 Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
| Isn't it true that the last piste home is the most dangerous? |
Well, it's not that many people who get badly injured on the first of 25 runs in the day.
I agree that riding a gondola or chair down is OK, and have done it often, because of rubbish snow, or runs which I think are too difficult, or too crowded, to be enjoyable. But having the right resort can make a huge difference too. Ours (Les Saisies, and the wider Espace Diamant) makes a virtue of its gentle slopes. Heaps of gentle, scenic, confidence building runs and the black runs are not very long, so you can do a shorter difficult bit without getting worn out. I find some resorts intrinsically rather intimidating and that includes the Espace Killy, though I've had some good days skiing there, including a whole week's ski clinic which was excellent. The altitude, lack of trees, and numbers of hard looking mountain men all add up to a less than cosy atmosphere, even if you study the piste map carefully and stick to easier runs. There's always the worry about ending up on something scary.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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pam w, Admitadly I have only ever been to 2 resort. But I have never known them to open the lifts for people going down the mountain. There is a very easy green to the bottom, but it gets crowded so you might want to take the lift down. Is the reason that I've never seen it is because you have to ask the lifties to let you go back down?
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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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I have no problem with getting a lift down if that suits me, but I have seen signs - North Amercia probably - which specifically say "no downloading" so you are committed to skiing down.
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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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holidayloverxx, why would a lift have no downloading?
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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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charlichops, I'm sure you'll get there, but it will take time and lessons. I still have a problem with confidence, can ski pretty quick on runs I perceive 'safe'. But as soon as it gets steep or conditions tricky I think: I can't do this! And guess what - then I can't! 
But my confidence has increased, I try to take a couple of private lessons each time I go. And I'm really pleased that there was only one red run from my recent hols at Obertauern that I really didn't fancy doing - so I didn't! I know that even a year or so ago I would have baulked at a lot of the runs, especially in some of the poor conditions of visibility we had.
I now have a problem with black runs - I think, oh dear, a black run, they're the tricky ones aren't they??? But I try to suss out the easier ones in a resort so I can get used to the idea of going down black runs. And I did two in Obertauern!  (well, they weren't proper black runs, but they made me feel better  )
Stick with it, get your technique right on the gentler slopes and don't worry too much about if you can do a red run or not, just enjoy your skiing. It does sound though as if a different resort might be better for you, where you can progress onto easier slopes. Good luck!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Christopher, dunno, maybe because it slows the lift, or because there is no safe/convenient way of getting on at the top or off at the bottom?
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NickB wrote:
Well sorry but that's just bad manners. There's no way I'd say "cheerio, I'll see you at the bottom" to somebody who was unable to ski down. I'd be quite happy to leave an experienced skier who couldn't be bothered, but not a beginner.
NickB, When I was a beginner 3 years ago I preferred my more experienced boyfriend to ski down and meet me at the bottom of the lift I was opting for, as that way I didn't feel I was holding him back and I knew he was having fun. It was a win/win for both of us. On our last holiday the reverse happened a couple of times as he was tired or was getting gip from old rugby injuries and he felt the same way I had done - wanting me to carry on while he took the lift. With children I would expect them to be accompanied but I think adults can cope with 10 minutes in a bubble without all their mates as long as they are meeting them at the bottom. Perhaps it would be good manners to offer to accompany an adult beginner in the lift but I would say that it would be very bad mannered of them to accept unless they had serious vertigo.
The great thing about Val d'Isere is that there are bubbles or gondolas down from every area so you don't have to do the scary chairlift thing.
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| Christopher wrote: |
| holidayloverxx, why would a lift have no downloading? |
Christopher - a chairlift has to be set up or even designed to allow downloading - if you look at most chairlifts there isn't a slope at the bottom that you could ski off. More usually (I think) they are set up so you remove your skis and step off at the bottom but again the terrain has to allow you to do that and get on at the top of course. Very often this isn't the case so they can't let people download... 
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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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kewhoward, yeah you're right. The only time I will get a chair down is in the summer when walking, so it is easy to download.
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