 Poster: A snowHead
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I'd always liked the idea of skiing, but had never met anyone who really got me excited enough to give it a go. That, and the fact that my wife was very anti the whole sliding thing.
That stemmed from a fear of skiing entrenched in a bad experience as a youngster, when she was "forced" to do a run that put the fear of God in her. So no encouragement there.
Anyway, back to the theme. What got you into skiing?
For me it was my bro-in law. It was 3 years ago and I was 38. He is an excellent skier - happy on or off-piste. And he persuaded Annie and I to go on a holiday to Serre Chevalier - much against Annie's better judgement. It was he who took me on my first slide. 30 mins on a green nursery slope to deal with the snowplough and then on to a blue (which had a very red start).
To be honest, irrespective of the falls, tumbles and knackering recovery of getting back up again, I was hooked as soon as I saw the mountains on that first morning. Hooked at the hire shop getting my skis, hooked getting onto the telepherique, and definitely hooked at that first click into my bindings (still remember that like it was yesterday).
Annie, my wife, is now almost as enthusiastic (actually that's probably not quite true as she's not a snowHead.....yet!) and is regaining her love of the mountains after 8 trips.
So, fellow snowHeads, what got you into skiing, when and where?
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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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My mate's dad was the manager at Pontypool Leisure Centre, including the dry slope. He had his 7th birthday party there, so it was skiing first, then swimming, followed by sausage beans & chips. Great.
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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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In my early twenties, on a gorgeous summer day driving past Mt. Hood in Oregon, decided on impulse to give it a go. A handful of instructors lolling about with nothing to do, so I chose the prettiest young female. She went through the basic snowplough stuff on level ground, which seemed simple enough. Then she took me up the lift to the only open run, which seemed bloody steep at the time, but was probably blue by European standards. Pointed the skis downhill, accelerated, and kept going. Before long I was going fast, but had forgotten how to turn and stop, and the frantic screams to plough were receding behind me - so I just kept going and kept accelerating. By now minor bumps were jolting me, but I managed to absorb them, and was simultaneously exhilarated and terrified. Eventually, a car park hove in to view, and I decided I had to do something to stop - so I deliberately fell over. I left the ground by several feet on the first bounce and eventually slithered onto the car park. I must have been going fast, because it was several seconds before the instructor caught up, I suspect fearing that my surviving relatives would sue her for several million dollars. In fact, I was completely unhurt - and hooked.
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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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I guess I'm with hibernia, on this one but only started a few years ago. When I was a child I was always really excited when it snowed and had to go out and do stuff in it. I lectured for a while and a lot of the European students I supervised were in the habit of a yearly family ski trip - or even rented/owned a place in the mountains and that sort of pushed me into it. Interestingly the first place we skied - Westendorf, my mum has been going to every year in the summer! It took a few days to get my ski feet on the first trip but we were addicted by the end of the first week and booked our second trip for the year 3 days after returning. 
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A group of us from my old workplace went to Bulgaria in 1990 on a whim. It was early March, warm and sunny, the pistes were all closed so we spent the entire week on the lash.
Came home with a top tan, a massively enlarged liver and by the time the insurance coughed up for piste closures etc the whole trip cost me less than £100.
Needless to say, despite not ski-ing at all on my first ski holiday, I was hooked.
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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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In 4th and 5th year we were allowed to choose the sports we took part in. I signed up for the 2 sports offered that were off site - skiing and squash. Never actually made it to a squash lesson, but did go to my 1st ski lesson - was intrigued and did all of them. Then forgot about it....
Then a few years later landed in Christchurch NZ with a ski mad boyfriend who saw a snow report as we were checking into our hostel - we were on the first bus up the mountain next morning - and when I saw the mountains for real... as they say the rest is history!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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My parents were (and still are) mountaineers and we always used to go to Scotland at New Year and the Alps for the summers - usually Tasch (Zermatt), Saas Almagell (Saas Fee), Arolla or Val Veny (Courmayeur). Me and my brother used to like rock climbing but always complained at being dragged up boring walks, although looking back it was quite cool to be climbing 4000m peaks as a kid, but we always bugged the parents to take us skiing. We had a few days in the early eighties and loved it, and finally persuaded them to go on a proper ski holiday, at Christmas 1985ish when I was 13, to Chatel, and I've never gone back to mountaineering since except with skis on!
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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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Elizabeth B, I had the same experience at Hemel dry ski slope, maybe 25 years ago. No instruction, just the kit. But I'd seen Ski Sunday and I knew that you just pointed the skis down the hill and went. So I did. Screaming over the Dendix, slowed down marginally by the wet grass when the Dendix ran out and brought to a halt only by a wooden fence. Unhurt, and bemused by what was meant to have happened and what happened to me. It seemed to bear little relation to what I had seen of Ingmar Stenmark...
Fast forward 20 years and my friends had been going skiing for years, enthusing to me every year. I was poor, and couldn't justify it until someone said it's like two holidays in one: all the lounging around, sunshine and beer of a beach holiday, and all the physical rush of an adventure holiday. I bought it, hook line and sinker, and here I am.
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I always knew I would love skiing but I was put off by the fact that it seemed like something one could only do once a year and at great expense. Then, in 1995, a skier girlfriend took me to Kitzbuhel. Naturally, I loved the skiing but I also saw snowboarders for the first time. The girlfriend was a bit snooty about snowboarding so I spent the week on skis but by the following year she was history. I strapped on a board and never looked back!
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You know it makes sense.
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My cousins got me into it. Strangely, for me the big worry (other than the price tag, which you can always justify if you enjoy it), was feeling cold!! I hate feeling cold, and couldn't imagine spending big money to be miserable every day. Anyway, once I'd been persuaded that I genuinely wouldn't feel cold (well, most of the time), I was happy to give it a try. I had a couple of lessons at Cardiff ski slope, and was probably the most impatient student they've had - I left it a bit late to arrange the lessons and ended up having about 5 in 2 weeks, just prior to going to Andorra.
After doing a lesson on day one my cousins took me on a blue that started pretty steep, and I reckon it was the adrenaline rush caused by the panic, but also the desire to "beat the mountain" that got me hooked. Basically from day 1 on snow I knew I was going to love it (though not being that good). I am now well known for skiing on guts rather than technique... going back this year for more lessons to try to redress the balance.
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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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Having played rugby from the age of seven, my Dad had been a very good Union and then League player, I always thought skiing was something carried on by the rich soft southerners. A bit of slow sliding about on snow - how much fun could that be? Not for me.
But during the last year of my degree I started seeing a girl who had skied once the previous year and she nagged me to go. I could only keep up my defences for a couple of seasons, and weakened eventually.
Skiing was the best thing that came out of that relationship 
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Poster: A snowHead
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My sister was working her second season in the Alps (Serre Chevalier). No friends or family had been to see her in either season and I think she was feeling a little unloved. My dad offered to pay for my holiday and I reluctantly agreed - I didn't have any interest in skiing.
Of course I was hooked - I got home and contacted my university to see if I could defer entry for a year. They agreed and 9 months later I was back in Serre Che working my first season.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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John (Mr Q) had been skiing with school, and said I'd love it. So we went for New Year to a tiny place in Austria called something like Kolsass-Weir. And that was it. Hooked from the first second. Like you, Mark, I remember the excitement of everything, even the way my feet were agony in my hire boots! I was in ski school all week, and on the last day, I won the bronze medal in the slalom - I was well chuffed. And from then on I've gone every year at least once, even twice when I was pregnant. I love it more and more each year, even just seeing the mountains makes me feel good. It's just as well John and my two sons love it as much, or there'd be big trouble!
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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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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 a student I had the choice of Geneva or Hamburg. I would not have suffered unduly in Hamburg, but I fancied trying skiing ahem I mean the study opportunity was better in Geneva.
So I took my first falls in the little resort of Crozet (as I then knew it) and have have carried on since.
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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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My ex took me years ago. He'd done downhill racing with the army and was very good, needless to say I was rubbish and still am even now. I've skiied most years for the last 15 years or so and still enjoy having lessons, although that's because I like mixing with a group, but when my ex and I separated I was determined to continue skiing so went on my own and ski lessons were a good way of meeting people. I love the mountains and the atmosphere of being in villages covered with snow, it's not just the skiing for me. I also find skiing holidays more relaxing than beach holidays. When I ski I don't have time to think about work or what's happening at home etc, whereas on a beach holiday it takes me a couple of days before I start to chill out.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I was 14 years old. Standing in a que waiting for the school bus when I overheard a teacher sayintg there was a spare place on the trip leaving in a weeks time. I instantly approached him and he told me to speak to my parents. So I pleaded with my father to come up with the cash to let me go. He rang the teacher that evening and I was booked. My day had to sell a bullock to pay for the trip and I milked cows every weekend in return.
I instantly knew I was hooked on arrival in the resort. Crest Voland, a modest wee resort placed at 1200m on the side of 1600m mountain in Northern France. Linked to Les Saisies, which hosted the X Country of the 1992 Olympics there was a real buzz about the place.
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| johnboy wrote: |
| My day had to sell a bullock to pay for the trip and I milked cows every weekend in return. |
Brilliant!!
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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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At £5.00 per hour and we could milk about 100 cows per hour that is around 10,000 cows for an average holiday or 40,000 teats or 300,000 pints of milk!
BUT WELL WORTH IT!!!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Moved to Munich to take up a new job, and well... with the slopes so close and everyone a skier, just had to give it a try...
...and once the then g/f had explained it a bit, and I'd realised the physics were not dissimilar to riding a m/c (only you have to keep the body upright, exact opposite of cornering a bike), got it together and never looked back 
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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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Ours was trial and error with holidays. I've been married for 21 years and have always found it hard work taking my husband and son for a holiday. They don't enjoy the heat and they hate sitting still - so beach holidays have been a nightmare. Several years ago I suggested skiing but was met with 'I don't want to hurt my knees etc.etc'. Anyway, in 2000 I had a bad bout of depression, due to overwork (running own business) and lack of leisure time. So, they consented and we went skiing. Now, they want to go all the time. And this is from a husband who is basically 'driven' as far as work is concerned. i.e.gets up at 5.00am to run our 260acre farm and beef herd. At 7.30am goes into run our Land Rover dealership. Comes home at 3.00pm to farm (oh - and has learnt to shoe horses, so does that as well). Try living with someone like that. 
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Mrs BrianT had been skiing quite often, but 10 years ago we went as a family and friends to Zell am Zee. Family skied, and friend and I walked and ate cake. Couple of years later decided to try it. After a course at the dreaded Tamworth snowdome went back to Zell and after one lesson there I was hooked (in my mid forties). Couple of weeks in Flaine, then discovered the dilights of Wengen and am now completely obsessed. We now regard our skiing as our main holiday and intent to go 2/3 times each year. WHY DID I START SO LATE??
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You know it makes sense.
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I went skiing with the school to serre chevalier when i was 10, i absolutly loved it, every bit, right from the pre skiing training sessions, to the dry slope lessons and when i got out on to the propper snow had the time of my life. Unfortunately that was it for me until recently as i come from a poor background so no way my parents could afford to take me skiing, when i was old enough to earn my own money i'd discovered booze, motorbikes and cars so didn't have the money for holidays. When going out with my current partner after a few years after having moved out of home and setting up our first home she thought it strange that we hadn't been on a propper holiday outside of the UK since we got together so i agreed to go on a summer holiday to greece (Kos) with her and a couple of mates, i had an okay time but i've never been a sun worshiper and didn't like the heat and i'm also a fidget and get bored easily so while they were all out getting skin cancer by the pool i'd just stay in bed sleeping off my hang over from the night before (the evenings were ok ) which was pretty boring, so i did some water sports jet skiing etc which was great fun but expensive £25 for 15 minutes so didn't do that very much.
Next time the subject of holidays came up i wasn't too keen, so she said what did i want to do and i mentioned skiing she agreed to give it a go. Didn't think she would as she's not really the sporty type, we booked a last minute deal to Arinsal in Andorra and we both did a learn to ski in a day course on the dry slope before we went, i strangely seemed to remember how to ski, and picked it up again (some 15 years after my trip with the school) but the mrs was truely dreadful, we were both worried......Anyways we went to Arinsal and had the best holiday ever, turns out she was scared of falling on the plastic and has 'no fear' at all when on snow  and now, 2 years after the first trip we go 3 times a year and both at a similar level in terms of skiing ability and enthusiasm. Turned out alright in the end 
We're off to Soll in less than 2 weeks and it's snowing like a good-un over there right now. can't wait
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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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Had considered skiing for years but wasn't particulalry fussed about it. Then got an invite to join a couple of friends who skied every year and thought that I might as well - could be fun. Both my brother and I went along for our first ever week of skiing to Sauze in Italy. To say that we enjoyed it doesn't even come close and I was kicking myself that I hadn't tried it a long time before.
That's it, I've been hooked ever since and now do a minimum of 3 weeks per season (although I did about 4 months last season).
I now need to change my circumstances so that work and lack of money do not prevent me skiing - I have a plan and am working on it. That said, I'm going to need some help with some of the details - watch this space.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I heard all about the 'antics' of a previous school ski trip and as soon as I turned 15 and was old enough, I begged my parents for months until they finally agreed. We went to Chateaux D'Oex (sp?), Gstaad and it was fantastic, the main bonus was that the skiing was the highlight not all the drunken antics of a 15 year old! Needless to say I spent several months of each of the following 3 years begging my parents again. Fortuntately, my parents owned a pub so there wasn't a shortage of work for me to do!
Forward to age 25 when I finally got around to going again (post student years), this time with husband. It took a few more trips (well 2) to convince him that skiing was brilliant and now he finally agrees and is more enthusiatic than me! Which takes some beating.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Had watched on TV (SKi Sunday) always thought it looked good. But when I was young (a) schools didn't do ski trips and (b) my parents could not afford it (furthest we ever got on holiday was Isle of Wight).
Then in 1986 (aged 32 - yes I've just turned 50) I decided that I wanted to give it a go and asked a group of friends (none of whom had skied before) if they would be interested. 8 of them yes, so I arranged a trip to Andorra and a set of dry-slope lessons for us before we went.
Day 1 on the snow they split off everyone who had been on a dry slope, walked us up the the hill to have a look at us. Compared to plastic it was easy! By the end of the day we were all hooked. Skied 1-3 weeks every season since then and I have no intention of stopping for the foreseable. Les Arc in 3 weeks time
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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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All started with the parents and their friends deciding to get both families together to go on holiday; as due to work abroad etc, there had not been much time to see each other and family. That was 23 odd years ago now. After a break of a five years or so, again due to work abroad, we decided it was time to get back to the slopes. The last time we all went we had a few more in the addition of the next generation.
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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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My mother took me to Hillend ski slope in Edinburgh when I was seven years old, as she couldn't think what else to do to keep me occupied. After about ten minutes in the lesson we graduated to skiing from the top of the nursery slope, and from then on I was hooked.
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FAQ
Started age 3 by both parents who skied, father was good enough to be actually offered a job by the Wengen Ski School a long time ago, which if he'd taken it would have made him the first non Swiss instructor there ! Anyway I always enjoyed the mountains ever since 
