Alpe d'Huez Summer Roundup

Alpe d'Huez is famous for the 21 hairpin bends up to the resort, and is often featured as a finish in the Tour de France. Whilst my summer has consisted mostly of road biking I've still managed to have time to ride across the valley on the 2Alpes glacier. The large amounts of snowfall this winter have ensured the glacier has had a good summer season.

Summer snowboarding is a strange experience. You need to get up early and make the 45 minute 'commute' to the glacier top of the mountain, the only area that stays covered in snow year round. At 7am the snow is solid and icy, this is when you ride the halfpipe. That shuts shortly after as it begins to soften and it loses its shape. Next its onto the jumps which now have nice soft slushy landings, but when it becomes to slushy to get enough speed to hit those you move across to the rail section. By lunchtime you're back in the gondola going down!

I also had the chance to help test the new PFD splitboard. Based off the same design as their Big Mountain Powder Plank, a few adjustments had to be made to help the splitboard have the same snappy and responsive nature. Can't wait to get it in the powder!

Winter is just around the corner. I've already started to get some early bookings in for the 2018/19 season already. Early bookings take advantage of a 10% discount! 

See you on the slopes!

Mid Winter Catch Up

My blog has been a little quiet recently, mostly due to being very busy teaching and riding. This winter has seen some wild weather and crazy conditions, with huge amounts of snowfall, but also high winds, and even lots of rain! Thankfully now things seem to have calmed down, the pistes are in great condition after a recent snowfall, and the temperatures are remaining below zero, stopping the snow from melting and re-freezing.

Here I am trying to find the best snow amongst some challenging conditions off piste a few weeks back.

Things improved the next week, but the icy layer was still present under the powder.

This one from a few days ago shows how conditions off piste have stabilised, allowing us to ride steeper terrain. Here I am looking back up towards the 'Fingers' as Alex is skiing down. This south facing line had been in the sun all day and began to soften up in the afternoon. On the north faces the powder remained cold, light, and fluffy.

Surface Hoar

The days in Alpe d'Huez have been very warm recently, yet the nights have still been very cold. Cold calm nights create the perfect conditions for surface hoar to grow. Similar to how the windscreen of your car can be covered in frost by the morning, surface hoar is effectively the same thing, but forms as ice crystals growing on the snow. During a clear nights sky a tremendous amount of heat radiates away from the surface of he snow, making the snow surface much cooler than the surrounding air. The moisture in the air above then condenses on the snow creating these tall thin ice crystals. They have a very pretty appearance, glistening in the sun, and as you ski through them you can even hear a light jingling sound as you knock them over.

Despite their pretty appearance, if buried within the snowpack, surface hoar can present a real danger. Stacked up a bit like dominoes, the crystals can take a lot of weight from above, for instance they can hold up metres of subsequent snowfall. But, also like dominoes, when a force acts upon them from the side they will all fall down. In our case this could be a snowboarder making a turn in the snow above, and thus triggering an avalanche.

Furthermore, once buried, surface hoar is very difficult to detect. Also, it tends to form in a hard to predict pattern across the mountain. Sometimes, it may only occur further up the mountain, where higher peaks rise above the clouds. Other times it may only occur in sheltered valleys, where the wind can't blow it over. This can lead to buried 'pockets' across the mountain, where surface hoar is present.

Thankfully, the high temperatures due today will likely melt most of the surface hoar, meaning that when the snow comes again in a few days, the ice crystals will be gone. However, it is worth remembering that on some north facing slopes, the suns impact won't be felt, and the surface hoar could remain a significant danger.

Graupel keeps falling on my head

Whilst walking my dog Indy this afternoon, I noticed the snow change from fluffy crystals to small hail like snow. Looking a bit like Styrofoam balls they stuck to Indy's back and head. This type of precipitation is called Graupel.

Graupel is formed when the temperature in the clouds drops to around -40°C. Under the right atmospheric conditions snow crystals collide with super-cooled water droplets. The water then freezes around the snow crystal, forming the small balls you see on Indy's head. Hail is very hard and icy, whereas graupel is a soft and almost sticky kind of snow.

It is important to notice graupel as it can be a contributing factor to avalanches. The little balls stack up on the snow like a layer of marbles. When the weather turns back to snow this layer becomes buried in the snowpack. As you can imagine it then becomes very easy for the snow to slide off this 'layer of marbles'. Fortunately, graupel quickly begins to compact and loose its shape, stabilising in the snowpack after a couple of days. So just be aware and avoid any steep slopes for the next two days, the graupel is lurking!

It's on like Donkey Kong!

After 3 years of terrible starts to the winter, Alpe d'Huez is finally covered in snow, ready for opening day tomorrow! 

As you can see from this quick run this morning, there's plenty of snow already in town, I can't wait to see how conditions are looking up on the glacier! 

Contact me at malcolm@masterclasssnowboarding.com to book your English Snowboard Lessons this winter! 

Feiyu Tech G4 first test

GoPro Cameras take great quality video, however the problem can often be that the footage is shaky and unprofessional looking, particularly when filming moving subjects, ie: snowboarders!

Looking a bit like a selfie stick, but with some clever motors involved, the Feiyu Tech G4 aims to remove any unwanted shake. Below is my first test with the gadget. Despite running, and slipping on the snow, I think it does a pretty good job! 

I then simply connected my camera via wifi to my phone, uploaded the clips using the GoPro App, and then edited and uploaded to YouTube via the Quik App. So much simpler than when I used to film skateboard videos on MiniDV tapes, connect via a special cable to my old computer, edit on Final Cut Pro, then have to render and compress before it got anywhere near YouTube!

I look forward to taking the Feiyu Tech stabalizer onto the slopes soon and capturing some snowboard videos soon...

King Winter

Over the course of the season I spend alot of time looking at freezing levels. The town of Alpe d'Huez is at 1800m and the highest lift at Pic Blanc is 3300m. The lower the freezing level the better!

This week we have seen the freezing level stay consistently below 500m, bringing cold temperatures to the town, and allowing the resort to get ready for the season! 

The cold temperatures mean the existing snow doesn't melt, the snow cannons can keep firing, and whatever snow does fall is light and fluffy!

As you can see by the photo below there's already been a decent amount of snow come down this week, the clouds quickly rolled back in after I took this shot, and more snow is due over the next few days.

After a very slow start to winter last year I am very excited to get riding and see this season off to a fantastic start. The chairlifts open this weekend in Alpe d'Huez, however if the sun does make an appearance before then I'll be sure to go for a hike in order to make some pow turns!

#winterscoming  

Winter Countdown

Alpe d'Huez is opening in 2 weeks on the 2nd of Dec. The sun is out and it is time to get my legs working and ready for winter!

I do plenty of cycling in the summer,  and now the snow has been cleared from the roads, it was good to get the bike out again. 

As the sun was setting a few of us here in Alpe d'Huez built a small kicker to rail set-up. After 6 months off, it felt good to be back on a board again!

Snow Report

The storms have passed and the sun is back out. A high pressure system has moved in keeping any more snow at bay for now.

Indy is enjoying the snow, hopefully more is on the way before Alpe d'Huez opens it's lifts on the 2nd of December! 

Snow Update

Its been a good few days in Alpe d'Huez. Its not just Pic Blanc at 3300m looking white, the snow has been falling right into town. Although only a thin layer this is a great start, with a little more snow in the forecast and cold temperatures ahead hopefully this layer will stay and provide a good base for the season. Fingers crossed!

Snow Update

A big storm is currently hitting the Alps, a short window in the weather shows us that Alpe d'Huez is starting to look good for winter 2017/18!

The clouds are rolling back in, temperatures dropping, and more snow is due to come! 

Updates to follow...

Snow Forecast for this Weekend

Good news! There is snow forecast for this weekend in Alpe d'Huez. We are in November now, and it is the perfect time for the resort to start developing a base. Take a look at a detailed forecast for the whole European Alps here, or a more simplified version for Alpe d'Huez here.

I'll keep an eye on this storm and let you know what it brings...

Winter's Coming

Late October and the first signs of snow have already arrived in Alpe d'Huez. It may only be a dusting but it's getting me excited for winter! 

This time of year sees me getting my 'geek' on and browsing this seasons new snowboard equipment. See my wishlist of cool new shapes in the next post...