Awful story about the French guy. I hope he survives...
We were skiing near there this morning, horrible to think something like that happened.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Pretty grim story Steve!
We witnessed a pretty bad accident in the bum-boarding area at the nursery slope on Saturday. Young girl had head and neck injuries and I had to ski off to alert patrol whilst my wife held her head steady...
Play safe everyone!
Had a great week and got beautiful powder, including on sache, on Friday morning.
Not too impressed with Esprit this time around though.
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?
Quote:
I had to ski off to alert patrol
If you have a phone, isn't it quicker to telephone them?
shoogly, care to expand? I'm off with Esprit this Sunday.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Winter returns
Yes I think that news article is the person in question from yesterday... I went to see the pisteurs this evening to ask after him (before I saw this article) and they were sceptical about his chances - fingers crossed he does pull through.
It is a grim story but I was just doing what I would hope anyone would do if it were me lying there. Your story shoogly sounds nasty too!
Anyway as forecast it was snow and more snow pretty much all day. This evening things have once again moved in very intensely!
My American family this morning lucked out as there was just enough vis to get good skiing in up the mountain AND there must have been a good 30cm of snow around up top.... conditions were awesome - back to mid wintery conditions.
Young Jack loving the Familial
So we found good snow pretty much everywhere up Bellevarde side.... when the clouds lifted a little it was even better. I made up some of the 'missed' time from yesterdays lesson and had a quick turn around for lunch.
The afternoon was spent with a fellow SH and his wife (not even sure what his name is here on SH's - but there you go). We did some general technique work then some work to help out when the snow (as it was) gets very cut up. We finished with a great little jolly down the Vallee Perdue.... a fun little trip down the mountain.
This evening I have been clearing out some emails and I also caught up in town with some people I am taking off piste tomorrow - I needed to find out what their experience was before I could plan tomorrows session (which I have now done). I also needed to pop into our chalet to get the dongle set up for them.
Another 20-30cm snow overnight - all the way down the valley to Bourg too. Looks set to continue this morning but brightening up this pm.
Three 'key' indicators on the avalanche bullseye principle:
Snow: Lots of it in a short'ish time over last 38 hours - pretty much non stop snow since Sunday morning.
Wind: High and also gusting winds with varying directions building on already cross-loaded slopes
Temperature: Last few days relatively stable a few deg under but solar warming from the sun if clouds clear could change that
...... all those things combine to make it very unpredictable out there.... likelihood of lots of small category 2 / possibly 3, slides today would be my forecast.
STAY SAFE
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Thanks for the great lesson on Monday afternoon, Steve. Just those few little tips and excercises made a big difference for both of us today when we could finally see where we were going. We kept saying to each other how much it helped. We had great fun going down the Vallee Perdue too and even that helped improve some skills.It was so nice to have some sun today and headed over to Pisscillas in the morning. We couldn't believe how deep the snow was in places. The Cascade red was thigh deep and virtually untouched. Going up on the Borsat lift this afternoon when it finally opened, the whole area was completly untracked except for a single boarder stuck in snow up to his knees on the Borsat green. Looking forward to the rest of the week.Happy days![/code]
After all it is free
After all it is free
sno trax - Glad you had fun and glad I was of assistance - it was great snow wasn't it.... not sure we are going to have much more wall to wall sunshine this week!
RUSSIAN ROULETTE
It was always going to be a difficult day in terms of avalanche danger / prediction and staggered openings. Even though I say so myself I was right about that and there were indeed slides happening left right and centre. From early doors right through to mid afternoon avalanche clearing was taking place by the pisteurs. In the morning the clouds cleared relatively quickly and the winds dropped and it took until about 9.30 before any lifts starting moving to get us up the mountain. I was starting the first of three days of a Discovery clinic with 4 lovely people.... all with very different backgrounds.... one a school teacher from Australia (now moved back to the UK) and another a farmers wife from Shropshire - you sure do meet all sorts in this job.
The pisteurs had a LOT of clearance to do and they have to be so careful as as soon as they open a lift like the Olympic, even though something like the Face may be kept closed for avalanche clearance we all know that people ignore signposts and ski closed runs etc. Anyway even with the limited openings we enjoyed some of the BEST CONDITIONS OF THE SEASON. All around us we could see pisteurs doing their thing and coming back up the Marmottes lift you could see why things take time to open.
A gasex triggered slide which could of endangered both piste and people which needed to be blasted as soon as possible.
Other lifts like Grand Pre and Borsat did not open until well into the afternoon.
I was about half way through my lesson and was just on the side of the Diebold piste standing giving some feedback when out of nowhere a boarder (sorry it was a boarder on this occasion - I am not boarder bashing here) took my legs from underneath me..... it was quite a violent hit but apart from a little whiplash all was OK. I was not best pleased so gave a piece of my mind to an apologetic Frenchman. The problem is that people go crazy as soon as a powder day arrives, common sense goes out the window and to make matters worse people cannot ski / snowboard as well in fresh snow but think they can..... all in all it gets pretty lethal out there.
By lunchtime as the tracks next to the piste were getting tracked out we had the usual phenonomen (sp?) - people traversing further and further from the piste to get the good snow. It is now when things get VERY dangerous. I PERSONALLY saw one person caught in two slides..... skiing the East Face of the Charvet - you have to be TOTALLY nuts to go there on a day like yesterday!
East Face of the Charvet centre of shot - difficult to see but two people skiing it and a slide triggered in the centre of the picture.
Henry from HAT has a GREAT video showing something similar on another face....... in his particular case he thinks he counted 5 slabs that had released.
I know of a couple of seasonnaires who were caught in the 'mine' aka Chemin des Coves which is an extension of Super Spatule / Cairn..... OK but a busted leg (not quite broken but damaged!).
A mountain guide reports finding two chalet girls with no gear partially buried in the guts of the Grand Vallon and another guide found tracks (but no sign of transceiver signal and no person reported missing so assumed all OK) near a very large slab on the dangerous Grand Torsai part of the lower Col Pers / Vallonet.
In short LOTS of natural and skier triggered slides on ALL aspects yesterday but thankfully all clear on the serious injury / death front!
In the afternoon a number of us had off piste sessions - a lot of chat amongst us at lunchtime to share knowledge of what was happening around the resort proved invaluable. I had a group of 6 early 20 something girls and guys who wanted an intro to off piste. Fine but tough for them in warming and therefore getting heavier powder snow and plenty of it. Anyway we kept it super safe and I taught them mainly about safety off piste which I think they found fascinating. The final descent was the Super L where we found some lovely (although pretty cut up snow) powder.
I think I mentioned it the other week but there had been a large scale rescue in the Vallee Perdue the other week of a 16 year old girl who had broken her leg. They had to get the chopper in to hover to winch her out... again some pretty nifty work by the pisteurs.
Thanks to Radio Val for that picture
No update on the guy from Sunday by the way - as far as I know he is still in a Coma in Grenoble hospital!
We had a quick ski school meeting after skiing last night then it was a trip to the Blue Note for a few beers - bumped into Piccadilly in there - good to meet you briefly! Then came home and promptly fell asleep on the sofa.... hence writing this morning.
MORNING UPDATE - no fresh snow overnight but looks like it will snow again later today.
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.
Sorry to hear of your hit Steve, but you were right, it was a bit crazy out there yesterday.
One of our group was nearly hit in the morning up on Pisscillas by a skier crossing back onto the piste in front or her at speed. A second or two later it would have been a nasty accident.
Kellie was actually hit by a different skier coming back onto a piste up on Pisscillas as well. Fortunately nothing serious but has sore neck and shoulder after being sent flying.
Let's hope people stay a bit calmer today.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
This weather really does not know what to do
Initially the weather was a little overcast... but deteriorated as the day went on.... it was driving snow by about 4pm up the mountain.
Anyway as you can see there had been a problem with one of the winch-cats on the Face overnight - it was stuck right in the middle of the piste (see photo)
They were a little late opening the Face as they needed to remove the basher and more importantly the winch cable had to be removed before anyone decapitated themselves skiing down.
I headed towards the Val glacier in the morning and the snow was AMAZING and there was no-one up there - it was brilliant.
I had the final session with my seasonnaires this afternoon and we had a great time. Since they started as complete beginners only at the start of the season I was pretty happy that they were good enough to ski the Face this afternoon.... and they didn't let me down - skiing in control the whole way. We then headed over to Tignes to try and see the X Games which started today... but they were just between sessions when we got there unfortunately so did not see any competition.
We finished off with a great fun and in great condition Vallee Perdue which they loved!
There were several more accidental triggering of avalanches across the resort today (and some natural ones too) but no serious injuries.... most of the incidents involved seasonnaires in locations that they had been to previously and therefore (mistakenly) thought would be safe.
This evening I have caught up on some jobs at home and watched as the wind has picked up. The weather is supposed to be a little up and down (more up than down though) over the next few days but I think it could be quite sunny tomorrow.
On the board in the morning tomorrow and then last of 3 days of the clinic... can't believe we only have a few weeks left of the season - eek!
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Quote:
can't believe we only have a few weeks left of the season - eek!
come on Steve, it's not that bad. we have more than a month even in Les Saisies!
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.
Not planned!
Once again am late in penning this - there was a fun TDC freeride clinic yesterday afternoon and then prize-giving and drinks in Blue Note which Clare and I attended - we ended up going for an impromptu TDC meal at the Lodge and a few more drinks - so never really came home in time to do the blog.
Anyway it was a lovely day yesterday - with fresh snow (about 10cm)all over the place. I had my board on in the morning and even a piste such as Arcelle allowed us to lay our own lines down.
It was a great morning all round.
The afternoon was spent finishing my Discovery clinic off and then it was out for drinks.
Will write more this afternoon I promise.
However looks like another lovely sunny day in Val this morning.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
WONDERFUL NEWS
A very big congratulations to Gav Paley who finally passed his Eurotest today. He has had quite a Winter after passing his tech earlier in the Winter. Some of you may have come across Gav, he runs the Oxygene rental shop and used to be a stagiere with Oxygene before his 4 years as a stagiere run out a few years back. So he has been on the chase for the tech and Eurotest for a number of years and finally after all those attempts he pulled it out the bag. Gav's wife, Lou, runs the Bonne Sante physio practice in town and the two of them are amongst our closet friends in town so we are so happy for them both. It will be GREAT to see Gav back teaching next season (the paperwork will take a few months to go through) as he really is a gifted instructor. So we shall have a drink with them later this evening after he has driven back from Austria where his Eurotest was today! It also goes to show that you can pass the tech and Eurotest in your 40's as he is nearly 42 himself!
The X-Games were once again in full swing today and I swung that way with my morning private lesson, a mixed ski and snowboarder group who wanted a bit of a tour of the area complete with a few tips here and there. We saw some pretty good stuff from the Lanches chair as we went overhead. The weather was a little overcast at time today but in general has been warm and sunny.
Thought I would post just a couple of pics I have received of the heli trip from last week when I took the seasonnaires to the Lac du Chevril via Mickeys Ears and back again via the chopper:
Yours truly gets the bum job of being first in!
Awesome snow en-route.
Waiting for the chopper
Back towards Val....
The chopper leaves.
Sorry folks for making you jealous but thought you might like to see those pics.
Anyway back to today.... the weather is starting to move back in and we are expecting some snow showers over the next few days (but probably nothing too serious). Lets hope that we get snow and not just flat light!
Clare and I have had the afternoon off and have had some (well-earned (even if I do say so myself)) down time..... it is pretty much the first time either of us have had any free time to ourself in the last few weeks and we are not likely to get much time to ourselves for the next few weeks over the Easter hols when it will be flat out work-wise!
We are awaiting the arrival of a friend our ours who lives in Geneva and Clare used to be a YSE chalet girl with. She is coming up for the weekend and staying on our sofa. Her father is in town this week and as a thank you for allowing his daughter to stay with us (again) he is treating Clare and I (as well as Caty) to dinner on him this evening.... yum yum. We shall then be having a drink to celebrate Gav's success when he gets back from Austria.
Transfer day tomorrow and it will be another early start as they are expecting some very heavy traffic in both directions on the road.... at least I am picking up from Bourg on the way back so don't have to hang around at Geneva as the main roads get heavy.......
Finally for today I thought I would share a photo with you all that I took yesterday but forgot to share (as I was short on time this morning).
It may seem obvious to many / all of you but you can get a pretty good idea as to conditions in terms of avalanche danger just by observing from lifts etc. In that photo above you can tell that the wind has been coming left to right as you look. On the lee of each ridge you can see smooth and deeper snow whereas on the wind facing left hand side as you look you can see the old exposed tracks of snow. This will tell you where there is likely to be wind slab. The angle of slope here is not QUITE steep enough to avalanche but if it were you would approach the infilled gullies with caution and check the slab density, depth etc before even considering skiing it.
Anyway folks that's all from me for today..... should be able to post tomorrow evening when I get back from the transfer - we shall see.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
NO HOT WATER
Sorry for not posting yesterday - transfer day was rather long - will explain more in a moment...... when I got back I spent most of the evening trying (in vain) to work out why our hot water was not working - have just called the plumber in who is coming tomorrow after skiing.... hopefully it will be working soon. Thanks to our neighbours (Matt and Emma from the Blue Note) for offering us use of their shower whilst we fix the problem!
Anyway transfer day yesterday was relatively painless from the point of view of time spent in the car. We left early and I thought the weather was going to be pretty horrible all the way to Geneva and indeed we had a few drops of rain but all in all it was pretty nice most of the way there and back. I left early and was able to drop off before 11am (after AGES trying to find a parking spot (worse than usual) at the departures area). I still do not know why they have decided to close the arrivals parking for the WINTER when the airport is busier in the Winter months. It means that the parking is a nightmare at Geneva Airport this Winter.... ho hum. I took a photo of what the arrivals parking now looks like this Winter at Geneva... one massive taxi waiting area.
Anyway I got back to Bourg, did a big food shop, cleaned the car then picked up our incomings from the Eurostar day service and made it back up to Val by about 8pm..... just in time for dinner and then to start to try and work out the plumbing.
I was counting my lucky stars as at about 2pm when I was coming from Moutiers towards Bourg I could see the traffic on the other side of the road stacking all the way back from Seez (the Val side of Bourg) all the way to Moutiers and the Tunnel des Siaux - crazy! Hope anyone who was in that queue was not to badly affected!
Could I just say a thank you to sno trax who left at the office a very nice bottle of bubbles as a thank you present for the lesson I gave them earlier in the week - very grateful to you.... thank you. Maybe ill open that when the plumbing is fixed!
Anyway todays blog to follow later this evening.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Back home exhausted after an amazing week. The snow has been fantastic, there is just tons of it! Unless there's a huge thaw, the great conditions should last for a long time yet. I've never skied the Face in such good snow.
Anyone out there this week is in for an awesome time.
Steve Angus, great to finally meet you and Clare! I bumped into her on the bus the following day as well. Hope your clients didn't mind me butting in!!
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Piccadilly - glad Val surpassed expectations.... yes I think the snow should continue for a very long time yet! Great to meet you too... I was not actually with clients - work colleagues in actual fact!
A WELCOME AFTERNOON OFF - next time I get one of those it will probably be several afternoons off in a row as the season winds down.
So yes this morning I took our chalet guests out for their free lesson and showed them around. They are a super nice family from Bedfordshire.... the twin girls (12) are really nice and they had a lot of fun learning how to spin 360 on their skis and linking them together (via poles) to make twirly birds.... much fun was had by all!
Anyway the afternoon was spent relaxing, watching tv, doing this blog, clearing emails, calling the parents etc.... Just been out for our evening French lesson which was productive.
This week will be a long and tiring week work wise with 4 hour sessions in the morning and then 3 hour afternoon sessions..... 7 hour days sucks it out of you but I am looking forward to it as I have a couple of kids in the morning and then again in the afternoon 2 more kids.... hopefully it will be fun.
Anyway folks the main thing I am looking forward to is getting our hot water back - the plumber is coming tomorrow after skiing - fingers crossed it is an easy fix.
Weather wise looks like it will remain grey, overcast with lowish winds and perhaps the odd spot of snow - we shall see.
Fairly flat light and grey conditions up on the Grand Pre this morning but there was hardly anyone around which was nice - tomorrow could be very different.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Enjoyed last weeks blogs, thanks, snow seems fantastic for this time of year. I was just thinking how much your going to enjoy a lie in on a Saturday come May. Do you feel like a Saturday is your hardest day or do you enjoy the change of scenery?
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?
YES A DREADFUL PHOTO..... but it really sums up the view today.... not a lot.
First to answer Chris ski H - yep can't wait for any sort of a lie in.... two or three a season are just not enough! Saturday is for sure a different day..... I don't particularly hate the early starts and I certainly don't mind driving for long periods of time - I find it quite therapeutic.... however what I do hate is sitting in jams, wasting time needlessly.... but I do enjoy being out of boots for a day and it being a change of scenery for sure. THE SNOW - heck it is good for this time of year.... and it is snowing lightly out there once again this evening.
Anyway today (as the photo shows) was 'average' to put it mildly weather wise..... there was dense cloud / fog just hanging around the top of the mountains.
In the morning I had a couple of young friends (aged 7 and and they had both skied a few times before. I have them for 4 hours and the one 20 minute break in the middle of the lesson was just not enough for them as they flagged quite a lot in the last hour - tomorrow I think it will be 2 shorter breaks in the 4 hours. Nice kids and some improvements were made.
In the afternoon I took DELIGHTFUL 10 and 13 year old brother and sister from Singapore out. It had been many years since they last skied (when they were living in London - much closer to the Alps). Now in Singapore they don't get skiing as much - in fact they don't get 'cold' temperatures very often at all! Anyway they were such nice kids they really were and again - like the morning lot, it was greens and blues all the way with some fun games thrown in.... once again like the morning some good changes are starting to come through.
Hopefully the weather will be a little better tomorrow - but not expecting anything dramatic for the next week or so....... hmmmm most definitely not Spring like at all.
I arrived home just as the plumber was completing his fixing of the boiler - simple thermostat problem apparently which was good news - looking forward to a nice hot bath in a little while.
Clare is busy finishing the preparation for a dinner party we are hosting tomorrow night and has just pulled an amazing cheesecake out the oven - roll on tomorrow evening is all I can say!
Weather wise it exactly the same as Monday - depressingly cloudy / foggy BUT with a little bit of snow falling. I had the same kids in the morning as yesterday and some further progress was made...............
......... as an aside I find getting kids up until about 13 years of age (after 13 bio-mechanically it gets much easier for them) from a 'pizza' shape into parallel one of the hardest and most frustrating elements of the job. The problem is having their feet wider than their hips (compared to adults) is a much stronger position for them to be in and they feel more balanced and in control and at the end of the day a more robust position. They also don't 'care' about technique one little bit - it is ALL about fun, jumps etc etc etc.... whereas parents are normally the other way around......... "my kid must ski parallel as that makes them a better skier" approach. So teasing them into a narrower stance is like trying to get blood out of a stone.
Anyway even though the weather was dodgy the piste conditions are great..... and people don't seem to see the benefit to their technique of skiing in poor weather.... but it certainly makes people ski slower which in itself improves technique.
Anyway in the afternoon I was skiing with some VERY long term clients of TDC..... as a family they have had several hundred private lessons over the years and (even though I do say so myself) as a school we have made them jolly good skier. So I had the two youngest (10 and 7) today and bombed around every at pretty high speeds. The kids really got stuck into their backwards parallels amongst other things we worked on.
I forgot to say that I bumped in Dan Egan one of my childhood heroes in the Ouillette restaurant the other afternoon when I was teaching the kids.... I have met him in Val before (he comes out here each Winter to do off piste training courses in association with HAT) but it is always cool to see one of the best skiers of all times......... and he was hucking cliffs etc etc etc on 2 metre +++++ skinny skis in those early 1990's hot-dogging days - PROPER skiing - he he! http://www.totalheliski.com/heliski-legends/dan-egan/
We had a LOVELY dinner party last night - Clare really put on a magnificent feast.
We awoke this morning to blue skies..... better get out there!
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
As an instructor I can sympathise with your frustrations at wide-stanced children. As a parent I can sympathise with them too, even though I try to avoid being like that with my own children. But I reckon the kids have it right: it should be all about fun, jumps, etc! In my very limited experience getting them to move on mainly comes from a bit of speed, confidence to commit to the outside ski, and just hours of practice, but if you have any suggestions (from your far, far, more extensive experience) for how to help kids who are stuck in that rut I'd be very interested.
Well for those who are here for a weeks holiday.... you got THE best day of the week. It was glorious wall to wall sunshine...
...the rest of the week (past and looking forward) it supposed to be grey and snowy as we have already been subjected to this week...... today was typical Spring like weather.... the rest not so much!
So my morning kids were about 15 mins late this morning and by the time they arrived there was a MASSIVE queue for the Olympic.... all good for the ski school line ehh! We covered a lot of ground up the Bellevarde side this morning and they are loving the Acticross as well as the natural half pipe and the skiercross course. I dropped them off with mums and dad to have lunch at the Fruitiere -nice day for sitting outside there!
As predicted being a lovely day in the mountains there were idiots skiing recklessly and too fast everywhere..... as soon as the sun comes out people seem to go crazy. Admittedly there was a little fresh snow (10cm perhaps) about so conditions were perfect but on piste was crazy too!
The afternoon was more wall to wall sunshine and the kids in the afternoon are coming on so quickly..... they did the Moraine red and then the Mangard all the way to the bottom of the Fornet (no mean feat) so mum and dad are happy!
Thought I would share the following video with you all..... it is the official promo video filmed when we had the corporate group (it was Red Bull I can now reveal) out here the other week.... I do appear a few times for a second (literally) here and there.
After skiing a few of us from TDC got together to discuss a couple of promotions we are trying to put together as a school to encourage some late season business since Easter is early this year there is little work around from mid April onwards. We have come up with a 5 day clinic special as well as a few seasonnaire specials too..... now must work out the ad wording before hitting the sack - I am SO tired this evening - could not stop yawning today and had a snooze when I got in this evening too!
Stay tuned for reports from the snowy blizzard conditions we are expecting tomorrow!
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Steve Angus wrote:
GROUNDHOG DAY!
Weather wise it exactly the same as Monday - depressingly cloudy / foggy BUT with a little bit of snow falling. I had the same kids in the morning as yesterday and some further progress was made...............
......... as an aside I find getting kids up until about 13 years of age (after 13 bio-mechanically it gets much easier for them) from a 'pizza' shape into parallel one of the hardest and most frustrating elements of the job. The problem is having their feet wider than their hips (compared to adults) is a much stronger position for them to be in and they feel more balanced and in control and at the end of the day a more robust position. They also don't 'care' about technique one little bit - it is ALL about fun, jumps etc etc etc.... whereas parents are normally the other way around......... "my kid must ski parallel as that makes them a better skier" approach. So teasing them into a narrower stance is like trying to get blood out of a stone.
!
I am *so* glad you posted this, my soon to be 10 year old has a wider stance than John Wayne and ive been wondering what to try and do about it over this years Easter holiday
Any tips much appreciated....
After all it is free
After all it is free
After reading about Dan Egan, I thought you and some of the snow heads might be interested in this article on UKC. I never knew that extreme ski descents were graded for difficulty and objective danger. Hope you enjoy
http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=4839
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.
Hmmmmmm back to the grey skies, snow and white out conditions
Once again this morning it was back to very wintery conditions..... yesterday just teased us with the sun.
Even though the air temp seemed warmer today the dampness made it feel cold and by the end of the day my gloves etc were pretty wet and I have to admit I was very glad to get out of my ski gear and into 100% dry clothes.
The kids coped well in the conditions I must say but they are getting very tired.... 4 hours of lessons a day is tiring for us all. One of the parents mentioned the wide stance this morning and I said that I am working on it (more comments on that in a moment) but I must say actually getting them to ski on one ski this morning was very productive..... the kids rose to the challenge and actually did not mind falling over (more).... as a result of taking a ski off and it actually improved their ability to transfer weight onto the outside ski when we got two skis back on.
In the afternoon the other kids I am teaching coped with the damp very well and loved being taken through the trees at La Daille and had a whale of a time.... doing the 'half pipe' in zero vis was challenging for us all but they coped really well indeed! I am considering taking them down the Vallee Perdue tomorrow!
The talk of the town (apart from the snow and more snow that is falling - some 10-15 during the day today and a lot more forecast for tonight and into tomorrow) was that the DDJS were about today controlling on the slopes. For those that are not aware, sincere ski teaching is done on public land in France the government agency called the DDJS have remit over enforcing not only standards but enforcing who is operating on public land.... in much the same way that OFSTED can control a school, its teachers and policies etc etc. Anyway anyone teaching on 'their turf' must be suitably qualified AND registered UNLESS it is done in a non-professional (aka for no financial or benefit in kind gain) manner. So two officials sidelined by a policeman (that is usually (as was the case today) the way it is done) were roaming the slopes of Val d'Isere all day today. They have the right to ask anyone to show their official papers (Carte Pro) at any time and today it was Val's turn. I seem to have been lucky over the years and only been controlled once........ right (or wrong) place at the right time. Anyway Clare was controlled, a few other colleagues from various schools and the controlling took place all over the mountain. It certainly gets the heart rate going when it happens. It is a good thing as it enforces standards etc and keeps the slopes safer as you often see people teaching on the 'black' and it is only a matter of time before the law catches up with these people.
After skiing I popped to the cinema to catch a movie (Flight). It was the Version Originalle (so in English) and stars Denzel Washington - quite good actually!
So the weather tomorrow and for the next few days is supposed to carry on being fairly naff.... BUT AT LEAST THE SNOW IS GOOD AND SHALL CONTINUE TO BE SO!.
Thanks Chris ski H - very interesting read indeed. I especially like the bit:
Quote:
There's no nonsense, no posing in the bar, no blog, no sponsors, and no bull, just determination and skill....
..... quite.
So as far as getting kids into parallel kitenski and kieranm .... for a start patience is key. Secondly you must understand WHY a kid is in the snowplough and look at it objectively. Either the plough is there as they are too early in their skiing lives to develop anything else or it is a physchological thing (ie defensive as they think it is the only way to control themselves speed and direction wise) or it is terrain based.... the slope is too steep for them to technically handle so the plough comes out. Look closely - as they start the turn do they 'stem' out to slow down / control themselves...... terrain is too steep (that is USUALLY the reason for it). Do they say things along the lines of going to such and such a slope that is flatter (physchologically you need to build confidence). Look building turn shape into the equation.... through sweeping arcs the inside ski can often be made to come in parallel.... i.e. finishing the turns off..... add in a little speed as no-one (young or old) can turn parallel without a little speed UNLESS (and it is a very big 'unless') they are skillful (hence the reason why slow speed skiing is actually MUCH more technically hard to do than people think (speed masks technical errors 999/1000 times.
Practical things to do are to think of fun ways to get kids committing to the outside ski.... one legged skiing, lifting the inside ski during the turn..... who can ski the furtherest in a straight line on one ski. Also side-slipping forces skis parallel. I play a game called 'Spray Steve'.... all kids see and love the idea of the racers spraying loads of snow up in the air when they finish downhill races..... focuses them in on both feet turning together in a playful manner!
Above all make it fun, fun and more fun..... if the skis are parallel'ish then that is fine - stance width comes later on. Mix it up with fun stuff, drills and mileage and above all avoid the kids becoming obsessed with colour of run they are doing or the technical elements - they DONT CARE. As they get older, lactic acid develops in their teen years and snowploughing feels (consciously) less natural they will grow out of it little by little. The strength in their legs will warrant them being able to narrow their stance.
GOOD LUCK EVERYONE
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Thanks for the ideas Steve - much appreciated. I agree particularly with the point about patience - often much overlooked - and keeping it fun.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
ARGHHHH more of the same weather wise.
I am not going to talk anymore about the weather until it changes, least to say it is grey and snowing yet again.
With about 10cm of fresh on the pistes the morning was very tiring for the kids. I had hoped we could get towards the Fornet where it would be quieter but it did not work out that way.
I have to admit that I was quite glad when that booking ended as it was not the easiest of bookings but there you go!
Conversely the afternoon was full of fun and excitement as I took my afternoon kids over to Tignes which they loved despite the fierce winds at the top of the Toviere where we took refuge in the restaurant there (one of my favourite on the mountain):
We did a Vallee Perdue which once again was in great condition.
This evening I went to see Argo at the cinema which is very good and have just had a beer and a burger with some colleagues and resort friends.
I am turning in now as transfer day tomorrow will be a long one what with snow and the thousands of people on the road AND I will not be able to come up the valley early due to a late'ish flight time...... hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
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.
Image courtesy of Radio Val..... pretty snowy in the Espace Killy - people apparenty not putting chains etc on (despite being told to do so) which meant long traffic jams.
My day was fairly straightforward.... left early as was only picking up from Geneva..... watched a lot of rain falling as I sat in the car reading for a couple of hours!
It snowed so much today in resort that the avalanche level is up to 4 tomorrow! Incredible for this time of year.
The journey back up the mountain with the new guests was fine - I am looking forward to getting my Saturdays back in a few weeks time though!
I arrived back to be told by Clare that the hot water problem has returned so will have to finish up there as need to have another look at that before I call the plumber!
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
MORNING NEWS FLASH
Has been snowing hard all night here in town, way more up on the hill.
10cm in town and lots on the hill..... avalanche risk up to 4 today!
Photo courtesy of Radio Val d'Isere
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Wow! Looks great (apart from the avalanche risk). Can't wait to come out on 20th should be a great end of season even if it warms up a bit, plenty of snow down!
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
A very varied day in several ways
I spent the day on the nursery slopes and my day fell into four parts really. The weather on the hand was a tale of two halves.
It was snowing heavily most of the morning and my private am lesson was split into two parts with an 18 yr old girl and her mother together and it was a case of dusting off the cobwebs on the technique that had not been used for 8 years and by the end they were coming from the top of the Savonettes pretty confidently. After that I had a VERY (pretty much crying with fear at the start (I kid you not)) nervous lady and little by little I got her to the point where she could come from about a quarter the way up the slope controlling her speed as long as I skied backwards down the slope in case she lost control. Anyway tomorrow it should be better as long as she has gotten some practice this afternoon!
By lunchtime conditions had improved and the sun was starting to come out.... by the end of the day it was very sunny.
I took three Irish girls out snowboarding in afternoon. It was a case of kids who are overly excited about the cool prospect of snowboarding but not really wanting (or realising) that to learn a new sport they have to go right back to the beginning. Anyway they had had one lesson (they ski a lot in Val d'Isere) a few years back with someone and then had done several days of trying their luck on the board.... it was a case of trying to get rid of some AWFUL habits that were already forming and get some basics in place as well as manage their expectations.
RANT OF THE DAY.... You pay for what you get. The kids had hired some boards from a shoddy (IMO) hire shop in town that is part of a larger national chain..... I am not naming names here. Anyway along with their parents with all 10 of them hiring they had gotten a great deal. However when the kids took the boards (instead of hire skis today) they were handed pretty much whatever the shop had to hand without really sizing them up properly etc. Anyway the youngest girl had a VERY stiff board, that was WAY too wide for her AND the bindings were not set up properly at all.... it was a nightmare.... the fresh snow had become very 'grabby' by the afternoon which made things harder for them. Anyway there is NO way she should have been using that snowboard at all - it was totally wrong for her. I am not sure whether the board was totally to blame but the poor girl ended up falling quite badly on her wrist and I suspect she may have broken it..... it was near the end of the lesson and mum and dad were taking her to the English Medical Centre to have it looked at after the lesson - poor thing!
Anyway my advice here on Snowheads is use SNOWBERRY - no wonder they have won multiple awards for equipment hire... well worth the extra expense!
After skiing we had our French lesson and I have been doing a few tidying up jobs at home as the place looks very messy as we are not getting much time to ourselves at the moment... only another week or so then it starts to calm down a little!
SUN IS FORECAST TOMORROW..... apparently (not that I saw it) but there was a good 2 foot of fresh snow in places up there today!!!!
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
^ I can't believe some people still tuck their trousers into their boots.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Piccadilly, oooh, that makes me mad too!! Have a look in the mirror and see how ridiculous you look!!
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?
Piccadilly and jocrad - you see all sorts you really do.
Anyway today was one of those days that combined wonderful snow with wonderful weather - not often that happens - ESPECIALLY in April. It was especially wonderful it really was.
You can see in that last picture that there has been / is still, a lot of avalanche danger around and stuff moving. You can just about see people trying to ski (middle right as you look) a steeper part of the face that has slide in several places already..... look at the signs all around you folks! (NB They did ski it and were fine BTW).
Anyway I had a real little ripper of a kid this morning - he is only 8 years old but has done about 30 weeks or skiing already, almost all in Val d'Isere and always does 1-1 private lessons each of the mornings when they are out here (which is a LOT) as they have a place out here. Anyway he is brilliant - I had never taught him before but pretty much everyone in TDC has taught him before. I have another 7 sessions with him over the next 10 days or so so that will be fun.
After lunch I took the same people out as I had yesterday morning - two of them are now up the mountain so they are excited about all that.
I have been on my own this evening as Clare has been doing some massages and waxing but has just come in pretty annoyed with herself after dropping the wax all over the floor in the clinic where she did the massage and then spent an hour trying to get it all off the floor!
Anyway folks just made a lovely Lasagne so will tuck into that.
Not much else to report - hopefully sun again tomorrow but I think it will be a little overcast.
Little Sam and I headed Tignes way this morning and had an awesome ski together....... working on both rotational separation and increasing range of rotation in the legs with the aim of being able to do narrower and steeper slopes is not something you do too often but it was fun... I pulled out a couple of drills I have not used so far this season which was a refreshing change.
The afternoon was spent on the Savonnettes with my nervous lady and she did so well.... she made it to the top of the slope and skied top to bottom without incident several times - bravo Wendy. I think I am teaching her again in the morning so I am hoping she takes to the Village chairlift without incident.
I am supposed to have the three kids on a snowboard tomorrow afternoon again.... the ones that I took out on Sunday..... the one that fell has indeed broken her wrist - poor thing.... so the mum has decided that they will ski not snowboard tomorrow with me. So there you are.
There was a slide on the 'corner' between the cliffs in the early afternoon today between the Face du Charvet and the Tour du Charvet..... whilst I was on the Savonnettes I was noticing a lot of helicopter activity in the area.... am still trying to find out more details as to what happened. Will report when / if I get more details.
Talking of slides there is still signs of lots of activity around.... I got some pictures today in Tignes of a few faces that have had a lot of activity:
Until tomorrow.... (might be a little late posting tomorrow as Clare and I are apres'ing it then going for some food with some friends of mine)
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Started grey....
....turned out nice.
My nervous lady did so well in the morning and I managed to get her down the flatter side of the Lac lift run at the top of the Solaise.... for someone who was scared to put skis on a couple of days ago she has done really well - I wish her well.
By lunchtime (as you can see in the picture) we were able to sit outside in the sun for lunch - it was gorgeous. I was slightly concerned to see the PGHM helicopter fly overhead at lunchtime but have not heard anymore so not sure if it was just a training exercise or something.
The afternoon I was cruising with a couple of lively teenage girls - teaching them some freestyle tricks and developing their higher end technique (of course they did not think they needed to work on anything - but they did)..... it was quite fun.
Had a really nice evening eating and drinking with an old friend and her husband whom I lived with in Sydney, Australia when I did my first ski season in 2001..... she now lives in Surrey and along with her family this is their first trip to the French alps and they are living it. We went to the Phat Frog for a WONDERFUL Asian evening of food...... a three course meal for €22 - who says Val d'Isere cannot offer value for money!
We got back at 11pm and I was shattered so it was straight to bed.
The weather this morning is grotty to say the least - wish me luck.
GUESS THE PLACE..... another clue (and then answer) at the bottom ... a bit of fun for today.
So the weather started less than great and deteriorated as the day progressed. It was fairly breezy and quite cold actually. I had my little 8 year old again and he was not totally on firm (mainly because he was cold) as he was under-dressed (like many people on the mountain this morning). Anyway we worked on carving this morning and there were a few break-throughs.
I am still keeping my eyes open for my first sighting of a marmotte as they should start appearing now but this Winter wants to keep on going. (As an aside apparently the local health / environmental audit in Val d'Isere has stipulated that there is an OVER population on them on the Solaise mountain in particular and that it will become legal to offer them on the food menus in town - I kid you not..... they are worried about subsidence in places (apparently!!!!)) - I shall wait to see if 'Marmotte' actually turns up on the menu anytime soon around here!
So by lunchtime it was lightly snowing (and blowing a gale) AGAIN. I took out 5 people who wanted their first taste off piste - they had rented 'fat' skis especially. I felt sorry for the 12 year old who was on a 9-1 group lesson and then IMMEDIATLEY was out on a three hour session with me - poor little guy was knackered by the end.
I have to say that it was perhaps the toughest lesson I have ever delivered (well one of them). The snow was *&^* as the sun had backed any half decent stuff in the 'intro to off piste' realm of terrain we could access. The wind was blowing a gale making things tough up there.... the VIS was AWEFUL it really was so we had to stay low and if you know Val you will know that 'lower' means steeper in general.... plus the lower slopes are more affected by the warm weather..... anyway it was TOUGH.
Also (if I am being honest) the techniques ON piste I saw was pretty 'interesting' and I think 4/5 (ish) week technique is a long way short of the necessary requirements to head of piste. Modern equipment has that problem in that it makes people overly keen to move up the ladder of proficiency when in fact the basics are still severely lacking as was apparent this afternoon. Get the basics right folks and the rest follows..... poor basics and off piste / moguls etc are a nightmare.
Anyway it was a tough afternoon to put it mildly, BUT they had fun!
Whilst we were waiting at one point on the Super L I noticed that a couple of the creepers above the Piste L had finally released in the last 24 hours or so....... that has been a long time coming. There is a third one ready to go so don't ski it if the run is closed at any point folks!
A SECOND CLUE AS TO THE LOCATION FROM THE FIRST PHOTO and then answer a few lines under that
ANSWER: The self service part of Le Signal restaurant at the top of the Fornet cable car.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Ah - Le Signal - prices there always make me wince! What is it 16€ for Ravioli?! Loos always seem to be a mess as well
Had my ski poles nicked there once - so have always held a grudge!
Regards
Captain S
After all it is free
After all it is free
PRETTY GRIM...
One of those days I just sort of got through. It was fairly grim up there this morning but got worse as the day went on. Not so much windy or snowy (or rainy) - just foggy (we were skiing in fog most of the day).
Had a fun morning working on bumps technique with Sam and his mum and then this pm a dad and his two young'ish (10 and 12) boys.... a little bit of skiing under their belts but really a lesson on how to move from plough towards parallel turning.... not weak enough to be on the nursery slopes but neither strong enough to cope properly with the bad light at the top of the hill..... anyway we battled through.
I am looking forward to my last transfer day with pick up tomorrow as things really start to calm down in the resort now. Clare and I are over Tignes way this evening for a surprise party for my colleague Joe's birthday which should be fun.
Not much else to report!
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.
kitenski wrote:
Steve Angus wrote:
GROUNDHOG DAY!
Weather wise it exactly the same as Monday - depressingly cloudy / foggy BUT with a little bit of snow falling. I had the same kids in the morning as yesterday and some further progress was made...............
......... as an aside I find getting kids up until about 13 years of age (after 13 bio-mechanically it gets much easier for them) from a 'pizza' shape into parallel one of the hardest and most frustrating elements of the job. The problem is having their feet wider than their hips (compared to adults) is a much stronger position for them to be in and they feel more balanced and in control and at the end of the day a more robust position. They also don't 'care' about technique one little bit - it is ALL about fun, jumps etc etc etc.... whereas parents are normally the other way around......... "my kid must ski parallel as that makes them a better skier" approach. So teasing them into a narrower stance is like trying to get blood out of a stone.
!
I am *so* glad you posted this, my soon to be 10 year old has a wider stance than John Wayne and ive been wondering what to try and do about it over this years Easter holiday
Any tips much appreciated....
Just posted this in my SR
Quote:
The past two seasons the only 'never ever' skier I've taught is my girlfriend Nerys.
The rest of my students have already been on skis and my goal is to make their skiing safer, easier and more enjoyable.
The biggest hurdle I have to overcome is to eliminate the 'braking plow' and its lingering after effects from the skier's arsenal.
Most children and adults learn to ski in a group lesson and for practical & safety reasons the 'braking plow' is the first thing they're taught.
Stopping by pushing the tails of the skis out, dropping the knees inside and digging the inside edges of the skis into the snow will certainly result in rapid deceleration, but when it comes time to start making turns the uphill ski is so edgded and gripped in the snow it's an enormous effort to get round smoothly. If at all.
Charlotte was no different and her go to move at the start of the day was the 'Power Plow' - the first clip in the video.
She spent the morning trying to stand taller with her hands more forward, flatenning the skis, and balancing with the pitch of the slope to accelerate through the first part of the turn.
Not getting small and back and leaning into the hill to turn.
First we started with the gliding wedge in the fall line to matching the skis parallel across the slope to complete the turn.
Then being very patient at the start of the turn, shifting the balance to the downhill ski, bending the inside knee to balance to the slope and skiing parallel through the turn making ' number 11' shapes.
It's a struggle to forget the 'braking plow' and for this reason I only teach 'never ever' skiers on a one-to-one basis teaching them to glide and accelerate in the fall line and control that acceleration by turning both skis back up the hill.
Steve....... Staying in ste foy this week but probably coming up to val on Monday to take the kids to snake gliss and air board and have a meal out. Seen you give phat frog h thumbs up.... Where a bouts is it please ??? Is it good and ok for kids ???? Nothing on the val website about phat frog????
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
and they had both skied a few times before. I have them for 4 hours and the one 20 minute break in the middle of the lesson was just not enough for them as they flagged quite a lot in the last hour - tomorrow I think it will be 2 shorter breaks in the 4 hours. Nice kids and some improvements were made.
