Should Fat people Ski ??????

A snowHead

Hurtle,

I couldn't possibly comment, nor would I dare to comment wink

A snowHead

roga,

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

The "worst" people in beginner ski groups are often the tall skinny gangly ones.

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It's possible to be both 'fat' and 'reasonably fit'. I'd like to think I fall neatly into this category. Very Happy

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Of course there would be nothing wrong with instructors and ski centres asking punters if they are up to a 3 1/2 hour or 7 hour lesson before they take the money - whetehr they are fat or not Puzzled

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Mosha Marc, thanks. I did my shadowing at CFe and hope I might get a job there some day.

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Wildsmith, most centres ask people to sign a disclaimer before they recreationally ski to state that they are competent to ski down the slope safely and in control - you wouldn't believe the number of people who sign on the dotted line and when they get out to the slope it becomes patently obvious that if they've ever had any lessons or it must have been decades before and they've forgotten everything they've been taught. You also have people who'll sign never even been on skis and then go out with their barely competent mates who are aiming to 'teach' them.

Moral of the story is people will sign or say yes to anything in my experience (particularly young blokes) and it bears no relation to the reality of whether they are competent, fit or anything else to ski.

Ultimately it's up to the individual themselves, problem is they may affect the lessons that others have also paid for and may compromise safety at the same time but I can't see there's any way to stop people from signing up for lessons even if they are asked every possible question about their ability etc.

pam w, I wouldn't want to cause offense to anyone who may be classed as "tall skinny [and] gangly" but I have to say your comment pretty accurately describes some of my experiences over the last few years, although I'm sure there are people who are "tall skinny [and] gangly" and are great ... I just can't recall any Wink

After all it is free

I'm not fat either... I'm just too short for my BMI. If I'd been 7'6" I'd be perfectly in proportion thank you very much. Toofy Grin

One of my boyfriends at Uni was a runner - he used to think nothing of trotting up to the top of Pen y Fan in the Beacons, and was undoubtedly extremely fit. But totally, completely, uncoordinated. We played squash once (as I was definitely not going to join him fell running) and it was a disaster. He was trying his best but he literally couldn't serve - he couldn't throw the ball up, then hit it. He just swiped and missed. Made me feel like Jonah Barrington. I suspect he'd have been absolutely hopeless at skiing. My OH has an overweight niece who has been skiing with us a few times and took to it like duck to water. Short, well coordinated, excellent sense of balance. She's just finished a PE degree and plays a pretty mean game of lacrosse. But she'd be the first to admit she's a bit overweight. My OH was once challenged, on a squash ladder, by a guy who turned up in a Jaguar and was very fat - absolutely huge gut. Tony thought it would be a walkover but he was so wrong. the guy just sat on the T and thrashed the ball all over the court, conceding only a handful of points in the whole match. He was so good at it, he didn't need to make it very "athletic" though there's no arguing that squash isn't a "sport". One of the really good things about skiing is that once over the very early stages you can make it as energetic, or as relaxing and cruisy, as you like. We can all do it in our own way, at our own pace. I spent a very fast day with two Belgians in their early 20s last season, showing them round the area. It was great fun but by 2 pm my knees had had it, especially as they were both hard up and not into stopping for drinks. I pointed them in the right direction, bade them farewell and limped home. I couldn't possibly do that every day.

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[quote="pam w"]One of my boyfriends at Uni was a runner - he used to think nothing of trotting up to the top of Pen y Fan in the Beacons, and was undoubtedly extremely fit. But totally, completely, uncoordinated. We played squash once (as I was definitely not going to join him fell running) and it was a disaster. He was trying his best but he literally couldn't serve - he couldn't throw the ball up, then hit it. He just swiped and missed. Made me feel like Jonah Barrington. I suspect he'd have been absolutely hopeless at skiing. My OH has an overweight niece who has been skiing with us a few times and took to it like duck to water. Short, well coordinated, excellent sense of balance. She's just finished a PE degree and plays a pretty mean game of lacrosse. But she'd be the first to admit she's a bit overweight. My OH was once challenged, on a squash ladder, by a guy who turned up in a Jaguar and was very fat - absolutely huge gut. Tony thought it would be a walkover but he was so wrong. the guy just sat on the T and thrashed the ball all over the court, conceding only a handful of points in the whole match. He was so good at it, he didn't need to make it very "athletic" though there's no arguing that squash isn't a "sport". One of the really good things about skiing is that once over the very early stages you can make it as energetic, or as relaxing and cruisy, as you like. We can all do it in our own way, at our own pace. I spent a very fast day with two Belgians in their early 20s last season, showing them round the area. It was great fun but by 2 pm my knees had had it, especially as they were both hard up and not into stopping for drinks. I pointed them in the right direction, bade them farewell and limped home. I couldn't possibly do that every day.[/quote]

Blimey sounds rude, did you actually do any skiing Embarassed

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Roga

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Suggested Edit to Thread Title :- " SHOULD TALL THIN GANGLY PEOPLE BE ALLOWED TO SKI "

Twisted Evil

Oh dear, I'm not too slim, in my 50s and am planning to go on my first ski holiday for almost 25 years (not been able to afford it up to now due to being Bank of Mum). I'm reasonably fit - go to gym, go on walking holidays and am not expecting to be able to ski all the daylight hours. All I want to do is to cruise the blues in between cups of coffee/chocolate in the morning and perhaps relax in the afternoon and have an enjoyable family holiday.

Am I mad? Embarassed

You know it makes sense.

Lilymaid, not in the least bit mad. You will have a terrific time. Oh, and welcome to snowHeads. Very Happy

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

I was about 23 when I first learnt to ski - played football once a week and squash 2-3 times - and still found skiing bloody hard work!

A snowHead

Lilymaid, Welcome to the idiocy and no you're not mad. Skiing is sitting in the sun sipping a Bombardino and hucking off 20m cliff . . . and everything in-between. Ya go as far or as softly as you wish and bullpoopy the rest wink

Skiing can be a nice gentle vacation for us more (ahem) sedate matures Toofy Grin

A snowHead

Lilymaid, welcome to Snowheads.

You'll have a great time, and things have got a lot easier in the last 25 years, with shorter, shaped, skis.

But - it would probably be a good idea to book yourself a couple of private lessons, near the beginning of your holiday, to get back into it as quickly as possible and to get used to the new skis. Also to do some ski specific exercises - specially to strengthen quads and hamstrings.

Where are you off to?

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Thanks for the reassurance and reminder to do some ski specific exercise or I shall be immobile after a morning. I'm booking some dry ski lessons (private) to remind me what it is all about.
We are off to Samoens on the 18th December - we've been there for summer holidays and loved it there and the boys have been skiing in Flaine, so they know the ski area. Hopefully there will be some snow ...

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Lilymaid, sit on the floor. now stand back up. if you achieved this you'll be fine!! A distressing amount of people can't, even with me hauling at them Shocked

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Back in the day when I was teaching this sport, it always amazed me just how totally unfit many adults are. Whether fat, gangly, puny, stick insecty or just plain flabby. It's a wicked combination... no excercise for a decade or three, tired after a journey and that first night on the p1ss, add a touch of altitude and cold dry air, some trepidation, give 'em some unwieldy gear to haul around, ski boots, a bit of side stepping, falling over/getting up and some poling around and, before you knew it, some were close to cardiac arrest. Fat's OK but unfit isn't.

gilo, know that feeling.

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As a porky myself who only recently (i.e. 5 years) took up the "past time", I can certify the problem isn't the size, its having the fitness and technique.

My first time, I never researched or considered the fitness aspect, then the beginner techniques like snow plough etc just put the final touches to a miserable holiday, I could barely stand after my first lesson, my legs hurt so badly I ended up quiting - but I learnt a very valuable lesson and was determined not to let it beat me, so before the next season I spent 4 months down the gym strengthening up and visiting the dry slope regularly, come the January I had the best week ever in Meribel, even given my brutish size the instructors were fantastic and I learnt to parallel ski, I've been going 2-3 times a year ever since Very Happy

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I have a friend who'd be considered rather large by Canadian standards. That said, she's taken to skiing recreationally and has lost a bit of weight as a consequence. Her skill development has been on the slow side, and she's petrified of falling, but gee, it's much better than sitting around eating bonbons and watching soap operas.

And it looks like the UK population could also do with some exercise: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1205462/Brits-lazy-sex-let-run-bus.html

Skiing can be a good source of exercise. Different calculators peg calorie burn between 250-450 calories/hr (depending on weight and calculator). I suspect the high rate is while the skier is going down the hill--though your body continues to burn calories at a higher rate after exercise as well, so you're getting some benefit even while sitting on the lift.

And skiing doesn't have to be totally exhausting or a total breeze. You can scale it to whatever level you want. So I think it's great exercise for overweight people. I just like to emphasize reasonable expectations for skill development.

After all it is free

I used to be wicked fatty. Then one day last year I went to a little ski hill near my house. Now, 40 lbs later, I am at the gym 4-5/week, I quit smoking, I run 5ks. Still kinda fat, but without skiing, I would be still wicked fat. All so I can ski better/more/faster.

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PetaFuchi, fantastic! Welcome to snowHeads!

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PetaFuchi, snowHead

hear hear.

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I'm as skinny as a rake and often wish I had more body mass to fall on. My joints (wrists, knees) often hurt while my muscles are fine. Isn't it true that the perfect shape for an adult skier is tiny and square, like Mr Strong? That's why two year old can ski at supersonic speeds on 1ft planks - their BMI is incredibly high!

I am tall and gangly and often wonder how strange I look going down a hill, someone did once describe my skiing as like a wiggly pice of string!

You know it makes sense.

I took up skiing in 2004 (Age 36) after listening to a group of mates talking about their annual jolly and my main concern at the time was fitness. I'd played football to a good standard but hung my boots up in 2001 following repeated knee injuries and general ligament/muscle strains and in the following few years "let myself go".
Before going on my first trip I did "ski in a day" at Xscape in Castleford and can remember after 7 hours tuition just about being able to drive home! I kept falling over in my sleep that night but I think that gave me an indication of what a full day might be like on the "holiday". I found to my surprise though that the better I got at skiing the less the legs hurt and how much easier it got. I'm now confident to ski pretty much anywhere and had a brilliant weekend last January in and around La Plagne where the pistes were simply a means to get to the waist deep stuff.
I don't think I'm any fitter than I was when I first started (if anything after 14 weeks under my belt I'm carrying even more padding) but as a wise man once said "Stressed spelled backwards is desserts. Coincidence? I think not!"

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Great thread........ wink

I am 6ft 4, pretty unfit, 17 stone and newish to skiing, so maybe I can comment on all areas.

Height.
I have always found that my shorter mates always had a better sense of balance. As kids , I was always the one who struggled with anything that involved the need to balance. My Shorter mates used to skip over obstacles that I wobbled all over the place on. Back then I was still tall and not a scrap of meat on me. (Not so now)

Weight.
I don't really see this as an issue. Just that there is more force going through the legs when turning, so leg muscles need to be able to take the strain.

Fitness.
Last year I skied with some good skiers and each day I was a knackered mess in the corner. This year I have had 12 months off the fags, and have been doing circuit training for the last 5 months (once a week). What a difference it makes. I was no where near as knackered this year when skiing with the same people. I kept up with them better and had to take less breathers when on a long run.

Technique
New skiers will deffo use muscles they have not used before. I remember my first day on the slopes. 6 hours of snowploughing is enough to destroy the legs of the fittest athelete. It hurts just thinking about that day. But as we progress, we are more efficient with the way we ski. This means less muscle exertion and longer ski sessions.

So, basically I am saying that when I took up skiing a couple of seasons ago, I was tall, a bit overweight, unfit and beginner. That is a combination that results in getting knackered very quickly. I have lost some weight (not enough though), got fitter and improved my skiing. Now I can ski all day and not ache the next day.

Going back to the OP. If anyone who is overweigth and/or unfit, then they should take some advice before learning to ski, and don't expect to be able to strap on some planks and off you go. Take a short one on one lesson for an hour and see how they get on. For those that say that skiing is not physical, they just think back to that first day (shudder), and if you cant remember that far back, then try a day snowploughing.

I have a freind who skies with us and he is overweight but because he is technically good, then he is fine. But a tubby, unfit beginner is always going to struggle.

Cheers
Smag

Sorry, but I just had to sneak the word tubby in there somewhere. Very Happy

A snowHead

A snowHead

Hi

New to this forum so Hello everyone.

I've only been skiing twice - La Tania (09), Belle Plagne (10), and am going to Alpe d'Huez in Jan 11. I consider myself to have taken to it pretty well, but then I was 29 the first time, and I've always played sports so I've got youth and fitness on my side. That said, I've probably only taken the first 10% step on the learning curve, and the next 90% is probably much flatter.

My point is, that skiing is just a pastime for me, albeit one that I really have to save to go on as I am now obsessed. So, what's the problem with it being a pastime? What's the problem with fat people skiing? Unfit people skiing? People saying they can ski all day when perhaps they can't ski hard all day? Is there an etiquette I am unaware of?

Cheers

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

fat people should be encouraged to ski or do anything active. The worst thing to see is a fattie sitting in a resturant stuffing their faces.

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

cph, happy story! Welcome to snowHeads. Very Happy

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I won't take clients who can't get back up on their feet on their own after a fall.
I am quite happy to teach them the techniques, tricks & tips to make it easier, but they have to be physicaly capable of doing it.
It is a matter of practicalities, I am not interested in spending all day walking back up the hill to haul them onto their feet.
(and as a tall gangly one, if not just plain puny, it can be a real challenge !)

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Alan McGregor,

After all it is free

Making my arms longer would help me get up.

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I was skinny then I got old(er) Laughing

Help!!

Should Fat people Ski ??????

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