J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by ise

oopalley wrote:It shouldn't be as busy as it usually is either week - the French schools aren't on holiday and English schools are only getting the bank holidays off with two weeks hol later in April. The first week will probably be the least busy of the two as you are only getting one bank holiday...

good news! at least for those without children. It's a short season in a lot of stations with closing not long after easter. I was concerned we'd move straight from a busy February into a busy Easter then close in some places. At least when Easter is later we get some respite from the crowds!

we used to have an apartment in Morillon and I highly rate the the Grand Massif area.

swooky wrote:..... Samoens, the only ski village registered as an historical monument, Le Grand Massif is rich in activity, architecture and history.

Interesting point, Samoens is a nice town, one of the nicest ski centres in France although maybe not fantastically convenient by some ski-in/ski-out standards. What's really interesting is that there's a thousand web sites and brochures that repeat the claim that it's listed as an "historical monument", but, as far as I can tell it's not true :!:

As far as I know the French body that does this is "Centre des monuments nationaux" which used to be the "Caisse Nationale des Monuments Historiques". In the current form it doesn't list either Samoens or anything in Samoens. Maybe once it did? Weird though, you hear that so many times and I'm not at all sure it's true! :)

I'm fascinated if anyone knows the basis of the claim?

bandit wrote:

ise wrote:
split boards are snowboards, there's no such thing as "two skis you can join together" it's a snowboard that can be split to allow climbing skins to be used.

Hmmm, then again, there are these on sale right now....... :D

http://www.boardski.biz/bulldog.htm

BTW I'm not advocating that anyone should buy a pair, but I hear they have been tested on snow at Milton Keynes :D

:) :) :) OK, we're unanimous on that one then, they most certainly look like something to avoid :D

Jan I Stenmark wrote:

I look forward to many interesting QFL discussions ?

Jan

I couldn't follow that either. There's a terminology problem firstly which it looks like you corrected. H2O is a molecule, the hydrogen component is at the atomic level not the molecular. A quasi-fluid layer is caused in ice when the molecule vibrates. This is really due to the lattice structure of an ice crystal, basically at the core of the crystal any given ice/water molecule has multiple bonds with other molecules and is stable, towards the outside there's fewer bonds so those molecules vibrate more as temperature rises. This is obviously related to the transformations you get in snow conditions from powder to neve when the snow's been in the sun or air temperature's gone up and down. There's some wrinkles to that, certain structures of ice crystal are inherently more stable than others, some reflect light radiation differently and impurities in the ice impact it etc etc.

The lower the temperature the thinner the QFL layer becomes, at some point it becomes mono-molecular, ie one molecule thick but that's pretty damn cold. QFL just explains why ice is slippery, the old theory says the weight of the skier exerts enough pressure to melt some snow/ice which forms a lubricating layer or that frictional melting occurs as the ski travels.

Interesting stuff but I don't quite connect it with wax; qfl, frictional or pressure melting all imply pretty much the same thing for wax anyway, ie the ski is travelling on a thin film of water. The thickness of the film depending on temperature. All of which only tells us that waxes need to deal with different temperatures so as a result we get some universal waxes for a big range of temperature and some specific waxes for certain temperature ranges.

IceGhost wrote:[ Oh my god I almost fell off my seat when I saw those. 1. Board? Come on 2. A rear holder? That makes as much sense as the ski bra ( probably comes in kinky lace) If you have a weak back you shouldn't be going down a hill. 3. Graphic tape ?! EXCELLENT Pavelski you just rock!

we just did that.

split boards are snowboards, there's no such thing as "two skis you can join together" it's a snowboard that can be split to allow climbing skins to be used.



crampons (despite the later reinterpretation) are standard hardware for ski tourers on steep ground.



nothing remotely stupid about either.

reading it again then "rear holders" sound rather like risers on touring bindings, obviously you couldn't tour without being able to raise the heels :

16. Skis with asymetric sidewalls ( Kastle)

I missed that one as well. Movement Freeheel or the G3 Ticket both have asymmetric designs and are pretty popular. The reduced radius on the skis' outside edges allows the uphill ski to edge more actively making turns. There's a patent on this held by Rossignol actually. I suggest the reason you don't see many is that it's slightly harder to manufacture. I actually don't recall that Kastle ever made an asymmetric ski personally, I do recall their air-channels and of course they've been away for a few years now returning next season with a new range.

Jan I Stenmark wrote:
2. You are a serious powder hound. You travel in the back country, often navigating by GPS, map and sense of smell alone. You probably ski high and cold, in some of the world?s most extreme conditions. Taking your gloves off could prove highly dangerous, dexterity is paramount. Gloves are the only option

It's not quite that simple, making ascents you tend to get fairly warm pretty much any time of season. It makes sense to use thinner gloves, I use Black Diamond Inner Cores personally, then put on mittens over the top. No lined glove or mitten has the dexterity to handle climbing gear really. Holding a pole and skiing downhill obviously doesn't need any huge dexterity. For ordinary skiing I just wear Hestra Army XCR's, the Hestra pro' range are pretty much the best in the world and pretty much dominate the professional marketplace as a result.

Jan I Stenmark wrote:
4. You are summer skiing on a glacier, your hands melt with mittens; you choose summer gloves or cycling / motocross gloves and enjoy the scenery!

Cycling gloves are good and I used to use them but I find they don't deal well with getting wet. Maybe another pair would of course.

mars wrote:Can anyone recomend a european resort for a snowboarding stag do on 29th of november?

The best option, I'm about 95% sure, would be Obergurgl. They should open Nov' 16th and they have some deals for early season if you book direct. You'll need to call up the tourist office, for some reason this is only on the German version of the web page. I think that speaks to the fact they're not expecting much interest from the UK, it's perceived to be too early. I've been up there mid-week on that opening and it's a bit dead, just me, some locals and a ton of snow :D

doh :lol: just re-read your post, stag-do :D

easy peasy ! Sölden, just down the road from Obergurgl so you can ski there if you need to. But Sölden has some active nightlife that would work for a stag night :wink:

ise wrote:Grindelwald obviously has the great scenery of the Eiger, Jungfrau. Monch etc.

slightly off-topic, I didn't climb the Mönch yesterday coincidentally :cry:

http://snowslider.net/2007/09/15/bad-day-on-the-monch/

ellistine wrote:
A lot of people do enjoy the area though. The people in our hotel had been there every year for the last 12 years - same hotel room even. Perhaps that was the off putting bit. It all seemed very British in a colonial kind of way!

I missed that highly perceptive observation :) That's exactly what I find as well, and I find it slightly unpleasant. It harks back to the days when skiing was pretty elitist and not very inclusive. Actually, Zermatt is the similar but just escapes it, something to do with the climbing done by English I think and also because it's better to ski there. Zermatt, Grindelwald/Wengen/Murren are sort of old money and Val d'Isere/Verbier are new money, brash, tacky and slightly tasteless :lol:

Yesterday, while enduring the "commute" courtesy of the Jungfraubahn, I was thinking about this actually. I guess the area should be on a "must ski" list, I'm just not sure quite how high up or if it's more a case of being on a "must ski once" list.