Backcountry Skiing and Snowboarding

Tuesday, 29 January, 2008

Bust up between la Clusaz and the Croix Fry

Over the summer ski resorts have been busy. Improving ski runs modernizing ski lifts and, a key marketing tool, adding links between disparate domains. But not in the Haute Savoie where relations between some resorts have become decidedly frosty, unlike the above average temperatures this January.

croix-fry

Posted by davidof at 06:11 PM
• (4) Comments • Read More... •

Friday, 25 January, 2008

The Beaufortain gets a Beacon Basin

A new avalanche beacon training area has opened in the Areches ski resort in the Beaufortain mountain range. The Areches is the home of the Pierra Menta ski mountaineering marathon so it seems appropriate they have made this move.

Posted by davidof at 09:14 AM
• (0) Comments • Read More... •

Wednesday, 16 January, 2008

Management buy-out for Dynastar?

Rumours about the future of Dynastar have been circulating for the past couple of years. The Sallanches (Haute-Savoie) based company, part of the Quiksilver stable (NYSE:ZQK), is the last major ski manufacturer in France. Their factory has a capacity to produce 450,000 skis per year. Quiksilver has seen its share price plummet faster than a downhill skier over the last quarter.

Posted by davidof at 07:30 AM
• (4) Comments • Read More... •

St Lary Freeride 2008

If you are in or can get to St Lary Soulan over the 17th to 19th of the January check out their Freeride festival. The 14 films in the competition cover a panorama of recent productions conceived and filmed in the Pyrenees as well as the United States and Canada. The event coincides with St Lary’s 50 anniversary.

Posted by davidof at 06:28 AM
• (3) Comments • Read More... •

Tuesday, 15 January, 2008

Col de Porte ski station closed

The Col du Porte is blanketed under a meter of fresh snow. Perfect skiing conditions. But the five “Poma” lifts and the lone chair sit idle, the only sound the clinking of the perches as they move in the breeze. The Col du Porte started life back in 1935, one of the France’s very first ski resorts. Before the war motor transport was rare and the Grenoblois would cycle up early on Saturday morning, skis strapped to their backs.

Sunset on the col de Porte

Posted by davidof at 09:32 AM
• (10) Comments • Read More... •

Monday, 14 January, 2008

Two ski tourers killed in Belledonne

Two ski tourers have been killed, probably by an avalanche, while descending from a night in the Pra refuge in the Belledonne mountain range. The incident occurred on Saturday during heavy snow and poor visibility.

Lac du Crozet

Posted by davidof at 06:34 AM
• (2) Comments • Read More... •

Skier missing on the Vallee Blanche

A Lithuanian skier has been missing since Friday afternoon after attempting a descent of the Vallée Blanche above Chamonix. An extensive search for the 26 year old man had found no trace.

Posted by davidof at 05:03 AM
• (15) Comments • Read More... •

Friday, 11 January, 2008

Salomon halts French ski production

The slow decline of Salomon continues. After major restructuring and job losses in 2005/6 the group has announced that it will close the Rumilly plant and stop ski production in France. The news has still been a shock for the Haute-Savoie company which only recently celebrated its 60th anniversary. According to a union representative employees “are battered and bruised but were resigned to the decisions taken by Amer sports (OMX:AMEAS) in Finland, they no longer believe in the company”.

Posted by davidof at 06:57 AM
• (0) Comments • Read More... •

Thursday, 10 January, 2008

Trophée des Derbys 2008

The season has had a good start, snow had fallen in abundance since mid November and it is time to get your application in for the mythic Derbe de la Meije. However you may not realize that there are also 13 other Derby’s that form part of the season long Trophée des Derbys, now in its fourth season.

Posted by davidof at 06:30 AM
• (1) Comments • Read More... •

Tignes season worker killed by avalanche

A snowboarder has been killed off-piste in Tignes by an avalanche yesterday. The avalanche occurred in the Tufs couloir in the Toviere sector above Tignes le Lac. With light snow and poor visibility the conditions were marginal at the time of the accident according to rescuers from specialized mountain police units of the CRS des Alpes based in Courchevel. The victim was buried under 150cm of snow.

Tignes Avalanche
Avalanche site in the “Fingers” couloirs - Henry Schniewind