 Poster: A snowHead
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40 years ago today, I first skied on snow  I'd had a 1 hr lesson on a dry slope at Willington, but today was my first time on snow, it was a 21st birthday present from mum & dad, 1 week in Soldeu with my older brother DrFeelgood.
The first morning, there was a big queue for the two man chair, so, despite a warning from my brother that the only way down was a mogulled red run if I fell off, I took the drag lift. I was 3/4 the way up before I fell off 
So
The first ever time I skied on snow, was a mogulled red run 
Being a 21 yr old guy, I saw it as a challenging problem, rather than anything to be scared about (I was probably still hammered from the night before  )
Trevor (Badger) and Viv were reps for freedom holidays, later to be instructors for quite a few years in Soldeu
Each night, DrFeelgood would take me out & get me hammered  So I was badly hung over each day & not actually enjoying it much, so I hid from him on the 3rd night & everything came together on the 4th day, I loved it!!!!, the rest is history, usually skiing 3 weeks each year.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Tue 24-03-26 11:33; 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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@tangowaggon, great story and happy ski day.
I'll be celebrating my 35th soon!
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| tangowaggon wrote: |
| the first two of my children were conceived there |
Too much information?
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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.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| ster wrote: |
| tangowaggon wrote: |
| the first two of my children were conceived there |
Too much information? |
Could have been worse: they could have done a Posh'n'Becks and named the first "Soldeu".
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Many (Many) happy returns of your Ski Day.
I've just had my 54th year anniversary.
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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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My 65th first ski day anniversary will come up next month - school trip to Geilo. With instructor Hans on huge long skis. Staying in a youth hostel under strict eye of Miss Remington the geography teacher. No question of any alcohol, needless to say, and the weather was so warm and sunny that the first day, spend getting fitted with skis and boots and then plodging round the garden doing kick turns (required flexible hips with skis as tall as our upstretched arms) ended up with us all sweating buckets, in short-sleeved T-shirts. Not the Norwegian sweater, in oiled wool, that my mum had knitted for me. It always made my neck itch but I never told her that....
Was totally hooked by the end of the week but having spent all my baby savings (£40) on that trip, and knowing absolutely nobody who skied, wasn't able to skiing again till about 1985, with three kids, having done some dry slope lessons on a very scruffy slope with no lift in the Ayrshire coalfield.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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43rd ski birthday for me. School trip in 3rd year of secondary school to Chatel. Loved it and went as much as I could, including as a ski bum in Austria for a winter after being a student. Then a short gap of 25 years for sorting out my life (kids, lack of money etc) until that magic moment when I could afford to do it again and take the children. Since then, we have had a few family ski trips and I have lots more trips on my own. Can't imagine a winter without the slippy slidey stuff now.
Coincidentally, my cousin now lives in Chatel and is a ski instructor.
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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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My 50th year comes up next month. Easter '76. College friends' trip to Söll and first time I'd flown (Dane Dare IIRC). Reach height skis with ankle straps. We were on a budget so no lessons. Didn't have ski specific clothing but it was warm enough. I managed to do snowploughs on day 2 and got down a blue. Thought "I can do this" and the rest is history. My only regret is not having done enough as I worked in education and couldn't really afford more than a week, sometimes two, plus no chance of term time leave before retirement, apart from one time I took students skiing.
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You know it makes sense.
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| tsgsh wrote: |
| ster wrote: |
| tangowaggon wrote: |
| the first two of my children were conceived there |
Too much information? |
Could have been worse: they could have done a Posh'n'Becks and named the first "Soldeu". |
I do actually know a Cervinia - who was named after the place.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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| ster wrote: |
| tangowaggon wrote: |
| the first two of my children were conceived there |
Too much information? |
I wonder how Pal and Tarter are getting on these days? 
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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 know a few Vals, but never met a Sal Bach or Mary Bell, I'm sure GeePee could come up with someone? 
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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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Niederau in Austria was my first trip at 10 years old with some pre-lessons at Catterick dry slope. Wow! That makes it my 50th this year.
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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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| RickBoden wrote: |
| Niederau in Austria was my first trip at 10 years old with some pre-lessons at Catterick dry slope. Wow! That makes it my 50th this year. |
Also Niederau, but at 16, Rossendale dry slope and 46th.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Wed 25-03-26 9:10; edited 1 time in total
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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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Must have had my 40th recently. I’m embarrassed that I can’t remember what year it was, last year of GCE or first of A levels. No I don’t have any children called Andalo. (Or Uxbridge for the pre trip dry slope).
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Just checked and after coming to skiing slightly later in life, today is my 20th ski day. First day on snow was in Val d'Isere on the snow front. Fell in love with the sport and the place. In fact I am currently here now and love it as much as the first day.
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My 54th ski day anniversary this year. Went to Pertisau with my School in 1972. Celebrated this year by doing 6 weeks in the Tyrol with the Snowcard. Utterly amazing. Thought we’d get bored doing so much skiing. Thought my old knees would give up, but no. 42 days, over 30 resorts including Pertisau and Achensee. Over 1,200km of skiing with 200k vertical. Thinking about doing it next year!
If anyone has the chance to do it - do it!
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2026 is the 44th aniversary of first ski lesson (on Hillend dry slope) for all the family. Skied on snow in Scotland for several years and this easter is the 38th anniversary of 1st ski trip abroad - to Flaine. It was meant to be a one off special holiday but it changed our lives as all 4 of us were hooked.
Mrmogulski and I will be on our approx 140th ski trip next week. Eldest son still instructing in 3V each winter, younger son did too until he had a family. Whole family including 3 granddaughters were in 3V in January. Both sons competed for GBR at world cup level in moguls or snowboard racing. Never imagined how that holiday in Flaine would change our lives.
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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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@mogulski, I think the rest of us are not worthy to share this topic with you 
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| tsgsh wrote: |
| RickBoden wrote: |
| Niederau in Austria was my first trip at 10 years old with some pre-lessons at Catterick dry slope. Wow! That makes it my 50th this year. |
Also Niederau, but at 16, Rossendale dry slope and 46th. |
Loved Rossendale back in the day but real snow soooooo much better.
Great thread Gary
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| RickBoden wrote: |
| Loved Rossendale back in the day but real snow soooooo much better. |
Yes, but not right at the very very beginning. I'd only managed to progress about 2/3 of the way up Rossendale's "big" slope, i.e., I was on the flat bit. On the first morning before ski school, a friend of my Dad took me up the "Gugg" T-bar to the top of the nursery slope and sent me on my way. It seemed terrifyingly steep and fast (and very long) and my trusty Rossendale snowplough was almost completely ineffective. 250m later, and it was time to fall over or hit the lift queue. Fortunately, I soon got the hang of it.
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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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Fun thread. Year 57 for me. How many of you were taught by an African? Lift ticket cost $5 US, and an employee stapled it to my coat. I skied yesterday and already I can't wait to go again in a week (even in this near-worst-ever season). How lucky we are to be able to participate in this great sport.
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You know it makes sense.
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I won a pair of skis on that first ski trip to Soldeu in 1986. Who remembers the "El Duc" nightclub  they had party games with 1st prize being the skis.
To cut a long story short, the evening ended with me being pursued by a jealous boyfriend of the girl that helped me win the skis
I also remember the bus crash on the way to Gatwick, due to high demand, a duplicate national express coach was laid on, a crappy old thing that I ended up on, at traffic lights, our old coach crashed into the back of the nice new coach in front, no injuries, but the front windscreen of our coach was smashed in. Ironically, our coach was still drivable, so we carried on without windscreen to the airport, (in the days before nanny state would have forbidden such a thing), but the crash had disabled the engine of the new coach and they were stuck
Last edited by You know it makes sense. on Sat 28-03-26 9:00; edited 1 time in total
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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: |
even in this near-worst-ever season
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I've been lucky: snow in Alta Badia at New Year was generally very good, if artificial, and I'm away in Obergurgl the week after next, and that is looking very positive. Plus a day in Glenshee that was not bad at all. I don't ski off piste, so I'm a bit easier to please than some.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| PeakyB wrote: |
Great thread and proper funny  ‘s stories.
Only just past my 42nd ski birthday, with my debut also being in Andorra, ignoring the one off dry slope and public park fiascos that preceded it.
Espace Killy would later become my favourite and most visited area. Contrary to rather scurrilous rumours, my son, PeakyA, was not named after the concrete structure he was conceived on. The one that used to be adorned by the painting of Jean-Claude Killy in the image of Hercules. |
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| tsgsh wrote: |
| RickBoden wrote: |
| Loved Rossendale back in the day but real snow soooooo much better. |
Yes, but not right at the very very beginning. I'd only managed to progress about 2/3 of the way up Rossendale's "big" slope, i.e., I was on the flat bit. On the first morning before ski school, a friend of my Dad took me up the "Gugg" T-bar to the top of the nursery slope and sent me on my way. It seemed terrifyingly steep and fast (and very long) and my trusty Rossendale snowplough was almost completely ineffective. 250m later, and it was time to fall over or hit the lift queue. Fortunately, I soon got the hang of it.
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We used to do race practice there. I remember gaffer taping my thumbs to the fingers to avoid breaking them in the event of a fall. Oh the joys of dry slopes.
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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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@RickBoden, that’s the one, back when the now faded image of J-CK was in it’s prime.
I deny the rumours that Adam was conceived 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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@tsgsh, I like posting what we get up to so people can see that anyone can enjoy skiing. We all just got hooked on it like everyone else on this site.
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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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