A lot of people don't understand what it means to be a good skier, their perception of their own skiing ability is inflated because they think careering down a hill at full speed is the defining characteristic of an accomplished skier. Many people can get down a black run but getting down with control and good technique is another thing entirely. Maybe a bit controversial but I think this phenomenon is something that is more common in men. I think in general women would rather descend with good technique at lower speeds than fly down out of control.
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?
Quote:
but what did they do before there were fats....?)
worked their @rses off jump-turning like mad.
jzBun, you weren't the faker I thumped then skiied over in Courcheval were you? If so, sorry about that - I thought it was some sort of very odd mugging technique. Hope those edge lines on your face healed up and, again, apologies for the confusion. I would, however, be careful on whom you pull that act in future ...
To be realistic for a minute, the people who are generally responsible for speed on the slopes are either locals - who never get 'booked' - instructors or the bloody patrols/piste monitors themselves. I've lost count of the number of times I've seen groups of these gits hairing down slopes around beginners. It's no excuse to say that they are all expert since half the time they do not appear to be paying attention and I have seen them get into collisions and very near high speed misses. The worst seem to be the ski lift operators at the end of the day.
A lot of people don't understand what it means to be a good skier, their perception of their own skiing ability is inflated because they think careering down a hill at full speed is the defining characteristic of an accomplished skier. Many people can get down a black run but getting down with control and good technique is another thing entirely. Maybe a bit controversial but I think this phenomenon is something that is more common in men. I think in general women would rather descend with good technique at lower speeds than fly down out of control.
I'd say pretty much anyone can. Whether using the ski edges, braquage or a toboggan is a different question.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Most ladies like "suck and squirt turns" I have noticed on black runs utilising their superior enablement of avalement to maintain consistent pace.
Most ladies like "suck and squirt turns" I have noticed on black runs utilising their superior enablement of avalement to maintain consistent pace.
Translated direct from the original Chinese, presumably??
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
RattytheSnowRat wrote:
but what did they do before there were fats....?)
worked their @rses off jump-turning like mad.
I think you'd find that quite a challenge in waist deep powder. People used to ride Miller Softs, although a slalom ski will also work, with enough skill and effort. Fat skis allowed a wider range of people to ride some conditions, that's all.
---
On the OP...
I mostly ride powder so when I go to resorts, snowdomes and dry slopes I find them fairly intimidating because they have crowds of crazy people who ride out of control, or in snakes across the whole slope, and none of them ever look behind them.
I just avoid UK domes & dry slopes at busy times of the season. I don't know what the accident statistics are, but there's not enough room to be safe. Sure I can slalom around the people there, but then I generally have to stand in line, often in an exposed position. I don't want to take the risk.
Quiet resorts (eg Taos last April, Big White any time) are fine. Busy resorts (eg Whistler at Xmas) are more of a challenge. WB is a zoo at that time of year. They do have a lot of speed cops, but they're a mixed blessing - they stop good riders as well as bad, so it can make it a frustrating place for a competent rider to be. I want to be safe from idiots, but I don't want to ride at granny speeds.
I don't think this has become any worse since Miller Softs became obsolete: there have always been teenage males. I think the introduction of "parks" with really big kickers is the best invention ever for these guys. It keeps them off the piste, and they risk no one other than themselves there.
You can whine about rules and all that, but it won't make any difference. Better to adopt a safer way to deal with it. For example:
Don't stop on the run, just ride them all top to bottom.
If you do stop, find somewhere you can' t be hit. Just below a pylon for example. If you have to stop somewhere you could be hit, then keep an eye on what's coming your way.
Ride fast, it reduces the number of potential impacts from the rear.
Look over your shoulder.
Don't assume that because "you are right" it makes any difference to anything other than your estate's lawyers. So look over your shoulder when turning out of the fall line even though you don't have to (snowboarders: especially on the heel side).
When overtaking, assume the other guy is an idiot.
Ride where idiots can't - down the edge of the piste, straight down the middle of the mogul field, where they daren't ride.
When you see someone who is obviously riding like a dick, let them get on with it well away from you.
After all it is free
After all it is free
philwig, oh, yes, +1 in spades!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
philwig, all good advice!
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
philwig, good advice for all re: stopping behind something (not a ridge or a bend ), being aware of slope users all around you and not just downhill of you, giving other users a wide berth, esp if they're riding wildly but most slope users realistically aren't fit enough to ride from top to bottom without stopping or becoming tired and dangerous, shouldn't be advised to ride any faster than they already do, aren't skilled enough to ride the narrow strip of lumpy snow at the edge of the piste or straight down the middle of a mogul field safely!
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
philwig, top advice. Wish more ski schools taught some of this......
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.
Those speed apps that the kids have on their phones now don't help, my neighbours son had one and went from a good diligent skier to a maniac.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
If the conditions are right, I do enjoy skiing at speed but I know absolutely if I'm in control or not. If I feel that I'm not, then I take steps to slow myself down as quickly and safely as possible for both my own and others sake. While I've injured myself before now and come back, I think that if I was personally responsible for injuring someone else through pure recklessness, that would be enough for me to give up skiing all together. Skiing to suit the conditions of the slope also includes how much traffic there is, a no-brainer really.
There's my two penneth.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Once saw a mother in hysterics and a father in shock as their small child (who had been hit at speed on a blue run by a much larger skier) lay motionless on the snow. Never found out if the child survived or was permanently injured but it was very sobering.
Some people can stand on a ski while it travels (scraps down a slope) at 70 km/h + on a red run. They buy "expert" race skis and think they are racers but a crash at those sorts of speeds can be fatal. There isn't a lot of skill required by the skier, the ability to go fast here is mainly down to the ski construction. Advanced / expert skiers leave two clear lines in the snow as can be seen in this link ....
Being able to turn where you must and not where you choose sets the real skiers from the wannabees. Real racers can do that through a series of gates and many resorts offer a Racing test run where you put in a Euro(s) and can time yourself through the gates - this is the place to test your skiing skill at speed.
On really steep pistes some skiers can only ski fast or scrap down. The red run tactis don't work on such slopes as they pick up too much speed so they never get any further than the "intermediate backseat high speed scraper".
Last edited by You know it makes sense. on Tue 11-12-12 10:02; edited 1 time in total
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
DB, love how the advice at the end of the first one is "Don't forget your helmet" rather than "Don't be a moron" or "Learn to ski out of the back seat"
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
That first video is the way I imagine most people end up off the side of pistes embedding themselves in trees.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I wanted to come on here and fight for the other side, I have seen some ABSURD comments on the internet about beginners, one French guy actually suggested that if you hadn't been skiing regularly before the age of 8, you should not be allowed at all.
I am a competent skier, have gone 7 years or so now, each for only a week or so, I would say I'm advanced but unlike most on here, I have no piece of paper or training to prove it; I learned from my father who made sure I learned to ski correctly, I am also taking my friend skiing this January and he will learn from me. I don't see this as a risk, or a bad way to learn, my friend will spend the first hour trying to stop me pulling him with snow ploughs on the flat before we even touch a lift, he will also know the FIS code of conduct, but not because I will make him, but simply because he is considerate and caring enough to check slopes when starting, watch out for others, not stop on thin pistes and (this one is a joke) stop and help if an accident happens. If you ignore someone who is injured you're not a bad skier, you're a bad person.
You guys talk about skiing like it's scuba diving, it's not, you don't need to get scientific, you just need to realise that like any sport, you need to learn at your own pace and above ALL respect and consider the others on the piste.
I have NEVER caused an accident and I am a very 'calculating' skier, when I see someone ahead that I want to pass I give a wide berth and make sure I'm not getting in anyone's way. I don't pretend that I love mogul fields, I don't, but I do love skiing fast, it took 14 weeks or so to get to where I am now and I have full control at all times, why shouldn't I enjoy carving up a piste at speed, so long as I don't put anyone at risk?
This sport is already pretty inaccessible to most people given the cost and distance for a lot of us.
Skiing is easy, yes it takes years to master, but it is a simply concept, most people can learn to ski greens safely in one day, by the second they should be doing parallels, even if they aren't tidy at that point, so long as they don't 'straight it' down the piste and endanger others, why should people who have saved for MONTHS to go skiing have to waste 3-5 hours a day doing an intensive ski course that often progresses MUCH slower than they can.
My point is simply that skiing fast isn't the issue, nor are beginners, nor are people who haven't had lessons, the true danger are skiers who don't think of others and consider their actions, which, I might add, is something you FREQUENTLY see in very experienced Italian and French skiers. It's just like driving, you can drive at 150 MPH safely AS LONG AS THE CIRCUMSTANCES ALLOW IT, it's about hazard perception and respect, if you can't stop in an emergency, you are going too fast.
Let's leave people responsibility for their own actions instead of covering the mountain with red tape and ruining the sport for the majority of people.
Either way, to anyone heading out to the snow, have an awesome time! Merry Chirstmas!
Drew
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?
P.S. I am not fighting on the side of people like the guy in the second video above, that guy's a muppet.
BlooMountain, so just to make sure I've understood you right - from what you say initially I get the impression you've skied 7 weeks "or so" and consider yourself "advanced" is that correct or would you like to clarify because later on you mention "14 weeks or so" so which is it and is this actually over 7 years or longer?
BTW, "most people" will not be doing parallels by the second day, frankly that's the most "ABSURD" comment I've seen in this thread!
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
roga, theoretically it is possible but they would have to be very agile and somewhat of a natural . . . and probably 6 years old
Masque, absolutely; substitute "some" for "most" and I'd be agreeing with the comment!
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
roga wrote:
BlooMountain, so just to make sure I've understood you right - from what you say initially I get the impression you've skied 7 weeks "or so" and consider yourself "advanced" is that correct or would you like to clarify because later on you mention "14 weeks or so" so which is it and is this actually over 7 years or longer?
BTW, "most people" will not be doing parallels by the second day, frankly that's the most "ABSURD" comment I've seen in this thread!
I wrote '7 years' and '14 weeks' (2 weeks each season), it's not an exact number but I don't live near mountains so I have to travel. Perhaps learning is more difficult for others than it was for me, my brother and the friends I've skied with; they all managed parallels by their second day, as I said, they aren't tidy, but they and I had managed to get the 'two-step' turn on greens, I'll retract 'most people', though I don't consider myself to be very agile or good at these kinds of sports.
I am competent skier, by that I only mean that I can ski fast and safely down all grades of piste, the only exception to that is mogul fields which I loathe because it's not the kind of skiing I like.. When I do ski mogul fields I take them slower and more cautiously, but still safely.
All I am saying is that there are far too many elitist skiers and snowboarders out there who act like they have more of a right to the mountain than beginners. It's also not uncommon for them to assume that people who have the ability and friends to learn by themselves are automatically bad skiers who are dangerous. , I just love skiing and think people in here were placing emphasis on beginners and especially beginners who'd learnt without classes when it's not exclusive to them, many pro skiers also ski recklessly.
I'm not insinuating any of you fit into this category, just that you shouldn't be so quick to suggest that you need classes from a ski school to be a safe, decent skier.
After all it is free
After all it is free
BlooMountain,
In quite a few ways I'd agree with your sentiments and sense of responsibility, however the problem arises when you your ambition overtakes ability. This may not be a deliberate thing, but perhaps you are happily skiing fast towards but within the limits of your perceived ability when something changes; an unexpected bump, or ice, or person, or.... do you still have the necessary ability? This is not about how you learned, but skills and the experience of applying them.
I guess also "advanced" is a relative term.
I've skied a fair bit more than 14 weeks, in fact more than 14 weeks in a year several times (being coached for a lot of that, only bits of paper the huge lengthy skiing cost dented bank statements!), the bootfitter who's doing my new boots put me in the "maybe not an intermediate anymore, probably advanced" category - fortunately I know quite a few people he also fits boots for so I was quite happy enough with that assessment
To DB's point when you go skiing with a 4 year old and you see the mountain in a whole different way.
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.
dobby, They actually do just no-one listens. Also, there are FIS rules which cover these things and they are posted all over resort. However many people just ignore them or think they are cartoons or something. The fact is that everyone has the right to enjoy the slopes but it's their responsibility to do it in a way that doesn't endanger others. And it applies to both "beginners" and "experts". Being a beginner doesn't excuse anyone losing control while "pushing the limits" and hurting someone. Learn to be in control at all times first. Also, just because someone is an expert doesn't mean he should be going Mach 2 through slow area or perform a human slalom. 500-days skier is just as capable of catching edge and turning himself into human projectile as a 20-day skier. Rules are the same for everyone and everyone has to be aware of his surroundings and not to act as if they have some exclusive right of passage. And many beginners could do with more time with ski schools, so that when they venture on red slopes they don't need to traverse the whole slope before making a turn. It's called "downhill" skiing for a reason. But, if he's ahead/below me and already skiing on the slope, I won't be expecting him to look behind and above his shoulder. It's my responsibilty to see him, not his responsibility to see me. There is a specific case when this should be done. The rest of the time if people could just see where they are going everyone will have much nicer time on slopes. Unfortunately, for many looking ahead seems to be an impossible task.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
I agree with a lot of the sentiments but if someone does not like bumps it suggests that they are neither competent or in control as that is exactly what bumps require. A pro skier may be skiing fast but will be in control of his speed and direction at all times. Learning to ski from friends is really not a good idea and I say that as someone who did exactly that. Going downhill on a pair of skis and skiing are two entirely different things.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
TTT wrote:
Going downhill on a pair of skis and skiing are two entirely different things.
I very much agree with this. When I was learning the piano, my teacher used to make a similar distinction between a piano-player and a pianist.
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.
TTT wrote:
if someone does not like bumps it suggests that they are neither competent or in control
I actually started to type a sensible, reasoned reply but it's easier just to say, 'what a load of shite'.
If you'd written "if someone cannot ski bumps competently and in control, it suggests that they are neither competent or in control", then fair enough.
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Tue 18-12-12 13:25; edited 1 time in total
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
BlooMountain,
When slopes are crowded with many kids around (e.g. School hols) it wouldn't be safe for the best skiers to ski at speed as anything could happen (e.g. a near miss between two others skiers at the same time someone pulls out without looking leaves the skier nowhere to go.)
Met someone recently who said after a few weeks skiing he had clocked 60 mph on a piste. He was taught to ski by friends who skied even faster than him on recreational pistes. He had great balance and could stand on the skis when they went really fast but he was a passenger and could not take evasive action. Nothing wrong with skiing at speed if you are in control and there's no risk to others. The risk however is that something unexpected happens or another skier with the same skill-set / speed crosses his path. At those sort of speeds people can die ...
It takes a lot more skill to get down a steep piste in control than it does to just stand on the skis. A little 4 year old could slip out from the side of the piste, according to FIS rules it might officially be the child's fault but that wouldn't make it right.
Skiing in control and improving your technique then uping the speed to match is what helps you to develop, purely standing on scraping skis doesn't.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
never summer, I totally agree with you on the control part. Too many beginners/low intermediates in particular end up going down slopes they shouldn't and lose it. And I'd agree on the lessons point too. It's just that in the lessons I have had, I haven't been taught much about the rules of the piste. Only my personal experience.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
DB - fully agree
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
It's not just crowded piste either, Tall Tone and I had a coming together at very high speed on a wide deserted piste. Both of us were quick and both of us were looking down the hill and both of us turned into the centre of the piste in a fast traverse and neither of us saw the other till a micro second before impact . . . VERY lucky for either of us to walk away from it, fortunately I hit the front side of his ski, destroying it in the process rather than our bodies colliding . . . very sobering
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I'm surprised the other scenario hasn't been pointed out when though you do all you can to predict where the skiers around you are and keep an eye out you sometimes find that skier who seems attached to you by an ever shortening piece of elastic. Or am I the only one that finds this?
You must have encountered them. Every time you anticipate and move to be out of their line of fire they seem to move back closer to you than they were before, even if you start anticipating them whilst you are still tens of yards behind them and look to go past safely. That skier, who will reflect your every turn back to you, seeming to match you on the middle of the piste within very few metres of you if you don't look out, everytime your turn takes you there, even though you may be working completely opposite sides of the piste. Rather like Masque's, situation above. Neither of you are technically in the wrong, but you kind of get the impression that the other skier isn't as aware of you as you are of them. I must admit I try to leave them behind asap (and these days sometimes I can), but I find the situation very disconcerting. It happened as HH the other night, instructor with younger kid - in the finish I ended up right in the wings on the rough stuff and still I think caused the learner consternation (though we didn't collide), but the instructor had been watching me and told me I had done all I could to stay in the clear.
When you meet skiers like that on the piste it doesn't matter how fast each party is going, but if either one of you is out of control at a speed you can't control you will have an iffy situation on your hands.
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?
Megamum,
That's a bit like one of those funny car insurance claims "he ran left and right all over the road until I managed to hit him".
In quite a few ways I'd agree with your sentiments and sense of responsibility, however the problem arises when you your ambition overtakes ability. This may not be a deliberate thing, but perhaps you are happily skiing fast towards but within the limits of your perceived ability when something changes; an unexpected bump, or ice, or person, or.... do you still have the necessary ability? This is not about how you learned, but skills and the experience of applying them.
I guess also "advanced" is a relative term.
I've skied a fair bit more than 14 weeks, in fact more than 14 weeks in a year several times (being coached for a lot of that, only bits of paper the huge lengthy skiing cost dented bank statements!), the bootfitter who's doing my new boots put me in the "maybe not an intermediate anymore, probably advanced" category - fortunately I know quite a few people he also fits boots for so I was quite happy enough with that assessment
To DB's point when you go skiing with a 4 year old and you see the mountain in a whole different way.
Yes of course, I said that in an earlier post, it's important that you know you own ability level. As for what you asked about me, I do have the necessary ability yes, I always have control, even when a bump comes out of nowhere, I can turn at any speed in a controlled fashion and I also have a good technique with my knees, so even going over the top isn't an issue, I just absorb the force.
That's all I meant, I am a completely capable skier, I can go on any piste on the mountain happily and safely, even if it's icy, bumpy or powdery, my speed varies for the conditions as is only sensible.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
TTT wrote:
I agree with a lot of the sentiments but if someone does not like bumps it suggests that they are neither competent or in control as that is exactly what bumps require. A pro skier may be skiing fast but will be in control of his speed and direction at all times. Learning to ski from friends is really not a good idea and I say that as someone who did exactly that. Going downhill on a pair of skis and skiing are two entirely different things.
See, once again with more assumptions, I have skied double black mogul fields mate and I have enjoyed them, I'm not flying down them at breakneck speeds, I'm controlling my speed and negotiating the field, I CAN ski mogul fields but I prefer the sensation of gliding.
That is exactly what I meant about elitism in skiing why does someone HAVE to love skiing mogul fields to be a good skier? I can ski, everything I need to do, I can do, I don't endanger anyone, EVER, not even myself, the fact that I haven't had a fall in the past 4 seasons suggests that I am actually not pushing my boundaries hard enough. Last year I went with a ski host group of 'advanced' skiers and kept up just fine, the guy gave me a couple of tips about skiing off piste but other than that in his words 'You're a great little skier' meaning that I'm no pro, but I have control and can enjoy myself.
Some people want to become ridiculous and do heli skiing and insane high speed mogul fields but that doesn't mean everyone does, and that decision is not based on whether a person can, but the type of skiing a person like. I happen to like piste skiing more than any other.
The choice above also doesn't mean that said person is a risk to anyone.
Some people want to become ridiculous and do heli skiing and insane high speed mogul fields but that doesn't mean everyone does, and that decision is not based on whether a person can, but the type of skiing a person like. I happen to like piste skiing more than any other.
The choice above also doesn't mean that said person is a risk to anyone.
Perhaps race training is the way forward then? That way you can go as fast as you can, and push the limits on a closed course (and in this case if someone comes across the course and is in the way then it is their fault, though it does scare the **** out of you if/when it happens!). Great fun, and great for the technique.
I know you don't like the whole being taught idea, but having someone video you so you can see yourself and point out the flaws is very revealing - I thought I was Bode-like coming down, so the inflexible, hand dropping, slow guy on the video must have been someone else!
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
The key word is suggests. A competent skier can carve, and is comfortable in moguls and off-piste, has grippy turns using their edges and can go where they want, when they want and how they want. The majority of British holiday skiers can get around on skis but are just riding on their skis rather than driving their skis as they have not had the opportunity or invested the time and money in lessons and delude themselves they know what they are doing but simply don't. Its a holiday afterall and providing people do not endanger themselves or others then I don't see a problem. I totally understand as I was in the same position until I had the opportunity to ski more and decided to take some quality lessons and realised as I suspected that I did not have a clue what I was doing previously. Just my experience but far better to advise someone to take ski lessons from someone who has professional ski teaching qualifications than try to teach themselves with no qualification, knowledge or experience of teaching someone to ski.
After all it is free
After all it is free
TTT wrote:
The key word is suggests. A competent skier can carve, and is comfortable in moguls and off-piste, has grippy turns using their edges and can go where they want, when they want and how they want. The majority of British holiday skiers can get around on skis but are just riding on their skis rather than driving their skis as they have not had the opportunity or invested the time and money in lessons and delude themselves they know what they are doing but simply don't. Its a holiday afterall and providing people do not endanger themselves or others then I don't see a problem. I totally understand as I was in the same position until I had the opportunity to ski more and decided to take some quality lessons and realised as I suspected that I did not have a clue what I was doing previously. Just my experience but far better to advise someone to take ski lessons from someone who has professional ski teaching qualifications than try to teach themselves with no qualification, knowledge or experience of teaching someone to ski.
This is the third reply I've made to people making assumptions about my ability, when you go to a ski school you have an instructor who tells you how to ski and helps you learn, when I learn I had a an entire family of french instructors and my dad to help me, now that I know those things I can also tell someone else how to do it, I am already a scuba instructor so I know the importance of teaching people well, bear in mind that making a mistake in scuba can often lead to live threatening injuries.
I am simply saying, and my point has been made repeatedly by now that people assume you can only be a safe and controlled skier if you went to a ski school, that is simply not invariably true.
I can ski very well for how far I want to go with it, I am comfortable, safe and confident on any type of piste and even off piste, but I enjoy staying on nice reds and blacks that allow me to do long arcing turns. It's a choice that I don't seek out mogul fields, because it isn't as fun as smooth skiing, just as I prefer scuba diving in a semi dry over a dry suit, not because I can't do dry suits, just because I don't like it as much as warm reef diving.
This is the last time I'm going to defend this point but simply, as long as you have someone who knows what they are doing to teach you, take it slow and know the FIS rules (which are common sense anyway) there is no issue, depending on who teaches you, you might not have flawless technique but if you can control and link your turns, manage your speed and enjoy the sport without endangering or inconveniencing anyone else then there is no reason they should have to put up with people saying they are bad skiers, they simply do it to the level they want to.
As far as I'm concerned, if someone wants to go skiing and ski nothing but greens for their holiday then good for them, I don't care how they get down as long as they are safe and it's no one's place to judge them for enjoying a sport at it's simpler levels.
Ironically, in my eyes, the most dangerous people on the mountains are the snake-line ski schools that completely block the piste and even stop around blind corners.
To be honest, this thread puts a downer on skiing so I'm just going to leave it here and look forward to doing something I love in January.
Merry Christmas, hope you can get on the snow this year.
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.
BlooMountain wrote:
I wrote '7 years' and '14 weeks' (2 weeks each season)
Nope, what you wrote was "7 years or so now, each for only a week or so", look above it's there in black and white hence my slight confusion there.
Quote:
it's not an exact number but I don't live near mountains so I have to travel. Perhaps learning is more difficult for others than it was for me, my brother and the friends I've skied with; they all managed parallels by their second day, as I said, they aren't tidy, but they and I had managed to get the 'two-step' turn on greens, I'll retract 'most people', though I don't consider myself to be very agile or good at these kinds of sports.
I am competent skier, by that I only mean that I can ski fast and safely down all grades of piste, the only exception to that is mogul fields which I loathe because it's not the kind of skiing I like.. When I do ski mogul fields I take them slower and more cautiously, but still safely.
All I am saying is that there are far too many elitist skiers and snowboarders out there who act like they have more of a right to the mountain than beginners. It's also not uncommon for them to assume that people who have the ability and friends to learn by themselves are automatically bad skiers who are dangerous. , I just love skiing and think people in here were placing emphasis on beginners and especially beginners who'd learnt without classes when it's not exclusive to them, many pro skiers also ski recklessly.
I'm not insinuating any of you fit into this category, just that you shouldn't be so quick to suggest that you need classes from a ski school to be a safe, decent skier.
You and your brother are quite unusual if you were actually skiing parallel in a day, perhaps at that time you *thought* you were skiing parallel, perhaps ... ?
As above most people take a bit longer than that but if you were then good on you, well done.
I think to some extent you are also making assumptions in as far as your suggesting people here are saying that beginners are dangerous per se, I don't think they are. Rather what we're saying is not that dissimilar to one of your original points, namely that those who ski fast without consideration for others are dangerous and unfortunately many people who learn from mates are taught the same level of consideration said mates show, namely little. If you are different good on you but I'd suggest that's not the case in many instances and that's leaving aside all the other perils of being 'taught' by unqualified amateurs which have been discussed in many other threads already. Yes there are *some* pro skiers who ski recklessly at times I don't disagree with that and nobody has said otherwise as I recall.
One further thought with regards teaching/instructing, you have 14 weeks, BASI recommend at least 16 weeks for their Level 1 which is actually quite a low standard. I wonder why you think you're competent to teach people with no training and less experience than this entry level qualification?
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
RattytheSnowRat,
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jzBun, you weren't the faker I thumped then skiied over in Courcheval were you? If so, sorry about that - I thought it was some sort of very odd mugging technique. Hope those edge lines on your face healed up and, again, apologies for the confusion. I would, however, be careful on whom you pull that act in future ..
I've "pulled this act" many times over the last few years, whether liveried or not. You can't ignore halfwits who recklessly put others at risk. If more people spoke out, instead of grumbling under their breath, it might help. I'm prepared to risk a hostile response but, up to now, no one's taken any real offence. Most know they've been skiing stupidly. Also I'm a fairly large unit.
Never been to Courcheval so not tried it with Russians.
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