Month: December 2019

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Off-Piste snow report for December 13, 2019 for the Northern French alps – Henry’s Avalanche Talk

Photo: Credit- Ortovox. Henry's Avalanche Talk. Off-Piste snow report for December 13, 2019 for the Northern French alps.

Off-Piste snow report for December 13, 2019 for the Northern French alps – Henry’s Avalanche Talk

Lots of snow falling now, but warmer temperatures for the week ahead
Big snow has started falling. This will set us up for the season, but it will bring high avalanche danger too.

It has been a great week for off-piste skiing, with regular top-ups of 10 to 20 cm fresh snow virtually every other day. Weather alternated between flat light conditions and snowfall one day and clear blue skies with fantastic powder the next.

A skier triggers a slide. Photo. Henry's Avalanche Talk. Off-Piste snow report for December 13, 2019 for the Northern French alps.
A skier triggers a slide. Photo. Henry’s Avalanche Talk. Off-Piste snow report for December 13, 2019 for the Northern French alps.

On Tuesday there was a blue-sky powder day and there were a few avalanches triggered by skiers. This is evidence that the greatest risks are wind slab on leeward slopes.

Current situation in the Northern French Alps:

At the time of writing (13th Dec) the avalanche risk is 4/5 (High). Over the week covered in this extended forecast, however, the danger rating will stay high or at least considerable (3/5). A huge amount of snowfall is expected in the N French Alps and surrounding area. Will we get a 5/5? That would be unusual.

Continue reading “Off-Piste snow report for December 13, 2019 for the Northern French alps – Henry’s Avalanche Talk”

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Different types of lifts on resorts (I can think of) and how to ride them.

Peak 2 Peak Gondola in Whistler Blackcomb. Photo: The-Ski-Guru. Different types of lifts on resorts (I can think of) and how to ride them.

Different types of lifts on resorts (I can think of) and how to ride them.

If you love skiing and boarding, and you don’t want to skin up or climb a mountain, then it is more than likely that you will be taking one kind of lift to get up to the top.

So how many ski lifts can you think of? Here is my humble list:

  • The rope tow:  Classic first lift for many of us, where skiing started. Just a rope with a small motor that activate it to go up (and down). You have to grab it with your gloves and it could really drag your face into the snow if you did not do it well.
Rope Tow- Warren Miller Media. Different types of lifts on resorts (I can think of) and how to ride them.
Rope Tow- Warren Miller Media. Different types of lifts on resorts (I can think of) and how to ride them.
Chez Croux in Courmayeur with Monte Bianco painting- Martina Diez-Routh
The Chez Croux in Courmayeur with the Monte Bianco in the background. Painting of 80 x 60 cm, framed 100 x 80 cm. On sale in my shop for £1300. Painting by Martina Diez-Routh. Prints are also available.
  • The magic carpet: this is a moving carpet belt that is used mostly for beginners’ slopes. This is an improvement on the surface lift explained below, as it is easier for beginners to just let themselves slip into it and maintain the skis parallel to come up. Boarders have to undo one strap and try to balance on top of it – or if it is an easy slope, maybe is easier to walk up. The cons of this is when it is very cold and your skis have some freeze ice drops stuck on the bases, and you’ll notice that your skis sometimes tend to slip down, so you can go down towards the tips of the person just behind you…. Not very convenient!

  • A covered magic carpet in Mount Snow - Photo courtesy Mount Snow. Different types of lifts on resorts (I can think of) and how to ride them.
    A covered magic carpet in Mount Snow – Photo courtesy Mount Snow. Different types of lifts on resorts (I can think of) and how to ride them.
  • The covered magic carpet – this is the same as above, but usually used in places where lots of wind could cover the belt, so this protects the people riding it, and there is no need to keep on cleaning the belt.

Continue reading “Different types of lifts on resorts (I can think of) and how to ride them.”