Snow for the Euros.

**KANUTTEN** · 02-14-2005, 04:22 AM

Originally Posted by Mulletizer

With a decent dump things here will be awesome. If it doesn't come though I would go somewhere Northern. But it's coming! It's coming!

Thanks Mulletman! Keep us posted

**KANUTTEN** · 02-14-2005, 06:01 AM

Question for those more familiar with local conditions in northern alps:

Me and a couple of buddies have ordered a cheap flight to Zurich, with the plan to ski a long weekend in the alps (17-20th of march, 3 days). This is the weekend before easter. Our main plan is to go to Engelberg, and some of the guys are leaning towards booking accomodation now. I am eager to get the best possible conditions, and think this might not be such a good idea. So can any of you guys more familiar with these issues help me out with a couple of questions:

1. Do anyone think there is a chance of many hotels being fully booked in the weekend before easter in Engelberg? Is this a popular time to go skiing?

2. In practice, will the areas accessible by car from Zurich get similar conditions in any particular weekend, or can conditions vary greatly. I suppose Andermatt, St Anton and even Verbier can be reached from Zurich within like 3 hours, or?

3. Do you have any other ideas for great places for off-piste skiing within 3-4 hours of driving from Zurich?

Help is, as always, very much appreciated

**Mulletizer** · 02-14-2005, 06:09 AM

1. Depends on the resort. Some have big weekend trade (eg Verbier), others will be quieter. IME most resorts are relatively quiet by that time of year.

2. Correct.

3. IMO The Bernese Oberland are worth a look if snow is good there.

**verbier61** · 02-14-2005, 06:21 AM

It's the WE of the Verbier xtreme. There are Pros (a big fair in the main street with a lot of chicks and a very nice mountain film festival with free entrance), and Cons (crawd, of course, and the race is very frequently postponed to later in the week looking for the perfect blue sky-no wind day)

**subtle plague** · 02-14-2005, 07:41 AM

Well engelberg is always crowded.. i tried to stay in a youth hostel several times and it was always full (ok i did not try to book inadvance

)

try the youth hostel www.jugendherberge.ch then engerlberg or www.unterkunft.ch and choose engelberg they have several cheap accomodations in engelberg.

btw. on topic: is it just me or is the www.slf.ch down ? im lusting for snowmeasuremnts but the site (and everything affiliated ) seems to be down.

edit: 3. andermatt has quite decent skiing(although as crowded as engelberg and not so interesting....) and is really near and in 3-4 hours you can reach everything in the whole suisse

and cham and verbier and and and

**KANUTTEN** · 02-14-2005, 08:04 AM

I can't get that website to work either.

My question isn't how to get accomodation. It is rather, should I try to book a room in Engleberg now, or does it make more sense to wait and see and go to whatever place looks better shortly before we leave?

If I should opt for the latter; what places should i check out in particular (within 3 + hours driving distance from Zurich)?

Sorry for being such a helpless sucker. But at this point I am getting so desperate for good skiing that self-humiliation is a low cost to pay for a marginal improvement in my chances for hitting the best runs in great condition...

**Hicks** · 02-14-2005, 08:05 AM

Better count on most accomodations being sold out. Since Eastern is already in March I'd recommend going the weekend after rather than before - lot more (and cheaper) bed and breakfast options likely.

**KANUTTEN** · 02-14-2005, 08:12 AM

Originally Posted by Hicks

Better count on most accomodations being sold out. Since Eastern is already in March I'd recommend going the weekend after rather than before - lot more (and cheaper) bed and breakfast options likely.

Not an option. Flight bought and paid for. But Hicks, this is the weekend BEFORE easter. I thought that was pretty much a non-event in continental Europe..??! If what you say is correct, we should probably get moving as fast as hell and just book some rooms in Engelberg. Is the weekend before easter popular in the alps..??

**Hicks** · 02-14-2005, 08:19 AM

You definitely better start movin'.....the week before and after Eastern are school vacations in central Europe. Especially when considering the Eastérn break being that early in the year there's a good chance you run out of (at least cheap) options.

**Lostinthetrees** · 02-14-2005, 08:59 AM

BIG Bonus for skiers/boarders! Easter comes early this year..27th of March. French schools not on Spring Breaks.

1/3 of French schools start vacation on the 9th of April and week following.
2/3 of French schools on vacation the 17 and the week following.
2/3 of F S are on vacation 24 thru May 1.
1/3 of F S are on vacation May 1 thru 8th.

International Schools in Geneve area start vacation March 19th - April 3. Many go to home country.

Not sure about CH public schools. I think w/ Easter coming so soon after their Feb ski vacations they may only get a week or long weekend (4 days over Easter wkend.)

Honestly, U need to decide, dude. Find a party/destination resort and camp-out or follow the snow and travel light & fast. You will find many 2nd-tier ski stations in Vaud and Valais. If snow is good and fresh they will be as good as any big destination ski stations (i.e. Verb, Crans, Gstaad). Less lines and more pow to ski.

I know on the CH side of PDS there is lodging w/ off-season rates this year (again, due to Easter coming early!).

How about Cellblock A?

**KANUTTEN** · 02-14-2005, 09:19 AM

Now; more help requested

We just settled for booking in Engelberg. Maybe crowded, but I have never been there. There has to be a first time for everything, and Engelberg isn't one of those places that should be delayed too long. Engelberg it is.

Two more questions;

1. Do you know any guides in Engelberg that can be recommended?
2. Are there any good alternative ski areas within close driving distance from Engelberg, say within an hour?

**Raps** · 02-14-2005, 10:06 AM

Just discovered this post.....glad to see some of you are gettin some across the pond. Verb thanks for the info via PM. I booked a trip to Italy and Switzerland March 14th-22nd, flying into Rome and out of Geneva. So i'll probably hit up Verbier before my flight out, but i'm going to go the light, and quick method, not booking anything and just going where the snow is. If there are any other mags in the area or who are going to be in that general vicinity around that time shoot me a PM so we can be in touch and hit up the same place when the time comes.

**verbier61** · 02-14-2005, 10:37 AM

Hi Raps, I'll stay tuned, just a note to confirm that so far all of the snow it's northern alps. But things might change a lot in a month... just follow this neverending thread

**KANUTTEN** · 02-15-2005, 07:06 AM

Bumping the eurothread up, and repeating some questions;

1. Good skiareas within one hours driving from Engelberg
2. Guides in Engelberg.

I suppose i can add a third one;

3. Maggots in Engelberg 17-20th of march.

Snow, much and fast!

**TeleAl** · 02-15-2005, 10:04 AM

Back to the SNOW STOKE!

Me, I have not been on in awhile.
Why?

The SNOW!

It pumped all night last night, adding some 40cm outside my door in an 8 hour period.
That after snowing all day, and evening.

Figure 11's all day, choking/gagging on pow, all covered in snow.
1+ meter of fresh on the hill. Up to my ass in it.

Pow grin all day.

**Meathelmet** · 02-16-2005, 01:43 AM

Originally Posted by Raps

Just discovered this post.....glad to see some of you are gettin some across the pond. Verb thanks for the info via PM. I booked a trip to Italy and Switzerland March 14th-22nd, flying into Rome and out of Geneva. So i'll probably hit up Verbier before my flight out, but i'm going to go the light, and quick method, not booking anything and just going where the snow is. If there are any other mags in the area or who are going to be in that general vicinity around that time shoot me a PM so we can be in touch and hit up the same place when the time comes.

Gonna be in Monterosa [IT] from 12-28 march. If you head up there, PM me.
There is not super much snow on the italian side atm, but lets see...

Some snow would be appreciated down there too,goddamit.

**KANUTTEN** · 02-17-2005, 04:34 AM

From snow-forecast.com it says that Alpe d'huez got about 20 cm from this last storm, and they are predicting a similar amount the next 6 days. How much has LaGrave got over the past week? What are the best wind directions for LaGrave dumps (westerly I suppose, or does north, north-west also work)?

At some point next week I will have to decide whether to cancel my trip to LaGrave and possibly opt for the northern alps instead... I guess I have faced worse dilemmas

**subtle plague** · 02-17-2005, 04:42 AM

the next storm is quite ok for la grave.
but they benefit more from w/sw storms.
n/nw does not give them much.
the base is not as good(respective: superhero extraodinaire !

) as in the northern alps.
and i dont think the next storm wll be that massive to chage it a lot. but maybe im wrong.

**Diabloto** · 02-17-2005, 10:08 AM

I think you should go for engelberg, fly/train to the alps, my car home.By the way, i ordered TBs about middle of juli, and i havent got them. They have about half of the production capacity going. Really sucks that i havent got my skis, im going to be in engelberg for 2 weeks, have to borrow my fathers Pro Rider.

also:
tlf: 99325959
email:diabloto@spray.no

**Ripzalot** · 02-19-2005, 02:04 AM

hey euros....it's snowing again...so where are we at now? i've lost count. i'd say by the tracks we left yesterday that we'll need about half a meter to fill them in.

**TeleAl** · 02-19-2005, 10:27 AM

This week in Review:
Sun: Snow started falling. Conditions not that good after wet weekend.
Mon: Snow was fast and falling. Great skiing.
Tues: So much snow (70cm overnight), straight lines anywhere fresh.
Fucking sick day.
Wed: I gave an exam. May my students forgive me. Now I need to grade 100+ exams.
Thursday: Skied Leysin, snow excellent.
Friday: G3 opened. Snow great.
Saturday/today: Snowing again.
At 17h00 I have about 5cm outside my door.
Sunday: Snow is supposed to continue. 40cm would be plenty, and sun for vis.
We don't want too much.
Too much means things get closed.

In summary: it is a good time to take a day off and go skiing.

**davidof** · 02-19-2005, 05:12 PM

Originally Posted by KANUTTEN

How much has LaGrave got over the past week?

I don't think la Grave has done well this year. This is the weather station nearby:

http://www.meteo.fr/temps/france/nivose/pics/ECRIN.gif

so you can see exactly what has fallen. I wouldn't waste 60km worth of fuel to get there at the moment - but at $6 gallon that makes sense here. On Thursday we earned our turns in the Bauges on this line:

The summit is just visible to the right of center and our tracks come down the face by the shadow - the slope is the Pan de Rideau under the Dent d'Arclusaz.

Where I live in the Chartreuse mountains we've had about a meter of snow in the last week. Selfishly we've sent very little over to la Grave. It snowed about 20cm today.

**TeleAl** · 02-20-2005, 12:38 AM

Date = Sunday 07h00 20 Feb 2005
Location = My place, Leysin 1264m

About 30cm outside my door.
And still dumping out.

On mountain, I usually multiply what is outside my door x1.5 for the mountain, and x2 for the top.
Also, we have excellent snow on ground already, which is not skied up too much.
So the quick math is this:
30cm x 1.5 = plenty of face shots today.

**edg** · 02-20-2005, 12:31 PM

Just got back from Gressoney + Cham (left cham this morning, gress yesterday).

Good stuff, all in all. Gress started icely (and with the alagna lift closed, quite stuntedly), but as the week went on much fun was had (from wind-blown powder to some nice corny couloir skiing). Was at Cham last weekend, skied Le Tour sat (boot deep pow), everything was closed sunday, and then again yesterday (knee-deep, if slightly heavy, in the trees near the Brevent-Flegere liason). It was snowing hard across France on the drive back today.

Will post report + pics soon.

edg

**subtle plague** · 02-20-2005, 02:17 PM

oh oh, patteren change in the long term?

the next week will stay good but it seems that march could bring back W/SW winds and mild temps.
let us hope ULLr will correct the long range forecast again or the next weekend could be the last good one (except at 2000m+) for a while.
cross your fingers !