[Norton Sharley]

Karakorum do split system too, looks more expensive mind.

With a bench saw you'd have to cut a wide enough slot into the nose and toe edge to get the band into whereas with a circular saw you can start into the rise?  And with a circular you can follow the straight edge easier?  Just a thought like.  I've got a circular saw you are welcome to borrow JB.  You can then let me know whether it all works or not 

Good info Chris, really must get up to Scotland this year.

[mole]

Arrrrrghhhh. My transfer from Milan to Pragelato has fallen through. We land tomorrow night! Anyone know of any decent transfer companies, cheaper the better. 4 people, 4 bags, one board bag. Thanks!

[Teaboy]

You get fairly jaded about ski. And snow board films but this left my jaw on the floor!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/winter-sports/20971889

[SA Chris]

A lot of the good clips are from the film Art of Flight. Definitely worth seeing if you like what's shown there.

[andy_e]

Shame there's nowhere around you to do any then. Oh wait... 

[lagerstarfish]

really hard work

if you get really fit (and competent at getting around) it won't seem like such hard work

wasting loads of energy getting to places only to find that conditions aren't very good (and so using even more energy to do the out of condition descents) is what made me fit enough to be able to race about like Taz when conditions were good

a day out in poor conditions will at least be an opportunity to commune quietly with nature with no one else around - and will make you fitter and will get you some more experience of snow and avalanche conditions - and is way better than another day on busy pisted hard pack

the day that you head out, feeling confident in your snow/avalanche knowledge and score good conditions with no one else around will leave you motivated beyond belief

go on some avalanche courses, dig lots of pits and ask if you can go out with avalanche patrols to dig more pits

there was some structure to this, but a waking child has distracted me

[lagerstarfish]

if possible, try to find slopes that are accessable via ridges that get scraped/packed by the wind - means it's easier underfoot, sometimes less steep than the direct route and you get better views whilst slogging

the obvious problem with this is that a slope below a wind scraped ridge may well be prone to slab avalanche - and because you didn't come up the slope you won't have had a chance to investigate the snow pack. Ideally you will have recent experience of similar slopes and so know what to expect before setting out...

[lagerstarfish]

and, to state the bleedin obvious - do loads and loads of avalanche search and recovery practice - burying transeivers (more than one at a time as well) and learning search paterns and probing/digging techniques. this is a great way to pass time (and develop fitness) on days when the weather won't let you do anything else

will you be moving over glaciers? there's a whole bunch of extra skills needed there - not too complicated for climbers to learn, but you'll fare better if these things come automatically

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

The final constraint is getting any uphill gear (splitboard ideally, more likely snowshoes for now) bought without the the wife complaining about extravagance ...

I refer you to the 'home made' splitty discussion earlier in this thread....still a few $ but not as bad.

[SA Chris]

Whistler do loads of guiding and back country courses etc. There's probably even people in Squampton who do them. I went on the free "avalanche awareness" course that is on offer at Whistler on a day when we had some crap weather, and even though I know a fair bit I learned quite a lot. They also do intensive multi day avalanche courses as well (not free though!).  There are also some transceivers buried on the hill for you to do transceiver practise with. I think just to the right of the terrain park on whistler mountain (it's marked on the trail map).

If you are starting off with modest ambitions you can get away with snow shoes ans some telescopic poles and a bit of kicking your way up steeper stuff before you invest in a split board.

Even if you are working full time, you seem to get a lot more good days there than we do in Scotland, so weekends only might not be such a hardship. I'm sure Andy (W? the Vancouver one) will be able to give you some pointers, or there are like minded folk aroud who might take you out for a day and show you some pointers.

[lagerstarfish]

snowshoes for now) bought without the the wife complaining about extravagance ...

you live down the hill from some snow

snow shoes are not an extravagance - they are essential for your physical and mental wellbeing

I'll have a word with her if that will help - something along the lines of "look at the state I'm in. This is because I don't have any snowshoes or access to snow. You don't want Mr Seiger to end up like me, do you?"

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

I'll have a word with her if that will help - something along the lines of "look at the state I'm in. This is because I don't have any snowshoes or access to snow. You don't want Mr Seiger to end up like me, do you?"

Can you have a word with Mrs Obi please? Persuade her she wants to look after the kids while I get a week or two boarding in with the boys, and while we're at it, that we do want to move to Vancouver/Squamish  for a year or two?! Cheers. Buy you a pint.

[lagerstarfish]

would it be better to put the $800 towards a split board instead?

you would then have less weight on your back on the way up (no board on back) and the way down (no skis on back) - this makes the whole day more fun

I'll repost a pic of my home made approach skis later

[SA Chris]

Aren't approach skis generally used for getting to the start of mountain routes? Guess they can be used as an alternative if you don't have s plit board, but I agree with the fish of lager that a splitty is a better option for backcountry riding.

[lagerstarfish]

for doing bigger jumps/drops or for steeper, harder, scarier descents requiring serious "edging skills or hospital bills" it is an advantage to have a one piece board, so the approach skis would be very helpful - just how hardcore are you?

[tomtom]

Where's the home made skis pic Lagers?

[lagerstarfish]

Where's the home made skis pic Lagers?

at home

I'm at work

you'll just have to wait

I did post it earlier in this thread, but I assume that it's dissapeared

[lagerstarfish]

I tried the search - searched for my posts in this thread - it didn't work

that's the one - they don't fold - I just let them stick up out of the rucksack - made out of recycled skis, skins and oldschool snowboard bindings

would probably work just as well even if you didn't dress as a scruffy British mountaineering bum

skinning is a lot easier than snowshoeing

[Johnny Brown]

Never mind the skis, can we have a photo of the time machine you used to take that snowboard back to 1983?

[lagerstarfish]

time machine you used to take that snowboard back to 1983?

heliskiing is banned in France, but using a time machine didn't seem to get us into any trouble

[AndyR]

Even if you are working full time, you seem to get a lot  I'm sure Andy (W? the Vancouver one) will be able to give you some pointers, or there are like minded folk aroud who might take you out for a day and show you some pointers.

Yup Mr R (not W) has indeed offered and in general is a guru on BC living. Though he purports to work on weekdays which is when I am free'est. That said in the last few days he has been taking snowmobile lessons in company time ...

Hey, Dr R to you, and those were essential snowmobile safety training classes...

You can borrow my split if you want to try it - though I've been up on Paul Ridge behind your house with people on snowshoes, and haven't had to wait too much.

[El Mocho]

Mam Tor today:



There were patches of ok snow (little bit of crust) and lots of clumps of grass sticking through in places! Really needs a bit more for it to get good.

As an aside Back Tor looked very wintery...

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

Really needs a bit more for it to get good.

Shame it's meant to warm up and rain at the weekend now...

[lagerstarfish]

with snow forecast for tonight, I intend to go to Le Piste des Alpacas around sun-up for an hour or so of gentle turns and, of course, a pastry and a cup of coffee on the slopes

anyone else in?

I'll be the one speaking in the manner of a "Chute FM" (always sounded like "shit FM") conditions reporter

"there are big pooders ev-ery-where and all of the sloops are open" etc

[SA Chris]

Glenshee was in good shape yesterday, scored fresh tracks everywhere (calling it powder would be a lie but as good as you get in scotland) not too crowded. Then clag came in and I got fucked off with riding blind and went home. Hopefully Coire Fionn and Glas Moel opening soon, snowing again in Aberdeen as I look out the window.