Snow for the Euros.

[cloud cult]

Dang. What am I really looking at for driving to there from Munich? ViaMichelin hints at like 8 hours and about $300 in tolls and petrol. Sound about right?

[peds]

I have no complaints about the snow near my section of the Franco-Italian border (that's it at the top of that ridgeline, in the photo). Steep sun-soft. Only a little bit of dry skiing. Plus one rappel. Okay, a lot of dry skiing.

[rod9301]

I have no complaints about the snow near my section of the Franco-Italian border (that's it at the top of that ridgeline, in the photo). Steep sun-soft. Only a little bit of dry skiing. Plus one rappel. Okay, a lot of dry skiing.

if you like steep couloirs, try the bareges/la mongie area.

almost nobody gets off the groomers, so you can find untracked steep couloirs a week after the storm. in/around the station, counted at least 30 couloirs, all within a 30-60 minute skin or hike.

Plus lower avie danger.

[billyk]

Dang. What am I really looking at for driving to there from Munich? ViaMichelin hints at like 8 hours and about $300 in tolls and petrol. Sound about right?

Trains go just about everywhere in Europe, if you want another option.

[klar]

Dang. What am I really looking at for driving to there from Munich? ViaMichelin hints at like 8 hours and about $300 in tolls and petrol. Sound about right?

Yeah probably, seems pretty expensive but the Italian tolls probably add up. Weather may come around, keep your fingers crossed and don't book yet if you don't have to. Short notice lodging shouldn't be a huge problem.

[alto]

please ullr.

[Foggy_Goggles]

please ullr.

Right. I've got tickets in February. I'm hoping I don't have to do too much mountaineering. I want to le freeride.

[Big Tim]

Trigger pulled. Back to Verbier 11th time. March 4th. Let it snow.

[McDee]

Peds and nordkette keeping us fed with stoke while we risk being starved of it here! Thanks guys!

[Alkares]

Just curious to the mags who've been around for longer, just how bad is the start this winter compared to the previous 15 years? Going on my 7th year but it looks the worst ive seen so far...

[subtle plague]

Just as bad as last year. Which was the worst ever. Yay?!
Klar or me may have posted this before but it shows how bad the last early winters have been. Data until 15t.



Snowcover here in the Caucasus looks alright though

[freak]

Just curious to the mags who've been around for longer, just how bad is the start this winter compared to the previous 15 years? Going on my 7th year but it looks the worst ive seen so far...

id say slightly worse than last season in most parts of the alps, better in the southwest and probably now in the (far) east. significantly worse than 14/15 and much worse than every season between 07/08 and 13/14. 06/07 was also really bad, but i cant remember it that well anymore.

freak~[&]

[klar]

We have skitouring here in Austria too. Very dangerous skitouring at that. (For the non-german readers: 14 people skiing/touring in a resort after hours crashed into the cables that the groomers use for steep pistes, all on the same evening. Ski resort is pissed )

[subtle plague]

id say slightly worse than last season in most parts of the alps, better in the southwest and probably now in the (far) east. significantly worse than 14/15 and much worse than every season between 07/08 and 13/14. 06/07 was also really bad, but i cant remember it that well anymore.

freak~[&]

06/07 was pretty horrendous. I had 8 days. But it had precipitation up high.

[peds]

14 people skiing/touring in a resort after hours crashed into the cables that the groomers use for steep pistes, all on the same evening. Ski resort is pissed )

Jesus Christ... our pistebashers stop and shout at anyone they see skinning up the pistes after hours. A friend of mine blackened half of his face for a few weeks after a cable collision one night, a few years ago. Serious stuff.


Now then, I hate to harp on about it, especially seeing how little the rest of you are skiing. But this morning I had a lazy lie-in, coffee in bed, followed by a short walk to the bakery with the dog. Croissants, toast, then a stroll to the lift.
I set off from the top of the Grands Montets at midday (these alpine starts are hard). Bumped into a friend on the way down from his morning sprint up the glacier, had a chat. Climbed up a couloir, skied a few hundred metres of powder.
Came home, had a glass of wine.

Five weeks after the last storm, and some of us are still skiing good snow. I have no idea what people are complaining about.

[4matic]

Peds is a badass.

[Schnappi]

06/07 was pretty horrendous. I had 8 days. But it had precipitation up high.

Oh yeah, I forgot how much 06/07 sucked.

[ArchieD]

Oh yeah, I forgot how much 06/07 sucked.

I skied St Anton in Feb '07, and the Galzig and Nasserein home runs were white strips of death. My first week on the first pair of skis I ever bought...the number of rocks on the piste meant they were never the same again!

Peds (& Baldric) have already won this season on points

[peds]

Peds is a badass.

It might look like that from certain angles, but it's probably just a trick of the light.

Oh yeah, I forgot how much 06/07 sucked.

6/7 was so bad, I tried snowboarding for a few days. (Not a comment on snowboarding, by the way, I'm just really, really bad at it.)

[McDee]

Peds (& Baldric) have already won this season on points

Yep, mag of the season allready. What tipped it in his favour was how much his dry skiing technique has come along since last season.

[cramp]

id say slightly worse than last season in most parts of the alps, better in the southwest and probably now in the (far) east. significantly worse than 14/15 and much worse than every season between 07/08 and 13/14. 06/07 was also really bad, but i cant remember it that well anymore.

freak~[&]

Here in the far east (Styria, Lower Austria) it is actually way better than the last two years so far. Though the snow cover is still below average it is possible to do some ski touring. Even some of the natural-snow-only-ski-resorts are operating now. New snow is forecast next week. If that materialises things will be at least okish (let´s hope that there will be no major warm periods anymore ...).

[Rossymcg]

Any euro mags got any Poland experience? The reason I ask, my only chance to ski now as I'm a father to a baby and a toddler, is to ski in poland. My Missis is a sausage roll. Ive nominated the Mother in law some grand daughter time in Zakopane.
Am I in for some disappointment?

[klar]

I am not familiar with skiing options in Poland but there are a couple of resorts. As far as are I am aware the terrain is not the most interesting. Perhaps the High Tatra in the border region with Slovakia would be an accessible destination? That looks pretty cool.


Also, peds is implying that no one else is currently skiing. This is not true. Here is a picture of my friends getting ready to drop into the legendary Zirbenfall line today.

[Brecher]

Any euro mags got any Poland experience? The reason I ask, my only chance to ski now as I'm a father to a baby and a toddler, is to ski in poland. My Missis is a sausage roll. Ive nominated the Mother in law some grand daughter time in Zakopane.
Am I in for some disappointment?

I researched Zakopane about two years ago, since my mother in law is polish and it is the only name that ever got dropped when we talked about skiing. Judging from what I read online, skiing off piste is not allowed at all on the polish side (aka Zakopane). The Slovakian part of the mountain seems to be fair game to whoever ascends.

I also side with klar regarding the High Tatra. I get regular instagram-updates from friends of friends skiing there, and it looks pretty nice: https://www.instagram.com/p/BOpyA9Zhngj/

[peds]

I get regular instagram-updates from friends of friends skiing there, and it looks pretty nice: https://www.instagram.com/p/BOpyA9Zhngj/

Thanks for sharing.

his dry skiing technique ...

There's a technique?!