Mostly Warm....

Skiing in April is always fun. It's often powdery, usually warm and quite social. It's about long lunches after powder filled mornings, peeling off the layers and sitting on restaurant terraces. Not every day is sunny, which is good, because that empties the slopes and covers the hills with powder!

Getting a table at the Buvette was not a problem that day

The cook at the Buvette having to work hard on his cigarette break!

The Salomons demonstrating just how soft they are!

Spooky sky

The L'Omen Rosso Avalanche from our lounge. This slide skilled 3 ski tourers.

Wishing he'd ridden his Thunders that day, and not some soft skinny Salomons

The Powder Virus

Plenty of fresh snow to play in off piste

Action in the 6Park Snowpark in Grimentz during April

Off piste with some friends. Lots of fresh snow and more low clouds!

Crossing a stream is a larger problem if you have short legs!

Getting onto the spring powder at just the right time of day

Late season small slab Avalanche high up the system

Enjoying a coffee break in the sunshine

The Learning Curve

Last month I took some ski tuition. It's been a while, so I chose a ski teacher that I've worked with before. A couple of people I know had recently been rude to me about my skiing skills, so I'd outlined what I wanted to work on prior to arriving for private coaching. A quick hop over the Col de Forclaz and down into Chamonix, where it was very, very warm.

Managed to check into my hotel thanks to a visiting postman wanting a signature and being keen to find some staff. My room had a view too! 

Made contact with my teacher, Chris Fecher boss of Tinderbox Ski School who kindly offered to collect me from my Hotel next morning. I headed into Chamonix to see the sights.

 Next morning and after an overpriced and rather basic breakfast, Chris collected me and we headed up to Grand Montets, so he could see what I needed to work on. It's been a while since I was there, and I initially could not get my bearings. The snow was pretty firm 1st thing so we stopped for a coffee to allow the surface to melt, and my teeth to quit humming.

After spending the morning on drills we skied down to Argentiere. It was little soupy bit skiable. I spent the afternoon sightseeing in Chamonix again. It's been a while since I was here, and the town is looking smarter.

Next morning and in search of some quiet slopes for videoing we headed up to Le Tour. The conditions were deteriorating fast but there was still plenty of snow for carving exercises!  Chris is a very supportive teacher and makes skiing seem so straightforward.

Apparently I can carve, and I'm not so bad a skier as some folks have been saying. I'd like to suggest that my detractors take that feedback and put it where the sun does not shine, however as they are already so far up themselves there is unlikely to be any room.

Onwards and Upwards!

A Little Off Piste

Fairly recently, someone who used to be in my circle of friends made a comment to me about my skiing (or lack of it in their opinion) that has prompted me into a bit of a retrospective Blog entry. So, I've looked back over my photos over 5 winters and pulled out the best off piste skiing photos of me. Just two of them definitely do not have me in them, as I was taking the photo, you get the idea!

Frustration

I was given an old sewing machine at least 25 years ago, and up until today I got by. It's a very old machine, and only really did 1 sort of stitch, until today. So, I'd decided that today would be a good day to replace the main zip in my favourite ski trousers. I did all the unpicking, pinning, and tacking up yesterday, and was ready for the big sewing machine session.

1 slight problem, I now can't get the Bobbin to work, the cotton is pulling from the wrong place and after an hour, I admit defeat. It's an old machine, and the parts are very worn, nothing I did made any improvement. My trousers remain tacked up and I've now spent a shed load of money at Amazon buying a machine to replace it.

Of course, the price for a new pair of ski trousers, and a sewing machine is about the same. I'm justifying the purchase based on other repairs I might be obliged to make in the next (n) years.

Never mind, as it dates from 1917, I expect I can sell it to a collector, it must be worth a few quid. Apparently not more than £10, delivery charges exceed the value. I will be spending more as I'm now obliged to drive it to the tip since our garbage collectors won't take anything heavier than a Larks tongue these days.

Downhill All The Way

 

  January came around, and I packed away my skins to make the best of the pistes and easy to grab off piste that is all around the Anniviers. Had a great drive down across the Jura on the way out, stopping briefly in Kent to give a lift to a pal who was staying in Zinal for a week.

We got stuck in to the unpisted areas within the resort boundary and had a blast. The conditions varied widely, some slopes had breakable crust, though anywhere in the shade stayed powdery. 

It was cold again, so I was back wearing lots of layers, only this time I found myself having to say to Andy, no, wear more! We still saw skiers with no hats or goggles though, they must be more hardy.

Having been cruising in the back seat, Andy finds some Breakable Crust and decides to take a rest, and why not, he's on holiday!

My friend came round from Zinal, and brought all his friends with him, we had quite a crowd. We took them onto the same slopes we'd been skiing, smiles all round.

Most days we took a picnic and stopped at one of the Mountain Huts as the sunshine was glorious.On one occasion we had a visit from a confident local bird!

Spent a day in Zinal where there was still plenty of good skiing, though the bottom of the Freeride area was a little thin with a couple of streams showing through. Easy to avoid though. The main part of the resort had some Paragliders practicing for the Mauler Cup, which is a pretty big competition, so standards were very high.

The air was so clear that we were able to see the Cabane Becs des Bossons from the Corne du Sorebois in Zinal.

 A day in Vercorin offered us this great view across to Chandolin and the Illhorn drag lift, which is quite steep, and not just from this distance.

Back in Grimentz we'd been watching television and web reports on how bad the snow conditions were in France and Switzerland, um okay, if you say so.

There was a Skier and Boardercross competition in Grimentz, which also brought in the Freestyle skiers to the 6Park. Standards were quite high. You won't catch me doing this stuff!

 I took my Stockli's into the local ski shop for a service, and needed to sit down when the technician told me that the edges were so thin, the shop could do only 1 more service before they were scrap. I love my Stockli's so this is bad news. They also now seem to attract stones, and I spent several evenings with a P-Tex candle repairing the day's dings and holes.

I've not been counting my days on skis this winter, but in case you are wondering, it's 24 so far, more to come, hopefully.

Bring It On

Santa came to Grimentz a little early and brought some snow with him. I made full use of this early and very welcome gift. One of the village hotels looked really pretty in the snowfall.

A nice fresh fall of snow meant that the Snowpark kickers could be built.

New snow of course, meant new risks, so some places were unsafe to ski. As not every day was sunny, the flat light also caused problems.

As it's so dull, it's not possible to see the how this slope falls fairly steeply towards the skidoo. It's a red graded run and the bottom is often icy at the junction. I don't know if the helicopter was called out to a fall or a collision. This was someone's ruined Christmas.

My New Years' Resolution should be : I must set my alarm clock earlier and make the best of the new snow more often. On the day I did make the lift opening, it broke down, and did not start up for 35 minutes!

There were a few really stormy nights while I was there. I heard none of it, but could see the snow had drifted at the top of the Orzival lift.

All that wind was bad news for the new snow, which turned to breakable crust!

In between skiing days, I managed to order a new mattress for our bed, which arrived just as I was leaving for the UK. I became aware of the delivery with the sound of a revving engine and skidding tyre noises as the van tried to get up the footpath behind the apartment. The car park and entrance path would have been so much easier.

When I left for the airport, my flight was listed as on time. On my arrival it was listed as at least 2 hours late, so I headed for the information desk to try for an earlier departure. To my surprise I was successful, and my rearranged flight (now late also) left at the time my later flight was originally supposed to leave. I have my suspicions!

The check in hall was overflowing with passengers trying to check in and looking at all those unhappy faces really saps my willpower. I had needed to ask where the information desk was, I could not see it, there were so many people in the check in hall plus a long queue for "something" snaking back into the main part of the airport. Flying with budget airlines seems to bring with it a whole new level of travel misery.

Tick Tock

It's been 2 months since I had some skis on. I have my boots with me, but my skis are out in Switzerland right now, well, except for a really old pair! Usually I get the urge to go skiing in midsummer, and I have the time, so take a morning drive to Hemel Snow Centre, and call in to the Ski shop underneath the snow slope to see if they have any Demo skis available.

The good news is that they have a few pairs of next winters' stock. The bad news is that they want £15 to demo a pair. The hook for this is that the store will refund the charge, but only against a full priced pair of skis or boots. A minor flaw in their strategy is that they have no stock yet, most stores won't get their stock until September and the "Voucher" issued against the charge is only valid for 3 months! They also want photo ID, which I think is a bit excessive.

Oh well, it is nice to ski on new kit, so I pay up. I was slightly concerned that the member of staff who served me didn't know what the ramp angle was on the Demo bindings, but decided it would make no difference if he did know. The ramp angle would not be zero which is what I need, and it would feel like skiing in high heels!

The skis were okay. but not exceptional, I suppose some of that is my fault as I'm out of practice, and not particularly comfortable on them. The snow slope was in an okay condition, though the "Slow" nets were about a third of the way up the slope, so it cut down the skiing area.

I decided to head down to the store to swap these skis for another pair, and had a real problem getting the electric exit doors from the snow slope to open. Usual arrangement, walk towards door, and doors open. Er...well about 12 cm, and there they stopped. I put my shoulder into the gap and pushed hard to escape!

Down to the store where all the staff seemed to be unpacking store stock and there were plastic bags spread all over the floor, Health and Safety anyone? I ask for assistance, and I'm directed towards the back of the store, where no-one is serving. I wait, and wait.....until my patience evaporates, cross back over the packing materials and resume using the remainder of my paid time slot on the snow slope.

My time's up on the snow, so I rugby tackle the reluctant door again, and make my way to the changing area. One of the Snow Centre's ski teachers stops to chat to me. Tells me that he's not really got used to these wider skis yet. The skis in question are 84mm at the waist, really not very wide, at all.

I should get my £1 coin returned by the changing room locker, but I have no idea where my money went, except to say I don't have it, as it did not drop into the coin return, oh well! Down to the shop to retrieve my hostage credit card, and collect the Voucher, which I have no intention of using! If anyone wants it, please get in touch.

Five Months of Skiing

Well, not 5 months in total, but last winter I managed to ski in 5 different months. Some months were definitely better than others. March and April were rather warm for skiing, but I did my best!I'd like to think that my skiing has improved a little, but it's difficult to judge. Perhaps I'm now on the right equipment for my needs. I did fall over a few times, the most memorable falls were when I had no skis on! Ski boots are not made for walking on ice!

I did try the high traverse on this slope, so some of these tracks are mine. I found it quite steep though.


There was plenty of spring powder to be had, close to the pistes. Once the resort had closed for the season, I headed for Zermatt, staying in a little B&B, and walking up to the Klein Matterhorn lift.

This was a bit of luxury. The new gondola was operating between the base station, all the way to Trockner Steg. A seat all the way!
Last time I was in Zermatt the lift company were building a restaurant at the top of the Klein Matterhorn. It's now complete, and to reach the cafe or toilets, it's necessary to walk through the gift shop, just in case I should feel the need to buy a T shirt or mug! Coffee is good, and the view is wonderful. Much more comfortable than the Portacabin that was here on my last visit.



The glacier slopes were in great condition, but I'd never seen so much of the glacier exposed on earlier visits.


I was summarily fleeced at Trockner Steg. I'd forgotten to put my water bottle in my sack, so paid 6Sfr for a small bottle which was priced up at 80 cents in the supermarkets in the village.

Seeking a better value alternative, I followed an "Open" sign for the Gandegghutte. The piste runs underneath the KM cable car, and some of it is uphill. When I arrived, the staff out laying the tables, went inside and locked the door. One to avoid!

Though the glacier was in great shape, some of the lower runs were a little thin. This slope leads down to Furi from Furgg. Rocks, grass and mud with some wet snow, with a walk out at the end! This is not the village, it's well above it.

I decided to catch the gondola over to Riffelberg and then the train up to Gornergrat. Wonderful views, and it was fun to be on a train as a skier. I raced the train back down to the gondola.

On my way back down to the village one day, the lift company were running the old cable cars, so I was treated to the view of old and new together. Underneath it's possible to see the piste running down to the village. Based on how thin the piste was higher up, I didn't try the ski down.