[Closed] Snow Blades

Friend don't let friends use blades. Just do it properly and get some skis

Good fun and easy to carry for a walking / climbing day in Scotland, you can then ski back down to the car rather then trudge back...

Remember if you are going to do it properly you need to be wearing jeans as well.

Have you given any consideration as to how you're going to break the news to your parents?

People will mostly be thinking you’re a ****t.

If your ok with this then carry on.

If there is one thing that will never fail to unite skiers and snowboarders it is this.

You do look at bit silly but they are great fun. If the snow is good then it's a bit of a waste but if the snow is wet and heavy they are brilliant.

I think 'fag-blades' is the correct term.

They're great for half a day as a learning tool to help make sure your balance is centred.

Further usage though is not something I'd personally contemplate.

Not used them for years but used to love 'em on a nice wide open piste. Anyone who tries to ski them on the base is missing the point and looks ridiculous. Keep them on an edge and carve out those 360s

I did a beginner's course at the Snowdome in Birmingham a few years ago. Prior to that, my only skiing experience was flailing round like Bambi on ice on a dry ski slope when I was still at school.

Inside of a couple of hours I'd gone from 'how to stand up' to confidently whacking down the slope as fast as I could, in full control and having an absolute blast. Dunno why they've got such a negative reaction here. They might not be appropriate for all terrains, but they're a right giggle.

Certainly based on what I saw at the 'dome, I've no desire to join the snowboarding ranks; bunch of arseholes who thought they owned the place. Their favourite game was to wait until all the nervous first-time bladers were standing wobbily in a line being taught, and then ride over the front of everyone's skis.

...or find some deep slush, point straight down the hill and lean back until you are almost lying down.

EDIT

but they're a right giggle.

That said, we've had good snow for the last few years so I've not been near them.

Snow blades are fantastic fun if you stay out of the powder.

The first time I've ever looked down at a very steep, black, icy, mogul field with relish and jumped in was wearing blades, something I'd ski around with normal skis if I wasn't in the mood.

[b]mos [/b]

I think 'fag-blades' is the correct term.

Never heard that term before. Is it one just your friends use?

[i]Their favourite game was to wait until all the nervous first-time bladers were standing wobbily in a line being taught, and then ride over the front of everyone's skis.[/i]

Yes, that is exactly what ALL snowboarders are like. And all cyclists go through red lights too.

(Snow blades do look shite though)

They're great for half a day as a learning tool to help make sure your balance is centred.

eh? Not sure which sport you want your balance centred for.

P.S. blades in powder are hilarious - for those watching

Not sure which sport you want your balance centred for.

skiing. HTH. HAND.

P.S. blades in powder are hilarious - for those watching

Yes, that is exactly what ALL snowboarders are like.

I did caveat that by saying that I was commenting purely on the boarders in the 'dome that day. But feel free to make up your own versions of my posts if it makes you feel good. Might I suggest a Daily Mail subscription too?

Got an address?

Yes thanks.

Good fun and easy to carry for a walking / climbing day in Scotland, you can then ski back down to the car rather then trudge back...

This is what I have mine for and it's easy enough to modify the bindings to fit them to b3 boots. I've used them on piste one day like this and my ankles didn't thank me afterwards. Imo they're no more cockish than snowboards (so pretty bad) but skies are much better if you're using lifts.

skiing. HTH. HAND.

Unless you mean side-side, you'll be wanting your weight forward

No, I meant centred, thanks, as in "over the middle", although that does go for side-side as well as front-back. I'm not a racer or an instructor, but I can get around pretty competently. I certainly haven't ever been taught to get my weight over the front of the skis, although I've done many exercises to stop me "sitting in the back seat". If you can tell me why getting weight forward is a good thing, I'd be keen to hear it.

And if you try either of those on blades, you'll soon find out about it, hence being good for getting your balance centred.

I suggest getting a lesson or two. Racing has nothing to do with it, boots and skis are designed to be driven through turns using forward pressure. Either that or 15 years or getting coached really was a waste of time, my ex-British champ girlfriend will be really pissed off too 🙁

I see what you're getting at, but forward pressure on the shins is not the same as "leaning forward". You still need to be centred over the ski.

Unless you mean side-side, you'll be wanting your weight forward

Whilst I see this descending into pedantry, I agree with what nbt was trying to suggest by "...make sure you balance is centred". When you're told to keep your weight forward on "proper" skis it is mainly because it is very easy to lean back, letting the tails of the skis hold you up. You soon get out of control though, hence why you're always told to move your weight forward. You're actually moving into a more balanced position, not moving forward from a balanced position. The ski should not be holding you up, hence you are "in balance".

On Blades there is no such safety net. If you lean back too far you'll fall over backwards because the short length of Blade behind you simply cannot keep you upright. Ditto if you lean too far forward. It's just physics. As such Blades teach you - nay force you - to stay in a position where your "balance is centred".

Granted nbt could have used a slightly better description but I think most of us knew what he meant, eh? Just keeping the thread going 😉

[EDIT] - I see now my contribution was not actually necessary, but I see it is looking like a semantic argument anyway. As you were...

STW, home of the pedant since 2002 😀

And yes, that's exactly what I meant, thanks for explaining far better than I did 🙂

And now that's out of the way -
Blades - Just say no, kids. Just say no.

No.

They're fun.

I would guess that freestyle skiing will require you to be centered on the ski a lot more...

You know what this reminds me of? The Rock Band argument.

"Why don't you go and play some proper instruments? Those plastic toys are just stupid. And you look ridiculous. God damn it, STOP HAVING FUN will you!"

1.Blades are for people to dick about on and have no place in the world of serious skiing / boarding. They will do nothing for your technique.

2.you should always have your weight forward on skis (unless your in powder).

They will do nothing for your technique

Ooh, I [u]strongly[/u] disagree but not sure I have the commitment to the cause to argue my case

1.Blades are for people to dick about on

I believe that's ostensibly the point I was making too.

No-one's managed to tell us yet why that's a bad thing, though. We've had passive homophobia, been called something ending in 't' which has five letters in it (no, me neither), several comments along the lines of how silly they look, how it's ephemerally 'just wrong' or 'not proper', and so on. Anyone care to have a stab at explaining why they're a bad thing, or shall we just carry on reinforcing the skiier and snowboarder stereotypes for a bit longer?

I've no particular allegiance to any of them, incidentally. I've bladed once, and really enjoyed it, and skiied once or maybe twice when very young and equipped with the hand-eye ability of Stephen Hawking. I was just kinda hoping for some reasoned discussions beyond "well, blades smell of poo, innit."

Blades, as has been said make you look a wally, but they are excellent for improving your balance on skis and also for teaching to carve well - you have to carve at speed on blades otherwise you wont be able to turn - ever heard of speed wobble!
Anyone who says they will do nothing for your technique has clearly very little skiing experience.

I used a four letter word that defaulted to ****t when i hit send, don’t know why?

FYI it starts with a T and has a W, A and another T in it and ends in s for pleural.

I can’t help you with the origins of the animosity for blades amongst serious skiers / boarders but its there. I spent three seasons in the Alps working with some top skiers / boarders and generally they were regarded as the lowest form of entity on the mountain.

Not sure why that won't work. Doing this one on my phone.

Anyone help?

I can’t help you with the origins of the animosity

I was under the impression that there was a sort of intolerance triangle going on; I didn't realise that the skiiers and boarders got on particularly well.

generally they were regarded as the lowest form of entity on the mountain.

Isn't that the purpose of the exercise?

Snow blades - you may as well just roll down the mountain on your side like you used to when you were little.

Sure its a bit of a giggle so don't worry about the people you plough into as you fall down the hill out of control.

But.. but.. they help you to learn how to carve. No. They may be easy to carve but they don't require proper carving technique so you won't learn anything applicable to proper sized skis.

But if you still think they are a bit of a laugh then go ahead. Just don't forget to take your poles so that you look proper cool.

I can’t help you with the origins of the animosity for blades

So why nurture it? At least have a reason if you're going to be intolerant.

Anyway, back to the OP, yes, they are great fun and (IMHO) will help your technique. Have a go, make up your own mind and ignore the haters.

They wont teach you to carve on their own, no, but its a good way to learn about weight transfer to get the ski's on the edge. To say they don't require proper carving technique isn't really true, carving is really just getting the ski's on the edge and holding them there on modern carving ski's. Its surprising how many people cant actually do it though.

they don't require proper carving technique

😯

You can flail about without any degree of control if you don't carve them, but the whole point of Blades is that you HAVE to keep them on an edge and carve them to have even the slightest hint of style.

I've never known a thread (without TJ) that has had me with such a polarised opinion to some of the contributors. Maybe the difference is that I could ski well before I tried Blades.