Did you ski with a Ski Club of Great Britain rep this winter?

A snowHead

For ease of reference, I guess answers could fall into one of four alternatives:

1. If you did ski with a rep, were you a member? And will the benefit result in your subscription renewal?

2. If you did ski with a rep, were you a non-member? Did the experience result in you joining the Club?

3. If you didn't ski with a rep, were you a member? Did the resort you stayed in not offer a rep? Or was there another reason?

4. If you didn't ski with a rep, were you a non-member? Would you have skied with a rep, given the opportunity, and might it have persuaded you to join the Club?

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Why do I ask? I first became a member in the early 1960s and am interested in the trends in the ways people ski, and the leadership/companionship they seek. I used to be a member of the Club's Council, and am interested in its future strategies.

A snowHead

Isn't this the sort of question David Goldsmith should be asking? wink

1 - but we will be renewing our membership regardless. Quite a few people skied with our rep in Sun Peaks who weren't members - I know he signed up at least 2 family and 1 single new memberships during the week. The first time we had skied with a SCGB rep and we had a really good experience, an excellent rep whose main aim was to make our holiday more enjoyable (which he did).

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

No, No, No

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1. I didn't ski with a rep.

2. N/A.

3. I was a member. Skiing with a rep doesn't appeal.

4. I was not a non member, although I am now.

Cathy Coins, if DG had asked this question, I'm sure he'd have listed his questions more logically. Unless, of course, a different and less well organised personality was posting.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Cathy Coins, I guess it makes a change from flirting with Tamsin Conditions.

The Abominable snowHead, it would be interesting if you kicked off the answers with your own experience.

Anyway, for me, Yes, 1, not sure. It has in the past. My skiing future is somewhat in doubt.

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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

I've got very little interest in the SCGB. AFAIK, I've never met a rep.

After all it is free

No, no and no though I did see the rep skiing the runs around Vallandry and Piesey

3. I am a member but did not ski with a rep this year. Had other skiing arangements, name professional off piste ski guiding from Alpine Experience. Winter 2004/5 I did a few days with the rep in Tignes.

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1. Yes, briefly, this year. Could be more or less in another year.

2. No.

3. Yes.

4. No.

There are many reasons for skiing with or without a SCGB rep and many other reasons why "one" might choose to belong to SCGB or not.

Our family (parents and daughter) are members and have been so for a few years. We generally go skiing as a family, but haven't (yet) found any friends we can variously ski with. My wife does not ski with a rep because she finds it too stretching. Instead she often opts for group lessons when we are three, but when only the two of us go, or there is no suitable group, I often ski with her (or at least we meet at points down a run). We both know I find this somewhat restricting, but life is a compromise and from time-to-time I go off and ski a run she does not wish to. When we are three, my daughter and I generally (but not always) ski with a SCGB rep when available. My daughter, having started skiing at a sensible age rather than late middle-age, is significantly better than I am and one way of stretching her skiing is to have her ski with others who are also better than me. In these situations, of course, I am the one who finds the skiing most stretching. So, for us, a SCGB rep presents the opportunity to ski at a level we would find it difficult to justify when skiing alone or as two with me supervising our daughter. We have also had the opportunity for some gentle forays into off-piste skiing which we wouldn't otherwise have tried. Skiing with a rep does not in my view replace lessons, but provides an opportunity between lessons or for those who do not enjoy lessons.

Of course, if you go skiing with friends of a suitable standard and there is always someone there of the right standard to ski with, the benefit of a SCGB rep is not so great.

We also tend to buy our ski gear at shops that offer a SCGB discount and we have bought TO holidays with SCGB discounts in the past. The gear discounts we expect to be useful for the future, but TOs are largely a thing of the past for us. For the price of a family membership, we find that most years the need for new gear to allow for a growing child and general wear and tear often justifies a large part of the cost of membership. Again, if you largely buy your gear in resort or at shops that don't offer a discount then SCGB is not so attractive (and this part of the answer is off-topic).

So, for a lengthy summary, I did ski with a SCGB rep this year, as did my daughter, but my wife did not. In itself, for us this might or might not justify the cost of membership - it's borderline - but when other benefits are added in our view is that it is worthwhile. When considering where to go, the presence of a rep has made a difference in many previous years.

We have always found SCGB reps to be courteous, helpful and responsible. We have met a wide range of skiers, some we would choose to ski with and some we would not, but not because of elitism simply because that's the nature of a disparate group.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Derek, thanks for sharing those insights. Congratulations for biting the bullet in "late middle-age".

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I just crepped into the SCGB chat room and couldn't find this thread in there, I didnt realise that usage there was so low that SCGB surveys/questionaires are now carried out on snowHeads.
Maybe this sites owner should put in a bid to operate the SCGB chatroom as well.

boredsurfin, I think this thread was started as a result of chat in this SCGB thread. Frankly, I can't see the discussion to be opened here. I suppose it gives The Abominable snowHead something he sees as creative to so. Sort of a successor to terms and conditions here.

You know it makes sense.

The Abominable snowHead, 1,2,4 n/a 3. Yes. No, it did offer a rep but I had other plans.

Nick Zotov, thanks for asking after me this am, sorry I didn't get the chance to reply, I think I'll be heeding the pietons signs for a few weeks longer wink

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

slikedges, sorry to see that.

A snowHead

Nick + boredsurfin, I think there's every argument for running this survey on the SCGB site too, for those who don't dip into snowHeads. Obviously it needs minor modification, since no non-members can respond, but if it increases the number of respondents this can only add to the interest.

In the meantime, anyone else is very welcome to respond ...

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

No, he tried to post a French pancake into the computer's disk drive.

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As an almost newbie to snowheads - the answer is, yes I am a member, yes I did ski with a rep, and yes it is part of why I am a member. I too didn't quite follow the logic or agenda of the four questions. Perhaps Mr Goldsmith could help rewrite them...

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

The Abominable snowHead, 1. Member and skied with the rep, will rejoin. Firstly with the family in La Tania, which was a contributory factor when choosing LT as a destination. Very family orientated and therefore probably not to the level required by some. A good opportunity to meet and ski with new people even on the days we didn't ski with the rep. Latterly in Flaine for a long weekend, again the reason for picking Flaine was with only 2 of us travelling it was a good (if lazy) way to meet people to socialise and ski with. On this occasion I was the member and my brother a guest who will subsequently join. We've skied with a rep for the past 4 seasons and only in the first one, when we were "early intermediate" or pretty crap, was there any issues with us keeping up and therefore enjoying it.

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The Abominable Goldsmith, 3. yes, yes and yes.

Now, why do you refuse to ski with reps and meet some of the members whose views you too often claim to represent? Will you be taking any notice of the things people have told you in this thread? Has your mind been changed by any of the statements made here?

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

I'm a member but I didn't ski with a Rep this year because I was away with 10 friends who were mostly of a similar std. If I'd been on my own I'd of certainly considered it. I have skied with 2 Reps in the past and they were very good skiers who kept up the pace which was good (usually I find the larger the group the slower you go). It also relieves you of having group 'where do we' go discussions. It's a potential benefit but not a must have for me.

The insurance is one of the main points for me. Seemed a much better deal.

I'll probably re-join.

After all it is free

I am a member, primarily for the insurance, but if there are better deals around, with reputable insurance companies, I may not renew my membership next year.

I actually wanted to ski with the rep at ZaS this season 18th March, but was told by SCGB, that the rep was no longer in resort. Were informed by the Thomson and Crystal reps however, that she was still there. We decided to accept the ski guiding from our reps for 3 days, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Also whilst on our travels we did indeed see the SCGB ski rep, and few other SCGB reps. Confused

No, No, No, No.

I did sit next to a rep for a week this year at breakfast and lunch and he and his mate (also wore a SCGB fleece) just swore all the time ! He mate was obviously on a freeby ride !

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Tim Brown, not for the first time I'll decline to answer your questions because they're based on untruths: I have - of course - never refused to ski with reps or meet members of the Ski Club. And that applies to the entire 44-year span of my membership of the Club.

Please do not use this forum to misrepresent people.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Paul Mason, lunch? How did you manage to lunch in the same place, at the same table and even right next to the rep for a whole week? I thought they lunched up on the mountain with their groups each afternoon? Also, how did the freebie work for his mate, then, if it was so obvious?

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Tim Brown, Did Paul Mason, not mention about the stalker?

The Abominable snowHead, you refuse to go to the ball and meet members there. You never tell any stories about having skied with reps, so I assume that is because you do not by choice and therefore, in affect, refuse to do so? You don't go to end of season parties - so we are told. We are also told that you only socialise with members at the AGM.

So it doesn't sound like you do much in the way of interaction with members save for the scgb forum, where you totally ignore what people tell you and just restate your tired old (wrong) opinions until other posters lose the will to live and drift away.

Whenever you are questioned, more often than not, you refuse to answer and claim you are being abused.

You know it makes sense.

Tim Brown, if you want to fight David Goldsmith about SCGB matters, please go and do it on the SCGB forum, not here.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

Ray Zorro, i'll have my say, thanks very much, where and when i like! Who are you to dictate to me?

A snowHead

Tim Brown
I've been to the ball (!) (98% of SCGB members do not go to the Ball in any given year)
I've skied with reps (85% of SCGB members do not ski with a rep in any given season)
I've been to an end of season party (99% of SCGB members do not attend in any given year)
I go to the AGM (99.7% of SCGB members do not attend the AGM)

Tim, I think you're barking up the wrong tree, and you're not presenting a very friendly face for our national ski club. Try to be a little less accusatory, and a bit more sensible.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

The Abominable snowHead, you've not done any of that for years, we are told. You are out of touch with the members you claim to know so much about.

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Tim Brown, I'm not dictating, see, I even said "please".

Stuck records are just a little irritating that is all.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Ray Zorro, give goldsmith's turntable a kick then.

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Tim Brown
It is no good ranting like this on a public forum, and pursuing personal attacks. It is in the Ski Club's interests that people join and feel no obligations of the sort you are trying to impose.

This thread is simply an impartial and friendly way of finding out whether people have skied with SCGB reps over the past winter, so please let's keep it on track.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

The Abominable snowHead, your not the only one allowed to ask questions. So, when was the last time you skied with a rep? Why do you remain a member?

After all it is free

I last skied with a rep in 1832. Or was it 1995? I honestly can't remember.
I remain a member because I ski.

Is it true to say, then, that you've had little or no contacted with the greater membership (save for the chatroom, where you just ignore peoples' views and questions) for more than ten years?

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Help!!

Did you ski with a Ski Club of Great Britain rep this winter?

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