London to Val D'Isere....in March.....

[Yeti]

The French are crazy drivers.

off topic:

Go and sit behind the seat of a coach driver in Finland at 50-60mph when everything is white and below 20!! I went to the back to see if it was snaking?!!? and it was!! so I ran back to the front where I couldn't feel it anymore!! The snow tyres they use over there are awsome and you will never see a set of chains (granted I know its mostly flat but they still have corners!)

In fairness to him he did back off whenever he saw another car any bigger than a full stop in the distance!!

Back on topic:

Boooooo! You should have had a go!! an old bus like a BMW RT is just about manageable (sub 30mph!) on fresh snow.....a TA should be a hoot!

[Whealie]

Completely off topic: I'm not riding to Val D'isere with you but I am local in Lewisham, if you fancy meeting up?

I saw a new transalp and owner in the car park at the back of Laurence House in Catford the other day. You by any chance?

[East Coast Adventurers]

Interestingly enough, Aggy and I are planning to make this trip in January, have been considering it for some time now then caught a You Tube video of someone riding on snow which, incidentally, was posted on here recently...

http://www.xrv.org.uk/forums/chatter...ht=snow+riding

This got me really motivated then further to this I caught a recent post be Farky...

Now this is an adventure...Visordown detailing a guy who rode there (Val D'Isere) on an old 250cc with his snow board strapped to the side!

So my questions would be..

1) Has anyone on her ever used Snow Chains on their bike? Any recommendations? I know you can get them for bikes.

Biking snow chain equivalent - | Motorcycle News | Bike News | Motorbike Videos | MCN

2) Ski Carrier, how do you carry your skis?? This question may become a separate thread as I doubt many people have tried this though I'm sure some have. I wonder if there is a bracket you can buy or do you just fix them between the pillion foot rest and the rear rack?

I will do some experiments at the weekend to see how they sit best but if there is some tried and tested method or off-the-shelf Ski Holder / Bracket / Carrier, I would like to take a look at it..

[tendays]

i reckon the roads would be all fine until maybe the last couple of miles up the mountain. The main problems will be
1. being very cold
2. carrying all your gear on the bike without turning it into a tall ship.

Heated jacket, handguards, hot grips could be the solution to 1, but make sure your alternator is up to the job. Worth speaking to anyone who's been on that bonkers germany elefantreffen (sean, vader, J?).

even if you can strap your skis or board to the bike, you still have the BIG BOOTS problem. The guy on the honda 250 wore his board boots on the bike and modded his gear shifter to fit over them - simple and effective! But I can't see anyone doing this with ski boots.
You can take this idea further and just wear all your hill gear on the bike so you don't need to carry much at all. Just make sure you have sufficient protection eg body armour.

It could be an excellent adventure but you'd better enjoy it 'cos its surely more hassle and more costly than sleazyjet.

[Smokey Dan]

2) Ski Carrier, how do you carry your skis?? This question may become a separate thread as I doubt many people have tried this though I'm sure some have. I wonder if there is a bracket you can buy or do you just fix them between the pillion foot rest and the rear rack?

I will do some experiments at the weekend to see how they sit best but if there is some tried and tested method or off-the-shelf Ski Holder / Bracket / Carrier, I would like to take a look at it..

Here's a couple of suggestions, although this one is for a bicycle...

How To Carry Skis On A Bicycle

This bloke made one up to carry a kiteboard, so there's no reason you couldn't take the windsurfer to Saint-Tropez!

http://www.kiteforum.com

[Jackdaw]

How to carry skis.
I've seen a pic posted on here recently of a bike with a canadian type canoe on an overhead rack. Vertical supports from rear rack and tank (I guess).

Maybe it was photoshopped.

But skis over your head much better than by your side.

[East Coast Adventurers]

How to carry skis.
I've seen a pic posted on here recently of a bike with a canadian type canoe on an overhead rack. Vertical supports from rear rack and tank (I guess).

Maybe it was photoshopped.

But skis over your head much better than by your side.

Quite agree, over the head is better...it keeps the rain out..




Ok, so I just typed Canoe into the search box, which came up with two pages of interesting threads and now lunch time is over... Better check back on the thread soon chaps..

[Jackdaw]

That's the one

[East Coast Adventurers]

i reckon the roads would be all fine until maybe the last couple of miles up the mountain. The main problems will be
1. being very cold
2. carrying all your gear on the bike without turning it into a tall ship.

Heated jacket, handguards, hot grips could be the solution to 1, but make sure your alternator is up to the job. Worth speaking to anyone who's been on that bonkers germany elefantreffen (sean, vader, J?).

even if you can strap your skis or board to the bike, you still have the BIG BOOTS problem. The guy on the honda 250 wore his board boots on the bike and modded his gear shifter to fit over them - simple and effective! But I can't see anyone doing this with ski boots.
You can take this idea further and just wear all your hill gear on the bike so you don't need to carry much at all. Just make sure you have sufficient protection eg body armour.

It could be an excellent adventure but you'd better enjoy it 'cos its surely more hassle and more costly than sleazyjet.

Cheers Tendays, good points, it's strange being at the top of a ski slope, blue sky and sun yet -15c though for some reason it still feels warmer than a cold +5c in Suffolk. Could it get colder the further south yet feel warmer on the ride down I wonder... heated grips or handle bar mitts or maybe both and gloves will have to be a must!

I've been stalling on this post hoping to test out how the skis fit on the bike and if I can comfortably ride in ski boots with the buckles left really slack...

Will post back (with photos) as soon as I have tested it out. Cheers for now..

[East Coast Adventurers]

Here's a couple of suggestions, although this one is for a bicycle...

How To Carry Skis On A Bicycle

This bloke made one up to carry a kiteboard, so there's no reason you couldn't take the windsurfer to Saint-Tropez!

Kiteforum.com • Index page

Cheers Smokey, if people carry skis on a push bike and boards on their motorcycle then it should be no problem. Will post pics when I get round to testing out my kit!