 Poster: A snowHead
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Interesting.....
I can see that the desire to get such a grading could cause problems if you felt hard done by...and even if you don't subscribe to the concept as such...you will need some sort of reference when skiing with unknowns..
Speaking as one who has had a few problems recently with fitness...or lack of it, on a particular holiday, this will always be in the equation, IMV.
FWIW, coming into this winter.I thought I was in good shape....and had a great time in January. I still can't explain why my legs drained so quickly on later trips...????
Not really sure what the diference in the gradings is but I suspect it is really in terms of speed and endurance and the better technique will help out here a lot.
Having said that...I've seen some pretty marginal skiing ..comparatively...from guides, and they could do it all day, every day..
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Kramer, I agree - and - for what it is worth - suspect that I will be heading down the grading chart from now on - particularly if assessed on crusty stuff. I am also certain richjp is a rather better skier than me, although I have come on a bit in the last few years. There is clearly a lot of subjectivity around this issue.
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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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achilles,
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I am coming to similar conclusions
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Me too.
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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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Hurtle, You ski with strangers on Fresh Tracks holidays.......and you know what I am going to say next 
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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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Shouldn't snowHeads set up a private ski hill in second life - or something similar?
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achilles, I don't think I'm as clubbable (or, as you insist on having it, 'clubable') as you.
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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 am just back from a (non-skiing) week in Spain with Mrs Snowball - so back to Snowheads:
I skied 6 days per year with my parents from the age of 4 or 5 to 14 when my father's MS became too bad for him to continue. I took it up again in 1982 when I was 34 and except for one year when I did my ACL on the second day of the season, I have done 3 weeks per year ever since.
There used to be a practical purpose to Gold standard up till 3 years ago when pure Gold holidays ceased to exist. It was, though something to aspire to - the gold badge test was quite tough. It consisted of 3 sections which took most of a half day each, plus a race (usually the Fleche was used - you had to do Vermeille (Sp/) standard. Never having raced or done race training te latter was the hardest for me and I failed it the first time. It was impossible to get them all in the same year, even on the fabled "Hot Shots" holiday (and anyway, breakable crust etc for the variable snow test and powder for the powder test are seldom around together). I got my final section in 1994.
As has been said speed and fitness on holidays are the most important factors, but a guide may well take a group of skiers somewhere he would not risk taking them if there is someone in the group who skies less well. The last SCGB holiday I went on which was full gold standard (to Chamonix)we were meant to be 2 groups of 6 but only 7 people booked. On the first day one person turned out only to be Purple standard and he was asked to go to the ski school. The second guide was then cancelled which seemed to me to be a bad way to treat an famous guide (Philippe Andre). We subsequently did the descent under the top part of the Helbronner lift which the guide said he would not have considered taking the other skier on.
The next year there was only one pure Gold holiday and since then none. I can get no official explanation but I assume they can't get enough takers to be sure of a profit. And by now most of the the gold skiers are arranging holidays for groups of friends as I am and would be hard to get back. However I don't want to lose all contact with the club (I might need them on the way down!) and I did do a Purple/Gold holiday last year. We were 3 groups and 2 other gold skiers in the top group. It was a gentle holiday with no steep slopes or even moderately steep but sometimes some fairly tricky snow. Much what I had expected from the last one I did.
Actually I don't consider myself all that fit but good technique makes everything less effort and confidence also helps as you are confident to let the skis run rather than fighting to keep the speed down.
The ski club can, and do, bend their own rules - especially if they know you fairly well. For example on a holiday about 10 years ago Caroline Stuart Taylor (boss at SCGB) asked me if I had thought of being a rep. I answered that I was well over their maximum age for the Reps course and only a year over their (then) maximum age for repping. She said - Oh exceptions can be made.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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achilles, had a similar experience in St Anton some years back with a ski rep whom was eventually partly responsible for getting ski reps banned from repping in St Anton. It wasn't a freshtracks course or snoworks etc.. It was supposed to be an offpiste day minus a mountain guide. Me and my freind joined a group of twelve in which to all outward appearances looked capable off piste skiers, showing confidence and keeness. It turned out that during the course of the morning, four of us in our group found ourselves repeatedly hanging around and watching the other eight group members painfully unwrapping themselves from trees they had tangled with and searching for buried skis. Much to our anger, the entire morning was wasted watching the dire antics of these guys.
When we eventually stopped for lunch we were about to take our seats and have it out with the ski rep when those same 8 guys placed their chairs around the table in such a way that they blocked us four bewildered guys out. They off-handedly suggested we start another table as there was no more room. Our bewilderment turned to anger when we realised they were all old cronies of the ski rep - all fellow farmers. That did it! After lunch we decided to form our own splinter group. We weren't familiar with the off piste terrain in st Anton but we did our best and had a jolly good time. As a finale, at the skiclub drinks party that evening, we all tore our ski club member cards up in front of the rep and chucked them in his beer - needless to say, weren't sober at the time. 
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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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S Neal, ah, a finale which stirs the blood - Take that you cad !!!!
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snowball said: Actually I don't consider myself all that fit but good technique makes everything less effort and confidence also helps as you are confident to let the skis run rather than fighting to keep the speed down.
Ahh.. Such truth rests in that statement.
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You know it makes sense.
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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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I understand that grading is needed to administer groups etc., but I must admit to being slightly confused by this general desire to be graded as high as possible with the aim of reaching the Holy Grail of a scale ...... Gold ++, or what ever it is 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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rayscoops, obviously, because it's good for Ski Club male members to be as big - whoops, I mean competent - as possible! [Only joking, but runs for coat, just in case...]
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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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Hurtle, i will book the taxi for you too just in case
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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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rayscoops, Thanks!
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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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rayscoops,with regard to the badge - I'm not usually into willie comparisons (or do I mean willie enlargement) - I've never raced. However I used to go on the SCGB "Hot Shots" holiday every year (yes, OK, I know it's an embarassing title, but it was great fun) and since almost everyone did it I joined in. And then when you have most of the sections you have to finish it don't you.
As for the simple gradings (which they just hand out to everyone at the end of holidays so you know which holidays you should go for) isn't it a matter of self-respect to get a good grade? We all like to feel we do things well.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I fully agree with snowball.
Firstly I need to at least maintain my grade to be able to go on the trips I wish to go on.
Furthermore for anyone wishing to improve their skiing and there are many people that do, as can be seen by so many of the discussions on this message board, it can be useful to have a grading system, even if it is imperfect at times, to set yourself a goal and to be able to record your progress against that goal.
It has nothing at all to do with a "general desire" to pursue a "Holy Grail" for most people. If by chance however anyone wants to get obsessive about pursuing a higher grading then that is their choice anyway, although I do not remember ever having skied with anyone who I believe was that sort of person.
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FAQ
s. The first was an experiment, the first time I'd ever skied with strangers ('cos me and my mates couldn't hook up that season, for various reasons) and the second was meant to be an instruction holiday. So, there were good reasons for skiing with strangers, it's not something I am particularly keen to do for its own sake. Sorry!
