The Older or More Nervous Skiers' thread

A snowHead

Megamum, Mmmmn ...dragging you back to MK and 12 June.... Shocked

I may be able to escape work for the morning but do we
a) Sing Happy Birthday to join you or
b) Promise not to? Embarassed

A snowHead

holidayloverxx, I think we'll find plenty to chat about on the car ride to MK!! Very Happy

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

The other thing I've done is flown a light aircraft solo three times! I worked p/time in a flying school and took lessons not pay for a while! I had to quit when I developed high blood pressure to the extent that I blacked out at school meaning they'd no longer give me a medical of course, so I never completed my PPL, but hey, I have been solo and that's good enough for me. Funnily enough since I quit teaching, the BP has returned to normal!
----------

a) Sing Happy Birthday to join you or
b) Promise not to?

surely c) is give you the bumps at the top of the slope!

You need to Login to know who's really who.

OK, Kitty & I should be fine for June 12th. The only thing I need to check on is with Paramount, for the premiere date of Shrek 3. I know it's June, but will find out the date asap. Megamum, Any idea on numbers & times? We have to have enough people in order to give you the bumps for your birthday. wink

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Reading with interest!! Not with you on the diving, but is there room in the car for me for MK? Puzzled

I think I could make it that day! will certainly cause a stir meeting up with a bunch of peeps I met on the internet!! Laughing

You'll need to Register first of course.

Can I come on 12 June? Or am I too young??

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Sounds like it's the snowHeads summer day trip forming, bring it on. Very Happy

The Boywonder might be able to come too, so they'll be 3 of us as Instructors available. Need to be a bit careful otherwise the Snowzone ski school might take offence. I will give them a call to say what I'm doing, so I don't tread on anyones toes up there. I know Ali the boss pretty well.

After all it is free

Can I come just to join in Megamum's birthday party? I might have a blast on the new Racetigers too, but I've been longing to see how MK compares to Tamworth for a while, and it would be a good excuse for the trip. There is one slight proviso - I was volunteered by the motorbike club to learn to snowboard in a day at Tamworth, and one of 8 possible dates is 12th June. So, providing it doesn't clash, can I come?

monster77

Spyderman, If Ali gives this the OK and you need instructors you could always ask P, she might be tempted.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

OK folks - shall I transfer these posts and ideas to the 'Trips' thread? - I'm not too certain what's the 'done thing' in these situations round here. As Spyderman, says it might be better for someone who knows the MK gang makes any necessary arrangements with them, but surely if we turn up with a sufficiently large gang of paying punters midweek they are not going to raise too many objections to the extra business. I also, think that if folks are going to make an effort to travel some distance that we ought to make it a day trip?

petemillis, It sounds as though this is becoming a bit independant of age I personally can't see any objections to you or docsquid, coming along unless the others object? But those that come along, should remember that this started off as a thread for the beginners and the more nervous, so no cutting us up Very Happy

Mind you I've got no objections to a hand up when I fall down and do the stranded whale bit!

Thinking about it I think I'd better transfer this to the Trips thread - see you all there?

Edit

New thread set-up at:

http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=25827

snow reports

Megamum, I have just turned 40 so I'm a bit of an oldie now and come under the "older" heading. I'm also happy to pick up poles and people if/when necessary.

See you there then Very Happy

You know it makes sense.

See you there then Very Happy

Edit:

Dunno what happened there - the PC froze and then it popped up twice!!

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Megamum, See you there then Laughing

A snowHead

Megamum, I'd never buzz or cut up anybody. I've been through all that happening to me, and it even happened to me just a week ago when I was having difficulty getting down a narrow run. I'm more than happy just to come for the company and to say Happy Birthday to you. I'll help out with anything I can, although I might just go off and have a bit of a blast too, if I'm allowed! The company is much more important.

A snowHead

docsquid, I was only on a wind up - hence the smiley - mind you I'm sure you realised that Very Happy

It will be great to see you there enjoying yourself. I'm sure you won't be the only one getting the odd 'blast' in somewhere Cool

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Megamum,
I've mailed MK Snozone and had an autoreply that he is away till the 16th. As I said I don't want to tread on the skischool toes. No problem with skiing there though, it's just a case of how much formal instruction, they allow me to do. Can't see any issues with hints & tips, for mates with no money changing hands.

monster77, Why not, especially if the group is of very mixed ability. P would obviously have to join snowHeads though. wink

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Spyderman, Gloucester wouldn't let me do this last year! rolling eyes

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

As Spyderman siad, surely they couldn't object to mates giving mates free tips.

You'll need to Register first of course.

Also, how much business do they usually do on a Tuesday - they may think its worth it to get the place full of paying punters.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

easiski, I have done it at Hemel before, several times no problem, the guests just pay open practice and we instruct for free, but that of course is plastic at the moment. There are Hemel instructors that take groups to MK at the moment with no problems and I have known the guy who runs MK for years, so hopefully should'nt be a problem.

After all it is free

NewSkier, possibly maybe but probably not even if the "mates" are qualified and have adequate insurance, otherwise the slope can't accept the risk. Imagine if one of these "tips" leads, even inadvertently, to injury and the slope have "allowed" this to happen rolling eyes

Dry slope insurance premiums are crippling as it is.

Spyderman, My niece had only skied once, when she was 9 (on the day in question she was 24). I showed my credentials at the desk and asked if I could give her a few pointers, so she could remember properly. I was told no. I asked if she could have a private lesson and they were full! In the end we did a sort of running discussion at the top of the slope - I think it was pretty obvious, but she was a bit dangerous. It appeared she didn't realise you were supposed to slow down. Shocked

With a Carte Professionelle I am covered any time, any where against civil liability (which I did explain to them). BTW they didn't have any Grade 1s on duty either!! Laughing

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

easiski, I might add, that Hemel's friends & family scheme for instruction, is with the full backing and approval of the slope. I can't see what the problem Gloucester had with you teaching your niece. I see people skiing open practice and attempting to teach their mates, with mixed results. All the slope demand is that everyone can use the lift, ski under control and sign a disclaimer. I'm sure there's less risk for the slope if the person doing the teaching, is qualified and insured. The only problem I see for the slope is if Instructors are giving freelance lessons, thereby taking away business from their ski school, but seeing as MK do not teach beyond snowplough turns in group lessons, that argument is hardly relevant.
I hope that MK come back with a yes answer to my request, after all it's a birthday party for a snowHead. not me setting up a skischool on their slope.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

snow reports

Xscape at Cas (same group) have notices everywhere banning ANY instruction by ppl who are not their staff. Incidentally they do offer instruction beyond the snowplough turns. YOu have to get L4 to be allowed to ski unsupervised (linked snowploughs from the top, even if a bit shaky - cos I passed it!) and they say they'll tell anyone who looks to NOT be at the std to leave. They offer L5 and L6 group lessons which in my card says should take you on to parallel turns. However my instructor said it's recommended to get 5-12 hrs practice between L4 and L5 - and there is not really any way of getting support during htat if you're struggling apart from redoing L4, unless you can afford £150 an hour for private lessons!

Provided we are all L4 and above, I don't see they can stop us all skiing and being given casual tips, cos who is to know WHAT we are talking about! And I think I'll probably be the weakest one there, and I have proof in my card of passing L4 and apart from that will have done 3 days in TIgnes before then!

You know it makes sense.

Megamum, your skiing is way beyond the minimum requirement for open practice at MK. If anyone is unsure of their standard, it really is the capability to ski a blue run controlling their speed by using turns, and can use a drag lift. That's it.

NewSkier,

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

You are well up to that standard, Megamum - no worries there! Essentially it means you can use the poma lift and get down the whole slope ok unsupervised and do at least some linked turns so you are not stopping all the time - most people who've been away on hols once would be fine.

The lessons are an hour each and they are:

L1 - nursery slope, learn to side step up a bit and ski down then intro to going up rope tow and coming down and stopping in a snowplough
L2- revise L1 then add some turns round 3 or 4 cones on nursery slope
L3 - revise L2 on nursery slope then go to half way up on main slope, using poma lift for 1st time, and come down doing snowplough turns (no cones & it's same gradient, but longer)
L4 - revise L3, get given poles for 1st time, practise from half way, then go to top of main slope and do same as from half way, but getting off lift is a bit trickier than at half way & it's steeper.

That is it - people passing it are definitely not going to any better than you are on that video, mostly not as good, like me!! For my 1st and 2nd trip from the top the instructor had to come with me, skiing backwards in front of me so I knew he'd be able to stop me if I lost control! Then I managed 3 runs alone but shakily and he still passed me!

They certainly don't formally check - it is just a safety thing - to stop folks turning up and just having a kamikaze go and someone doing that would be very obvious and get told to leave and come back for lessons!

A snowHead

Please note: The MK Trip thread is now on the Snow Events threads section!!

A snowHead

Spyderman, I hope it works out - I was shocked by gloucester's attitude ( especially as they were full), and I had all my proofs with me. I think my mistake was to ask first - being polite and not wanting to tread on toes - just do it if I were you.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I found some of the tuition pretty indifferent at MK a few years ago, £150 an hour is ridiculous. For about the same money you could grab a flight to Grenoble, bus to LDA and have an hours top class tuition with easiski,

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Colin B, you are absolutely right - last year I did a day trip to Italy one Saturday (did 5 hours of skiing) and it cost me £75 total, including return flights to Bergamo, car hire, ski hire and lift pass. With the other £75 I could have got a couple of hours lessons

.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Ray Zorro, In fact you could throw in a night's B&B at Les Lutins too!! 2 days skiing in the Alps vs a 1 hour lesson at MK - no contest!

You'll need to Register first of course.

I must admit to being stunned that anyone is prepared to pay the MK private lesson rate. On holiday I got hour long private lessons on a genuine snowy slope for £20 per hour and that didn't seem too bad. £150/hr sounds rip off territory to me - I'd sooner go without and would do, even if was on my doorstep, until I got to the real snowy mountains.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Megamum, Yep, £150/hr totally unjustifiable. That's in the league of Ferrari garage service rates. But people will pay it. Bonkers.

monster77

As far as I can see at Tamworth, they take a relatively pragmatic stance on this. There are obviously ski clubs who go there (including Uni of Brum) who have their own club coaches, presumably by arrangement with the slope, and presumably with the ASSI qualification. I've had a private lesson there in the past from a BASI 1 who again was known there anyway, and arranged it with the slope. There is another group that I see occasionally there, all more rotund ladies with shaven heads, who have a rather bossy lady in charge. I'd be amazed if she is a qualified instructor from the standard of her skiing, but she is clearly teaching them, or at least encouraging them to do exercises, although failing to demonstrate them very well.

Mr Docsquid helped me enormously in between lessons at the Snowdome, by demonstrating exercises, and giving me things to practice and pointing out things I was obviously doing wrong (e.g. arms in the wrong place, feet too far apart and so on). He even snowploughed backwards in front of me when I was at the extremely nervous stage - I could do linked turns, but was scared of going from the top. A lot of people are given hints by their mates and partners. So long as they aren't egging them on to do anything dangerous to other slope users, they seem to take a relaxed view. It was obviously that Mr DS could ski well, and was looking where he was going, and they got plenty of money out of me anyway for lessons and recreational sessions once I started to get better.

I suspect that a slightly more relaxed attitude towards people giving tips to their mates means in the end they get more customers, and probably get more people to have lessons, when their mates run out of ideas, or when they realise that people paying for lessons are getting better quicker than them!

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

I think the wife and I are bad apples here.

To start with we took up skiing after we turned well over 50.

Secondly we never had a formal lesson from an instructor. We are not against instructions. Just don't think we could follow them whenever the instructor wants us to. We find it better to proceed everything at our own pace, learn everything slowly but put in more practice.

Thirdly we go everywhere that we consider within our ability. We chose the resort we want to go and ski whatever slope that get in our way in every country we visited.

We have just done our 16th skiing trip last week, skiing 11 resorts in 12 days covering Switzerland, Italy and France.

We just take our time, take plenty of rest and move at the pace to suit our strength.

Nervous? May in the first few days as we would stay away from the black slopes first. Once properly warm up we would try everything that we consider safe for us.

We neither deliberately avoid or look for black runs to ski but we find after skiing a few blacks in each country it could do magic to one's confidence.

I know one can get the thrill out of speed in skiing but at our age speed is the second priority with safety first comes first then skiing can still be enjoyed by the older and nervous skiers.

Help!!

The Older or More Nervous Skiers' thread

snowHeads Forum Index >>> The Piste