 sophiehunter
sophiehunter
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Hi everyone,
I am going skiing this winter with my family, my brothers and I want to try off piste skiing. Do you guys have any advice? What do we need to take with us?
Also what do we do if we lose our skis? I heard using ribbons works?
Sorry for all the questions!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Rad : get a Go Pro and you will be all set for some "backcountry freeride" action 
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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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If your ski falls off, use you other ski to slice down into the snow around you until you feel it hit something.
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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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Most important thing to take with you is your sense of humour!
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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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Most important thing to take with you is your sense of humour!
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This may be the best piece of off-piste advice i have ever heard!!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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sophiehunter Have you done much skiing overall? It pays to hone your on-piste skills before delving into the wondrous world of off piste and powder. A lesson or two may be advisable.
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sophiehunter
sophiehunter
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Thanks for the replies. I am definitely going to get a GoPro, also I have been skiing about 10 times and have had lots of lessons.
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CharlotteSykes1990
CharlotteSykes1990
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| clarky999 wrote: |
| If your ski falls off, use you other ski to slice down into the snow around you until you feel it hit something. |
That works, takes ages though. Ribbons work but it is hit and miss.
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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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| sophiehunter wrote: |
| Thanks for the replies. I am definitely going to get a GoPro, also I have been skiing about 10 times and have had lots of lessons. |
Amazing - your all set, what could possibly go wrong.
Try 2 Go Pros
One pointing forward and one back.
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CharlotteSykes1990
CharlotteSykes1990
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also, depending how far you go off-piste you may need to get an avalanche transreceiver
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Try 2 Go Pros Wink
One pointing forward and one back.
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You really need 3. One forwards, one back, and one on a pole.
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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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kat.ryb, Bless'd be the GSA, Hallow'd be thy footage.
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CharlotteSykes1990
CharlotteSykes1990
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get an iphone 5s too! It does slow motion!
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You know it makes sense.
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| sophiehunter wrote: |
| I heard using ribbons works? |
On that specific, about 30 years ago people used to use ribbons to help them find their skis should they come off. First ribbons got shorter, and for the last 20 or so years I've not seen anyone use them at all. I wouldn't bother, although if you do note that the ribbon is fixed to the ski and not to you: it's a sort of float, not a tether.
Finding a ski without any consumer toys is easy. You just need to think about where to look, and then don't give up until you find them. Instructions already given are the basic idea. If you have no ski to probe with use a friend's or a pole.
Beginners usually fall over at low speeds and in predictable ways so finding their stuff is especially easy. Try to fall over only when you're ahead of your mates, and don't fall over anywhere steep or dangerous, or you'll be looking on your own.
A much better approach overall is to simply use a snowboard, which is faster, more fun, and doesn't release so you'll never have to search for it.
--
If you're serious on the other stuff, my advice would be to ask your instructor.
In North America you can ride anywhere in bounds (inside the resort boundary), which will give you the same snow as "off piste" except it's controlled and patrolled but not prepared. Most people will ride that with their piste gear.
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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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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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^irony clearly doesn't work well on the interweb : better add an avalung + recco patch to the equipment list just in case
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Thu 3-10-13 13:37; edited 1 time in total
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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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snowball, i think I detect a certain level of sarcasm in Haggis_Traps post.............. 
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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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sophiehunter, I think there might be a bit of leg pulling go on here*, in between some decent advice. When you say you want to try off piste skiing - what exactly do you mean? Are you going to dabble off the side of the piste..? That is how most people start. Often, some people say wrongly, without avalanche gear. With some common sense and at least with some basic checking of terrain and avalanche risk that can get you along way. Beyond that you need to start building your knowledge, buying a transceiver, probe and shovel - and knowing how to use all this. If you really want to be a bit more adventurous... get a guide.
Losing a ski is an occupational hazard. I started a thread about it a while back. I'll have a search for it.
Where are you going to be skiing?
* in particular with having several GoPro's hanging off of you!
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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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 teach me to skim read bits of posts. Irony was very clear on looking at it - and reading the whole post.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| snowball wrote: |
| teach me to skim read bits of posts. Irony was very clear on looking at it - and reading the whole post. |
Oh, I thought you were being ironic back to the irony, which I thought was a fairly good response.
I think it's hard to do sarcasm without coming across as a bit smartarse. But then the OP may have been a troll searching for that....
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| Quote: |
I started a thread about it a while back. I'll have a search for it.
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Should have had a tracer or one of them techno doubters, would have helped you find it!
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philwig, damn, I should have pretended that 
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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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| CharlotteSykes1990 wrote: |
| get an iphone 5s too! It does slow motion! |
And it doubles up as a really useful beacon. 
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I know, it's great isn't it moffatross, how when U have an iPhone, there's virtually no need to carry any other safety kit at all.
Have you seen the new air-bag app, "infelateThis"?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Or the probe app, "probableEx"
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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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Only problem is you still need a pair of iPhones for climbing skins, even if they all come with a skin fitted. Moving a phone from one leg to the other is just too slow.
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If you fall in the deep stuff, make your poles into a cross, hold the centre and press it into the snow to push yourself out.
Oh, and 5 go pros, one for your friend behind you and another placed in advance on your route to get you in action!
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You know it makes sense.
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don't know about everyone else but if theres, say 30cm frensh, I find powder ribbons to save a lot of time and effort! without them my ski almost always disappears, with them I spot it straight away.
this is probably more useful in fairly tracked out, if its untouched then you might spot the hole.
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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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ractys, why are you losing your ski(s)?
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Poster: A snowHead
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| ractys wrote: |
don't know about everyone else but if theres, say 30cm frensh, I find powder ribbons to save a lot of time and effort! without them my ski almost always disappears, with them I spot it straight away.
this is probably more useful in fairly tracked out, if its untouched then you might spot the hole. |
a spair pair of powder ribbons are essential for any serious freeriders.
nothing more frustrating than having to spend time looking for powder ribbons that have fallen off during a run.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I don't know why people find powder traces quite so risible. They can be quite useful.
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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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^ did you get those powder traces free during the interval of a Warren Miller film tour ?
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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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No
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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With all this talk of powder ribbons where is CG?
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I got the mickey taken out of me mercilessly by my brother in law when we had an off piste course last year. Next week, after we spent 3/4 hr looking for my lost ski his comment of "powder traces tomorrow then?" said it all! 
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+ recco patch to the equipment list just in case Wink
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Unless you can find some old stock hanging around, Recco have stopped supplying the stick on style patch and have now moved over to 100% inclusion of Recco into clothing and other gear 
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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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Sophie, the one piece of advice I have for you is TAKE LESSONS. It's like taking up a whole different sport. Don't assume that because you can ski on-piste you can ski in deeper, softer snow, and even if you can play happily in the edge-of-piste stuff, you're going to need different skills for the wavy crusty ice or whatever that day's conditions throw at you. If you're in Europe, I'm going to shamelessly plug snowHeads off-piste week with tuition. You won't touch a piste all week and by the end you'll be doing stuff you never thought possible. And with a big fat smile on your face! If you don't have the tranceiver, shovel & probe, the ski shops have them for rent.
Ribbons? Where would you rather be at the end of the day? Searching for a lost ski for hours, or in the bar having a beer with your mates? As they say, No Friends on a Lost-a-ski-in-the-Powder Day.
P.S. Warning: it's addictive!
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Who knew there was a Euro GSA, just especially for Yurp?
Don't forget your harness, and an unnecessary quantity of carabiners ...
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