Messages posted by : powderhound
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Excellent! I'm in... I even have some skis with rusty edges (stored in the laundry room - doh)... definitely need tuning!
Powderhound |
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You could commute from Grenoble in the worst case - not so bad, it's what the locals do! If you go the j2ski Hotels page page and use the search form, there are quite a few hotels with availability in Grenoble and Chambery at least. How about Briancon? Large enough a town to have cheap hotels that might not be full yet... and right next to Serre Chevalier (there's a gondola up from the town itself). The hotel search shows a 3* with a family room available for your dates. Also e-mail all the tourist offices (of the resorts) directly - they may be able to connect you to someone directly (most are very helpful with accommodation). You need to move fast though... if this weeks forecast (snow) is correct then all the web-cams will be showing white by the end of the week and all those people who have been holding off booking their Xmas ski holiday will be on the hunt... good luck! 8) |
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Excellent! Saw these two combined in Serre Che last season... We'd been fascinated to watch a trio of alsatians being trained by pisteurs for rescues all morning - in deep snow off the top of a high run. But best was seeing them come back down - each pisteur carrying one (large) dog and skiing in perfect style down a steep, icy red. I'd have a hard time walking while carrying an alsatian (not that I've ever tried...), let alone ski with one... :shock: ...but, yes, you could tell they were pros (pisteurs and dogs). Powderhound |
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That used to be my concern - but helmets have really improved over the past few years and there are many models that now leave your ears un-covered. And they're much lighter than they used to be too. The hearing is a bug for me personally - I can't see how you can ski safely if your hearing is impaired. From hearing skiers on the piste around you (and particularly behind you), to hearing the sound the powder makes under your skis (important clues to the nature of the snowpack), to hearing someone yell "look out"... I think sound is vital. Unless you have a piste to yourself, an iPod isn't a positive contribution to safety IMHO. As for helmets with wired-in ear-phones... that's helmets as a fashion statement... :evil: Powderhound |
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Absolutely agree. Personally I've held out for years but will be wearing a lid (most of the time) this year. I'll choose dependent on the conditions :- Icy, crowded pistes = helmet on, for sure. Blue sky powder day in mid-January on a lonely mountain = hair down! A couple of years ago I badly twisted my neck while falling in powder - it's possible that a helmet would have increased the forces on my neck and made things worse... whereas the same accident on an icy piste would have bashed my head and a helmet would have undoubtedly helped me. But the time has come - helmets are way better than they were and I have 3 sons who are starting to lecture me (they almost always wear lids). Powderhound |
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Does this work with anyone's girlfriend or does it have to be your own? :shock: Just asking... :lol: Powderhound |
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You got four weeks yet - and that's time enough for a big change in the weather. The forecast is for Soldeu to stay pretty mild for the next week at least - which takes us to the end of November. :( Keep everything crossed! Powderhound |
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A fair amount of snow is falling this week but it's still relatively warm across the Alps (freezing level sticking around near 2,000 metres). The forecast for Andorra is not promising right now.
Best bet at the moment is probably Austria - and make sure you go high. Check all the snow reports and keep an eye on the forecasts but a flight to Salzburg or maybe Innsbruck should give you some options. You shouldn't have any trouble finding somewhere to stay at that time at least. Powderhound |
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