Who is going skiing and where 2015?

[a311]

I'm off to Obergurgl in Austria this weekend. I love spring skiing and always ski at this time of year in the hope of sunny weather, skiing in a t-shirt and enjoying cold beers on sun drenched terraces after a day of skiing corn and slush is most pleasurable! It's been wintry again of late and warming up again with the freezing level going back up to 2000m which is fine as all the skiing is above that.

Foliage said:

When does the snow sports season usually end in Scotland? Ive just finished my intermediate snowboarding lessons and fancy hitting some proper snow. I've not bought a board and boots yet so need to sort that out aswell.

Im considering glencoe, will I be able to camp this time of year or will the sites be shut? ive winter camped quite extensively in the UK and have all the gear.

Short answer depends on how much snow/what sort of season they've had. I was in up Anoch Mor (Fort William-Nevis Range) on Saturday and Sunday, it snowed on Saturday but vis was quite difficult, Sunday was cracking. Spring skiing/boarding brings with it positives and negatives, I always be a skier but can board and it's fun on a board in spring snow when things soften up-moguls are difficult on a board.

Were you're lessons abroad or at an indoor slope? If the former going to a proper mountain and in the spring will be a big leap up from the sterile controlled environment of an indoor slope, likewise but less so if you boarded abroad but in the winter. There is some grooming in the Scottish resorts but most slopes are left au naturale. There's year round camping in Glencoe and huts. If you want to rough it wild camping (excluding areas around Loch Lommond)is legal in Scotland.

[malks222]

yes there is still skiing going on at Glencoe just now. have a look on www.winterhighland.info i always use that site for unbiased reports on what the conditions are like. people update there own reports and stick pics up etc..... the owner of glencoe even reads the forums and replies to any queries/questions too!

there's camping and wooden 'hobbit huts' your can hire at glencoe in the car park, plus the cafe/bar/restaurant at the bottom stays open quite late i think for food and beers etc....

skiing usually stops in scotland because of the low numbers, not because of the the lack of snow.

[Foliage]

a311 said:

Were you're lessons abroad or at an indoor slope? If the former going to a proper mountain and in the spring will be a big leap up from the sterile controlled environment of an indoor slope, likewise but less so if you boarded abroad but in the winter. There is some grooming in the Scottish resorts but most slopes are left au naturale. There's year round camping in Glencoe and huts. If you want to rough it wild camping (excluding areas around Loch Lommond)is legal in Scotland.

I learned in a snow dome in the UK. By a big leap do you mean harder?

How much is a days lift pass generally in Scotland?

Thanks for all the info from everyone

Edited by Foliage on Wednesday 8th April 09:48

[shunt]

a311 said:

I'm off to Obergurgl in Austria this weekend. I love spring skiing and always ski at this time of year in the hope of sunny weather, skiing in a t-shirt and enjoying cold beers on sun drenched terraces after a day of skiing corn and slush is most pleasurable! It's been wintry again of late and warming up again with the freezing level going back up to 2000m which is fine as all the skiing is above that.

Lucky sod, I was there a few weeks ago and had perfect snow and clear blue all week. Not a lift queue in sight, it really is a great place.

[Abbott]

It is truly sad that a 7 year old boy has died on the mountain at Flaine. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-32264129

On the one hand the family will suffer an intolerable loss and my thoughts are with them.

On the other hand I cannot possibly understand the thought process that allows a 7 year old to do the last run of the day completely on his own. At 7 years old you should not leave the child alone at home let alone on a mountain. The last run of the day when there is potentially no one else around to offer assistance is the worst time of day.

Deeply sad day RIP

[Welshbeef]

Totally agree with you Abbott.

Crushing tragic accident but why was he going along on the last run of the day & off piste.


RIP

[popeyewhite]

From the article:

"the boy had become separated from his parents"

[Abbott]

popeyewhite said:

From the article:

"the boy had become separated from his parents"

I read it that the boy had been allowed to go off on his own ""It seems as if the boy did the last piste descent of the day on his own after asking his parents' permission."

[NRS]

Welshbeef said:

Totally agree with you Abbott.

Crushing tragic accident but why was he going along on the last run of the day & off piste.


RIP

Also from the article:

Mr Ollagnon told the BBC: "It seems as if the boy did the last piste descent of the day on his own after asking his parents' permission. He appears to have become lost before falling over the edge of the cliff after taking his skis off.

Seems he was on-piste, but went off it.

[popeyewhite]

Abbott said:

popeyewhite said:

From the article:

"the boy had become separated from his parents"

I read it that the boy had been allowed to go off on his own ""It seems as if the boy did the last piste descent of the day on his own after asking his parents' permission."

You're absolutely correct.

[Welshbeef]

popeyewhite said:

Abbott said:

popeyewhite said:

From the article:

"the boy had become separated from his parents"

I read it that the boy had been allowed to go off on his own ""It seems as if the boy did the last piste descent of the day on his own after asking his parents' permission."

You're absolutely correct.

Clearly the parents have made a very poor judgement - that said they will have this grief and no doubt feel utterly guilty every day for the rest of their lives.

[popeyewhite]

Welshbeef said:

popeyewhite said:

Abbott said:

popeyewhite said:

From the article:

"the boy had become separated from his parents"

I read it that the boy had been allowed to go off on his own ""It seems as if the boy did the last piste descent of the day on his own after asking his parents' permission."

You're absolutely correct.

Clearly the parents have made a very poor judgement - that said they will have this grief and no doubt feel utterly guilty every day for the rest of their lives.

The report and the interview combine to suggest that the boy wanted to go down an easier slope than the rest of the party. The ski instructor said the blue was very easy and the weather good. How this happened no one seems to know.

[Marcellus]

This is a tragic accidnent and one can only feel for the parents, they must be devastated.

However, Knowing the resort as i do, which i suggest is probably better than most on the site as i lived there for 4years and skied most days during the winter and then went out most days on the VTT during the summer, there are several places where i think it may well seem perfectly ok to let a child "do one more run" on a blue whilst the parent waits at the bottom for them.

There do seem to be several inconsistencies in the reports though.

[Abbott]

Marcellus said:

This is a tragic accidnent and one can only feel for the parents, they must be devastated.

However, Knowing the resort as i do, which i suggest is probably better than most on the site as i lived there for 4years and skied most days during the winter and then went out most days on the VTT during the summer, there are several places where i think it may well seem perfectly ok to let a child "do one more run" on a blue whilst the parent waits at the bottom for them.

There do seem to be several inconsistencies in the reports though.

We were there at the begining of Feb. Do you know which run it was?

[Marcellus]

From latest reports it was over the Aujon side.

So as you stand with your back to Flaine resort it's the very right where the ski-cross area is, there's a couple of nice blues (Cormaline, Rubis. +1) as well as the ski cross area, there are even "childrens amusements" on the return to resort off the side of the piste in the tree line as well as what look like inviting woods for tree skiing.

However, there is also a cliff overlooking the lake.

[Asterix]

Welshbeef said:

Clearly the parents have made a very poor judgement - that said they will have this grief and no doubt feel utterly guilty every day for the rest of their lives.

Indeed. Sad for all concerned.

[Abbott]

The latest information suggests that the young lad did NOT actually get permission and go off doing the last run on his own.
Looks like the family was coming down together when his sister got into trouble having fell and lost a ski. The boy had carried on while mum stopped to help.

So sad.

[NordicCrankShaft]

Moving to Norway this has been one of the thing's I've done a hell of a lot over the last year or so. Ski'd for the first time at Christmas 2013, then made the move and have ski'd non stop pretty much every weekend since the season opened last November.

We normally Ski up in Myrkdal which is in Voss where the father in law has a cabin but have also made trips to Geilo, Eikedalen and Hamsedal this year. Next trip will be the last weekend this month as that is the final weekend of the season.

Myrkdal though this year we've had an extreme amount of snow, 144" in some places and some of that has melted away with the recent change in weather too!

I tried cross country skiing over Easter.............Wow, extremely difficult!!

But I'm going to be gutted to have to pack the ski's away until November!

Edited by NordicCrankShaft on Tuesday 14th April 12:59

[Asterix]

NordicCrankShaft said:

I tried cross country skiing over Easter.............Wow, extremely difficult!!

Did you try classic or skating?

I was qualified as a Nordic (Langlauf) instructor before Alpine. We used to get up to some crazy stuff on those skies. Telemarking was also awesome. Always made getting back onto downhill skis seem like a piece of piss afterwards.

[Welshbeef]

Asterix said:

NordicCrankShaft said:

I tried cross country skiing over Easter.............Wow, extremely difficult!!

Did you try classic or skating?

I was qualified as a Nordic (Langlauf) instructor before Alpine. We used to get up to some crazy stuff on those skies. Telemarking was also awesome. Always made getting back onto downhill skis seem like a piece of piss afterwards.

I saw a few this season walking up the very very long ski road.... They made it up by late lunch time then had a bite to eat and skied down again.

Not really my cup of tea if I'm honest.