These days will come soon eneough!So Chamonix, or the Grand Montets, is open for business as of this weekend and its official the winter season 2010/11 has begun.
I headed up there today for a quick slide around and am happy to report that the conditions are good, well on the piste at least, very good!
It's that time of year where the Off Piste looks pretty good but there is still very little base to the snowpack and hidden just underneath is a jagged, spikey rock garden just waiting to bite your board and your ass, so beware!
Of course this being Chamonix, there are tracks absolutely everywhere and because of this a lot of the rocks are now visible as excited seasonaires have ridden over and into them, I'd hate to have seen the state of some peoples new boards and skiers after yesterday, the first day of opening after last weeks storms!
For me, I look forward to the long season ahead. There's going to be plenty of time to mix it up out there and I'm happy to bide my time and just play around the pistes until the snow base gets deeper and all the rocks are filled in and well covered. For me, this is the time to focus on the feelings of riding, get the control and precision back in your feet and perfect your technique. Its time to play around and jib it up a little here and there but definitely I'll leave the cranking it up Off Piste until we've had a couple more big storms come our way.
For the time of year, the conditions are great1 It looks like we're going to get some milder weather coming our way and some rain quite high up. In a way this isn't a bad thing as it will consolidate the snowpack and melt out any dangerous hoar crystals that might be growing in there due to the cold conditions and the shallow snowpack (faceting through temperature gradient metamorphisis for the snow geeks!)
It's due to get colder again afterward so snow should follow the wet weather and conditions should just get better and better from here on in.
I picked up a Jones 164 Wide 'All mountain Twin' yesterday and so will try it out over the next couple of days, really looking forward to it.
I hear that the Jones boards are now arriving in the UK, so all of you that have ordered them through our TSA deal should be getting hold of them any day now.
I've also updated a few changes to the course bookings as we had a cancellation on a couple of spots so check out the latest course news.
Busy writing BC safety articles at the moment for various sources, some of which I'll post on the site once they're free from the publishers.
Time to get excited, bring it on!
Neil.
Hi Neil, 2 JONES snowboard questions..!
ReplyDeleteDo you need to adjust riding technique for rocker/magnetraction boards ?
I have done a couple of BC courses with you, looking at buying mountain twin as I don't get into the BC much anymore. I am 90kg uk10 boots (salomon F20) wide board required ?...164W ?
thanks, Chris
Hi Chris, magnetraction needs no adjustment but only works when carving, same as a bread knife which is ineffective when skidded across the bread!
ReplyDeleteRocker works a little differently as it raises a certain section of the edge off the slope and so brings the turn initiation point in closer to the foot. The Jones boards have camber under foot so ride simillar to a normal board but with an easier turn initiation that is relative to a shorter board. Once on the edge you have the benefit of the stability of the longer board.
I have replied to your other questions on the Q7A blog.
It's a very good board, for all mountain jibbing and playing the A M Twin is superb, for all mountain riding and charging go for the flagship.
Don't be afraid to go long as the boards are easy to turn!