ski levels...??????

A snowHead

I suspect this has been done to death here, but it is so slow and boring lately, so bare with me.

So, generally, all things considered, should it take you what sort of skiing time on snow to make breakthroughs..?

A beginner is... Nil to 2 weeks..??

Lower intermediate.. 2 weeks to 5 weeks..??

Intermediate.. 5 weeks to 10 weeks, maybe more

Advanced intermediiate... 10 weeks to 20 weeks

Advanced 20 weeks to ...??

Expert...???

and then...??

It might be better to define what skills you have learned that then defines what level you are pitching at, but the above is a rough start, I think.
...or is it..?

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I vote that we delete the word intermediate from the skier's dictionary. It just means someone between complete rookie and clubracer/instructor/etc.

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JT, Beginner = someone who has never skied.

Intermediate = pretty much everyone else.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

JT, you must really be bored wink

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if you can get down a red surely you must be an intermediate Laughing

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Add another few weeks to it. Maybe 10?

Although I know of one snowhead who is advanced and has done a whopping 15 weeks!

After all it is free

The more skiing you do the further down the scale you rate yourself. This isn't because you regress but your frame of reference changes due to the terrain you find yourself in, others you see skiing etc.

Thus you'll rarely get a British holiday punter rating themselves less than advanced intermediate because they can "do" reds but this isn't even scratching the surface of what it means to be "good" at skiing.

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Don't think time frames can even be a start, my father has had a bout 20 weeks of skiing and still wedges turns, it's just 20 weeks of ingrained bad habits!

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UK skiers have a high opinion of their skills at skiing. Internet skiers are the worst for this.

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Too many variables. And a serious lack of clear definitions...

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

ok... I was bored, but ...it does make me think..

Of course, a young atheletic gung-ho sort of guy is gong to make good strides very quickly, and older more sedate approaches will add weeks, so the parameters aren't binding by any means. It would, or might be more useful to list a set of ski skills you can do... but then that isn't definitive either. Carving is seen as a huge goal... but what's that... ? setting the thing on edge for a lenght of the turn or a full lay-over..??

Then there are courses, which might have a vested interest in beefing up some levels, just as there are instructors who need repeat business.

FWIW, I think about 25 weeks on snow should make someone..who has worked at it... quite useful all round. And the more accomplished you think you are, only introduces more situations that you know you aren't so great in. Of course, you'll get down, but in what manner...and how much do you care? Sometimes, just to look at the tracks and the pitch is an achievement

I think skiing is a life-long obsession in that it will always be able to bite you... you'll take a step forward and a step back, but because it isn't always easy, makes us come back for more. You'd fall out of love with it pretty quick if you had cracked it completely...IMV

In that respect...much like golf...

A snowHead

Hurtle,

I DO think there is a correlation with time spent on snow... but you have to push things on...

25 weeks on blues isn't going to do much for your skiing..except give you confidence on blues. And if that is what you want then fine, but I wouldn't call that a typical approach. Maybe it is a typical approach for some people... but I don't know them.

A snowHead

25 weeks...

is that a week a year for 25 years?
or a dedicated few weeks a year for 5-10years, a week or 2 of which might well be a ski clinic?
or 2-3 seasons?

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

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andy, excellent question.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

JT, yes I agree that time on the slopes (but good productive time) can be a guide, but not everyone puts in the same effort.

If you have a like minded group of mates who all are ok at sport generally, then I think if one of them says that he/she has 10 or 20 or 30 days on snow then you can have a reasonable guess as to their general basic level of piste skiing.

Hurtle, i have encountered many a UK skier who judge themselves based upon the 'I can get down a red' bench mark.fatbob and jonesj71 seem to be on the same wave length and get it Laughing

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andy, yes, good point, I think the assumption must be two/three weeks a year minimum from learning to ski, otherwise it is a pointless excercise

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

andy,

Typically 2-3 weeks a year, IMV... if you did two seasons and accrued 25 weeks...you'd be far further on, I'd say

If you did 1 week for 25 years...far further back.

Generally..IMV

After all it is free

rayscoops, well, a beginner would be unlikely to be able to get himself down a red and an advanced skier should be able to do better than 'get down' one. The inevitable conclusion is that someone who can get down a red, is an intermediate skier. It merely goes to show how meaningless the word 'intermediate' is. Maybe that was the joke?

Hurtle, yes, a joke, or irony maybe, but we all come across the skiers who call themselves intermediates but they can barely get down a red,

maybe ...... beginner = can do a green/blue (0 - 10 days). good beginner = can do a red with no style (10 - 20 days), low intermediate = can do a black with no style (15 - 25 days), intermidiate = can do a black and can do a red with style (20 - 30 days), good intermediate = can do a black with some style (25 - 40 days)

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And, while still on p1, this has turned into the inevitable 'what's an intermediate skier?' thread! Smile

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Hurtle, but surely that was the purpose of the thread? to grade and intermediate against time on the slope Laughing

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Hurtle, well, avoid that road then... Laughing

I am more interested in how people define themselves and what goals they have...and then how do they relate that to what others think.... To me, the difference in ski levels..after a certain point..comes down the speed...and then there is fitness which impacts on that ... but I am interested in how people would describe themselves if meeting a new set of potential ski buddies. If someone said I am an intermediate..that would mean nothing to me... if they said 25 weeks, that would mean more.. but get away from the definition of intermediates if you think this will bury the thread. 25 weeks in itself means..whatever, but once you speek to people more, then that 25 weeks can take on quite a bit of meaning.

And ..and... you can tell that reading about things skiing..like on here... can fill some people's vocabulary to some degree...

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

I think rather than talk about which colour of piste you can ski it is more useful to think of what sort of conditions you can happily handle. On a nice day on nice soft snow a lot of people would be able to ski pistes that they would find impossible when its really icy etc. There are also things like the busyness or width of the piste, good skiers should be able to cope with all these things and adapt their skiing easily. I found this year I could cope with different conditions (apart from proper ice) but moving between them took a bit to adapt my skiing style. In my opinion a good skier would be able to encounter piles of deep snow, ice etc. on one piste and move fluidly over all of them.

A snowHead

rayscoops,

A snowHead

I've always found these to be a pretty good set of ability criteria:

http://www.warrensmith-skiacademy.com/about-the-course_group-and-skier-levels.htm

After 17 weeks the Advanced category is an accurate description of my skiing.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

spyderjon, ah, well in that case, I'm advanced intermediate, which is what I've also been rated by two different SCGB reps. I've done more than 17 weeks, but not enough tuition, and I'm geriatric to boot. [As if anyone gives a sh#t.]

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spyderjon, I have read the Warren Smith ratings, and wonder if all skiers who read this view the criteria in the same way. For example, he talks about freeride. Well there's Freeride Very Happy

and the

turn or die type of Freeride. Both are Freeride, who has the inclinometer?

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

JT, I don't know, but perhaps one day you can tell us how many years it takes to become an expert penalty-taker Laughing

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Martin Bell, You just have to be German to be an expert penalty-taker. It is in their genes.

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With that WS skier level scale, I could technically classify myself as either Intermediate or Advanced Intermediate. If I signed up for the course then I'd certainly choose the lower group. Much better to be upgraded if required than downgraded and look a fool.

What *is* good about that scale compared to others is that it does not suggest how many weeks you would have typically skiied to be at such and such level.

After all it is free

[quote="Hurtle"]rayscoops,

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ski levels...??????

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