Big snow falls in ZInal

Dids1 wrote:Ok, will do. You are right tho, I am sure it gets easier the better an all round skier you become.

that's the glass half empty view :D

The glass half full, actually nearly full, is you'll never get a better chance to practice a good stance and posture. Normally, if you get in a good posture and relax a bit it pays off. In this light though it pays off hugely and turns the whole thing into a bit of a giggle. You've got to rely on feeling what's going on, partly why I like soft boots to get a good feel, and having a good posture so no matter what force comes up at you it doesn't unbalance you. Like bandit suggests, like having your eyes shut, it's great practice.

Amazingly, I reckon we've had another 10 or 20 cm this evening.

Pudding wrote:I had a strange feeling once....whilst in total white-out conditions i thought i had stopped moving, lost my balance and fell over. I suddenly felt all th snow start moving around me and thought i was in an avalanche. In fact i had not stopped but was still moving although very slowly. It was a surreal moment and quite scary!!

In mountaineering on glaciers you can get that disorientated quickly, some people reckon rolling snow balls around helps you gain a perspective on the slope and I sometimes do that off-piste in horrible conditions where I can't quite read the slope in front. I also carry a g3 Rutschblock cord that's designed so you throw and retrieve it to read slope angles. http://www.genuineguidegear.com/backcountry_saws_rutschblock_cord.html