Are the Brits worse skiers?

A snowHead

Stuck in a hospital which seemed to have been invaded by the British this week, I heard Mrs PG ask a surgeon whether it was because there had been a greater influx of British holidaymakers this year, compared to previous seasons. The reply was immediate, and deadly serious.

A snowHead

I feel faintly insulted Blush

mmmmmmmaybe

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

Hmm interesting question, I wonder if this is a general thing or just localised in one area, I'll have to ask in Switzerland and see how it compares, if it is a general thing then there is obviously something wrong Confused

You need to Login to know who's really who.

In Andorra, I have been hit twice by out of control locals. I was standing on the side of the piste on one occasion and being pulled up a button lift on the other. Good job they hit me and not Snowbird - they would have felt a lot more pain in that case !

In response to PGs original comments I personally think it is general rather than particular to one country.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

PG, Having spoken generically to a large number of committed French skiers, this subject comes up quite a lot. Most of them ( French skiers), but not all, believe that Brits are more dangerous on the slopes . As you might imagine loads of reasons given, some of which are ludicrous, BUT if there are general themes they would be :

1) Brits do not have enough lessons and many of their techniques are poor.
2) They do not ski very much but push themselves too far beyond thier current ability.

Not sure what that is worth - but they say much worse things about Germans !

You'll need to Register first of course.

I Would agree that Brits dont take enough lessons. It may be that we have that bit further to travel and try to save on costs!

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

After all it is free

I think we're all being a little hard on ourselves here....surely the main reasons we viewed as being clumsy are 1) We're a sizable, and visible minority, and 2) We obviously don't ski enough.

So, in order to reduce this negative impression we are giving ourselves, 1) Speak French or German, 2) Ski with your legs jammed together and 3) Go Skiing more ! Toofy Grin

ski,
(1) When I do that they think I'm Belgian (is that progress?) and as PG said - they say worse things about the Germans Toofy Grin

(2) I tried this once and fell over Shocked

(3) Good plan - off to Obergurgl tomorrow snowHead

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

I wonder if non-Alpine French walking wounded get themselves driven back to their local hospital. It wouldn't be surprising if Brits are more accident-prone skiers than Alpine residents, but a comparison against French or others who live away from the mountains would be interesting.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

J2Dave,

snow reports

Newbie50, I'd agree with that and add this obsession with covering distance. It was the thing that really annoyed me in the PdS earlier in the week, groups of English tearing around trying to cover distance and barging through lift queues.

You know it makes sense.

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

Ise Too much money on new skis and jackets and hard core technical gear for a week in Andorra and not enough on lessons would be nearer the mark.[/quote]

And you clearly don't like PDs! At all
I have just spent lots on new skis and clobber to cheer me up, I will now have to start skiing badly to meet the stereotype Razz

A snowHead

Skiers don't take enough lessons or no lessons at all can also be more cautious and thus less likely to get hurt. People who went down balck slopes after a couple of days of lessons can have a false impression that they have got skiing licked.

The attitude is more important than anything else. If a skier exercises care and caution to ski within his/her ability on speed and difficulties it would be hard to get hurt seriously, unless by a third party. Having money to spend on lessons doesn't guarantee safer skiing. It is true that in lessons one is taught with skiing knowledge and those with inadequate knowledge would be at disadvantage and progress at a slower rate.

A snowHead

ise,

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

Frosty the Snowman, the cost difference is hardly likely to pay for a week of lessons though is it? I know how you don't like facts to get in the way of whatever point you're making though.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I don't take lessons (two evenings on a dry slope about 8 years ago is it). No accidents scince I started skiing (touch wood) and I can ski down most (all?) runs in control. This year I'm teaching myself to telemark and I'm steadily getting better with practice. Hopefully I will get in another two days of skiing at the weekend, but with the possibility of some good powder in Scotland I may use my AT kit.

Accidents wise I think its much more the attitude you take onto the slopes than the number of lessons you have had.

You'll need to Register first of course.

I'm glad to hear the hospital in BSM is busy, the French health ministry have been trying to shut it for a couple of years now, a move that is fiercely opposed locally. If it did shut, the nearest major hospital would be Chambery, the Haute Tarentaise, with three of France's major ski stations, would have no significant accident and emergency facilities.

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

ise,

After all it is free

From what I have seen (mainly Austria) ....

a) Brits are more likely to drink later at night, they eat at the chalet then go out afterwards. Other central Europeans tend to do their Apres ski earlier and so have a longer time to recover from the beer.

b) In general I would say the French, Swiss, Austrian, American and even Germans get more time on the snow just because they are nearer the slopes. Brits have to book a flight / ferry, others just jump on the train/in the car. Brits tend to prebook and rarely go skiing on the spur of the moment so it's once or twice a year. On the glaciers in October there are Germans, Dutch, Hungarians, Czechs etc

c) Brits tend to learn later, in central europe they are skiing on the local hills from 2.5 yrs+.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

I don't take lessons, purely becuase of the £££. Albeit I am a scabby student, but lessons really are expensive, they would increase the cost of my holidays by at least 30%.

So I have poor technique - yup, i'd agree with that. I have had just 5 days of lessons, and that was in my first week, they taught me up to basic step turns - everything else i have taught myself. I can now carve, tackle mogul fields, love off-piste and am beginner to learn my trade in the snow-park.

So this must mean i am also pushing myself well beyond my ability level - or surely must have done at some point (i have only had 4 weeks on snow). However the only week i have had an accident involving someone else was my first, and it was a 50/50 situation whose fault it was. Since then I have had a few bad crashes, but they have all been attempting something probably slightly out of my ability level.

I think my point is that Brits are not the worst skiers. It may be true that we push ourselves too far, but when you only get a week on snow every year, not pushing yourself would result in a learning curve lasting decades - I, for one don;t have the patience for that. I ski becuase i ENJOY it, if I can't teach myself to do something that would give me enjoyment, THEN and only then would i have a lesson to teach me.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

snow reports

A friend of mine whilst in conversation we his instructor asked whether a new set of skis would help him, the reply was "spend your money on more lesson you need them!!!!!"

ise, Thought if I used figures more to your liking you wouldnt be so hard on me Blush

. Poor misguided fool that I am

You know it makes sense.

Unfortunately, to answer question of whether we are bad skiers, we need a lot more information. It isn't just about breakdown by nationality as this will not take into account experience. For instance, if 1% of first time skiers end up in hospital (ficticious example) and there were 1000 British first timers and 100 French, the Brits would clearly have more injured while the % stays the same.

However, I do believe that a factor is that Brits have more "plateau" intermediates who don't take lessons and never get past the dangerous stage of enough skill to get into trouble but not enough to get out of it (PG, what level skier did you say you were? wink

)

I would imagine that the factors making somebody more likely to have an accident are rather complicated and that there will be some grouping which, due to accidents of geography (for instance) the Brits have more members of than other countries. I would doubt that it is that the Brits are more clumsy, which is just the sort of sweeping prejudiced comment you can expect from the French educated classes wink

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

SimonN, completely agree with you re more 'plateau' skiers who won't take lessons and ski beyond their ability. The French do parody us, whenever they want to imitate the Brits skiing, they crouch down, holding their poles pointing skywards. Having said that, most of the insructors I know, all say they prefer to teach Les Rosbifs, we're far easier to instruct and don't complain as much as the French.

A snowHead

David@traxvax, and when we parody them we bolt our legs together, flick our poles uselessly and wiggle our bottoms, you've got to see the funny side Very Happy

The reality is that the major of UK skiers travel with a handful of large tour operators who create a culture of not taking lessons, skiing with the "guide" and trying to ski as many pistes as possible. The airports like GVA or Lyons will be full of them over the weekend, on the average transfer coach apart from complete beginners practically no one will be taking lessons.

Basically, people aren't inclined to take lessons and will find all sorts of lame justifications for not doing so, and yet, the UK skier is extrvagently equipped on the slopes compared to other nationalites, in Europe only the Germans come even close, so budget is hard to see as the reason.

On of the reasons I'm aware of bad UK skiers, like some of you I suspect, is my ear is tuned to the language, between the language and the ram-raid at Snow&Rock look it's easy to spot them.

A snowHead

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

ise,

People who don't live close to skiing slopes have less opportunity to practice but it doesn't necessarily mean they are bad skiers and ending up in hospital all the time. Many snowheads not taking lessons for one reason or another but they are contented with progressing at a slower rate of improvement. The mountains are for everybody to enjoy. There are even walkers, very popular in places like La Plagnes, who can get in the skiers way too. I just find it difficult to appreciate why it is necessary for every skier undergoing the same instructions and lessons to use the slopes. Many skiers have no intention of skiing fast at all. They just want exercise, bit of fresh air and not have to work.

One has to be mindful of bad skiing is only relative. No matter how good you are you can still be regarded (or viewed secretly) as bad by someone who is better than you and have received more rigorous training before.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

when I smashed my femur into many places whilst skiing, the first question the doctor in Switzerland asked me was had I been drinking. I never drink whilst skiing, but he obviously has that impression of the Brits.

regards,

greg

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Are the Brits worse skiers? Probably not. Perhaps the subset of British skiers you'lll find in the Alps on a peak week aren't representative of the whole. The true enthusiasts will do more than one peak week a year (and indeed may actively avoid those peak weeks), aren't too proud to take instruction, and as skiing anywhere involves travelling are quite likely to go in the other direction - i.e. transatlantic. Whereas the average French skier will ski in France, so you see a more representative sample.

But if you were to ask "Does the average British skier on a peak week package have a greater propensity to overestimate their own ability and fitness than the average native skier (of France or whichever other alpine nation you care to choose)?", the answer would have to be "Quite possibly".

You'll need to Register first of course.

I was visiting a friend in Moutiers hospital who'd broken his leg. Brits (mostly students) outnumbered medical staff. Apparently four of the Brits had been in the same ski school class. Perhaps that says more about their instructor than their skiing! That said, Moutiers is reputed to have the best fracture clinic in Europe, according to a doctor friend of mine. So...there are worse places to break a limb. rolling eyes

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

saikee, that's all true and what you said earlier is also true. But it would be naive not recognise my thumbnail of the majority of UK skiers as being true, it's also pretty clear that 99% of active snowheads don't fall into that category at all.

After all it is free

"a greater propensity to overestimate their own ability and fitness than the average native skier"

This is something I cannot understand. There seems to be a culture of skiing fast and breaking a limb is not a big deal. I admit being chicken as I rather slow down enough so as to control it not to happen to me. This speed thing will come automatically once the skill is there. Rushing it to risk an injury isn't a heroic act to me. What is the objection to ski within one's own ability? To me having serious injury can prevent the advancement of skill so one actually gets less out of it at the end.

We don't drive a car like we ski, do we. If it isn't safe we slow down. Have I missed something in skiing by not taking the risks? Puzzled

tough crowd, It's got to have something going for it other than being the most depressing gray dump in Christendom.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Help!!

Are the Brits worse skiers?

snowHeads Forum Index >>> The Piste