Europe 23/24

I just heard that a CNY friend and his wife are currently at St. Anton. They're based in San Diego and go once or twice a season with their kids to Mammoth (i.e. casual family skiers). I'm curious to learn if they'll be encountering the same dangerously crowded onpiste over the Easter week that @Sbooker did in February.
 
jamesdeluxe said:
I just heard that a CNY friend and his wife are currently at St. Anton. They're based in San Diego and go once or twice a season with their kids to Mammoth (i.e. casual family skiers). I'm curious to learn if they'll be encountering the same dangerously crowded onpiste over the Easter week that @Sbooker did in February.
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If they’re there for a week they will no doubt work out how to avoid the crowds. Something I didn’t do. I’m disappointed that we had a not so good experience at St Anton. I’ll make a point of going back to the Arlberg area someday and I’ll make it in January when less Europeans are on holiday.
 
Sbooker said:
I work with my brother. He will be covering for me while I’m away in a week. But just now he has come off his motor bike and is in the hospital. His foot will be undergoing surgery on Tuesday once the surgeons are back from Easter holidays.
I’m really hoping I don’t have to cancel. Especially as it is highly unlikely I’d be covered by insurance.
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My brother ended up having 5 dislocated toes only - although 2 were compound. The medico people put them back in and sutured him up. He’s in a moon boot and can get around with weight on his heel. Crisis averted.
 
jamesdeluxe said:
Going back to work immediately after major surgery is how real men do it. :bow:
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How long in James' case after March 7?

The southern Alps have been pounded almost continuously for over a month. Some of that usually spills over into Val d'Isere, so I expect sbooker will enjoy good conditions there.
 
Tony Crocker said:
How long in James' case after March 7?

The southern Alps have been pounded almost continuously for over a month. Some of that usually spills over into Val d'Isere, so I expect sbooker will enjoy good conditions there.
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The base will be fine. Hoping to get some decent surface conditions.
 
Zermatt of all places, and from what I recall not an extreme area. Not sure if the American was with a guide or not. Investing in a guided group or private guide remains something I’ll insist on splurging on. Scary stuff.

apnews.com

American teenager and 2 other people killed in an avalanche near the Swiss resort of Zermatt

Police say an American teenager and two other people were killed in avalanche near the Swiss resort of Zermatt. One person was flown to a hospital with serious injuries.
apnews.com apnews.com
 
skiandgolfnut said:
from what I recall not an extreme area.
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I've never been to Zermatt but assume that it was on the looker's left of piste 35?

1712142599844.png
 
jamesdeluxe said:
I've never been to Zermatt but assume that it was on the looker's left of piste 35?
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I doubt that, since it's mellow pitch as skiandgolfnut says. There is steep off piste and cliffs under the gondola between Furi and Riffelberg so that's the area I would suspect.
 
There is a very cliffy, steep, and desirable off-piste zone immediately below the Riffelberg (between piste 41 and the gondola). It requires zero effort to access and is highly visible.

The issue: After Easter, there was 1+ meters of new snow, wind-loading, and an Avalanche Rating of 4+ out of 5. No one should be skiing slopes like that under those conditions. The American teenager might not have understood his actions and the Irish he was taking. It looks like an entirely unrelated group of skiers decided to ski at the same time, likely loading it.

I skied that area in the winter of 17/18. Takes a lot of snow to get decent coverage that low in elevation.

Zermatt Avalanche.jpg




View of avalanche from Riffelalp. Horrifying.

 
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ChrisC said:
Easter, there was 1+ meters of new snow, wind-loading, and an Avalanche Rating of 4+ out of 5. No one should be skiing slopes like that under those conditions
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Is there a rule of thumb to determine how long it takes for a snowpack like that to become skiable?
 
Sbooker said:
Is there a rule of thumb to determine how long it takes for a snowpack like that to become skiable?
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Not really. That's why you look at the rating each day. Visitors don't know if there's a buried weak layer from earlier in the season. Sometimes wind loading prolongs the unstable period after a storm. In April you will also need to avoid wet snow instability in the afternoons on steeper slopes with direct sun.
 
Tony Crocker said:
Not really. That's why you look at the rating each day. Visitors don't know if there's a buried weak layer from earlier in the season. Sometimes wind loading prolongs the unstable period after a storm. In April you will also need to avoid wet snow instability in the afternoons on steeper slopes with direct sun.
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Thanks. At this point I’ll restrict off piste aside from low angle side and between piste to being with a guide.
Makes sense about the local knowledge.
 
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