Poster: A snowHead
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Last year in morzine, i attended the ski school in the morning and in the afternoon. in between i skiied off on my own round the gentle blues and by friday - a friend of mine (who's an pretty hot skier so i trusted his judgement) suggested i ski from morzine to les gets (blues all the way - well populated runs) which i did, on my own (after a little tumbling)
now i've just had a chat with someone about going away at new year. now he want to ski off with me in the afternoon after me getting lessons in the morning but i said i wanted some personal time, with my own thoughts and enjoying the freedom of my own company and timetable.
anyhoo - here's my question (and please don't shoot me down for this - I'm only asking!!)
Should i be allowed to ski on my own if i know my limitations and stick to the well populated blue runs round the main piste where there are loads of folk around (and i carry my mobile phone) to practise what i learnt that morning?
thanks
**now cowering behind the sofa in anticipation of some strong worded responses..!** please be nice.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Wed 10-10-07 21:48; 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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queen_sheba wrote: |
Should i be allowed to ski on my own if i know my limitations and stick to the well populated blue runs round the main piste where there are loads of folk around (and i carry my mobile phone) to practise what i learnt that morning? |
Yes absolutely. Unless you are a mad axe murderer in which case you should be accompanied at all times.
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brian
brian
Guest
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queen_sheba, of course. Knock yourself out (so to speak )
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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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queen_sheba, Absolutely ... exactly the area I ventured out alone first ... saved any skiing partners from being mown down. Go for it ...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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No need to be afraid to go on your own, as long as you have the tools to do so.
Hell I go and do things I know I can't do.
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queen_sheba, If you have to ask then the answer is NO
Only joking, do it, don't be dictated to
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queen_sheba, not entirely sure why you'd expect strong reactions?
I don't see why not...that's why the ski patrol are there - to help keep you safe. Sure you could have some sort of freak accident - i.e. ski off a path and down a tree well, only to be found gently defrosting 5 months layer by a shocked hiker - but that's not particularly likely is 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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hey - great - thanks folks. i'm not afraid in the slightest. i enjoy my own company in places and i cant bear the thought of spending breakfast, lunch, all afternoon, dinner and an evening out with the same people - i need my own time, music and thoughts!
cheers!
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No, you should return to the chalet and prepare a healthy and nutritious meal for the gentlemen in your party whilst attending to the household chores, until they return from the bar at which point you should transform into the perfect hostess, offering massages to those who require them. That's what I expect of the women who come skiing with me..
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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queen_sheba, Wossaproblem? Go for it. (And I often do exactly the same, admittedly on reds and blacks as well, but where I can see some other people.)
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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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not entirely sure why you'd expect strong reactions?
er david - not sure either. i had heard of the not skiing alone thing but thought it referred to off-piste and blacks. so i wasn't sure if he was telling the truth and sometimes on here there are people with VERY strong opinions! i've been a bit scared from time to time! lol
plus i doubt my friend would let me endanger myself or put myself in a dangerous situation! (unless there's something he's not telling me!)
x
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ps BGA. catered all the way baby!!
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You know it makes sense.
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queen_sheba, go for it. I think we are all sometimes afraid to say we like our own company in case we are seen as unsociable/not caring etc. but at the end of the day, it is your holiday too. Forget difference in experience or for that matter how experienced you are, so what - life is for living the way you want to (after all we only get one crack at this) so just get out ther and do it
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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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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Yes - and puzzled - you appear to run a site for solo-skiers
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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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how are you puzzled stoatsbrother? perhaps i can help....
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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queen_sheba, that you would need permission! Go for it...
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I rarely ski on my own, do I like it? Sure but skiing with a couple friends is good fun. It's not like we ski in a line or anything.. we just tend to say we'll meet up at a chair, that way we can ski at whichever speed we want.
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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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yeah cheers. i actually just wanted to get some ammunition! after telling him a few times - he was convinced it still wasn't a "good idea"
ps the solo skiers site is for those travelling alone...heehee...so they don't have to pay ridiculous single supplements and stuff or for making up a group. didn't really thing of the actual aspect of going off "skiing alone" but thanks for the idea - i may write a wee article on it!
some ideas will be needed though - so respond with the reasons you love skiing on your own - what are the benefits, how does it make you feel?
thanks!
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queen_sheba, I ski by myself in resort X, but the slope I've used so far is in full view of the restaurant when DH usually is. Even so it was foggy one day and felt pretty alone. If I go to the EoSB next year I'm fully expecting to be left to ski by myself as I can't see many folks wanting to drop down to my very basic level. Though I am kind of hoping that I'll have mastered the various lifts by then!!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I skied on my own once in New Hampshire. Really easy run home at the end of the day, not sure what happened but I ended up wrapped round a tree off to the side of the piste where no-one could see me. Seemed like ages before a local bloke noticed my crossed skis and came to my rescue. Still have the scars to show for it and still ski on my own occasionally, just not at the end of the day when I'm tired. So, yeh, it's fine but you do have to be aware that accidents can happen even on the easiest of runs.
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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've often snuck off from the group for various reasons and don't really have a problem with it but make sure I tell them what my plan is, and have a moby and a whistle with me at all times, and I don't go off piste. On a recent trip to St. Anton in early jan we nipped up to Lech as we had a couple of early intermediates with us, and then post lunch I hauled ass all over one side of the moutain - it was quite a buzz doing non-stop runs and resting on the chair lift, rather than the more normal ski 1/3 wait, skin 1/3 wait etc..
I don't think there's anything wrong 'per se' with doing you own thing from time to time..
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queen_sheba, on piste skiing.. yep generally no probs skiing by yourself. Freedom to forge your own path and not spend ages debating the next run is awesome.
Skiing off piste alone = DUMB..
I know this is obvious.. but just thought I would restate it
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You know it makes sense.
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Quote: |
Skiing off piste alone = DUMB..
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I do that nonetheless...
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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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Last April in Tignes I wanted to ski alone, just on a green slope, to practise what I'd been learning, but was too darned nervous! Next Feb I'm going as the novice in a group of 6, and am the only one in lessons - I hope others will be happy to hang around me xome afternoons, though I don't want to cramp their style either as they may want to go off for the whole day - bit of a quandry really.
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Poster: A snowHead
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queen_sheba, Nothing like skiing in the mountains. I personally prefer skiing with others, I do like my own company but I suppose I am more gregarious than others.
Absolutely no problem skiing off by yourself if you stick to the pistes and that area is great for building confidence and perfecting what you learnt in the morning.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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My first few ski trips were solo jaunts so I spent a good part of the time skiing on my own - but only on easy and usually well-used pistes so I wasn't really 'alone'.
On one occasion, I was able to ski on change-over day and I took an early-morning lift to the top of the ski area. When I got off the top, it was thick fog - visibility was virtually zero and I was the only one there . I stood around for several minutes watching the chairs arrive but they were all empty. I was getting cold and had little choice but to make my own way down - it's not an experience I want to repeat any time soon. Even though I had skiied the run a couple of dozen times already, I felt hopelessly lost and pretty scared at times - I knew if I got hurt, I would probably be there a long time before anyone found me.
So, ski alone by all means but try to stick to the well-used tracks for a little reassurance.
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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: |
it's not an experience I want to repeat any time soon. |
skiing in very poor visibility is horrible, but I'm not sure it's any better with two of you. It's very easy to be separated, then even if you know exactly where you are, and how to feel your way down, you don't know what to do (phones or walkie talkies very useful in this situation, despite being such a damned pain most of the time). I have no problem skiing on my own on pistes, and do enjoy it occasionally. To say you should not ski alone, on pistes, doesn't seem any more logical than saying you should not drive alone (you might fall down an embankment into a wood and be there for ages, like in that weird film). Having a ski partner is not going to prevent you injuring yourself - and anyone who is around is going to be willing to help you, if you do. I suppose that if I was skiing somewhere I couldn't speak the language at all, and my companion could, it would be good to have them on hand in an emergency. But another clueless Brit? Not a lot of use.
It's a big mistake to be bullied, however kindly, into taking on runs you'd rather not do, or feel pressured to ski faster than you want. I was skiing alone in Meribel once, in early December, and it was extremely quiet. I met up with a Dutch woman in a lift, and skied with her for a couple of hours and had a coffee. Very pleasant, but she was half my age, a lot bigger and stronger, and a better skier. I realised after a few hours that I was skiing beyond my ability, and was getting tired, so I decided to part company before I fell and hurt myself. If I am skiing with companions who are weaker skiers than I am, I always try to stay at the back; it's a fat lot of good skiing with someone more experienced if they have gone blasting off to the bottom of the slope you fall on.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I quite a like a few runs on my own now and again. (But if you went skiing with the same people I do, so would you!)
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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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Any more posts like that Jerry, and you may well get lots more practice at being Billy Nomates
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Quote: |
To say you should not ski alone, on pistes, doesn't seem any more logical than saying you should not drive alone (you might fall down an embankment into a wood and be there for ages, like in that weird film).
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Exactly! Or cycle alone, or take a walk in the woods alone...
And what about staying at home alone? You could hit your head on the cabinet door or kitchen counter on a Saturday. And nobody would know you're in trouble till you fail to turn up for work on Monday!
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pam w wrote: |
If I am skiing with companions who are weaker skiers than I am, I always try to stay at the back; it's a fat lot of good skiing with someone more experienced if they have gone blasting off to the bottom of the slope you fall on. |
I do the same myself, but I think it's mostly because I got less annoyed with watiting around at the top of the run than at the bottom. If I give them a head start then I've set myself the challenge of then beating them to the bottom which makes it more fun for me, but if I go first then I'm just stood around at the bottom getting fed up.
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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 don't see the problem - my wife and I used to ski with a group every year and while skiing in a group or with someone is good, sometimes we both get fed up with the speed we go at and the runs we do being dictated to us.
Also as my wife and I are different standards we often go off on our own and arrange a meeting point or run.
There's nothing better than cruising around on your own.
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Does anybody else see how fast they can get down the mountain from top to bottom without stopping? Or is that only me? I did it once from the middle station at some austrian resort I've forgotten the name of and my shins were on fire
As for the skiing alone off-piste... it all depends how off-piste you are, obviously if it's the backcountry thats a bit daft, but if it's near the pistes etc. why not..
I am not liable if you die
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