 Poster: A snowHead
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I have already tiptoed onto your excellent forum to answer a question, but now feel a slightly more formal Hello, is in order....so if you can bear with me, here is my potted history.
My introduction to skiing was in the winter of 72/73, thanks to a school trip to Saas Fee, staying in the Hotel Allalin. That was the era of sadistic Button Lifts that didn't stop for you...and when the cord had finished uncoiling, lifted you clean off the ground (with the feeling that your Tail Bone had been yanked through the top of your Cranium). The Ski Bindings had rubber toggles that you pulled up to release and it took us most of the week to learn the Snowplough turn....there were 10 SFs to the Pound though!
Over the following 44 years, I've skied in Scotland, France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and the American Rockies...Though I have a particular soft spot for Val D'Isere.
What I have found on my skiing journey, is that every Decade or so, you are told, in the words of Harry Enfield, "You don't want to do it like that!"
The Austrians wanted you to mince down the mountain, feet together and "Breast down ze hill", no matter the turn type.
The French had a more natural take, with the upper body following the skis, except on short turns, with feet a little wider and all weight on the downhill one.
It took me the best part of 20 years to master Off Piste, on 2m traditional skis...just in time for the introduction of Fat Boys, which did away with this long apprenticeship....Great!
It was the start of the 80s when I got my first job, allowing me to buy my first kit....a Goretex Event shell One-piece (very smart I looked too!) Ali Ross had one in "How we learned to ski", and if it was good enough for him. Advice from the SCGB pointed me towards some Lange SLS skis (which I hated). Since then I have owned Volkl Rentigers/VP SLX; Force 9 3s; X Scream Series and my current Atomic 11.20s and SL 11s...and I have loved all of them.
With the introduction of Carving Skis, I now found myself labelled "Old School"....bobbing up and down like a cork on the ocean and starting the turn with foot steering, was now so passé. Lessons were in order.
I was lucky enough to hit a wonderful vein of talent at Snow Fun in Val. I had the likes of Aaron Cassells, Dave Cowell, Simon McCoombe and Woody, before they became "famous" and moved to trendier Ski Schools, as they got higher qualifications
So thanks to some excellent coaching, my skiing is more fit for the 21st Century....though things have been so carving orientated, that I've noticed that some of my "Old School" skills are a bit of a lost art and Short Swings are now seen as an Expert manoeuvre.
It would be remiss of me not to give a mention to the long suffering Lady Fartbag...an auburn haired Firebrand from Donegal, who has kept me on my toes for 26 years (and given me 4 Fartbaglets).....it's amazing that we made it to the Altar, as our relationship nearly didn't survive our first Skiing Holiday together. Anyone who has taken their beginner Girlfriend skiing and had WW3 break out half way down a Blue (that didn't have moguls in the morning), will know what I'm talking about.
Anyway, I've waffled on enough and would like to thank anyone who has had enough fortitude to make it this far. I look forward to learning and participating on your most excellent Forum. It's always good to meet like-minded folk, in a friendly, knowledgeable atmosphere.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sun 13-03-16 10:51; edited 3 times in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Who told you we were friendly?
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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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Or knowledgeable......
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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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Or like-minded.....
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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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Mi Mammy told me to "always be polite" when meeting new people (even skiers)....it takes a bit more familiarity to call them a Shower of Bs. 
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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'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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Welcome aboard
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Old Fartbag, School trips have a lot to answer for! My own skiing experiences started with a school trip around the same time as yours! But in Austria, with leather boots and hand held rope tows you hung onto for dear life no matter how much your shoulders were pulled out of your sockets 
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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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| gazzaredcruiser wrote: |
| Welcome aboard |
Cheers Gazza
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| CaravanSkier wrote: |
| @Old Fartbag, School trips have a lot to answer for! My own skiing experiences started with a school trip around the same time as yours! But in Austria, with leather boots and hand held rope tows you hung onto for dear life no matter how much your shoulders were pulled out of your sockets |
I remember going to Livigno in about 1978....7 hour bus ride from Milan, with a Kamikaze Bus Driver and duty free booze. The chairs didn't slow down, with a dismount that consisted of a 2ft drop onto an icy slope....and the Drags went on interminably.
...but the "piece de resistance" was an egg shaped bubble that also didn't slow down. It was accessed via outside stone steps, which usefully put a layer of snow onto the bottom of your boots. The Egg held 2 people. You handed your skis to the helpful Factotum, who placed them in the requisite holder. It was then necessary to jog along the "pier" and leap athletically into the capsule.
The problem was, that if you were second aboard and the first "leaper" arsed about, you ran out of runway. This resulted in a frantic, last minute jump...the snow on the bottom of your boots ensured that you slipped and "took out" your fellow passenger with a spectacular sliding tackle.
Word on the ground, was that they bought the lifts that had been replaced by the more upmarket resorts.
Whatever it was about the sun that Easter, we all turned a fetching shade of orange. Happy Days.
Last edited by So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much  on Sun 13-03-16 10:15; edited 1 time in total
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You know it makes sense.
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| Old Fartbag wrote: |
Thank you HoneyBunny...I feel like I've just been paid quite a complement. |
You have! x
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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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@Old Fartbag, lol I don`t think safety, let alone comfort whist on lifts, was too much of a consideration back in the 70`s!
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