Kleine Scheidegg-Lauberhorn, Piste de Tortin, Verbier-Tortin, Whistler-Blackcomb

4 Fantastic Ski Resorts For Advanced Skiers 2012, written by Dan Fenu

Advanced skiers will enjoy numerous challenging ski slopes around the world. The most advanced ski runs and resorts are located in beautiful locations such as Switzerland. The adrenaline rush from these slopes will be just what thrill seekers desire.

1. Verbier – Tortin

Switzerland is home to some of the world’s best ski resorts. Verbier has numerous famous and advanced ski runs catering to advanced skiers. Advanced skiers head out on the slopes after a fresh snowfall. The fresh powder, coupled with the steepness, makes Verbier one of the most difficult in the Swiss Alps. Skiers who are skilled in parallel turning will be qualified to successfully complete the run.

Snow Conditions: Verbier has new snow in its forecast this month. The current snow depth high is 280 cm. The snow depth low is 140 cm. One hundred percent of the 44 Red Runs and 37 Blue Runs are open.

2. Blow Hole -- Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia

Blackcomb Glacier is one of the most popular advanced runs on Whistler Blackcomb. The views are remarkable, and the run is accessible. Advanced skiers will enjoy the steep, upended half pipe that is at the top of the ski run. The nearly three mile run will end at the Excelerator Express chair.

Snow Conditions: In the past seven days, 16 inches of new snow has fallen. More snow is expected in the coming days. Blue powder skiing is a specialty of this ski resort.

3. Kleine Scheidegg – Lauberhorn (Switzerland)

Kleine Scheidegg is a world famous run that is designed for experienced skiers. The view from this run is spectacular. The peaks over 4000 metres are particularly impressive. The slopes are accessible via 44 lifts and cable cars. Snow making machines are available at over 40 percent of the slopes.

Snow Conditions: The upper and lower slopes have 53 inches of snow. No snow has fallen in the past 72 hours. The resort has a large stretch of red and blues runs for skiers to enjoy.

4. Couloir Extreme – Big Bang (Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia)

Couloir Extreme is one of the most extreme runs in the world. Skiing Magazine ranked this particular slope as one of the Top 10 Steepest Runs in the World. Two entry points will determine the level of difficulty for the skier. The Big Bang is located to the right of the main entrance. This particular run is extremely steep and less traveled by other skiers.

Snow Conditions: Ice and avalanches are common in this area. In the past seven days, 16 inches of new snow has fallen. More snow is expected in the coming days. Blue powder skiing is popular.

Conclusion

Many other slopes are available, but these slopes are some of the best. Check the snow conditions before reserving a trip to ensure that the ski holiday is enjoyable.

Grand Forks Ski and Bike Shop

In the future I will be merging this site with the Grand Forks Ski and Bike Shop facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Ski-and-Bike-Shop/156589754277

The objective is to simply have a bulletin board where people can hook up when heading out to various ski hills.

Currently the Ski and Bike Shop Facebook page is working very well for cyclists.

Shin Bang - A 2 year case study.

Ok here is the story:

 Been skiing bumps most of my life in a pair of 80's vintage Lange boots.  These were the old black and red boots that had the plug-in moldable goo that formed around your foot for a perfect fit.  I was only 14 years-old at the time & the sales person scammed my mother into thinking it was a great deal to purchase size 11 boots for a size 9 foot because I could re-mold the liner as I grew.  Crazy, if you are a boot fitter, however the sales person turned out to be correct.  I never re-molded the boots but skied in them for 23 years until landing on the knuckle in -10F conditions & the aged plastic finally shattered.  Two cracks from toe to heel on both sides, on both boots.  Bottomline - time to go shopping.

Bought a pair of 27.5 Salomon SPK because I thought the gel pad in the heel would be great for an aging jumper.The boots were great for one year, then the dreaded beginning of shin-bang, a pain I had not felt since the ski swap boots I purchased back in 1986.  Below is a bulleted version of the learning curve that occurred while solving the problem:

1. Research - found tongue eliminators - (these are pads inserted between the shin and the tongue) figured this would stop the removal of skin that was occurring on the front of my shin right at the top of the boot tongue.  It worked but more skiing produced ever increasing pain.
2. More research - determined boots are too big and likely heel lift problem.  Purchased pads, foot beds, sole inserts, heel lifts, etc.  Successfully adjusted the boots to prevent heel lift.  Pain did not subside.  Determined the pain was the worst when getting too far back on the skis, especially if landing backseat.
3. More research - appeared boots that are too big can't be fixed, also decided to turn it over to the experts.  Went to Larry's Bootfitting in Boulder CO.  They are the best.  Purchased a pair of Lange RX120 26.5 - smaller, better fit.  First time out had problems with top of foot pain.  Re-fitted at ski-lodge and fixed.  Generally seemed to work but......................
4. Dang, didn't work - massive shin bang near top buckle of boot.  Went back to Larry's, they guarantee their boot fits.  Inserted heel lifts and padding around shin.  Result - did not fix the problem directly.  At this point in time I was really at a loss.  I had a perfectly fitting boot, but couldn't seem to solve the problem and the experts would give me my money back, but I wanted to ski pain-free like I did in the past, and there was no guarantee that any boot was going to work.  Here is how the problem eventually got solved:
5. More and more research and a little common sense.  Shin bang is caused by severe pressure exerted unevenly to the leg which can cause tearing etc. of the muscle from the shin.  The damage is done when the pressure is exerted as the shin hits a pressure point caused by the front of the boot (uneven tongue pressure).  Extreme pain can be felt when landing back seat because the damaged muscles get exerted in an opposite manner, the backseat means of applied pressure doesn't in itself seem to be doing the damage, but certainly puts the pain threshold over the edge, and creates an inability to continue skiing.  

Therefore the approach was to lean on the tongue of the boot and figure out how to get the shell & tongue to apply even pressure to the shin.  No amount of padding would fix the problem, instead leaving the top buckle loose and tightening the one below seem to create more even pressure across the shin.  With damaged shins, I skied the boots in this configuration for a day and did not feel pain.  Hopefully next year this will continue to prove to be the fix for the problem.  I find it amazing how such a simple adjustment could be the solution, but when it is all said and done it was obvious - the top buckle was the location of the pain and was the primary cause for uneven shin pressure.  Therefore the top buckle was loosed to relieve the pressure, and allowed the boot to flex.  As the shin and boot flex forward the pressure spreads out more evenly across the tongue.  This boot has an elastic top strap, basically equivalent to the booster straps advertised for improving performance and reducing shin bang, but beware.  Booster straps cannot fix a pressure point that occurs high in the boot, and instead apply more pressure high in the boot.

Bottomline - what I learned is that ski boot problems are specific to the person's foot.  Shin-bang in particular can have various causes.  In my case, I have skinny angles & narrow feet.  I fit well into a Lange boot, but the boot does not mate up well with my lower shin.  Therefore when I tighten the upper buckles, more pressure is applied to the top buckle shin area, and adjustment is required to enable the natural flex of the boot to apply even shin pressure.  In this case the adjustment is to keep the upper buckle loose so that early in the flex, pressure is not applied to the upper shin, and instead it requires my shin to flex much farther forward before tongue pressure is applied so that the shin makes even contact with the entire boot tongue.  I'll admit this feels weird given us oldschoolers

Cliff Photo 2011 Breckenridge