Messages posted by : J2SkiNews
There are £999.00 ski jackets and then there are £19.99 Aldi ski jackets, is the price difference justified? Aldi haven't yet covered that one in their TV advertising campaign, but they believe the skiwear they sell during special weeks each winter does make the quality grade for its customers to be warm and dry on the ski slopes. This year the company's ski kit – which features a basic and pro range and covers gear for men, women and children - is scheduled to go on sale at their stores nationwide this Thursday, 3rd December, with the usual "When it's gone, it's gone" tag line – in other words stocks are limited and when sold out, won't be replaced. Skiers can be completely kitted out for £59.94, a deal which includes Adult's Ski Trousers (£16.99) and Jackets (£19.99), Ski and Sports Base Layers (£8.99), Ski tops (£4.99) and Ski Socks (£3.99) and Technical Ski Gloves (£4.99). For the more demanding skier there's the Aldi Pro range, which features an improved specification, including a 10,000mm waterproof rating, a fully breathable membrane in excess of 10,000 gr/m2/24h and a 100% windproof (wind resistance zero L/m2/sec). In short the company says, "…to rival big-brand names but without the big-brand price tag." The Pro range covers everything from a Pro Jacket (£34.99) and Salopettes (£29.99) to a Pro Padded Jacket (£19.99) and a Winter Sports Compression Base Layer (£8.99). Along with all the kids and adult ski clothing this winter Aldi is also taking on action camcorders by launching its own Action Camcorder (£29.99) on the same date. It features a 135° wide-angle lens, 720p resolution and records at 30 frames per second. 
The Full 2015 Aldi Ski Range M/L Ski Pro Jacket £34.99 Action Camcorder £29.99 M/L Ski Pro Salopettes £29.99 Adult Ski/Snowboard Helmet £19.99 Ladies Ski Jacket £19.99 Men's Ski Jacket £19.99 M/L Leather Faced Ski Gloves £19.99 M/L Ski Pro Padded Jacket £19.99 Boys Ski Wear £16.99 Girls Ski Wear £16.99 Ski Helmet For Children £16.99 Ladies Ski Trousers £16.99 Men's Ski Trousers £16.99 M/L Full Zip Sweater £14.99 M/L Merino Thermal Long Johns £14.99 M/L Merino Thermal Top £14.99 M/L Nordic/Alpine Knitwear £14.99 Ladies Winter Boots £14.99 Men's Winter Boots £14.99 M/L Stretch Sports Hoodie £12.99 Infants Snowsuit £9.99 M/L Ski Pro Gloves £9.99 Boys Snow Boots £9.99 Girls Snow Boots £9.99 M/L Ski & Sports Base Layer £8.99 M/L Winter Sports Compression Base Layer £8.99 Ski & Snowboard Goggles £7.99 Ski Pro Accessories £6.99 Children's Ski Underwear £4.99 M/L Ski Socks With Silk £4.99 M/L Ski Tops £4.99 M/L Technical Ski Gloves £4.99 Children's Fleece Underwear £3.99 M/L Ski Roll Neck Top £3.99 M/L Ski Socks 2pk £3.99 Children's Ski Gloves £2.99 Cabin Socks 2pk £2.99 M/L Fleece Lined Knitted Hats £2.99 Multi-Functional Headband £2.99 Pocket Hand Warmers £2.99 Reversible Ski Accessories £2.99 Children's Ski Socks £1.99 Girls Fleece Lined Tights £1.99 |
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The ski season has got underway on schedule in the Pyrenees this weekend with ski resorts in Andorran France and Spain all opening for winter 2015-16. Resorts had been urging their fans to 'keep the faith' for the planned end of November opening date, the traditional start of the season in the region, despite unnerving warm temperatures through much of the month which set back early snowfall and snowmaking efforts in late October. They were proved right with heavy snowfall the weekend before opening weekend, when up to 50cm accumulations were reported. Subsequently snowmaking systems have been in full operation. Cauterets in the French Pyrenees (pictured) reported beautiful weather conditions and a turn out of around 2,000 skiers and boarders for opening day. Resorts in Spain are particularly keen that the season gets off to a good start each winter as there are two public holidays, Constitution Day and Immaculate Conception Day on the first Monday and Tuesday of December meaning skiers book a long weekend in the mountains. Ski centres in Andorra report bases of 20-50cm. (Picture Credit: Matthieu Pinaud/cauterets.com)  |
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It's a big opening weekend coming up in the Alps and the Pyrenees with some resorts opening on schedule, some early and some later than hoped, but all as a result of the big snowfall last weekend and subsequent low temperatures. Of the big name resorts opening this Saturday are Chamonix (Les Grands Montets and les Houches), Montgenevre, Val d'Isere and Val Thorens. In Austria Ischgl opens as planned and has a Beach Boys concert to celebrate whilst Solden, which opened for glacier skiing more than two months ago, is opening top-to-bottom terrain on Saturday. In Italy it's opening weekend for the giant Dolomiti Superski region. There will be 63 lifts running at seven of the dozen sectors with a combined total of 80km of slopes opening, mostly, the are'a management reports, using machine made snow (pictured above). Open resorts will include Cortina d'Ampezzo (Faloria and Cinque Torri), Kronplatz-Plan de Corones, Arabba (Passo Campolongo), Val di Fiemme-Obereggen, San Martino di Castrozza and Civetta. In Switzerland Crans Montana and Verbier will be opening a few weeks later than they'd hoped thanks to the change to more favourable conditions. Samnaun, lift linked to Ischgl over the border, will stage its annual Santa Claus World Championships and open too. Many areas in the Pyrenees will also be opening. These include both Grandvalira and Vallnord in Andorra, Cauterets on the French side and La Molina on the Spanish. |
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Early totals published so far on snow report websites appear to indicate that the weekend's snowfall fell short of the most optimistic 'snowmageddon' predictions of 1.5/5 feet accumulations at resorts like Tignes and Val Thorens but has, none-the-less, deposited significant volumes across the Alps and further afield. Perhaps more important that the volumes is that colder weather ended the 'Indian Summer' conditions that had prevailed through November up to last Friday. It now looks like being the norm for at least the next week allowing for snowmaking systems to follow up on the natural snowfall. Smaller snowfalls are also forecast in many area over the coming week. Val Thorens is currently reporting temperatures at the top of its slopes of -20C with an expected daily high of -8C Of the reports that are in, Tignes (pictured above) has reported the biggest snowfalls with 70cm over the past three days – about half what was forecast put over two foot of snow none-the-less. It reported clear skies yesterday afternoon but said it was still too windy to open, winds had hit 100mph on Saturday. For a good geographic spread, Austria's Kauntertal glacier has reported the second largest accumulation so far with 60cm of fresh snow in the same period and down in the Pyrenees, where there was also significant snowfall, Baqueira Beeret says it received up to 50cm of new snow on its upper slopes. Elsewhere totals were nearer to the 30cm/1 foot mark at resorts like Avoriaz, Davos, Engelberg and Solden. Val Thorens, if early measures are correct, did not get the large volumes forecast with only 35cm so far, but there are no official figures on its website. It is forecasting low temperatures and more fresh snow through the week so is looking good for its revised opening date next Saturday 28 November. |
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The Yad Moss Club Field in Northern England became one of the first non-glacier ski areas in Europe to open for winter 15-16 this weekend. It joins other non-glacier areas so far open including Obergurgl, Ruka and Kitzbuhel. "There is a thin covering of snow on the runs with deeper drifts beside the snow fences," a statement on the centre's website reported. "If any season ticket holders want a first slide of the season, come on up!" Yad Moss is located in Teesdale in the Pennines with the single 600m long tow lift located about 10 minutes uphill from a roadside parking area. It has a 120 metres of lift-served vertical. The area has been run for around 40 years by volunteers, the button tow which is fast moving and thus unsuitable for inexperienced skiers and snowboarders. "Challenging skiing today but quite nice when the sun came out after lunch. The tow ran well and where we were able to piste the skiing was actually ok albeit with some typical Pennine grassy patches," skier Peter Stockton posted on Facebook with the picture above. http://yadmoss.co.uk |
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 (Lech today)
The big forecast snow for the Alps this weekend seems to be delivering – particularly at higher altitudes. Resorts in the Pyrenees, Eastern Europe, Scotland, Scandinavia and the dolomites have also reported fresh snow today. And it's still dumping down in Western North America. Not many resorts have published snow depths during the ongoing storm but those that have are typically saying they've had 30-40cm. Amongst them are Avoriaz, Davos and St Anton. Sass Fee in Switzerland has posted the biggest snowfall totals so far with 60cm at lower elevations and a full fresh metre claimed above 3000m at the top of the slopes. Val Thorens which delayed opening this weekend is looking to be in great shape with significant snow and the snow guns blazing. It remains to be seen whether it will now open 'early' ahead of its revised opening date of next weekend. Along with all the snow there have been blizzard conditions with Tignes reporting 150km/h winds this spring. It closed its glacier ski slopes the only ones currently open in France. Ski areas in most other parts of Europe outside the Alps also got fresh snow. Borovets in Bulgaria posted pictures of the top half of its mountain covered in natural snowfall, with snow guns coating lower slopes white. With low temperatures set to continue and more snow in the forecast a mass opening of resorts across Europe looks increasingly likely next weekend, if not before. |
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 (Photo Credit: Dakine)
The cost of taking your skis or board on a plane has been a contentious issue in the era of the no frills airlines. Costs famously vary from airline to airline, sometimes from flight to flight with a single airline, and also dependent on when and how you book. The allowable weight of your ski bag also varies from airline to airline, the crucial information can be hard to find on their sites and the prices keep changing. In short, many skiers and boarders have been caught out. Now the most comprehensive listing yet of individual airline fares and regulations has been published by LUEX, an online travel agency specialising in surf and snow trips. http://www.luex.com/magazine/2015/10/15/the-ultimate-list-of-airline-ski-and-snowboard-baggage-fees/ The LUEX list covers no less than 95 airlines, with an easy search and a quick concise description of key costs and regulations, plus a direct link to each airline's policy page. |
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Could this week be the snowiest in the history of the world then? :)
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