First EuroBBI Thursday March 21, 2019

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Originally Posted by Beder

Hmmm...did most of you take a single pair of skis? I suppose mid-fats in a double bag with lots of other gear would make it easy to carry on the rest.

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That's what I did. 1 pair of skis plus all touring gear (incl ice axe / cramps etc), helmet, gloves, etc etc in the rest of the double bag. Carried on my 40L ski pack with civilian clothes.

To be honest missed inbounds skis when I was skiing off lifts. And I should've spent more time on the skis prior to taking them there (now in for a tune...something wonky going on at the tip of one ski). But if you're not going on a huge tour, a pair of 100ish with something like shifts or tectons would be pretty dead easy choice.

Buster travels way lighter. But you got to be okay smelling like Busters wool pants then.

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Originally Posted by Beder

Hmmm...did most of you take a single pair of skis? I suppose mid-fats in a double bag with lots of other gear would make it easy to carry on the rest.

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Yes. 106 skis with cast system. Street clothes, shovel,probe, skins, etc in the ski bag.
Hard shell bibs and jacket in carry on backpack with goggles, helmet, boots slung over the top.
Figured I could buy cheap street clothes and layers and rent skis if my ski bag was lost, it happened to one of us. Luckily my ski bag made it to and from.
Next year the wife is coming so packing a little differently allowing me to bring two pair of skis.
191 Lhasa and my x106 will be in the bag with another checked bag.
Attachment 276789

I ended up taking two complete setups including boots, but I had a car and an extra bag that I split with my traveling buddy. Would probably have been too big of a pain in the ass to deal with the extra bag on the train though.

Btw: this is my first day back to work after 2 weeks off, and I have to say it sucks ass. I had 1,854 unread emails waiting for me. Oh well, still more than worth it.

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Originally Posted by alias_rice

Btw: this is my first day back to work after 2 weeks off, and I have to say it sucks ass. I had 1,854 unread emails waiting for me. Oh well, still more than worth it.

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I'm with you, definitely a harsh adjustment back to reality last week.

Toque,
polypro scarf,
2 pair goggles,
2 pair gloves,
7 underwear,
2 long underwear pants,
3 merino long sleeve shirts,
7 pair ski socks,
1 goretex shell
1 goretex bib
2 vests,
1 monster 3 ply goretex onesie (in ski bag)
jammie pants
burly wool pants
puffy
1 pair jeans.
200 cm DPS Lotus 120s, Marker F12 Tours
1 set poles
1 pair Raichle flexons
2 500 ml metal water bottles

all in a simple 40L BCA pack and a ski bag my wife made (no rollers).

17 days total travel, did sink laundry 3 times, complemented my boot liner rental to French cheese makers with new wool pants biome.

So on the train platforms, I have boots, ski bag and backpack. Kind of like loading a tram or gondy.

I'm ancient and have no trouble getting on or off the trains and using the trains BUILT IN SKIRACKS.

Sometimes schlepping stuff across town gets tiresome since the ski bag doesn't have rollers, but then I set it down and rest and look around.

Skiing Yurp changes you; you will never be the same or look on skiing in the same way.

i went 4 pairs of undies and that got a bit spicy/stale. plan to bring travel size detergent to support sink washing next time.

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Originally Posted by Buster Highmen

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Skiing Yurp changes you; you will never be the same or look on skiing in the same way.

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This is my takeaway from my trip. It completely changed my outlook on skiing and travel to ski. I had a few other travel plans that are now canceled due to going back to Europe.

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Originally Posted by 2FUNKY

This is my takeaway from my trip. It completely changed my outlook on skiing and travel to ski. I had a few other travel plans that are now canceled due to going back to Europe.

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Did that change happen when you were charging this line?

Attachment 276849

While leaving ya'll was super hard on Tuesday morning, this is what I got up to:

https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...ute-Route-2019

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Originally Posted by Buster Highmen

Toque,
polypro scarf,
2 pair goggles,
2 pair gloves,
7 underwear,
2 long underwear pants,
3 merino long sleeve shirts,
7 pair ski socks,
1 goretex shell
1 goretex bib
2 vests,
1 monster 3 ply goretex onesie (in ski bag)
jammie pants
burly wool pants
puffy
1 pair jeans.
200 cm DPS Lotus 120s, Marker F12 Tours
1 set poles
1 pair Raichle flexons
2 500 ml metal water bottles

all in a simple 40L BCA pack and a ski bag my wife made (no rollers).

17 days total travel, did sink laundry 3 times, complemented my boot liner rental to French cheese makers with new wool pants biome.

So on the train platforms, I have boots, ski bag and backpack. Kind of like loading a tram or gondy.

I'm ancient and have no trouble getting on or off the trains and using the trains BUILT IN SKIRACKS.

Sometimes schlepping stuff across town gets tiresome since the ski bag doesn't have rollers, but then I set it down and rest and look around.

Skiing Yurp changes you; you will never be the same or look on skiing in the same way.

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10 essentials
Beacon probe shovel
Ski crampons, whippet
2nd bag for regular stuff when backpack goes ski touring

Left unsaid, or not brung?

(jongswannaknow)

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Originally Posted by acinpdx

10 essentials
Beacon probe shovel
Ski crampons, whippet
2nd bag for regular stuff when backpack goes ski touring

Left unsaid, or not brung?

(jongswannaknow)

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Yes, I omitted mentioning my touring kit: beacon, shovel, probe, skins, 2 spaceblankets, 5 elastic ski ties, leatherman style tool, cotton bandages, vitamin C, aspirin, melotonin, Tibetan finger cymbals blessed by the Dalai Llama, roll of duct tape.

No crampons or whippet; used ski bag as alternate stuff bag for Oberalpstock day.

Shifty bunch:

https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...9&d=1553737449

Next year, I would love to go back to La Grave for a week after a week in Rueras with Michele. Michele said he would join us in La Grave.

It's an 8 hour train ride for around $80 from Rueras to Oulx, Italy with an hour and a half taxi ($50 each) to La Grave from Oulx via Taxi de La Meije.

It's easy to stop in both Oulx/Sestrieres/San Sicario/Claviere/Montgenevre, the "Milky Way", or Serre Chevalier on the way for a day.

Or train to Grenoble and rent cars there ? Sometimes wind events shut down La Grave and mobility in France is much less accessible than in Switzerland.

Or maybe just rent a van in Disentis, drive through Italy, hit Alagna if it's good, then drive over to La Grave.

Hell yes!!! I’m dead serious about hitting the road with you guys! Got my boots figured out now and slowly getting back in shape!


Inviato dal mio iPhone utilizzando TGR Forums

La Grave piques my interest...

Paging Northwest Slider. Please send me a PM when you get a chance.

Back to regular scheduled programming... the good, bad, ugly whistle.

Cheers to BBI, Vendul , Buster (the boss), and the rest of the tgr rollers. Enjoyed skiing with other skiers on the fly, learning from others, and observing the professional guides handle business on the tour (cool dudes). Vendul and his girlfriend offer awesome hospitality, his place is super cool, as is the area. Watching Tri-Ungulate getting after it on telemarking skis makes me want learn telemarking, although I am seriously sick of dealing / trying ski gear.

Reflecting, still am surprised how “big” the Alps are – great lines with consistent pitches for insane vertical and readily accessible – seemingly everywhere. That place basically removed my desire to get good enough to ski Alaska and make a dedicated ski trip. The Alps provide a great perspective with respect to North American mountains and resorts, the Alps are ‘bigger’. The Alps are big enough and good enough to get your fix, plus if the snow sucks, go chill out and about in Europe or just sniff out a cool ski tour. It is a ‘win-win’. Best US vs Alps ski comparison I can think of is the south face of Mt. Superior across from Snowbird. That run, but lots of them. Note, Mt Superior is on my hit list. So is Japan mostly due to never having been to an Asian country.

Switzerland is an awesome country and with great hospitality throughout. Everybody seemed happy from the quaint villages to the perfect size city Zurich. Great vibes, super laidback, and chill with fun loving and outdoorsy people (got to love when a large portion of the population skis, young to old). If ‘business as usual’ continues I will be back with family and friends. I used predominately cash throughout and had to whip out an ID or credit card in only a few instances. Tip: bring a coin bag.

See if this posts right...

Here is some intel on Engelberg for an Alps rookie from an Alps rookie. This mountain is well designed, on a north face with awesome natural features and a great pitch. Note, Andermatt and Disentis looked just as good but did not get to experience in prime conditions. Got a good scout in for the Andermatt though with some of the tgr skiers (Cheers CDS, Ripz, and Abe).

Engelberg powder day (off piste only): Lift access is great, but one is taxying multiple lifts to get back to the drops. Word was 9K to 10K lift tickets were sold the prior Saturday. Not sure that situation would be worthwhile. The mountain was reportedly pretty iced up, low vis, and crappy. The place definitely holds fresh snow and lines a couple of days after a decent storm, by 3^rd day a skin trek may be wise.

Arrived on a Sunday late afternoon and the town was dead / closed. It rained hard in town that night for a good while. Monday reported ~15-20 cm overnight, but experienced significant overages depending on location (knee / thigh high). Wrecked hard twice (maybe 3?) losing a ski each time, snow was very deep. Visibility was in-out all day. Off piste, low vis, in the Alps can be nerve wracking and requires extra / extreme caution (think serious touring). Skied with a Zurich local and this got skied from opening til about 3 PM (green lines). By the last run, I was not able to keep up as my leg strength was gone and felt thankful I had fresh legs for the start of that day. Can’t ever recall sweating so much just on downhill descents with near zero hiking every freaking run from first run to the last. Breaks were reserved for the lift up only which I focused on replenishing electrolytes. Cheers to Michael and I hope someone or myself pays it forward.

Attachment 277036

Jochstock: Start day top of Jochstock. This allows one to assess the mountain and conditions as you can “see”. Titlis was closed til about 12ish. There are cams that you can monitor the conditions up high. Top of Jochstock, dip under rope off piste (skier’s left off lift). Two main routes 1) Skier’s left under the rope. This allows one to bypass the bottom hopper lift with traverse near bottom of run. 2) Angle skier’s right traversing. 3 lifts back to Jochstock. Banged Jochstock (~4-5 runs) until we observed two skier tracks coming from Titlis.

Titlis: Game on = 1200 meter vert (3900 ft). Essentially dip under the rope a hundred or so meters from the Titlis station. One can work skiers left or ski the middle. There are some large glaciers that are super cool that you ski by. One awesome line is to drop in closest to the cliff and parallel close to the cliffs down. There is a narrow-steep portion where you ski between the cliff and glacier. It is worth stopping and “looking” around you.

Attachment 277037

The Laub (1000 meter vert): One can see the Laub on the way up in the gondola. This was my last run, but it would be my first if I ever get another crack at this mountain and similar conditions. It is a super wide run (e.g. ~500-600 meter) with a great vert and pitch. At the end to the lodge (maybe the Ritz in the map), wait for a small shuttle bus for 2 Franc taxi to a trail where you can ski down to the base and get back onto the gondola or chill til the next episode.

T-bars: Supposed to be some great stuff on Titlis off the t-bars. Did not get to experience.

Next day the off piste snow held up great and the day was clear. After 3-4 off piste runs backtracking some of the runs of the prior day except with good visibility, my legs were again smoked. I then essentially bombed the piste thereafter and checked out the lodges until I wrecked hard losing both skis. Losing two skis, on piste, on high DIN settings is a clue to get off the mountain. Hence, to future rollers, be in shape before going to the Alps. It sucks to not be able to get after it when it is “on”. Although getting in “off piste Alps ski shape” may only be possible for people who live and often ski next to some legit mountains.

Avy: The Laub slid near the gully either natural or was shot. This was evident in the morning ride up. Other older slides were evident throughout. Experienced some significant sluffing in a couple of places down from Titlis (e.g. 12-18” deep, 20-30 ft wide, that ran for short bits on the small steep sections). This made me unsure but did not bother any locals. They explained Engelberg gets skied hard which aids the stability. Nonetheless, off piste in the Alps is no joke, self-evident.

Attachment 277038

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Originally Posted by Beder

My head is spinning thinking of skiing over there.
Can someone talk about train travel with ski bags? Seems like it would be a giant pain standing there on the platform, or do you check your bag when you get your ticket? Thanks.

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In my experience it was not difficult. Certainly a lot easier than dealing with renting a car in a foreign country and navigating. Most of the trains were uncrowded and had loads of storage room. The exception to that were the trains in and out of Zurich itself, which tended to be doubledecker style commuter trains with less storage and maybe steps to navigate in the train if level 1 was crowded. Tips for that: 1) you will probably be on one between the Zurich airport and Zurich main train station--if so, it's a short trip with just a few stops, so don't even bother storing and sitting. The little compartment where you come in has enough room to stand your skis in the corner and a couple of folks with other bags to stand without obstructing entrance/exit. 2) for what is likely a longer leg departing from or going to Zurich main station, look for the car with bikes painted on the side. That one has plenty of room for bike and other storage and has a few seats in it too.

You do need to be alert to shortish transfer times. I think we had one that was only 4 minutes, during which you needed to exit the train with all your stuff, go down stairs to go under the tracks to another platform, up the stairs and onto the train, so you had to have your shit together and make sure you went the right direction after you went downstairs. As Buster always says though, if you miss it, another train will be along in an hour to take you where you want to go. That applies unless you are on the last train of the night.

I'm older than everyone who was there other than Buster, and traveled with my wife who is older than all but Buster and I, and we had no problem. We each packed a roller bag with ski boots and everything we needed to ski a couple of days, which we carried on, checked a Patagonia black hole duffel 60L that was not stuffed to the gills so I could cram my small carry on backpack into it when on the ground, and my smallish ski bag (the wife rented) into which I loaded shove, probe, and ski backpack. So, for train travel, I carried the black hole backpack style and the ski bag in one hand. My wife handled the 2 roller bags and her carry on style tote bag into which she puts the kitchen sink.

we train traveled from airport to Michele's place, from St. Moritz to Klosters (went with the whole gang via vans for the day trip to St. Mo, but then we did not return to Mtn Lodge and thanks to ALIAS for the dropoff at train station!), Klosters to Luzern, then Luzern to airport. It all went off seamlessly without a hitch. The SBB app is great too. Just buy your tickets right as you are getting on the train and they pop up on your phone.

Having ski gear, including boots, carry on was invaluable as my skis were delayed for 3 days.

Cheers, people.
So. Much. Fun.

https://live.staticflickr.com/7837/4...27499ae3_h.jpg
At Spinas, waiting for the train.

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Originally Posted by Buster Highmen

One of the charming villages en route to St Moritz:

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Yeahhhh Cunter! Amazing Graubuenden town. Nice timing on weather

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Originally Posted by LeeLau

Yeahhhh Cunter! Amazing Graubuenden town. Nice timing on weather

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Weather was kind of perfect: just the right amount of fresh to soften turns without creating an avie hazard. My last few Euro trips had too much snow.

As of yesterday, Andermatt was isolated by another storm with trains and roads closed.

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Originally Posted by Buster Highmen

Weather was kind of perfect: just the right amount of fresh to soften turns without creating an avie hazard. My last few Euro trips had too much snow.

As of yesterday, Andermatt was isolated by another storm with trains and roads closed.

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It looks like parts around Airolo have received ~2 meters in the last 24 hours. Insane.

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Originally Posted by bw_wp_hedonism

It looks like parts around Airolo have received ~2 meters in the last 24 hours. Insane.

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Hey man, you deserve a maggot of the year award for towing my gray slow old ass around Davos! That place fucking r00lz.

Yep, I can confirm that we are getting buried!!!

The feeds from Andermatt/Sedrun are unreal!