Wednesday, 02 January, 2008
Beware of tracks!
On snow the sayings go: To make the first tracks one can be tempted into stupidity and when a slope is covered in snow it can anaesthetise one’s caution, forgetting basic safety rules. This is a little story with a lesson.
Words and pictures by Didier Givois
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Tuesday, 01 January, 2008
Happy anniversary le Corbier
The Savoie ski resort of Le Corbier opened its doors 40 years ago last weekend but the gestation of the resort was not an altogether happy affair and would lead to the ruin of a family. Unlike many promoters Christian Guerin was not a rich industrialist or banker. He had made his money playing in Jazz bands in Paris chic St Germain des Pres district but the arrival of “anglo-saxon” pop had left him without work. A chance meeting with Maurice Michaud, the government official in charge of development ski resorts, would change his life.
St Germain des Neiges
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Vallorcine renews off piste ban
The mayor of Vallorcine, Patrick Ancey, has passed a bye-law for the start of the 2007-2008 season banning off-piste skiing in 2 sections of his community and restriction access to a third sector to days when the avalanche risk is less than 3 (Considerable) on a scale of 5. The ban has not gone down well with snow professionals in the Chamonix valley. Mr Ancey is up for re-election in the spring of 2008.
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Sunday, 30 December, 2007
Vosges climbers injured by snow slide
Two climbers have been injured by an avalanche in the Vosges massif yesterday. The climbers, a man aged 45 and a woman of 35 were in the Y couloir near to Falimont on the north side of the Hohneck. They were not buried by the slide but suffered from a number of fractures.
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Thursday, 27 December, 2007
Faction’s Fat Twins
Verbier based Faction Skis lives by the slogan “Nothing but Fat Twins”. We caught up with Entrepreneur Alex Hoye and Graphic Designer Tony McWilliam up on the glacier at les Deux Alpes. Melbourne based McWilliam took us through the range. For the park there are two skis with 92mm underfoot, the Dillingen 168cm and the Wednesday 178cm. For Backcountry freestylers the 3Zero in 183cm and its bigger brother, the Thirteen 191cm. Both have an ample 112 mm at the waist.
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Sunday, 23 December, 2007
Ski tourer killed by Pyrenees avalanche
A 35 year old ski tourer has been killed by an avalanche in the Hautes-Pyrénées close to the ski resort of Val Louron. The deceased was named as Stéphane Sabathé. Originally from Tarbes and a resident of Toulouse was accompanied by a his wife and a friend. They were able to remain on top of the slide and were slightly hurt and in a state of shock.
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Wednesday, 19 December, 2007
In the heart of an avalanche
Lots of people give advice about what to do when caught in an avalanche but how many of them have actually been through the nightmare of white death? The ski resort of les Deux Alpes wants to do exactly that to visitors, but in complete security thanks to a simulator dubbed The Robocoaster. The simulator is the brainchild of local businessman Marc Dode who lost a ski instructor friend and his client in an avalanche several years ago.
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Thursday, 13 December, 2007
Artificial snow, a short term fix?
The Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research located in Davos have just released a monster 189 page tome in German studying the effects of snow canons on the mountain economy. I’ve only had time to read the “shorter” 35 page version. The overall conclusion is that while artificial snow is essential in the short term for the economic stability of ski areas long term it has no future below 1500 meters.
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Wednesday, 12 December, 2007
Kilimanjaro, blame it on the sunshine
The melting snows of Kilimanjaro near the African equator have become a symbol of global warming but is there really a link between the two? Two geophysicists, Philip Mote and Georg Kaser don’t think so. In an article in the journal American Scientific the two scientists have identified other causes.
Kilimanjaro - shrinking snows (photo: Nasa)
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Thursday, 06 December, 2007
Ultimate touring ski from Dynastar?
New babies from Dynastar to be unveiled at the January ISPO in Munich. A 2600 gram wide ski with good grip for the steeps. Ski legend Pierre Tardivel and friends have helped with the development. The ski is creating quite a buzz in the French ski touring world.
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