 Poster: A snowHead
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| Specialman wrote: |
| @WoottonBecs, NO WAY!!! that's something I didn't know. I record using my Garmin watch as opposed to the iPhone Strava app (like I do when cycling) and just looked at a mate's ski trip who record on his phone and yep, all the lifts are included too. Doesn't make feel as lazy now LOL |
It depends on what watch you have too. I have a Vivoactive5 which doesn't differentiate lifts and piste automatically (you have to pause it)...however the predecessor does automatically do 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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@SnoodyMcFlude - that's good to know! I think mine is a Vivoactive4. I definitely wouldn't be pausing it on the lifts (far too much faff to get under sleeves and gloves) so it looks like when I upgrade, I'll just be skiing twice as far!
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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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Use slopes @WoottonBecs, its better.
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Hmmm, for me skiing is a social sport, so that's one element. The actual skiing is very "in the moment", don't really have anything else in my head, just the skis, the snow and what I'm doing with them.
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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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For me the enjoyment is just being in the mountains and the freedom one can feel just cruising around, that could be a black or a blue. For me its all part of the fun.
How could I define a successful ski trip? Lasting memories and breaking the land speed record* https://www.strava.com/activities/8653191612 
*well mine at least...
nb, please take line 2 with a pinch of salt.
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Great thread.
If I had to boil it down to one thing, it would be down to the amount of decent off piste aka powder scored. I love piste skiing and get a lot of enjoyment out of that too. But nothing bits having a bit of a float.
Other major considerations:
The logistics of the whole thing - even getting there is a success. I remember when the kids were young, one time it was about 1pm on the Friday and we were due to drive away at 4pm. And my wife downed tools. Sat on the sofa and said "that's it I'm not going!". I was a little bit scared for the 20 minutes or so it took for her to destress. Funnily enough, she always starts to relax and become very happy when we get the other side of the channel.
I actually quite enjoy the drive home from the point of view of having completed a great week of skiing. A sort of satisfied feeling when a job is well done.
Like many others no one getting a serious injury/illness.
And finally, funny enough the things that you would deem to be "big problems" often turn out to be a good memory/story in the long run - along the lines of "you remember that time the road down from Tignes was bloked and we had to spend the night on a gym mate eating service station sandwiches".
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@Layne, I love the typos. Being "bloked" on the road then spending the night on a "mate" in the gym certaily makes a trip to remember.
To me a successful ski trip is simply one I enjoyed and I think that covers all of them.
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Great thread btw - imaginative and no rights or wrongs.
My ski trips are the one (or two) times a year that I really switch off from my life and have the opportunity to live a different one.
The joy of skiing is that you can become, no matter your level, totally immersed in what is in front of you and each one of us can cherry pick the parts we enjoy most: whether it is the jaw dropping scenery, getting down the run you are on, the tartiflette you are just about to consume and love every morsel of, watching your friends, relatives, offspring improve or just doddle about happily, reading a piste map to suss out your way back to apres or your accomodation, or simply walking out in the wonderful alpine air.
And as Layne says above - all the fantastic anecdotal memories that you can bring up for years to come - problematic or not.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| sussexskibore wrote: |
| My ski trips are the one (or two) times a year that I really switch off from my life and have the opportunity to live a different one. . |
That's a brilliant way of looking at it. And couldn't agree more, it's total immersion and escape.
One thing I did take away from my latest holiday was I'd become (marginally) better as a skier but I still looked in awe at those people who just have it dialled in, aspiring to be a fraction as good as them. It so good to see people who are just skilled making light work of the slopes you're aiming to get down without breaking a leg.
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| johnE wrote: |
| To me a successful ski trip is simply one I enjoyed and I think that covers all of them. |
Yeah but the question is what do *you* enjoy?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Another way of looking at it is what would be an "unsuccessful" ski trip?
I do remember one trip that I would say is my least favourite. It was when our second was 6/7 months old. My wife didn't want to do a family trip at that point so I went on a lads trip. It was a cheap one, so early to mid-Jan. Weather was cold and grey, off piste really poor. I'd largely missed a couple of seasons. Kind of missed my family. And even though I really like the group (still do) the vibe somehow was just very low key and didn't take off. A rare miss.
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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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When the body aches & headaches are worth it.
1st hour Paracetemol
2nd hour Beer
3rd hour Iobufren
4th hour Beer
and repeat
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| Layne wrote: |
Another way of looking at it is what would be an "unsuccessful" ski trip?
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Getting injured on day 1
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You know it makes sense.
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As I've got older the mood has changed.
"Count the smiles not the miles".
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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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| Quote: |
Getting injured on day 1
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Or as happened to a friend of mine slipping on ice getting the bread on the first morning. He never even put his skis on.
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Poster: A snowHead
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A good lunch with family and/or friends is top of the list. Many mistakenly believe that must mean I do not, or cannot, ski hard and far.
I have only had the misfortune to ski with some "must tick off every piste" so called milage bashers twice. All claimed to be hard chargers who liked to rack up the miles and not "waste time" on anything that was not actual skiing. All managed less vertical in a day than I manage when skiing with my family before sitting down for a 2/3 course lunch. Much faffing at tops of lifts and stopping for "leg rests" (i.e. poor technique rests) seemed to be the major issues. One of that gang has become a very good friend, frequent ski buddy, and convert to the lunch brigade. But only after I sorted his skiing technique out!
Some of the descriptions above suggest maybe some decent verticals are being achieved, but at the cost of the whole experience. "Exercise addiction" is a very real, and unhealthy, condition which is well known in running and cycling circles. And one to watch out for.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Mon 6-01-25 19:13; edited 1 time 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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| Old Fartbag wrote: |
On a list of what makes a ski holiday successful for me - The speed, distance and number of hours I have been on the slopes would be at the very bottom. At the top of that list would be:
- The company I am with and the friends that I meet there for the first time
- The simple "Good for the soul" atmosphere of being in the mountains
- How well I ski is much more important than how far
- The weather and quality of snow
- The enjoyment of eating on the mountain; Apres ski drink with friends prior to going going back to accommodation; A tipple before bed by a log fire with good company, where we discuss the day and put the world to rights.
- Remaining injury free |
+1 for most of that! My après ski drink is more likely tea if in an apartment with a chausson aux pommes (if in France). Plus some decent patisserie for dessert later.
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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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| zikomo wrote: |
| I have only had the misfortune to ski with some "must tick off every piste" so called milage bashers twice. |
I have to admit, I did this at Alleghe last year (despite not usually being mileage hungry), complete with piste map and pen to literally tick off every run. But in my defence the reasoning was that whenever I described the resort I'd been saying "you could easily ski every run in a day", so I wanted to see that it actually was to hit every open run. There were also two of us and it was very clear that it was the intention of the day. I enjoyed the experience but I regretted not packing a sarnie/stopping for a proper lunch and there was definitely parts of the day that it was more about the challenge than the skiing. It is not something I plan on trying again.
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@zikomo, The better I ski, the more control I have...and the more control I have, the faster I am able to ski safely, so cover more ground....but that is a consequence not a goal.
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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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| SnoodyMcFlude wrote: |
| zikomo wrote: |
| I have only had the misfortune to ski with some "must tick off every piste" so called milage bashers twice. |
I have to admit, I did this at Alleghe last year (despite not usually being mileage hungry), complete with piste map and pen to literally tick off every run. But in my defence the reasoning was that whenever I described the resort I'd been saying "you could easily ski every run in a day", so I wanted to see that it actually was to hit every open run. There were also two of us and it was very clear that it was the intention of the day. I enjoyed the experience but I regretted not packing a sarnie/stopping for a proper lunch and there was definitely parts of the day that it was more about the challenge than the skiing. It is not something I plan on trying again. |
Secret admission. My daughter (competitive, ex-racer) picked on me at a weak moment (after some good wine at lunch) and got me to agree to a Saas Fee "challenge". It was really unfair, my honour was called into question on top of the wine. Anyway, like you, I actually enjoyed it. But neither of us had any interest in repeating it!
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| Old Fartbag wrote: |
| @zikomo, The better I ski, the more control I have...and the more control I have, the faster I am able to ski safely, so cover more ground....but that is a consequence not a goal. |
Exactly! I could not have put it better myself!
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| Arctic Roll wrote: |
As I've got older the mood has changed.
"Count the smiles not the miles". |
This is how you quantify a holiday.
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| Old Fartbag wrote: |
| @zikomo, The better I ski, the more control I have...and the more control I have, the faster I am able to ski safely, so cover more ground....but that is a consequence not a goal. |
And this is why I aspire to improving each time. As a fit 17 yr old, my muscles and balance would get me down nearly anything, all week. At the wrong side of 50, I need technique to help me not burn out by 3pm. (And wake up with empty thighs the next morning).
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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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@Lozza1uk, beat me to it 
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@Orange200, very true. The only reason I'm still skiing at all is because I've taken lots of lessons and still do.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Successful ski trip - no one dead or seriously injured. The rest is just rounding errors that will happen over a skiing lifetime.
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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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I like to tick of all the pistes to see every corner of the ski area. Those are miles with smiles for me. I don’t endanger others in this feat. Don’t really see the issue. Do what makes you happy eh?
I had the misfortune of stopping every 40m waiting for people last time I was skiing 
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@v1cky24,
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I had the misfortune of stopping every 40m waiting for people last time I was skiing
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Interesting point. I don't mind waiting for people, but I hate, hate, HATE to feel I'm holding people up.
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You know it makes sense.
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I don’t actually mind tbh @KSH, I was just trying to demonstrate from the other perspective. I mean - I could have skied off right?
But I wouldn’t want my dear husband skiing on his own seeing as we did intend to experience a family holiday.
The mountains are what you make of them - as long as you’re enjoying it doing whatever makes you smile and not causing dramas or being reckless towards others that’s all that matters in my opinion.
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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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I know someone who totalled their car driving to skiing on the M25 driving out.
They hired a car, transferred their gear, and carried on!
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Gored,
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Getting injured on day 1
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Been there, seen it last year. It was in fact Day 1, Hour 1 - One broken arm
Can I please have a succesful ski holiday this year? otherwise it might be the end of my ski-ing** 
** As a) Bruised rib last year (face plant in soft snow, belly flopped onto my phone) and b) ouchy coccyx (taken out from the rear and sat down FAST) the year before
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I’ve never thought about the miles or altitude covered stuff. I did belatedly download Ski Tracks, it is interesting, but I forget to turn it on and pause it. Similarly I’ve never had a head-cam, so no drooling over how fast I was later on. Once the day’s done, it’s done. I do love numbers and analysis in other facets of life, but it’s a holiday.
A successful trip for me? A feeling of carving nice turns in the moment, speed, great company, wonderful scenery, lovely accommodation, food and drink, mountain stops for fuel. Tackling all the blacks and reds on a piste plan might be a nice tick too. If with my family, knowing my offspring have great memories of the holiday means more than anything. We’re there for more than skiing, so we explore the villages, have an afternoon off for cakes and coffee in an Austrian or Swiss coffee house, Xmas shopping in quaint shops, a look round an historic church. Love it.
[Relieved that I’ve never done Strava/Garmin or know anyone in discussions about km done].
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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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Still being able to ski as well as I did last year.
Not just skiing with good people, but being a good person to ski with ( I find this quite challenging, )
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| KSH wrote: |
@v1cky24,
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I had the misfortune of stopping every 40m waiting for people last time I was skiing
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Interesting point. I don't mind waiting for people, but I hate, hate, HATE to feel I'm holding people up. |
I don’t.
If I’m holding people up (especially the mileage munchers), I would offer to ski on my own. Once, or twice (and maybe even a third time). If they decline, I would conclude they enjoy my company more than they mind my holding them up (not the mile munchers though, they would inevitably ski off). In that case, I’d would simply ski my pace and enjoy the time when I do catch up to them.
I’m not a particularly slow skier. But instead of straight line down the hill, I turn A LOT! I also like to look for interesting things along the way, which means I’m going all over the piste on my way down.
My criteria of waiting or not waiting for slower skier is the same. If I enjoy their company, I wait. (Or make even more turns )
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
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[quote="boarder2020"]
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I personally find it more strange that people who only do 7 days on snow a day would give up ski time to sit in a bar or go to a spa or other things they could do at home. But I wouldn't say they are "missing out". The fact that a ski holiday can be so many different things to different people is actually quite nice. |
Exactly ! Do what makes you happy. What makes me happy is skiing each corner of the piste map. And seeing my kids on the kickers in the snow park
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| v1cky24 wrote: |
| I feel a bit short changed if I haven’t skied 70km and 6k vert. Though this is hard to achieve with the kiddos |
Whatever app you are using is counting the uplift too if 70km = 6k vertical. I know you've just come back from the 3Vs, I can tell you from several years' ski tracks data (which records both distance stats) that 70km ski distance is about an average 11.5k vertical and a total distance of around 120km. 6k vertical is usually around 33km ski distance.
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I find the use of Ski Tracks over a long period of time a very useful indicator of whether my ski fitness is declining with age. I know my top speeds aren't what they used to be but I don't really care about that but I would be concerned if my overall stamina levels were declining. Keeping an eye on my average vertical stats is very useful for this.
I've never been a first lift person and rarely get out before 10am but I am nearly always happy to ski to last lift and if the day's vertical looks a bit lazy, I will do one more circuit just to boost it up because in my mind that's also maintaining my stamina levels.
I'm also not at all averse to a €40 lunch in one of favourite restos, particularly if the weather's crap, because I know I'm not going to do my usual vertical so I might as well do something else I enjoy instead. I can ski boring medium radius turns all the way home in low vis, sober or not.
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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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@Je suis un Skieur, yes I quoted the Strava figure. It’s circa 40km without lifts.
Too many years of looking in Strava I suppose. I track it using slopes on an Apple Watch so I have the lift adjusted figure too.
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| skitrack wrote: |
@Gored,
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Getting injured on day 1
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Been there, seen it last year. It was in fact Day 1, Hour 1 - One broken arm
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missus done her elbow on the very first turn.
Really ended both our holidays as it was not much fun being on my own, so would go up late, make my way to a hut & meet her there for lunch - then back to hotel.
It really ended both holidays... last year not much better as my arthiritis decided to play up, so I managed very little slope time in Niseko.
Next trip is poo-poo or bust - really hoping my injections work. Dunno when next trip is though. Dont know when next trip is though, due to work comitments.
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FAQ
