ski is now the SFBs or a thinner version of them. I like the lightness, I like the softness that encourages playtime but I am slightly unsure of the edge to edge speed. The other 98mms were very stiff and wanted to charge but they are harder to land and dont encourage you to play; does anyone know if the Prophets are thinner equivalent of the SFBs?
I cant make up my mind at the moment. The SFBs are so much fun but
- I wasnt able to demo the right length
- The skis needed a wax big time so I couldnt get a feel for how much was fat ski slowdown and how much was the need for a wax
- I would love to play with a slightly thinner SFB to see the difference.
Soldato
- Joined
- 11 Sep 2009
- Posts
- 14,068
- Location
- France, Alsace
Anywhere in the portes du soleil would suit you for that.
If anyone is honestly looking for cheap digs for 4 folk; www.abondanceapartment.com
Flight to Geneva, up from there, PdS open to you. I'd sort you out. No homo.
We're heading down there tonight. Well, in a few hours once I've pretended to do some work, picked up meat and packed the car (or attempted to!)
If anyone is honestly looking for cheap digs for 4 folk; www.abondanceapartment.com
Flight to Geneva, up from there, PdS open to you.
I'd sort you out. No homo.We're heading down there tonight. Well, in a few hours once I've pretended to do some work, picked up meat and packed the car (or attempted to!)
Soldato
- Joined
- 18 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 9,833
- Location
- Welsh Wales
2nd of Feb St Anton Looking to get away in March also, but will leave it closer to the time to see where the snow is.
Looking to get away in March also, but will leave it closer to the time to see where the snow is.