 Poster: A snowHead
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Snow-bladers...........almost always out of control and usually skiing (?) like idiots.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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rob@rar, Hemel is gnarlier than I had thought! 
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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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Frosty the Snowman, ah, the Hidden Valley down the back that few people know about...
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Getting down a narrow chute which is slightly narrower than my skis/board - at some point I have to MTFU.
General rock blindness.
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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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Cautionary tale.
Last time I remember being really scared on skis I was trying to find a way off-piste down a steep rocky face with little cliffs. It hadn't snowed for a long time so the sun-facing snow was hard. I shouldn't have been there. I shouldn't have turned left off the easy slope I had been on, onto a slope I didn't really know- except that a couple of people had gone there before me.
After a forward side-slip it seemed to me they had done (but I think I may have been wrong), I found myself traversing very slowly on a narrow bit of very steep, hard snow with a sheer face above me on the left and a cliff drop on the right, it was getting more and more precarious and narrow and not knowing if round the corner would be worse or a dead end.
That was 3 years ago when I didn't carry a rope. My companion had sensibly hung back and I didn't know how far away he was - and I didn't have my mobile with me.
I couldn't see how I could get back - it was much too precarious to do a kick-turn. I couldn't see what I would land on if I fell and I was seriously thinking I might die.
(luckily there was a skiable short couloir around the corner)
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Tue 3-04-12 10:27; edited 2 times in total
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Other than that I really get nervous walking in ski boots on rock above a possibly dangerous drop.
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snowball, it's got my heart racing just reading that. 
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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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Tree wells. Avalanches. Parents with children in terrain parks.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| snowball wrote: |
| Many posters seem to think this thread is about things which annoy you (an old subject). The subject is things which really petrify you. |
Helmets and sunglasses.
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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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Elston, hear that.
Gapers that cut in on the kickers and then drop, well fall, off the kicker thus nicely ruining the lip.
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[rant]
The ES-bloody-F and their perception that they rule the mountain like French monarchs.
Oh and the 4 skiers who poached my run on the boardercross course on Saturday then stopped right in the middle of it...
'ANGINS TOO GOOD FOR 'EM - FEED 'EM TO THE DOGS!
[/rant]
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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shoogly, I am still astounded at what happens to the light and the problems it causes. Without witnessing it you wouldn't think you could stand in daylight and not see, but you certainly can, It doesn't seem to happen in other situations, i.e. water (I've never been a desert), but there is a quality to the whiteness that seems to make it prone to disappearing under those light conditions.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Years ago in The Grand Massif, we were having a bad day, goggles on then off, steaming up. Poor poor visibility.
My mate (who is a right moaner) bitching about the light.
We stopped at the side of the piste to discuss throwing our hand in. Next thing a girl of about 14 with a high vis vest with the word "BLIND" came skiing past us.
She had a radio link with a guide who was closely following her and talking her through the route.
Felt complete admiration for her and we stopped complaining. Big lesson learnt.
N.b. Not dismissing other peoples fear when it is flat light, totally understandable.
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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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You and me both, paulio! I think there is something about heel edges, but I can't be sure.
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Tue 3-04-12 12:26; edited 1 time in total
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Richard_Sideways, cracking pic. I'm thinking the horizon is around waist level of those in the photo.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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More fun whiteout pics:
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ianbradders, In a way the blind teen that you saw was possibly better off than we were. She would have spent all her skiing using her other senses (which she was probably self trained in using for normal life things) and probably relied on feedback other than sight to help her ski. I guess a whiteout for sighted skiers is possibly comparable to suddenly being blindfolded - we have to deal with it using our other senses which we only have conventional awareness of. This is no way denigrates the achievement of blind skiers (far more guts than I'd ever have), but I wonder if we would fair better if we were used to skiing blindfolded? I have done ski exercises where I've shut my eyes and I don't like it at all, but there is no doubt that it might help in flat light/white out conditions.shoogly, I agree - you can just about perceive where it should be, and I don't think its an optical illusion based on the line of skiers.meh, that's the sort of conditions that do me in!!
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I hate flat light, it makes me so disorientated. White outs are even worse.
There was a horrible moment in Les Arcs once where I wasn't sure if I was moving or standing still, it made me feel sick!
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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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Megamum, I'm not sure about some of that to be honest. For example, being blindfolded removes ones eyes/vision from the equation. Having them open in a whiteout is what creates the confusion. They are trying to process information without points to reference, thereby creating an environment where the brain cannot establish whether one is facing up/downhill for example. Why most people feel disorientated and often off-balance, with no idea of the immediate threats.
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| Piccadilly wrote: |
There was a horrible moment in Les Arcs once where I wasn't sure if I was moving or standing still, it made me feel sick! |
Yes, same here. I find doing lots of linked short turns helps me. Keep feeling the forces of the turn. It is so much easier, though, if you have someone ahead of you, so you know where the slope goes.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I an always a bit scared on narrow tracks, with a steep drop off one side, and lots of people on them. I always shout 'on your left/right' (or in french) if i pass other people on those tracks.
I song in whiteouts so that other people know where i am and don't collide with me (I think i might buy a bear bell next time!)
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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 was in the glades at Susnhiena few weeks ago with 3 ski buddies. They went leftish, I went rightish and the tress gradually got tighter and tigher , I was alone and shouted, I began to panic, as did they when they couldn't see or hear me. Trees got tighter and tighter. So I stopped , calmed myself and then unclipped and walked out, I only had to go 20m or so and the trees widened again and I could get back in skis, and then out a bit more to find my friends who were on verge of calling ski patrol.
I was scared I would hit a tree or as I've done before land in a well and not be able to dig myself out.
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Chasseur, so would we better off shutting our eyes in a whiteout? Is it better to stop entirely and try to gather your wits to ski a bit further, or just continue slow and steady? I never quite know what to do, but I guess you can't stop as it might not get better quickly and your best bet is probably to get out of it. It doesn't to make me feel sick, but it does seem to make me dizzy when I get to the stage where I can't tell if I am moving or stationary. I often wonder if a strong headtorch would cut through and show some definition in these conditions?
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You know it makes sense.
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| paulio wrote: |
| Spannah wrote: |
| We saw a group of skiboarders slipping down the nicest part of the run on their back edges, thus scrubbing all the snow off. Skidding down on one edge isn't skiing a black run and being amazing, though I'm sure they'll all have said that it was and they are on facebook. |
This is also why skiers should NEVER be taught to sideslip. Because otherwise they're able to get down a slope that's slightly too steep for them, rather than falling over and hurting themselves. |
What a daft comment.  As an example, a tentative side slip down the steepest pitch of a steep gulley in cloud and flat light is safer and may well be quicker in the long run than the alternative which risks rag-dolling into oblivion. So quite the contrary, I reckon skiers need to learn how to utilise controlled and defensive skiing where appropriate so that they can safely ski challenging off-piste terrain.
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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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gryphea, Nasty! How far from your ski buddies were you when you spotted them again?
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Poster: A snowHead
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| moffatross wrote: |
| paulio wrote: |
| Spannah wrote: |
| We saw a group of skiboarders slipping down the nicest part of the run on their back edges, thus scrubbing all the snow off. Skidding down on one edge isn't skiing a black run and being amazing, though I'm sure they'll all have said that it was and they are on facebook. |
This is also why skiers should NEVER be taught to sideslip. Because otherwise they're able to get down a slope that's slightly too steep for them, rather than falling over and hurting themselves. |
What a daft comment. As an example, a tentative side slip down the steepest pitch of a steep gulley in cloud and flat light is safer and may well be quicker in the long run than the alternative which risks rag-dolling into oblivion. So quite the contrary, I reckon skiers need to learn how to utilise controlled and defensive skiing where appropriate so that they can safely ski challenging off-piste terrain. |
That was the point I was making, utilizing "irony".
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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moffatross, I agree. A sideslip is one of the best things I've learned. If I hit a bit of boilerplate on a scraped red at least I now have a solution. In reality, a better solution seems to be a traverse with a fair amount slip-slip quality to it - the momentum still means I can turn at end and the slide slipping bit means that I lose the height quicker and do fewer turns. It also doesn't seem to wreck the snow quite as much as a pure side slip. Though I have seen boarders riding their back edges on slopes with precious little on them to begin with, and they do cause a rather unfortunate surface to be left behind. However, this is all really outside the point of the thread.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I stood at the top of this run almost every day of my holiday this year in a vain effort to pluck up sufficient courage to take it on. Every time, I turned into a gibbering, terrified wreck and backed away with my tail between my legs.
It's absolutely terrifying just to look down. Skiing it requiers much more courage - and skill - than I possess.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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paulio, I see where you are with that! You wouldn't want to see skiers fall and hurt themselves so side-slipping is good!
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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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Is that Corbett's?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Megamum, keep your eyes open and send a (un)willing volunteer ahead. Having just one point of reference makes a big difference in most situations. 
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paulio, it's late in the season - maybe your irony is getting a little rusty...
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| Richard_Sideways wrote: |
| paulio, it's late in the season - maybe your irony is getting a little rusty... |
It went right over my head to start with but I see it now. Iron Pyrites ... Fools Gold ... it had me anyway !! 
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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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| paulio wrote: |
| Is that Corbett's? |
Yeah. 20ft drop onto a 43 degree slope. 
Nice.
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snowball, had a very similar experience to you this year.
There are (I think) 3 ‘official’ entrances to Sapphire Bowl from the top of Spanky’s in Whistler. Looking up from the glacier there actually appears to be a fourth, higher entrance. We got in there last year. It’s a fairly hairy entrance with a 40ft – 50ft drop onto snow (holiday ending, probably not life ending) on the left as you try to firstly side-step down to and then step round and up a protruding rock face on your right – you can’t see round the rock face and the drop into the top of the bowl. We all got round last year, wiped the brown stains from our ski pants, patted ourselves on our backs like the great lads we thought we were and skied off like heroes.
This year, however, there was less snow and we should have checked it out properly. Instead we thought we’d do it again sans research. After all we knew what we were doing. Once you get to the protruding rock, there’s no real chance to turn back. Similarly to snowball, a kick turn would have been an incredibly ballsy move and even then you are faced with a very hairy side-step up a path not quite wide enough for your skis. The lack of snow had made the shimmy round the protruding rock pretty much impossible on skis or on foot (taking off skis would have been foolish though). So it looked like we were faced with a 50ft cliff jump (something I can guarantee I’ve never done). However, the soft snow landing from the previous year had turned into a boulder/ice combination. It had more of a life-ending, rather than holiday-ending feel about it. My friend and I exchanged knowing glances at this point, a look we knew meant “This really hasn’t worked out as well as we’d hoped” or, more literally, “ oh fcuk”.
It was a genuine this-could-be-it moment. We analysed our choices: (1) try the drop; or (2) take off out skis (something we knew was a real no-no in such situations) and try our best to manoeuvre low around the rock face. On the basis that only one option contained an element of not falling 50ft, we opted for number 2. So, taking enormous care, we slowly clicked out of our skis and gently placed our boots onto the snow (read: ice). We kneeled down, collected our ski/poles and strapped them onto our rucksacks. We then went down into a prone position and shuffled slowly on our stomachs around the rock (about 1ft of width space with 2ft headroom). This took about 5 mins in total and was exhausting considering we’d moved no more than 10 metres. Once we got round the rock we were faced with the problem of scrambling up another icy slope for another 10m – one slip here and it was foot first back over the cliff. We did it one at a time (so if #1 slipped off, #2 wasn’t carried too). We both got to the top. At this point in any normal situation you would be on skis (having stepped up that slope) and be able to drop/traverse into the top of the bowl (like we had done the previous year). But we hadn’t got our skis on and there’s was no real way we could put them on safely. So we employed a technique championed by 5 year olds across the country – we slid down on our ar$es. I would normally never do this, but there was a run off of sorts as you entered to bowl so any speed would have been checked. We ended up in a heap, wiped the very large brown stains from our backsides, said a prayer of thanks and skied off with our tails between our legs.
Some seriously questionable decision-making in that story, but we got through it. I took a picture at the bottom, I’ll see if I can find it.
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