Who is going skiing and where 2014?

[pidsy]

the glacier at Grande Motte is ski-able year round. you just get the funicular from Val Claret straight up to the top. very popular with the locals but not sure how many tourists bother.

[taaffy]

Hintertux is another summer ski option although you will have to share the area with racers and instructors who are working on technique in the off season.

[a311]

//j17 said:

Has anyone done any summer skiing in the alps and if so would you recommend it/is it worth it? December seems such a long way off right now!

There's quite a few around Europe, IME you need to get up and out early and call it a day not long after lunch. You can still get snow in the summer but it's generally boiler plate first thing then softens up as the day wares on. Tignes will shut in the afternoon so you only get the morning anyhow. Les Duex Alps is bigger but mostly blue standard runs. Depending on the conditions Val d'Isere also has a glacier.

Glaciers by their nature mean the terrain is quite mellow, Hintertux is said to be the steepest glacier in Europe. If you get there early summer in a good snow year there could still be plenty of non-glacier runs high up. Saas Fee is bigger than Zermatt but is still only about 20 KM of runs so this gives you an idea of what you've got to play with vs in the winter.

My choice would be Kaprun and the Kitzsteinhorn glacier or Stubai-close to Innsbruck. The former you can stay in Zell Am See or close by which is actually more of a summer resort than a ski resort, really beautiful place and plenty to do and see when you're not skiing.

I assume your motivation to try some summer skiing is purely because you don't want to wait until the next winter season for your next ski fix? Most people have been there. I've done race training and instructor training at several resorts in the summer and to that end they're fine. The problems with the French resorts in the winter are amplified in the summer-if you're not skiing there isn't loads to do or easy access to where there is hence why I think the Austrian resorts are a better shout. You can mountain bike, walk, sunbathe and go for somewhere with a pool in Tignes etc but Zell is properly set up for all tourists in the summer. Any questions give me a shout in saying all that I'm off to Tinges later in the summer but purely for some training.



Zell Am See in the summer

[Merp]

Zell Am See is a stunning place!
Went for our first wedding anniversary earlier this year and absolutely loved in. Great spa complex with outdoor heated pools in Kaprun!

It's sub 90mins from work so we have talked about some "team events" there during the summer.

I know I keep banging on about Stubaier gletscher...but it also open until end of July. I've got to try it Atleast once.

[Asterix]

I did three lots of pre-season training on Stubai. Stayed in Fulpmes and Neustift mainly.

Love the place.

[lamboman100]

//j17 said:

Has anyone done any summer skiing in the alps and if so would you recommend it/is it worth it? December seems such a long way off right now!

There are only 8 skiable glaciers left in the Alps, growing to 14 temporarily in a very good snow year (like last season).

But there is only 1 glacier left in the European Alps that is guaranteed skiable 100% year-round -- Zermatt in Switzerland.

All the others are either 99% open (Hintertux, Austria) or about 10% open (Val d'Isere, France) in the Summer.

Les Deux Alpes, France, is the biggest Summer ski area. Zermatt, Switzerland is the snow-surest (and has the Matterhorn). Hintertux, Austria has the best gradients and varied terrain (lots of race teams use it). Tignes, France, and Stubai, Austria, are good secondary, backup options.

Summer skiing in the Western European Alps is definitely worth it for the novelty and scenery. Ski in the morning... sunbathe or hike or swim or bike in the afternoon.

But if you really want a good ski trip with bigger terrain and powder in the Northern Hemisphere Summer, you'll need to head to Chile, Argentina or New Zealand (in that order).

[timlongs]

Thought I'd bump this with a video of my season from living in Bourg Saint Maurice. I'm certainly missing the snow now I'm back in the UK working an office job. Oh well, only a few months til I move to Whistler for the 2014/15 season! Watch in HD!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAzGG_SBhXY&fea...

[lamboman100]

^ Good vid.

Take a raincoat to Whistler. It rains often in the town.

Try to visit some of the resorts in Wyoming or Utah if possible. They have the best snow (light and dry) in North America. You will quickly come to view the snow in the French Alps as a bit cr*p (icy, and not very deep).

[a311]

timlongs said:

Thought I'd bump this with a video of my season from living in Bourg Saint Maurice. I'm certainly missing the snow now I'm back in the UK working an office job. Oh well, only a few months til I move to Whistler for the 2014/15 season! Watch in HD!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAzGG_SBhXY&fea...

It will be interesting to see what you make of Whistler-do you have any idea of where you will/want to stay? It will certainly be different to staying in Bourg if you’re staying in Whistler although Squamish/Brackendale are commutable. I was in Whistler last March and April and had it all, baking hot, low cloud, rain, snow. I wouldn’t expect it to rain earlier in the season at resort level but at least if it is it means it’s snowing up top.

From what I’ve heard and experienced of the NA resorts Whistler is the closest thing to a large Euro resort in terms of extent, the whole in bounds and out of bounds concept is very good and allows you stray off in the knowledge that the terrain is patrolled and avi checked etc. I love BC and there’s plenty to do non-skiing heading to Vancouver-also 3 or 4 hills too, which if you have a season might be worth a look, you also have Big White and several other resorts further inland, the snows drier IME. You also have Mt Washington-a really nice little hill on Vancouver Island with a massive amount of snowfall, and MT Baker over the border in the US.

Despite the image that has been created of NA vs Euro conditions if you’re just doing a week or two instead of a season opinion can become a bit skewed. Allot of the western areas have had 2 or 3 lean seasons by their standards, I had a mate who’d been to Alaska at the end of the season and got hardly any snow in 2 weeks. I’m sure having spent a season in the Alps you can back this up anyhow!

[timlongs]

a311 said:

timlongs said:

Thought I'd bump this with a video of my season from living in Bourg Saint Maurice. I'm certainly missing the snow now I'm back in the UK working an office job. Oh well, only a few months til I move to Whistler for the 2014/15 season! Watch in HD!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAzGG_SBhXY&fea...

It will be interesting to see what you make of Whistler-do you have any idea of where you will/want to stay? It will certainly be different to staying in Bourg if you’re staying in Whistler although Squamish/Brackendale are commutable. I was in Whistler last March and April and had it all, baking hot, low cloud, rain, snow. I wouldn’t expect it to rain earlier in the season at resort level but at least if it is it means it’s snowing up top.

From what I’ve heard and experienced of the NA resorts Whistler is the closest thing to a large Euro resort in terms of extent, the whole in bounds and out of bounds concept is very good and allows you stray off in the knowledge that the terrain is patrolled and avi checked etc. I love BC and there’s plenty to do non-skiing heading to Vancouver-also 3 or 4 hills too, which if you have a season might be worth a look, you also have Big White and several other resorts further inland, the snows drier IME. You also have Mt Washington-a really nice little hill on Vancouver Island with a massive amount of snowfall, and MT Baker over the border in the US.

Despite the image that has been created of NA vs Euro conditions if you’re just doing a week or two instead of a season opinion can become a bit skewed. Allot of the western areas have had 2 or 3 lean seasons by their standards, I had a mate who’d been to Alaska at the end of the season and got hardly any snow in 2 weeks. I’m sure having spent a season in the Alps you can back this up anyhow!

Thanks for the comments RE the video guys, really wish I had a gopro when I spent last summer in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam... ah well!

Anyway, Whistler. I actually visited it last year and skied it on its opening day in November, I was out in Vancouver at the time and the two people I was staying with told me whistler was opening early, so I went up for a ski! Heres what it looked like:



The plan is to get another job working in ski rental/boot fitting (its what I did this season, working for a company based just down the road from Bourg) We had a pretty crappy snow year this year and we only had one proper dump. Such is life!

Going to hopefully stay as close to the village as possible, am heading out with a few other guys my age (21-22) so will want the nightlife too! I want to ski some great snow too so hopefully Whistler combines good snow and good nightlife. If I can extend my visa another year I'd explore the smaller/more inland resorts. Plus theres always Japan to look into...

Til next season, I'll leave a picture of this:

[Asterix]

Thought I'd bump this baby as you all should really be thinking of where you're planning to go this season.

We already have La Plagne booked for early Jan 2015. I chose there as it would be wife friendly (total noob) and after she tried a few more times at Ski Dubai culminating with a bksed knee, she has decided that skiing really isn't her thing. She tried so hard in Alpbach and she tried so hard again, She's awesome but I don't think she'll want to try again and I can only respect that.

We'll do this one together but I think after that I'll be flying solo again.

[CAPP0]

I've booked onto a 3-day boot camp in Tignes mid-November. We'll mostly be up on the glacier but apparently there is usually enough snow by Nov to ski back down the Double-M to VC.

[bint]

Asterix said:

Thought I'd bump this baby as you all should really be thinking of where you're planning to go this season.

We already have La Plagne booked for early Jan 2015. I chose there as it would be wife friendly (total noob) and after she tried a few more times at Ski Dubai culminating with a bksed knee, she has decided that skiing really isn't her thing. She tried so hard in Alpbach and she tried so hard again, She's awesome but I don't think she'll want to try again and I can only respect that.

We'll do this one together but I think after that I'll be flying solo again.

I never thought I'd do it after trying snowboarding and damaging knee and ankle on the 2nd day of a holiday. Friend was the same, couldn't get on with boarding but a couple of years later we were persuaded to try a free freshers course in Val Thorens. Was superb and we've not looked back.

This was 2007 and 2009 so relatively recent and we were both in our early 30's so not necessarily the easiest age to start from scratch.

Our call has gone out to the group to see who's going next year, knowing our lot it'll be a couple more months before we agree on something.

[Asterix]

This is the thing - the missus isn't massively sporty, will be 40 by then and comes from that Mecca of winter sports... Bombay.

[Leithen]

Back to Silver Star Mountain in British Columbia. First time on skis planned for our eldest daughter (4). Hopefully she'll take to it....

It's a long haul, and not the cheapest option, but well worth the effort if you haven't experienced the delights of inland B.C.

[awooga]

Well, work permitting I'll be off to Morzine again in January with the lads + honourable lad. 4th week there.

Definitely booking Hinterglemm with the wife at some point - really want to get back to proper apres ski and being ripped off on French or Swiss slopes at lunchtime.

Plans being mooted with various family members to join in with their plans, which would be great if I can pull off a third week. Damned work! Getting in the way!

[Asterix]

Very jealous of you guys in the UK that can simply jump in a car or get the train and be on the slopes in hours, rather than days and at a reasonable cost.

For me in Dubai, everything is an pain and just the flights are over 500 quid before you've even got to accommodation and passes etc...

I'd love to get a long weekend in before Christmas but I can't justify the cost purely for myself.

[jock mcsporran]

Just about to book up for Christmas in Avoriaz.
We went last year for my sons first time and used the Village des Enfants. He loved it so thought we'd go back again. Need to get him down the local xscape for a few refresher lessons before we go.

[JQ]

Just booked 4 days in Mayrhofen with the lads at the start of Feb. Already very excited. I need new goggles and gloves so plenty of research will keep me entertained in the short term.

[krallicious]

I'm waint for the snow to start falling before I decide where in Austria I'll go this year but after 3 years in St Anton I am struggling to find anywhere that offer such a good range of skiing.