 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello everyone,
I'm going away for the week of the 14th, probably to Obergurgl, Austria. Nothing booked yet. Looking for a ski buddy to join me. Resort is snow sure and the dates are outside of almost all kids holidays, so it will be very quiet, as it was last year. Usual buddies all have family or work things this year, including my own family for this particular week, but I'm determined to go.
Probably looking for a late beginner/early-mid intermediate skier, anywhere from mid 20's to mid 40's, but I don't see age as a barrier to anything, so if you have your head screwed on correctly, no problem. At 40 (just), I'm not Club 18-30, but I'm not ready for coach trips to stately homes, either. If you're an expert skier, I wouldn't want to cramp your style, but you wouldn't be excluded. Gender is irrelevant. I don't mind if you identify as a snow plough, providing you're a decent human being. The only thing is, I dont want to be preached to about politics, personal or national/international. Theres time for that back at home. When skiing, its time to collectively enjoy natures bounty.
I tend to ski for about 4 hours a day, give or take. I go easy.
I like to cruise around on blues and enjoy the scenery. Hot flask of tea and a self made snow seat on a bluebird day is blissful. I go skiing to relax due to hectic work life, so I'm generally not the type to force myself out of bed at 6am for a leisure activity on holiday. I want to relax. Picnics just off piste, a specialty. I can also cook, which I do well, so I'm told. I have no objection to doing so daily in an apartment setting if my buddy pulls their fair share of tea towel miles (sadly no loyalty scheme as yet).
I enjoy apres-ski and a drink, but not to the point where I'll eat peanuts from the public bowl on the bar. I'm quite good at Scrabble and I like to chat about almost anything, save politics. The key for me is being able to de-stress, but that said, I'm not a complete asshat either, just dont try to convince me of the relative merits of communism or nazism. If you're hard left or hard right, please save us both the trouble and let this pass you by 
Rather than spend a ton of money at mountain restaurants, I tend to take my own food up top, although I've been known to spend a few quid on chips and coffee. I'm not particularly tight of wallet, but an experience in France created permanent mental trauma for me in relation to price/quality ratio at mountain restaurants. No more, said I.
Perhaps more importantly, I'm reliable, honest, generally well organised in all things related to mountains and have the right gear for almost all conditions. My buddy would need good gear too. It was -18c in the afternoons last season at the top of Obergurgl, which is no joke, particularly for a novice taking longer to descend. As such, I'd ask to go over your gear with you before we committed to anything and you are of course welcome to do the same with me. That helps avoid any potential gear related problems or risks, peace of mind. Some may say this is over the top, but believe me I have reasons for this and I don't think it's a waste of time. If you ski with someone, I think you're each responsible for helping the other. Just my take on it.
I am patient and providing someone isn't being an idiot towards me, compassionate. So if you're a late stage beginner, don't worry. I have one very clear rule when I'm skiing and that is that I never, ever leave anyone alone on the mountain, no matter what their experience level is. I wont ski off to the next gondola for "one last run" if someone has a numb foot or is struggling. I also wont leave you to traverse a slab of ice alone if you're skiing in pizza mode as a late stage beginner and get scared. I just wont. If anyone ski's with me, then its a team effort all the way. I have good quality CB radios (2 miles or so range) which I will bring too, for extra security.
I think thats about it. More detail than most put, but if I'm going skiing with someone I tend to like to know that we're on the same wavelength about certain things.
If you're interested, hit me up.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Martin & Ami, great idea and information for potential ski buddies. You definitely don’t want to talk politics then?
There’s well over 100 of us going to Tignes, the week before, purely to miss the UK General Election. No other reason.
Coincidentally they’re running some lifts and already have lots of snow. I expect any uninvited mention of politics might result in an unplanned dunk in an icy lake.
I imagine you’re constrained to 14-21 Dec, otherwise the urge to join our mass political blah blah blah escape plan would be too strong to resist. Or maybe you just prefer Austria over France, understandable.
Are you thinking of shared twin room or solo room arrangement?
Any idea of overall accommodation and travel costs?
You clearly state you’re not bothered about gender. But it might be important to potential snow buddies, thinking of sharing accommodation. So I’m wondering whether you’re Martin or Ami?
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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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| Quote: |
You clearly state you’re not bothered about gender. ..., So I’m wondering whether you’re Martin or Ami?
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I suppose it depends on who's asking 
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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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| PeakyB wrote: |
@Martin & Ami, great idea and information for potential ski buddies. You definitely don’t want to talk politics then?
There’s well over 100 of us going to Tignes, the week before, purely to miss the UK General Election. No other reason.
Coincidentally they’re running some lifts and already have lots of snow. I expect any uninvited mention of politics might result in an unplanned dunk in an icy lake.
I imagine you’re constrained to 14-21 Dec, otherwise the urge to join our mass political blah blah blah escape plan would be too strong to resist. Or maybe you just prefer Austria over France, understandable.
Are you thinking of shared twin room or solo room arrangement?
Any idea of overall accommodation and travel costs?
You clearly state you’re not bothered about gender. But it might be important to potential snow buddies, thinking of sharing accommodation. So I’m wondering whether you’re Martin or Ami?
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Quite right Peaky, I thought I'd signed it off. I'm Martin.
Can't make the week before sadly, otherwise I'd have been all over that trip like a dog on hot chips.
Accommodation and travel for the above isn't mentioned because it's all subject to whatever would be jointly decided.
RE the politics, just sick to death of hearing about it literally every second of the day! Seems to be everywhere I go theres someone droning on about one thing or another.
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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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Sounds like a decent set of snowHeadly values there.
I look forward to when you find an opportunity to join us on a bash
| Quote: |
Rather than spend a ton of money at mountain restaurants, I tend to take my own food up top, although I've been known to spend a few quid on chips and coffee. I'm not particularly tight of wallet, but an experience in France created permanent mental trauma for me in relation to price/quality ratio at mountain restaurants. No more, said I.
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Ahh, I see your error, easy enough one to make: you should have been buying your lunch in Italy 
I agree, in French ski resorts generally, lunch is an inconvenient necessity at best, and at worst, yes, quite traumatic - but in Italy, it's a highlight!
A few Italian lunches will soon sooth that trauma and heal those wounds.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Martin & Ami, I'll be in Saalbach that week on my own and already meeting another Snowhead. I'd be very happy to ski with you.
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Could be tricky?
| andybomb1 wrote: |
| @Martin & Ami, I'll be in Saalbach that week |
| OP wrote: |
| I'm going away for the week of the 14th, probably to Obergurgl |
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@admin, yeah but plans can change pretty quick! They have for me anyway so I'm just putting it out there that if he did want to come there'd be a couple of people to ski with.
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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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Fair enough
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I'm solo skiing the 18th-20th Dec, but shortlist at the moment is Damuels, Warth, Ischgl or Soelden if no snow anywhere else!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Hello, Martin of @Martin & Ami fame;
I'll be in Obergurgl.
Have PM'd you.
Regards,
FG
Correction:
Tried to PM you, but it wouldn't send to your username.
Maybe some slight problem here.
Sure it'll be fixed in due course.
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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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| kitenski wrote: |
| I'm solo skiing the 18th-20th Dec, but shortlist at the moment is Damuels, Warth, Ischgl or Soelden if no snow anywhere else! |
2 days or is that a typo?
I live 10 minutes from Leeds.
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| admin wrote: |
| Fair enough |
If you partially identify as Ravey Davey Gravy as I do, you and I probably need to share a conversation at some point. I recently talked to an old man called M-Zone, whom you may be familiar with.
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You know it makes sense.
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@Martin & Ami, nope not a typo! out with work so taking a few days holiday before flying back! I've booked nothing skiing wise so far, so will keep an eye on here! All I have confirmed is a flight back from Munich on Fri 20th at 10pm!
@Fat George, out of interest, why Obergurgl and not Soelden?
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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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| Fat George wrote: |
Hello, Martin of @Martin & Ami fame;
I'll be in Obergurgl.
Have PM'd you.
Regards,
FG
Correction:
Tried to PM you, but it wouldn't send to your username.
Maybe some slight problem here.
Sure it'll be fixed in due course. |
The site is incredibly slow for me at the moment, which might be the cause of that.
My username isn't ideal for sending PM's to, so I've sent you one.
Cheers.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| kitenski wrote: |
@Martin & Ami, nope not a typo! out with work so taking a few days holiday before flying back! I've booked nothing skiing wise so far, so will keep an eye on here! All I have confirmed is a flight back from Munich on Fri 20th at 10pm!
@Fat George, out of interest, why Obergurgl and not Soelden? |
Got ya. That's planning level 11 that is.
Keep in touch if you you'd like, we could meet up and wreck some ski's in castleford prior to any foreign excursions.
Which would be your actual skiing days do you think?
Edit: I am absolutely not BASI level 2, or anywhere remotely close to it.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@kitenski;
I’ve nothing against Soelden.
Nor against Obergurgl.
Never been to either.
Obergurgl, because I’m meeting a friend, who needs to be in Obergurgl for non-skiing reasons, so we can ski when he’s available, part-week, if possible.
I’ll be travelling by car, so Soelden is no problem to get to, and I’ll probably go there at some point.
Even if I didn’t have the car, I understand it’s only 20 mins by ski bus anyway.
So why not and why Soelden instead?
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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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| Fat George wrote: |
@kitenski;
I’ve nothing against Soelden.
Nor against Obergurgl.
Never been to either.
Obergurgl, because I’m meeting a friend, who needs to be in Obergurgl for non-skiing reasons, so we can ski when he’s available, part-week, if possible.
I’ll be travelling by car, so Soelden is no problem to get to, and I’ll probably go there at some point.
Even if I didn’t have the car, I understand it’s only 20 mins by ski bus anyway.
So why not and why Soelden instead? |
It's a free ski bus if you have a lift pass and it takes about 20 minutes. Soelden has more piste, cocaine and euro trance than Obergurgl, which is a plus to some, negative to others.
Both can become cut off if there is heavy snowfall, like last year. Being cut off by snow with plentiful piste, cocaine and euro trance music is, interesting.
During that week, Obergurgl/Hochgurgl will be incredibly quiet. The lifts are modern, modern and warm, the pistes are excellent and varied, running to (in my view) early expert level.
The roads are kept generally free of snow by the military esque snowblowing team, which you might be glad of if you're driving. It's better prepared than France, at least in my experience.
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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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Martin& Ami: 
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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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@kitenski, watch yourself there, all that charlie and trance.....i’ll keep a lookout for Hangover 4 ski edition on Netflix!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Fat George, Soelden seems to have more pistes/liftes and is closer to where I am on Tues night!! But then again I’m going to decide where to go about 5 days beforehand!
@Martin & Ami, yup lets keep in touch, I’ll be hopefully skiing maybe half a day on the Wed, full day Thurs then looks like I need to be leaving about 3pm on the Friday to make my flight. My main aim is to try and hit somewhere that has just had or is having a snow storm, if at all possible!!
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@kitenski, you are clutching at straws. It's so much fun theres a likelihood you'd literally never want to leave.
Personally, I'll do the trance music but not the cocaine. The last week I was there, the cocaine was ably demonstrated by a group of young Dutch men, all *extremely* friendly. A particularly memorable was the moment when a young man of around 30, dressed head to tow in a bright yellow shell suit (as we used to call them) fell from the top of an upended beer keg that he'd been dancing on. He was OK, thankfully. He kept dancing, hugged me and others at random and told me in no uncertain terms that he wanted to get jiggy with the barmaid, although those were not the terms he used. The barmaid also happened to have a hatchet (Austrian drinking game).
Going for a wee in the mens toilets was an adventure in itself. That sounds unusual, but let me tell you, you've not lived until you've attempted to use a urinal with more than 10 dutchmen, high as kites, holding a mini-rave next to the hand dryer.
A true family resort.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Sat 23-11-19 22:23; edited 1 time in total
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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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@Martin & Ami;
That ampersand in your username?
I’d request it changed, if I were you.
No private message to you will send.
I get this if I try:
“ Martin & Ami is not a snowHead (in this version of reality)
There's nobody to send the message to  “
This will result in lack of communication.
Hmmm.
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@Martin & Ami, have you booked anything yet? I'm still watching webcams! The warm spell seems to have stripped snow below 2000m but Obergurgl and Soelden looking pretty good high up
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I'm in Obergurgl week beginning Dec 14th with the OH. Happy to meet fellow snowheads for a run or more. We can do reds but prefer blues to admire the scenery better.
Only started skiing beginning of 2018 and now hooked, although the knees are starting to complain. Just hope they last the season!
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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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We're also in Obergurgl for 14th-21st,
My better half and I that is..... We're: one inter' and one vaguely advanced skier - happy to meet up with people of either level.
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That's a shame it arrived nearly 3 months late. Would have been good to have met up!
We're back in December 2020 so maybe this time?
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You know it makes sense.
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LOL - that'll teach me not to scan a topic title!
Hope you had a good trip.
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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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It was fantastic hence the return trip on Dec 12th
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Poster: A snowHead
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FAQ
