 Poster: A snowHead
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Time for a bit of controversy… Just what is the point of black slopes? I have snowed for a total of 12 days in my life, a couple of days in Turkey where I first went 3 years ago, four days in Zermatt (incredible), and five days in Wengen (also a great place). In a couple of weeks I head off with a group of friends to Meribel.
I would now describe myself as an intermediate skier, competent on blues and most reds, and capable of getting down the blacks which I have come across – which in fairness is not that many (the Lauberhorn(?) World Cup run was pretty scary and much steeper than it looks on TV – how anyone can ski at full pelt down there is beyond me!). But I would much rather go down a slope and rack up the miles going at whatever speed I felt comfortable with (and could control) than warily edge side to side down a black, killing my knees in the process. I am sure I will improve as a skier in the 3V, but even if I became really good I don’t really see the point of really steep and dangerous slopes, I prefer ‘groomed motorways’ as you guys might describe them! Plus, by virtue of its steepness a black slope is generally over that much quicker, and is often full of people skiing slopes way above their ability (er, me) 
Anyone else with me? Discuss!
I’d also like to hear your opinions of the best ‘intermediate playgrounds’ in Europe – I enjoyed Wengen in that respect, though I have read several times on SH the word ‘boring’ used to describe the skiing there (which, based on what I wrote above, I obviously disagree with).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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You have snowed? Wow.
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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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At your level of competence, motorway pistes are enjoyable.
At a higher level of skiing competence, black runs are enjoyable.
Is that so hard to understand?
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Black slopes are only intermediate!
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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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robinsrule, something to aim for perhaps, challenge for when your skiing moves up a level? I've only done a few blacks (probably very badly) but I did feel quite pleased with myself. That said I have enjoyed some reds more than those blacks and they have been more 'interesting'.
Without being patronising, you have still only had a small amount of time on snow - you might change your views in time - if not, so what?
It's your holiday.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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robinsrule, They're really good fun when you get to know them
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| robinsrule wrote: |
Time for a bit of controversy…
Anyone else with me? Discuss! |
There's no controversy, only ignorance. 
| Quote: |
| But I would much rather go down a slope and rack up the miles going at whatever speed I felt comfortable with (and could control) than warily edge side to side down a black, killing my knees in the process. I am sure I will improve as a skier in the 3V, but even if I became really good I don’t really see the point of really steep and dangerous slopes, I prefer ‘groomed motorways’ as you guys might describe them! Plus, by virtue of its steepness a black slope is generally over that much quicker, and is often full of people skiing slopes way above their ability (er, me) |
Well, an "improved" skiers will be able to easily get down blacks in good control WITHOUT having to kill their knees.
As for people skiing way above their ability, you realized you just described yourself. Might I suggest a few more lesson?
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| I enjoyed Wengen in that respect, though I have read several times on SH the word ‘boring’ used to describe the skiing there (which, based on what I wrote above, I obviously disagree with). |
I'm a bit baffled as how you have such trouble coming to any logical conclusion between what you find "dangerous" and others find "boring"!
If you don't feel you enjoy black piste, don't go on it! You could find plenty of resorts with plenty of blues and reds. Some people have big houses, some people are perfectly content in a small flat. There's nothing wrong with either. But everything wrong for one to argue "what's the point" of the other!
Live and let live.
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| robinsrule wrote: |
| But I would much rather go down a slope and rack up the miles going at whatever speed I felt comfortable with (and could control) than warily edge side to side down a black, killing my knees in the process. |
You must have seen people who don't do that, nor ski them like they're in a downhill race - but who turn smoothly, completely in control, down a fairly narrow corridor. You too could do that, but you may need to invest in more lessons.
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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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There are less piste users on a black run so it is good for selfish skiers/boarders who want/need more space.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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i learned in St. Anton that steep & challenging generally means moguls after 11am, i for one hate the damned things...a necessary evil! You get down them but its hardly fun is it?
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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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robinsrule, Schladming and Saalbach Hinterglemm are a cruisers paradise, excellent "time on lift/time on piste" ratios...
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What's the point in pistes at all? Except for flat bits where trudging through off piste stuff would be no fun at all.
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You know it makes sense.
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| shiva_71 wrote: |
| i learned in St. Anton that steep & challenging generally means moguls after 11am, i for one hate the damned things...a necessary evil! You get down them but its hardly fun is it? |
It's all part of the rich tapestry that is skiing. Keep going and you'll learn to love all of it. 
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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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| Quote: |
Keep going and you'll learn to love all of it.
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Even the "putting on ski boots with a cracking cheap schnapps hangover" bit? 
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Poster: A snowHead
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shiva_71, bumps are the best thing. A good line of bumps is a joy and thing of beauty.
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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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under a new name, A mogulled black run is a bit of a challenge to me... someday I'll manage to keep zipping the straight line down 
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| shiva_71 wrote: |
| robinsrule, Schladming and Saalbach Hinterglemm are a cruisers paradise, excellent "time on lift/time on piste" ratios... |
I "cruised" from Planai (golden jet) to summit of hauser kaibling and back today and rarely required a piste, most the time I had the off piste to myself. Let them cruise their piste.
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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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geepee, happy birthday !! Hope you get to enjoy it . Hope to see you soon
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robinsrule, A few more weeks under your belt and a few lessons, you may find you actively stay on the blacks and off, or 'between' piste, seeking steeps and bumps. TBO cruising reds gets boring after a while. I'd much rather take an hour (or more) getting down a tricky un-pisted black, say, than bombing down a red in three minutes to another lift queue...?
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Are you there for skiing or partying ? I know what I'm there for and it's not for losing any skiing opportunities due to over indulging. I enjoy a few beers but skiing rules.
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Yup skiing! Had my fair share of time missed from over indugling in the pleasantries of Weissbeer but not for many years now...youre right, its far too precious to waste!
One wonders how many people on the piste are still p1ssed...a dozen beers with JMs, then a few hours kip youre still gonna be over the limit! I met a lad in St. Anton whod gone to Mooserwirt at 15.00 on his first day, got wasted, fell on and broke a beer glass and cut his had to ribbons! No way he could ski for the rest of the week. Great holiday huh? Happybirthday btw!
Oh and bumps SUCK, end of.
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shiva_71, bumps are good, they make life more interesting. Steep is better though (although I've never skiied anything really really steep so might change my mind about that in the future), I quite like the feeling that you could fall off.
Black runs are usually easier than blue/red slopes of death, which usually have a million people eratically snowploughing down them, most of whom shouldn't even be allowed on a lift, let alone a ski run, because they've never bothered to learn to ski properly and therefore see fit to endanger everyone on the piste. Fewer people seem to choose black runs when there's a choice of runs home, so the snow is often much better at the end of the day.
geepee, happy birthday. Hope the Limbo isn't set to last too long, I'm in a similar place...
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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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shiva_71,
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Oh and bumps SUCK, end of.
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You are so wrong, end of.
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I like bumps, just takes a while to know what to do with them...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Geepee, you just need a bigger livere
Just back from the Hoff partied hard, was on the first lift every morning.
Cue comments of "Well, I skinned up at 6am to watch the sunrise from the Schneenkar" (Been there, done that, but didn't skin up)
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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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I actually don't mind bumps, it's the very steep icy stuff that I'm most wary of.
I don't envisage getting tired of red runs because I don't ski often enough too, but I don't mind the occasional reddish black with a few bumps here and there.
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robinsrule, First of all get some lessons and learn to ski, then get some more to learn to ski well, a few more after that you may be ready to actually ski a black, BTW side slipping down a black doesn't mean you've skied it, it basically means you got to the top and bottled it. Get some lessons, get some balls and ski one 
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You know it makes sense.
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Oh God, once again those grating, patronising tones from misguided piste bashers who enjoy descending mountains via the mess left behind by other people. 
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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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| Quote: |
Time for a bit of controversy… Just what is the point of black slopes? I have snowed for a total of 12 days in my life, a couple of days in Turkey where I first went 3 years ago, four days in Zermatt (incredible), and five days in Wengen (also a great place). In a couple of weeks I head off with a group of friends to Meribel.
I would now describe myself as an intermediate skier, competent on blues and most reds, and capable of getting down the blacks which I have come across
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Then you are not an intermediate skier. Intermediate means you are in the middle of your skiing 'education,' by definition. All the varieties of offpiste, (proper) race course, bumps etc account for at least 50% of skiing, so in my view you are not an intermediate untill you can actually ski blacks fairly well. That means skiing btw, not just surviving them. For some reason most Brits seem to have a different idea of what level intermediate or 'good' is compared to most of the rest of Europe though.
Last edited by Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name: on Sat 13-02-10 23:21; edited 1 time in total
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Poster: A snowHead
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| clarky999 wrote: |
| Intermediate means you are in the iddle of your skiing 'education,' by definition |
How on earth would you know when that is? You'd have to be at the end to know when the middle was
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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 there certainly wouldn't be much point in black pistes if folk who have only done a few days skiing could happily ski down them properly.
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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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robinsrule, would just ad "un" before "groomed motorways". Is there a better feeling than this?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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maggi, 
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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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bobinch, No!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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A while back - say about 15 years ago, I'd have happily and accurately declared that I was "middle aged". That would have remained the case (in popular parlance) even if I had been destined to die 14 years ago. bobinch, good point, well made. Until you've learnt a lot, you can't hope to do that.....
A skier who gives up after three days (as many do) wasn't an "intermediate" on day 2 and "expert" on day 3. Intermediate means half way through what a serious recreational skier might hope to learn in a skiing lifetime. I reckon that's where I am, but it's taken many years, including about 48 weeks in the last 7 years and a very expensive lot of lessons. Some people, of course, will get there far quicker than I have.
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How on earth would you know when that is? You'd have to be at the end to know when the middle was
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It's fairly irrelevant if you know when it is lol, that doesn't change the level! Also the 'end' of the scale (ie. what is possible on skis) is frequently displayed in the media, whether magazines, youtube or good ol' Ski Sunday on the BBC. As a guide, to be an intermediate (ie in the middle of what is possible skiing-wise) you should be comfortable and competent skiing (properly) on any piste. I would suggest that it would take maybe 10 weeks or so for most people to get to this level.
Last edited by After all it is free  on Sat 13-02-10 23:21; edited 1 time in total
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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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