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It's Starting!

#1
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10/12/09 at 7:53am
  • Joined: August 2006
  • Location: Berlin
  • Post Count: 295
It looks like the first substantial snows of the season are hitting Germany, Austria and Eastern Switzerland starting today and continuing all week. A typical "Nordstau" pattern hitting the eastern Alps north of the divide, snow should fall all the way down to the valleys as the week goes on.

Time to start building the bases for the season. Hopefully it sticks around above 1500 m or so. Pretty sure it'll melt below that.

Now to go stare at some webcams...
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#2
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10/19/09 at 8:47am
  • Joined: July 2009
  • Location: The crappest town in Britain
  • Post Count: 79
The weather forecasts I've seen show really warm (10-15 C) weather hitting the Alps for a number of days at the end of the month.

I can't find any resorts that won't be hit hard. So far, Andermatt seems to be the weakest hit, getting up to 7 or 8.

I'm off to sulk now.


Hey, you wanna see me do something stupid?

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#3
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10/20/09 at 8:41am
  • Joined: August 2006
  • Location: Berlin
  • Post Count: 295
Well hopefully it'll last above say 2000 m. Forecasted temps on the glaciers don't look too bad. The Zugspitze got over 1.5 m out of the storm, which is incredible for mid-October.
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#4
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10/22/09 at 3:45am
  • Joined: July 2002
  • Location: ...in a country far far away
  • Post Count: 12,553
Well, there's been a dusting in Tignes down at Le Lac overnight. Hopefully that's the start (5 weeks to my first trip)

If God hadn't meant us to ski, why did He give us mountains, snow and gravity?

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#5
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10/22/09 at 4:16am
  • Joined: January 2005
  • Location: Milan, Italy; Madesimo, Italy
  • Post Count: 2,184
We took in about 60 cm from this storm, a nice start. Need at least a meter and a half to be in business, though, with all the big boulders and what-not.

Control. Freedom is control.

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#6
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11/2/09 at 3:51am
  • Joined: July 2009
  • Location: The crappest town in Britain
  • Post Count: 79
Happy days are here again. Plenty of beautiful gray skies and cold temps, with webcams showing very little scenery (clouds too thick and too much snow).


Hey, you wanna see me do something stupid?

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#7
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11/2/09 at 6:48am
  • Joined: August 2006
  • Location: Berlin
  • Post Count: 295
About damn time. Now if we can just get 7 weeks of heavy snow before I head out to start the season.
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#8
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11/2/09 at 7:19am
  • Joined: January 2005
  • Location: Milan, Italy; Madesimo, Italy
  • Post Count: 2,184

'Nother half meter or so up top today, things starting to add up a bit. Late enough that there shouldn't be any melting now.

Control. Freedom is control.

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#9
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11/2/09 at 7:40am
  • Joined: July 2009
  • Location: The crappest town in Britain
  • Post Count: 79
This weekend, I asked a friend of mine in Moscow to send over some of the cold air that was sitting in lower Siberia, in exchange for the rain that was sitting over the Isles here. I guess the two clashed over the Alps.

Seriously, the 15-day forecasts for a lot of resorts look good: low temps and some precipitation throughout. No real fluctuations.

This might be the actual start.

Hey, you wanna see me do something stupid?

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#10
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11/5/09 at 1:00am
  • Joined: November 2008
  • Location: Riga, Latvia
  • Post Count: 72
 Today opens of two hills here in Latvia... I think I'll scratch off summer wax 

How to avoid being hit from behind? Be the fastest on the hill...

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#11
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11/5/09 at 6:32am
  • Joined: November 2005
  • Location: Augsburg/Germany
  • Post Count: 28
never thought of skiing in latvia - you have some more info's links?

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#12
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11/5/09 at 11:21pm
  • Joined: November 2008
  • Location: Riga, Latvia
  • Post Count: 72
Quote:
Originally Posted by elkam View Post

never thought of skiing in latvia - you have some more info's links?
 
There are quite many hills (http://www.slalom.lv/), but it is not worth to come to Latvia for skiing from other places than from Lithuania or Estonia... Generally run it is 300-500m long and 30 - 60m vertical drop 

But you can visit Latvia, spend some time in Riga, go to other cities, visit some castles and spend some time on hill

I was here yesterday, to catch the first snow... They work hard to be the first each year... http://www.zagarkalns.lv/en/

Just web_camera (english version of site is not working)... Really beautiful hotel, country side surroundings and the best winter rally roads in Latvia (if you have Impreza of Evo, you will LOVE them) - http://www.lidolauki.lv/lv/kalns/web_kamera/

One of steepest hills - http://www.kakiskalns.lv/en/#... 50km from Riga... A good place to visit both in summer or winter

The longest runs and a chairlift (I think, we have 2 chairlifts here in Latvia) - http://www.ozolkalns.lv ... One of my favorites because they have very good lift capacity, chairlift and longest runs... And quite interesting terrain...  

Although ski resorts are tiny, most of them try to create fun parks, have boxes, some jumps, boardercross runs... That's what don't need much vertical drop... Not that bad, I think 
Zagarkalns fun park winter 2008/2009

Edited by irafar - 11/6/09 at 12:04am

How to avoid being hit from behind? Be the fastest on the hill...

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#13
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11/6/09 at 4:10am
  • Joined: August 2006
  • Location: Berlin
  • Post Count: 295
Hey, that's better than I would have thought!

How far is it to decent cross country skiing from Riga (or Tallinn if you know)? It might be worth it if flights are cheap from Berlin.
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#14
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11/6/09 at 4:48am
  • Joined: November 2008
  • Location: Riga, Latvia
  • Post Count: 72
Quote:
Originally Posted by ami in berlin View Post

Hey, that's better than I would have thought!

How far is it to decent cross country skiing from Riga (or Tallinn if you know)? It might be worth it if flights are cheap from Berlin.
I think, the best cross country skiing in Baltics could be in Estonia - http://www.tehvandi.ee/mk/index.php?id=61

Some ski resorts in Latvia have cross country skiing tracks, but they are 1-2km long. That would be 50km from Riga.
If you don't need track, you could go to http://www.gaizins.lv/ziema/ka-noklut-ziema (which is close to  http://www.lidolauki.lv/lv/kalns/web_kamera/) If the winter is as good as the previous was, there is plenty of natural snow - you can ski fields and forests. But it is 180km from Riga.

How to avoid being hit from behind? Be the fastest on the hill...

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