 Poster: A snowHead
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| dklemm wrote: |
| conor90 wrote: |
| @Scarpa, Thanks just the kind of stuff I'm looking for! I was hoping to do some side piste / even a little off piste technique in one of my lessons - snow permitting. Would that type of ski be suitable for that? |
All Mountain Ski, they are normally available in the upper end of the ski hire categories. |
Usually will have a waist width in the mid 80s upward. In some circles known as the Crazy 88s.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@conor90, avoid stiff narrow slalom skis if you are wanting to do off piste!! I'd be looking 80-90mm for intor to off piste, wider if it is really deep. But given current snow conditions and a lack of new snow forecast a sub 80mm piste ski could work much better!
That's the advantage of hiring though, you can (should) be able to swop skis almost daily.
regards,
Greg
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Why wait until next year to try out some better equipment?
As warren miller used to say - it just means you'll be a year older when you do.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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As said above, if you want to dive off piste defo get an all mountain ski. Fatter skis take a little more effort and time to get up on their edges on piste but can still cope with it fine 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Thanks for all the comments. I'm pretty sure I had All Mountain skis last year and really enjoyed them so I will make sure they don't try and give me something else!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Dave of the Marmottes wrote: |
| I know you're on some kinda extended troll here so don't expect you'll pay any attention to all the genuine advice you've had. |
nail. head. hit. stubborn. troll.
add a few connecting type words with an 'and' / 'or' here and there and our work here is done.
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| Quote: |
L2A is plenty of a ski area for most people even if some of the terrain is upside down. If you're not finding conditions great that's an ideal opportunity to get on some higher performance ( stiffer ) piste skis - more grip, more pop, carve on surfaces you could only skid on before. I know you're on some kinda extended troll here so don't expect you'll pay any attention to all the genuine advice you've had.
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Well I had a great day today - much better lighting for one thing although I still stand by my critique of the resort which has absolutely nothing to do with the skis. The pistes are generally not that interesting compared to others I have skied but the only way to find that out was to visit and I don't regret that.
As for not paying attention to the advice - not true. It has been an education for me - in all my years I have never even considered upgrading before so the fact that I will next time shows that I have taken note. By posting the skis that I was given (earlier) I now know that they are considered soft beginners skis whereas before I did not know that I was actually being given beginners skis as there were suggestions that you get given skis according to your ability not the price you paid.
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But, I'm going to dare to suggest that " I have yet to find a fun piste here" may be due to "Anyway, my bottom end skis have performed perfectly for me all day and I am entirely happy with them. "
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Unfair allegation. I have always skied on bottom end skis and have always found fun pistes in other resorts. Only on day two at the moment and the second day was better skiing - more exhilarating - but nothing memorable yet.
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I generally find I have a blast on all kinds of pistes because my top end performance skis make it so.
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Now this clearly highlights the difference between the type of skier I am and probably the rest of you. There are many types of piste that I really enjoy skiing and others that are quite doable (to tick the box) but uninteresting and nothing on my feet could make them more interesting to me even if they were somehow easier. Please accept that we are not all the same. I keep saying that I ski for pleasure and get a lot of pleasure out of it otherwise I wouldn't keep doing it.
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As a suggestion, maybe use the money you save on ski rental to invest on some good ski lessons which might encourage you to link turns rather than traverse the pistes.
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Yes I traverse "some" slopes but on others I am skilled at linking turns. It all depends on the slope. The point I made when I said I traverse was just a generalisation to say that I generally don't follow the fall line on ALL slopes (just bits of some).
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Where would you put yourself on the skiing scale here: (the videos are very useful IMHO to assess yourself)
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I would say I'm somewhere around the 8/9 level - I don't go off piste and don't really enjoy fresh snow so can't tick those boxes but otherwise pretty competent on all slopes.
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But as you're so stubborn, you'll have to wait another year with that niggling doubt that maybe all those folk on SHs actually had a point and maybe, just maybe, they were right... But then I guess you might find out in 2018??
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Stubborn! I've already said I'll give it a go next year. I'm 56. Next year comes around pretty damn quickly at my age.
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If you are having fun on them then you have no problem To be honest a lot depends on how you ski. If you like the feel of a ski flexing through a turn then the pop shooting you forward then a lower end ski may feel very damp. It's like when myself (as a recreational skier who does full seasons) tries proper FIS race skis, they are very hard work and sometimes catch you out badly as they require a lot of precision and if you get an angle slightly wrong they spit you out.
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Thanks for that encouragement Scarpa. What you said about FIS race skis is very poignant for me. I absolutely don't want the skis telling me what to do and to work hard at getting it right just to ski properly. I want my skis to blindly do whatever I want them to do without having to think about it - which is what mine have done each year - for my type of skiing. Yes I'll still give some more advanced ones ago next time around but if I have to work at skiing well on them then they won't be for me.
Now, I have some data for you to get a feel for how I like to ski. Ski Tracks didn't track me yesterday for some reason but it worked fine today. My max speed was 43.7mph although this is by no means typical with most runs peaking at around 30mph. In 8 hours I covered 46miles (excluding lifts) over 26 runs.
Now here is what is probably relevant data. Every year, the ski hire shops try to set my bindings higher than I like - usually 6 but here they wanted to set them at 7. I like them to be at 5 so that if I ever fall they come off and don't twist my ankle. They, however, are of the opinion that at 5 the skis will come off while I am skiing normally because of my weight (~90kg) but they never have. (however in the old days when I let them choose the binding settings then the skis wouldn't come off if I ever fell). This might say something about how I like to ski. I presume that means I am not that aggressive (or maybe that the flex in the soft skis takes the strain).
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You might just be very smooth and not particularly fast so you never get into the sort of forces that would trigger pre release. What do the Din charts say for a type 2 skier at your weight and boot length? Plus over 50 the advice is to drop 1.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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You are absolutely entitled to do what you are doing, and ski on whatever skis you want, but when you say this
| Kowal.Ski wrote: |
| nothing on my feet could make them more interesting. |
I wonder how you know this when you haven't tried anything different. And I wonder why you're waiting till next year to try different level skis when you could easily do that tomorrow?
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Mon 23-01-17 23:08; edited 2 times in total
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| Kowal.Ski wrote: |
| ... I traverse "some" slopes but on others I am skilled at linking turns. It all depends on the slope. The point I made when I said I traverse was just a generalisation to say that I generally don't follow the fall line on ALL slopes (just bits of some). |
Regardless of ski choice, it's very unusual for traversing a piste to be anything other than poor skiing.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| rob@rar wrote: |
| Kowal.Ski wrote: |
| ... I traverse "some" slopes but on others I am skilled at linking turns. It all depends on the slope. The point I made when I said I traverse was just a generalisation to say that I generally don't follow the fall line on ALL slopes (just bits of some). |
Regardless of ski choice, it's very unusual for traversing a piste to be anything other than poor skiing. |
But it sure helps you rack up the distance
| Quote: |
| In 8 hours I covered 46miles (excluding lifts) over 26 runs. |
That's quite impressive, 74Km. We managed our record of 65km during this christmas in the 3V, but we do like a leisurely lunch, even when its a picnic. A typical day for us is only around 50km, and that's on Head Magnums, perhaps we should downgrade?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| andyrew wrote: |
| But it sure helps you rack up the distance |
I doubt it's any better for covering a lot of ground than good skiing, but just so long as you're having fun and staying safe (which I'm sure the OP is) then who cares how you ski. It might well become a barrier to improving, but if you're happy doing what you're doing and don't have ambitions to change your skiing then there's no harm in it.
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| rob@rar wrote: |
| I doubt it's any better for covering a lot of ground than good skiing, but just so long as you're having fun and staying safe (which I'm sure the OP is) then who cares how you ski. It might well become a barrier to improving, but if you're happy doing what you're doing and don't have ambitions to change your skiing then there's no harm in it. |
On what basis are you sure the OP is staying safe? He says he likes 'traversing slopes as much as possible' but also likes 'going round nice bends fast'. Is he in control? Can he see what's around those bends? Maybe he can, maybe he can't. I'm not sure how one can be sure either way. But he has got 4 pages of replies.......
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
But it sure helps you rack up the distance
Quote:
In 8 hours I covered 46miles (excluding lifts) over 26 runs.
That's quite impressive, 74Km. We managed our record of 65km during this christmas in the 3V, but we do like a leisurely lunch, even when its a picnic. A typical day for us is only around 50km, and that's on Head Magnums, perhaps we should downgrade?
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I didn't do that much traversing today - mostly linked turn runs but then I don't stop for lunch (skiing or otherwise). I only stop while on lifts. Although I did take quite a few minutes for some panoramic shots when I was at the very top today which stopped me from cracking 50miles I suspect.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| swiftoid wrote: |
| On what basis are you sure the OP is staying safe? |
Not much, other than interpreting what he has written in this thread. Obviously I've not seen him ski, but he doesn't strike me as someone who is going to ski much beyond his ability to control his line and speed.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
On what basis are you sure the OP is staying safe? He says he likes 'traversing slopes as much as possible' but also likes 'going round nice bends fast'. Is he in control? Can he see what's around those bends? Maybe he can, maybe he can't. I'm not sure how one can be sure either way. But he has got 4 pages of replies.......
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As I've just said I actually don't traverse that much. And when I go around bends fast it is ONLY when I can see what's ahead. I am always in complete control and ski safely with respect for the other skiers and boarders and have never hit anybody else.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I sense the OP drives a Nissan Micra. At 40mph. Everywhere. But in an advanced way.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Kowal.Ski wrote: |
| ... I like to maximise my time on the slopes by traversing slopes as much as possible ... |
| Kowal.Ski wrote: |
| ... As I've just said I actually don't traverse that much ... |
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| rob@rar wrote: |
| swiftoid wrote: |
| On what basis are you sure the OP is staying safe? |
Not much, other than interpreting what he has written in this thread. Obviously I've not seen him ski, but he doesn't strike me as someone who is going to ski much beyond his ability to control his line and speed. |
You said that how he'd described his skiing (the traversing) was unusual for anything other than poor skiing. Fair enough.
But he also says he likes taking bends at speed. If your (fair imo) judgement that traversing pistes is indicative of poor skiing then is it safe for the same person to be taking bends at speed?
Personally I think it's a wind up.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@swiftoid, it might well be a wind up. But nevertheless I would hesitate to equate poor (as in not very skilful) skiing with unsafe skiing. Not especially skilled skiers can be completely safe, while reasonably skilled skiers can be very dangerous.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@rob@rar, I agree. Not especially skilled doesn't equate to unsafe and relatively skilled doesn't equate to safe. However the OP claims to traverse as much as possible and at the same time not traverse very much while taking bends fast. It's the inconsistencies that leave me unconvinced about the safety and/or the veracity.
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@swiftoid, it's the Schrödinger's Traverse which makes me wonder. At the same time it is both a lot and not a lot of traversing...
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I prefer to think of his ski track being a Möbius band - long traverse, fast bend and back where he started. When you can bend reality the softness of your ski makes little difference.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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To be honest LDA is a marmite resort. I spent a day then (driving over from ADH), wasn't impressed and so have never ventured their since.
I missed that you'd posted the actual skis you've hired. If you've skied for a "very long time" and you are happy with those ski's it suggests to me you plateau'd a very long time ago at quite a low but steady level. This is backed up with your description of what and how you ski. In fact you sound very much like my mother in law.
So my revised prognosis is to stick with what you have and don't bother trying to upgrade. Oh, and go to ADH next time, you'll love it.
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I've seen the film about this thread, it's called Traversception. It's got Leo in it, one of the best ski movies I've ever seen.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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This
| Dave of the Marmottes wrote: |
| I prefer to think of his ski track being a Möbius band - long traverse, fast bend and back where he started. When you can bend reality the softness of your ski makes little difference. |
And
| Jord92 wrote: |
| I've seen the film about this thread, it's called Traversception. It's got Leo in it, one of the best ski movies I've ever seen. |
The more I read this thread the more I think it's a troll. And a very successful one too!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I fancy a go at the Tour De France and Halfords are having a sale on Apollo mountain bikes , now 59.99, should I buy one?
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| Tom Doc wrote: |
This
The more I read this thread the more I think it's a troll. And a very successful one too! |
Oh yes, we all spotted it many pages ago. But it is very enjoyable, and a good distraction from reality which is always a good thing.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Norrin Radd wrote: |
| I fancy a go at the Tour De France and Halfords are having a sale on Apollo mountain bikes , now 59.99, should I buy one? |
No you need to buy 2. One to ride and one for @Kowal.Ski to put on the roof of his Fiat 500 and drive behind you with (albeit, a very long way behind you).
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| NoDosh wrote: |
| I sense the OP drives a Nissan Micra. At 40mph. Everywhere. But in an advanced way. |
That, ND. But probably 36mph... Just too fast for a 30 zone, but irritating everywhere else.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| James the Last wrote: |
| NoDosh wrote: |
| I sense the OP drives a Nissan Micra. At 40mph. Everywhere. But in an advanced way. |
That, ND. But probably 36mph... Just too fast for a 30 zone, but irritating everywhere else. |
A friend of mine calls them 'Monospeeds'. One of the most annoying driving habits there is.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Just overtake them. They always give me a friendly wave.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Jord92 wrote: |
| ... A friend of mine calls them 'Monospeeds'. One of the most annoying driving habits there is. |
I call it "radar assisted cruise control".
Significantly more annoying habits include overtaking cyclists with insufficient room and driving at more than 20mph in my city. Just so you know.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I won't be participating in this thread much longer as it seems to be an endless character assassination. Just looked up what a "troll" is and there are a lot of them on this thread but I am not one of them.
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I missed that you'd posted the actual skis you've hired. If you've skied for a "very long time" and you are happy with those ski's it suggests to me you plateau'd a very long time ago at quite a low but steady level. This is backed up with your description of what and how you ski. In fact you sound very much like my mother in law.
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I agree that I plateaued a long time ago (just like with my walking, swimming and cycling skills) but completely disagree that it was at a "low steady level". I did a 6.8 mile run at the start of the day in 20 minutes non-stop - no traversing. If that is considered slow and steady then there are a hell of a lot of slower people out there and to be honest I really don't care if you lot consider it slow. That is "off topic". I have no desire to change the way I ski (or cycle or swim or walk) because I enjoy the way I do all of them.
To be honest, until today I didn't really know how I skied as I just do it automatically (just like walking etc) so I paid attention today and 95% of the time I skied facing the fall line with my legs swinging from side to side pushing me back to the other side using one leg then the other. Don't know what it is called but lots of people do it. On steep icy slopes I ski more defensively using much more of the width of the piste but not what I call traversing which is where you parallel ski from one side to the other with a controlled turn at each side. I remember doing that a lot back in the 80s/early 90s and did enjoy it at the time which is why it stuck in my memory but I didn't do that once today. The rest of my time is fall line skiing over gentle bits.
As for my driving (also off topic you trolls) - I have never owned a car myself but I do drive my wife's car (generally at or very slightly above the speed limit). Cars are boring. I like motorbikes - and very fast ones. I will not state on record what speeds I regularly do in blighty but I can freely state that I have taken them to their limits on the German Autobahns (and the Isle of Man). But I don't ski like a ride a bike - other than being very good at avoiding collisions. I ride motorbikes for the speed, I ski because I enjoy it.
Now get off my case! I am skiing to enjoy myself and frankly many of you are really ruining it for me as I am thinking about your snide comments while skiing. Luckily some good rock music usually blocks that out.
To quote Dragons Den... "It is for this reason that I am out". I may take a peek when I return but I'm not letting you all spoil the rest of my skiing holiday.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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do you hire boots as well? if not and you have your own boots how stiff are they? The skis aren't the only thing that matter. there's no point it getting a higher-end ski with a lower-end boot or vice-versa. For someone that's been skiing as long as you have I certainly think you'd notice a difference in a higher-end ski. You don't necessarily have to go top of the line, but I'd step up the gear for a few more quid (with the caveat that your boots are suited for a higher end ski)
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Kowal.Ski wrote: |
I did a 6.8 mile run at the start of the day in 20 minutes non-stop - no traversing. If that is considered slow and steady then there are a hell of a lot of slower people out there and to be honest I really don't care if you lot consider it slow. That is "off topic". I have no desire to change the way I ski (or cycle or swim or walk) because I enjoy the way I do all of them.
I may take a peek when I return but I'm not letting you all spoil the rest of my skiing holiday. |
Well 6.8 miles is over 10k, for which the world record is 26 odd minutes. Your trolling is now too obvious.
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| Kowal.Ski wrote: |
I won't be participating in this thread much longer as it seems to be an endless character assassination. Just looked up what a "troll" is and there are a lot of them on this thread but I am not one of them.
| Quote: |
I missed that you'd posted the actual skis you've hired. If you've skied for a "very long time" and you are happy with those ski's it suggests to me you plateau'd a very long time ago at quite a low but steady level. This is backed up with your description of what and how you ski. In fact you sound very much like my mother in law.
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I agree that I plateaued a long time ago (just like with my walking, swimming and cycling skills) but completely disagree that it was at a "low steady level". I did a 6.8 mile run at the start of the day in 20 minutes non-stop - no traversing. If that is considered slow and steady then there are a hell of a lot of slower people out there and to be honest I really don't care if you lot consider it slow. That is "off topic". I have no desire to change the way I ski (or cycle or swim or walk) because I enjoy the way I do all of them.
To be honest, until today I didn't really know how I skied as I just do it automatically (just like walking etc) so I paid attention today and 95% of the time I skied facing the fall line with my legs swinging from side to side pushing me back to the other side using one leg then the other. Don't know what it is called but lots of people do it. On steep icy slopes I ski more defensively using much more of the width of the piste but not what I call traversing which is where you parallel ski from one side to the other with a controlled turn at each side. I remember doing that a lot back in the 80s/early 90s and did enjoy it at the time which is why it stuck in my memory but I didn't do that once today. The rest of my time is fall line skiing over gentle bits.
As for my driving (also off topic you trolls) - I have never owned a car myself but I do drive my wife's car (generally at or very slightly above the speed limit). Cars are boring. I like motorbikes - and very fast ones. I will not state on record what speeds I regularly do in blighty but I can freely state that I have taken them to their limits on the German Autobahns (and the Isle of Man). But I don't ski like a ride a bike - other than being very good at avoiding collisions. I ride motorbikes for the speed, I ski because I enjoy it.
Now get off my case! I am skiing to enjoy myself and frankly many of you are really ruining it for me as I am thinking about your snide comments while skiing. Luckily some good rock music usually blocks that out.
To quote Dragons Den... "It is for this reason that I am out". I may take a peek when I return but I'm not letting you all spoil the rest of my skiing holiday. |
This has to be a wind up, it really does. A pretty good one I'll admit. This line "I am thinking about your snide comments while skiing" had me in stitches. Brilliant.
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| Quote: |
Your trolling is now too obvious.
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It took you this long? Oh come on!!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Quote: |
Now get off my case! I am skiing to enjoy myself and frankly many of you are really ruining it for me as I am thinking about your snide comments while skiing. Luckily some good rock music usually blocks that out.
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Hmmm, having initially said 'I like to maximise my time on the slopes by traversing slopes as much as possible' then changed that to '95% of the time I skied facing the fall line' I suspect you're actually shaking your booty to Justin Bieber or One Direction.
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He's shaking something. Possibly coffee beans. In the style of Gareth Hunt.
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FAQ
