The Skiing Department Blog

Many skiers choose to wear a rucksack (I prefer the term backpack) when skiing. Often we are out all day in the mountains and we simply need to carry stuff around with us.

As skiers, we do have different requirements for what we need to carry. For some, it’s simply a picnic lunch for the family whilst for others it’s crucial safety equipment for off piste skiing.

Some skiers do not like wearing backpacks because they feel cumbersome and heavy. This is personal preference, and if you feel that you can carry all you need in your pockets, then fine, but today you can choose from a huge variety of backpacks to suit your needs.

If an extra pair of gloves and some sandwiches are all you need, then you can use a small pack that you would hardly notice wearing at all. Of course, fashion plays a big part and the look and styling of your backpack is important to some.

Backcountry or off piste skiers need to wear well designed, strong and fairly large day packs (20 - 30 litres). This is because the equipment that needs to be carried is extensive. The pack needs to take a snow shovel and a telescopic avalanche probe. These are designed to be light and strong and the shovel handle can be removed to make it easier to fit in the pack. Sometimes a light weight rope is required, if ski touring on glaciers, as well as extra clothing, drinking water, first aid kit and food.

If you are on a multi day ski tour, then you need to carry everything on your back. The rucksack needs to be larger. Usually on ski tours you stay in mountain huts. Sometimes food is provided, but you need to carry changes of clothing and other everyday requirements.

Essentially, you need to ascertain what you want to use a backpack for. Once you know then you can choose according to your needs. Manufactures now design backpacks specifically for skiing. They will also produce packs for the different requirements we have e.g. general recreational use, off piste/back country skiing, ski touring and ski mountaineering.

What I carry in my backpack when skiing off piste:
Snow shovel, avalanche probe, first aid kit, spare gloves and hat, binoculars, energy bars, water in thermos flask to prevent freezing, penknife, spare googles, spare sunglasses, fleece, 2 way radios, sun cream and lunch, if required.

Some of the manufactures that produce good quality skiing backpacks include: The North face, Lowe Alpine, Scott Sports, Berghaus, Black Diamond, Ortovox, Camelbak.

In future posts, I will go into detail for each category of backpack.

The ‘real’ ski season does not really get going until Christmas time in Europe and the USA…..but as the nights draw in and the temperature drops, many of us can’t resist the thought of getting in a few turns before the crowds turn up.

Any mountain area can receive snowfall in the autumn time, but you can’t always guarantee it, and many resorts simply don’t open their lifts before a certain date.

I have compiled my list of 10 ski resorts where you can ski before Christmas. Some of these ski resorts open their ski lifts weeks before Christmas, and can insure snow due to glaciation and/or good artificial snow making facilities.

I have only included one US resort, but if anyone has any others then please do write in and let me know.

Tignes – France
This world renowned ski resort that links up with Val d’Isere is open most of the year for skiing. Because of its altitude, glacier and location it’s always one of the first places to get heavy snow. Great for weekend ski breaks in late November onwards.

Hintertux – Austria
A popular skiing destination for real enthusiasts before the ski season proper starts. A large glacier opens up a multitude of runs for all abilities.

Zermatt – Switzerland
Fantastic scenery, great atmosphere, top class food and a high altitude glacier too. It’s not cheap, but it’s a wonderful place to hang out in the early winter.

Lillehammer – Norway
Maybe not an obvious choice but this part of Norway often opens its doors for skiing in early October! It’s quiet then and the nights have not fully drawn in. You need to check the snow reports, as there’s no glacier here, but it’s so far north you shouldn’t have to worry.

Utah – USA
The high altitude rocky mountains provide early winter conditions and Utah is well positioned to take advantage of Autumn (Fall) storms.

Verbier – Switzerland
Pretty snow sure early on although not reliant on glacier skiing. The high altitude helps. Don’t go before the start of December, but the lead up to Christmas is often snowy. If not there’s always a party on somewhere.

Val Thorens – France
Very high altitude European skiing in the purpose built village linked into the 3 Vallees ski region. Often possible to ski in November.

Kaprun – Austria
Another Austrian early season favourite on the Kitzsteinhorn glacier. You can ski here all year around. According to their website it is mountain adventure at its most mighty.

Passo Tonale – Italy
One of a few places in the Italian Alps geared up for early season skiing. You can ski on the Presena glacier from late autumn onwards….and eat Italian food too!

Aviemore – Scotland
Well, you never know, sometimes it snows in November and they open the lifts. When they do, just go up there and enjoy it.

In Part 1, of this Blog Article, I described good European Ski Resorts for Spring Skiing.
Now, I am going to describe the snow conditions you can expect, why its a good time to go Ski Touring and list the Advantages and Disadvantages of Spring Skiing.

Skiing in April can be very pleasant.
The daytime temperatures can go well above freezing point. This will cause melting and slushy conditions ,in the afternoons, with a possibility of icy slopes in the mornings. But slushy snow can be fun and spring sunshine is great for the tan. It can still snow though, so be prepared and often heavy snowstorms come in and dump large quantities of powder snow on the upper slopes. This can bring great off piste conditions for one or two days, after a storm, before the snow can become heavy and wet with the warming temperatures. A warning that these particular conditions can create a high avalanche risk, so never ski off piste without a fully qualified instructor or mountain guide.

Another special treat which skiers can look forward to, in the spring, is the development of ‘corn snow’ or ‘spring snow’ as it is often referred to.
Although spring snow can occur at any time, during the winter, it is by nature more likely to form in March and April. Corn snow forms during a cycle of thaw and freeze temperatures. Warm sunny days without precipitation and cold clear nights constantly thaw and freeze the snow. Providing that the snow is untouched by skiers the surface will become ultra smooth usually within 5 or 6 days of this cycle. This only happens off piste, most commonly on south or west facing slopes. Spring corn snow is a delight to ski on. Almost all standards of skiers will be able to cope with the conditions, obviously depending on the gradient. It is crucial to pick the right time of day to ski on spring corn snow. This is usually between 11am and 2pm, although it can vary depending on the temperature. By mid morning, the sun has just melted the top layer, leaving a silky smooth surface with a firm base underneath. After deep powder snow it is generally rated as the most fun snow condition to ski on. Again, when skiing off piste it is essential to understand the potential dangers involved.

A popular spring pastime is ski touring. Even after the lifts have closed in the resort there are endless possibilities to explore the mountains on skis. Ski touring involves climbing and descending with the use of skins on the skis and does not rely on ski lifts. One of the most popular routes is the Haute Route. This is an ancient sheep track which travels between Chamonix in France and Zermatt in Switzerland. It takes several days to complete and overnight stays are required in high mountain huts. Further information, on ski touring, can be found in the book: ‘Rucksack Guide – Ski Mountaineering and Snowshoeing’ by Alun Richardson. You can read our review of this book.

So, to sum up this 2 part article, the Advantages and Disadvantages of Spring Skiing are as follows:

Advantages
More chance of sunny weather
Quieter slopes after Easter
Cheaper accommodation
Spring corn snow
Late season powder snow
End of season parties

Disadvantages:
Lower slope melt down
Potential for rain especially at lower levels
Some ski lifts might close down early
Resort staff can be tired and jaded after long season
Lack of ‘winter wonderland’ atmosphere

In the Northern Hemisphere, the ‘commercial’ or peak time ski season stretches between the Christmas and Easter holidays but many alpine resorts open well before Christmas and close after Easter.

Of course, Easter falls at different times according to the moon cycle. Sometimes Easter day falls as early as the last Sunday in March or as late as the last Sunday in April. This can have serious consequences on the skiing industry.

Because most skiers associate Easter with the end of the season, an early Easter can mean a very quiet resort for the rest of April. Great for the people that do go there, but not so good for the tour operators and travel companies! In some cases though, if Easter is late and the snow does start to melt, then the lack of snow can become an issue.

The key to Spring skiing is to choose high altitude resorts, preferably with a glacier as back up. In recent years, the European Alps have seen bumper end of season snowfalls that ensure good conditions right throughout April. It is not uncommon for there to be fantastic snow conditions at over 2000 meters of altitude going into May, but the resort has closed as there are simply no skiers around.

Most European alpine resorts start to close in mid April and some stay open until the last weekend in April. The 2010 winter season in Scotland has been the best in 30 years and they predict skiable terrain well into May.

European alpine resorts for Spring skiing include:

Austria: St Anton, Lech, Zurs

Switzerland: Verbier, Zermatt, Les Diablarets

France: Tignes, Val Thorens, La Plagne, Chamonix, Alpe d’Huez

Italy: Cervinia, Courmayer

If you want to visit other resorts during April, then just check out the conditions and weather forecasts a couple of weeks before and go from there. It is crucial to look at the resorts official website to check out the closing date of the ski lifts because they rarely extend this date, because of good snow conditions.

Read Part 2 of this Blog article where I describe what conditions you can expect when Spring skiing and some stuff about ski touring. Out next week…