Messages posted by : verbier_ski_bum
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The thing with using the guide is that if something happens to the guide you are screwed. So knowing how to use avy kit and how to respond in case of an avalanche is extremely important in case you need to find and dig out the guide. He would also carry a radio on him which you will need to get help as often there is no mobile reception off-piste or iPhone will die on you due to cold exposure if you try to make a call. It actually makes sense to have a simple mobile phone for skiing as they are more reliable. Still won't help in case of no reception.
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Lift served off-piste doesn't require touring bindings or skins. I won't tour when we have tons of snow nearby, seems like a waste of effort, and when we tour I check the route first to see if crampons are needed to avoid carrying extra weight and bulk. Same with harness and carabiners. It might look cool, but most of the time totally unnecessary. Probably the main reason I prefer Verbier to Chamonix is that there is no need for any "jewelry" to access some great terrain. So, my regular off-piste skiing kit includes an airbag with a standard avy kit, Swiss army knife, sunglasses and an extra layer; works well. My airbag is 18L and for daily skiing it's enough and fits everything I need. When touring I use a 26L backpack and leave airbag at home to save on weight.
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Get your Snow Dance on for a Happy New Year
Started by User in Snow Forecasts and Snow Reports, 6 Replies |
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Fingers crossed, but believe it when I see it. Skied about 12 runs total in the past 10 days. Hiking is good though, beautiful weather for walks. Not a typical ski holiday but very enjoyable all the same. Very relaxing. Heating bill be low as haven't turned it on yet and knees will be grateful for this break too.
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April conditions will largely depend on what happens in January as the snow to ski on in April has to come from somewhere first. It usually does arrive eventually, but I am more confident about April skiing when it snows in December.
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To be honest it doesn't look like it will snow for at least another week or so. So Snowmageddon on the 27th is unlikely this year - last year there were talks about snow arriving around Boxing day starting from the second week, now there are hopes it will start snowing around New Years, but no-one sounds convincing. Very warm and no change in sight. I know it can change quickly, but I wonder where the change will come from. Oh, well, at least skied 7 days from the start of the season on relatively quite and good pistes. Slopes are getting getting busy now so I think I can leave the slopes to visitors hungry for some turns and wait for the snow. Couldn't even force myself to get into gear yesterday so went to Christmas markets in Montreux. Looks like this will be my main pastime during at least the first week of my 3-week holiday. Hitting a swimming pool later today. Big BBQ tomorrow - in December! No skiing for me, conditions are not worth wrecking my knees further - I skied better in late April. Even if it doesn't snow at all, the first week of January I can have slopes mostly to myself, so will ski then. And since it's Christmas, bad snow means less arguments on the day who will stay behind to peel vegetables etc. when others are skiing. So bright sunshine and lot of time!
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I have a Russian colleague who says that even in places like Moscow people cannot count on winter as they could 40-30 years ago, when snow would arrive by mid-November and stay till end of March. And it was cold. Bad for agriculture as they lose the best and absolutely free insulation which nature used to provide. Plus flu season almost never ends now as viruses don't normally like it when it's cold.
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So far it seems to be an exact repeat of last season't start only shifted two weeks forward. If the snow that had come a week before resorts started to open had come two weeks earlier last year opening day conditions would be the same. It was better on the first weekend, but this before snow didn't have time to melt yet, but this cold was very short lived. By now conditions are almost fully matched. It rained couple time lasts December two, it was raining on Christmas week and we had our lunch on a terrace. It's too mild, massive inversions too - cold in the valleys and balmy at altitude. Today's snow was really a dusting, will improve things for a day, but then more warm days are expected, people are talking now about January. Let's see, they say early winter is short winter, I hope so, and Easter is early this season too. We can get lucky then:)
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