J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by admin

Girls girls, behave! Admin's watching even from on board a Eurotunnel train... I see you.... Muahahaha

2 sleeps to snow! Yay, Admin's going mobile...

Tony_H wrote:

Mark c wrote:. Most people who hire are beginners and more likely to be out of control.

Interesting comment. I'd be keen to hear (Admin....?) if this is the case.

Not the case at all, apparently - according to SkiSet (who do hire one or two ski packs each season!) only about 15-20% of hirers are beginners, 20-25% are expert level with the rest inters. If anything the hire market seems weighted toward the more experienced skier in fact.

Back on topic - hiring helmets is not really a good plan; the person hiring has no idea of the history of the lid, and the guys in the shop have no idea what's happened to it when it comes back off the hill. Given that helmets should really be replaced after any hard knock (the lining compresses to absorb impacts, so will work less effectively next time), hiring should be seen as a fallback but not the solution.

If you want to wear a helmet - buy one. 8)

EmmaEvs wrote:are our winter temps sufficiently low anyway to keep the tyres within their 'comfort zone'?

In a word, yes.

As Finn has said, modern winter tyres are pretty good in all but the hottest of UK weather - and they have a grip (braking) advantage over summer tyres that starts around 7 degrees C.

In cold, wet weather winter tyres work much better than summer ones. On snow the difference is huge.

AutoExpress had a group test last month of a bunch of winter tyres, and they included a summer tyre to compare. One of the tests was braking from 25mph on packed snow - the winter tyres stopped in around 19 metres; summer tyres took over 40m IIRC. That's five car lengths difference from just 25mph. :shock:

For anyone not on our Snow Mail list - this is to give you a heads-up on some significant weather trends for the coming weekend.

This particularly concerns you if you will be traveling within Europe or the UK, but may also affect transatlantic flights originating or arriving in North West Europe.

European Weather and Snow This Coming Weekend

It's a little early to predict the exact outcome but several weather systems in and around the Arctic Circle look likely to push masses of very cold air Southwards at the end of this week. Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of England may be particularly affected (where there is a possibility of heavy snow combined with strong winds). This will start on Thursday and could, potentially, affect much of the UK through the weekend.

At the same time, cold and snowy weather is forecast to move South and West-wards over the Northern Alps and areas of France - with a likelihood of heavy snow late on Friday and through Saturday.

In short, if you're traveling this weekend you should be prepared for some disruption. If driving, double-check your usual winter preparations and ensure you are prepared for delays and diversions that may occur.

Bon voyage and stay safe!

Not much in the forecast for the next week but it is going to stay cold for a few days at least so the cannons will be working well. Signs of more changeable weather after that so a good chance there'll be more snow before the end of the month.

Keep the faith!

Ian Wickham wrote:There has been no dump overnight, they have had the snow cannons on.

Damn big snow cannons those are... :lol:

Chill people (literally); it is currently cold in Les Alps, it is going to get c-o-l-d-e-r for a few days and then it's going to snow. There might even be some more snow too.

In fact, next week is looking sufficiently cold and snowy that Xmas is being packed up as we speak and certain J2Skiers may well be going mobile in the direction of the Grand Massif. :wink:

A heads-up for anyone traveling this coming weekend; the forecasts are quite volatile still but Friday and Saturday are in the firing line for some quite widespread snow, not just in the Alps but possibly Northern France too. So be prepared and watch the forecast threads...

Sadly, the search has ended with the worst of news.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3997445,00.html

All of us send our deepest sympathy.

Be careful out there folks.