J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by admin

For the past couple of hours we've had an intermittent software issue (too much wibble filling up the cloud or something...) but this should be fixed now.

We will take the forum briefly offline early tomorrow to re-sync our servers but we'll only be down for a minute or two and the rest of the site will be unaffected.

Apologies for any inconvenience but we should now be rocking again.

Carry on, 8)

Very grim news from Chamonix this morning. Six climbers are confirmed dead and seven more are missing. German, Swiss and Spanish nationals are among those known to have perished, with (five) British and (another two) Spanish missing.

Travelmole wrote:At least six people have been killed and eight injured in the French Alps by the most deadly avalanche in recent years.

Mountain police said two roped groups of 28 climbers had been hit by the avalanche, which happened in the Mont Blanc massif close to the popular resort of Chamonix.

They were believed to be from Britain, Germany, Spain and Switzerland but the nationalities of the dead and injured has not been confirmed.

There is more information in the report on TravelMole and here on the BBC.


Picture courtesy of the BBC

BBC wrote:The weather in the region has been warm and windy over the last few days, which could have led to an increased risk of avalanche at high altitudes, the BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Berne reports.

RIP.

busymum wrote:I can find no evidence to prove that this is the case.

Me neither. Can you ask your friends where they heard this? You could try emailing the French Tourist Office if in doubt.

busymum wrote:This will seriously impact on my travel plans for 2013 as have relied on Snow Chains to date.

No need for it to impact your travel plans even if they are made compulsory. :?:

Winter tyres are a good idea for a whole bunch of reasons (massively reduced stopping distances, and much better grip in cold weather being the most important) and any extra cost is marginal as you save wear on your "summer set".

Be good to know if they are to become mandatory though?

acarr wrote:Anybody else moving house this month?

Done that! :D

All's well and nearly half unpacked now...

Good luck with your move; weather forecast looking ok for Thurs (bit of sun, few showers). Devon's lovely, and what a great time of year to be moving down there - well ahead of the caravan rush! :thumbup:

Tony_H wrote:Do that for about 4-6 weeks and see what happens.

Mostly, you'll feel like crap. While you get less fit and your metabolism slows down as you convince your body it's gonna starve.

Great plan... if you're a catwalk model looking to collect health problems as you hit middle age.

Tony_H wrote:I lost 1.5 stone

Mostly the good stuff; as your body wastes muscle it thinks it doesn't need (because you're not exercising) and starts to store the fat it does think it needs to survive you starving it!

Tony_H wrote:I'm only concerned with how I'll look without a top on

Have you warned the Greek Islands to expect the new Adonis? :lol:

Tony_H wrote:I was advised against exercise

By a fashion guru or a complete idiot? This is J2Ski, not J2StringyBeachPoser... :P

Seriously Tony, do some research - exercise will help you look fitter with your shirt off, not just skinny. You don't need to feel crap while trying to stomach that meal replacement garbage... You can feel better, look better... and you'll ski better too.

Trencher wrote:Everything about skiing is better when you are fitter.

This. Absolutely this.

I'm just about adequately fit now but a year ago I was getting positively lardy. Regular cardio (cycle/x-trainer/walking to the pub), simple body weight exercises and a little free weights work has shifted 8kg of fat and added a kilo of muscle. I'm fitter, stronger and bandit reckoned I'd got taller by October! 8)

I eat more sensibly but more calories (less junk) than I did before.

Snapzz - step away from the daft diets and do it right. Exercise for 4-6 weeks and you'll make some quick gains, will feel great and be getting fitter. The waistline will look after itself just fine.

Exercise makes you feel good, dieting makes you feel crap. That should tell you all you need to know. Get a bike, get a kite, go play in the park with your kids... :thumbup:

Be sensible with the wine but absolutely no reason to cut it out completely.

...and now I'll get back to watching from the sidelines and being enigmatic... 8)

OldAndy wrote:Any chance you could use something like this?

:lol:

Snapzzz wrote:The wife put herself in a dangerous environment, she knew what she was doing. And she chose not to wear her transceiver. I don't really see how the husband can be held responsible for that.

I see where you're coming from, but a transceiver is utterly useless if you're only using one in a group. Avi safety is, by definition, a group responsibility - you all have to look out for each other.

Just the act of checking each other's transceivers might have given them the mental nudge to remember the other essentials.

As utterly tragic as this case is, at least the decision to prosecute has highlighted the fact that it was avoidable. The "light" sentence, I guess, recognises the guy's loss.

Bandit cut straight to the point(s) - transceiver checks should be as second-nature as stepping into your bindings, as should letting skiers below you clear the slope before you start in.

Snapzzz wrote:I don't really have enough knowledge of off piste skiing and avalanche safety

Few of us do, but summer's a good time for reading and thinking about avalanche safety.

It's been mentioned a few times before but Robert Bolognesi's book "Avalanche" is a very good starter; pocket-sized and less than a tenner delivered. :thumbup:

Well that looked easy... be nice if they could get the new pylons all installed in 90 seconds... 8)