Ski Independence Blog
Archive for January, 2010
Video Snow Report from Chamonix – 28 Jan
January 28th, 2010Cold crisp conditions continue in Chamonix, with fluffy powder to be found off piste. 5cm of fresh snow fell on Tuesday, with more predicted through until the weekend. Here is Seb Montaz’s video snow report for Chamonix for this week.
If you want to take advantage of these conditions but can’t spare a week, Chamonix is a perfect resort for a short ski break thanks to the short transfer from Geneva airport. Take a late flight on Thursday, return Sunday night and you can have 3 full days on the mountain! There are some great hotel & self catered options available in Chamonix for short breaks in February – just give us a call on 0131 243 8097 and you’ll be out there before you realise!
On The Edge in Steamboat
January 28th, 2010Today I was riding on the edge! That would be on the edge of some otherwise lovely groomed runs that my companion was enjoying, but I was in the mood for some deeper, fluffier messier snow. And fortunately for both of us and all of you, too, in Steamboat there’s no need to compromise!
The noontime view from my south-facing office window showed colorless sky with just a bit of sun brightening the horizon, but when we got out to the Gondola, we found a bluebird day over our mountain. We started out down Rudi’s to Blizzard to the Storm Peak Express, and just as I suspected from my two driveway shovels in the last 24 hours, the snow was just right. It’s soft and loose, but it has just enough weight to it to offer some resistance to my sharp snowboard, and it’s a really fun ride.
On the edge!
Once up at 3000m on Storm Peak, I bounced my way over the loving and giving bumps in the steep Triangle 3 Trees and down through the meadow above Cyclone, and finally down skier’s right on Cyclone itself to catch some more of those overgrown push piles. We then rode up Bar UE and crossed over to Sunshine Peak to cut down through the top of Three O’clock and then sneak over High Noon through the trees to Sunshine Lift Line and down through the Wally World trees just off Flintlock. Just gorgeous! Then it was back up Southpeak and down precipitous Rolex, and although it was rolled last night, the generous groomers left me a roller coaster ride line down my favorite side of the run.
What a day!
Finally, we rode Elkhead back out of Sunshine and then found our way down Valley View from top to bottom, with me carving up the messy edge and my friend making rhythmic telemark turns down the smoothly groomed piste. I could have done this all day, but duty called, and there’s more snow in the forecast for the coming days. Come and see for yourself – you’ll like it!
Very best regards-
Jenny
Whistler Gets Ready to Welcome the World
January 27th, 2010Whistler is a mountain town getting very excited, and with good reason – the Winter Olympics are now just over two weeks away. The final touches are being made throughout the resort to welcome the world’s media and the some of planet’s very best winter sports athletes, with Whistler playing host to the alpine skiing, Nordic and sliding events at the Games.
Dave Murray Downhill
The grandstand has been constructed at the bottom of the Dave Murray downhill course into Creekside, and looking up from there the course looks pretty daunting; huge rollers dominate the bottom third, before dropping away to the final pitch of the course where the athletes will hurtle past giant Olympic rings and over the finish line. Work has already begun on preparing the course itself, and course engineers can be seen injecting water into the snow pack to make it as solid as possible for the racers.
The medals plaza area is almost complete too, and Olympic banners are starting to be hung from lamp posts throughout Whistler. It’s hard to get close to the sliding centre at the moment, but what can be seen looks very impressive, not to mention extremely scary. It is said to be the fastest bobsleigh track in the world.
So far the weather gods are smiling on Whistler too – a foot of fresh over the past 48 hours means it’s over a meter and a half of powder in the past two weeks alone, making for great skiing – and all that on the back of an already excellent snow season.
There’s always a real buzz here in this amazing resort, but right now it’s almost tangible as the local community embrace the opportunity to showcase their mountains to the world.
Here is the BBC’s new TV trailer for their coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Big snow in Jackson Hole
January 26th, 2010With over 5ft of snow in 6 days, Jackson Hole is currently offering what is being said as “some of the best conditions in 10 years”!
Jackson Hole’s snow reporter had this to say yesterday “What a week! Yesterday I found some areas that hadn’t been touched for at least two days. Luckily, our mountain is steep, because gravity wasn’t enough to keep me going through 3 feet of snow when I tried to traverse across the ungroomed powder on Sublette Ridge. Instead I pointed my board down the slope and floated easily through the white fluff, trying not to eat the face shots that accompanied every turn. Conditions were fabulous everywhere, and with 6 new inches atop our already deep snow, today will be just as spectacular. Enjoy!”
There’s not many words that can describe these conditions so here’s a video from yesterday thanks to www.jhunderground.com and www.davidstubbs.com:
Fresh tracks in Sun Peaks
January 25th, 2010On Friday afternoon, Colin Brost of Sun Peaks Resort in British Columbia took some time out of the office to check out one of the Sun Guide tours.
I was lucky enough to join a complimentary Sun Guide tour with one of the best guides on the mountain, Thor who has been a Sun Guide for over 9 years at Sun Peaks Resort. He volunteers to take guests to his favorite little spots and give them an understanding of the three mountains as well as a bit of history and some funny stories about the place. I know the mountain pretty well but after following Thor around I got a new perspective and some choice new lines to ski! We couldn’t have asked for a better day. It was about -6 centigrade and not a cloud in the sky.
Thor a member of the Sun Guide Team in Sun Peaks
Best Monday in a long time? I think so!
January 25th, 2010Although most minds are currently fixed on the 2009/10 ski season, here in the office we are starting to think about 2010/11! Every January we head over to France to meet with suppliers to make sure we bring you the very best in offers for the season ahead and to find out about any new ski properties.
This year’s annual European contracting trip was preceded by a visit to Avoriaz and Samoens. After a slight delay to our flight into Geneva, we headed to the transfer desk at arrivals, where our driver was waiting to take us up to Avoriaz. We were staying at the Balcons du Soleil apartments which are divided into several buildings in the Falaise area of Avoriaz, all with direct access to the slopes on skis – comfortable apartments with great views in an ideal location. We also visited the Antares apartments over in the Crozets area of the resort. You just need to know about two lifts that connect the Antares to the centre of the resort to make getting around easier. These apartments were renovated a couple of years ago and are great if you’re on a budget.
Fernie & Kicking Horse Reader Holiday – Part 4
January 22nd, 2010Saved By The Bell – Part 4
As I clung to the side of the mountain in the Canadian resort of Kicking Horse I could hear someone shouting, “Yup, the ski is still hurtling down.” I’d just taken a tumble along a narrow ridge leading to a seriously steep chute that our guide Steve Fisk was planning to take us to and in the process my ski had popped off.
Kicking Horse awaits
Video Snow Report from Chamonix – 21 Jan
January 21st, 2010Some absolutely breathtaking views from Seb Montaz’s video snow report for Chamonix as he descends from the peak of the Aiguille de Midi. 5cm of snow fell overnight in Chamonix on the 20th January, with more forecast after the weekend. Enjoy!
The Vikings are coming!
January 21st, 2010The Vikings are coming! It’s no joke as the ski slopes of Ischgl in Austria’s Tirol are invaded by giant snow sculptures of Euro-favourite Vickie the Viking and her friends and enemies.
Vickie the Viking in Ischgl
Fernie & Kicking Horse Reader Holiday – Part 3
January 19th, 2010Skiing on my own private mountain – Part 3
Well that is what it felt like today when skiing Kimberley Alpine resort in British Columbia, Canada. The slopes of this small, family friendly resort were all but deserted which was great news for the lucky readers of Daily Mail Ski & Snowboard magazine who are on a Canadian road trip holiday.
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