 Poster: A snowHead
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I've noticed there are a lot of 30 something snowboarders around, who presumably took up the sport about 10-15 years ago when skiing was in a bit of a lull i.e. considered uncool by the average teenager. But now skis are getting ever fatter, with cool graphics and gaining credibility in the terrain parks I've noticed a lot of youngsters are now turning to twin tips as the cool thing to have. Like skateboards, these things go in and out of fashion over decades.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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A "big" day out heli skiing can be up to 35,000 vertical feet (or possibly a little more). 200,000 feet in a week (6 whole days and a couple or three additional runs) is something of a milestone which a fair few people achieve each season with CMH. 13 runs totaling 27,000 feet is a good day but not very long runs in heli skiing terrain, some of the runs are well over 3,000 feet but how low you ski depends very much on the snow conditions. With CMH you get the first 100,000 feet included in the base price and after that you pay for what you ski. Young fit people in good conditions need big bank balances or good credit card limits!
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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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Biggest day I did last season was 11km (36kft) descent and 70km of runs, no idea how many descents though lost last years ski tracks. Taken it easier this year but did 9km vertical/50km/16 descents in 5 hours about a month ago.
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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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Some people are there just to be there, to look around, to take in the view, to enjoy the sun, to talk with friends , to stop for a chocolat chaud and then to slide a bit in between. No counting needed, it's a holiday......
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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It's a blooming expensive holiday, so the more descents, the better the value for money in my book!!
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| larkim wrote: |
| It's a blooming expensive holiday, so the more descents, the better the value for money in my book!! |
Exactly, and that's why I get a little tetchy with the faffing. For example, on the Birthday Bash my rubbish phone app says 25.5 miles on the second last day...total actual skiing time 1 hour 55 min...so call it two hours. The total cost of the trip divided by (2 hours times six days ) equates to quite a sum per hour of skiing. If a faffer holds up a group of , say, eight people for half an hour over the day, that equates to quite a lot of money.
Had a long day, sorry if that makes little sense.
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Did 35 once at Saalbach. 59000ft vertical.
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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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Last year in Espace killy we skied doing 25-30000feet of vertical all days bar one. However as you say the number of long runs you do is surprisingly few
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It's all good.
For heli, those CHM guides drag their guests down through wet snow and alders to the valley bottom... the more they ride the more the guests pay. Smart guests would insist on a high pickup, which gives a much better experience and is more cost effective, but you'll lose out on "vertical".
You'll easily get more vertical if you ride easy slopes in a straight line in spring. Good riders tend to not bother with those sorts of runs much. Some of my mates set the records for that sort of stuff, a very tedious thing by all accounts.
I like to ride a lot, but i continually assess cost/ benefit - it's not a competition.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The resort I ski in has a much smaller snowboard school than ski school, yet it's more or less 50/50 on the slopes. So I guess snowboarders must take less lessons. As for average skill levels it's hard to say, both groups are mostly pretty crap from what I observe!
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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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philwig - I dont know who told you CMH guides drag their guests down through wet snow and alders to the valley bottom because they dont. First there are very few alders in the CMH terrain and second and perhaps more important is that they really dont want guests to hurt themselves so when the snow gets sticky or tough they go for a high pick up. You get less vertical but what you ski is generally the best there is available on the mountains. Its not up to "smart guests" to insist on a high pick up, pick ups are decided by the guide taking into consideration the conditions, the guests enjoyment, the group skills and wishes and then considering what is possible from a flying perspective. The runs are very varied and the skiing terrain varies from lodge to lodge. Some lodges are known for their steep tree runs, some for more difficult skiing and some for their hugely long glacier runs with slightly less tricky skiing. Certainly you are right it is not a competition and there are a few people for whom the amount of vertical seems to be a dominant factor in their skiing days but there are plenty of others who love the places the lodges are sited, love the atmosphere in the lodges and love the skiing no matter how much, how long the runs or how short if conditions arent right. Most weeks it is possible for the better and keener skiiers to exceed their 100k vertical and start to incur additional costs but there is no shame in not doing so and a nice steady 20k per day can provide a lot of enjoyment during a wonderful day out in the mountains. No one is ever put under pressure to ski more than they want on a daily or weekly basis.
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For me it would depend on who I was skiing with, and how long each run was, I love long runs from the top of the mountain to the bottom, Garmish in Germany has several long runs, but to get to the very top you have to take a lift, ski to another, etc, then you can ski right back to the car park, . I hate it when people have to stop at the top and fix gloves, glasses, etc. do that while you ski off the chair.
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You know it makes sense.
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| sequoiaboard wrote: |
Exactly, and that's why I get a little tetchy with the faffing. For example, on the Birthday Bash my rubbish phone app says 25.5 miles on the second last day...total actual skiing time 1 hour 55 min...so call it two hours. The total cost of the trip divided by (2 hours times six days ) equates to quite a sum per hour of skiing. If a faffer holds up a group of , say, eight people for half an hour over the day, that equates to quite a lot of money. |
Good grief, I'll leave the productivity metrics behind at work thanks very much.
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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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4 runs today. that was enough for me 
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Poster: A snowHead
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There are some fabulous long runs in Whistler from the top of the mountain all the way down to Creekside.
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FAQ
None of the boarders I go with have ever been skateboarders or surfers. Business owner, plasterer, IT bod. I dabbled with surfing many moons ago but ski (but I do sit at a computer all day).
