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A quick hello to all.

Papabear and I are in Zermatt, Switzerland. Having a ball. We have been here a week, but have had a bit f a technology fail...the iPads battle hard to upload photos. I have borrowed a laptop to upload a couple of pics to Facebook for my cubs to get jealous over, but not quite sure the uploads to SJ will be so simple. I am not the AlphaNerd I thought I was. Bloody Apple! If it all fails I will do a TR with pics when I get home.

 

It has been excitement galore here.

The snowiest winter since 1999, with crazy consistency and amounts...

A couple of days ago we were cut off. No trains or cars in or out due to a large avalanche that covered the train lines and road. Took them more than 24hrz to get that cleared, which is a LONG time for the Swiss. The day after that the entire mountain was shut down for the entire day. Bombing going on all day long trying to get it safe. We pub crawled that day.

Due to the fluctuations in temperature there are a lot of layers in the snow cover, avalanche risk is very high, and even today a lot of the mountain was closed.

 

We have had a lot of good days on the slopes despite these issues, some on firm packed pistes, and some finding nice stashes of fluffy powder to play in. Today was by far the best day for PB and myself, snowed hard all day and we were still finding untracked when we called it about half an hour before the lifts closed.

 

Compared to when we were here 3 years ago I can not believe the difference. I feel absolutely blessed.

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Servos !

Bin thinking about youse .. Hoped at least you got into Zermatt before getting cut off.

:D :thumbsup:

I bet you are having a blast ! :happyshades: Bit windy last weekend but finally we have snow.

YEP. Avi risk is high. Hire an airbag if you can when going off-piste mate.

Good to know that at least they did a bombing run...

Equally, wind drift pow stash can slide... Not safe at the mo.

Have heaps of fun and pics please (later!)

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Jynxx, never heard so much bombing in my life!

And previously you could hear the Avies also, it is a freaky thing being safe in the village and hearing that increasing rumble just as you are getting set to go out. We are being safe, the off piste is only side country stuff, and even that we are choosing carefully, not riding alone and making sure we are choosing lines that won't slide onto the downhill companions. If we are in doubt, we are sticking on piste.

 

We bought an International lift pass so we can head over the top into Italy, but so far it has not been open! Last day of our 7 day pass tomorrow and I doubt they will get it safe up there for tomorrow. We were supposed to be moving on tomorrow, but I think we have decided to stick around a few more days.

 

iPad not really up to the job of uploading pics to SJ, gave it a shot. Will do a TR at the end. Hopefully PB gets the decent camera out soon. So far it as been me with my point and shoot..... And that leaves a lot to be desired.

 

Just as an aside, just saw a snow report for Zermatt on the news, it stated 95% of the resort was open. Mmmmmmm...

From what I could tell it would have been lucky to be 1/3 today. I am surprised they didn't say it was bottomless. LOL

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Sounds great Mamabear, I would love to go there. I'm sure I would get very excited!

 

You have been a bit of a stranger of late, hope to see you back up and running when you get back :friend:

 

And look forward to your report.

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Heya MB - great to hear from you and stoked you guys are getting it so good! I had drama sorting out pics on the apple, in the end I had to export them in a reduced size, then upload them, then open them in a new tab to copy the location then post it in a thread.

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Muika, I know! Sorry! Life has been ridiculously busy, even had to chuck an all nighter packing to get here.

I am hoping my management of said busy life will be better upon return.

But I sure am loving this break.

 

Pete, argh... Sounds complex.

I am still learning Apple and learning the iPad. Think I might go back to the heavier trusty laptop!! Haha. She resists change.

 

Beautiful clear day in the Swiss Alps today. Can see the groomers lights on the mountain, Italy MAY be possible....

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Austria is snowed out. Lots of places cut off.

Hope you can get that run into Italy ... powder- all- the- way couloir

Pasta, tramisu and duty free shopping ... :)

 

 

Did you get a new longer rocker !? K2 ?

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Thanks guys.

Total of 3 weeks on snow, little bit extra in travel time. Half way thru.

 

Nah Jynxx, been riding the Burton Troop. Poor old girl has seen better days though...a significant top sheet delamination, not to mention top sheet edge chips and lots of base scratches. I have given her 'whatfor' over the past two years.

 

A mate took the go pro camera up today and he is desperately hoping he got my one and only stack for the day on camera. It was a beauty! We were lapping a spot with poachable powder on the piste edge....but close in was pretty tracked out, so we were venturing further and further from the piste to be getting that silky smooth float we so crave. On one such run I was enjoying the float, heavy on the back foot and it suddenly became solid. Quite bizarre because you could see no difference, but it was frosty as! Needless to say, head over heels, two somersaults ... Yardsale. Not the most attractive nor technically perfect example of snowboarding I have given.

 

Finishing the day with Jaeger and Gluhwein was definitely required.

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Seemore, If Kiwi got the stack on film I shall share it with you. No shame, me!

 

Yes, sorry Muika, was typing slightly inebriated last night. It is a 3 week ski trip. Any longer than that is impossible...I am so fortunate to have amazing parents to step in to our role for that long.

 

Snow junky, I am also a liar. I had two stacks yesterday, was just too inebriated to remember the other one.

Another powder poach, popped onto the corduroy just before the lift queue and it was frozen solid....zoom...board straight out from under me, landed on my generous bottom.

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Good to see you are having an interesting time in Europe. I am looking forward to hearing about your trip to the Wegen downhill. It must be an amazing weekend there! I will watch out for the Aussie flag on TV

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Had a great time in Grindelwald and Wengen, we missed the downhill due to technical fAilures ...we may hav slept in... But got there for the Slalom Events which were brilliant. Boarded down from Kliene Shiedegg to the start of the Slalom and then walked slowly down the course over the morning, so we experienced it from every vantage point. An afternoon trip up the Jungfrau to have a close encounter with the Eiger completed the day for us. Day two saw us boarding on Grindelwald First, and even snuck in a go at the flying fox, before heading back to Zermatt.

 

A few awesome days here and we are off again in the morning to Chamonix to see what the French have on offer. Be back Sunday night.

Enjoy powderhounds! :)

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Good to see you are having an interesting time in Europe. I am looking forward to hearing about your trip to the Wegen downhill. It must be an amazing weekend there! I will watch out for the Aussie flag on TV
Ohhh... And Stem.. They gave me a Swiss flag :) photos to come when I get home. Hilarious really. I spent the day boarding with the ridiculous Swiss flag stuck down the back of my ski jacket!
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Had a great time in Grindelwald and Wengen, we missed the downhill due to technical fAilures ...we may hav slept in... But got there for the Slalom Events which were brilliant. Boarded down from Kliene Shiedegg to the start of the Slalom and then walked slowly down the course over the morning, so we experienced it from every vantage point. An afternoon trip up the Jungfrau to have a close encounter with the Eiger completed the day for us. Day two saw us boarding on Grindelwald First, and even snuck in a go at the flying fox, before heading back to Zermatt.

 

A few awesome days here and we are off again in the morning to Chamonix to see what the French have on offer. Be back Sunday night.

Enjoy powderhounds! :)

The slalom was good to watch. Lots of DNF in the race. How crowded was it in Wegen? Have fun in Chamonix.

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Just got back into Zermatt a few hours ago from Chamonix. Had a awesome time, although we were cursed with epic snow and resort closures once again. That is one thing that Japan is so good at - having huge snowfalls and continuing to offer up rideable terrain, while some stuff might be shut, lots is still available and they don't have to groom the beejeezuz out of it to make it so ;)

 

Yes, Stemik, loads of failures to finish in the slalom. PB got a few pics of guys going head over heels, and it was often in the same places. At one gate there were 4 in a row and the poor Swiss Army dude whose job it was to sweep and compact that gate looked like he was sweating bullets! For the slalom, off the top of my head, I think there was 68,000 people. Much less than the downhill, but still pretty crowded.

 

Heading home tomorrow, the dreaded long haul of trains, planes and automobiles.

No more snow for me for the next month, it is going to be around 40C every day for the next week at home. Bit of a change.

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How long is that journey, door to door?
32 hours.

 

Collected by electric taxi from apartment with bags at 11am Monday 23rd.

Train Zermatt to Visp, change Visp to Bern, change Bern to Zurich Airport.

Check in few hrs prior to 7pm flight.

Zurich to Heathrow. 1 hr change over. Heathrow to Singapore. 1 hour change over (ish). Singapore to Perth.

Arrive 1am 25th Jan in Perth.

About an hour to clear customs and get home.

 

32 hours of sheer joy. ;)

 

 

 

 

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