Snow for the Euros.

[bbirtle]

Redskea got any more info on that one?

[Redskea]

Not really.

2 on Mt Blanc.

An incident on the Italy side near Courmayer.

He is Italian and we are trying to communicate in French (mine is awful) and English, so the outcome might not be accurate!

I'll question him more tomorrow, I didn't really want to be at work today so I was trying to leave.

[bad_roo]

I heard that 50-60 alpinists die there every year and that skiing, an extension of mountaineering, is a major contributor to that statistic. Ski an off piste run in Europe and your life is your ante in a game where losing can mean checking out for good. Any truth in that?

[Mulletizer]

In Mont-Blanc the bodies of two climbers from the Ukraine have been found at the foot of the Goûter couloir on the normal route to Mont Blanc. The two victims had set out for 3 days winter climbing but a companion who had decided not to make the climb became concerned when they failed to return in the afternoon. The men’s bodies were covered with snow and there is evidence of a slab avalanche in the top of the couloir, it is possible that this hit the two men as they were descending the slope.

From http://pistehors.com/comments/533_0_1_0_C/ .

I skied 40cm very light pow in Ovronnaz yesterday. Sweet snow, barely crossed tracks all day.

[powslut]

a very cheeky powder day in st anton today. I rolled out of bed at 11 to see a grand total of 0cm new sitting outside my window. After humming and hawing for over an hour i finally decided to get off of my lazy ass and actually go to make some turns. Lucked out and made it to Schindler about 20 minutes after it had been opened. Easily 40-50cm of fresh up there with no one around except to bash the piste. highlight of the day was breaking trail into the top of schindler front face and get first tracks complete with face shots down it. Camera ran out of batteries this morning. sorry.

[Hicks]

Powslut,

Any clue when they open Schindler's backside or is it open already? Might go there Friday - Sunday.

[KANUTTEN]

a very cheeky powder day in st anton today. I rolled out of bed at 11 to see a grand total of 0cm new sitting outside my window. After humming and hawing for over an hour i finally decided to get off of my lazy ass and actually go to make some turns. Lucked out and made it to Schindler about 20 minutes after it had been opened. Easily 40-50cm of fresh up there with no one around except to bash the piste. highlight of the day was breaking trail into the top of schindler front face and get first tracks complete with face shots down it. Camera ran out of batteries this morning. sorry.

Coming to St Anton the 19th - and am I ready!!!

Is the base good all over now, powslut?

[bad_roo]

Any clue when they open Schindler's backside or is it open already? Might go there Friday - Sunday.

My backside will be open shortly, Herr Kommandant.

[TeleAl]

Snow Report concerning Euros:

More specifically, Leysin (CH Alpes Vaudoises)
SE facing slopes are sliding to the grass.
Don't ask me why, I don't know for sure.
But, I have seen about 4 or 5 slides only, all in that aspect.

I suspect Hoar Frost, dating back before the snowfall.
These are not aspects getting too much sunshine.

As for Cham and the reported/rumored accidents, the mountains are wild.
Respect nature. You are your own responsibility. No law suits here when you mess up.
I agree with Roo pertaining Europe, your life is your ante.
I am happy to have lived through the learning curve, and hope that I stay lucky.
Because I've surely made mistakes and been lucky (and learned much!).

[powslut]

Powslut,

Any clue when they open Schindler's backside or is it open already? Might go there Friday - Sunday.

Its pretty much all open.

as for the base- there is still something to be desired but at the same time it really doesn't suck.

[H-man]

Coming to St Anton the 19th - and am I ready!!!

Me too!

(20th actually but who's counting.)

[Hicks]

My buttside will be open shortly, Herr Kommandant.

I'll bring on the vaseline then...

[vertigo]

I'll bring on the vaseline then...

trying to get this image out of my head....

on a less grim note... does anyone know how conditions are in la grave? i'm probably out in the alps for 8 days, starting this saturday, and i'm trying to decide between la grave, or the area around morzine/cham/verbier. at the moment i'm thinking la grave, because i'm already paying for a place down there. anyone got any news from down there?

[bbirtle]

From http://pistehors.com/comments/533_0_1_0_C/ (re mt blank avo)

Cool thanks for the clarification. I'm guessing the normal summer route (there's a different "normal winter route"). Quite a strange time to be taking on the Mont Blanc, especially after such a horrible storm...

[Mulletizer]

does anyone know how conditions are in la grave? i'm probably out in the alps for 8 days, starting this saturday, and i'm trying to decide between la grave, or the area around morzine/cham/verbier. at the moment i'm thinking la grave, because i'm already paying for a place down there. anyone got any news from down there?

From the snow reports I've seen I'd say that LG is still a little bony but not too bad. Maybe Glisse will chime in with some real info though.

Word is that Morzine has the best conditions for this time of year in years. I'm going there on Sunday; got a good deal - €500 all up - daily taxis around town, airport pickups, chalet accommodation, food (except lunch), lift passes, booze. Should be cool, it's my big splurge for the winter.

Am in Verbier now. Conditions <2700 are good, above there was less snow and more wind. Fatal avalanche here yesterday - up high on the Bec des Etagnes, windslab, 22yo local. Verbier tracked out but some seriously good stuff left if you walk much or look to smaller local resorts.

[Hansi Hinterseer]

Dear Franz,

As promised I finally show up in this renowned forum to re-establish Austrian ski dominance.
Thanks for an amazing ski trip and the lessons in the park.

Yours,

Hansi

[str8line]

My backside will be open shortly, Herr Kommandant.

Ha!!!!!!

[Franz Klammer]

Finally back home. Photos from La Grave, Chamonix and Nassfeld to follow. Awesome conditions in the last 2.

We were able to hit La Grave on the January 2 after it was closed on the 31st and 1st. Trees were great, the upper part needs a bit more snow, but the next dump will surely take care of that.

Hansi - glad to finally see you here!

Verb61 and TeleAl - sorry for not meeting up but I was eager to get back home and hit the fantastic conditions in the Eastern part of Austria. Conditions here in the East are fabulous.

Also - edited the L2A photos. Somehow they were mucked up before ...

[TeleAl]

Verb61 and TeleAl - sorry for not meeting up but I was eager to get back home and hit the fantastic conditions in the Eastern part of Austria. Conditions here in the East are fabulous.

No need to be sorry dude.
Just means less people staying at my place.
Glad you got some good snow. We do too.
Next time...

[subtle plague]

Finally back home. Conditions here in the East are fabulous.

..

as i may confirm

[KANUTTEN]

as i may confirm

Are we talking st. anton east or further?

[supercastor]

yesterday was the best day of the season so far...
http://www.skipass.com/articles/saison0506/bonheur.php


(tonio, my roomate, rides the Bro...)

[bad_roo]

bonheurific indeed! Les Sept Laux?

[supercastor]

yep Andy, Les 7 Laux, couloir "Casa".

a guy died yesterday a few hundred meters from there. This place is dangerous and visible from the famous Pouta chairlift, many people think it's harmful to cross the barriers. But the "traversée" is tricky and the rocks are 20 meters high...

[Meathelmet]

Yaah.

Back from tour de alpes again...

14 days, 7 resorts and...well...intresting stuff. More on that later.


In short

-Monte Rosa (22-23rd) : Shit. No snow at all.5cm max...
What base?

-Ps.Sant Bernard (23rd) : Shit. 20cm,rocks,rocks,rocks. And they lied that everything was ok up there and we bought 20€ passes for nothing.Fucking liars.


-Engelberg (23th-24th) : Quite good. Found good lines,relatively good coverage and even some face shots. Lots of rocks though..
Base is decent. Lot of crevasses on the glacier though.

-St.Anton (25th-28th) : So so. Tracked out, snow had gone bad and rocky couloirs.Last days there were decent with some fresh, nice lines down schindler and from Valuga II station,wich was a nice run...
Base relatively good.

-Nasfeld (29th-31th) : Gooood. Didnt fail this time either. Good groin deep pow, decent lines,faceshots.Pity that finding super lines is quite hard in that place.Thiick base.

-Krippenstein (1st) : Shit. We thought that we had found a shangri la, and all we found was crap snow,moguls and crappy lines. On good snow that place might be decent,but now...duh.. Upper parts of dachstein was windscoured,almost now left there.Base decent lower down.

-Andermatt (2nd-4th) -Nice : First 2 days was a complete flat light,upper parts windscoured and super rocky. The last day was a sunny day with 20-40cm fresh. But still so much rocks around,that the skiing was really hazardous. Needs a 50-100cm more snow to be in good condition.

As a result of this Rock´n Roll X-travaganca, I have a pair of 103s that looks like they were shot with a shotgun. Bases are pimpled and edges blown out in 3 places...Time to glue thes sicks back to gether.

TR to follow sometime soon.