J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by bandit

http://picasaweb.google.com/bandit2106/Zermatt07#

Zermatt opens year round. I last went in September 2007. Conditions were superb, though that is a subjective view of course :D I'm due back there in Nov.

I learned on a dry slope, snowdomes were not around then. I had 4 hours of instruction and then practised by myself. My 1st trip to resort I went in the ski off for the classes and was placed in a group who all had 5 weeks skiing experience. For me lessons in the UK worked well.
I have also had some coaching at Snowdomes since and would disagree that their instructors do "crazy things". That seems to be an attack on BASI/ASSI professional standards and UK snow teaching qualifications which are pretty tough to achieve.

LOTA wrote:Cairngorm officials talking earlier in the week about possibly having something open for the October half-term.

Do you know if they will let skiers use the funicular, or will it still count as summer, ie: no getting out :?:

In which case, skins at the ready!

We could have a sweep for next time Tino heads for the mountains. What are the odds on:

No Insurance:

Getting Drunk:

Falling Over Whilst Sober:

Fancying The Barmaid:

Slumming In A Posh Hotel

)

Just back from Brizzle. Not too much in the ladies skiwear section. Not many goggles and gloves either. A few jackets, mostly Trespass, ACG,Surfanic and a couple of racks of ski trousers. Mostly small sizes. I thik they are still getting the stock in. Charges for carrier bags signed up at the tills.
Parked in the new and very smart Cabot Centre, it's very expensive :shock:

swskier, yes we are close in the sense that we're both in England, currently )

Karen, Good tip on the carrier bags..I shall visit the Brizzle one tomorrow, and I'll see what's in and if there are any extra costs! Have you looked at boardwear, it's cut more loosely than ski clobber. Some of the ski brands (particularly French ones) just don't fit my shape, do their models have no bums by any chance?

Innsbrucker, I'm in agreement with your g/f about avoiding big carved turns on busy novice slopes. To do otherwise is plain daft. She wants you to learn how to scrub your speed off with tail checking by the way it's reading. It's another skill along with carving. As I said on the last page, every ski ever made is a carving ski, it's all down to the skier. If you stick with skinny old skis, as you progress you will need to get longer ones, which will be more stable at speed. As I said, as an intermediate at 164cm, I used 190's. For skinny skis, head height is for beginners only. As you get faster they will likely become unstable. It's going to be your choice, if you go for modern shaped skis (lets get away from calling them carvers) your ski skills development will be quicker, but possibly more expensive, when you source newer kit. It's your decision :D

brad1138 wrote:Skiing is/was "easy" to me, on skis that were completely straight (the only kind I have ever skied on). I commonly hear how much easier the "new" ski design is to ski on. But the way everyone is talking here (and some other posts) makes it sound like it is a lot more complicated. Before, I just got on my skis and skied, now I have to worry about am I carving or not or am I doing this right or not? It is really sounding confusing.

I can quite understand why it all reads as confusing. It's quite possible for novice skiers on new style equipment to be skiing black runs (single diamonds) after a week. Think back to when you were a learner on skinny skis, how many days for you?

Some US centres no longer teach the snowplough, learners go straight to parallel turns. Remember your snowploughing (wedge) lessons?

To get the best from the new kit, bring yourself up to date with a private lesson from a pro.
Give your son the best start by getting him good kit to ski on and the best lessons you can afford. He will thank you later, or you can make him work off the costs )