Season Diary - Day 16
Monday 27 January, 2025 – La Clusaz, France
What do you do when it rains?
Normally, I would say sack the day in, head in for a spa session, then head out for après at around, say, 11am?
Not today. For this was day one of the annual ski test, and several hundred pairs of skis were waiting for us to get on them. Some new, some old, some exciting, some boring as hell. Which would be which? Only time will tell, and time will have to tell as today was not the day for finding out.
That being said, today was the day for a certain type of ski to shine. Something that could excel performing short and long turns, carving and slaloming , across nice snow and utter shite, pushing through crud and slush and ice. In short, a ski that could perform well across all the mountain.
Regardless of my assertions, false or otherwise, of the current stater of the All-Mountain ski market, this was a day for All Piste skis – this new and growing category of wide piste skis but retaining the same names, shapes, topsheets, and constructions. This was a day to cruise and carve the piste but with the extra stability, control and, occasionally, power. This was a day for a piste ski coming at 80 to 85mm underfoot read to dominate.
The rain was incessant. I have never experienced rain quite like this whilst skiing. But thanks be to God and GoreTex Pro, as well as well-timed lunch and coffee stops, we were able to avoid the worst of it. But honestly, it’s days like today that drive home the importance of looking after your gear; washing and reproofing jackets, waxing leather gloves, and keeping boots in a good condition are all essential to staying dry and comfortable on days like this.
Finally, La Clusaz was able to pull off yet more stunning looks. I’ve skied here three years in a row now, always the same pistes (thanks Ski Test), and the view is constantly changing. As cloud and sun battle it out the view across the very western flank of the French Alps is therefore constantly changing, and today we had the absolute joy of watching whisps of cloud float in up the valley, cresting cols and summits impossibly light and brilliantly white. Yet again it was a joy to behold the world move around La Clusaz.
I’ll leave it here for the day. Today wasn’t a day to remember, so let’s put it in the books and come back to things tomorrow.
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