 Poster: A snowHead
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Reading the stories on the vallee blanche thread reminded me of my last experience with a mountain guide in St Anton - Tom.
This guy took us out for a full days off piste skiing, admittedly not the steepest, but we still covered a good distance in a day. I'm not totally unfit, and I ski a fair amount, and I was absolutely exhausted by the end of the day. By the time you count all the walking back up the mountain that Tom had done, I reckon he had covered at least twice as much distance as we had, but by the end of the day he had as much energy as the start.
We all stopped for a hot chocolate at the end of the day, and he told us he couldn't stay for long, he had to go to innsbruck to teach ice climbing for five hours that evening! I just don't believe that an ordinary human being can learn to do this, so where do mountain guides come from?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Easy answer they come from mountain regions , so they're used to the altitude and there job is skiing/climbing all day every day or near as makes no difference , so they're much much fitter than the rest of us mere mortals.
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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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| D G Orf wrote: |
| Easy answer they come from mountain regions , so they're used to the altitude and there job is skiing/climbing all day every day or near as makes no difference , so they're much much fitter than the rest of us mere mortals. |
Yup. What they do keeps them much fitter than us, who sit in front of computers 
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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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And remember that they are guiding you while carrying a rucsac full of ropes, crampons, shovel etc, etc which I would struggle to lift - far less ski for a day with.
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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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High mountain guides are a bit special though - the elite of the mountain professionals. However, living and working at altitude does have an enormous effect on your CV system and resting pulse rate etc. Haemoglobin count - you name it.
I don't suppose he was extending himself at all!
Worth pointing out that it's the same for ski teachers - I might be on my skis for 6-8 hours a day, but I'm not skiing. I'm watching my clients ski! Even a pretty good class is unlikely to stress instructors/guides.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| easiski wrote: |
| Even a pretty good class is unlikely to stress instructors/guides. |
Now there's a challenge (but definitely not one that I'm up to)!
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Oh I don't know - I've met some people who wouldn't have a problem stressing their instructors...
(not that they can ski you understand)
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lbt, Mental stress is another matter! I get particularly stressed by people who change clothes every day - how are we supposed to learn their names? 
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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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Make them pin little badges on their jackets;and if they complain,tell them to go and sit in the corner of the gondola 
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Write their names on their foreheads in permanent marker. It'll help them when they're drunk as well!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The other thing is technique - certainly the guide would be bloody good as well as very fit - if you are skiing on terrain/snow conditions that are very easy for you, skiing should require virtually no effort. I'm not fit at all in terms of running, cycling, weightlifting etc but can carve up smooth red runs all day at high speed without breaking sweat; on steep moguls or knee deep goo off-piste I might get thigh burn after 20 turns!
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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 skied a couple of years ago at St Anton with a guide who was an old, white haired farmer. Before meeting us he had milked all his cows and went home at the end of the day to do it again. By the end of each day he had us exhausted.
One day we skied down an untracked valley and near the bottom where it was flatter he said something about keeping up our speed ahead when we crossed the river.
Ahead I saw him turn left accross the river on what looked like a narrow bridge with no handrail. When I lined up with it, about to cross, I found it was a tree-trunk about 30ft long and about as wide as my 2 skis close together, with snow on top.
I managed to stay on it till about 5ft from the end I fell off onto the bank and ended up with my skis and one fore-arm in shallow water. The next person was so alarmed by this he put the brakes on too much and stopped half way accross! It took him a long time to precariously edge to our side. (Admittedly the river was shallow)
"It is good", said the guide "the English have good sense of humour". It turned out there was a proper foot-bridge further down but he had thought this would be more interesting.
When everyone started off again I found I couldn't move. I had ice all over the bases of my skis.
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