 Poster: A snowHead
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| JT wrote: |
| roga, ok..put it like this.... say ! go into an advanced level class... where would the instructor take me..? They might be able to rip my technique to shreads but I doubt they will take me anywhere I haven't been myself....or would go myself... |
Pick your ski school more carefully 
Something like this I'm sure would be enjoyable and productive for you.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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pam w, perhaps the heightened arrogance and as roga suggested earlier, the braying masses evident in almost any resort. I just tend to find the Brits totally up their own backsides with a massive sense of over-importance.
barry - right you are, also totally agree with the Scots being infinitely superior! 
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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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| JT wrote: |
| roga, ok..put it like this.... say ! go into an advanced level class... where would the instructor take me..? They might be able to rip my technique to shreads but I doubt they will take me anywhere I haven't been myself....or would go myself... |
I tend to do private training so slightly different.
However, the instructor is liable to take you initially to places that would be easily within your level and then, as the week or day progresses and depending on how you did push you more toward the limits of your comfort zone. No instructor worth their salt will rip anyone's technique to shreds, doing that is an appalling teaching technique and will fail miserably in most, if not all, cases.
The pointy of a lesson/coaching or whatever suits your level is to make improvements to your skiing rather than take you on a guided tour but given they tend know any resort they work in better than us I'd suggest they are liable to show us new places... given I'm understanding what you mean by "take me anywhere I haven't been myself" correctly - strikes me you could mean mentally/psychologically but you can correct me if I'm wrong.
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| Alexandra wrote: |
| pam w, perhaps the heightened arrogance and as roga suggested earlier, the braying masses evident in almost any resort. I just tend to find the Brits totally up their own backsides with a massive sense of over-importance. |
Hang on Alexandra, just to clarify, when you say Brits are you including Scots?
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Thu 2-04-09 12:37; edited 1 time in total
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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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rob@rar, again, very nice...... but you know what we ski.
I am not saying I couldn't use a lesson but when I am skiing well...not this year, I might add..or only in fits...then I am quite happy
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| JT wrote: |
| rob@rar, again, very nice...... but you know what we ski. |
And if you're happy with that, and the way you ski it, then why bother with lessons?
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I'm with JT on this one. It is hard to find the right balance between a bit of instruction and skiing which you would be happy to pay a guide for. I took a gamble of something with offpisteskiing this year and it paid off big time but it's not just down to the instructor - you are also taking a gamble on the other people being as good as they think they are (again, I was fortunate with this on the Steep Vanoise thing). bear in mind that instructors tend to be more expensive than guides so if you have an expensive day of meadow skipping when you could have been getting rappelled into a couloir etc, and that day is one of, say, 20 you will get all year... let's just say there is a risk of disappointment!
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Probably if we arrogant Brits paid more than lip service to learning foreign languages we would understand that other nationalties are as equally up their own "Derrières" as we are!
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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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Alexandra, I'm sure one reason that more Brits (& others for that matter) dont take more lessons, is the cost factor, on top af an already expensive holiday. I would love to only ski on the slopes where there are expert skiers, but life aint like that 
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roga, A tour around is fine..and I'll use a guide for that or a local if need be... but we aren't blind we can pick out lines, I think... but sure, we don't know as well as some locals but it has been known for us to show some
around...which we found strange.
Take me anywhere...I mean this...
In good nick this would be what we look for on most days
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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JT, well if you can handle that stuff happily I'd guess you're beyond the wobbly shoulder swinging stage so I think this thread is not necessarily about people at the level you might be at.
I would also echo rob@rar and say if you're happy with where you are then cool, it's ultimately up to you what you do.
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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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rob@rar, it is difficult... I am not silly enough to think I don't need to improve but I tend to think I can work through things and my money would go on a guide first as I think the returns would be better for me...probably.
Will I regret this approach in 5 yrs time... don't know, who can say...
I do think I can get past where I am today by more skiing...
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Alexandra, you have probably made a lot of good points here and I'm pretty sure I ski like a 'pleb'. I learned to ski on school trips back in the 80s and haven't had any lessons since and I very much doubt my technique is any good...
However, skiing for me is first and foremost a holiday. It's a annual week away from my humdrum life doing something I really enjoy. It also takes me all year to save up for it. Even if I wanted lessons I can't afford them, but the real point is I don't want them. I want to enjoy a holiday and have fun. I'm not a danger to myself or others on the slopes so why do I need to worry about my 'plebby' technique...?
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You know it makes sense.
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roga, yes..Rob and I have had these discussions before and I just think that both paths have big pluses or not so big depending on your POV..... and as we are skiing, there can't be minuses, surely...
FWIW..I don't think my standard is good..... and I am one of those who hasn't had lessons.....I just do ok, and even I can pull my skiing apart so I am sure a pro could...but that sort of skiing is the priority for my time on snow... and I suspect the reason is that I would begin to get bored with skiing now unless I got these jollies regularly.....
That might sound odd, but I think it is true................
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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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| JT wrote: |
| ... and as we are skiing, there can't be minuses, surely... |
:thumbsupsmiley:
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Poster: A snowHead
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Alexandra, I doubt that many people of any nationality on the slopes have got 20+ weeks skiing 200+ hours of lessons behind them. The majority of typical holiday makers have neither the time or the cash to do so. If this is the case, esp. from the 'cash' perspective lessons are likely to be a luxury and if you are having fun, getting down in one piece and not being a hazard to other users in reality what does it matter - if you are happy with how you ski and have spent your week having a ball, I'm sure that many punters would be happy with that. Hence, you won't have a mountain full of perfect skiers out there. In reality the majority of people on the slopes are likely to not match your vision of skiing excellence. If they did there would be no work for instructors to do.
I suspect that Snowheads readership is likely to fall more often into the wanting to improve and find out more category (in all areas), or being here prepared to help with that information. Hence I should think we have a membership biased in favour of experts and those wanting to improve. By no means all skiers will want to fall into that category.
If you don't like what you see, why not take the easy option and not look 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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reading some of the attitudes written in this thread makes me laugh...
you know what...when you have all the answers and you can't learn any more, you are in the wrong sport.....go do something else
sorryJT but you have come across as an "I'm too good for lessons" kind of skier, however good you are you can improve
Alexandra, i do see your point of view as a gross over generalisation though
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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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CEM, bit harsh. i think JT is just pointing out that having a lesson isn't necessarily as much fun as skiing with your mates (although it can be!) and it's a dilemma trying to decide whether the long term benefits are worth it when you only have a few days' skiing every year
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| JT wrote: |
rob@rar, it is difficult... I am not silly enough to think I don't need to improve but I tend to think I can work through things and my money would go on a guide first as I think the returns would be better for me...probably.
Will I regret this approach in 5 yrs time... don't know, who can say...
I do think I can get past where I am today by more skiing... |
You could book a guide who will allocate skiers to groups based on ability & fitness levels and who could also give you offpiste instruction.
Someone like ......
http://www.pistetopowder.com/
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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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| Quote: |
| Why do the British "en masse" ski like plebs? |
A better heading would be "I was in a lesson with a bloke I thought a bit of a tosser".
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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CEM,
I don't how you get there from this...
I said...
| Quote: |
FWIW..I don't think my standard is good..... and I am one of those who hasn't had lessons.....I just do ok, and even I can pull my skiing apart so I am sure a pro could
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amongst other things......
I say it is a toss-up of how you spend your holiday.......
Arno's 1st post was probably more what I was trying to say...
Your friend and mine will probably be able to tell you I have thought very hard about my skiing time these last few years..... but even tho I have skied crap at times I have not enrolled on a course and it may be too late anyway..
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I think skiing for the holiday/recreational skier should be about enjoyment.......as long as they're not posing a danger to others and are happy doing what they're doing then jolly good luck to them. I'm a big fan of lessons but I think that's because I'm not very brave so rely on good technique rather than guts to get me down stuff that's out of my comfort zone. I see many skiers with more guts than technique but if they're happy, not a threat to others and above all enjoying themselves isn't that what it's all about? Oh yes and it's not just the Brits!
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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 can see JT's point of view. Being British people don't always take you seriously when you say you are a good or advanced skier. Geography dictates that many other countries have more high level skiers. When it's a choice of skiing powder or skiing the piste with some low level instructor who can't teach me much I know what I would rather be doing.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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CEM,
| Quote: |
reading it could make be believe that you are questioning that an instructor could take you somewhere up to your standard
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Thats your interpretation ... My expectation would be that they might not think I would be up to it... or they have liability issues....
I just ski what I fancy and that pic is an example of what I fancy more often than not.... so if I paid someone to teach me to ski and they didn't take me somewhere like that..I wouldn't be so happy....
and if we passed it and they said no... let alone wouldn't go out of our way to pick it off... then I wouldn't last long in that leson
My skiing is poor at times..... but I can still progress something through a year... but two things creep up on me..............fitness and desire....
If I lose it enough not to be able to enjoy what I do now.... I'll stop..
I am quite sure about this.... I can enjoy crusing around for a while but if I had to do that all week..... I'd get very bored with skiing... 
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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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| DB wrote: |
| When it's a choice of skiing powder or skiing the piste with some low level instructor who can't teach me much I know what I would rather be doing. |
There is a third choice: ski with an instructor who will push you, as per GrahamN's post above. If it's a choice between a rubbish lesson or no lesson I'd choose no lesson every time, but fortunately that isn't the choice that we are forced to make.
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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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I've been told that my skiing level is that of a British one week a year Braindead Gaper. Is a Pleb of a higher or lower standard than this?
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Poster: A snowHead
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| rob@rar wrote: |
| DB wrote: |
| When it's a choice of skiing powder or skiing the piste with some low level instructor who can't teach me much I know what I would rather be doing. |
There is a third choice: ski with an instructor who will push you, as per GrahamN's post above. If it's a choice between a rubbish lesson or no lesson I'd choose no lesson every time, but fortunately that isn't the choice that we are forced to make. |
Yes I advised JT to do that a few posts back. When you are new to an area/resort it's not always possible to find a good offpiste instructor/guide.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
if you want someone to take you down steep and deep then book a guide
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Thanks, I'll do that... or I can just go there anyway... Not adverse to either approach.
Not looking for an instructor at the moment but have considered a course but my biggest improvment will be from fitness, I am pretty sure...
I think my technique marginalises when I get tired...obviously, otherwise I am mostly happy......Good days, bad days, better days, thats me...
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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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Spyderman, lower. Plebs can't be expected to get on a lift without the lift stopping altogether.
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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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GrahamN,
Is your first pic of three skiing Norway with Graham A?
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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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| Spyderman wrote: |
| I've been told that my skiing level is that of a British one week a year Braindead Gaper. Is a Pleb of a higher or lower standard than this? |
Not sure, but more importantly what colour SKGB badge/level does this relate to - crimson?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| CEM wrote: |
| Alexandra, i do see your point of view as a gross over generalisation though |
As was intended... It provoked the debate! 
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| DB wrote: |
| Spyderman wrote: |
| I've been told that my skiing level is that of a British one week a year Braindead Gaper. Is a Pleb of a higher or lower standard than this? |
Not sure, but more importantly what colour SKGB badge/level does this relate to - crimson? |
Is that the equivalent of a Tuftee Badge?
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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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| Spyderman wrote: |
| DB wrote: |
| Spyderman wrote: |
| I've been told that my skiing level is that of a British one week a year Braindead Gaper. Is a Pleb of a higher or lower standard than this? |
Not sure, but more importantly what colour SKGB badge/level does this relate to - crimson? |
Is that the equivalent of a Tuftee Badge? |
I can't remember it was either Tuftee Badge or cycling proficiency badge equivalent. Does the Tuftee Badge require a speed test?
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| Spyderman wrote: |
| I've been told that my skiing level is that of a British one week a year Braindead Gaper. Is a Pleb of a higher or lower standard than this? |
I'm sure as a minimum you're a lamppost ( see Axsman/Horizon Abilitizer TM) what with your BASI badges n all.
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FAQ
