J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by broom

J2ski mentioned in this report WELL DONE!
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/skiing/alps-avalanches-safe-travel-advice-ski-snowboard-holidays-austria-germany-deaths-a8716981.html

At least seven people have died in the Alps during a weekend of heavy snow, with skiers facing a high avalanche risk in Austria, Germany and Italy.

Two separate avalanches killed two German skiers in Austria's Vorarlberg mountains. A third skier died in Pongau district, near Salzburg.

In Bavaria, a skier died when a tree collapsed near Bad Tölz. An avalanche killed a young woman in Bavaria's Teisenberg mountains.

Two climbers died in the Italian Alps.

A mountain rescue team found their bodies in the area of 2,800m (9,186ft) Mt Cristalliera, in the Alps north of Turin.

Rescuers are searching for several missing people elsewhere in the Alps.

The second-highest avalanche warning level is now in force across the Austrian Tyrol and in much of the Bavarian Alps.

Skiers have been warned to avoid any off-piste skiing, and many mountain roads have been closed because of the avalanche risk.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-46780856

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/01/07/ski-resort-evacuated-thousands-stranded-heavy-snow-blankets/

A lack of snow and an exceptionally high risk of accidents has forced the closure of many of France's ski runs, with slopes icy and "as hard as concrete", officials said on Wednesday.

A combination of extremely low night temperatures and scant snowfall is making conditions treacherous even for the most proficient skiers. Local authorities blame climate change, which is also causing glaciers to melt in the Alps.

There is little likelihood of "powdery" soft snow in the coming weeks, with temperatures set to fall further but no snow forecast.

Only four out of 56 runs are open at Saint-Lary-Soulan, a resort in the Pyrenees. Jean-Claude Dupla, the director, said: "We've had problematic winters before, but this time, there's no snow, even on the higher slopes. This is the first time in 20 years that anyone remembers it being this bad."

Marcellin Bernard, a ski instructor at Val-Thorens, Europe's highest ski resort, said lower resorts were the worst affected. "It's still pretty good here thanks to the altitude. We've got the snow guns working at night, but resorts lower down like Les Menuires are having more problems. At Val-Thorens, the artificial snow makes it soft on top, but the underlying layer of natural snow is much harder than usual."

Skiers in France have been warned by officials that injuries are more likely on harder, icy, surfaces CREDIT: AFP/LAURENT DARD

A study on the prospects for the ski industry over the next two decades, commissioned by local authorities in Isère, south-eastern France, concludes: "There will be less snow on average. It will fall less often and for shorter periods."

The study says the only way to maintain France's ski industry is to continue investing in artificial snow systems, but the costs are high and environmentalists are concerned about the depletion of water reserves.

Officials are urging skiers to exercise particular caution this year. Gilles Szekely, an instructor at the Chamrousse resort, said: "It freezes almost every night and in the morning it's as hard as concrete. When you fall, you're much more likely to break something."

Gérard Colas, a doctor at the resort, said: "Our clinic's full almost all day and I'm treating a lot of fractures. On ice, you can't control your skis like you can on soft snow.'
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/01/02/skiers-france-face-dangerous-icy-runs-many-slopes-closed/


https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/concrete-pistes-cause-ski-death-in-french-alps-mk9fvltf2

Maybe in the summer for nice walks 8)

We used .pierree & vacances and we were quite happy

British skier Dave Ryding recorded the fastest second run in the slalom to finish fourth overall at the World Cup in Italy, his second best result ever.

He was 27th after the first run, 1.66 seconds off leader Marcel Hirscher, but produced a storming second run.

Seven-time overall World Cup champion Hirscher and Henrik Kristoffersen made mistakes.

That left Daniel Yule, who has Scottish parents but races for Switzerland, to secure his first solo World Cup win.

The 25-year-old, who had twice before finished on the podium, clocked one minute 38.34 seconds over the two runs to finish ahead of Austrian pair Marco Schwarz (0.34sec) and Michael Matt (0.50sec), with Ryding fourth, 0.65sec back.

Ryding's best World Cup result remains his second in Kitzbuhel in 2017. He finished ninth at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-sports/46665429

Snow-making machines are being used at Glencoe and the Letch ski resorts in Scotland for the first time.

Snowsport Scotland, the country's governing body for snowsports, hope this will enable more of their athletes to train in Scotland rather than having the expense of training abroad during the winter.

Andy Meldrum, the managing director of Glencoe, explains how the snow machines work, while Euan Baxter, a coach with Snowsport Scotland, hopes the knock-on effect will be more Scots competing on the world stage.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/scotland/46546815

Does any one know, when ski Sunday is starting to broadcast.