 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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| Awdbugga wrote: |
| A few years ago at Christmas, some French youths thought it would be fun to keep tapping my son’s ankles as we and everyone exited the theme park. Unfortunately for them, they were picking on the captain of the school and town rugby team who also pumped iron. He turned round, smacked one in the face, decking him; he then shouted “who’s next, come on”. They all slunk away. He wasn’t old enough for me to buy him a drink, or I would have. |
As I see it, "tapping my son's ankles" is an irritating behaviour practised by French lads having a laugh, and is usually settled with a stern word or look. "Smacking one in the face, decking him" probably comes under the category of GBH or assault, which is illegal both in France and the UK.
Perhaps you should consider the difference between transgressing etiquette (which, after all, is a French word), and straightforward aggressive behaviour.
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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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| Quote: |
Finally... after all these years... a thread which proves that wearing a helmet will protect you from injury while skiing!
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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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| Quote: |
"Smacking one in the face, decking him"
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totally out of proportion
ridiculous behaviour
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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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Someone once insulted me on a ski forum and I wrote a passive-aggressive post. That showed them. Never tried it on with me again.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Chamcham wrote: |
| Awdbugga wrote: |
| A few years ago at Christmas, some French youths thought it would be fun to keep tapping my son’s ankles as we and everyone exited the theme park. Unfortunately for them, they were picking on the captain of the school and town rugby team who also pumped iron. He turned round, smacked one in the face, decking him; he then shouted “who’s next, come on”. They all slunk away. He wasn’t old enough for me to buy him a drink, or I would have. |
As I see it, "tapping my son's ankles" is an irritating behaviour practised by French lads having a laugh, and is usually settled with a stern word or look. "Smacking one in the face, decking him" probably comes under the category of GBH or assault, which is illegal both in France and the UK.
Perhaps you should consider the difference between transgressing etiquette (which, after all, is a French word), and straightforward aggressive behaviour. |
I wasn't with him, we'd got separated in the crush as the park emptied. He was walking along with a family from our hotel. He politely asked the youths to stop a number of times. There were five of them, around 16-17 years old. They scoffed and thought they could continue with impunity because of safety in numbers. They were wrong. Maybe they saw politeness as a sign of weakness, or a strange British trait to be abused. It was in 2001. Maybe things have improved by now. I hope so as I'm there over Christmas. My family's choice, not mine.
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@Awdbugga, Sounds like you'll have a lovely time enjoying the French culture and ambiance. I expect you're looking forward to it already 
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| Chamcham wrote: |
| @Awdbugga, Sounds like you'll have a lovely time enjoying the French culture and ambiance. I expect you're looking forward to it already |
I can't say I'm looking forward to it. Don't get me wrong, I like France. I had a superb two week motorcycle holiday there in 2003 (that really hot summer). Stayed in a lovely gite in the Gorges Du Tarn for a week and then a week in one in the foothills of the Pyrenees. I must say, French car drivers are far more considerate to motorcyclists than those in the UK. But apart from the odd shopping trip to a market, there was no queuing involved. It's the lack of courtesy when queuing that bugs me. Maybe I'm just old fashioned.
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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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@Awdbugga, It comes form the revolution - liberte, egalite, fraternite and all that. All citizens are equal, therefore none should have to wait in a queue. It isn't considered inconsiderate, it's normal culture. On the other hand hugging the middle lane on a French motorway borders on a capital offence, and is certainly counter-cultural.
Vive la difference!
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| Awdbugga wrote: |
| Chamcham wrote: |
| @Awdbugga, Sounds like you'll have a lovely time enjoying the French culture and ambiance. I expect you're looking forward to it already |
I can't say I'm looking forward to it. Don't get me wrong, I like France. I had a superb two week motorcycle holiday there in 2003 (that really hot summer). Stayed in a lovely gite in the Gorges Du Tarn for a week and then a week in one in the foothills of the Pyrenees. I must say, French car drivers are far more considerate to motorcyclists than those in the UK. But apart from the odd shopping trip to a market, there was no queuing involved. It's the lack of courtesy when queuing that bugs me. Maybe I'm just old fashioned. |
Maybe a trip to a Spanish post office would open up the delights of informal queueing. Until it was pointed out to me, it was a complete mystery how a random knot of people knew who was next. Every person coming in the door would nod and mumble something in Spanish, which it turns out was "quien es el ultimo?" i.e. "who is the last" and once the last person to come in was pointed out or said "it's me", then the newcomer knew who they had to follow on from. The result was a group of people which actually was a perfectly courteous queue, but looked like a shambles to British eyes.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| honved wrote: |
| Awdbugga wrote: |
| Chamcham wrote: |
| @Awdbugga, Sounds like you'll have a lovely time enjoying the French culture and ambiance. I expect you're looking forward to it already |
I can't say I'm looking forward to it. Don't get me wrong, I like France. I had a superb two week motorcycle holiday there in 2003 (that really hot summer). Stayed in a lovely gite in the Gorges Du Tarn for a week and then a week in one in the foothills of the Pyrenees. I must say, French car drivers are far more considerate to motorcyclists than those in the UK. But apart from the odd shopping trip to a market, there was no queuing involved. It's the lack of courtesy when queuing that bugs me. Maybe I'm just old fashioned. |
Maybe a trip to a Spanish post office would open up the delights of informal queueing. Until it was pointed out to me, it was a complete mystery how a random knot of people knew who was next. Every person coming in the door would nod and mumble something in Spanish, which it turns out was "quien es el ultimo?" i.e. "who is the last" and once the last person to come in was pointed out or said "it's me", then the newcomer knew who they had to follow on from. The result was a group of people which actually was a perfectly courteous queue, but looked like a shambles to British eyes. |
Exactly what happens in my barbers, but often without even the mumbling.
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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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@endoman, I've never heard a person utter a single word before they sit in the chair. All communications completed with a combination of a nod, quick point of a finger, or quiet understanding between all parties. Somebody could study that place, the determination of all parties not to jump the queue, or be seen to jump the queue, or engage in any kind of conversation even between people who know each other waiting to be served.
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| Awdbugga wrote: |
| Chamcham wrote: |
| Awdbugga wrote: |
| A few years ago at Christmas, some French youths thought it would be fun to keep tapping my son’s ankles as we and everyone exited the theme park. Unfortunately for them, they were picking on the captain of the school and town rugby team who also pumped iron. He turned round, smacked one in the face, decking him; he then shouted “who’s next, come on”. They all slunk away. He wasn’t old enough for me to buy him a drink, or I would have. |
As I see it, "tapping my son's ankles" is an irritating behaviour practised by French lads having a laugh, and is usually settled with a stern word or look. "Smacking one in the face, decking him" probably comes under the category of GBH or assault, which is illegal both in France and the UK.
Perhaps you should consider the difference between transgressing etiquette (which, after all, is a French word), and straightforward aggressive behaviour. |
I wasn't with him, we'd got separated in the crush as the park emptied. He was walking along with a family from our hotel. He politely asked the youths to stop a number of times. There were five of them, around 16-17 years old. They scoffed and thought they could continue with impunity because of safety in numbers. They were wrong. Maybe they saw politeness as a sign of weakness, or a strange British trait to be abused. It was in 2001. Maybe things have improved by now. I hope so as I'm there over Christmas. My family's choice, not mine. |
While I agree with comments that decking someone is not usually recommended, as none of us witnessed it it is hard to comment objectively. For all we know he felt threatened and it seemed like the best course of action?
As for the lack of queues - don't let it bother me now - I just accept it and act like a local. Don't ever feel like it has held me up in anyway that's for sure
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You know it makes sense.
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<joke>If it wasn't for the French, France would be a wonderful place.</endjoke>
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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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| Layne wrote: |
| <joke>If it wasn't for the French, France would be a wonderful place.</endjoke> |
A well known joke in France. Nobody p!ss the French off more than the French; not even the Germans! 
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Poster: A snowHead
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This debate has been raging for years and will continue to do so. Pistes like the roads we drive on are full of di** heads travelling in a dangerous manner. On piste its both skiers and boarders who are guilty. It just seems to be so that which ever discipline you take part in it's always the other side that we "see" behaving stupidly.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Gyro wrote: |
| ...Pistes like the roads we drive on are full of di** heads travelling in a dangerous manner. ... |
Hardly. It’s a very tiny minority IME. And even some of them simply don’t know any better and need educating (snow patrol, instructor etc).
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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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@Boris, I definitely agree that a bit of slope policing wouldn't go amiss. I would happily pay an extra fiver on my lift pass to pay for a few piste police who pointed out peoples errors or for serious dangerous behaviour, lifted passes.
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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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@thecramps, I’m sure insurance cos would be interested in that idea. Just a matter of incentives for ski area managers.
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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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As regards piste patrol stopping dangerous skiers/boarders and having the power to remove lift passes from persistent offenders, that seems to work well in North American ski areas. However, I'm not sure that in European ski resorts such policies would be legal, I was told that some years ago in France the lift pass was removed from a skier judged to be behaving in a reckless manner and he brought a legal case which he won - the French court determined that the lift company did not have the legal power to remove his lift pass?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I've been skiing over 30 years and honestly think snowsports etiquette has gradually improved over that time. I'm not a happy clappy optimist either, much human behaviour has got worse IMO.
I also experience no difference in attitude and consideration between boarders and skiers. A load old tribal bo*#ocks spouted about that.
A significant minority of people are clueless, selfish, egotistical and complete assholes. Some of them slide around on snow. I worry more about the ones in charge of important things, like big countries. 
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@PeakyB, +1. I used to get irritated by inconsiderate behaviour but once you accept that is going to happen in all walks of life and the more you ignore it the less it affects you, life becomes less stressful.
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I was in La Thuile in Feb this year, a British bloke had a Bluetooth speaker in his backpack playing music at full blast, totally unnecessary and inconsiderate, especially for anyone behind him in a lift que.
I did tell him to turn it down but he couldn't hear me! 👎😡
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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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I guess my first instructors taught me the rules early doors, as I don't remember skiing and not knowing them, I reckon they would have personally been ashamed had I been hooning around at lunch break under their tuition. I had most ski days per season in my early teens, it gets easier to shout a pillock down the more often you frequent. I must have been an intolerable 13 yo. I still don't like to see heavy petting in a pool.
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@dode, I'm still waiting for the poolside poster that has images of acceptable vs heavy petting.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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People on the slopes scare me. I seem to be one of those unfortunates, like an earlier poster's sister, that just attracts the idiots. I've had someone ski over my skis so close they sliced open my salopettes, I've more than once had people ski straight into me and take me out on an otherwise all but empty piste (with huge colourful bruises to show for it - at least 3 separate occasions in 3 separate resorts), I've had a snowboarder launch himself off a rise straight into me as I was merrily toddling along down the piste minding my own business, causing quite literally crippling shock... How I've not been badly injured I don't know.
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The way you advance in a French queue, lift or otherwise is to follow several simple rules: 1) Grandmere ALWAYS has priority 2) No eye contact 3) Keep shuffling forward, even onto the tails of someone else's skies 4)Stand your ground and indicate your territory with a well placed ski pole plant 5) "Allez y" to the pretty girls. No problem!
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You know it makes sense.
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| eng_ch wrote: |
| I seem to be one of those unfortunates, like an earlier poster's sister, that just attracts the idiots. |
That's a but harsh on Dwarf Vader!
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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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| boredsurfin wrote: |
| thecramps wrote: |
| by percentage, at least some must be SH's. . |
Very flattering to Admin with that comment I think! There are around one and a half million UK 'skiers' There are around 300 active snowheads.... |
Erm, your data is flawed.
There have been 855 different snowHeads logged in over just the past hour 
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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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FAQ
