 Poster: A snowHead
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How difficult is the Puy Salie Blue on the Glacier at LDA (summer time, complete with stream at bottom, and slush etc).
By the end of my week in LDA, I was pretty confident on that run, which was busy. I think I should be OK with ice anyway. Not sure about deep snow though.
Are most blues (in France) easier or harder than that one? Presumably most will be longer and less straight?
Presumably winter greens will be easier - on the grounds that they will not be a frozen glacier, melting on top during the day. I also assume that water on ice and a 6" to 1' wide stream won't be there to fall in, on greens at least
Would it be reasonable to expect to be able to do most blues by then end of another week, given morning group lessons and skiing with a more experienced skier in the afternoon?
Ta muchly
R
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Blue runs vary in gradient from resort to resort but (as an instructor who used to teach hundreds of beginners) I'd certainly expect you to be happy with blue runs generally after that time.
Bear in mind that the blue classification in the USA is harder, because the red grade doesn't exist.
If you want to stay on gentle gradients, let us know which resort(s) you're considering, and someone here should be familiar with the runs and their difficulty. You should be making good progress towards parallel turns after several more days' skiing, and these help your control on steeper stretches. The snowplough and plough turn are only good for blue runs - for reds you need to be parallel.
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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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Thank you very much.
If I remember correctly, I was doing parallel turns most of the time, as I found them easier. On the last day, I was taught to deliberately skid my skis at the end of the turn - possibly for speed reduction, and that was good fun. Otherwise, I was doing parallel turns as much as possible, as far as I could tell. I was nearly doing parallel turns at the end of a ski in the day course at MK, before LDA.
What I couldn't get to grips with at all was side slipping - planning to go to MK at some point and have a play if possible - I just couldn't make it work at all, suspect it will need time and patience and a bit of experimentation - I what's supposed to happen, just can't make it happen!
I'm hoping to go to the 3 Valleys, possibly Val Thorens, but not booked yet - booking last minute for early March... Not particularly worried about gentle gradients, my turning seemed to be quite efficient (possibly too efficient on the Friday - it snowed overnight, so the pistes were much grippier! and I kept overturning and falling over early on. Got better with practice though...) Would like to avoid really narrow steep stuff though!
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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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You can go all over the 3 valleys by just cruising the blues, so you should have no concern here.
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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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Randomsabreur, to work on side-slipping you need more gradient than a snowdome has to offer. An instructor would take you to a nice open smooth pitch of a more red-run gradient, where it's easier to hold and release edges more distinctly.
Primarily, though, at this stage you don't want to be concerned about much more than just clocking up the miles and getting the turns flowing and linking. Have a fun time!
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