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switch to blades or stick to ski..........advice needed

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I have been skiing now for 3 years, ie. two one week holidays and one ten day holiday, I have a holiday booked to Courmayeur in April and am already feeling ski school will be a waste of time and money as i just dont seem able to progress. I can happily ski down Blues and greens and nice motorway reds but seem unable to progress to parralel turns. I am quite a nervous skier ( female in her forties ! ) and slightly afraid of speed and falling I guess.

Anyway my question is ....should I stick to ski school, maybes take a few private lessons ( which I have never tried ) or try switching to blades and see if I can progress faster that way.

Thanks in anticipation.........
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Please try private lessons.

I wouldn't want to go to blades, unless I was 2' tall and weighed 3 stones. wink
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
marc gledhill wrote:
I wouldn't want to go to blades, unless I was 2' tall and weighed 3 stones. wink


Butcher Bell might be able to arrange that! Wink

I mainly agree with marc - get some good private lessons. But, I'd also add that doing the occassional half day on blades can help with balance and carving.
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Wear The Fox Hat wrote:
But, I'd also add that doing the occassional half day on blades can help with balance and carving.

I did that last week - great fun, as well as help with balance/carving.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
karencannon, I would definately suggest blades but with caution. Ski type bindings are a must (Head Big Easy's for example). I started skiing in my late 40's and found it very difficult to advance. Blades were the answer for me and my wife and now we are both very competent on skis and blades.
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If you are already nervous you might find blades worse (I know I do! Although in fairness I haven't tried again in years) - the lack of poles and the lack of stability can be a bit daunting (although they are good fun for a charge about). However if it's the actual technique of parallel that s the problem they are very useful -to get the 'feel' at slow speeds.

Private lessons will help a lot with the issues you mention - being the 'nervous one' in a group lesson is counter productive and can make you worse not better! Also make sure you are being put on short enough skis - about 20cm shorter than you is good for learning to turn. aj xx
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
karencannon, Try some private lessons... Do you have a ski school near you in Scotland (snow/plastic) - if so get some lessons there first....
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Quote:

Do you have a ski school near you in Scotland (snow/plastic) - if so get some lessons there first....

Yes she does - nearest would be either Glenshee or The Lecht. Runs open from the ski scotland site at the lecht "Two beginners runs complete, with good cover of new snow on a firm base. Main runs Grouse and Eagle1 complete new snow" at Glenshee "Claybokie has a good covering of fresh snow on a man made base, giving good skiing for beginner and intermediate levels. Cairnwell T Bar and Butchart Access are thin in places with no base but improving with the continuing snowfall."

There are suposed to be better snow conditions on the West coast, but that is probably a bit far from Banchory. Personally I'll probably be skiing at Cairngorm this weekend, hopefuly there will have been more snow by then.
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karencannon, hadn't spotted that you were in Banchory, I'll be up there meself for a week in summer. Maybe even at Easter if I can't get to the EOSB.
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Hi Karen

This is really the "wrong" website to ask as there are a fair amount of anti blade people on here.

I started blading before Christmas, I used to live up at Strathdon and skied up there, any way I hadnt done regular skiing in over 20 years.

One of my friends suggested I try blading, I did, I bought a pair of Salomon snowblades which are ideal for beginners especially with the 609 release binding.

I found some aspects a bit hard and after 2 day under my own steam knew I needed help and had a 2 hour lesson, we started on a blue, and by the end of the lesson I was on a black.

2 Sundays ago a friend of mine in the office - he had been out to try full length plank skiing and found it cumbersome and subsequently painfull, I agree with easiski that perhaps the instructor was "poor" at giving instruction to a 57 year old. I took him to Intersport on the Friday we rented a pair of Head Big Easy with release bindings and spent the first Sunday getting him used to the balance and how to skate on the blades as well as slide.

Then last Sunday we did about 5km - his second day with blades.

With the right instruction - and as long as you dont try and well, "ski" on them, you can learn a lot and it is fun and you can get downhill.

Once you have mastered blades(skiboards) if you then want to go back to skiing you should find that your balance is better, and the skills you learn on blades are transferrable.

I have progressed a bit and can go forwards, backwards, and do 360's now - but then I have only been doing this activity 10 weeks. snowHead

But then I am a tiny 185cm and 130kg - dont ask Marc any investment advice either Wink
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Karen

I fully endorse the views of Obelix - wise words! Give blades a go, they're great fun and they will improve your sensitivity on skis. However, be warned, for the first hour or so it'll feel like you have two tea trays strapped to your feet - just commit your weight over the blade and go for it. Having said all that, one to one lessons are simply the best way to progress.
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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.
Karen

If you have tried inline skating or ice skating your balance will be good on blades, they are a good way to prepare yourself if you are unsure.

If you havent tried before you try blades - try afterwards.

Very Happy

If you have skiboard questions and dont want the flak you get on here then the forum in my sig caters for those that enjoy sliding on skiboards - however this site is very good for an all round snow experience. But there are folk out there that feel very insecure about the presence of bladers (some without cause) and some with cause as on certain resorts it appears to be going through the hoodlum element that snowboarding did some years ago....

One of the instructors where I ski regulary reckons that skiers that dont like skiboards just have crap style and the skiboards are not as forgiving at times as the big planks are Laughing but then he reckons that if your style is good enough you should be able to go between the 3 types of ski, snowboard and skiboard....

I dont know if Banchory library can get the book in but if you can the Big Foot Adventure is worth a read.
http://www.snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=13012 I put that up so people could get a feel for it.
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obelix67, give all yer money to me and I'll give you a suprise return in four years time. Twisted Evil
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You know it makes sense.
I wasnt sure if you were advertising your employer or location - but nah - I am in Switzerland I get a better return for my invested chf here. NehNeh
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
obelix67, nah, I'm on holiday(s).
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
having 3 weeks left over from last years allocation I feel like it too, my last week gets used up next week when the kids are on mid term - this going into work for 2 weeks before a weeks vacation really is becoming a drag - a decent euromillions win ought to do the trick Wink
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karencannon, I would advise 2 or 3 private lessons and nice short skis. How long (skis) have you been skiing? If you're having a problem getting parallel, then it will be a psychological commitment thing (most likely). It helps to have short skis, but I don't actually agree that skiboards are necessarily the answer since they're much less stable - lots of fun though! Where are you going? It's likely that someone here will be able to help with ski school recommendations for you. Definitely don't go for a week's ski school in a big group - it's not particularly productive as you've discovered. I recommend that you get good carvers about shoulder height to improve your turning confidence. many shops (IMO) still try to give people head high skis - why???? Puzzled Puzzled Puzzled
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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?
karencannon wrote:
I have been skiing now for 3 years, ie. two one week holidays and one ten day holiday, I have a holiday booked to Courmayeur in April and am already feeling ski school will be a waste of time and money as i just dont seem able to progress. I can happily ski down Blues and greens and nice motorway reds but seem unable to progress to parralel turns. I am quite a nervous skier ( female in her forties ! ) and slightly afraid of speed and falling I guess..


Have all your holidays been in hire boots? It may be the time to seek the services of a good bootfitter. Before you look at either skis or blades, that is.
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Karen take a tube of Deep Heat with you it works wonders Smile remember at the end of the day it is about you enjoying getting down a piste safely - so whatever works for you - ski's, snowblades, sledge whatever....

Hope you have a better time

Comprex makes a good point about boots as well - proper fitting boots made quite a difference to me.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Snow Blades are actually mini parabolic skis. The wide shovels and tails with a narrow waist and a mono-cap construction gives them tip to tail flexibility and torsional rigidty! Put that all together and you get awesome carving ability. I was first introduced to blading some years back by Phil Smith when I was attending one of his ski foundation clinics. The course's emphasis was to encourage you to carve long arcing turns, precise steering and edging and stopping gently on skis by completing your turns and whilst standing centrally atop your skis. The blade stuff wasn't part of his programme, but after a brief confab with us, he decided that the best way he can get us to understand what he was talking about, was to introduce a learn to blade day in his programme. It worked a treat for me. I discovered that the blades actually accentuated my skiing style and giving me a new confidence on skis. I have since swapped my conventional 99.9cm blades for a pair of 99.9cm fat blades (they act as mini fat skis). Which means you can take them virtually anywhere on the mountain. As well as do super carving on rock hard pistes they can float over anything providing the terrain is steep enough! I find both disciplines enormously enjoyable. With blading it's the self expression, the freedom of doing it with no ski poles, with skiing, it's the satisfaction of precision and timing.
And now, everytime I go away, I alternate from skis to blades to skis..
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What are Skiboards? from http://www.skiboards.com/orientation/whatareskiboards.html

Combining the latest technologies of skis and snowboards, skiboards are radically changing the sport of snowriding. About half the length and twice the width of skis, the twin-tip design allows the rider to do everything that skiers and snowboarders do, but in addition, go backwards, turn 360's on the ground, one foot turns and perform more tricks than ever thought possible on conventional planks. "Skiboards, sometimes called "snowblades" after Salomon's models, are incredibly easy to use and great for learning to ski. But they're especially insane when it comes to new-school tricks." (Skiing, Dec. 1999 Mark Doolittle) Had skiboards been invented first, who knows if the slopes would be so populated by skiers and snowboarders today.

Skiboards vary in size from about 59 cm to 153 cm. They look like miniature snowboards, except there's one for each foot. The adjustable bindings fit regular ski boots, hardshell snowboard boots and mountaineering boots. Learning to navigate on skiboards is easier than skiing or snowboarding, and carving with them is nearly automatic. Skiboards handle like skis (there are two of them) or even more like skates, but constructed like snowboards, which allows for more aggressive carving, handling varying terrain such as deep powder, steep slopes and even hardpack and ice. Most skiboards are constructed with twin tips (front and back) and wood cores for enhanced stability and performance.

Chuck the poles! These feel so natural that most people, including those who have never been on a lift, pick it up in one day and progress to more advanced terrain by the end of the day. The stance is more like walking, skating, dancing rather than skiing - i.e. it is upright and natural. Most experience carving as almost effortless, a zen-like feeling that most snowboarders and skiers have to work many years to achieve.

Don't confuse skiboards with the "graduated learning method" used in previous years to train would-be skiers on shorter planks so that they could eventually get the hang of longer skis. It is the design of skiboards that makes possible the accessibility to the entire mountain from the very beginning.

(take the sales pitch pinch of salt, but most of it stands up under scrutiny)
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obelix67 wrote:
he stance is more like walking, skating, dancing rather than skiing - i.e. it is upright and natural.


That's the whole misconception though - your stance on skis should be as described above - I'm really very concerned about your ski experiences - you've clearly had a bum steer!! Shocked
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easiski wrote:
.....you've clearly had a bum steer!! Shocked


Yes, use the hips instead. snowHead
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My kids don't like them-I think it slows them down too much!!! Very Happy Very Happy
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My kids asked me to buy them a bobsleigh tonight after watching the olympics - I said a luge is more fun
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easiski, if only every ski instructor had the reviews you get the piste might be a different place - however they dont and some people dont want to put up with the "pain" of learning full length skis - I am finding more people at work that have gone through the same pain process as my other colleague. He now doesnt understand the persecution that some full length skiers make about blades - he feels he is progressing at a pace he can cope with, that he will persevere with as he feels he can see the progression. If his snow experience had been left with skis and his experience of full length instruction - his venture back to the slopes would have been to go paragliding. To me it was funny as hell feeling proud about coaching someone to do a hockey stop for the first time....

And others I have met up in the Valleys here have come off full length skis and prefer blades to do the resort hopping - bar and restaurant hopping - etc.

If it helps people learn to enjoy the mountains, or just enjoy the mountains without lugging so much, what harm - yes there will be those that progress onto skis - if you read the big foot adventure that is where they try to get you by day 4, (I think, maybe it was 3 whatever).

And no I am not talking about kamakazie brats plummeting down piste on skiboards. snowHead
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Helen Beaumont wrote:
Quote:

My kids don't like them-I think it slows them down too much!!!



I would've thought it to be a good thing for your ego, Helen.. Strap'em in their blades and let the parent ski faster for a change Twisted Evil
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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
Stephen Neal, snowscreamer beat me down the ladies' world cup run in Megève on blades, at a top speed of 56.7 mph (vs 56.4 mph for me on Rossi 9S's).
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You know it makes sense.
laundryman, what blades were they using the new style or old style or Salomon ?
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obelix67, is it true, manufacturers have stopped producing non releasable bindings on ski boards? I certainly hope not, because I for one feel safer skiing on non releasers!
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obelix67, You know, your sales pitch was so convincing I will do my best to give a pair a try in la plagne - I figure as it's about 10 years since I last tried anything similar (and I think they may have been bigfeet now I think about it, which were VERY short!) they are due another go Happy aj xx
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obelix67, my other 0.5 has 150cm skis. Why aren't they snowblades by your definition? Aren't 153cm skiboards just short skis? wink
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Stephen Neal, why do you feel safer on non releasing bindings?
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obelix67, Salomon 99.9s - 2002/3 vintage.
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David Murdoch, I agree - 153 is just about WC height for women's slalom - my fischers are 155 - what's goingon??? Puzzled Puzzled Puzzled
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David Murdoch, coz it's a fiddle not a violin.
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chris wrote: Stephen Neal, why do you feel safer on non releasing bindings?

Chris, why don't you ask that same question to a Snowboarder.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Stephen, I blade but wouldn't dare without releaseables. A snowboard is completely different.
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chris, agreed. Releaseables are the way to go.

Stephen Neal, I'd be a bit careful about where you venture off-piste with your blades. They aren't really designed for the variances you can encounter in the snowpack off-piste.
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Chris,... the way I ski on my SBPRO Blades, I wouldn,t survive on releasable bindings. You should try not to underestimate the aggressive carving power of these mini parabolics. Salomon didn't when they invented them. That's why they produced them with fixed bindings. Sure, a snowboard is completely different to a snowblade. But the principal is the same, that is, they share the same generic: Boards and both are designed for aggressive carving and free style maneouvres. In my view, a skier that has to ask for releasable bindings on blades - is not using the blades correctly.
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