Messages posted by : pavelski
|
Ranchero,
I do not have a problem with that one, since word has been passed along that Pavel does not tolerate "weather complainers" ! Left one man in parking lot when he complained about too much snow ! Just drove away. Too much snow !!!***&&&%%$$$###@@@@ÙÙÙÙùùùù Never but never complain about weather while skiing! Yes great unwritten rule. Never thought I had to say that on a ski chat site. |
|
|
All your comments made me realize how important those Thule's are.
May I add some tips. All the Thule's have a small flaw. They are great units but if you look very carefully at the articulation arms in front and back you will note that there is a ball and socket type mechanism, with the ball being metal and the socket plastic. No need to tell you what will break. Worst plastic socket in cold weather ( with wind ) often comes off. Top will rip open, tear and perhaps those skis will be lost. I just fixed a unit that had a 1 meter crack at front because owner did not change articulating arms ( when it came off steel ball) and when wife opened Thule,,,,opppsss the lid flew open crashed agains wall. Here is pro-active solution. Drill two small holes just above the metal brackets on the lower portion of Thule. At front and back. Then drill small holes very carefully on the plastic articulating arm just level to where the other holes are on the Thule shell body ( not cover). Take a plastic Tie Die ( those plastic units that have an internal fixing mechanism) Pass plastic wrapper in holes so that the plastic articulating arm is flush to steel ball, In effect what you are doing is creating a pressure point so steel ball will never come out of plastic socket. Seal small holes with glue, plumber's putty, tape. PS Before you insert steel ball,,,,take some white lithium grease and apply small nail size portion into socket. Voilà One more small hint. I always open my Thule from driver's side. Most of you have discovered that changing sides will cause you problems with those articulating arms. Thus on the passenger side of the Thule (inside) I have placed and glued a sheet of foam to protect my skis from hitting the inside of the Thule. Did you ever notice that opening Thule with key becomes difficult? If you look carefully there is a sliding mechanism which tends to jam when there is cold damp weather. Again some white lithium grease in these sliding parts and in key hole will do wonders. Hope this helps some of you. |
|
|
Just a few more "unwritten rules" to entertain you.
Context: Four male " mature " skiers are having a great ski week with an on-slope condo. One of males goes to pool/spa and after two hours comes back all excited. "Met these great women" in the spa and,,,,,,, ( you fill in the blanks ). 30 minutes later who shows up at condo door ? You guessed it. THE women going to supper with us. He had invited ( in his male ego excited state) to supper. Problem was we already had supper while he was away ( 2 hours ). Please do not ask me what you do in spa for two hours ! Unwritten rule is never speak for group if you do not have their prior approval. Do not invite girls to ski with "US" if you have not discussed before. Do not invite girls to stay over if,,,,, In short do not speak for group or get group involved because you want to continue relationship with one of the women. ( now if you are interested in the post-ski trip story,,,just wait a few months since there is one. First I will have to pass it by Dave since it does involve; intrigue, action, tension and much much pleasure ). Never borrow a friend's ski if you are not willing to pay for "damages". No explications needed on this one. Never ask a total skiing stranger, " where is the stash, the hidden secret powder zones". Silly man, you must earn this knowledge. Be worthy of going with the boys to these secret places. The unwritten rule about this one is clear. Never tell others about the "hidden powder zones unless group accepts person. That takes at least one day of ; observation of person, two hours of testing skills in groomed zones and at least 3 hours of bar exposure. Minimum. |
|
|
looloo,
What a nice "name",,rolls out so well. Welcome also. The key term you use is ,,,,"is it necessary" . In my opinion it is because you have spend so much money on thes boards and they will give you so much pleasure you want to care for them. Protect them from the harsh elements. In my area they put salt on roads! Guess what that does to bases. The dirt and grime that can be injected in the bindings can cause problems. Then when you have a pair of Blizzard Cochise super powder skis that all great skiers want, you do not leave them on top of car. Those straps,,,,hummmmm they do loosen. As Dave mentionned get a Thule. It has many uses. Hope this helps you. |
|
|
Ski schools are managed by ex-racers, ex-ski instructors or great skiers who have very knowledge of marketing and real needs of different skier needs.
Teaching children to ski ( which is the future of skiing ) is very much different that adults,,yet very few ski schools gear themselves to this group. A day care person could be better "director". The school I mentioned has 500 ski instructors. Many just adolescents who want to be full time instructors but are ,"playing their dues" with basic child care duties. They get free season passes, great uniform and great status in other ski centers. Imagine 500 instructors and then how many children! The danger is not the children,,it is the proud parents who are walking about at base area hoping to take pictures of 3 year old. I have seen some sitting in the middle of slope waiting for,,,,,with no concern to skiers missing them or bodies falling just in front. I promise to take pictures to show others! Strange sights. Few ski school have specific child oriented classes, yet parents want such service. What is sad is seeing parents in fur coats watching kids while they drink their coffee in chalet or are doing work on laptop while kids are skiing. Great role models. That is another story. We have aterm for such parents. Contract parenting. They contract others to; teach skiing, teach swimming, teach manners, teach arts etc,,,,while they make the money to pay for all this. In my country these children are called, "enfants roi " ! Enough said. |
|
|
In every sport there are unwritten well accepted rules of conduct that all "knowledgeable" person know. They are not written and posted on walls. They are not given in books or magazines. They are passed along word of mouth or learnt by watching other skiers behave a certain way.
In golf there are certain behaviors that no one should do. In tennis there are certain "actions" players are never to do. In skiing there are many "actions", behaviors which must never be done. They are called the "unwritten rules" of behavior. The problem is that every nation and often every ski resort has a variation of these rules. I will present some of the ones I know and I am sure others will contribute. All the rules have reasons for their application and to the neophyte often these reasons are not evident. They often are based on ;respect, safety, tradition and "symbolism". Whenever I go to a new ski resort or new ski country I always get a local ski guide for my group not so much for the skiing ( as most tourist think) but to acquire the local rules, traditions and "histories". These local guides know all those "unwritten rules", traditions thus we avoid "les faux pas". Let me give you an example before listing those unwritten rules. What ski tourists do not appreciate is that local village "guide" knows all the people in the village, valley and perhaps country's ski world. He/she knows where is the very best run, but also the best resto, bar, inn, etc,,,, In one village inn, there is a bar with a corner table JUST for patrollers and ski lift workers. You do not sit there ever. No sign on table,,but you will feel the looks, stares and lack of service as you wait wait and wait for that beer. That guide gives me and my group those "unwritten rules" of the region. Rule 1 (based on respect) You are with a group of 5-10 skiers at top of mountain. A moment a admiration of the view, then watch what happens. The unwritten rule is,,,,the better skiers go first. A natural pecking order happens for safety reasons , but also out of respect to,,, You learn by watching the better skier go down. You learn to pick the better track by following the better skiers. You become a better skier by following,,,, (you also hide well your Hesitations, fear, stress BEHIND those better skiers). I often see this. A group with a ski instructor, guide or just former racer. The young, immature skier will rush out to be the first down in group, then he ( most of time) will feel the pressure just behind as the better skiers pick up speed, pick better lines, then ultimately pass him. Loss of face. It is not a race to the bottom but there is a flow to the ski speed of the group. The "old bull" sets this speed and flow, not the young bull. 2. Rule 2 Respect of territory Watch and observe this. In every ski chalet there is a place for the locals, the GROUP, the "elders". You all know them those old warriors who have skied for 60 years or more, who have acquired the right to their table, their stall and in some cases their room. Do NOT sit there unless invited. They will watch you ski. They will observe your behavior. They might invite you over after some time,,,,, You do not make first move. 3. Rule 3. Respect of tradition Here is the scene. +40 cm. of fresh powder has fallen. You get up very very early and are first at life line,,,,waiting! Lift opens and is cleaned and you see 3-8 skiers walking over to lift. Keep quiet! Say nothing. Watch and learn. They will not even get in line. They might stop and observe you for a brief moment. They will chat with lift operator, joke a little and then get on lift. I am sure you will notice that they do not even have season passes. day tickets or any form of lift passes. They are the GODS of the this ski resort. The owners perhaps. The General Manager and the ski school director. Sometimes just a ski writer, ski guide, or a well know ski racer. In short do not complain, watch and learn and hope that some day while they are watching you they will say, "you,,,good skier,,,,come " You will have a ski day like you have never had. Discovery of trails, cut-offs, couloirs you never knew existed. Yes just watch. 4. Listen before speaking. This unwritten rule is what most neophytes often transgress so often in their desire to show how great they are in skis. Here is the context. New to a group of skiers ( so you want to show how much you know). Having coffee before lifts open and so there is small talk about weather, snow, slopes, etc,,, The subject of the new skis comes into play and you now offer your analysis of the new technique ALL SKIERS must master. You even get up from table a demonstrate the correct hand position, those knees must,,,, the hip must,,,,,,, There is silence from group for a moment, the all get back to the weather, snow, last night's meal..... What you failed to know was that those 4 men sitting at the table,,, one was a former World Cup national racer, the other was ski guide with a level IV ski instructor certification, the ski school director and the ski patrol director. No need to tell them about technique. They all have "unique" technique. ( this really happened). I am sure you can contribute to this list. Oh,,,,,one more. 5. Leave your "prejudice" at home. Context: You have been skiing with two great older skiers and you can hardly keep up. You are learning a great deal with these two not only about skiing but about ski skiing life. As you go up a chairlift,,,,you see a skier with a knee brace and you comment,"he should not be on skis. Too dangerous for himself and others. See how he is weak on his right turn." What you fail to see as you put your foot into your mouth is the smiles from your two partners. One has two artificial knees and hips and recent open heart surgery. The other two cancer operations, one knee replacement and one ski pole removal from chest just 4 months ago. Learn to keep your prejudice home while skiing. I never talk about; politics, the stock market, money ,family problems and sex. Well sex,,,,,,,,just positive and nice items! |
|
|
Far Queue,
You would make a great ski school administrator. That is exactly what happens in some ski resorts that are well managed. Small children are "sorted" according to age, ability level AND sex. Girls get the young young girl skiers. However there are "free" instructors roaming about who are there to help out if; skier crying for mother, crying to got to toilet, too cold, too hungry, too tired ( it does happen). One call for help and rescue is on the way. Here is a better child's ski school. They have one slope run just for children below 10. No adults allowed. On edge of run at every 4 meters or so you have young ski instructors ( actually candidates for next year) whose job is solely to help young young skier get up, put skis on, wipe tears away, give a small candy or drink etc,,,. The instructor who has 8-10 small children can not stop class, walk up to where one of his "student" fell and take care of all ; hugs, tears, skis while class is waiting. Smart school geared just for children. Parents are even not allowed to walk up to "cheer up" crying child. You learn more than skiing at this school. Few ski schools geared just for children. At this school, all discarded teddy bears, stuffed toys are dropped off at a special bag near car parking and then used in a "fantasy forest" which has hundreds of such stuffed animals tied to tree branches. Children love to go there. They forget about skis and look at all the animals in trees. Not all children can go there. First you must show that you can turn and stop. You prize is going into the "fantasy forest". Yes no adults allowed also! |
|
|
AllyG,
You have given me such great ideas. We have courses for young parents on ski introduction geared to children. No one talks about "delicate" issues you mention, yet they are critical. You have no idea the problems we have with young male ski instructors who have young 4-9 year girls who must go to toilet. What do you do ? Leave class on slope and go with girl? Allow child to go alone to chalet? ( Never never ) Get help! I will have to prepare an administrative manual for such "delicate" issues. Thanks for idea Ally. |
|