 Poster: A snowHead
|
have had 3 weeks of skiing so far and compared to other people who have skied this much i am severly lacking in ability. I have still only done greens and blues and i don't think i would ever even contemplate a red as some blues still give me issues. I know it is confidence issues as to be honest throwing myself down a mountain on 2 planks of wood (or fibreglass or whatever they are made of) scares me silly. I would love to be able to join hubby skiing on some reds without worrying about it.
It has been 5 years since i skied and i do think i have more confidence nowadays than i did as i have just taken up riding again and that used to scare me but i am not bothered by that anymore.
Any tips at all??
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
charlichops, take some lessons? My confidence for dealing with steep slopes or high speed develops hand-in-hand with my technical ability to deal with those situations. For me the best way to develop that technical ability was to find some high quality instruction and take some lessons every season.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
charlichops, try shorter skis.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
rob@rar will always take lessons but the problem i have had with the last few trips is that they keep us one one beginners slope, teach us the technique which i can do fine on that slope but then never take us to more challenging stuff to practice it. then after the lesson hubby takes me to the more challenging stuff and as you know teaching the OH is a disaster. Am planning on booking PSV with snowbizz and i hope they take us away from the one beginner slope.
p.s. are the same rob who is partial to a bit of dibbing???? 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
charlichops, sounds like a private lesson could be worth it
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
charlichops, yes, although not so much these days.
Maybe try another ski school if you're still stuck on the nursery slope?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| rob@rar wrote: |
| Maybe try another ski school if you're still stuck on the nursery slope? |
Yup, or a different resort - could be that the next runs up from the nursery slope are a big step.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
charlichops, I have been at this stage (as have most people). It is frustrating, tiring, and frightening. It is all about learning good technique. Have some private lessons with a recommended instructor. Once you get the hang of good technique your enjoyment will increase along with your ability. Although the basic principles involved are very basic, putting them into practice tends to go against the grain of our natural instincts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
| Wear The Fox Hat wrote: |
| rob@rar wrote: |
| Maybe try another ski school if you're still stuck on the nursery slope? |
Yup, or a different resort - could be that the next runs up from the nursery slope are a big step. |
Agreed, although are there many resorts which have nursery slopes then steeper terrain and not much else?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
rob@rar, not many, but if you look at somewhere like Val d'Isere, they have the nursery slope at the bottom of Solaise. The next slopes after that require chairlift to get to, and to get back from for beginners, which might not be that ideal.
I remember learning to ski in Saalbach, and after the nursery slope, the next thing we were taken to was a green up high, but getting down from it meant going down a blue which had some "steeper" pitches
Also in Snowbird, their main green run (Big Emma) has one major pitch on it which is steeper than some reds I've been on. There is a cat track to get round some of it, but that's not an ideal place to teach/learn.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
Wear The Fox Hat, I agree about Val d'Isere. Although I like the resort I always advise groups with novice skiers to look elsewhere.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
charlichops, do you have any future ski trips planned already, or can you look for a resort which has lots of confidence-building runs to progress to?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| rob@rar wrote: |
| I agree about Val d'Isere. Although I like the resort I always advise groups with novice skiers to look elsewhere. |
I don't understand this. There are great slopes for beginners up on the Bellevarde and Solaise. What's wrong with taking the bubble or chair back down?
Beginners seldom ski all day. At least somewhere like Val d'Isère they'll have plenty to do when they're not skiing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
| NickB wrote: |
| What's wrong with taking the bubble or chair back down? |
I much prefer not to. I like to ski home.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
charlichops, I know exactly what you mean! I am going to Vallandry in Feb because i was told it is a novice-friendly resort that has slopes I can progress onto and practise my skills without scaring myself silly. Dedicated beginner slopes I have been on so far tend to be pretty short, so by the time I've started to get going, I am at the bottom and have to face the lift again! I got taken on blues in Serbia and in Tignes but they were really beyond what I was ready for because of their steeper bits, though one route I did just once in Tignes was perfect - but it involved a chair lift up from Lavachet to join Piste H part way down it (below a harder bit) and then we finished up in Val Claret, so repeating it wouldn't have been that easy!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
charlichops, as others have said it sounds like you would really benefit from a private lesson. i was lucky when i was at your stage as my brother is an excellent skier and had been taught to teach, so skiing with him was really good. sometimes i would be faced with things i didn't like but with more practice i found myself coming back to slopes that had frightened me and wondering why i had been scared by them. i think forcing yourself to cover some ground rather than sticking on the same old slopes really helps.
another thing to consider may be your skis. when i tested a load of pairs before buying my first pair i couldn't believe the difference some made. the pair i eventually bought, k2 burning luvs, made me feel so much more in control than any other pair. since i've had them i have come on massively.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
| rob@rar wrote: |
| NickB wrote: |
| What's wrong with taking the bubble or chair back down? |
I much prefer not to. I like to ski home. |
Also, if you are someone who has a fear of heights, riding down a chairlift is not fun - you can't look at the slop rising up to meet you in front, instead you're on a small bench over space, with an ever increasing drop in front of you.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
| Wear The Fox Hat wrote: |
| riding down a chairlift is not fun |
Exactly. Going up is just about OK, but coming down is very unpleasant for me. The Up 'n Over chair in Val still holds fears for me, even the shiny new 6-pack that replaced the rickety old 2 (3?) seat thing that used to be there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| rob@rar wrote: |
| I much prefer not to. I like to ski home. |
So do I, but I wouldn't advise groups with novices to avoid Val d'Isère because they'd be denied the pleasure of skiing back at the end of the day.
| Wear The Fox Hat wrote: |
| Also, if you are someone who has a fear of heights, riding down a chairlift is not fun - you can't look at the slop rising up to meet you in front, instead you're on a small bench over space, with an ever increasing drop in front of you. |
This would be a problem on many chair lifts going up too; they don't all hug the contour of the mountain. BUT, we're talking about novice/beginner skiers having access to higher slopes here, nobody mentioned fear of heights (in which case taking the bubble down would be the sensible option)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| NickB wrote: |
| but I wouldn't advise groups with novices to avoid Val d'Isère because they'd be denied the pleasure of skiing back at the end of the day. |
Plenty of other places where they wouldn't have to make the compromise of getting a lift down but still have access to great terrain. Why go to somewhere where you do have to make that compromise?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
I still don't understand why taking a lift down is a 'compromise'. Unless it's some sort of macho bull$hit thing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NickB, well, for some it is not pleasant. I don't think that's about being macho.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wanting to ski home is macho? Excellent! I've always wanted to be macho but never quite managed it 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
| Wear The Fox Hat wrote: |
| NickB, well, for some it is not pleasant. |
If someone's fear of heights meant that going down in large seated telepherique cable car was worse than going up, I'd say they should probably think about a different sport.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NickB, I'm one of those people then, who shuold probably give up the sport.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
i have no problems with taking a list back down but prefer it if it is a gondola type as opposed to a chairlift, can be a bit scary when you are at the very top of ADH and they decide to stop the cable car to do a practice helicopter rescue and you are sat on your own in a gondola swinging in the wind for 20 mins.
we haven't booked a trip yet, going to do a few day trips to glenshee this season, then book something for 2009. I'm considering PSV with snowbizz as we are taking young kids for the first time, it sounds like a good resort for someone moving on from the nursery slopes.
any suggestions for good resorts for families, with a reasonable amount of reds for hubby and lots of nice greens and blues for me to progress to would be great
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
charlichops, as nessy, says, shorter the better, I've tried 90cms (yes...snowblades) to 120cms, which are an in-between, and as soon as I reduced the length, everything instantly clicked into place, I could turn on a sixpence, pick out where I wanted to ski, and get there, and they never felt like two out-of-control planks of wood! And before you all shoot me down in flames for giving up on "proper" skis, I had lots of private lessons, by various instructors, in different resorts, on different snow conditions, and nothing worked. Just got told my understanding of the techniques was excellent, (I made a study of it) and my position and balance were good, so they couldn't see what my "problem" was - but that was because they couldn't see what was going on inside my head! Fear of being out of control and getting hurt created tension, tension stops you skiing! Short skis, more confident, no tension, ahhhhhh Bisto!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Wear The Fox Hat wrote: |
| I'm one of those people then, who shuold probably give up the sport. |
Me too. Bügger, I'm just a year short of my 30th anniversary of learning to ski and I was really hoping to reach that milestone. What should I replace it with? Chess perhaps, is there any scary downlift involved with that? And what should I do with my ski instructor's qualification?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
| rob@rar wrote: |
| NickB wrote: |
| but I wouldn't advise groups with novices to avoid Val d'Isère because they'd be denied the pleasure of skiing back at the end of the day. |
|
Skiing in Cormayeur for one, you have to take the lift down. It's impossible to ski down.
What's wrong with riding a lift home.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
| Spyderman wrote: |
| rob@rar wrote: |
| NickB wrote: |
| but I wouldn't advise groups with novices to avoid Val d'Isère because they'd be denied the pleasure of skiing back at the end of the day. |
|
Skiing in Cormayeur for one, you have to take the lift down. It's impossible to ski down.
What's wrong with riding a lift home. |
I think many of us prefer to ski off the mountain if possible.
And I know I would also be in the camp of finding a download by chairlift pretty uncomfortable. I'm not happy as it is when the sfety bar has to be raised when we are still significantly high off the ground 
Going down by gondola is not so bad, but I still only do it when there is no real choice, as in Zell am Ziller this year.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
| Spyderman wrote: |
| What's wrong with riding a lift home. |
Nought wrong with it, I just prefer not to do it if it can be avoided especially if it's a steep lift as I find them unpleasant. I've been to Val d'Isere a couple of times with a large, mixed ability group. The novice skiers seemed a little discouraged that they were required to take the lift down at the end of the day while more experienced skiers could ski all the way. There was an unfortunate division of sheep and goats, as it were. I've been to Courchevel with the same group and it was much better in that respect as even the beginners could ski home down gentle pistes, partaking in an end-of-the day beer at one of the piste-side bars before heading back to our hotel. But there's nothing wrong with taking a lift back down the hill at the end of the day, I just prefer not to.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
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?
|
| rob@rar wrote: |
| I've been to Val d'Isere a couple of times with a large, mixed ability group. The novice skiers seemed a little discouraged that they were required to take the lift down at the end of the day while more experienced skiers could ski all the way. There was an unfortunate division of sheep and goats, as it were. |
Well sorry but that's just bad manners. There's no way I'd say "cheerio, I'll see you at the bottom" to somebody who was unable to ski down. I'd be quite happy to leave an experienced skier who couldn't be bothered, but not a beginner.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| NickB wrote: |
| Well sorry but that's just bad manners. There's no way I'd say "cheerio, I'll see you at the bottom" to somebody who was unable to ski down. I'd be quite happy to leave an experienced skier who couldn't be bothered, but not a beginner. |
Exactly, and when I was skiing with the novices I took my skis off and rode a lift down (although not all the experienced skiers in the group did that). This is precisely the reason why I advise mixed ability groups to avoid Val.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| Spyderman wrote: |
| I'd ride the lift home for 2 reasons. Firstly if it's not possible or secondly if the snow is so bad I'd trash my skis. |
 On occasion I've not been so kind to my skis in order to avoid the dreaded downlift!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Spyderman wrote: |
| rob@rar, I'd ride the lift home for 2 reasons. Firstly if it's not possible or secondly if the snow is so bad I'd trash my skis. . |
I'd add a third reason - being knackered. Isn't it true that the last piste home is the most dangerous?
We had a big mixed ability group in Mottaret one week (ridiculously icy last piste into the centre with bodies all over it at the end of the day) and Val D'Isere where everybody had to come down by lift cos the home pistes were closed for avalanche danger....maybe neither are ideal for beginners - but at least you could get off Solaise in VDI etc without having to dodge (or join  !) the bodies in Mottaret.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
As a novice, I'd often be relieved to get the lift back home, but having a love of stunning views and not having a fear of heights does help. Last Easter I was taken by road to VDI for a visit from Tignes for a late lunch on our last day. I was taken up on foot to a super restaurant to join my friends who'd been skiing there while I was doing the novice bit in Lavachet/Val Claret in the morning. The lifties were all totally happy to slow things down for us as we weren't on skis - it was great.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
sharon1953, I think you did the right thing trying snowblades to get some confidence. I learned on snowblades, mainly because of difficulty holding snowplough due to injured knee. I'm now on normal length skis, with better confidence.
I don't have a problem with taking the lift down either. I normally ski down, but if the snow is so bad it will trash my skis, then I'll take the gondola down. Also if I'm very tired after a strenuous lesson e.g. race training, I'd rather get the lift down than fall over on a tame blue run because my legs are kn*ckered, and then be unable to ski for the rest of the week!
I may also take the lift down if it is late, getting dark and the light is flat, and I'm tired.
Having said that, I can't remember when I last took the lift down, although I remember some occasions when I should have done so!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
