 Poster: A snowHead
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| Timmycb5 wrote: |
| PrimroseAndBlue wrote: |
| Airports which are not much more than a petrol station forecourt named after a vaguely nearby French city. |
*stares directly at Chambery* |
And Grenoble !
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Skiers who get upset when I put my unstrapped foot on the tips of their skis in crowded lift queues (French half term of course). 
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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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@Bergmeister, I KNOW they get told to Foxtrot Oscar whilst the sensible majority crack on!
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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[quote="boarder2020"]
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I don't sleep well in Val Thorens either
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I've never heard of people sleeping bad that low. I've spent a few summers working at 2200m and we have people come straight from sea level for hiking trips and they don't really miss a beat until it comes to the first uphill climb. |
That low? Centre of Val Thorens is at 2300 metres, then add more for the top of the village and a tower block.
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Sat 13-03-21 15:46; edited 1 time in total
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| BoardieK wrote: |
| Skiers who get upset when I put my unstrapped foot on the tips of their skis in crowded lift queues (French half term of course). |
When someone gets. Outhy in the queue, my mate sneakily release their ski binding with his pole.
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I hate the constant ruffling noise the clothing makes...
Edit: oh and Grenoble. Flown into there twice. That is two times too many. Not even in Grenoble. A cow shed on the side of a field. Queue outside to get through passport control (lovely in the rain), bags left outside on the luggage carts (lovely in the rain), baggage reclaim similar to a black friday sale, departure lounge that is like a big game of musical chairs, less toilets then an African tribal village....apart from that though....
If we are going to that part of the world, Lyon is a no brainer. Certainly worth the extra 20-30 mins or so on the transfer to actually use a real airport.
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| Fridge03 wrote: |
| I hate the constant ruffling noise the clothing makes...... |
Oh, I like that, especially when riding with deaf people as that's all you can hear when they're "talking".
Soft shells are available of course.
Not sure what there is to hate. People who smoke, although it's a dying habit.
I quite dislike helicopter crashes, which don't generally end well.
I'm not terribly keen on the shouty/ vomiting people you get in some resorts in the early hours.
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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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Parents who don’t control their children, who push & wriggle to front of chair queue to then wait at loading area for parents
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I once had a fag whilst waiting to get the lift off the Ahorn, blimey, if looks could kill, I never smoked on the snow again, then gave up completely in 2018
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Around 30 years ago, on school trip, was talking with one of the parents who came with us. He told of the time he fell off a chair lift. Hadn't put bar down, was leaning forward trying to light a cigarette but leaned too far. Not sure it's quite what they're thinking of when they say smoking can kill. Fortunately only pride hurt in his case.
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Sun 14-03-21 0:12; edited 1 time in total
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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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@195062, nice story. But probably not the sort of parent you want on a school trip, better to have someone more responsible than the kids, not less.
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20/21 season for Brits
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You know it makes sense.
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@Fridge03, I’d been through Grenoble twice and both times found it very quiet. It was outside of school holidays/peak season though.
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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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The split second in between when you know you're about to have a crash and when you actually do crash, and you're wondering if you're going to injure yourself or someone else. There's a lovely relieving sensation afterwards when by some fluke you're all okay though.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Jakey wrote: |
| The split second in between when you know you're about to have a crash and when you actually do crash, and you're wondering if you're going to injure yourself or someone else. There's a lovely relieving sensation afterwards when by some fluke you're all okay though. |
I’ve had a similar sensation. When I was 14, I went down a black that I wasn’t qualified for (all lifts closed due to wind, only way back down from where were). Hit some ice, everything went slow and I though “oh poo-poo I’m going over”. That was the last thing I remember until one of my mates sprayed me with a hockey stop as I lay prone with a snapped tib & fib:
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@nigelg, it’s a holiday. Have a drink & chill out.
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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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Rock hard corduroy first thing in the morning. TOO SOON for serious edging.
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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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| Quote: |
That low? Centre of Val Thorens is at 2300 metres, then add more for the top of the village and a tower block.
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Yep, in the grand scheme of things it's not that high, certainly not high enough to massively effect sleep ime. Like I say I regularly work at 2200m and people come from sea level for hiking trips and while uphill hiking performance is certainly a bit more laboured, I've never heard of any of them have issues sleeping. Plenty of people travel from sea level directly to Colorado, la Paz, and Cusco which are much higher. I've been with people having disrupted sleep with PB/apnea - it's actually quite scary the first time the person next to you "stops" breathing or starts gasping for breath, but always been 4000m+. I'm sure it's possible to have disrupted sleep as low as 2200m (although I'm not sure how you would know it was due to altitude, plenty of other more likely expectations), but I wouldn't say it's common.
An interesting study here where they sent people straight up to 4500m and analysed their sleep https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3274343/#:~:text=Conclusions%3A,saturation%2C%20while%20periodic%20breathing%20persists.
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Eh? Perhaps I’m getting old and more risk averse, but I can’t think of any conceivable reason why you wouldn’t use the bar?
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Think it's just a cultural thing. I agree it doesn't make much sense, and you hear the odd story of someone falling off and dying.
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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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@boarder2020, I stay with a lot of people each year at 2300m and while I've not performed an exhaustive survey, anecdotally it is quite clear to me that many people experience disturbed sleep, at least initially, at 2300m. And yes, they mostly travel often, to mountains, at various altitudes, multiple times per year and are capable of making the distinction between what happens on arrival at 2300m specifically and what happens after a day of travel generally.
You might indeed know more people who have had worse disturbed sleep at higher altitudes - but maybe it's not that kind of pissing contest? Maybe it doesn't even need to be a pissing contest at all?
| boarder2020 wrote: |
| The one-upmanship/elitism |
Yeah, how does that keep happening, hey? 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I actually like the people who try to push past in the lift queue while saying "I'm just catching up with my friends" And I get to say Stop queue jumping, if they are your friends they will wait for you
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The boots obviously but mainly I hate crowds and queues and those people who . . . well, I can’t tell if they’re just really self-centred or thick. Probably a large bit of both.
If I had to go for one though, queues.
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skiers who dont leave room in the queue for my bind. I dont skate, so just walk with my board & when near the front I step on to my binding
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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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@x7 Im not sure why you think I'm making it a contest. I think the research shows worse sleep the higher you get so it's not particularly surprising that my experiences reflect that. When I'm at 2200m I am based in a guest house so sit down for breakfast with those staying each morning where the first question is nearly always "how did you sleep?". I can believe that kind of altitude affects some people a little, but my experience is that for the vast majority it has no real affect on sleep. I'd be willing to be proven wrong, but I don't think there is any research on it so stuck with anecdotal evidence.
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That the Combettes lift is 200m and two flights of steps from the apartment door. I doubt if CdA will listen to my request to move it to the very entrance.
Oh, and that terrible smell of coffee and fresh bread.
And peeling the dead cracked skin of my lips and the ends of my ears.
And hearing that it is forecast to snow down to 700m in the French Alpes this week.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I don't think there is any research on it so stuck with anecdotal evidence.
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3654241/
Healthy people affected from 6000 feet (1830m). Some will be more sensitive to altitude than others, and generally, it seems, men more than women.
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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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Sleep wise I live at 1650m and am used to it. However I do sleep "better" at sea level or at least lower. I do dream more up here too, often very vividly. I find dehydration which is a danger given the air is so dry more of a problem. I usually wake during the night have a pee and a glass of water and go back to sleep. When I've been hiking or exerting myself similarly I often struggle to get back to sleep despite drinking plenty of liquids.
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My worst time sleeping in a ski resort was in Val Thorens, but I'd just returned from a month in Africa and was still taking Larium. The combination of being over 2000m and Larium made for dreams so vivid and weird they kept me awake most of the night. Otherwise I've had trouble with altitude up to 4000m with the exception of exercise being harder. Much harder.
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You know it makes sense.
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I think the first time I went to Tignes I felt a bit different when trying to sleep but that was the highest I’d ever been so far
Don’t think I’d notice now I’ve slept far higher
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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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| Timmycb5 wrote: |
| marodo2712 wrote: |
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Erm, what's wrong with the smell of croissants and smoked meats?
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@Timmycb5, I like my apres-ski, and I generally don't eat breakfast anyway, so, to get up feeling 'emotional' then being forced to eat breakfast, the last thing I need is challenging food smells. I generally stuff food in my mouth until I get to the point where I might well see it again, then I steal a ham sandwich and a banana for eating on the chair. |
Ha! If I'm in a catered chalet breakfast is one of my favourite parts. Triple breakfast for me too usually. Bacon and eggs followed by porridge followed by pastries  |
Same here & I'm still hungry by 10 am
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Poster: A snowHead
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Haven't been here for a while, but what I don't miss at all is the pain in my knees. Even considering what a week I've just had, walking like a 90 year old for a week or two after every holiday is pants. Having said that, can't wait for it to happen again. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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dragging the bag back to the "go home" bus.
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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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The idiots who have to be told to put their mask on in the lift line, and then remove it once the liftie has moved on. Oh, how I wish their ticket would get pulled. Today at Brighton it was out of control. C’mon people, we’re almost there!
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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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| Quote: |
skiers who dont leave room in the queue for my bind. I dont skate, so just walk with my board & when near the front I step on to my binding
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I like that, skating is the worst part of boarding by a miles!!
I've seen a few people do it and have never been brave enough to try, largely because there never seems to be enough room and I'd be worried I was breaking some obscure ski code!
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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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If it’s a big line I always unstrap and walk. Just easier. Had one idiot skier once try to kick my board away as I was strapping back in. Waited till he got past me in the queue and stood on his binding and released it. The guy was a typical middle aged angry snowboard hating jerry
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Scooter in Seattle wrote: |
| The idiots who have to be told to put their mask on in the lift line, and then remove it once the liftie has moved on. Oh, how I wish their ticket would get pulled. Today at Brighton it was out of control. C’mon people, we’re almost there! |
+1
or the people who wear those "masks" with mouth holes in!
That said, I am really looking forward to the day when we are able to get a crazy google tan again! 
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Mon 15-03-21 0:36; edited 2 times in total
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| Boris wrote: |
My absolute least favourite bit - drive from tunnel home and you can no longer kid yourself you're on holiday. |
+1
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Wednesdays. Always Wednesdays.
Muscles unused for the rest of the year starting to hurt. Bit hungover. Bit dehydrated. Bit bloated after too much good food. Probably tried to ski down something above my ability. Point where ski-instructors start to push you. Coming to terms that I'm not as good as I like to think.
Thursday, kicked the midway slump and back to loving it.
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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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I can deal with all the above quite easily and place them as minor frustrations and things that happen skiing. The only thing I find really bothersome is when my skiing ablution routine lets me down and I find I'm wanting a number 2 soon after leaving the apartment when you have tried everything in your power to clear your system.
Luckily French toilets whilst frequently being in the cellar with a walk of Wetherspoon's proportions are better than they were
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FAQ
