 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi
I am sorry if this has been asked before. I have had a look round and can't seem to find any answers.
I am a pretty new skier. I have had a fair few lessons ( about 15 hours worth) and can technically do it . But for some reason it still makes me really quite nervous !
I intend to persue it , but having being launched off the top of the main slope at chill factore at manchester by my irritatingly pushy instructor I am wanting to find a more gentle gradient indoor real snow slope .
Is there one ?
Does anyone know of the slope gradients at chill factore, tamworth snowdome and snozone at castleford ?
Are there more gentle gradient slopes for me ? Or are they all as extreme as the very top of the chill factore ?
Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Welcome to 
I dont know is the short answer, and have only been to Chillfactor and Tamworth but from memory Tamworth is a bit more gentle with a turn and you can join the slope at mid point.
Again from memory at Chillfactor you can get off the drag about 20m up and there is a bit of a flat where you can progress from.
Honestly though i am surprised after 15 hours that you are not ready for the top of CF.
Maybe a change of instructor is needed. Can you tell us your age and fitness as they will be factors also.
Hope you stick around and persevere.
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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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Hi
Thanks for your reply . Very kind of you .
I think the anxiety is all in my head to be honest . As the instructors all tell me there is nothing wrong with my skiing . So they would say I was capable of going off the top . So I think the fault is in my head, not my skiing .
I am nearly 45 , female , and quite fit ...run marathons etc.
but the problem is .... In my head , with anxiety .
I have tried chill factore and do get bored at the bottom as its too short .
I Think I will try Tamworth , if it is more gentle a gradient . I just need some practise time to get confident , so tamworth sounds ideal .
Thak you for your information . Very kind of you . Thanks
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@sammyboyo, your anxiety is not at all unusual. If you are keen to master skiing (and there is no shame in deciding it's not for you) I suggest a complete change of scene to a pretty alpine village with plenty of gentle skiing and private lessons with an instructor who is good with nervous people.
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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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Thank you Pam for your reply much appreciated. Your post kinda brings me onto another question really , which is a bit cheeky as I have only just joined  sorry .
I do fancy going abroad , but I just wanted to get a little better first. You can't really tell I am a nervous skier as I dont stand at the top quivering ....i just do it , and like I say the instructors cant pick anything out on my skiing , they say i ski well and do it really naturally .... It is just what i feel inside .
Sorry....have gone off topic ...
If i went abroad ....silly question , but do they have any resorts close to hospitals ?
I had a proper bad heart attack in 2009 out of the blue with no risk factors ...unknown reason for heart attack , and was only 39 . Nearly died .
So as I always live under the shadow of another heart attack are there any resorts that are close to proper hospitals ? Also I have to make sure that any resorts are under 2000 feet if possible cause the altitude affects my damaged heart muscle .
Sorry ...i have come out with aload of questions there ,but it probably helps to explain my anxiety issues , as if i break someting on the slopes it affects me in other ways too due to dodgy ticker . Thank you
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Awww.... Thank you very much sugarmoma . Very kind of you
Thank you everyone for your encouraging replies 
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Sammyboyo, Do you mean 2000m? Schladming tops out at 2000m and has a full blown hospital.
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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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Ahh yes . Thanks cad99uk . Thank you . Thats what i meant . I will have a look at Schladming . Thank you very much
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@sammyboyo, there are plenty of places where you can ski at low altitude and countries like France, Austria and Italy have very good health services. You presumably take medication for your heart condition?
Do you have friends or family who would be interested in taking a ski holiday with you?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@sammyboyo, No instructor worth their salt will take you on to a slope beyond your capabilities. After 15 hours in a fridge, I think @pam w's idea of getting out on to a proper slope is good.
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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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and rest assured that qualified ski instructors will not only have basic first aid knowledge themselves but they can whistle up expert medical back up, which can include a doctor in a helicopter if necessary.
You would need to ensure, though, that your holiday insurance included cover for your existing heart condition.
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wow sammyboyo. after what you have been through why are you worried about a bit of a steep slope?
Really a bit of incline wont kill you. have you had a bad fall or are you more scared of falling than falling again?
Innsbruck is a beautiful city with an excellent hospital ( put ours to shame) with a lot of lovely skiing close by.
I cant recommend Saalbach enough as a beginner, there is a lovely wide gentle slope to progress on right in the village, you could spend all week there getting confident.
and when you are ready some gentle slopes back from the top. Plus the helo could get you to Salzburg hospital in 20 mins.
i will say though go at your own pace. turn. stop. turn. stop.
As Pam says maybe skiing is not for you, however you have got this far so you seem quite determined.
Have you ski buddys? There are ski clubs for a social aspect that will give a different mind set.
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You know it makes sense.
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A proper piste could be less intimidating if it's nice and wide. Skiing down a narrowish corridor with other people to avoid is harder than being able to traverse across the piste and turn when YOU want to.
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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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Thank you again everyone for your really helpful advice and replies. Very good of you and I REALLY appreciate them . Thank you .
Just to answer a couple of questions ....... I kinda want to carry on skiing , I don't like being beaten by things , especially anxiety to be honest , so it only makes me more deterrmined . The different instructors say I am a natural and technically they say there is nothing wrong . So it is just in my head . I have got signed off at both a dry slope and at the chill factore , so as far as they are concerned I can do it .
I havent fallen over yet ...... So I dont really know what to expect .
I am not really a nervous whimp ....I just get on with it and to look at me you would not tell that I was worried.
I think wha I am really afraid of is when I broke my ankle before (falling over my horse's bucket) , My blood pressure went so low they had to keep me in hospital .
So if I get an injury now I know my blood pressure will plummet again and on top of that I am a candidate for bleeding as I am on so many blood thinning tablets due to heart attack .
So if I do something simple like break my leg , its not that I am bothered about ....its loss of blood pressure, loss of blood due to no clotting and complications from heart attack.
Its just medical complications really ....not that I am a whimp . I just have to bear in mind heath implications for me . I dont wanna wrap myself in cotton wool .....i ride horses , run marathons etc . I do want to ski
I do thak you for all your help and advice and I will re read all the advice given and thank you again
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Poster: A snowHead
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@sammyboyo, you will find many pistes in a mountain resort far less intimidating than the slope at a snowdome. They are often less steep, wider, quieter and with more groomed snow. All of these factors will understandably make you nervous in a snowdome. There are of course pistes that are much harder than a snowdome, but with an instructor to guide you those would be easily avoided.
Contrary to what some others have suggested skiing must definitely be for you (as you're clearly determined and keep coming back despite being nervous) and I'm glad you are persisting. You will be able to do it given time and patience. Let us know how you get on.
Different people find different aspects of skiing difficult. It is not at all unusual to be able to do it technically, but have anxiety issues that slow your progress. The inverse is just as common, but much more dangerous!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@sammyboyo,
Have you thought about the ladies mornings at places like CFe / Ski Rossendale or the Friday night coaching session at Ski Rossendale.
They are more relaxed and informal you recieve help and advice to improve your skiing and to make sure you do not pick up bad habits but due to the relaxed format can go do your own thing as well.
Especially at the ladies sessions with hopefully like minded people then chat and coffee afterwards. You build friendships and help each other and this may help.
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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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@sammyboyo, gentle, sensible, skiing on a well groomed piste is VASTLY less dangerous than horse-riding! And the medical care you would get in the unlikely event of an accident would be first class.
However, it's a little bit bothering that you've not fallen - it would probably help a lot to have a few tumbles. Make you more relaxed. Like people learning to sail dinghies - they are always petrified of capsizing till they've done it (as they have to, if doing a formal taught course or they don't pass) and recovered successfully.
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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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@sammyboyo, If you are on wafrin then I would not really recommend skiing on a dry slope. Unlike snow, a fall on a dryslope often leads to bruising. Sometimes quite bad. Go to the alpes instead
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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'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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JohnE thank you too 
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| pam w wrote: |
| However, it's a little bit bothering that you've not fallen - it would probably help a lot to have a few tumbles. Make you more relaxed. Like people learning to sail dinghies - they are always petrified of capsizing till they've done it (as they have to, if doing a formal taught course or they don't pass) and recovered successfully. |
I kind of agree with this. On my first time skiing I went about 90 minutes without falling and found that I tensed up about it. Once I actually fell though I realised it wasn't that bad and it relaxed me a lot. SLightly different with the health complications, but it may be worth having a gentle slip to get the mental side of it out the way,.
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@sammyboyo, I think being short does help, as does being a horse rider. A nephew of my OH, a good polo player and very short, took to skiing like a duck to water. He did fall a lot in the process though - he wore a hole clear through his salopettes, fortunately old ones. He really threw himself into it.
You obviously have progressed really well, and have strong legs and good technique. All you need now is to get out on the piste with some supportive company, do a few nice wide gentle runs and then stop for a vin chaud on a sunny terrace.
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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 will look into skiing for real then !
Is Scotland any use at all....or does it need to be abroad ?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Hmm. Scotland can be great on the right day. But if the right day coincides with a weekend the queues can be truly mind boggling. And the weather can be gnarly. And you have to go on the spur of the moment, really.
The Alps are generally more reliable, sunnier, less windy, easier and not necessarily more expensive.
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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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Is your ACL now thoroughly mended and rehabbed? Lots of skiers do damage to their ACLs.
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Yep ligament was 15 years ago now thankfully. Suprisingly painful injury way worse than when I broke my leg and ankle !
Thanks for the info re scotland . Thankfully we could go on the spur of the moment as we dont work and we either have a caravan or can hotel it . But I know what you mean about conditions etc being less reliable .
Need to get myself a passport and clearance from the heart doc before flying ....but I WILL DEFINATELY DO IT !
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
I WILL DEFINATELY DO IT
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How about the Snowheads End of Season Bash?
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| Quote: |
I WILL DEFINATELY DO IT
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How about the Snowheads End of Season Bash? |
Doesn't the 2000m limit prevent that one.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Ahhh..... Thank you anyway.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Dear sammyboyo,
I am sorry to hear you have had such a bad experience at Chillfactore. Can I tell you about my experience?
I am in my late 60s and decided I wanted to learn to ski, so last August I went to CF to learn on a two-day course. After one morning with a young instructor, I was terrified and exhausted with the nervous energy I expended. I couldn't cope with going on to the afternoon session, so I went to the desk and asked them what I should do as I didn't want to throw in the towel...they fixed me up with an individual lesson the following day with Alistair Copeland, who I have been learning with ever since, and now ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!
I think the answer was already given above, different instructors are suitable for different people...it's a bit like husbands, really. If the one you've got doesn't suit you, just try a different one till you come up with someone who makes you feel really good.
Go for it gal!
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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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@sammyboyo, Maybe ask for Alistair Copeland as well. I can vouch for how well mouseonskis, has improved in her first few months ( not been CFe for a while now ). So she is probably flying down now  she is so positive about her skiing, so if AC has helped mouseonskis, to be that positive and confident and made good progress with her skiing then def worth an hours lesson.
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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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Deffo something to think about thank you
What i have decided to do , is go to Tamworth a few times and just practise skiing on my own as I have been signed off , so I can ski without an instructor .
I figured a few hours of me just skiing without any pressure might just relax me enough to start enjoying it .
If I am still not relaxing and enjoying it I will deffo go and look up this Alistair Copeland chappie .
Thanks for the advice , and its good to have a name of a reccommended instructor ! Thanks
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@sammyboyo, Have a look at the morning sessions at Tamworth on Mon, Wed, Fri. Very quiet between 9 and 10 am, or 12 and 1.
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Yes...thanks ....much cheaper too ! Thanks
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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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@sammyboyo, Well done. Keep at it.
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Thank you x
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FAQ
which is a bit strange considering how much tension my mind is holding .
