J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by admin

millstreet wrote:Should we be just mega excited

You could certainly start with that... :lol:

millstreet wrote:What do we need to watch out for?

Snow.

Looks like Friday and Saturday will be snowing most of both days, with a clear day on Sunday.

Good goggles (that don't fog up) and outer layers (gloves, jacket and pants) that are up to the job of keeping you warm and dry all day - if there are any "weak layers" in your kit then sort them out first.

Given the clear skies currently forecast for Sunday, half the population of Annecy will hit the slopes (and the other half will be stuck in the traffic).

Where are you staying and what sort of skiing do you like?

Interesting - that seems like a lot of kit, but it must depend on how far you're going to be from lifts and / or civilization and if you're going into glaciated terrain? Probably fair enough for the Grands Montets and La Grave, but otherwise that's a fair bit of kit to carry all day.

For me it's a pretty small subset of your kit :-

- spare gloves.
- buff.
- extra fleece layer if cold.
- foil survival blanket (so light and cheap it's daft not to have one).
- avi kit (T/P/S).
- phone and whistle, small water bottle and emergency chocolate... 8)

Fair point about skinning back up to assist a casualty but if they're that far above you, it may be more prudent (thinking about both speed AND limiting your own exposure to danger) to make yourself safe and focus on getting a heli or the piste-patrol in from above.

Just MHO, but kit to suit the route.

Exact lifts will depend on where in the town you're based, but the Blues on the plateau immediately above the town (Cretes) sound like they'd suit your OH. There are some much longer runs that lead back to there that you and your other friends can have fun on and your OH can perhaps join you on those as his confidence builds.

There is a new Blue home run down from there now, but check it out first before committing your OH to it. If you don't think he's ready then he can come down in one of several lifts; a much better option for a beginner than the ludicrously long and narrow Green path that was the previous choice. There is a Black (and a Red I think) also, but perhaps leave those until next trip... :lol:

The Cretes area is great for early skiers though, and you've the option of the long blues to build confidence so should have a lot of fun.

bedrock barney wrote:Therefore I've diagnosed running = stronger and more resilient calf muscles. Discuss!!

Aside from the running being good for your general fitness in any case, I'd think it might be more likely to be the stretches helping your calves...

And, TBH, I'd pick the mountain biking - with the balance and variable effort (assuming that your running is not up and down hills) as maybe being a better ski-supporting exercise.

But, always best to do what you most enjoy! 8)

J2Ski Snow Report - January 7th 2015

Re-publication :- our Snow Report Summary, being the text up to "The Alps", is free to re-publish, but must be clearly credited to www.J2ski.com with text including "J2Ski Snow Report" linked to this page - thank you.

Well, what a New Year week that was!

This Week's Snow Headlines
- Huge snowfalls in the Alps, particularly in the West (France, Switzerland and Western Italy).
- Big snowfalls in the Pyrenees.
- Chamonix claims 1.35m of snow in last seven days.
- Heavy snow in the Balkans.
- The return of big snow to Western North America
- Snow in Scotland means season finally starting.
- Central and Eastern Alps have seen less snow but now have plenty forecast.


Powder in Piau-Engaly - photo courtesy of the Tourist Office

What a difference a week makes. Seven days ago the very first flakes were starting to fall in the Alps and we were optimistically hoping that the forecasts of big snow would come true. A week later it seems to be snowing heavily in many areas, and has been for much of the past week.

It's not all good news, there have been reports of rain and sleet at times below 1500m in the Alps and the areas that need the snow the most - lower lying parts of Austria and the Dolomites for example - have seen limited snow so far.

Enjoy - but PLEASE take care

All that snow, falling on a thin (or non-existent) base means the avalanche danger is currently very high. Now that off-piste skiing is finally viable, ironically it's way too dangerous to head out without a knowledgeable local guide.

Several people have died this week in avalanches, including one in Val d'Isere on a closed piste, so please take extra care; heed local advice, stay off closed slopes and enjoy the fantastic conditions now on the pistes!

In The Alpine Forecast

More. Snow. Lots.

Actually, huge amounts now falling in North and West Alps and much more in the forecast for the next week. Eastern areas should get at least a top-up and even the Dolomites get in on the action now.

High winds will be a feature of the next few days, which will elevate the avalanche risk so, again, be patient.

The Alps
Austria
Austria has had mixed-fortunes in the snowy deluge of the past week. Some areas have received up to 20 inches/50cm of fresh cover, but others like the Skiwelt have only reported a few inches more and Mayrhofen for example, which reports 10cm of fresh snow, still has 0cm at resort level and only 25cm up top. The hopefully good news is that more substantial snowfall – up to two feet, is now forecast in the coming week here too. The resorts that have done well in the past week have mostly been on the West side of the country, with 50cm at lech in the Arlberg and 42cm at Obergurgl – a foot more than Solden just down the road.

France
French resorts have seen the most snow in the past week with Chamonix claiming over four and a half feet of snow has fallen since this time last week, most other resorts have had at least a foot and many 60-80cm. So conditions have largely been transformed and powder alarms for 20-40cm of fresh snow in 24 hours continue to buzz in to our offices after zero in December – we've had hundreds since Jan 1. The downside is that the avalanche risk is very high. Snow depths at resort level don't seem to be building quite so fast as up top. Flaine has had 50cm of new snow but says its resort base remains 5cm, Morzine says it has 10cm. More massive snowfalls are forecast for the coming week, if anything more than last week.

Italy
Italy has seen a similar scenario to Austria, with relatively good 30-60cm snowfall accumulations in the west at resorts liker Bardonecchia and Courmayeur, whilst over in the East in the Dolomites where it is most needed its been more like 5-10cm, so bases still need a lot more snow. The good news is that may soon arrive as 30-60cm is forecast for much of the dolomites in the coming week, as well as a bigger snowfall still in the western Italian Alps.

Switzerland
Switzerland seems to have come second best to France for snowfall volume over the past week. Ski areas have reported up to 70cm of new snow (Verbier) and most areas have had at least 20-40cm. Again resorts towards the east of the country have fared less well. Very unusually St Moritz isn't having a great snowfall season so far, it seems, despite being one of the highest ski areas in the Alps. It received only 10cm in the past week and has a base of 15-25cm. Hopefully the forecasts that it will get over a metre in the next seven days will prove right.

Scandinavia
Scandinavia hasn't had many substantial snowfalls in the last seven days and some areas could still do wih a good dump. But that may be coming as 30-60cm is forecast across the region's ski areas over the coming week. Areas in Finland typically have around 40cm lying and in Norway it's more like 30-60cm, rather down on where we were at this time last year.

Pyrenees
The snowfall in the Pyrenees started last weekend too but whilst in the Alps the snow fell by the foot in the Pyrenees it was more by the inch. That changed yesterday with 20-30cm accumulations across the region and the snow is still falling with much more forecast over the coming week.

Eastern Europe
A mixed bag in Eastern Europe too – the Balkans in Bulgaria had a 60cm snowfall forecast and Bansko seems to be half way through that with 30cm fresh snow fallen and now 30cm forecast. Further north so far there's only been 5-10cm of snow at resorts in Romania or Slovenia but much more is in the forecast here too.

Scotland
Another week with no Scottish ski areas open has passed with temperatures a little too warm and dry for much fresh snow to build up. That has changed in the past few days however with more stable, snowy weather moving in and Cairngorm is hinting it may partially open this weekend whilst the other areas are all saying that the forecast is finally looking promising.

North America
Canada
Not a particularly snowy week in January, but the snowfall there has been has swung back from East to West Coast, predominantly, with the biggest accumulations around a foot/30cm of new snow in BC at Red Mountain and Silver Star. On the East it was closer to 10cm again at Tremblant but at least conditions are slightly improved after last week's snowfall there with 60cm reported lying at Tremblant, 20-30cm at Mont Sainte Anne.

USA
It's finally snowing on both sides of the country with a foot of snow in Vermont on Monday, and in California on Wednesday, continuing today, in what they say is the latest El Nino storm. The snowfall has continued west from the pacific to add a few inches to already deep bases in Utah and Montana though no fresh snow in the last week has been reported in Colorado. Base depths are generally very healthy in the 1.5-2.2m (five to over seven feet) in the west. On the East they could probably do with more, ideally, having bases nearer the 50cm mark, but most areas are now fully open thanks to a combination of the natural snow and extensive snowmaking.

Please make sure you leave that heat behind when you head back!

French and Swiss Alps getting hammered now... there might be some left by March...

Enjoy your sunny beaches... :mrgreen:

Occasionally we get sent PR and lovely pictures that have us scratching our heads a little...

Whilst not on the epic scale of Les Arc's bare-chested Santa of a few years ago, we *think* the message here is that it's snowing in Tattooine... 8)



Ok, maybe not quite from another planet, but we can never resist a powder scene...



For those unaware, Piau-Engaly is in the French Pyrenees - close to St.Lary - and you can find more information and a snow forecast right here on J2Ski.

Ryding claims 13th in Santa Caterina Slalom World Cup



Delancey British Alpine Team athlete Dave Ryding has secured another world class performance with a 13th place in today's Slalom World Cup in Santa Caterina, Italy.

Following his 24th place finish in Madonna di Campiglio before Christmas and his best ever World Cup result, 12th in Val d'Isere in mid-December, this second top 15 World Cup finish of the season firmly cements Ryding as a force to reckoned with on the circuit.

Ryding wrote:"I was very happy with how I was skiing, particularly on run one. It was a really tight race, and I had to ski really well to get a good placing. The course was really good for both runs, with some tight tough sections, but I am getting closer to the top 10.

"The next four races are all very technical, and this is what I have really been focusing on in the training, particularly over the summer. It is going to be a tough few weeks."

Ryding's coach, Tristan Glasse Davies wrote:"Things are going really well. We have been working really hard, and the hard work is starting to pay off. We will continue to take things step by step, and we will carry on trying to get better day by day. We are staying in Santa Caterina for two days of training, before moving over to Adelbolden ahead of the weekend's race."

For more information visit the NEW British Ski and Snowboard website and for all the up to date news and results like British Ski and Snowboard on Facebook and follow British Ski and Snowboard on Twitter www.twitter.com/teambss.