J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Dave Mac

Sounds good, I just need to find a couple of teenagers to borrow....

OldAndy wrote:This was captured on 25th November 2011 from the Tignes Val Claret webcam.
(J2Ski Snow Dance sequence).
Xmas skiing was epic with superb snow.

YoungAndy, your picture is a great demo. Regard the clear blue skies. This means that starry, cold frosty nights follow, and the ground gradually goes below freezing.

After that, there will be snow, it will stay, and nowadays, we are also blessed with snow cannon output.

Of course, the odd snow dance does not go amiss, although nowadays, I subcontract that to young folk, like, errm, YOU Andy!

With the exception of this mid-January, when, in Niederau, we will be both skiing and highland dancing in kilts.....

Too early for panic stations yet, Doug. The ground is still cooling. It is snowing today, should be around 10cm above Söll. This will be followed by 2/3 days of warmer weather, before it is scheduled to cool down.

There have been several sub-zero nights.

Funnily enough our local travel agent phoned me yesterday, and asked me for information about the Christmas snow history for Niederau. I apologised, and said I only had the history for the past 13 years, and would that do.(Average Lower/Upper slopes ~ 13/39cm December, 39/100cm January)

Söll has similar results.

While this can be of no personal interest, I am pleased to see another efficiency/cost benefit coming into UK snowsports. There is more than the base cost and time aspect. Some people just do not like flying. For many people, they can get into London by train more easily than getting to an airport, and with no car parking charges.

I agree with Admin that the service timing is a bit surprising. Two hours earlier would have allowed time at the end to get into resort, and yet still give time for travelers to make their journey to London.

Having said that, it can be certain that market forces will ensure that overnights/car hires/direct taxis etc will step up and provide a finishing and return service.

I wonder what this will do to air fares to Geneva?

There might be a point of view that hosting provides a mountain service which makes the slopes safer for people. I have only one personal experience of joining in with hosting, in the Jungfrau. In that area would certainly join in with a group again.

The benefits to our group was that our day skiing became more efficient, in what is a quite complicated area to move around in.

However, I observed how the hosts went about their business. Yes, they gave the usual disclaimers about not teaching or guiding. I watched how they figured out the capabilities of individuals within the groups, and ensured that they steered less capable people onto safe runs. At the same time, some of us were steered into different situations ~ all meeting up again to continue.

This avoided the chances of people going down runs which might be on the edge of, or beyond their capabilities.

My view was that all of the hosts were very experienced and capable snowsporters.

That's absolutely right, VSB, and with good reason.

A main key issue is the ground temperature on the mountain. The top two ft of ground needs to lose it's summer temperature, and deplete to a winter level. At this time of year, it matters not so much that there may still be sunny days, the angle of the sun is slanted to the ground, particularly on North facing slopes.

However, sunny days means cold, starry, frosty nights. A month of this allows the frost to go deep into the ground.

On the other hand, an early blanket of snow provides insulation against the normal effects of frosty nights, ie the ground cannot leak a temperature gradation.

It can be worse than this, in that the warm ground melts a layer of adjacent snow, thereby creating an unstable slab ~ which can avalanche. Many of the worst avalanches have been at the start of the season.

I'm sure that New Year in Innsbruck would be great. I can personally vouch for Niederau celebrations, having spent half a dozen New Years there.

Not correct. Germany and Austria include winter tyres included in the price, from October until end of March.

In Italy,the car hirers are rarely making any offer. They are not going to set up just one or two cars with winter tyres to order.