Why was my post (another skiing noob) locked?

Matt, you have your location as Durham. If you live in Durham there is a dry ski slope In Silksworth, Sunderland, as you are a fraffic cop you should find it no problem.That can't be 100 miles away.
I took lessons there when I first started skiing. I think it was about £100 for a week.

mick1583 wrote:Matt, you have your location as Durham. If you live in Durham there is a dry ski slope In Silksworth, Sunderland, as you are a fraffic cop you should find it no problem.That can't be 100 miles away.
I took lessons there when I first started skiing. I think it was about £100 for a week.

Ah, i didnt know about the one in Sunderland.
I did google Dry and indoor slopes, but didnt get anything that close.
I will look into it, thanks.

I am saying this tounge in cheek. As a traffic cop would you say that a kid who has never been behind the wheel of car before but just gets in one for a blast on a private road having had no tuition is a danger to himself or more importantly anyone else? Slight exaggeration I know but you must know the basics of how to drive the skis and how the car/skis work before going for a spin.

PCthug wrote:

mick1583 wrote:Matt, you have your location as Durham. If you live in Durham there is a dry ski slope In Silksworth, Sunderland, as you are a fraffic cop you should find it no problem.That can't be 100 miles away.
I took lessons there when I first started skiing. I think it was about £100 for a week.

Ah, i didnt know about the one in Sunderland.
I did google Dry and indoor slopes, but didnt get anything that close.
I will look into it, thanks.

I'd check their rules before you make the trip, at the snow slopes in MK and Hemel you have to be able to link turns safely and use a drag lift before they let you on there and you can only use the nursery slope if you're having a lesson with them.

Scarlet Fez wrote:I am saying this tounge in cheek. As a traffic cop would you say that a kid who has never been behind the wheel of car before but just gets in one for a blast on a private road having had no tuition is a danger to himself or more importantly anyone else? Slight exaggeration I know but you must know the basics of how to drive the skis and how the car/skis work before going for a spin.

Hence me coming here for advice.

It would be better for a kid to do this, after gaing info off the internet, than going onto the open roads.

I am not going to just go to a hill and try and ski down it.
I want to know how to stop first. And i have heard that snow ploughing is the way to do it as a beginner, but first you need sharp skis to cut the ice and dig in.

I deal with many a kid that pinches cars and drives around public roads without EVER having a lesson. They do manage it, and rarely crash (although it does happen). They learn by doing this, but will never pass a test.

I dont intend to pose a risk to others, thats why i want to go to a very shallow bank in controlled conditons.

When i was 16 i bought my first motorbike, as most bikers do, and went onto the open road without so much as a single lesson. It was all self taught.

I am not saying that i will never take lessons, but just wanted to gain a little experience to try it first.

PCthug,
You can learn quite a bit from watching DVD's, videos on the internet, books, and actually watching people ski on a dry ski slope. I found a few useful tips on here:

http://www.e4s.co.uk/docs/top-skiing-tips.htm#firsttimers

But I would still advise taking your skis and boots to a ski shop to get them adjusted for you - there might be one at the Sunderland ski slope - and lessons.

On the subject of driving, I have to admit that I started driving a tractor on the road before a car, and the only instruction I received was from my future husband who pointed out which pedal and lever did what before I started. Actually, it was quite a good way to learn to drive because in those days tractors were mechanically limited to 20 mph, and you have a hand throttle instead of a foot one, which makes one less pedal to worry about. And, of course, you can drive a tractor on your own on the road with only a provisional car license :D

But I did get lessons before I started driving a car on the road!

Ally

Would i be better trying cross country style first, so mainly on the flat, until i learn the mechanics and balance?
If so, what would i need?

PCthug wrote:Would i be better trying cross country style first, so mainly on the flat, until i learn the mechanics and balance?
If so, what would i need?

Cross country skiing is easy to pick up. Some real skiing skills are needed on difficult terrain, but generally, it's a case of, put on the skis and go. It does require XC skis and boots. No wax skis mean you don't have to learn about wax and klister. I don't know if it would be worth buying the kit for use around Durham. Your down hill skis would not be suitable.

You said the skis came from an elderly guy. Are they modern skis ? It's probably not worth wasting your time messing around on an ancient pair of skis with no instruction. Also any snow on local hills will not be groomed, and will have spongy vegetation underneath - almost impossible to learn on. For all you would learn, you might as well be on a sled.

Sorry, everyone sounds so down on your idea. If it were snowboarding, it would be worth doing, and you might actually have some fun on a small easy hill (just enough slope to get the board moving), with an clear run out to stop safely on.

Trencher