Skiing

@edscoble I'm going to be skiing in Zermatt and Saas-Fee for the next couple of weeks. Could you tell me which tyres I should fit to my skis? I'm not too worried about punctures but traction is a concern.

Cheers Ed - this is only my fourth excursion to LP. I'll look out for your recommendations though.

I'm off to La Plagne on Saturday.

I've just booked a cheeky long weekend in Belle Plagne for the first weekend of March.

In the past, I've only ever been there in early January (my parents bought a week's timeshare in Bellecote back in the 70s), so it will be interesting to ski there with no schools & students.

I haven't been back to there for a number of years - my brother actually broke his wrist whilst he was living there many years ago, so the memories for him aren't so fond.

I'm currently as keen as a dog with two dicks about getting up on the slopes again.

Powder Alert - Mondolé Region
47cm snowfall prediction for this weekend...

Please excuse the spam, but if anyone's interested in a pair of skis...

https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/281559/#comment12777392

They're quite long and probably entirely unfashionable, but also probably cheaper than a week's hire. :)

Off to Les Meunieres with the family on Saturday. It's at least a decade since I last went skiing and I was rubbish then. I'm probably fitter now though. We'll see. Can't wait.

Poooooowdeeeeeer!

Had some excellent powder in Tignes last week and a couple of days of excellent visibility. Did 8 days on the trot - hiking stuff and skiing plenty of steep, technical stuff. I was absolutely exhausted by the end.

First outing for black crows corvus - beautiful skis, especially off piste in anything deep. Good in chop and stiff enough to get through anything with a crust too.
First impressions were that I could had opted for the 193's instead of 183's but I'm glad i didn't now. They are pretty heavy and cumbersome on anything mogul-like or icy and anything longer nwould have been crap in the trees. On a few days they definitely rode me for the last couple of home runs, instead of the other way around!
Was surprised how well they handled groomers versus other fatter skis i have used before, but glad I had my Line's with me for the couple of days of crap snow we had though.

Took the ski train for the first time - mixed feelings about it .. We got an extra 2 days skiing in, but as a travel experience it was dire. I think I had 3 hours of sleep on the way out and 2 on the way back. Plus the train out was 5 hours delayed.

Just waiting at Zurich airport after two weeks of snowshoeing and skiing in Zermatt and Saas-Fee. Can barely move my legs. Have somehow lost weight too despite the insane cheese intake.

By the way - if anyone wants a free air of Nordica Ace of Spades boots in mondo 275 let me know. They've probably done 6 weeks. They're pretty hideous but performance-wise they're great.

sounds great ,I'm off skiing next week
ooooh black crows , I'm going to try and pick up some black crow camox when they come on sale.

could be interested, how come your getting rid of them, just fancy a change?

They were always a bit too small for me (I like things snug for control) - thought I could make them work but after losing a few toenails I gave up and bought some Head boots instead.

Come to think of it they've probably done more like 4 weeks. The usual wear and tear but they don't smell and still work fine etc

Skiing aficionados - I think it might be worth buying some skis. Last time I looked into this, I was advised not to cos the technology was moving too quickly. So my questions to you: 1) is it worth it (bearing in mind I go several times a year)? 2) is there a stand out ski in the mid-level price range for all mountain/all mountain carve skis? Cheers

"I was advised not to cos the technology was moving too quickly."

Did anyone tell the snow?! ;-) (He said, desperately trying to sell a 15-year-old pair of skis...)

@Calben

I can't remember when ski technology changed "quickly", maybe when carvers came in ? It's always a debate, I like having my own, my friend always rents top of the line for the season.

One thing might be worth it, unless you are going soon would be to hang on till after season. They get heavily discounted but the choice can be hit and miss

Urr.. rockers, wide skis etc etc.. there has been plenty of change in the last 10 years.

Not that it matters - skis will still work fine on snow. Putting off buying skis because of technology change is a bit like putting off a road bike purchase because of disc break technology. You're going to miss out on a lot of riding/skiing that way. Plus, most skis have about 8 weeks in them before they're trashed, so...

If you're going twice a year it will only take a year or two for them to pay for themselves. So, yes.

One thing that no-one ever seems to mention in the whole hire/own debate is that rental bindings are shite. Not only do they weigh an absolute tonne but they always seem to raise the boot half an inch off the ski, which makes a huge difference in terms of control and handling.

In terms of what to buy - I don't really know anything about all mountain carvers (do people still buy carving skis?!) but maybe a Salomon q85 would be fun.

"Putting off buying skis because of technology change is a bit like putting off a road bike purchase because of disc break technology."

This was what made me contemplate ignoring that advice...

Interesting to hear about the bindings. Something I'd never considered. My skiing consists of about 50/50 piste vs off-piste, so I was looking for something fairly versatile. Suggestions welcome if you think all mountain are better or even something else?

line supernatural? New version of the influence - available in a few widths. 92 would be my pick for your remit.

Blizzard Cochise - bit fatter

Black crows camox or ova

Salmon q85/93

Purely aesthetically, the black crow camox would be my pick. Hard to ignore this deal if the line supernaturals are decent too: https://www.freezeproshop.com/line-supernatural-92-skis/length:53994?country=GB&currency=GBP&utm_source=GoogleShopping&gclid=CPfIpoKh7soCFVYo0wodIuYHlA

Even if you include the cost of transporting the skis if you are flying?

Depends who you fly with. Swiss and BA will let you take skis on without charge. Easyjet can >>>> anyway

I had a bit of a nightmare with Swiss with some snowshoes. They charged me ~CHF120 to take them on board. When I spoke to them about skis they said they only take them free as part of your 1 x 23kg allowance. Every time I spoke to somebody else, they told me differently.