 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Anyone tried that dutch stuff: Chocolate Vla. sort of choccy custard mmmmmmmmmmm
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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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Cheers for the wobbly reference rob@rar etc.... True of course, for blancmange.. the general idea being it doesn't have much , er, strength...
I love this website. On the strength of Saturday's encouragement, today I bought a new pair of trousers (that'll be pants to you, Rusty Guy) and I feel gorgeous.
If I could afford to go to Winter Park, Colorada I'd be out there tonight! Next year, who knows. I'm going to pluck up courage to phone the Saas Fee ski school. I'll let you know...
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Hi Marg, I’m a newbie here myself and your plea for help struck a chord. I first had a go on the white stuff about 8 years go, I had a few lessons at Tamworth Snowdome and then did a week in Lake Louise. To say I was cr@p would be an understatement, my two girls (aged 6 and 8 at the time) could leave me standing, and after 10 minutes in a ‘snow plough’ my legs were on fire.
Although I enjoyed my first go on a hill, cost and other things got in the way and I didn’t ski again until three years ago. My wife had tried to learn in her teens but found it too difficult, so we both did the one-day ‘learn to ski’ course at the Leeds snow dome. It helped a lot and gave us both the confidence to ‘try again’.
Cutting a long story short we have since been away for three weeks each year, skied a variety of European resorts and now are totally bitten by the bug. My wife has gone from being so nervous she had to take her skis off and walk down the nursery slope at Pila (which is about 30 feet long) to handling Blues and Reds with some confidence. We both still avoid the really steep or icy stuff but there’s always another way down.
The one piece of advice I would dare to give you is that private lessons are worth every penny. Learning to ski in a large group can involve a lot of standing around watching other learners, but one-to-ones let the instructor really focus on you and your needs. We’ve had instructors whose English wasn’t great (Bend Ze Knees!) but they were still able to help us improve, and we’ve had others who were very ‘technical’ explaining all about pressure, and angle, and shape. It was all good stuff and our favourite was ‘Magio’ at Courmayeur who was 60 if he was a day, had a face the colour of old walnut and a 30 year-old glamour model wife. He was of the ‘keep the skis 2 mill apart, and plant your pole at every turn’ school of thought, but he made the whole thing very enjoyable.
I can also recommend Interski for their quality of care and service. They are used to looking after school parties so a few old duffers like us present no problem.
Hope you get on well this year, keep at it, it does get easier and you will get there.
P.S. This board looks like a great source of information from knowledgeable and helpful folk who really love skiing – I’m glad I found it!
P.P.S If anyone is in Val d’isere at Christmas this year and sees a fat Englishman doing a nose plant on a blue run, chances are it’s me. 
Cheers
SimonT
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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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| rob@rar.org.uk wrote: |
| Rusty Guy wrote: |
| OK....a little help......blancmange? |
It's a dessert, sort of a wobbly, solidified custard, often flavoured with things such as strawberry or raspberry (or more likely, chemicals that approximarte the taste and colour/color of those fruits). |
this is good.....learning something every day
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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veeeight, good idea. Or, get along to one of the three-hour discount sessions that have free coaching. I've never seen evidence of this, but apparently you also get a free cup of tea, too.
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Axsman - legs on fire! Exactly! That's why I've been doing spin cycling for months to try to give the blancmange some reinforcement! I'm pleased to hear, though, that even Bode Miller gets it, although he's a bit better than me, I think. Perhaps I could send him a handy-hint about spin cycling?
Sarah at Saas Fee skischule tells me that they do have nice instructors, eeek! and I have booked one (don't know who, they'll have to draw lots and prepare for reconstructive group therapy) for two hours a day for four days to see how it goes. It ain't cheap but it's got to be worth it. If I hadn't had such a good response here I might not have bothered, I may have just turned up hoping they couldn't fit me in and given up. I'm raring to go, and my new Freedom pants/trousers (20% off) will help, too.
Rusty guy - what's a twinkie, then? And do you like Seinfeld? Is he married?
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Seinfeld is one of the best written comedies on television, and hence where I get my pseudonym from.
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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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Marg - seeing as you're in the Midlands - I still say give the private lessons at Tamworth Snowdome a go.
Two sessions are going to help you find your ski legs again, give you some focus, and if you want reccommendations as to who to ask for, PM me.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Marg wrote: |
| Axsman - what's a twinkie, then? And do you like Seinfeld? Is he married? |
what's a twinkie? it's the staff of life...... and what every red blooded, middle aged, american male was raised on.
i find it hard to believe anyone this side of katmandu does not know, and assume your just kidding, however.....
a prepackaged dessert, about the size of a sausage, it is a sweet sponge cake filled with a white creme center.
first made in the late sixties and a newer version chocolate covered.
partly responsible for my waistline and clogged arteries
don't watch/like seinfeld!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I like twinkies 
and Oreos!
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You know it makes sense.
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Rusty Guy probably doesn't know what custard is either. I will never forget the face of an American to whom I had to describe it. A mix of incredulity and disgust. "You mean you mix cornstarch, vanilla, colouring and milk, then pour it over your dessert?" The difference is that blancmange stands up - just. Which is why it is such a good descriptor for reluctant legs. Incidentally, Rusty Guy, despite the apparently frenchy name, it is pronounced "blummonj". Snowheads for international understanding. 
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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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veeeight, I've always wondered what Oreos are - what are they? They're always mentioned in US TV and films.
I always thought Twinkies were a sort of breakfast cereal - now I know better - thanksRusty Guy,
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Poster: A snowHead
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easiski, they're a sort of dark chocolate, round "custard cream", with a white filling. Very moreish  .
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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easiski,
Oreos
But beware.
Oreos made on the North American continent (the genuine article) taste completely different from Oreos made elsewhere in the World.
The genuine ones taste orgasmic, the ones made elsewhere taste like burnt ratshit.
*** edited to put the page back to size.**** HB (mod)
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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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| veeeight wrote: |
| The genuine ones taste orgasmic, the ones made elsewhere taste like burnt ratshit. |
I bow and pay great homage to your knowledge of the taste of burnt substances, but I wonder when and why you would have tasted such a unpleasantly named substance.
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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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veeeight, thanks for that - they would appear to be either a biscuit or a cake!
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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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Marg, sorry to shout, but I feel it my civic snowHead duty to say GET DOWN TO YOUR LOCAL DRY SLOPE/SNOW DOME BEFORE YOU GO TO SAAS FEE! Sorry for yelling. Er hem.
Doing it (i.e. having lessons, and practicing) before you leave = progress faster.
I was in a similar position end of last season - after an intensive week's lessons at start of season I then managed no progression by the end of the season (to my mind anyway), depsite a week on the snow every month. So a few months ago I popped down't my local dry slope & after about 3 lessons with an instructor, I had managed to improve to the standard I wanted to be at.
Moral of story - take advantage of local dryslope/snowdome instruction, NOW!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Marg
I did about 14 hours of dry slope lessons over 3 weeks (yup! complete glutton for punishment!) before I went skiing the first time and it really helped me, so if you haven't tried any, I think they are a really worthwhile investment. Not having other people whizzing past you and having a relatively short bit of dry slope rather than seemingly infinite expanse of snow (what happens if I can't stop?!!) really helped me to first get my confidence up. Also, now you've done a couple of weeks on the snow you will probably be better than a lot of the others and that will help you realise you are much better than you think you are, even if not in the Klammer league of your own mates!
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My otherwise lovely partner has been lucky to escape a ski pole through the head, for example "Steep? That's practically uphill!" I do like the mountains and the hot chocolate with brandy outside, and the atmosphere in the evenings but I do HATE the "you can't fall over THERE" looks. I've heard skiing accross the pond is good because they're less snooty?
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That made me laugh! Never normally shout at mine, but agree skiing is the time you do it! I've realised part of my trouble is not eating enough in the afternoon! I never normally eat from lunch to supper, and so (duh!) didn't eat anything skiing either, by 3.30pm after lots of cold and exercise to use up all the calories, I was a snarling-low-blood-sugar fiend! I now eat a Lion Bar at 3ish and carry on to the end of the day with no cross words (ha ha ha! fewer anyway!  )
Finally, sorry to hear about your 'can't fall over there stares' ~ I think most people are too busy getting on with skiing / falling over themselves to be that bothered, really, and it can be in your own head a bit - "God that's the third time I've fallen over, everyone must think I am a complete idiot!" ~ and I have actually had complete strangers come over and ask if I was all right / help me up / get my ski back after falling into undignified heaps on the snow, and watching said partner ski out of view! And they were all in Europe.... so there are friendly ones over here too!
Anyway, must stop chuntering on - i will get a reputation as the most chuntering  !!!!!
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| easiski wrote: |
veeeight, I've always wondered what Oreos are - what are they? They're always mentioned in US TV and films.
I always thought Twinkies were a sort of breakfast cereal - now I know better - thanksRusty Guy, |
no one has mentioned "doublestuf" oreos.
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Rusty Guy, What are they??
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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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Rusty Guy, But you DON'T LIKE SEINFELD? Wow.
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| easiski wrote: |
| Rusty Guy, What are they?? |
double the quantity of creme filling. a dozen with milk are to die for. i'm ashamed to say i,ve never watched a single episode of seinfeld.
easiski......send me an e-mail and i'll ship you a bag!
guyrb@msn.com
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FAQ
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