 Poster: A snowHead
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Problem is, the pistes are not race tracks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
| Quote: |
“...
I’d often ask: ‘If you could drive any car, what would it be? Would you like to drive a sports car – or would you prefer some 4×4 off-roading? Generally the answer was the thrill and excitement of a sports car.
...” |
I drive a Land Rover Discovery. I guess that's why I prefer life away from the corduroy slopes. Looking at the cars parked in my street, I don't feel as if I'm in a tiny minority, either. 4x4s abound, but sports cars are conspicuously absent.
Fail.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
Love that article, and I couldn't agree more with everything in it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| Jonny Jones wrote: |
I drive a Land Rover Discovery. |
But would you rather drive a Ferrari or a Porsche 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Yes! Everyone should stay on piste! Great article... don't mind me... I'll just... err... be over here... enjoying fresh tracks.
The author probably needs someone to look at his leg as well. Four years is a long time for it to be broken!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
So absolutely typical of a ski article that the dichotomy is between a Land Rover and a racing car. Men, eh? 
4 x 4s "abound" in just about any affluent suburb but most of them just do the school run, or drive to ski resorts, or to the coast, or the shops. All of which my Zafira does perfectly competently. I have no wish to drive either a Porsche or a Disco.
But the marketing men have done a good job, as they have on all those super fat skis and Ortovox backpacks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| pam w wrote: |
So absolutely typical of a ski article that the dichotomy is between a Land Rover and a racing car. Men, eh?
4 x 4s "abound" in just about any affluent suburb but most of them just do the school run, or drive to ski resorts, or to the coast, or the shops. All of which my Zafira does perfectly competently. I have no wish to drive either a Porsche or a Disco.
But the marketing men have done a good job, as they have on all those super fat skis and Ortovox backpacks. |
Main reason for the 4x4 is being able to get the VAT back if you have your own business and can claim it as a "working vehicle"
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
I actually thought it was an interesting blog to be fair, though I largely disagree with it's conclusions. The analogy with cars is lost on me because I'm not into cars. It's just a means of getting from a to b for me. I would rather go trail biking than road biking though. But I like cycling in general.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Standee wrote: |
| pam w wrote: |
So absolutely typical of a ski article that the dichotomy is between a Land Rover and a racing car. Men, eh?
4 x 4s "abound" in just about any affluent suburb but most of them just do the school run, or drive to ski resorts, or to the coast, or the shops. All of which my Zafira does perfectly competently. I have no wish to drive either a Porsche or a Disco.
But the marketing men have done a good job, as they have on all those super fat skis and Ortovox backpacks. |
Main reason for the 4x4 is being able to get the VAT back if you have your own business and can claim it as a "working vehicle" |
Sign write any vehicle to get the VAT back.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
| Jonny Jones wrote: |
| Quote: |
“...
I’d often ask: ‘If you could drive any car, what would it be? Would you like to drive a sports car – or would you prefer some 4×4 off-roading? Generally the answer was the thrill and excitement of a sports car.
...” |
I drive a Land Rover Discovery. I guess that's why I prefer life away from the corduroy slopes. Looking at the cars parked in my street, I don't feel as if I'm in a tiny minority, either. 4x4s abound, but sports cars are conspicuously absent.
Fail. |
That's exactly the same flawed logic as those who buy off piste skis then use them mainly on piste.
My Lotus Elise and Dax Rush are a million times more fun on normal roads than the discovery's I have mistakenly bought in the past.
My renault megane scenic is also much more capable on road than the discoverys for carrying people around in comfort on the road.
Very very few 4x4s are actually used off road. Normal car or mpv is far better at on-road jobs even in snowy conditions with winter tyres.
If I want to transport heavy bulky equipment about my Iveco Eurocargo is a hundred times better than the disco.
The discoverys were great at one thing. In fact nothing comes close to them.
In the dozens of cars I have ever had, two Discoverys are the only cars that have ever had me stranded on the side of the road and coming back in an RAC lorry.
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Thu 23-01-14 15:38; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
pam w, totally agree. I do have a 4x4, for very specific duties. I never use it for family driving, and the idea of driving to the Alps is laughable. I can't fiddle my fuel expenses which seems to be a factor as well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
Discoverys, the only thing you discover is where the nearest garage is and deep your pockets are.
I used to have one, piece of shit.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
It's amazing how so many people hate on 4x4s and their owners.
So I drive a Discovery. It's sublimely comfortable and I know of no other vehicle that's comparably spacious for three teenage lads. It effortlessly accommodates five people, five bikes, five large suitcases, five backpacks, a shed-load of outdoor gear, a clutch of musical instruments, five laptops and a couple of boxes of food and whisks the entire bundle to the Alps in style. I've owned it from new, it hasn't broken down in seven years and it shows no sign of wear and tear beyond the normal detritus of family life.
Do I take it off road? Nah, I have a mountain bike for that. Do I need a Discovery? Of course not. Am I glad I have one, though? You bet!
What good would a sports car be to me? Where would I put the bike? Or the kids? Or the dog? Or the surfboard?
I've even hear it rumoured that you have to change gear for yourself in most sports cars. That's very quaint - but no thanks!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
Also would you want to ski on race skiis all the time ? would be hard work
better off with a general all mountain ski , the piste is not always perfect i.e. you can have slush , fresh snow , lumps , mogully
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Plenty of 4*4 version of 2wd cars used in the alps. (panda anyone?) Not all 4*4s are SUVs or off roaders and so what if they are - some very class-ist views on here. For a business vehicle 4*4 has no bearing, probably more the fact some 4*4 have a payload over 1000KGs.
Back to piste skiing. Despite loving off piste I still like a good on piste blast and it's a good place to work on technique. It's all part of the wide variety of ski conditions. Why restrict yourself to one or the other.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
| waynos wrote: |
| It's all part of the wide variety of ski conditions. Why restrict yourself to one or the other. |
Quite.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
Funnily enough, after six years on fattish skis and sking mostly off piste I bought myself a second hand pair of slalom skis and I'm having a ball with them. I've even taken them off piste and in the jump park, but by god, you can certainly turn quickly on them. Just need to get my technique up to scratch now
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
I used to have a Land Rover Defender and a Porsche 911. I now have a Defender, a Nissan Pathfinder 4x4 and a Nissan Navara truck and no Porsche.
Oh, and I find piste skiing dull...
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
All horses for courses, whether we're talking skis or cars.
Piste skiing on high performance piste carvers does inject an extra degree of excitement into what might otherwise be considered a relatively dull piste cruising day. There are definitely days when skiing on-piste is a better option than off-piste. So you may as well make the most of them with the right skis for the job. Skiing off-piste in knee deep fresh light powder might well be the ultimate ski experience, but in reality that's not possible every day. Personally I much prefer blasting around nicely groomed pistes on days when the off-piste is a bit dubious.
Cars are another thing altogether and usually chosen more on the basis of practicality, budget and of course fashion. There is no doubt that SUVs are fashionable at the moment, but they can be practical for a large active family. Sportscars used to be fashionable, but are now normally the choice of people who really enjoy driving as a sport rather than purely as A to B transport - look at the increase in popularity of track days in recent years.
The answer in both cases of course, is a quiver of skis/cars 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Quote: |
better off with a general all mountain ski , the piste is not always perfect i.e. you can have slush , fresh snow , lumps , mogully
|
too true. It's not just a choice between the deep gnarly stuff (Disco) and hammering down a perfectly groomed swathe of corduroy (Porsche) is it? Most skiers, most of the time, are dealing with a variety of conditions on piste and some minor forays into the off-piste and will have perfectly fine one or two week a year holidays on the ski equivalent of a sensible family car. The money saved can usefully be spent on lessons. Or more holidays. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
pam w, yeah you want the Impreza of the ski world if we must stick to this bad car analogy. Will carry the family and is a lot of fun on the track and "off road".
IMO the equivalent of the Disco isn't really fat skis but skinny, light touring planks as they are far more go anywhere, up anything.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
I agree with the sentiment of the article, unless it snowed in the last few days, or you hike/skin out somewhere, or have epic local knowledge; off piste can often be moguled mank which is why I often switch to race skis and ski on piste. It is a different kind of skiing and I like both, I'm not sure I'd ski much on piste if all I had were 'all-mountain' skis though, the precision and agility of race skis is a big part of what makes it fun.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Quote: |
better off with a general all mountain ski , the piste is not always perfect i.e. you can have slush , fresh snow , lumps , mogully
|
That's certainly one of the main reasons I've got all-mountain skis. That, and the fact that I can't be bothered to cart two pairs of skis around.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
| narc wrote: |
| ...off piste can often be moguled mank... |
Aren't manky moguls one of life's dirty secrets: we pretend to despise them but secretly long to caress their voluptuous curves?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Weak sauce article from Arnie with the "off piste's so dangerous this year" cliche as a peg. Frickin obvious - if you're skiing mainly pistes at performance levels get a performance piste ski. But as identified above you've got to be savvy to get unfettered access to smooth pistes as I think they're talking about, for the average Inghams punter by definition they'll be in a busy tourist resort and likely adopting a tourist like approach to the hill, which means congestion and progressively higher churned pistes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Avalanche Poodle wrote: |
| Funnily enough, after six years on fattish skis and sking mostly off piste I bought myself a second hand pair of slalom skis and I'm having a ball with them. |
You are one of the lucky ones who has the nerve to admit to coming back into the 'having fun' fold.
There's a place for off piste in the right resort on the right day but some of the 'off piste' vids on here of someone hacking through some crusty wasteland 20 feet from the piste makes me laugh/cry.
This from the article sums up my thoughts:
| Quote: |
| The sensations in skiing on-piste are so much greater than off-piste’ he said. ‘The skis bite, arc and give you immense feedback.’ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
Stop The Brutal Grooming.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
Surely its horses for courses (conditions), I am one of I'm sure many holiday skiers (definition one-two weeks per season) who can ski ok off piste in the right conditions (20-30m+ fresh), but when its gets cut up/skied out/cruddy/hard, I probably look a bit like Benny hill.... 
IMHO there are very few holiday skiers who can ski confidently off piste in any conditions. (me included as stated), and yet there are hundreds and thousands of skiers with massive fat planks on in any conditions, just doesn't add up lol. I think you would have to spend at least a season or work in the industry to become really confident off piste, when you see the occasional expert do it properly its a thing to behold....
So of course as the vast majority of my two ski hols per year has the latter as the prevailing conditions, I choose to spend most of my time on piste. So I choose to hire top level piste skis, the key word being hire - you can choose exactly the ski for prevailing conditions. Been on Rossi world cup 9s @165cm this week in Les arcs as there was very little fresh available, and wow they are superb, loads of bite and turn on a sixpence, even did fine on the little off piste (side of the piste) I did.
I did swap them today for some Soul 7's 177cm because we've seen a bit of fresh and there's a bit forecast for tonight, and they have been great fun off piste (I did go a bit further than the side of the piste lol), but of course lacked the precision of the 9s's on the piste.
Most of us (mortals) will spend most of our time on piste, so IMHO just hire the right skis - simples...
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
| stewart woodward wrote: |
| Jonny Jones wrote: |
I drive a Land Rover Discovery. |
But would you rather drive a Ferrari or a Porsche |
Buy a Bowler Nemesis then you only need to buy one car.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
I go off piste because I like to, I also like skiing on piste, I hate being on piste when there are hundreds of idiots who haven't learned the basics yet think that going fast is the idea, but can't turn or stop should the needs be. I haven't taken my skis out of the attic for the last few years, it is easier to just bring my boots and hire the skis.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
Dred 27, My main love is still off piste though, I was into mountains for many years before taking up skiing and just love getting into wild places away from it all. Ski touring is a new love too. But as I now drive out I can indulge in the luxury of having a small quiver. Plus I know which runs to get first tracks on so you can really let go  On scraped hardpack the SL skis really come into their own.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
biddpyat, +1
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
I like skiing. Doesn't particularly matter where.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
| meh wrote: |
| I like skiing. Doesn't particularly matter where. |
Or on what. (Though I'm not a major fan of insipid MOR rental ski fodder)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What Avalanche Poodle, said. I think I'm going to dust off my sl skis.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Quote: |
I was into mountains for many years before taking up skiing and just love getting into wild places away from it all. Ski touring is a new love too.
|
This is a good point. I skied in La Grave yesterday, first time ever, and that mountain environment is just unlike any tidy groomed resort. I could scarcely manage the skiing, but it was a terrific day. I am not likely to become an off-piste skier in any big way though I'd like to do a little bit more easy touring. But I am also doing more cross-country skiing - that's much more "managed" but still quiet and away from machinery. And I enjoy walking on snowshoes. Or just going for a walk in the mountains, winter or summer. It's not just about technique and equipment, is it? It's also about the environment you want to be in, and how much effort you are willing (or able) to make yourself.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
