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dobo - yes Sport Pursuit is legit. I bought some [img] 
[/img] from them, they arrived fine.
Today I ordered some Helly base layers and managed to get an extra £20 off after two friends I referred bought stuff from them 😆
Just saw this on snowheads http://www.wytv.com/entertainment/story/Willis-donates-ski-resort-to-charity/J1ohocs-CUeabqPL8K5YEw.cspx
I have considered donating Verbier to the RNLI. Talks are ongoing.
🙂
I have considered donating Verbier to the RNLI. Talks are ongoing.
Pah I am going to donate Austria to The Donkey Trust!
I am going to donate Austria to The Donkey Trust!
😆
As an ex skierist who now boards I was just curious as to why one would still ski ? I know its all snow sports but just curious 😀
I don't like to spend much of my time sitting down. 8)
I don't like to spend much of my time sitting down in the middle of the piste
FTFY! 🙂
It's all good, though. All fun, just different ways of having it!
For example, in the summer I wakeboard. Waterskiing is just silly. In the winter I ski. Snowboarding is just silly. 🙂
Oooh just came home to find the Winter 12/13 Snowboard Asylum catalogue sitting on the doormat. 😀
Even more pleasing a quick browse suggests single colours appear to be back in this year and there are less clown suits. So I might finally find a jacket I like.
As an ex skierist who now boards I was just curious as to why one would still ski ? I know its all snow sports but just curious
Skiing is the new old cool. Boarding is for dads now (which is lucky given I'm a dad).
I don't like to spend much of my time sitting down.
Funnily enough the sitting down is one of the reasons I like boarding. 🙂
Funnily enough the sitting down is one of the reasons I like boarding.
Yer old. 😉
😆
And fat.
But I liked the sitting down bit when I was young and slim(mer).
Sometimes it's good to stop and smell the roses (or admire the view and enjoy being with your mates).
Sometimes it's good to stop and smell the roses (or admire the view and enjoy being with your mates).
That's what lifts and lunch are for, granddad! 😉
Tried boarding, was ok at it but not great - made it up some tough drags in Serre Che (pré du bois I think - it was a few years ago so it might have been an old drag that's now been replaced by the cote chavalier chair), where other more experienced boarders fell some way down and only made it up by clinging on for dear life and being dragged up. Then again I would fall for no reason and when you fall on a board, you have no chance to catch yourself, it just hurts. so now I ski. I'm not great at that either but I don't hurt as much. I also think skiing is more versatile, e.g you can get into touring more easily
Drags aren't a lot of fun on a board. Was a bit of a necessity when i started but most boarders these days can get by without ever having touched a drag lift.
Then again I would fall for no reason and when you fall on a board, you have no chance to catch yourself, it just hurts. so now I ski.
Awareness of edge catching does come with practise - as does catching it and riding out.
Just do both.
Ok, I'm doing a BASI level 3 training course in Zermatt from 12th to 16th November.
Does anyone have any idea what the snow will be like around then? I booked my skis on the flight. Are they likely to get trashed? If thats the case I might try and use hire ones, or buy some cheap pre-season skis.
my first holiday booked to st anton end of jan with riding buddys who board - lucky enough to be 4 miles from hemel snow center and taken advantage of their unlimited pass . hitting thursday kickers and rails well now cant wait for real snow .. allready own 2 boards - one ride decade and one k2 zeppelin - got most of the kit just looking for a good jacket and kit . cant flecking wait for real snow and not having to screw about with my bindings every 30 seconds ! ! !
Almost 500 posts, yay!!
Just thought I'd post up one of my favourite ski segments from possibly my favourite ski movie, Level 1's Eye Trip.
I think it also shows how skiing is getting "cool" again!!! 😀
michaelmcc cheers for the video - bought it from itunes earlier and watching now, it's great.
I'm enjoying the soundtrack and filming more than other films like twel2ve, standing sideways etc.
mbydmt - Hey yeah Ive watched it so many times now. Good mix of big mountain and urban. That grind along the tennis net is really cool! Just such creative skiing with a quality sound track.
I haven't seen either of those films you mentioned. Retallack is my other favourite ski film, its short, about 30 mins, I just go into this mesmerizing trance when I watch it though, all amazing cat skiing and big mountain stuff. The work of Tanner Hall.
500? Pah, that's nothing! Last year's thread went on all season! 🙂
Anyway, a quick Rockies update for you - Plenty of snow already by the looks of things as I flew over earlier! (Currently in the lounge at LAX waiting for a connecting flight, donchaknow! 8) )
All these airmiles are going to be buying me some SERIOUS holidays next year!
I'm in Whistler now and its raining pretty heavily. Lets hope the snow comes soon.
I'm in Whistler now and its raining pretty heavily
I imagine its snowing up the top of peak chair though?
michaelmcc - no idea on Zermatt conditions, but round here (French Alps) it's been "seasonally average" I would say. Which for October means that it's been a bit chilly with a bit of rain and therefore a fair bit of snow at altitude. Conditions on the glacier at Tignes are good.
K hopefully there will be good enough coverage not to wreck my Lines. Don't own any battered skis atm.
So is it a fashion crime to wear snowboard jacket and pants skiing? its all the same isnt it?
[quote=dobo ]So is it a fashion crime to wear snowboard jacket and pants skiing? its all the same isnt it?
Jackets make no difference, but ski pants have reinforced patches inside the ankles where your boots bash together. Snowboard pants don't have this so last about one-tenth as long when worn by skiiers.
Do snowboard pants have reinforced bottoms to cope with all the extra sitting down?
😀
Just booked this years Ski holiday, going to Arabba with Inghams over the NY week. Quite looking forward to it, supposed to be a great resort 🙂
It is 🙂
(going again in Feb)
wallop - yes, actually!
Looks like there was a big dump of snow in La Plagne, France. Not sure it was just localized or spread out over a larger area. Good news though! 😀
Looks like there was a big dump of snow in La Plagne, France. Not sure it was just localized or spread out over a larger area. Good news though! 😀
Its started snowing in Switzerland!
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Yes, it snowed heavily overnight/today with snow falling to below 1,500m and landing thickly at around 2000m.
Not much and I know it could be gone by tomorrow but its a promising start.
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First smatterings of snow in Slovakia too:
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And the brand new gondola linking Chopok North and South is looking sweet:
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13 weeks to go! 8)
Snow in Serre Che, too!
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None in Vegas , though! :-).
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Just realised that the pics I put up are updating. Didn't think they would as its just an image url.
Interesting gondola that, with dual cables.
Definitely gonna need to find a way to get there now.
Interesting gondola that, with dual cables.
I assume that's so it can run in higher winds, as it is linking the front and back of the mountain (where previously you had to take a chair then a big painful drag lift).
Also it is a 24-man gondola - pretty major bit of infrastructure for Jasna given they've only recently been putting in chairs!
[i]*glitchy [s]mogul[/s] kicker*[/i]
From my window, 5 minutes ago:
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You can see the Aiguille Rouge - Villaroger piste on the far right.
Footflaps - I'm in Arabba with Inghams the week before you are. We'll probably be passing at Innsbruck airport!
Footflaps - I'm in Arabba with Inghams the week before you are. We'll probably be passing at Innsbruck airport!
That was the original plan, but had already committed to hosting the in-laws for xmas, so we pushed it back a week.
Am very much looking forward to going, skiing looks great 🙂
Interesting gondola that, with dual cables.
Ooh. Its like the one up the Peclet in Val Thorens, but newer and shinier.
Just booked a week in the Dolomites for January with Francesco Tremolada, the local hotshot guide. - we will be hitting the famous steep couloirs of the area.
He just sent me this picture of his doorstep this morning 8)
[url]
You beat me to it Nick....
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Although I'm guessing the double figure temperatures forecast later in the week will put paid to that lot!
yep, it will all melt! but looks nice anyhow 😛
Right, does anyone know what skis are best suited for doing the BASI level 3? I'm gonna try and do some of the modules this winter.
At the moment the only skis I own are a pair of Line Prophets (98mm underfoot).
Cheers.
And my turn for. Question -
Anyone know anywhere good and reliable to download some ski films? Long flight home coming up, and fancied watching something fun! Android tablet fwiw
michaelmcc - Member
Right, does anyone know what skis are best suited for doing the BASI level 3? I'm gonna try and do some of the modules this winter.At the moment the only skis I own are a pair of Line Prophets (98mm underfoot).
Cheers.
You would probably be best on a piste ski, something like the Head Supershape Magnum or Titan. Both always get great reviews and lots of trainers/students skiing on them.
Or another ski I quite like the look of is the Rossignol 9GS, detuned GS ski, slightly fatter than FIS regs and looks a lot of fun.
Hey Greg I tried out and I-magnum (or I-Titan?) at Exscape. It was the green and white one anyway, turns with so little effort!
They must be really sketchy in powder though eh? Suppose if you have your technique down then it shouldn't matter.
Do most people use piste skis anyway? Presume you have to stay on the same ones for the whole week.
The green one is the magnum. If you are training for level 3 then you will have to be able to do all of the things listed;
http://www.basi.org.uk/content/alpine-level-3-isia-technical-5-day-course.aspx
I think they expect all candidates to be on a piste ski, if you can do all the demos to the standard of your Line's then fair play!
You're right about them not being great in powder but at least you have your other skis for that. If you have the skills required for level 3 then it shouldn't matter too much what skis you're on. I had a friend who skied on Fischer FIS slalom skis all the time and he was still faster than me in the powder when I was on fatter skis!!
CFH:
Itunes if you can run an itunes app on your android tablet, or VLC player.
This is speaking from Ipad background - I have itunes and VLC player on my ipad, VLC player app will pretty much play any video format.
If you want to DL from the net, and transfer to tablet, then depending on wanting to stick to legal or not; itunes for legal, isohunt for not. No way endorsing torrent-ing.
I've been watching Level 1: eye-trip, Twel2ve, Art of Flight, Line: Travelling circus (webisodes), Burton: Standing sideways, and GNAR (online) lately.
snow in the cairngorms
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Hey Greg ye I've had a look at that. Suppose my main downfall might be short turns and carving, as I rarely do those when free skiing anymore! Mostly try stick to tricky steep stuff, or anything that's a challenge, preferably with about 15cm of fresh snow 😀 .
I can carve and do short turns on my Lines, haven't had a BASI 4 look at my skiing in a looong time though!
Hi if anyone has a probe, transceiver and snow shovel for sale can you get in touch with me please!
mbydmt, thanks.
Obviously legal is the only route I'd look for. Just wondered if anyone knew of anywhere doing freebies. I know that some manufacturers give away films sometimes, like the great one I got a while back from TNF;
[url=
Radicals[/url]
Michael, maybe give BASI a shout or ask the school where you're doing the training for their input?
Has anyone seen Claim? Sitting in the airport waiting for my flight to LA. No lounge. Not impressed! However, found a bar that does decent beer and has free wifi and just found this trailer;
Looks awesome! Some serious, seeeeerious stoke-age! 🙂
[url=
depth pow![/url]
Just been reading Gregg's BASI link - that's a lot of stuff! How much does a ski instructor get paid then?
How much does a ski instructor get paid then?
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😉
That's not enough!
Flashy - if you like Claim give Push a watch too. Made by the same Matchstick production guys and is another cracker to get you in the mood for the white stuff.
We used to watch them both on the bus to the uni ski trip as we came off the motorway and on to the mountain road, got everyone buzzing to arrive in resort!
Yep, Matchstick make some great stuff. I'll check out Push as well! Thanks!
Has anyone seen Claim?
Yeah Claim was my favourite ski film until recent years where even more impressive ones came out, like Eye Trip. And if you like snorkel deep powder then check out Retallack!
And if you want a slight throw back to some old school, (well 2004 ish) then check out MSP's Focused which was my favourite ski film for long time!! Half the skiers are dead in it now which makes it kinda special. CR Johnson, Sarah Burke, and Shane McConkey - all gone! 🙁 . Pretty sure Claim was McConkeys last movie.
And ye I will do Greg, cheers.
And I'm sure level 4 ski instructors get well paid. They certainly seem to have a lot of perks to the job anyway! I'm hoping to be level 3 soonish, but I doubt anyone does it for the money.
However I was talking to a ski patroller over in Canada and he was saying how we (ski instructors) start out on much higher pay than them!
😉They certainly seem to have a lot of perks to the job anyway!
For a change, I'm not going to book in advance this year and I'm going to leave it until the last minute before having a look. I've got the leave in and booked so I'm wondering if anyone has any examples of what any last minute deals were last year? Going 12th of Jan and looking at Austria/Switzerland.
Ski instructors get paid the grand some of eff all. Even the "perks" were off set by having to deal with certain organisations. 🙄
Top-level independent instructor in France = €300 per day (minimum, often a lot more!)
Top-level instructor in French ski-school = up to around €40 / hour (but varies a lot)
Entry-level instructor in French ski-school = about €20 / hr
French instructors are probably the best paid there are though. Other countries, lessons cost about the same, but the instructor sees a lot less of it.
Ski instructors get paid the grand some of eff all
*Sorry, british entry level instructors.
picked up some ski socks today in tk maxx for 6.99, bridgedale merino lightweight fitted ones, seem ok.
good merino socks are expensive, was trying to find some reduced smartwool or teko ones than arnt near £20
also picked up some oneil 8k wp/8k br pants for £40 fit great hope they work ok
still on the hunt for good cheap glasses and gloves, hopefully tk maxx will sort the gloves eventually
My tacky maxx bargain - quicksilver premium range gore tex pro shell jkt. Ticket price 585 for 155. Happy days. Had 2 left after I got mine in the silver burn branch. No ski trip booked yet but hopefully will get plenty in this season.
was trying to find some reduced smartwool or teko ones than arnt near £20
Icebreaker ones on sportpursuit at the moment, I think about £30 for three pairs, can't remember exactly.
However I was talking to a ski patroller over in Canada and he was saying how we (ski instructors) start out on much higher pay than them!
In most resorts most of the patrollers start out by volunteering part-time, sometimes for a number of years, until a paid role becomes available.