 Poster: A snowHead
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Move to Scotland and get a new job.
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or Austria, it's quite significantly better than Scotland here.... the skiing too!
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mid fat (110mm) upwards
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that just sounds FAT to me !
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Reasonably guilty. This year new widish (98mm) skis plus avi kit. Last year new piste skis, the year before new goretex pro shell jacket & trousers. Next year will be new boots, my current ones will be 8 years old then with about 30 weeks use. But as I'm going to be skiing for 7 weeks next year I reckon it will all be needed 
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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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| dulcamara wrote: |
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Move to Scotland and get a new job.
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or Austria, it's quite significantly better than Scotland here.... the skiing too!! |
Pish !! Austria is for fannies.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Claude B, I reckon you need a spare set of those trousers, just in case you ski down to Huez again 
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| moffatross wrote: |
| dulcamara wrote: |
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Move to Scotland and get a new job.
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or Austria, it's quite significantly better than Scotland here.... the skiing too!! |
Pish !! Austria is for fannies. |
Really??
Right I'm off there then!! 
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| DB wrote: |
| I don't know any Austrians that buy equipment just to look the part and talk it up at Apres though. |
...and I don't know any Brits like that either. It is almost as if there's some selection bias going on 
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look the part and talk it up at Apres
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isn't what we are doing here essentially just an extension of 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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| dulcamara wrote: |
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look the part and talk it up at Apres
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isn't what we are doing here essentially just an extension of that? |
Ah shucks, I've been rumbled. 
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| Serriadh wrote: |
| DB wrote: |
| I don't know any Austrians that buy equipment just to look the part and talk it up at Apres though. |
...and I don't know any Brits like that either. It is almost as if there's some selection bias going on |
Haggis Trap appears to have met them.
Megamum Sorry missed your point earlier - I do wonder how many intermediate skiers out there read the pish and end up buying 100mm+ skis as their only set of skis. A ski instructor in Saalbach said quite a few Brits turned up there with wide skis.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Seems to me the more lessons I have the more I realise how much there is still to learn! I have to date had 48 days group lessons and at least 12 half day private lessons. In contrast to 2 pairs of boots(first pair were stupidly big as I hadn't a clue) and 1 pair of skis in the same time frame.
I can get down anything in resort but am most comfortable on blues and reds if I ski blacks it is usually during a lesson or a means to get from 1 area to another rather than because I actually have sought them out.
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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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is 110mm only mid-fat these days ? 
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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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Haggis_Trap, I think Arno is french  (might be wrong, but I don't think he's British)
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Poster: A snowHead
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nbt, I'm a brit. Do my posts read like I'm writing in my second language?! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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And Arno, Haggis_Trap is actually Welsh.
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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 need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
A ski instructor in Saalbach said quite a few Brits turned up there with wide skis.
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I do often wonder how much notice instructors take of what their pupils turn up to ski in. I've come to the conclusion that they either take no notice at all, or often have a quiet chuckle and don't let on. I do sometimes worry about what they have made of me and my very much too good for me skis
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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meh, just checked out your vids, i like the Japan edit. Very nice.
If you can afford to be a gear whore, why not, if not get the bleeding lessons. The problem is the priority list and the mental accounting of many skiers. I think most people associate the cost of lessons with the cost of going on holiday and a lift pass, whilst they look at the cost of equipment separately. I have loads of lessons, i need them, but I know plenty of people who, after paying over a grand for a weeks accommodation, will then balk at the price of lessons as its often lumped together with the lift pass and the cost of the holiday.
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Mt, cheers.
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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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About this fat ski thing - surely if the person in question is enjoying skiing on them, who cares? I ski on a pair of ultra-bendy park skis and spend just as much time on-piste as in the park. They handle about as well on-piste as a 40' lorry does in Central London. Does this make me 'wrong' too?
About lessons; some people are also content at being mediocre, don't feel the need to push their technique further than it already is, and are happy enjoying their time in the mountains pottering about on easy pistes. If they're not a danger to others and are happy, who cares? The attitude of 'you must have lessons, you must improve' just seems a bit elitist.
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| mark_s wrote: |
| About lessons; some people are also content at being mediocre, don't feel the need to push their technique further than it already is, and are happy enjoying their time in the mountains pottering about on easy pistes. If they're not a danger to others and are happy, who cares? The attitude of 'you must have lessons, you must improve' just seems a bit elitist. |
Couldn't agree more.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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Jesus, any wider and I'll be skiing like John Wayne!
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Obviously said in jest, but it strikes a valid question - do really wide skis encourage a wider skiing stance?
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Arno, sorry my good chap, I must have you confised with another johnny foreigner. Many apologies!
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You know it makes sense.
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Megamum, absolutely.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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| Megamum wrote: |
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Jesus, any wider and I'll be skiing like John Wayne!
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Obviously said in jest, but it strikes a valid question - do really wide skis encourage a wider skiing stance? |
Yes. Is that a problem?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| mark_s wrote: |
About this fat ski thing - surely if the person in question is enjoying skiing on them, who cares? I ski on a pair of ultra-bendy park skis and spend just as much time on-piste as in the park. They handle about as well on-piste as a 40' lorry does in Central London. Does this make me 'wrong' too?
About lessons; some people are also content at being mediocre, don't feel the need to push their technique further than it already is, and are happy enjoying their time in the mountains pottering about on easy pistes. If they're not a danger to others and are happy, who cares? The attitude of 'you must have lessons, you must improve' just seems a bit elitist. |
I'm not saying people have to take lessons, or people have to improve but to those who clearly state they want to improve their skiing 110mm wide skis on piste aren't going to help much. Very wide skis on piste are more difficult to control especially for someone of a lower ability, this could also present a danger to others. It's up to the individual but I'd rather improve my technique and be able to ski offpiste on narrower (sub 95mm) skis when I have to than keep changing skis with regard to conditions.
It's clear that there are some Brits who are very good skiers who ....
- live abroad near ski resorts and ski often
- have spent time abroad (doing seasons etc)
- Live in the UK but get the chance to ski many weeks a year
Some of these skiers have many pairs of skis and like skiing fat skis - the main difference being they can also ski offpiste on narrower skis and when the conditions get hairy their technique is such that even on fat skis they can ski well (steeps, ice etc). It all depends where you want to take your skiing. Once you get into offpiste it's highly probable that you will want to take it further - the ski alone won't get you there. If you rush into offpiste just because a wide ski enables you to stay upright longer with bad technique you will likely have problems and plateu later on. The skill will take you further than the ski, both in combination will help you ski places others can't.
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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 do sometimes worry about what they have made of me
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About £50 an hour, innit.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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DB,I honestly think you're over thinking this. Skiers adapt their technique to the skis they're using in they same way they adapt to the terrain they're on.
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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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| DB wrote: |
| I don't know any Austrians that buy equipment just to look the part and talk it up at Apres though. |
Really? I wouldn't really agree. Ok I can't comment much on Apres ski part, since I'm trying to avoid that as much as possible (many reason, but one of more important ones is real hate for that music). But when you look on slopes, you see whole lot of people with newest replicas of Austria ski jackets and newest replicas of race skis. It's different ski then you were talking about in first post of the thread, but not that different mentality. And it doesn't go for Austrians only. I can say pretty much same thing for Slovenians too, and Italians are not much different, just that top race skis might not be highest priority but something else is.
I still agree completely with your first post. Especially since it looks really ridiculous spending all your days on groomers with extremely wide powder skis, which you bought only because you wanted to look cool. But then again, I feel exactly same for people, who have no idea about skiing, but are constantly bugging me to arrange them race skis from one of WC racers, since they are sure, their skiing level will go up for 3 levels just because they would be skiing with skis from one of top WC racers. I guess I don't need to mention, that they don't bother to listen me, when I tell them, their skiing will actually go even lower with skis they can't handle.
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| Zero-G wrote: |
| DB,I honestly think you're over thinking this. Skiers adapt their technique to the skis they're using in they same way they adapt to the terrain they're on. |
He doesn't. Let's be realistic and look on slopes... Now when "it's so easy to make perfect carve turns with these skis", how many people you see that really make nice carving turns? I'm pretty sure I spend more time on slopes, then 99% of other people, but I can easily say that in all this time, I see less then 10% of skiers who are capable of making 30% of each run in nice carving turns without much skidding.... on blue run. When it comes to red or black runs (and if you make it to whole run not just few parts of the run), this number goes probably to 1-2% of all skiers.
So I don't think DB is exaggerating.
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The Austrians, as a nation, seem to like skiing powder on their skinny GS race skis from the local Atomic, Head or Fischer factory. That is just as dumb in my opinion.
It should be obvious that for most British folk skiing is just a once a year holiday activity. Though for a smaller group of people skiing is a proper hobby & sport (people who do seasons, live in Scotland, ski in domes / dry slopes or can afford to go abroad lots will ski more often). Generally the UK skiers that do buy their own kit are a little more clued up than the 80% of total punters that have no idea what so ever and ask the hire shop for these new "carvers"
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primoz, you're talking about one specific skill, carving. Carving is not the only tool in the box, nor can it necessarily be claimed to be the safest way to get down the mountain (DB made a point about the safety aspect).
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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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Zero-G, yes it's just one specific skill, but it can easily translate to others. If average people don't know how to use one, then there's very few chances percentage in other areas would be much different
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primoz, well by definition if they're not doing one skill they must be using another or more likely a blend of different ways of turning their skis.
Whether it's what they want or think they are doing is another matter. Which is the problem of observing people on piste unless you are also asking them what they were attempting to do whilst they were skiing down. I doubt a large percentage of skiers are out with the mindset that they are even attempting to carve every single turn which makes their failure to achieve that goal a non-issue.
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FAQ
(that's me in the front, there appears to be some daylight between my knees)
