 Poster: A snowHead
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I've read on the website all the advertising blurb about joining the Ski Club GB, but is there actually any real world benefits from joining? (bearing in mind that a rep isn't going to be at every resort you go to - in particular my trip in Jan)
Cheers! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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eddyr, before you get a whole load of responses full of it...........read what's been written before in the rest of the this forum. It all depends on what you're joing for?
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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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the repping service is possibly the main benefit but as you say there is not a rep at all the resorts and you can now only ski a certain number of days - I think it's three with a rep,
There are the discounts on a variety of ski related services,
There is the insurance - at the moment perhaps not too great a selling point,
There are the club ski holidays,
Use of the club house if you live in the south east,
Availability of skiing information and statistics on the website and a ski chat forum,
Independant advise on skiing matters
If you join in the resort you get two years for the price of one
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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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| hibernia wrote: |
| ..............Use of the club house if you live in the south east........ |
I think only for formally organized events, unlike the days at Eaton Square. Doubtless you could also use the impressive library, by arrangement. I don't live in the South East, but have enjoyed White House events - but it does mean an overnight stay not to far from London.
There are other events dotted around the country, from time to time.
There tends to be a different assembly of folk on the Club forum (though some overlap here) - so I like dropping by for that. I've some friends there I'd miss if I left. It's also the place for internal club discussion.
On the whole, I think Hibernia's summed up the club quite well. I think it's a good catalyst for getting skiers together. As is snowheads, of course.
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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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You can only ski with a rep for 1 day if your not a member. If you are a member you can ski with a rep every day if you wish, but bear in mind each day is set for a different ability level. So if its an early intermediate day and you a fast skier you have to respect the ability of the rest of the group. Likewise and early intermediate would be foolish to ski with an advanced group.
I only a member because of the reps service, as a single skier its really useful if I don't want to be billy no mates for the day.
If I didn't ski with the reps I wouldn't be a member because you can get most if not all the other benefits elsewhere (and sometimes cheaper)
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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eddyr, Do you mind if I rephrase your question?
Should I join the Ski Club when there is snowHeads?
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Russell, Thats kind of what I thought, at the moment no intentions of going alone (i'm certain that'll change given time)
boredsurfin, You've rephrased to somewhat what I mean, yes!!
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There was a recent discussion on the ski club website forums (when I was still a member) where the reps said that the current policy is that non members can ski for one day with a rep for free and possibly a second day, members are now expected to ski for no more than three days and preferably only two days in a week
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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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D G Orf, If thats the case then they will have days when the reps have no one to ski with. In Banff last year i skied with the same 5 people for 7 days with the rep there was only 4 other people who came for the odd day. Kind of defeats the object if they turn you away. if they are oversubscribed with big group sizes I can understand limiting it to give everyone a chance but I have never seen a rep with more than 8 people.
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D G Orf - as Russell pointed out is is perfectly possible to ski the whole week provided that you can ski the program set for that day's skiing. In practice it means that the majority of skiers are capable of skiing with the rep for about 3 of the days. For example in Grindelwald this year the 5 day rep program was posted in the hotel. I think the reasoning is to give as many skiing opportunities to as many people as possible for the whole remit of skiing - on piste, intermediate, advance , off-piste, hard and fast,etc... So if you are capable of all the things I do not see any reason ( and that's my understanding of it ) why someone cannot ski with the reps for the full week. If someone is a low intermediate then 2/3 days would seem to be the normal capability. Again, there may be some flexibility - for example the numbers wishing to ski with the reps may not fill the number of places and/or the resort may be an " easy " resort that does not offer the full gambit of activity or end of season or more than one rep in a popular resort like Zermatt. In all the latter circumstances I do not know whether a pragmatic solution would prevail that would enable everyone to ski the full week or whether this rule is strictly applied. It may be a rule to meet the demand and suoply situation.
As it turned out I did not use the rep in Grindelwald so was not able to test the practical application of the rule.
Of course, prospective members can ski with the rep for one day.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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No one's mentioned the subscription to Ski and Board magazine that also comes with the membership, but if you just want that then you might as well just buy a subscription.
But yeah, the forums are probably no different to this one in content, but you can get discounts in various different areas, both highstreet stores and specialized shops/ski slopes etc. Then there's the ski club travel service "Freshtracks" which is pretty good for specialized skiing holidays, they know what they're talking about.
I personally think it's worth it, but then again I don't pay for my membership, it's my birthday present every year from my godfather! 
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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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surfing monkey, welocme to snowHeads
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cheers dude! all looks good so far, I think I'll stay.
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You know it makes sense.
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If you're still thinking of joining, there's room for a family of 5 now - I've left. Membership expires in 4 days. Written confirmation from them didn't bother to thank me for my patronage or even attempt to enquire why? Not a good retention policy and indicative of a club that doesn't seek to find ways to improve IMO. All they said was, we look forward to you re-joining the club in the future. Stunning arrogance IYAM.
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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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Mark. From what you say, maybe the wording of that letter is something that fellow members of the Club should take a look at. If you feel like posting it on the Club's own forum (while you still have access), I'd be interested in looking at it and working with other members to suggest a redraft.
Obviously if a letter leaves that impression on you it's not good.
I agree that any resigning member of any organisation should be asked why they've left - possibly best done with a friendly phone call.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Mark and David, I got the same letter before my membership expired; all a bit impersonal really. Upon reflection, I'm not that sort of skier who is clubbable so I really shouldn't have joined anyway.
I agree with the point about redrafting the letter.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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You shouldn't have to feel the need to be 'clubbable' to feel welcome in a club - that's the central point (I think)
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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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| David Goldsmith wrote: |
| Mark. From what you say, maybe the wording of that letter is something that fellow members of the Club should take a look at. . |
Agreed. I think it is incumbent on the club to ascertain the reasons why members leave ( to improve the retention rates ) and perhaps a questionaire with a return prepaid envelope should be send with a re-drafted letter.
Advertising is expensive and the retention of existing members costs nothing.
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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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Direct debits probably encourage lots of membership orgs to get lazy about retention. So much easier to keep people in the club when most of them don't have to make an active decision to pay their subs every year...
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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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I joined for a very decent discount on a hol last year. Unfortunately, I forgot to leave, so I've coughed up for this year too, eroding some of my gain. I doubt that I'll use the repping or anything else the club offers, but for all it's faults, it seems like a reasonably worthy outfit, so I'm not too bothered. I'm not really a 'joiner', so it was only the discounts that ever attracted me.
Since no-one else seems to have done so, I'll say: Don't join for the forum, it's like a morgue, and the few interesting posters are all snowHeads anyway.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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You're right - I've had enough of it. 
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SCGB- the source of all evil- I think not....
clearly a bit of an odd organisation- a club- a company- a travel agency- a nice way to get lots of free skiing for some..I don't know
but the good points are- discounts on holidays- 5% on most companies- pays for my family membership
repping- I have had many fantastic days skiing with SCGB groups on and off piste much better than ski hosting with tour companies. only difficulty is meeting up after sorting our children out.
try it 
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edsilva,
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SCGB- the source of all evil- I think not....
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Agreed
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discounts on holidays- 5% on most companies-
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Get that anywhere, without paying a hefty subscription
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I have had many fantastic days skiing with SCGB groups on and off piste
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These are the reps who are not insured to take folks off piste, and many of whom are not qualified as Mountain Guides. You want me to put my trust in them.
errr.... I think I'll pass, thanks anyway.
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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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go on snowbunny- give it a go- probably won't kill you despite Arnold Lunn fears.
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snowbunny, not insured? I can't imagine that the SCGB would ever be that stupid. Have you checked your facts?
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads  on Mon 20-03-06 19:16; edited 1 time in total
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Tim Brown,
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snowbunny, not insured? I can't imagine the the SCGB would ever be that stupid. Have you checked your facts?
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I have invited the Club in question to evidence their insurance cover on this aspect. It won't make any difference to my decision, that there is nothing worth joining for.
Of course there is this post on SH, which implies they are not insured
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=684
Naturally, if I get a reply, I will post it into the thread.
Edited to provide link
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Mon 20-03-06 19:19; edited 1 time in total
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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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snowbunny, right, so you didn't know. The SCGB is also a limited company with rather large (for a club) assets. Not having adequate insurance for one of its main activities would border on criminal negligence!
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| snowbunny wrote: |
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I have had many fantastic days skiing with SCGB groups on and off piste
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These are the reps who are not insured to take folks off piste, and many of whom are not qualified as Mountain Guides. You want me to put my trust in them.
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I doubt ANY reps are qualified as Mountain Guides, or high level instructors (I know several are BASI 3 qualified, but that's only a qualification to teach to basic parallel on easy pistes) - otherwise they would be hiring themselves out as just that, rather than acting as unpaid ski-buddies. You are not paying for their services directly, so AFAIK there is essentially no question of contractural liability. What I would expect the club to have is some kind of public liability cover though.
What the reps do have is (normally) more local knowledge of the resort than you do, and a basic level of mountain awareness, navigation, group management and first aid training. The only restriction on off-piste activity, self-imposed by the club, is to not take groups off-piste on a glacier. Those I have skied with have also generally been pretty responsible about possible avalanche dangers. So I have also had great days with them on just that basis - skiing stuff I would be happy skiing, but not solo. No many though, as I increasingly want to do more serious off-piste stuff, when I would hire a fully-qualified guide/instructor - but remember one day with them in a group of say 3 is probably about the same as a full SCGB annual membership.
They read out a disclaimer at the start of each day saying just that, and that you ski with them at your own risk, and should you feel any route they take a group down is too much for you you should tell them, and they will normally find an alternative route down for you. If you already have a SCGB grading, telling them it will probably help them to plan finding terrain appropriate to the group as a whole, and appropriate alternatives as required. This is exactly what has happened when I have skied with them.
They also take an emergency contact number, should the worst happen. Actually this is something I've never had when I've hired a guide privately - so who's being more responsible there?
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You know it makes sense.
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GrahamN, thanks for your very informed comments.
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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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I have received a reply to my email. ....
Many thanks for your email and for your interest in the repping service. The Ski club reps are insured to take skiers off piste. The off piste in this sense is the off piste area within sight of the piste. If you were requiring a full day off piste traveling further afield you would need to use the services of a mountain guide. The rep in resort already may have a day outlined whereby they would book a mountain guide for members, if not you could always ask them to recommend someone. If you haven’t already done so, you would need to make sure that your insurance company will cover you for skiing off piste.
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So it looks as though it is a very limited liability insurance. Within sight of the piste is key here. I can find my own way off piste, if only venturing within sight of a piste at all times, why would I need them to guide me.
All italics are mine.
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Poster: A snowHead
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snowbunny, you can be within sight of the piste and still put yourself in great danger if you don't know what you're doing.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Tim Brown, So, the basically trained, unqualified, and minimally insured resort rep, would be the right person to trust my life to?.
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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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snowbunny, no no, you were going to find your own way, remember? I was merely pointing out the danger you seem to not realise is there.
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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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Tim Brown, As I have been sliding around in the hills of Europe and US for a little while now, I generally scope out between slope stuff before doing it....don't you? BTW where have you skied this winter, don't remember seeing any resort/snow reports from you, I may have missed them though. Been away skiing
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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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snowbunny, from your own profile, "Not confident off piste."
Where have I been? Verbier and Jackson Hole.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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snowbunny, no - the person you are trusting your life to is....YOU!
The key points here to me are as I said earlier: a) normally knows the resort better than you, and b) skiing stuff I would be happy skiing, but not solo. On a), I've skied in Chamonix about 40 days total, so I know the place pretty well, but the last couple of times I've gone down a few interesting variants with the rep I'd not been/considered before. And if I'm skiing by myself I will be more conservative on where I go, as it's way more dangerous going to even places you're well happy with if you're solo. (Although I do, almost certainly unwisely, take more risks in Argentiere/Flegere as I'm pretty familiar with those areas).
The reps are not instructors, and AFAIK are forbidden from teaching you how to ski radically new stuff, but they may on occasion offer quiet titbits of advice if you're finding something difficult - just as any other ski-buddy may do.
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| GrahamN wrote: |
snowbunny, no - the person you are trusting your life to is....YOU!
The reps are not instructors, and AFAIK are forbidden from teaching you how to ski radically new stuff, but they may on occasion offer quiet titbits of advice if you're finding something difficult - just as any other ski-buddy may do. |
Yup that's correct.
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Tim Brown,
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snowbunny, from your own profile, "Not confident off piste."
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I'm happy to clarify that. I mean "Off piste". Not in the SCGB sense of
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The off piste in this sense is the off piste area within sight of the piste.
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For an example of what I consider to be off piste, around 12/14 years ago, I did the Lanchettes Route in Les Arcs, with an ESF Mountain Guide. As it runs through a Nature Reserve, the only legal entry is with a Mountain Guide.
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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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GrahamN, thanks. I'm off to Argentiere in a couple off weeks, I'll seek out the rep on arrival!
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snowbunny, now i get it. You suffer from a common condition, the belief that the only off-piste worth the name is that which loops well away from the ski area and should only be skied with a guide. That, of course, is rubbish! There's plenty of hugely enjoyable and challenging lift-served terrain within sight of the piste. Apart from the stuff you can easily see there is a whole host of 'secret' stuff for those with a little local knowledge - like the reps, from what Graham has said.
Off-pistesnobitis!
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FAQ
