 Poster: A snowHead
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fatbob, I know, I was just pointing out to Cathy that well groomed pistes were not really a feature of Canadian skiing in my experience, which would not have been good for Mrs K.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Mrs K
Your fear is perfectly natural and is one that has been felt by every skier, and indeed is still felt by most skiers when looking down a slope they feel may stretch their ability.. The fear will subside as you become more controlled. The best way to do this is to have some top lessons. Injuries in the early days are common and you will fall far less the better you get.
To sum up: Ski slopes you are comfortable with, only going steeper when you have fully mastered the gentle ones. Oh and Lessons, lessons, lessons, lessons
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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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Frosty the Snowman, well said.
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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kosciosco,
If you really enjoyed Courchevel fair enough I wouldn't want to put you off. But there are a lot of other resorts than can provide an equally good but not identical skiing experience IMHO. Most of them will be cheaper and some considerably so if cost is one of the problems of going skiing again.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Here's one for you.... my other half hates skiing, hates taking lessons and is funny about me going on holiday without him..... Any suggestions?!!
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nightshift,
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funny about me going on holiday without him..... Any suggestions?!!
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Give him more to laugh about 
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kosciosco, Sorry M8 but I can only offer that you ditch her and go on your own.
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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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Dump her and get yourself a hot young one that loves skiiing (and you hopefully)
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brian
brian
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nightshift, and kosciosco,
wife swapping ? 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Mrs K
if you are up for a trip to Whistler i have the instructor for you!
In my earlier skiing years I have sat on snow and cried, screamed at people skiing past (I actually screamed a snowboarder over when he nearly hit me), yelped at the bumps in the snow.... etc etc etc... I'm still easy to phase as I have big confidence problems on skis... and my disabilty makes it hard for me to adapt to unusual situations readily...
I have skied with this guy for 5 seasons now.... he is patient, empathetic re the fear thing, a great instructor, skis pretty damn well, a gentleman, and cute(if that matters)... This guy has the highest return rate for intermediate lessons on my home mountain.... He is also working as a trainer there - so knows his stuff...
he is very calm and will keep the lesson inside your comfort zone (ie where you are pushed a little but not reduced to nervous wreck...) you just tell him what is spooky... He has never told me something is NOT scarey... he may tell me I am well able to ski it.. or offer me alternate routes down if I am having second thoughts(another plus he tends to plan to ski areas that have multiple escape hatches as challenge routes)....
He also grew up at Whistler so knows the mountain VERY well...
let me know if you are after a name...
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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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little tiger, I want her to enjoy skiing - not run off with the bloody instructor!!!! 
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should be safe...
he seems to be very adept at picking up the blonde(not always blonde but it sets the picture) bimbo resort worker(usually first season).... she will always be the one that tells everyone she is going out with XXXX.... and gets plenty of benefits from the relationship.... and promptly dumps the poor Fitzwilliam some time before next season.... I have had to give him a hug in the gondola when he got a bit misty eyed over one nasty break-up...
I pointed the stats out to him last time we skied (5 seasons 5 EX-girlfriends - all users!) .... luckily by then he seemed to have got a bit smarter and was happy being NON-girlfriend in status.... I did suggest he go to swiss night to meet the rather nice swiss girl from the stockli shop... but his flat mate stuffed up the message...
Probably too much info... but you get the picture... your wife should be safe.... unless she is a heartless little cow too!
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You know it makes sense.
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little tiger,
Cmon its a ski town, he's male and he gets some action - that's better than 90% of the average shmoes 
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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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| brian wrote: |
nightshift, and kosciosco,
wife swapping ? |
hmm, he's funny about me going on holiday without him but he'd go for a wife swap?!!! Not likely.
Anyway, I've just been handed the leverage I need, on a plate!!! His mate has decided to do a ski weekend in Feb for his stag do. Which means that if he goes on that, then he can damn well suck it up and come skiing with me too. I can''t believe my luck!!!
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Poster: A snowHead
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Mrs K, I really think that you should try giving it another shot - especially as you enjoy everything else about the holiday. My first couple of weeks skiing seem remarkably similar to yours (though I had - and still have to an extent - a speed and fear of lack of control thing rather than a height thing) even down to the knee injury. My only regret is that I waited nearly 10 years before I had another go. Now I love it. I'm still absolutely rubbish despite numerous subsequent weeks on the snow but to me it doesn't matter. I do what I can and enjoy it.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Try ST wolfgang in austria,
Took an ex there a few years ago, the town is full of shops and on a stunning lake, she loved it. Get her drunk in the evenings and as she nurses her hangover in the morning head of to the ski area for a couple of hours on you own, come back and get later and ski slowly with her later BARGAIN
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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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Let the wife have her Spa holiday and just take your Girlfriend skiing. That way all 3 of you will be happy. 
Works for me.....
......Oi, who work me up, I was just having a nice dream!
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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If two people of varying ability (regardless of gender) want to ski together then they should ONLY ski the pistes that the weaker skier would enjoy. Seems obvious but apparently isn't. However, if the weaker skier insists that their stronger partner always skis with them, and won't take lessons, then........ all bets are off.
One option is for the stronger partner, if not a snowboarder already, to take up snowboarding; put them back on a more equal footing.  I have seen men (it's always men...) urging their wives and/or kids to try something more difficult and have thought how much I would love to put them on a snowboard for the first time and tell them to MTFU.
Some people are never going to like skiing (I also sail, and lots of people are never going to like sailing, for some of the same reasons). I wouldn't try to cajole somebody into it.
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@skiingwithdemons, my word, that's thread resurrection of a most impressive variety!!
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Good idea. And indeed an experienced snowboarder could takes up skiing to be with their spouse. Imagine the brownie points!
I make the point in SWD - if you're a power hound, better make sure you chose a partner that is equally passionate about sliding down mountains - I've discovered that most divorced men meet their 2nd wife on the piste.
Personally I like a few days of "Girlfriend Skiing" (aka. boyfriend skiing) now and again. Skiing is not all about - well skiing.
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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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Sounds perfect....separate holidays....(so glad I am not attached) [sorry if this is little help]
If you really want to take her, get her booked into a Spa for the duration and send her shopping....women love this sort of thing 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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If she really doesn't want to ski then best not to make her. I'm in the same boat.
Choose a resort (or better a building) with a nice spa and tell her to stock up on hot chocolate and good books.
You get up early, hit the slopes until 2pm then meet up for a late lunch. She has a lie-in, gets up around 10, has the croissants you lovingly left out for her from the local bakery. She then heads out for a swim and sauna before relaxing on a terrace (or in a bar) with a G and T until 2pm. Have a nice lunch together then do stuff that she might want to do. Maybe husky-dog driving / ride, a trip on a snowmobile maybe some ice driving. The mountains aren't just for skiing.
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I thought Alpe d'Huez was the best resort that I've seen in terms of beginner/low confidence intermediates - a lovely (sometimes sunny) bowl with lots of long but not too scary options which contrasts with many resorts where beginner/less confident types are confined to a couple of runs. I'd have loved to have learnt there. And then there are plenty of runs away from the main bowl to keep you both occupied one her confidence is up.
I have heard good reports about Masterclass British Ski School. It says on their website (http://www.masterclass.f9.co.uk/) that "The group lessons are short but intensive two hourly sessions on Monday, Tuesday & Thursday mornings" which sounds ideal (for both of you....). But I've not skied with them personally. Maybe some other snowheads have some better info/experience?
Hope you can persuade her to keep coming. I was slow learner and progressor due to a serious injury incurred on my first week's skiing but I persevered and love it! 
suec
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You know it makes sense.
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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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With regard to the original point of this thread. There's not much I can suggest on top of the really good suggestions on the thread.
Frosty's point resonated around the whole issue with fear. There is one slope that I am still nervous about going down, the Col at Val Thorens. It is only a red and not particularly difficult, unless it's been windy and the snow has been blown off the ice.
Daily, when skiing I go down more challenging slopes with not even a flicker of worry.
Yet on the Col, which I bounced down painfully a few times as a learner in difficult icy conditions, I get a feeling of panic as I get off the lift. At each turn I feel scared to turn as if a beginner again. It's not particularly steep yet I can't seem to conquer the fear of it.
There's no real moral to this story other than the inexplicable and pernicious nature of fear and anxiety.
| Frosty the Snowman wrote: |
Mrs K
Your fear is perfectly natural and is one that has been felt by every skier, and indeed is still felt by most skiers when looking down a slope they feel may stretch their ability.. The fear will subside as you become more controlled. The best way to do this is to have some top lessons. Injuries in the early days are common and you will fall far less the better you get.
To sum up: Ski slopes you are comfortable with, only going steeper when you have fully mastered the gentle ones. Oh and Lessons, lessons, lessons, lessons |
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Poster: A snowHead
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I got myself a new wife who likes skiing.
Bit of a nervous first outing on both parts however...! Many people lie (or are self deluded) about their own skiing ability.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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My husband has never liked skiing as much as I do, but he DOES like having a week off, getting up later than usual, not rushing around, walking into the centre and having coffee on a sunny terrace (or indoors by a fire) with his iPod on, reading the books he never has time to read, snoozing, meeting us for afternoon tea in the chalet and then all of us go to the bar/pub for an hour before dinner. Some days, he even skis. At the end of the week, he's relaxed and recharged so has had as good a holiday as the rest of us.
I just have to make sure I book us somewhere with distractions other than just snow - that really isn't very hard to do.
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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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@kosciosco, Expensive option but we go to Whistler and use their Max4 "lesson". They are more guiding groups of similar level skiers round the mountain. So do a few days of those and she will find someone in the group that is at her level to ski with the rest of the trip. Guess that will be the same everywhere.
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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 left my wife behind on last years family ski trip - just went with the kids (11 and 9 at the time). She's got 8 years under her belt, but had enough of the kids leaving her miles behind + her legs hurting and said she's happy enough not coming any more. Didn't last - she's coming skiing this year (Saalbach) as she really felt like she'd missed out last year, despite the grumbles and claimed she didn't say she wouldn't come again, but was having a year off - yeah right Think she can tolerate the skiing but enjoys the whole experience (après, family togetherness etc)
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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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Nine year old thread resurrection! Is this a record?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| pam w wrote: |
If two people of varying ability (regardless of gender) want to ski together then they should ONLY ski the pistes that the weaker skier would enjoy. Seems obvious but apparently isn't. However, if the weaker skier insists that their stronger partner always skis with them, and won't take lessons, then........ all bets are off.
One option is for the stronger partner, if not a snowboarder already, to take up snowboarding; put them back on a more equal footing. I have seen men (it's always men...) urging their wives and/or kids to try something more difficult and have thought how much I would love to put them on a snowboard for the first time and tell them to MTFU.
Some people are never going to like skiing (I also sail, and lots of people are never going to like sailing, for some of the same reasons). I wouldn't try to cajole somebody into it. |
Wise words from pam w again. But substitute telemarking for snowboarding! A great leveller. But it doesn't really solve a ski refusenik. Compromise with holidays would be required. I'd struggle.
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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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About 14 years ago, I carefully selected El Hen taking her enjoyment of skiing into significant account.
How great, eh? A girlfriend who was up for skiing every year, perhaps even more than once!
That was BsHBefore snowHeads - now, thanks this wonderful support group, she skis 3 or 4 times each Winter (and is a stoic Ski-widow the other 6 or 7 weeks  )
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@skiingwithdemons, This made me laugh, and i'm now in two minds as to weather to send it to the girlfriend or not ..... it will either go down really well, or i'll get a smack.
May just have to buy the book and leave it open at said page.
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FAQ
response....
(how lucky I am with 2 females who love skiing) 