Sunday, April 29, 2012

Just Keep Skiing

The lifts in Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz are all now closed but what if you don’t feel ready to hang up your helmet quite yet?

Yodel mag in Morzine has come up with a host of resorts set to stay open in the next week and if the snow conditions here are anything to go by, it will be an amazing trip.

We recommend checking the website of the relevant Office de Tourisme before setting off to ensure what lifts are still open.

Courcheval 1850 – Set to close: 27th April Drive time: 2 hrs 25 mins
La Clusaz - Set to close: 29th April Drive time: 1 hr 14 mins
Les Arcs - Set to close: 28th April Drive Time: 2 hrs 18 mins
Val d’Isére - Set to close: 27th April Drive Time: 2 hrs 54 mins
Meribel - Set to close: 27th April Drive Time: 2hrs 22 mins
Val Thorens - Set to close: 27th April Drive Time: 2hr 35 mins
Tignes – Set to fully close: 8th May Drive Time: 2 hrs 48 mins

Yodel and Doorstep Skis also recommends sharing a car – it’s good for the environment and everyone loves a road trip! Check out mountainridesh

Monday, April 23, 2012

Winter 2013 Lift Pass Prices Announced

Winter 2013 Lift Pass Prices Announced

Winter 2013 Lift Pass Prices Announced

While we're all still loving the snow and having an amazing end to Winter 2012, the very organised people at Yodel magazine in Morzine the Portes du Soleil have just released the lift pass prices for Winter 2013.



And here they are! Download the Portes du Soleil Winter 2013 lift pass prices here. See you all next winter!
Portes du Soleil Lift Pass Prices Winter 2013

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

SkiLogik

If the beauty of the mountains could be poured into a pair of skis, Skilogik is what you would create.

Skilogik skis are not only a thing of beauty but socially responsible and high performance, winning a string of ski test awards.

The handcrafted skis predominantly feature natural materials and the
company buys supplies from sustainable sources that care about the natural environment. They also plant a tree in place of every pair made and pay all their workers above the market rate.

Yodel magazine in Morzine spoke to company founder, David Mazzarella about Skilogik and the
ethos behind it.

“The response to our work around the world has been amazing, it’s probably more focused in the US for now as we started in Colorado. The second most popular area for our skis is probably Europe. We get a really good response from France - I think you have a mindset that’s open to new things out there.

I grew the company out of a passion for skiing since I was a kid and I was drawn to making them. I never wanted to work in a regular job. I made skis in Colorado for years but I reached a wall because to put the effort I wanted into each pair of skis I would have had to sell them for about €1500 – which not many people are willing to pay!

Instead I opened a state of the art facility in China where it is easier to source materials from all over the world and we can put unlimited labour into each pair. It sounds odd but expensive locations just lead you to compromise your product by using cheap products or reducing labour times. We are making around 15 pairs of skis a day at the moment, that way we can put enough effort into each pair.

I moved my wife and kids out here to China which was a huge lifestyle change from the US. It means I can keep an eye on the quality of the skis to ensure it remains the same. It has actually been a fascinating and enriching experience but we still keep the HQ of the company in Colorado because we really believe in ski testing and it’s a great area to carry that out.

All of our skis are made with natural wood inlay, we also use mother of pearl cultivated abalone shell, they are all made with natural materials. Skiers need to be aware of their carbon footprint because the entire industry could disappear with global warming. There have been some bad seasons recently in the Alps as glaciers are receding and the future can look pretty scary for Alpine regions.

We are doing some things that are really innovative to enhance the edging and carving performance of our skis. We use black locust sidewalls, which transmit more energy down to the edge. We also use a Vector 8 carbon fibre and fibreglass with fibres running in eight different directions making the skis resistant to twisting. This gives better pressure along the entire edge of the ski and helps it to bite down into the snow. The wood veneer inlay absorbs and diffuses vibrations without losing the liveliness of the ski so it still rebounds out of the turn.

One of our unique services is the Skilogik custom lab, which we use to create a fully customised ski for individuals. I talk with each client to determine their skiing background and what they are looking for in terms of performance. We customise the rocker profiles, camber constructions, flex patterns and weights, more or less starting the design of the ski from scratch.

Some people know exactly what they are looking for while others are open to ideas. This is the same in terms of artwork for custom skis. We provide proofs for various designs and the clients then choose which is their favourite. We pride ourselves on offering the custom service for the individual but many people buy a pair straight from the store because they like to be able to see and pick out their own pair. Some people buy two pairs of our skis; one to ski on and one for the wall and we strongly encourage that!”

Skilogik skis cost around €600 a pair or around €1000 for a fully customised pair.

In Morzine they are available from Le Caribou Skiset on Route de Combe a Zorre.

In Avoriaz they are available from Sci Mir Famose in Place du Snow.

For more information, go to: www.skilogik.com

SkiLogik

Friday, April 13, 2012

Put it Away!

Put it Away!With the season end looming, it’s worth planning how you’re going to store your precious kit until next year. The guys and gals at Yodel mag in Morzine take us through some simple steps to make sure your boards are ready to roll next season;

1. Have your skis or snowboard tuned – or tune them yourself.

2. Leave a thick coat of soft (warm weather) wax on the base and edges – this will protect the edges from oxidizing (rusting) over the summer and will keep the base hydrated.

3. On your ski bindings, turn the toe and heel springs down to the lowest setting so that they aren’t under tension all summer – this will lengthen the life of your bindings.

4. Make sure your boots and liners are dry before you put them away. Try removing the liners to let them air dry and wash off any of that spring grime from your boot shells. Wrap your boots in a plastic bag with some small air holes before storing them away.

5. Store your skis and snowboards in a cool dry place, standing them up against a wall or similar rather than lying them down.




Thursday, April 12, 2012

Swiss Valley vote against millions

This is the second article in Much Better Adventures series of good news and inspiring stories that have caught their eye during the month.

This month we were inspired to learn that a remote Swiss Valley community have voted against receiving tens of millions of pounds each in favour of preserving their cultural heritage and environment.

The incredible vote was cast by the valley's 450 inhabitants this month after it was discovered that their area was sitting on a goldmine worth at least $1.2 billion.

Photo Credit: José Rössner

Whilst some locals were less convinced by the decision, the majority of folk in the Medel Valley voted against the retirement-plans-changing sum of money in favour of regional conservation.

"The money would have been nice," said 17-year-old Nicole Venzin. "But what sort of future would we have if we ruined the environment?"

Well said, Nicole.


Monday, April 9, 2012

Review of the 2011/2012 Snow and Avalanche Conditions

Winter 2011/12 will be remembered as cold and snowy in France, at least in an arc stretching from the Vosges in the North to the Hautes-Alpes in the south. A two week freeze February saw the coldest temperatures since 1986. Strong northerly winds made the situation worse, freezing central heating pipes and diesel and leaving hundreds of motorists stranded. However the cold was bracketed by warm, but snowy, weather.

Autumn 2011

The first generalised snowfall in the Northern Alps occurred on the weekend of the 8th October (20cm) and it seemed that we were set for another early season. In 2010 the mid mountain resort of les 7 Laux was able to open for the autumn half term week. Their earliest opening on record.


First snow on the Chartreuse

It was not to be, there followed 2 months of abnormally warm and dry weather.

The situation was different in the Southern Alps. The high mountain passes of the Agnel and Restefond saw a weather system bringing 30cm of snow on the last weekend of October and this was topped up by another 80cm at the start of November. This same weather system barely penetrated into the Northern Alps bringing just 25cm at the summit of the 3000m Bellecote glacier above la Plagne. However the storm surprised guide Olivier Sourzac and his client Charlotte de Metz-Noblat on the summit of the Grandes Jorasses. Their bodies were recovered after 6 days of bad weather.

The snow conditions in the Southern Alps were enough to start the touring season on passes such as the Lauteret, Galibier and Agnel. The early November snow was followed by a long period of sunny stable weather and conditions were spring-like. In the Northern Alps around 25cm of snow could be found on shaded northern slopes above 2300 meters.

December
By early December ski resorts, which would normally be open on natural snow cover, were getting nervous. The month was dominated by a moist south-westerly airstream. The first skiable snow fell on the 5-7th of December and this was topped up by tropical storm Joachim which brought over a meter of snow at altitude over the 15th -16th December. There were also some very strong winds. The weather station on the 1465 meter summit of the Puy-de-Dôme in the Massif Central recorded a gust of 212 km/h.


Ski Touring, 7th December 2011

Overall temperatures were 2.0 °C above average but with less sun and more rain and snow fall than average. Looking at the weather station at Bourg St Maurice situated at 885 meters in the Tarentaise it recorded three times the normal precipitation (330mm, enough for 1 to 3 meters of snow at altitude). The month was slightly colder than normal due to a lack of sunshine, at least in the valleys which were often cloud covered due to a temperature inversion.


After Joachim

Joachim brought very little snow to the Mediterranean region which experienced one of the driest winters for 50 years but dumped over a meter on the Eastern Pyrenees and 50cm in the western ranges.


Cloudy in the Valleys

The Christmas period had some of the best ski conditions in the Northern and Hautes Alps for 30 years with resorts posting a meter of snow at the bottom of the ski runs.

January

New Year’s day was the warmest since 1947 although the alpine valleys were blanketted in thick fog due to a temperature inversion. Rain fell to 2300 meters causing a lot of natural avalanche activity with some brief periods at risk 5. The start of the month experienced extremely strong winds. There were regular storm cycles through to the end of January. The snow line dropped to 1100-1300 bringing half a meter of fresh snow at those altitudes with a small amount of snow down valley levels.


Chartreuse powder

At Bourg St Maurice temperatures were close to normal with about 50% more precipitation than usual.

The fresh snow and strong winds at the start of the month led to a couple of avalanche incidents but the first fatality of the season only occured on the 29th. This was the precursor of a series of incidents at the beginning of February.

February - March
An anticyclone over Russia/Scandinavia at the end of January brought arctic air to Europe. The period 1st – 13th of February saw an intense cold spell, the 5th worst since 1947. Bourg St Maurice recorded -18.8°C on the 5th, not far from the -19.6°C set on 11th February 1986. The average temperature for the month was around -4°C less than normal.


Shreddin’ the gnar, Chartreuse style

From the 20th temperatures were largely above average and this trend continued into the first half of March. Both February and early March have been very dry with little significant snowfall in the Northern Alps except mid month when some areas received up to 50cm. There were also a couple of small falls in the first to second week of March. The exception were parts of the Western Pyrenees which saw significant snowfall at the start of the February, over 200cm in Aspe-Ossau for example. The Southern Alps have been very dry this winter but received some respite at the start of March.

The fresh snow (at most 30cm) at the end of January accompanied by a week of strong North-Easterly winds created dangerous conditions at the start of February including low altitudes in the Pre-Alps. This surprised a number of skiers creating a cluster of avalanche incidents from the 1st to the 5th including 3 deaths. On the first a group of soldiers triggered a slide at Valloire, killing 1. On the 4th a Dutch skier was killed at Thollon-les Memise and a ski instructor was seriously injured at Sommand. Both incidents were in the Haute-Savoie. Finally on the 5th a ski tourer was killed in the Vercors on a South facing slope, there were two other incidents on similar slopes in the nearby Chartreuse range, neither with victims.

Follow the snow and high winds in the midle of the month there was a further cluster of incidents. An off piste skier was carried over cliffs at St Gervais on the 16th. There were a series of ski touring incidents on the weekend 17th-18th. In the Pyrennes there were three incidents including a fatality on the 18th-19th. To round up the month there were two futher fatal incidents on the 21st and 25th.


Grand Replomb, NE couloirs

According to Daniel Goetz, a researcher with Meteo France ”the snow cover during 2011-2012 was not exceptional compared with the first half of the 20th century but you have to go back to 1981-1982 to find similar conditions. At the start of January the snow pack had twice its normal depth in the Northern Alps and was 50% above average in the Hautes-Alps”. In the Swiss Berner-Oberland total snowfall was 800cm on the 10th January 2012 at 2500 meters.

Avalanches

There have been 8 fatalities in avalanches this winter in the French Alps in separate incidents. This is the lowest figure recorded since 1970. Normally the period December to February sees the majority of avalanche fatalities. The main reason for this improvement was a very stable snow pack. With good snow conditions skiers also had a wide choice of routes and in the main took on board avalanche warnings issued by the authorities. The new Meteo France pictorial avalanche bulletin may also have aided better decision making. There has been a continued training effort by the ANENA, FFME and FFCAM since the start of winter targeted at ski tourers.


Avalanche Chartreuse: photo CRS des Alpes

With the high snowfalls and a number of risk 5 days the low figure for fatalities may seem counterintuitive. At the start of December the Northern Alps had a weak layer of depth hoar and faceted snow on north facing slopes above 2300 meters. The Southern Alps had a deeper snow pack but this had also experienced a month of facet forming anticyclonic conditions. There was very further snow in the south until the start of March. In the North the weak layer was buried by over a meter of fresh snow that fell in the first half of December. This was rapidly stabilized by a freeze-thaw cycle and high altitude rain at the start of January. By mid January the snow-pack consisted of over a meter of hard snow which bridged any weak layers.


Snowpit, Belledonne, end of January

The good conditions in the Pre-Alps also meant ski tourers focused their attention on routes in these generally less dangerous areas, especially where the risk was higher elsewhere. On Southern aspects and below 2300 meters the December snow had fallen directly on bare ground and the snow depth slowed down the formation of any weak layers. The exception was the start of February where very strong winds created small slabs on south facing slopes with an number of incidents in the Vercors, Chartreuse and Bauges. Although the slope aspects at risk were clearly shown in the bulletin’s pictogram it appears that with the overall headline figure of 2/5 skiers had dropped their guard. Half the fatal avalanche incidents occurred at this risk level, the normal figure for France is just 8%.


Ice crusts formed by high altitude rainfall

The snowfall directly onto warm ground contributed to an increase in natural avalanche activity, especially on grassy slopes, as the snow pack was poorly bonded in places. Skiers noticed a number of glide cracks. High altitude rain can overload the snow pack and warm temperatures causes to melt-water to percolate down to the bed. This winter saw a number of risk 4 and 5 days but the danger was short lived with the headline risk quickly falling back to 2.

Natural avalanches are slow moving and rarely concern skiers unless they are in or above terrain traps. They caused a nightmare for ski resorts and authorities as they are very difficult to clear with explosives and occur randomly although frequently at the warmest part of the day. Roads and ski slopes were frequently closed during the winter. One spectacular incident hit a working ski lift at St Francois-Longchamps. 41 skiers trapped on the lift had to be winched to safety by the rescue services. The accident could easily have been far more serious.

Thanks to pistehors.com for this report.

Friday, April 6, 2012

2013 Salomon Skis

A wee look ahead to 2013 Salomon Skis @ #SIA12.....some really tasty suff to look forward to...more

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Segways on Snow

Segways on Snow

There’s been a new way to get around Morzine this winter.

You can take a ‘Segway Authorised’ tour of Morzine along the river trail, do Morzine by night as part of a group tour or spend an hour circling Lac Montriond.

For those of you not in the know, the Segway is ‘the world's first self-balancing human transporter’. It has two wheels and stays upright all by itself. You move backwards or forwards, left or right by leaning and steering on the handlebars. They travel at about 20kmph and can go for about 38km on one battery charge, which makes them fairly practical and very economical for the mountains.

Segways in Morzine

We think that this is a great activity, especially for groups. It’s a good way to get your bearings, it’s a nice alternative to snow sports and it looks like a lot of fun too!

Price: From €35 for a 1 hour accompanied tour of Morzine

Suitable for Children: The minimum age is 14 years

Equipment: Helmets provided, Yodel recommends warm clothes!

Contact: Bernard - +33 (0) 6 34 65 14 22 E-mail - morzine@mobilboard.com

Details from Yodel Magazine

Partying Hard In Morzine and Avoriaz

  Partying Hard In Morzine and Avoriaz ...