Get ahead, get a hat

One of many things not to be surprised about when snow cover's thin (though it's now dumping down in the Dolomites and a few other corners of Europe - yay!) is the high accident rate. There's an increased chance not just of holes in your soles, from rocks, but in your head, from collisions with people failing to cope with sketchy hardpack.
So, wear a helmet. Unless of course there's a chance that any potential benefit is outweighed by some of the negative effects of wearing one. In which case, don't wear a helmet. But do ski more carefully.
And if you think risk compensation is phooey, then why, in the event of being hit from behind on piste, is it disproportionately probable, apparently, that the guilty party will be wearing a helmet?
A slightly different effect was recorded on the streets in the UK, where a scientist found cars passed him on his bicycle more closely when he wore a helmet than when he didn't (something a few urban riders were already familiar with). But not many of us have taken the next step, of wearing a long flowing wig to look like a dizzy blonde. He tried that too and got an even wider berth though he did presumably get his backside pinched more at traffic lights.
So there you have it: a theory for why some Scotsmen ski in kilts - they are in fact cross-dressing for safety.

Snow science

A butterfly flaps its wings in the Amazon and six months later we get a hurricane in Watford. That, in a nutshell, is what chaos theory is all about - nothing to do with that cupboard under the stairs after all, and everything to do with the idea that stuff has an effect on other stuff.

Well, I reckon a herd of warthogs in the Serengeti must have been breaking wind with more than their usual vigour to judge by the elevated air temperatures Europe has experienced so far this winter. Or doesn't it work like that?

The trouble is, it's very hard not to think about the weather all the time if you ski or board, as the massive online search activity for 'snow reports' demonstrates. We're not unique in this respect - surfers are always looking for the next wave, smacking their lips as another depression rolls in towards their bit of coastline. But they're lucky, needing only the swell to arrive, without worrying too much about the temperatures that accompany it, or if it's going to be raining (look, I don't care if you can hang ten while patting your head, rubbing your tummy and doing sudoku, you're goint to get wet at some point).

We, on the other hand, need the following: a storm that brings precipitation (plenty), at sufficiently cold temperatures, preferably without much wind (avalanche hazard), followed by clear cold weather (but not too cold). Ideally, the action will take place overnight, leaving your days clear to ride.

OK that last bit is not essential, but just the first part is a tall order. So maybe 9 out of 10 good years is pretty respectable, especially when you consider that normal winter freezing altitudes coincide pretty nearly with the height at which you find ideal ski terrain in many parts of the world. Either there is a greater being in charge (and she is a wintersports fanatic) or we're incredibly lucky.

www.ultimate-ski.com - what's it all about?

ultimate-ski.com? “What's it all about?”, “What's different about it?” and “Where do you make your money?"

These three questions crop up quite a lot when you launch a website. So some answers, before anyone else asks.

It's all about sliding over snow, about the fact that when it's snowing at night, we can't get to sleep and have to get up every hour to check if it's still snowing and to see how much has settled and whether it's likely to keep snowing and what it might look like at first light. And that's just at home. It's all about what a great feeling it is, around -20°C, when the snot in your nose freezes as you tramp back from the bar to your hotel and you know tomorrow's snow is going to have that chalky dry, squeaky perfection. It's all about that tingle of remoteness as you head into wild, untracked mountains and make turns - great turns, lousy turns, turns on one board or two planks, whatever, just that interplay of gravity, ice crystals, and human being. We're nuts about skiing and snowboarding, mountains, snow, being scared and exhilirated at the same time, tasting the difference that 2,000 metres of altitude makes to a coffee and cake halfway through a great morning, and trying to work out how that same altered air pressure can result in the doubling in price of just about anything you can sink your teeth into.

What's different is that we're trying to bridge some gaps through the power of the interweb. Not long ago a package ski trip was almost the only option. Now mountains everywhere are up for grabs - ski-drive, fly-drive, chalet, hotel, igloo, you name it, you can sort it online. So you need a bit more info - no, a lot more info - than you can get digitally or in print so far. The web is made for the job - limitless depth and breadth for detail where required, with all the current information, from snow reports to online availability. We've started with what counts, core content, and - give or take the odd new lift or mountain restuarant - that remains useful, to you as info-seekers and for us to build on.

You can't put this stuff together for nothing, so here's the deal. We're lining up key travel partners so you can book your trips, your airport car parking, your ski passes and gear rental direct from our pages. That allows us to continue to be here and gives you some great deals, with minimum fuss. So you really have nothing to lose, other than the shirt off your back if we decide to do a runner (to the mountains, naturally) once we've got your credit card details. But that's unlikely. We're in for the long haul as a spin round ultimate-ski.com should make clear to you. So have a good look, please, and then spend some money.