 Poster: A snowHead
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Yeah, French markers usually have orange fluorescent tape on the top on the right-hand-side of the piste.
Confusingly (especially when skiing from La Rosiere to La Thuile) Italian markers have fluorescent tape on both sides of the piste, but the ones on the right have more.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Schuss in Boots, the side is probably safer in a whiteout 
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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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| thefatcontroller wrote: |
| . Just curious, do you suffer sea sickness? |
Don't you save that for your yachting holiday in the summer???
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thefatcontroller, Not sure how relevant it is, but I don't suffer from seasickness - nor do I suffer the same symptoms as you in a white out. I don't like them, find it difficult to know direction etc, but not the same disorientation that you get. Would be very interesting to know if they are linked and if that is the case, whether any of the normal seasickness remedies would have any effect? I'm thinking in particular of the wrist bands with pressure points on that my gran used to swear by when she had need to get on a boat/in a car.
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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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Stay in familiar territory, try and use trees/piste markers.
I had my first experience of this bombing it down some red run trying to keep up with my chalet host...i think its kinda fun on your average run not really being able to see every bump on the slope and having to react to what you feel under your feet.
More of a challenge.
Saying that it was the resort slope back to La Tania which Id done before so I knew where I was going which probably helped.
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Trees, piste markers, ski from marker to marker. Good technique will help cope with the unexpected, with bad technique you will be stuffed. Stay safe and if it is no fun take a break. Try an altitude change (where you can both ascend and descend) as the light can vary.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Don't ski really quickly past me in flat light as I'm already skiing as fast as is safe to or you and your friends will fall and land in a tangled heap in the next depression while I cruise merrily and safely by.
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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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Frosty the Snowman, that's what an instructor told me in Engelberg when I got really disorientated (but not seasick!) in very bad light - I couldn't tell which way was up or down. She skied us over to the side of the piste so we could see the markers and I was fine then. Trees are even better, but there weren't any 
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skier88, you are skiing at a safe pace for you to ski, not necessarily for me or anyone else on the mountain. There is a chance that there might be better skiers on the hill (unless you are actually Bode Miller!  ).
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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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Megamum, Its a very handy thing to know on the slopes but it is amazing how many don't know 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Dare I say - Practice?
I used to hate skiing / boarding in poor visibility, so I made it my challenge to get out and 'enjoy' poor visibility on this season, as whilst I could stay in bed / the pub it's good to get the practice in for when I go back to being a 7-day a season skier...so today and a couple of other days I got out in crappy visibility, and whilst sticking to runs I know well it still was a challenge when you couldn't see the lumps in front off you. Ok so you could see 3 piste markers ahead, so it wasn't totaly whiteout but you certainly had to feel the bumps rather than look for them. Was kind of fun in slightly sado masochistic way..
Perhaps more tomorrow depending on conditions...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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bertie bassett, Agree. I usually hate skiing in snow and /or flat light. We've just come back from 5 days in Lech - for 4 days it was either windy/snowing/foggy or a combination of all three. I hadn't much choice, so I hired some longer, fatter skis and I was fine. I just skied quite slowly. The foggy morning we had was really eerie. 
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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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bertie bassett, dare I say that once one has had practice, and can competently ski in an apparent whiteout if one must, given the choice it is still pretty pointless, and possibly dangerous (you could fall into a hole, over a cliff, or be clobbered by someone else who does not see you until too late. If there is no alternative skiing, bin it once you're down. I discovered what a nice village Venosc one awful afternoon at Les Deux Alpes. Glad I did.
That said, I can see the point in practising in low visibility - but I think the OP was talking about worse than that.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I am constantly amazed at how the different weather conditions can affect your skiing. Even with my limited experience I have now experienced both flat light and white out. Both were horrid, but luckily didn't make me feel sick. Though it was most disconcerting to be in the middle of a wide piste and not know whether I was moving or standing still or which direction was down. What I would offer is that my brain did appear to get progressively better at unscrambling things the longer I spent out in the conditions (and not because they improved over time), and the world gradually re-oriented itself to the point of not being brilliant, but at least far less worrying.
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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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I shall get leapt upon for saying it, but when the conditions are nasty and scary there's nothing like some cheerful music to make you feel better. Nothing seems so bad when the Scissors Sisters are telling you that you can't see tits on the radio. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| up4it wrote: |
Whats the best remedy?
No matter what combination of goggles, glasses or the naked eye I use, I can't tell if i'm going uphill or downhill if the light is really flat. |
Try NOT TO SEE!
Goggle, glasses or naked eyes isn't going to make any difference when the fog is so thick you can't see beyond your hand in front of you!
A lot of people got disoriented when they can't tell up from down standing still. Never mind skiing. Nor can they tell if they're moving or stopped. Close your eyes so you don't get "tricked" by the flat light.
Try the skiing with eye closed bit and learn to "feel" up from down through your boots. Amazing results rather quickly.
Follow the piste markers down to safety. I stay out and keep on skiing. Just have to stay close to piste marker so I don't end up skiing down into some cliffs... 
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I agree that you shouldn't strain to try to see - it just makes your eyes ache and the conflicting information upsets the brain, which tries to make sense of the signals it's getting. And fails. I was once convinced that (for once) I was in a nice stable position on my snowboard, gently running down the piste. I as feeling quite confident and pleased with myself (I knew the piste very well and knew there were no hazards). Then I realised I was standing still - because I could see that the snow beneath my dropped hands was going nowhere. I felt very foolish but pleased that nobody more than half a metre away could possibly have seen me!
And don't faff around with your goggles/glasses. Just try to relax (easier said than done, hence the usefulness of some music)
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| I was once convinced that (for once) I was in a nice stable position on my snowboard, gently running down the piste. I as feeling quite confident and pleased with myself (I knew the piste very well and knew there were no hazards). Then I realised I was standing still - because I could see that the snow beneath my dropped hands was going nowhere. I felt very foolish but pleased that nobody more than half a metre away could possibly have seen me! |
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