Powdersnow-Season - 2009-2010

Post by **Schneewurm** » Thursday 3 December 2009, 21:00

Sorry I'm tired from today, I take it short:

No coins during daytime, paying Euro 20.-, getting a piece of a cardboard -> riding all You can! (until the legs are overburning). But coins are available for to take cablecar at nighttime 6 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Yes, nearly on every uphill residents have taken cablecar too (upwards or downwards). Beside that, My first uphill was for checking if conditions are well. The liftman recommend me to go up at first time without any ticket, so I could decide after my first downhill if I want to pay only for this single uphill, or if I want to do more downhills and to pay Euro 20.- for full day riding - one more authentic scene of trust between people of the mountains.

But one dangerous disadvantage was there: In the environs of houses wires for drying clothes are still hanging (lenghth of 30-80 m) above the snowlayer, so I had to take care during My rides to keep my head below this wires!

Hmm, and Yes, there have been plenty of walls of stones (1-3 m high) and natural weaves because of steep area. So many jumps are regular every downhill. This can be called also as a countinuous fun-park.

Beside that it was incredible how many snowblowers I saw all the day - everywhere snowblowers in action - countless!

Post by **Schneewurm** » Tuesday 8 December 2009, 11:08

Sometimes some new powdersnow can be a nice thing for to start a weekend-day with a wild ride like on picture 1. For higher speed turns, a good layer of powdersnow will help to ride on a smooth way all the day. Finishing a day on trackless hills, like on last weekend (see picture 2, 2.30 p.m.), helps to stay dreaming the whole following week!

Post by **Schneewurm** » Sunday 31 January 2010, 8:05

Is there anyone, who knows what can be done, if snowhigh was rising by a plus of 85 cm of new fluffy powdersnow at a blue open sky yet?

Post by **Schneewurm** » Sunday 31 January 2010, 17:11

It seems nobody knows it! Just watch photo below, showing some trees and a small part of a swallow-tail snowboard in front of them. Now some heavy snowfall I can watch in front of my keyboard and I have the hope of some aditional snow and big-day-weather for tomorrow.

Post by **Schneewurm** » Monday 1 February 2010, 21:37

Picture from today. Behind the white dust there is a snowboarder.
(Riders on hardboots at resort today: 6 or 7 and us. Yesterday Sunday: 60-70 at all - just like on a small carvingsession. Fortunatly snow was too deep and fluffy for the small sticks, so they stay at slopes.)

Post by **Schneewurm** » Wednesday 3 February 2010, 22:28

Yesterday, after the unique track ereasing function was activated during night-time, some new smooth rides on a new surface (deep new powder snow), was like heaven. Snow-blowers had been in action the whole day (picture 1). Also my own tracks have been ereased during the day by one snowblower (left-upper edge). Unfortunatly the sun was only for some hours shining bright. The day was finished with a fourth track, beside my three other tracks on second picture from 4 p.m.

Post by **Schneewurm** » Sunday 7 March 2010, 22:00

One other day in paradise. Snowhigh raises about 50 cm and sky comes in a deep blue.
Powderstick at right side of first picture, second picture shows one of many playgrounds on my last downhill today.

Post by **Schneewurm** » Thursday 1 April 2010, 17:31

Sometimes it's a better thing, to spend hours to be on snow, instead on a forum.
Even if snowhigh was increased by another 60 cm and the sun starts to shine, the first steps to a powderfield can give a nice feeling (picture 1). With the basic demand of 100 cm snowlevel on the base of station a smooth ride can follow these first steps.

After such an entry-ride for the early morning warmup, taking a lift up to the peak as the first tourist at all, can be a plus of this feeling - same thing for watching down the new fresh wide trackless powderfields (picture 2).

As an authentic snowboarder, I like very much to ride on snow-coverd areas on the mountains, where snowhigh put T-bar-lifts to the limit of operation (picture 3, right corner).
Beside that, my focus isn't to be present for big-mouth-snowboarding at many snowboarding forums. Much more than such things, I like some big-game-snowboarding rides.
Rides e.g. like them, which starts on the top of the hill from picture 2, entering downhill with an "elevator" 2-3 floors down (picture 3 / detail of run), for a fine run on higher speed e.g. on a swallowtail-board (one, which doesn't delaminate, or declinch after leaving the "elevator").

(E'hm, and for to be sure, this wasn't a an aprils fool joke at all !)

Post by **Schneewurm** » Friday 2 April 2010, 22:31

Passing roads like on Picture 1 at early morning, can help to find ideas, what can be done on Good Friday. Even if all remaining tracks on snowfields have been equalized by new 40 cm of powdersnow.

But on Good Friday sometimes can be the hope, for less riders on the lifts, like it was today (picture 2, it was 3 p.m. at afternoon). That will help to save nice powderfields for rides.

Closing powderdays like that, with a nice run over 900 m of high (one small part of it shows picture 3, above the red doublestroke is a man), brings some good memoirs of Good Fridays.

Post by **Schneewurm** » Thursday 8 April 2010, 15:21

After Easter-Monday on some new fresh +50 cm of snow, I was lucky to go carving Yesterday. Riding deep powdersnow only, can becomme a boring thing with the time. So the warm temperature up to high mountains on Tuesday and a clear following night, helps for good slopes on Wednesday.
I was then early morning the first on lifts, for to rip some new fresh prepared slopes. Well, area was also o.k. for ride outside slopes, even at the third day after snowfalls. I think like perfect for e.g. riding a Swoard Dual. Unfortunately I had to go there with my 19.5 cm-waist freecarving-board.
But that didn't stop me, for to take as last person the lift at this day. Climbing then up to the peak several meters, for a great sight-seeing. Then a final run starts down to the valley for about 800 m of high. On this way I closed at about 5.30 p.m. a great day of carving black slopes only - not seen any red or blue slopes the whole day.

Picture 1: first section down from the peak.
Picture 2: last section on the bottom of valley.

Post by **Schneewurm** » Friday 21 May 2010, 22:22

During nearly 2 weeks of some everyday precipitation (snow was falling down to 1000 m), my focus was not to any summer activities, but for sure for to go snowboarding today. More then 1200 m of downhill on fresh snow every run, was a realy nice thing! More snow now, but less riders now, that safes some extra areas for me.

(Sorry guys - no joke at all! I know, it's now Pentecost, but as an authentic snowboarder I like much more to go snowboarding/carving then to read and/or write everyday on forums.)

Post by **Felix** » Friday 21 May 2010, 22:28

Damn, looks great. Since 2 weeks I go much more Mtbiking than boarding.

Can't say that this was a good season for me. Only about 10 days with 50cm plus freshies. No comparison with the two previous years....
Instead of going down really extreme stuff like last year, this year I much more enjoyed using non adapted stuff on snow like waterskis and MTB to go down medium steep stuff of up to 40-50° (well once that ment I had to hike up 30 minutes to get back to my MTB that stopped while I only did 400m lower...)... or guiding freeride clients through average terrain and in order to have some fun use a noboard or one Raxski only...

Post by **Schneewurm** » Sunday 30 May 2010, 10:28

@Felix
Yes, it war a good day. They talked also about of +50 cm fresh snow (2200-2500 m). At the bottom of the downhill-area it was about +30 cm. At the peak, there have been maybe some vew additional Centimeters of fresh snow then the reported 50 cm (see first picture)!

Your impressios match the resume of winter 2009/2010 here too. (German text) I didn't count all my days on fresh snow, but there must be also less then last winter.

So, to adapt change of clima with new tools/toys like You do, will be the key to the future. The remaining days of nice powdersnow should be taken with a lot of fun. Carving/snowboarding on bands of artifical snow, like on 2nd picture showing an Austrian resort, will be the bad future - that wouldn't be my goal. Riding "adapted stuff"? Yes e.g. lower ski areas go now to promote FIS Grasski World Championship!

- - - -

Well, of course Earth clima is on change. A change which is much more in progress as we can and want to accept it.

I remember me to the Glacier I rode that day a view Years before. On this Glacier (overall steepness: 71% / 35°) are now missing some blue very steep icefields, I remember me of course. Now high rocks are on that place.

So let us switch now to the Ried Glacier.
Ried Gletscher? - Any more melting ice, who does care about it?

Please remark: Ried Glacier is at St. Niklaus Valais Switzerland, thats just only 16 km East of Zinal. Ried-Gletscher, thats on the northern face of the Nadelhorn (4327 m), loss on summer 2009 around 500 m (five hundred!) of his length! (in southwestern Valais another 3 Glacier loss 100 m or more of the length.)

Data from: http://www.vaw.ethz.ch/divisions/gz/index (-> Swiss glacier monitoring network)

And thats not the worst case! Rossboden Glacier near Simplon (Valais, 30 km East of Zinal) retreat 2009 about 1500 m (right, fifteen hundred meters!) Thats the very steep North-East face of Fletschhorn.
I think, it's the overall loss. The splitting of the ice from the peak (3995 m) and the basin (3200 m /loss of any ice on the Northface) and meltings on his tongue.

Ehm, please note that: this are not low area mountains, this are glaciers from high mountains at 4000 m!