 Poster: A snowHead
|
|
Thanks abc...Aha ! Just curious but where have you skied in Europe ?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
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?
|
krunchie63 has a point. In Europe you go where you want to go when you want to go..and this can mean skiing some real poo... Locals may say there is no off-piste and what they mean is that they wouldn't ski it...and if they are there for the season, might be able to be that picky. I don't have that time or luxury and so I get what I get. On this board people talk about getting into the powder...well, you can wait and wait for that. I prefer to say deep snow..or deeper snow, and it is what it is. There really is no substitute for handling that...you must learn and adjust and refine all that you know and the best way to do that is just get out there and do it. If you only ski OP in new snow, well, any turn will get you through that...
As for defintions of Off-piste ...well a nice little cut between pistes might apply...or it might just as easily mean...under the ropes and into the next valley with a bus/taxi back. The drop can be 2000m plus vertical, maybe more and you'll likely hit lots of changing snow textures, The run might be your day's skiing and you might have to bootpack a few hunfdred metres. You might not see another group all day and the weather might be on the change. Taking a guide in these cases is prudent but not 100% necessary and it is your call.
You should be very conscious of what you are taking on, tho'...
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
abc,
I don't really know what an intermediate is.....early, advanced...?? and if you go by weeks skied then that is all relative as well.
It used to be the case that you wouldn't likely venture off-piste in europe until you had about 20 weeks behind you although with the advent of newer skis and everything else, it could be sooner now...
Everyone can hit a plateau but at what point, that may differ....
We will stick with the conventional accepted wisdom so as not to go too OT
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
JT wrote "I don't really know what an intermediate is" Hurrah...at last...something I can answer......a beginner is somebody who has never skied...an intermediate is someone who has but doesn't really have a clue what to do.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Quote: |
I don't really know what an intermediate is.....early, advanced...??
|
I seem to recall a discussion here "what is an intermediate?" The consensus seems to be anyone from 2nd week until they become an instructor! 
"Weeks of skiing" is mostly a UK concept. I would venture to guess people living closer to mountains tend to ski more frequent though not neccessarily in terms of "weeks". In the US, the question is typically "days x season". I wonder what a Swiss, French or Austrian would term their skiing experience.
More to the point, at what stage would a skier venture off-piste without "guide", formal or informal? In the Alps, in N.A.?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
abc, I think you're making a bit too much of this. I've been going off-piste without a guide/instructor from probably week 3 onwards. This was initially just the little bits off the side of the piste and then got to being a bit more adventurous, but still essentially in sight of pistes. This may have been helped by the fact that most of this early skiing was at Argentiere, where (in addition to the really extreme stuff) there are a few bowls that are very similar to the US style of in-bounds off-piste - other than not being avalanche-controlled. The main difference there is of course that you very early on start to think about when it's reasonably safe to ski somewhere and when it's not. The "never ski off-piste without a guide" attitude is fine if you're of a nervous disposition, but is ridiculously conservative IMV, and also not what I see when I'm skiing.
With increasing DIY trips people are now slightly less constrained to the sat-sat trip than they have historically, so I now count days rather than weeks skiing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
GrahamN, perhaps in some circle, skier of early intermediate level do go off-piste frequently. I'm mostly going by what's posted on this board, the few vocal UK skiers posting on Epic, and what I observed at last year's MSB. So it's possible my impression was of the wrong one.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| krunchie63 wrote: |
| Thanks abc...Aha ! Just curious but where have you skied in Europe ? |
Austria some years ago and Wengen last year. (I don't have a clue on how to spell the name of the resorts in Austria)
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
| abc wrote: |
| GrahamN, perhaps in some circle, skier of early intermediate level do go off-piste frequently. I'm mostly going by what's posted on this board, the few vocal UK skiers posting on Epic, and what I observed at last year's MSB. So it's possible my impression was of the wrong one. |
All of the easily accessible off-piste will be skied out within a couple of days of a fresh fall of snow in the resorts that I ski in. It's obvious that there are a wide range of skier abilities doing this, and none are skiing with a guide for such easily accessible terrain.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
abc, it is more down to openess of the mountains in Europe, there is no "out of bounds" (other than wildlife preserves).
One thing though there is a lot of glaciated terrain that can be accessed by lifts and shortish walks. This can be dangerous without a guide and as the un pisted areas are not all avalanche controlled people here are more in tune with avalanche risk and the use of mountain guides when skiing difficult terrain is normal.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
skimottaret, I understood that in some locations if you are off-piste without a guide you can be prosecuted by the police and THEY WILL DO SO!
Is that incorrect?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
little tiger, never heard that before... i have only heard of getting in trouble if you ski in nature reserves..
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
skimottaret, I am pretty sure I was told some places in Italy and ?? maybe Austria....
All the Austrians I have had lessons with at home tell me they are qualified guides (they think it might be an issue if we go out of bounds during lesson but it is not really).... 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
little tiger, I've only heard on the grapevine that this might be the case in one resort in Italy. Certainly in France you are free to kill yourself whenever you want to!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
)
