 Poster: A snowHead
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Once you are over the lip you are into normal territory ...........
Ah. Well. That's the thing. How often have you come to a lip and thought the slope looked well-nigh impossible - only to find, once on it, that in fact things were very enjoyable, and you can't imagine why you had a problem? On one occasion, skiing with a SCGB holiday group (including stoatsbrother) I opted out - after being held up with a long wait) at Tortin, Verbier - only to be told by the entire party after their descent that I would have had no problems.
Usually, though, I get on with it - easier when I am with a guide, instructor, or someone who knows me well, and in whom I have a lot of faith. But I would like some mental technique that reduces the trauma on some occasions. I tend to enter on a traverse, or a sharp turn into a traverse - and then I am away. I do find I have a preference for the direction of the first turn, and am deliberately trying to train myself to having no particular preference. I have heard that it is better sometimes to enter straight down the fall line, followed quickly by a turn. How do you guys cope?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Best thing to do is take it at speed and do a helicopter 360. No time to think about it then.
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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, ha ha..thanks for that...
No set pattern for me.... we normally have spotted it and fancied it...then once we are looking down and in... I just set myself and commit...
I am feeling the snow and taking into account the edge set after the turn... and for this reason, I might just do the one turn at the top....probably a little jump.
Let the tips go and catch them.
If I had any real fear issues, I probably wouldn't be up there.
I think you build up a confidence that you have been here before and you know you can do it....
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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For me it's not even a matter of where do I get the first couple of turns in but where will I stop? Not being physically fit enough to tackle anything long or demanding in one burst, so long as I know that in 20 seconds I can take a breather, I'm OK. Metaphysically speaking, the start is over in an instant, so don't worry about it 
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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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To stop oneself from doing a Mavis "oh I don't really know" then use Schnaps and lots of it.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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rob@rar, you young athletic freestyle guys! Come to think of it, when I can't do my traverse thing. I do an aggressive pole plat well down the hill, which I simply have to follow, and find myself turning round to order. The lip thing is definitely something I don't get quite used to, though. Maybe no bad thing - it means I am being challenged.
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this thread would be great with pics....
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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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JT, looks great conditions. Not so sure I would be queuing to go when it was icy 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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JT, great stuff - but I'll leave the telemarking to you. 
Very atmospheric pics - I can feel myself there.
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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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achilles, Not me on Tele, I'm afraid..I am the Cam monkey...
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brian
brian
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JFDI 
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You know it makes sense.
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brian, 
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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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MTFU
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Poster: A snowHead
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An excuse to post a thread on TGR that gets me stoked every time I look at it: http://www.tetongravity.com/FORUMS/showthread.php?t=19209
Some set the heart racing, even sat here behind my desk at work several hundred miles from proper snow.
I know it's tarty but I really want to do Corbet's, just because I've seen so many pics of the entry and wonder how I'd feel at the top preparing to drop in.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Fri 20-02-09 15:12; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Sideshow_Bob,  Wow, I "enjoyed" that.
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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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Admire view, look down go "nnnggggghhhhh", admire view again, think "oh stuff it", bang tops of poles together 3 times and drop iiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnn.......
I don't know what the pole bang thing is, but it works for me.
Somewhere on TGR there is an ace helmet cam of "Star Chute" with a floyd soundtrack that's basically 2 minutes of pussying around followed by 7 seconds of idiot gunning followed by the inevitable . I'll see if I can find it later.
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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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Everybody, at whatever level, has their own
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look down go "nnnggggghhhhh" |
moments. The secret is not to hang about, but just go. Oh, come to think of it, brian's already said that.
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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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Sideshow_Bob, serious stuff will have a better look this evening when I get some proper time to do so.
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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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As already said don't hang about looking down for long
Its better to make a start even if you need to stop after a few turns rather than thinking about it before you start
Having said that some of the pics above I would never be standing at the top of to contemplate skiing them.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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MTFU and JFDI
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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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What do the M and the U in MTFU stand for, please?
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brian
brian
Guest
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Hurtle, Man and Up.
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You know it makes sense.
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brian, thank you.
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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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Is it not permissible to 'just do it' without composure and whilst remaining a pathetic snivelling weed?
I'm generally cackin mesen for about 99% of the time between going over the lip and hitting the run out and tend to find the generally-manning-up and associated tales of "yeah, hit it and rode switch to the road..." don't actually appear in my consciousness until after a couple of beers.
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Poster: A snowHead
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If you know the entry to the slope well or can scout it from a different angle try not stopping to peer over the lip at all. Just use a little bit of momentum and roll over the entry, you'll be carrying slightly more speed for your first turn but you'll not have to suffer that 'will I or won't I' few seconds/minutes that can butcher confidence. I got told this by a trainer once when I kept wussing out and have never looked back - apart from the numerous times where I've ended up on my ar*e 
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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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Even slopes I know I can deal with well once I am on them cause me problems going over the lip, sometimes. The Grand Couloir at Les Deux Alpes and (when I did it a little while ago) the Tunnel at Alpe D'Huez spring to mind.
So, great fun though the pictures are, I did wonder if nybody had any really practical tips. For example, if you roll over the lip straight down the fall line, you could argue that you are already half way through a turn, and so could co into one straight away to carry on the turn profile - but you would have to do so with some momentum.
Not quite the same, but related: I find something like the entrance to the La Grave main slopes (by the top restaurant) can be rather daunting, when it's hard-packed, mogully and rutted. Once I have made the drop to the main traverse I am fine - and I don't have much of a problem turning down into the first slope.
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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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Cunners, superb!
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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 still remember doing my only proper drop off (the good old crash vids hehehe) and I was sat there for about 5 minutes trying to get up the courage to commit. I am terrible for that and am a right wuss. When climbing I've often come across one committing move which has taken 10 mins or so to 'go for' and then 2 seconds to wonder what the hell all the fuss was about. I'll never be brave but at least it makes the memory so much more intense
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achilles, I alway try to roll over a lip at a slight angle so if I dont land the entry correctly I'm not facing straight down the fall line. It doesn't need to be more than a few degrees but sets you up nicely for that first turn and if not then it hopefuly stops you falling too far vertically down the slope.
Cunners, awesome!
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Certainly not me, by the way, but some hero mag at TGR. Props, or whatever the word is these days.
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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 think each person does it differently, depending on personal strength and weakness.
I do it the achilles' way! But maybe (just maybe) not quite as much mental drama.
Part of the reason, since I'm usually not the bravest so never the first person in, I can see from those who went before me what condition I'll be encountering. My focus shift to a more technical analysis of "how" instead of "whether". So the mental drama is greatly reduced.
As far as what angle to drop in, snow condition dictates what angle I want to roll in. If it's a lot of heavy snow, I roll in with less angle to allow for easier turning downhill. But if it's hard pack or icy, I would roll in to a traverse! And use the whole width to round off my turn if neccessary...
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1. Burrow through crowd of people strung out along the top of the slope telling each other how difficult it is.
2. Ski to bottom of run.
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