 Poster: A snowHead
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Another thought, how about a bit of tuition at HH/dryslope before you go, then a couple of half day/full day private lessons when he gets there? That would get him up to speed pretty quickly, plus give plenty of time for skiing with you guys?
I do reckon at least some tuition on the proper mountain is a good idea.
Personally I think half day lessons for him is a better idea though, as it gives the rest of you an opportunity to ski hard in the morning then you can ski easier stuff with him in the afternoon. If he doesn't have lessons, he might end up either skiing on his own a lot or the rest of you might end up skiing a lot of easy runs with him... Depends if you mind...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Boredsurfing wrote: |
| musher, isn't that the one that burnt down? |
If you're in the area, not far from the bottom of the slope is the General Havelock - very accomodating venue for a bit of apres.
Bucks Free Press 01/02/12:
Plans for a multi-million-pound indoor ski centre to replace the former fire-torn Wycombe Summit site appear to have been placed on ice.
The Abbey Barn Way plot has been put on the market with agents Edward Symmons which has been “instructed to seek offers for the remainder of the 99 year lease”.
The advert states the 76.76 acre site benefits from "detailed planning consent" for an indoor ski complex – which has the “potential for alternative uses, subject to planning”.
It is the latest twist in the saga - throwing the future of mooted plans for a 120m 'real snow' slope, ice rink, shop and restaurant faculty into doubt.
The applicant, Snowdome Ltd, took Wycombe District Council to appeal in 2010 over its decision to refuse a revised 2009 planning application, which included the widening of the building to make way for conference rooms.
The Planning Inspectorate was called but – at the 11th hour – the firm backtracked and said it would revert to a scaled-back application from 2007, which was originally given the thumbs up by WDC’s planning committee.
The original dry ski slope was decimated during a huge blaze which started in the kitchen of the wooden chalet building in 2005.
Snowdome Ltd and Edward Symmons have been unavailable for comment this morning.
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Boredsurfing wrote: |
| Or is there a sensible dry slope within easy reach of Oxford, he could then do it in term time. |
If he's got a car in Oxford then the Gloucester one is only about 50 minutes away outside rush hour - pretty useless by public transport though.
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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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Unfortunately Oxford is about as far as you can get from any UK slope - but there are plenty about an hour away (Glos, Aldershot, Bracknell, Ackers/B'ham?, Hemel, MK all about the same distance, +/- 15 mins). Where does he live outside of term?
If it's a haul to get to a slope, then a learn to ski in a day is probably the right idea - otherwise I think 3 sessions of 2hours apiece give enough time to really get somewhere each session but without getting tired and losing focus. I think 1 hour lessons are too short for adult beginners to really make progress - you spend too much of the lesson getting warmed up and remembering what you did last week. At the end of a course like that I normally have most people happily snowploughing through a course and some will be starting to get some parallel into their skiing. If he can get a course in ASAP, he could get in plenty of practice before going on the holiday - and if he's not too far from a dry slope it's normally dirt cheap during the summer (e.g. we had a 6 week unlimited pass for £36 last summer). He may have just missed that boat though as beginners' courses may be few and far between after the end of April. Dry slopes may not be the authentic snow experience, but they are so much cheaper than snowdomes....and after all skiing should be done outside.
After all that he may not be able to do blacks in style by xmas, but he'll not be restricted to the nursery slopes. I really can't recommend this strongly enough - he (and your daughter) will get SO much more out of the holiday if he's got the basics done here first.
As you probably know Snowtrax also have a new surface, which is really simple for learners - much easier than Dendix. That may or may not be a good thing though; if he relishes a challenge, then he'll get to grips with Dendix no problem and then snow will be a piece of widdle.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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GrahamN, Thank you, some good pointers in there, from here our nearest is Southampton followed by Christchurch. Huge price difference between the two at the moment, I guess keeping an eye on Christchurch snowtrax website to see if they have summer offers will be a good idea.
They both finish at Oxford at the end of May, so plenty of summer time to fill!
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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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Great news
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Boredsurfing, I went straight to the end of this thread and when I saw "another skier is born" and "great news" my mind raced for a few seconds and I thought daughter and BF had bred!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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A mate and I had a first ski trip in March and we were having to make a similar decision before we went.
We're both pretty sporty and as a kid (15+ years ago) I had had a few lessons in Tamworth so though I was pretty (utterly) useless initially I remembered what it felt like to have skis on. We opted for group lessons in the mornings and then just practised in the afternoons with the friends we went with. Though our experience during the lessons wasn't altogether positive - while I enjoyed the somewhat l'aissez faire attitude of the instructor (he sounds suspiciously like the one mentioned above, "it's not difficult" "I cannot ski for you") my mate found it a bit frustrating - I actually think it was a pretty good way of doing it. It's definitely up to a) the skill of the instructor b) (I think perhaps more importantly) the attitude of the pupil. If you're fairly self-sufficient, not afraid to fall over and happy to just keep on trying/practising with the occasional feedback from the instructor I think group lessons are a pretty satisfactory way of doing things to get the basics.
With 4 or 5 groups starting the same day, within a few hours people were moved around in the groups and put up to more advanced levels where they showed particular aptitude (or in some cases were having extra private lessons). For those - ahem - who didn't get moved up, the group got smaller and smaller until it was almost a private lesson (though obviously that was down to luck and couldn't be guaranteed).
We're currently planning our trip this coming season (we're flexible so have decided on a last minute job) and I think we are going to have a few mornings of private lessons to build on last season and improve while, hopefully, we have got enough about us to practice in the afternoons and gradually take in more slopes around the mountains.
TBH, despite my determination to get a lot better, I enjoyed it so much last time I'd keep going even if I couldn't
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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've just realised this is a very old post originally. Ah well.
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You know it makes sense.
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Boredsurfing, well done him  . The important thing now is for him to keep at it. Particularly with a 1-day course, there's very little "muscle memory" built in so, just like cramming for an exam the night before fades very quickly, he needs to get out on the slope as soon and often as possible to reinforce those movement patterns and give them time to become embedded. OK it's not snow, but it's still way better than waiting until Xmas to get back on the skis again. Further lessons may be a bit pricey, but if he's getting practice in at So'ton he's likely to have his previous instructor out there as well, so may be the beneficiary of the odd corrective tip to keep him on the straight and narrow (well...I do anyway - I've put the time in to getting them to the end of the course so want to protect that investment). And if it's going well, after a bit of practice, then the next lesson to get him going towards parallel would be well worth it.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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It's gotta be ski school, nothing beats that first week in the mountains. Forget the snow domes etc...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Last year was the first time I ever put skis on. Chill Factore were offering a free unlimited lift pass with their day lessons so I took the plunge. I got completely hooked and basically lived there for the following two months, taking a few extra lessons and using a ski school app on my phone.
I went on my first ski holiday and enrolled in the class one up from absolute beginners and the instructor said I was too advanced for the class! There wasn't enough people on the intermediate course so they offered me private tuition at no extra charge. By the end of the holiday I was getting really confident, carving turns, short turns and generally getting used to the effects of shifting my weight around the skis.
My friend who has been skiing for 8 years (without lessons), was shocked at how much I'd progressed that I was skiing with more control than he was. I've been going to the Chill Factore throughout the year and done a few of their clinics and bought my first pair of boots, which has got me really really excited for this year's trip.
Sorry if I sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet, but just wanted to get accross how quick you can progress if you get tuition and then practice lots. My only regret is that I didn't take it up earlier, gutted to think about all those years of enjoyment I've missed out on.
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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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| justatheory wrote: |
| Sorry if I sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet, but just wanted to get accross how quick you can progress if you get tuition and then practice lots. |
Excellent demonstration of the value of indoor (and plastic) slopes in the UK allowing you to get more enjoyment from your alpine holiday. Yes they are expensive, yes it's nothing like a skiing holiday, yes the slopes are frustratingly short. But you can make significant shortcuts in the normal learning curve.
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FAQ
seems that they are not very understanding with new skiers, surely there are better ski schools in la plagne ?
