Considering the uber-shite conditions down in our part of the World was good to score some decent turns in creamy snow, that was produced by the violent winds of yesterday and 10cm of fresh.
Thought I was going to end up taking Ullr to the vets at one point, though think he now might not be coming as close as was doing in the video!
@Sharkymark, you may change your mind when you arrive here on 12th March......
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
KenX wrote:
@Sharkymark, you may change your mind when you arrive here on 12th March......
Just maybe, they'll be some left at altitude in La Grave from the lifts or road trips to Deux Alpes/Alpe d'Huez, other than that you're going to have to work to get to it, and that's if there's anything left even where we were yesterday if there's not a dramatic change to things.
Ensemble showing a big red flat line up to the 12th now
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@Sharkymark, that would be a sensible sacrifice/option.
Though I thought buying a 4k E-MTB would stir the Snow-Gods into action, and as I've said elsewhere, Ullr making the ultimate sacrifice next week, snip, snip
After all it is free
After all it is free
@Weathercam, trouble with that was the bike is kind off capable in snow. If you'd splashed on an S-works tarmac sl7 we'd be guaranteed great conditions.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@adithorp, yes exactly!
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
@adithorp, @Sharkymark, anything more than 5cm of fresh snow and they don't really work as I found out on my first outing
Oh. Really need fat tyres (well over 3 ins). A mate of mine did a 150km snow race in Finland on a proper fattie
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
@Sharkymark, first excursion I did I was on Fatbike with wide tyres, the guy that owned the shop warned me about being too adventurous, as it depends on the base and nature of snowpack, maybe very cold powder in Finland, and then maybe flatish XC trails?
The tyre tread in too deep a heavy fresh snow just becomes blocked, whereas in fine sand* you don't have the same issue?
*Champagne powder?
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Anyway back on topic... Where did the mutts disappear to in the last run?
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@adithorp, highly observant!
They opted to take the skin-track that we came up as easier going, and Ullr could go way faster running parallel with me, towards the end he came back down crashing through a cornice
And then he managed to get ahead of us once it was steeper and the snow was powder as opposed to heavy clotted cream
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Suki was probably stuck in a drift somewhere, she weighs half as much again as Ullr, but her feet aren't much bigger!
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Weathercam & Kenx have summed up the conditions 100% accurate, we are on track for one of the worst seasons on record. It is still posable to get some good skiing in, but you have to work hard to find it. North and NW slopes have been blasted by the wind. South and SW hammered by the sun and in some places back to grass. Some photos of from the last 2 weeks.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Thu 24-02-22 20:28; edited 1 time in total
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@ecrinscollective, sad news for the ski industry after the past 2 years; I guess bookings et al are down because of it? Familiar story in all the southern alps. Joking aside about the dolomites it was very similar: wind blasted north slopes and bare southern slopes. Better a bad day on the hill than a good day in the office though...
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Sharkymark wrote:
@ecrinscollective, sad news for the ski industry after the past 2 years; I guess bookings et al are down because of it? Familiar story in all the southern alps. Joking aside about the dolomites it was very similar: wind blasted north slopes and bare southern slopes. Better a bad day on the hill than a good day in the office though...
Yeh its been a tough year, I know a few instructors that struggled over Christmas with not getting people from the uk. Apart from that the resorts have done well managing what snow there has been, and up till now most piste skiers have been happy snow on the piste and sunny day, I am guess Easter may be desperate. Most guides I know have taken their groups to Switzerland etc, did see one the other day running a mountain bike session locally.
On a bright side the rock climbing is great at the moment.
Guys sorry to hear of the serious lack of white stuff. I'm based in Lauterbrunnen on the north side and I thought the snow pack was on the thin side up here, comparably not!
Today I ski toured up one called Walighurli above Gsteig (neighbour to Gstaad) the climb is on a east, south east aspect and the cover was beyond reasonable.
The skiing on a north, north west aspect was extremely good, snow depth up at danger level
"top-of-fenceposts".
We comfortably skied back into the valley on east facing to an elevation around 1100m.
Thankfully we have a little more snow coming in tonight and tomorrow.
Not much fresh snow over this way so been doing a bit of touring on the new light setup. Loving the Scarpa Alien RS boots. They are just a delight to tour on. And also impressed with the Atomic UL 65’s. 161cm 700g ski but they are damn stiff and when you get them on edge they rail pretty nicely! A bit more of a balancing act in melting mush but they still work ok as long as you keep weight forward
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Due to the dire conditions and effort required to get to any decent snow and a knee that seems to be getting worse, I've put myself off-ski and even taking it easy on the bike.
Physio said no climbs
Might have a week touring in Arctic Norway dependent on a few things not least the knee and Achilles third week April, so need to be sensible
After all it is free
After all it is free
I've been wiring and decorating!!!
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
KenX wrote:
I've been wiring and decorating!!!
Feels like we haven’t had a decent dump since early Jan. Longest dry spell I can remember. Fingers crossed for a powtastic April…
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
BobinCH wrote:
Every Wally needs one of these!
just got a Coros Apex , so much better than my old device , simple to use and the battery life is amazing , perfect multi sport tool , cant wait to put it to full use next week in Senja , also good to finally re boot the in-reach after two years with no real adventures
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
I've been playing with a small Venu2, as I've got a girly sized wrist and can't be lugging big macho toys about.
The GPS overall isn't bad, but the altitude readings in particular seem pretty obviously off. That's kind
of obvious when standing next to a ski lift building with the altitude painted on the side of it,
and the toy is manifestly wrong. They do collect masses of mostly useless data, mind.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
For those who like their ski-tests
Mind you nothing over 100mm wide, which as I've often said, does reflect what you see on offer in the shops here.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
philwig wrote:
I've been playing with a small Venu2, as I've got a girly sized wrist and can't be lugging big macho toys about.
The GPS overall isn't bad, but the altitude readings in particular seem pretty obviously off. That's kind
of obvious when standing next to a ski lift building with the altitude painted on the side of it,
and the toy is manifestly wrong. They do collect masses of mostly useless data, mind.
I got the Venu 2 plus for the missus. Screen so much nicer than the Fenix. Not sure what she loses apart from maps?
The Fenix 7S is the smallest screen of the lot I think?
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@BobinCH, I bought the OH a Fenix 5S Plus Sapphire 42mm - that's more than enough tech for her to cope with.
With her running as well she just loves looking at her VO2 Max age figure of 30 something
@BobinCH, I also use the Professional Ski Tour app (you have to pay for that) and you get so much data over so many screens
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
BobinCH wrote:
...
I got the Venu 2 plus for the missus. Screen so much nicer than the Fenix. Not sure what she loses apart from maps?
The Fenix 7S is the smallest screen of the lot I think?
You can easily get maps with a free app download.
The Venu2s and Fenix 7S are both available in 42mm case sizes which appear similar; the key difference I think is that the display of the Venu2 is OLED.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
philwig wrote:
BobinCH wrote:
...
I got the Venu 2 plus for the missus. Screen so much nicer than the Fenix. Not sure what she loses apart from maps?
The Fenix 7S is the smallest screen of the lot I think?
You can easily get maps with a free app download.
The Venu2s and Fenix 7S are both available in 42mm case sizes which appear similar; the key difference I think is that the display of the Venu2 is OLED.
The Fenix 7s is much more expensive than the Venu 2 plus (which has the much better OLED screen) so you’d have to think the Fenix must have some significant additional features?
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@BobinCH, this is a good review of the Fenix 6 vs 7
Basically, the 7 has more updated sensors, heart rate, pulse ox and GPS and better touch-screen and other functionality.
Though you have to be a serious tech wizard to get to grips with all that functionality.
The price of the 6 has come down as you'd expect, and as I found out the price points can differ substantially depending on what scene size/material you go for.
– All Fenix 7 units now get free worldwide downloadable TopoActive maps using WiFi (Sapphire units have pre-loaded maps)
– All Fenix 7 units now have pre-loaded Skiing & Golf Maps
– All Fenix 7 units now have music, WiFi, and Garmin Pay support (previously base Fenix 6 Series did not have this or maps)
– Added touchscreen display (and can still use buttons for every function)
– Added multi-band (aka dual-frequency) GPS to Fenix 7 Sapphire units
– Revamped ‘GPS only’ mode for far more battery life savings
– Added Garmin ELEVATE GEN 4 optical HR sensor
– Switched to glass-covered optical HR sensor (versus plastic with a coating), which increases durability
– Added flashlight to Fenix 7X model, which includes SOS mode, strobe mode, and running white/red mode
– Added Garmin SkiView, now includes resort names & slope names
– Added Cross Country Ski Trails to maps
– Added new “Map Manager” feature for managing/downloading maps from your wrist
– Added ‘Up Ahead’ feature for distances to predefined markers like aide stations, climbs, etc…
– Added RealTime Stamina feature, which is used during runs & rides to try and leave nothing in the tank (or, properly manage a workout)
– Added Race Predictor historical trendlines (to see if you’re getting faster or slower)
– Added new Kiteboard Sport Type
– Added new Windsurf Sport Type
– Added new SpeedPro function for Windsurfing (primarily for speedsurfers)
– Added new graphical charts as data fields
– Added scrolling charts in a variety of places, including widgets
– Added finally, for the love of all things holy, the ability to configure activity profiles and data fields from your phone
– Added Garmin Connect IQ store on wrist (well, a limited version of it anyway)
– Added Health Snapshot feature (includes HRV data)
– Added New Sleep Manager Settings for customizing what the device does while you sleep
– Added HIIT workouts (meaning, they’re giving you structured workouts, not just a sport mode)
– Added Automatic Run/Walk/Stand graphing within a workout (see sports section for details)
– Revamped the user interface a fair bit (not a major overhaul, but definitely far cleaner)
– There’s now always solar in the Sapphire editions (previously there was not)
– Increased solar surface area by 54% (specifically comparing 6X to 7X)
– Increased solar efficiency of the panel itself
– Increased power efficiency of the base unit compared to Fenix 6 Series, which in turn increases battery life
– Increased overall Fenix 7 Solar battery life by 33% (7S vs 6S) to upwards of 68% (7X vs 6X) – full chart below
– Added ‘button guards’ around all buttons, which reduce accidental presses with things like jackets
– Added metal/titanium (depending on model) lugs covers – see unboxing section for details.
– Slightly thinner and lighter (see exact charts in unboxing section)
@BobinCH, this is a good review of the Fenix 6 vs 7
Basically, the 7 has more updated sensors, heart rate, pulse ox and GPS and better touch-screen and other functionality.
Though you have to be a serious tech wizard to get to grips with all that functionality.
The price of the 6 has come down as you'd expect, and as I found out the price points can differ substantially depending on what scene size/material you go for.
Still don't think you can answer your phone with the Fenix 7 which you can so with another watches?
Never mind the comparison between them, why would someone buy any Fenix? 6 and 7 both have the same dull screen compared to Epix / Venu 2 plus.
Epix 2 is more expensive due to OLED screen. Question is what do you get in a Fenix 7 that’s not in a Venu 2 plus which has a better screen, microphone and is much cheaper?
There are no maps and there are some sports features missing but Venu 2 plus seems to have enough sports features/data plus better screen and microphone for cheaper price. Looks like that one is the sweet spot in the Garmin range unless you really need a crazy long battery life
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@BobinCH, IMHO you'd buy the Fenix 7 for the battery life. dcrainmaker has done a load of detailed comparisions of fenix 7 vs Epix and Epix vs Venu 2
Yeah I read those DCR things. He did mention you can add maps to the Venu2, which I'd forgotten.
Tag Heugher's also brought out a new 42mm watch, but it's still got a terrible battery life. And a stupid name.
They need to do a collaboration with Garmin so you can have pretty as well as technical.
I think the whole price/ features thing is a bit arbitrary, in that I doubt most people use nor care
about almost any of the feature lists, or at least they don't beyond the first few days they play with the toys.
The "sleep" thing is fun for tracking jet lag.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@BobinCH, I've found screen resolution not an issue if you select a good watchface from the thousands that are out there.
I then edit the in app activity screens to what I want to view and change auto scroll timings.
It's important for me when kitesurfing as I don't wear any opticals, well I did before I lost some expensive prescription sunnies
Likewise, all the other activities I use it for.
I played around with mapping but I only need that when ski touring and then I use my phone.
Trail running I more or less know the routes, and XC I just follow the pistes.
For road cycling however I still use my Wahoo Elemnt for on screen data right on front of me rather than on my wrist.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Quote:
Never mind the comparison between them, why would someone buy any Fenix? 6 and 7 both have the same dull screen compared to Epix / Venu 2 plus.
It's a watch, you are not watching films on it or looking at photos.
The fenix is excellent, but I can't justify £600+ on a watch, particularly when I'd just be using a fraction of the things it actually does (which I expect is true for many), and I'm not sure how much faith I put in the accuracy of some things it offers - e.g. vo2 max estimates. I'm extremely happy with my coros apex, but my requirements are pretty basic - long battery life, customisable watch face metrics, good gpx and altitude accuracy, breadcrumb navigation, ant+ to connect to HR strap and power meter/pedals. For all the performance/training metrics and analysis I use intervals.icu rather than watch software.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
I enjoy geeking out on the fitness stats on my Fenix 6 The gps tracking is fun to overlay on FATMAP for heli days too.
Also use it for surfing and have loads of immature fun paddling dick shapes round the lineup in between sets. Did a 200 metre long one the other day. Looked good on the map
Never really use any of the features when I’m out having fun. My eyes are too old and stuffed to be able to read the map sensibly so just use my phone for that.
Luckily I got it free from work, so didn’t really worry about the value proposition, but the epix looks like a nice watch.
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Poster: A snowHead
