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Hand signals?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Just wondering if it's just me that does the occasional hand signal on busy pistes, e.g. to indicate I'm departing from an 'S' descent on one side of the piste to a traverse over to the other side in order to take an exit (coffee stop) or fork off?

Theoretically I don't have to worry about people behind me, but in practice I do. If some fast straight lining skier intends to overtake me and has expected me to continue my fast S'ing, then I'd rather alert them to my intended change in boarding pattern than rely upon them not making assumptions.

You do get the occasional edge hugging straight liner and I'd just hate to veer off piste only to collide with them (cos they didn't expect me to veer off).

I don't know if it makes any difference, but I'm a high speed boarder (alpine & long powder boards) so I don't always have time to look behind me up slope when I realise I'm about to miss a necessary junction or group stop. Sticking my arm out to indicate I'm heading sharply in that direction seems to me to be better than not doing so.

Anyone else do this sort of thing?

Good idea? Bad idea?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
crosbie, guilty as charged Embarassed but if I'm rockin'on I tend to keep my turns a bit shorter and slow before turning off.
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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?
Masque, sure, always better to make manoeuvres a little more considered than impromptu.

The next question is: do you think skiers or anyone else about to overtake would recognise a boarder's hand signal and react accordingly?
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Ummmm . . . I'm not sure when it was the last time I was overtaken Twisted Evil but probably not unless the boarder had eye contact with the skier. It's a perennial problem that many if not most skiers and boarders tend to look short at the snow and not at their surroundings. I've lost count of the number of near-misses that conclude with 'sorry I didn't see you'
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
One also needs an "I'm about to put on the brakes" sign. I've been whizzing down the side of a black run with some other chappie, and unbenknownst to us we've defined that side of the piste as an expert zone and have picked up a following of skiers on to a good thing (or perhaps a few skiers offended that boarders are outpacing 'em), so when we put the brakes on, all the 3 or 4 skiers behind us have to do an emergency stop, indignant that we actually had the gall to come to a halt on a black run. Which I guess, isn't exactly cricket, but hey, we needed to stop. Confused

Is there a hand signal for "Anyone following me had better get ready because I'm about to slam the anchors on"? I suspect it's a hand stuck straight up in the air, as if to call a halt to the posse. wink
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crosbie, As a skier I think your suggestion of hand signals has some merit, (always recognising of course that it's a purely voluntary aid on your part to uphill users, whose responsibility it remains to avoid you). If the piste is sufficiently crowded then when I'm about to make a wider radius telemark turn I'll sometimes stick my arm out in that direction a second or two before starting the turn, in the hope that anyone above may get some prior notice of my intention.
Of course there are other hand signals available (which use either one or two fingers!) Toofy Grin
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Everyone should do this..

I usually look up even though its the uphill persons responsibility, and then adjust my course acordingly

here is a quote from an old post(from me)

Quote:
Fast skiers should not only take note of downhill and side to side but have a general awareness of what is behind them and not leave it to someone with no brains to abide by the piste code. By this I mean when skiing fast and in control remain predictable. if you are carving a 10 meter wide track do not throw a random 30m carve across the slope because you feel like it. It is the responsibility of the uphill skier but give them a chance. If you decide to change to full width carving take note of anyone behind who you may intersect with.
[/quote]
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Alastair Pink, finger signals! Laughing

Yeah, I was wondering if skiers did signals, tho having sticks in their hands I assumed they'd be too busy using them for something else than signalling. I guess snow bladers might signal.

Interesting to hear a telemarker signals - I suppose they aren't your common or garden 'highly predictable skier'. wink

daehwons, yup, always wise to keep an eye on the uphill skiers. Sometimes one's being tailed by a zigzagger, and it seems only fair to let them know that perhaps they should zig-zig cos I'm about to zag off piste.
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Sometimes I like to dance when riding, does this mean I'm now banned as I might be unwittingly signalling an intention to turn to someone behind me?

What about all the boarders you see flinging their arms around with the rest of their upper body, someone needs to warn them stat.
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Swirly, it should be pretty obvious when a dancing or spastic boarder is whizzing down the piste at high speed - vs a restrained or controlled one.

I think we can safely say that if a boarder is flailing their arms all over the place whilst descending at high speed that this signals "HAZARD! I AM EITHER OUT OF CONTROL, CRAZY, A DANCING MANIAC, EVADING AN AVALANCHE, OR ATTEMPTING TO ATTRACT ATTENTION!"
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Was in lesson 1 for me, point in your intended direction if you intend to break out of your heel-toe rhythm and crossing your arms behind your back when you're going to stop (in front if it's a toe edge stop). Still do it today.

Swirly, that dance has got to be upper body only, so i'm going to assume that you're dancing the "Prince Charming" down the hill. Plus standard "This means nothing without pictures" and network operator charges apply.
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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.
Richard_Sideways, I always thought 'arms crossed behind back' signalled "I am an ESF instructor / I have such perfect balance that my arms are redundant".
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Nah the standard ESF is lead hand gesticulating wildly at people percieved as in their way/prrreeetty laydeeez/ or adjusting their hair. The trailing arm is either held downwards cupped around a Gaulouises, or left dangling when said Gaulouises is balanced on lower lip.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I did this in Tignes last week and it made no difference, especially on Mad Sunday.

My wife came up with a great signal. It was to head towards the speed safety fencing at the bottom of Santons, at over 60mph and then crank over a la Tomba to lose 30+mph.

Everyone got well out of her way... as she crashed into the fencing.

I had a massive row with a Frenchman who had wiped out a very young child skier, over New Year. The kid must have flown 20 feet through the air and into the family group he was attempting to re-join. Henri insisted it was the child's fault as the lad had cut across him whilst he was practising for the next World Cup event, on Palafour. I was asked by wifey not to get involved but I had to berate the bloke who was now arguing with the families.

I'm guessing that anything will help but some people will still smash into you, no matter what.

Helmet thread, anyone?
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
I kind of tend to signal if I'm crossing a piste, rather than heading straight down it, and I tend to signal to those below who look worried as I hurtle down. Just to remember that in Scotland, a board tends to make a lot of noise turning on the ice, and it scares the bejezuz out of learners below.

Of course, with my standard of boarding, and pointing tends to be more of a "wish list" than a real indication where the board will finish up..

Just watched the skiing in a video on another thread, made me wonder, am I the only one who growls and hollers to make turns on ice? I find it helps..

Strax
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
i always signal and i always get told off by my teenage kids, its not cool they say ,well i didnt think i looked cool on the hills anyway,
just doing my thing
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Richard_Sideways, generally more of a hand jive kind of thing going on, sometimes I bend my knees with it to. I'd chuck in some 180s but lose too much speed.

I do the hands behind the back thing at times and that's definitely a case of:

"look at me, I have such perfect balance that my arms are redundant and I'm better than you".

its probably a good drill too though, if you can do that down a steep red you've definitely got good heel-toe weight transfer going on.
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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?
It's all about self preservation as well as respect to others on busy slopes, so signalling can only be a good thing. If you feel (as I do) that signalling may prevent an accident, why not do it
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I've often thought about starting a thread asking if others (like myself) give a hand signal, but as I've never seen anyone else do it, I thought I'd be considered a bit of a back bottom. Good to see others do actually signal too. I just kinda point in the intended direction, and not a full-arm-out-at-90degrees-like-a-cyclist type thing.

EDIT: Hey, I didn't say 'Back Bottom', I said 'A R S E'. lol ....
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Sporty, I think it has to be noticeable rather than just covertly sticking a pinkie out as if to a following bodyguard. Stick your arm out like a cyclist and be proud! snowHead

It is a likely violation of an author's moral right to the integrity of their works if their post is bowdlerised, e.g. to change 4RSE to a synonym. In any case I think back bottom is a euphemism for 4NUS, not 4RSE. Trouble is, now if I mention fr0nt b0ttom, people will think I've said a word I rarely use.
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Perhaps this is the answer as to why people in other threads suggest that boarders are a talentless bunch, they've mistaking a large amount of signalling as frantic arm flapping... wink
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Richard_Sideways, if only skiers didn't assume boarders would continue in a regular descent, we wouldn't have to consider pointing out to fast skiers above that their assumptions may need checking. NehNeh

At least boarders know well to expect other boarders to do the unexpected. Blush
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Pfft. for regular decent read BORING - gotta jazz it up a bit crosbie, maybe thats another hand sign, Jazz-hands! Meaning 'Caution - doing some freaky improv here, it's taking me strange new places and may damn near blow your mind man! Yeah!'
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Richard_Sideways, Laughing

Jazz hands! love it.

excellent.
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The only hand signal i use that skiers understand is the middle finger after they have just cut me up (Obviously after i have just screamed past them and cut them up). I know its wrong, I bow my head in shame, but I am a courteous rider and hate it when others are not. Hopefully by actions will make them realise that being cut up is not fun Blush
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
you must be kidding
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