 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi All,
I was just wondering if anyone else out there uses walkie talkies when skiing in a large group? My friends and I invested in a load a few years ago and we have found them brilliant fun.
My favourite moment so far was when all of our group over heard my best friend (who talks a very good game) being talked (very slowly) down the tunnel piste in ADH. On another
particularly toe curling occasion a friend of ours turned his radio on whilst sat on a very long chairlift with a posh english mum and her kids, at which point another member of the group repeated the excellent (but incredibly rude) Jimmy Carr joke "What's the difference between jam and marmalade?"
Duncan
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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OK for a season two, but then couldn't be bothered.
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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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Yes they are very good for listening in on other peoples conversations!
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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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I just take my phone.
More importantly, what is the punchline?
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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 delibrately didn't put it on here, but if you google it you'll find it soon enough. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Mosha Marc, You can't marmalade your c0ck up a woman's ar$e.
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Mosha Marc, I can't marmalade my john thomas up your Mums tootsie roll 
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If you must...... use earpieces and throat mikes AND under no circumstances give them to children or allow children access to the airwaves. A mobile phone is by far more efficient in the mountains.
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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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| Quote: |
OK for a season two, but then couldn't be bothered
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that's pretty well what we found. They only work in line of sight, of course, so that limits their usefulness in big areas. And they are quite bulky in a pocket. We now carry UK mobiles and use texts only when it's vital. Not chit chat, just stuff like "lost you all in the fog; now at home". If I was on a chairlift with someone broadcasting lots of chit chat (rude or not) I'd be cross, too.
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Guvnor, DaddyLouLou, gotcha. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| laundryman wrote: |
| OK for a season two, but then couldn't be bothered. |
very handy for off piste I find, telling folk what bits to avoid on the way down, where the snow looks good etc.
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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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To be honest we do mostly use them for inane chit chat. Skiing altogether isn't really viable with a large group, and we've found we end up meeting up on the slopes a lot more often throughout the day as a result of having them with us. Best to keep the volume down when near others though...
Boredsurfing, not really sure what difference a throat mike would make? Currenty integrating mine with my mp3 player and my helmet speakers.
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kitenski, hmm, then we're back to avi transceiver interference. 
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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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only for people that ski in Courchevel or ValD'isere.
nuff said
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Poster: A snowHead
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| laundryman wrote: |
| kitenski, hmm, then we're back to avi transceiver interference. |
Do they interfere with transceivers???
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| kitenski wrote: |
| laundryman wrote: |
| kitenski, hmm, then we're back to avi transceiver interference. |
Do they interfere with transceivers??? |
Nope.
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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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"Broadsword calling Danny Boy, come in Danny Boy" 
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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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Spyderman, that's my tag line, don't get too familiar!
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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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We find them really useful for our group of 12. We have a mixed set of Motorola's and they give a massive range in the La Plagne bowl, around 10 miles on some days. They have really helped reduce big phone bills and although they are a bit bulky, you can usually find a pocket for them somewhere.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Yes, always use them, very helpfull
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Spyderman, the guides I've been with have insisted they be turned off - but I'm not absolutely sure why.
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laundryman, Mobile Phones can affect them, but not Radios AFAIAA. Piste Patrollers use radios whilst wearing transceivers. I'm sure if it wasn't safe, there would be issues.
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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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kitenski, I have found people who use radios off piste terribly slow for exactly the same reasons you describe. After each individual skis a pitch/section they have to radio back to their mates to tell them about it. As far as i'm concerned when on that sort of terrain you should be identifying safe points as you go along & systematically leap frogging from one to the next without the need for the radio. It's easy to see what the snow is like by paying attention to the people ahead of you, if you're in front it's up to you to assess it as you go along. Once saw 4 swedish guys take nearly 3 hours to get down the courtes cause of this. Took 3 of us about 40 mins just leap frogging from section to section.
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Looks like we got ourselves a convoy.
I wish I'd had some CB radios in Zermatt last year. A tearful, accusational and some would say violent reunion could have been entirely avoided.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I bought some for climbing years ago, never used them. The one time I climbed with someone else's we managed to change the channel on one on the third pitch and didn't know how to turn it back again.
Skiing-wise, if you're in a group and want to meet up maybe they'd be useful but if you're opposite sides of ridges etc. you won't get reception. Off piste surely you shouldn't be that far apart? Certainly you should be able to use hand gestures and if the wind is too bad to shout I'd imagine the wind noise on the mic would render them useless. In the trees, maybe, but again isn't a line of sight advisable with the risk of tree wells?
frank4short, we use the leapfrogging too, if there's something urgent you can always pause before carrying on to the next safe spot.
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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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| bertie bassett wrote: |
only for people that ski in Courchevel or ValD'isere.
nuff said |
Too right, I was convinced I needed one once.. bought a set of four... and donated to a local hostel in Les Arcs, a week later.. how embarrassing.
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I enjoy the random chat that occurs either from my own groups chat or better still when you get on the same wavelength as another group. Quite useful for meeting up for lunch drinks when in a large mixed group.
I never go off piste so its a toy rather than of any use.
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You know it makes sense.
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I bought some to use a few years ago. They were crap. Only work on line of sight, over a VERY short distance, and not at all if there was a height difference.
And despite having some 600 channels to choose from, it was impossible to find one not in use with inane chatter.
They found their way into the kids toy box shortly afterwards.
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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 got North American ones so usually gety a chanel to ourselves. Very useful,wouldn't be without them in a busy resort.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Got them for me and the wife, got her a speaker in her helmet with a boom mike. Wired mine up to my Red Hifi with my ipod in line too so got music and then if she needs to contact me she can. Find them great as my wife is quite a bit slower than me (sometimes I'll board around with her but other times I just want to blast it). Did regret it the first time she boarded as for days I had 'I hate f****** snowboarding, I f****** hate you, this is a sh*t holiday, I'm never doing this again' etc etc blaring in my ear. Remote nagging ffs, now she can ride she loves it and walkie talkies are useful 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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TotallyBoard,
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Did regret it the first time she boarded as for days I had 'I hate f****** snowboarding, I f****** hate you, this is a sh*t holiday, I'm never doing this again' etc etc blaring in my ear
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Brilliant , please start a thread with that one. I'm sure everyone will have a tale to tell 
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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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I use them all the time for mountain biking and snowboarding.
Its requires a level of commitment, maturity and discipline to those using them to get the most from them.
They are not a "cheap" alternative to mobiles.
I find its by far the best way to keep in touch when out on the hill in a small group riding or skiing together off-piste/back country.
They are no good for planning lunch etc (phone/text is better).
In reality they are used very sparingly only for example when people go off planned route or a fast route change is needed.
If there are limited walkie-talkies we tend to use the first and last of the group , the last having the responsibility of seeing everyone down/ok or sweeping up stragglers.
If I break away from a group (planned) I used to keep it on, but eventually I realised a mobile is better outside a group.
I went over to Henry's Avalanche talk and noticed he mentioned using "radios" a couple of times I don't think he was talking about Radio4.
Useful tool or annoying toy.
depends how you and your group use them.
tux
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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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| Quote: |
Only work on line of sight
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well to be fair, even the finest VHF radios only work in line of sight. It's the laws of physics.
But the reception limitations of VHF on land (they're much better at sea, not least because you can greatly increase range by sticking an aerial high up) mean they're only really useful for fun. If someone doesn't answer you can't tell whether it's because they're breathing their last down a crevasse, in the underground bog in the restaurant, just round the shoulder of the mountain, switched channels by mistake, run out of battery (something most of them do within 14 seconds of showing, "battery full"), forgotten to press the "transmit" button or left the thing in their other jacket.
The most reliable solution is probably to use mobiles for important messages (texts won't break the bank) and leave the inane chatter till you get together.
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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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One of my friends has a pair and we occasionally found them useful, for example tree-skiing, where the group can get separated, or if someone needs to go round a corner to check the route. One time I wish I'd had them was when I'd skied a pitch first and the guide was trying to shout to me to go further right in case the others set off an avalanche, but I couldn't make out what they were saying.
Usually in these circumstances the last few years We've used mobile phones, but given the thread on interference with avalanche transceivers I'm going to be selective in future in switching mine on.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| 666 wrote: |
| I've got North American ones so usually gety a chanel to ourselves. |
Would that be chanel number 5?
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| Boredsurfing wrote: |
| If you must...... use earpieces and throat mikes AND under no circumstances give them to children or allow children access to the airwaves. A mobile phone is by far more efficient in the mountains. |
Now my boys are older and more sensible - I'm actually tempted to let them have one, just in case we get seperated. I trust them not to mis-use
At the moment they have paper in their pockets with our mobile numbers on and instructions to find a liftie/piste patrol and hand over said paper.
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We use them for arranging meeting up in base areas etc. Quite useful - but range is too limited for much.
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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'll join in on this.....we've a about 10 handsets among our group and it allows us to break up and others can do their own thing.....but it does have it's downsides, like this incident..
My Wife and some of the other girls don't like to blem down the mountain as they much prefer their leisurely pace, so one day at the top of Grau Roig in the Andorra, myself and two mates, along with my wife and another girl from the group, for this instance we'll call her Tessie...so we all alight off the chairlift at the very top of the mountain, and we decide to split up because me and the lads want to go like the wheels of Jesus down the mountain and the girls would rather tip down...."Sure we can stay in contact via the walkie talkie, whether you come straight back up or grab a beer me and Tessie will be fine..cos we've got the walkie talke" "fine" say me and the lads, we turn to face down the mountain, bless the skis and take off like that proverbial Meat Loaf album.....About 15 minutes later I hear the walkie talkie crackling into life
"Wife to Husband...Come in Husband"
"Wife to Husband"..Come in Husband"......reach into my jacket grab the walkie talkie
"Husband here...go ahead"
"Erm Husband have you seen Tessie?"
"Eh no wife...she's skiing with you"
"Errm well she was but she seemed to tumble at the brow of the hill"
"And"
"When I got to the hill she wasn't there"
*slightly concerned*
"Maybe she skied on.....can you see here ahead?"
*concerned*
"No...the piste is empty, I'm worried the edge of the slope"
*kind of worried*
"What about it?"
*worried*
"There's a massive drop"
*very worried*
"Can you see down it?"
*full on panic setting in now*
"No, I'm getting out of my binding and walking over, cos there's no one above me on the piste and there's no one beneath me..."
*sweating*
"Stay calm"
*says him freaking out!!*
"Ok Ok"
THEN OUT OVER NO WHERE ANOTHER VOICE APPEAR ACROSS THE AIRWAVES
"Ehhh guys....should I be concerned that youse have lost my wife??"
(Tessies Husband....who's been listening to the entire drama from a gondola the far side of the mountain)
"Ohh.....hi Tony, no I think my wife has everything in hand"
"Doesn't sound like it mate"
"Wife?"
"Wife?"
"WWWWIIIIFFFFEEEEEE!!!!!!!"
radio silence
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"Oh lads hold on here she comes now"
"WHAT?"
"Yeah....sorry to scare you all but it wasn't her that fell it was someone who looked like her, she was waiting out of view"
.....I don't think Tony has ever been the same again.
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dazman,  blissful ignorance is so much more relaxing!
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FAQ
