After a while it doesn't matter how many years you've been skiing, there is a level determined by talent which can be hard to break out of. FWIW I started when I was 15 but made he most improvement when I was in my late 20's and I could ski 2 or 3 times a month when I was living in the UK. I've seen kids who started at 5 who are exceptional and others that have plateaued like everyone else.
Can I do a carved turn, yes. Do I bother most of the time, no !
Showing my inexperience - what is the difference between a carved and skidded turn?
i've never been snowboarding at all but seriously want to get into it. question is, where do i start?
the occasional lesson at the chill factor or save and go france for a week or so?
im 18 with a full time job so dont mind chucking a bit of money at it.
the occasional lesson at the chill factor or save and go france for a week or so?
IMO, do a course at an indoor snow slope, get a few hours under your belt before you go...it will be worth it when you get there.
If you can at least link turns before you go, you can jump on a lift when you arrive and just start snowboarding.
Otherwise you'll spend the first couple of days on holiday on your arse 🙂
[quote=toby1 dijo]Showing my inexperience - what is the difference between a carved and skidded turn?
http://www.nzsia.org/ski/careers/resources/carving-vs-skidding/
when you turn, you lean the ski over so it;s on the edge. A carved turn leaves a clean line. A skidded turn doesn;t
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what is the difference between a carved and skidded turn?
Corduroy P*rn ... 8)
A well executed carved turn will leave a 'pencil line' in the snow from the edge of the snowboard or ski
A skidded turn will leave a large thick 'brush-stroke' since more of the base is in contact with the surface of the snow
i've never been snowboarding at all but seriously want to get into it. question is, where do i start?
the occasional lesson at the chill factor or save and go france for a week or so?
I'd say both if you can - but I wouldn't bother going to a large French resort for your first trip.
Consider somewhere cheaper like Austria, Slovenia, Andorra, or even Slovakia.
And join SnowboardClubUK before you do any of that - it'll save you money on snowdome lessons and trips abroad. (The 10% Neilson discount just saved me a few hundred on my Les Deux Alpes trip. Not bad for a £15 membership)
Seems to me that you've been well & truly bitten by the bug ... I look forward to hearing about your plans for a season & trips to far off lands!
The bug is certainly taking hold - but a season would involve me leaving the wife and kids for a few months. That boat has sailed. Should have done it when I was young single and carefree.
I love the "ohhhh, I'm good"
Im going to categorize myself as generally hazordous to other peoples safety.
I've got some expensive Goggles though, which is what really counts.
Just out of interest what was the reasoning behind your Grading Scale stevomcd?Chalet Guests, clients or folks being instructed?
doesn't rely on people self-describing their skidded turns as "carving"
I can see exactly where you are coming from but doesn't the inclusion of 'carving' (i.e. a pencil line(s) in the snow) give an indication of control and performance rather than just testosterone fueled speed?
I was just trying to come up with something more-or-less objective. Comes a little bit from doing instructor courses. People always ask what you have to do on the top-level exam that's so hard and I think they're imagining that the answer is going to be triple-corks in the pipe or something. I always feel a bit lame saying it's just doing nice turns on a red run. Because everyone thinks they can do turns on a red run, but most people really can't. Watch most skiers and, especially, snowboarders on the mountain and they're just skidding sideways on alternate edges, going straight down hill. No turn shape at all, no performance coming from the skis/board. My scale is far from perfect, but at least it doesn't require people to actually assess their own ability, just make factual statements about what they can ski. People do massively over-state that as well, of course.
In winter, I don't get out on the mountain with my clients all that much (bloody French and their ski-hosting laws!), so it's more often in the ski-hire shop that you hear it.
What kind of skis do you want? No idea.
What level skier are you? Expert!
Carving is definitely a great demonstration of control and skill, but the problem is that most people think it's just another word for turning, so when you ask them if they can carve they say "of course!".
Someone mentioned mountain-biking a few posts back and I actually don't find it to be the same, or at least not to anywhere near the same extent. I think the difference is that most Brits don't really have much of a clue about what really good skiing or snowboarding is, so as far as they're aware, they really are experts because they can slither around the mountain at speed for a week every winter. On the other hand, most serious mountain-bikers ride regularly enough to have a better idea of what's possible. For sure, you still get self-proclaimed "experts" who have never been outside a trail-centre, but it's less common.
I actually changed our self-assessment scale recently because my original one kind-of boxed everyone who wasn't either a beginner or racing DH into being a 3 or a 4 (on a 1 to 5 scale) so it wasn't really of much use to us (because 99% of people ticked one of 2 boxes). I've changed the definition of a 5 now and it's helped a lot.
Our summer scale, for anyone who's interested:
1. I’m a new/nervous rider and don’t have much experience of steep, rocky terrain
2. I’ve done a fair bit of mountain biking, but often get off and walk on technical sections
3. I regularly ride red-grade Scottish/Welsh trail centres or moderately technical rides in the Lakes, Peak, Wales, etc.
4. I regularly ride black-grade Scottish/Welsh trail centres or rocky rides in the Lakes, Peak, etc.
5. I’m an Alpine / big-mountain veteran. Give me all the steeps, all the tech, all the switchbacks!
Again, I guess it's mostly terrain-based.
That boat has sailed. Should have done it when I was young single and carefree
Never say never GrahamS! 🙂
I did a season (well - 10 weeks) in 2008 - my partner was very accommodating & supportive and my daughter was a grown up teenager.
But yeah - I do take your point that it's easier when you are younger etc.
However for the past few years I've tried to make the lifestyle choices that enable me to spend as much time as I can on the snow!
If you really want it you will find a way of making it happen!
We rocked up in Les Gets last Christmas, valleys were totally green and pistes patchy with artificial snow. Cover was better up at Avoriaz but still plenty of rocks poking through. Christmas Day it pished it down with rain in the valleys (we stayed in, drank champagne and cooked Christmas dinner), then at some point between 10pm and 3am it turned to snow and 60cm fell down at velley level, much more on the tops. Woke up to a winter wonderland, more snow boxing day and the 27th was the best bluebird powder day I've ever had...
It's crap at the moment across most of the alps, but it's still early... Next week looking more promising.
As ever stevomcd ... nicely put! I see exactly what you are saying:
I think the difference is that most Brits don't really have much of a clue about what really good skiing or snowboarding is
... kindof hits the nail on the head! 😕
the problem is that most people think it's just another word for turning, so when you ask them if they can carve they say "of course!"
I'm away in Meribel for the w/b 14th Dec. I will admit to checking out XC bike hire options! 😕
5/2. I’m an Alpine / big-mountain veteran. Give me all the steeps, all the tech, all the switchbacks! But I often get off and walk on technical sections.
Same with skiing. If messing up a turn is likely to hurt for months after (or result in death) then I don't hesitate to hack my way down backwards with crampons and an axe.
Rumple - do both if you can afford it. There's still a chance you may spend all your first week on your behind though. Or if you're some of my mates - the first six weeks 🙂
Never say never GrahamS!
I did a season (well - 10 weeks) in 2008 - my partner was very accommodating & supportive and my daughter was a grown up teenager.
My kids are only 1 and 4! 😕
Maybe once they are bundled off to uni and I've retired!
I remember having dinner with a ski bum couple in Fernie who were in their 70s and they rode Morning Glory every day.
So I guess there is still time...
This reminds me of an English chap I skied with in January.
He asked to ski with me on some blacks. I was fine to let hubby go off piste so I didn't hold him up.
I asked the chap what kind of skier he was, the reply was 'advanced'. So of course I let him go in front. The snow was really deep and the conditions were fantastic. He fell so much and was so slow I just had to pass him and wait at the bottom. Oh well.
Oooh I like The mtbing scale. I sort of work out at 3.5 if that makes sense.
I remember having dinner with a ski bum couple in Fernie who were in their 70s and they rode Morning Glory every day
Fnarr fnarr! 🙂
Morning Glory - one of my favourites. I'm back in Fernie for nearly a month in January. Can't wait! Then off to the Alps for 3 wks in March
My kids are only 1 and 4
Ahh ... didn't realise your family was quite so young. What made it easy for me was my daughter was off to Uni.
I had a chance to do a season (well 6-8 weeks) the Mrs was so resistant it was the final straw in getting a divorce !
I'm back in Fernie for nearly a month in January. Can't wait! Then off to the Alps for 3 wks in March
I could go off you! 
I've probably said this before but if you or anyone else is ever looking for a place to stay in Fernie then go here:
http://www.canadianpowdertours.com/thechalet.html
Fantastic place, very chilled home-from-home atmosphere, amazing food. Probably the best chalet I've ever stayed in.
lol ... well I've been 'pwned' - I didn't start snowboarding until I was 32 and my first winter holiday was in 2002!
ah ah! Sounds like you're putting in the time and effort to push through though.
I remember a long time ago there was a guy in his 30's at the local ski club (seemed ancient back then) who was a pretty typical Brit holiday skier i.e. pretty crap. But then he decided to make it a mission to pass his BASI 3 (back when that was the entry level). He did a season in France plus a load of BASI training courses and ended up a pretty decent instructor. So can be done of course, just not by someone of that age who skis 1 or 2 weeks per year on a holiday basis.
It's a lot easier to progress if you start young, as with most things.
Grading? I'd classify myself as intermidiot.*
(Shamelessly stolen from SH!)
I can be only dream of achieving intermidiot standards.
I remember a long time ago there was a guy in his 30's at the local ski club (seemed ancient back then) who was a pretty typical Brit holiday skier i.e. pretty crap.
You mean this sort of thing?
😀
**** me, that was my ski class all over again
I know that video comes around every year, but still....
😀
And this one....
I think the difference is that most Brits don't really have much of a clue about what really good skiing or snowboarding is, so as far as they're aware, they really are experts because they can slither around the mountain at speed for a week every winter
This is partly becuase skiing is more subtle than mountainbiking with regards to technique.
There is also a lot more snobbery about technique in skiing. Most bikers are happy to ride something clean with no dabs. Lots of skiers on the other hand will obsess over how something was skied.
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😀
That slingshot lift video is great.
That slingshot lift is mental, i thought it was like a 4 person rope tow but, blimey. Brilliant commentary.
As an ex-instructor and patroller there is an inverse relationship between the vocalisation of skiing skill and actual skills.
This is partly becuase skiing is more subtle than mountainbiking with regards to technique.
Also, people are generally free to talk up their skiing as much as they like, given how unlikely it is that you'll ever bump into them in resort. I had a great conversation with a guy who described his last day in the Vallee Blanche in peak season. I asked if he felt nervous on the arête on the way down. He said that he found it tricky, but that he [i]skied[/i] it well. His wife then revealed that it was his 3rd week on snow, but he'd been to the snowdome loads 🙂 😆
It's more dangerous to do that with MTB since they person you're bullshitting might suggest a ride together! 🙂
Ok let's do this honestly then. I do the snowboarding thing, starting in my early 30s. Bust knees mean I can't ski any more, though I did a little as a kid.
I skid most turns. I can carve (not well you understand), but I actually like the slidey feel of skidded turns. That said I don't just go edge to edge straight down the fall line as suggested some people do.
I'm comfortable on reds and steeper blues, but I don't like icy bits. I hate shallow / flat blues - there are times I'd rather walk these.
Edge of piste power is superb. The day after 8" of fresh snow fell after the pisties had finished was even better. I've never experienced waist deep power - I suspect I'd love it right up until my first fall that I couldn't get back up from.
My board is far higher end than I need but I like it and I can afford it. The same is true of my other board that I don't really need.
I like high end kit I probably don't need.
I am always aware that at the end of the day on the slopes there are two small boys who depend on my wife and I to look after them - note to self, go home in one piece Iain.
The older of those two boys is, at 8, probably already a better skier than I am boarder.
I will never be expert (the boys might).
Unless I move to the Alps for my retirement. Which isn't impossible.
ou mean this sort of thing?
Ah the all time classic Kevin 🙂 Love it.
He was actually the more stiff robotic type you often see on Warren Smith tutorial vids (not Warren, but the Brits he's typically teaching). Maybe they are typical Brit enthusiast skiers i.e. still a bit shit, but probably tell their mates how good they are 😉
FYI I will be riding powder (boarding) in Niseko, Japan for two weeks from end January. happy face
Nice one jamiep - Japan is definitely on my Bucket List, but it seems to be mighty expensive and a massive pain to get to. Would you mind revealing what you are paying and how you are travelling/staying?
In return [url= http://www.snowboardclub.co.uk/news-11063.html ]here is a nice little article about Dunx from SCUK riding in Niseko[/url].
New skins arrived last night, they are snowboard specific, but they may need a trim. If they do, are there any tips? Or is it just a case of sticking them on and running the pre supplied trim tool along the edge?
Thanks
[b]jamiep[/b] me too. We arrive the last Saturday in January. I am so excited!
That Kevin video reminds me of my first trip, as I was leaving the chair with some of the other learners from my group, one of the girls put her ski on top of mine, as the chair pushed away I had no control over that foot and went to ground.
The chirpy attendant stopped the lift, wandered over and helped me up with the comment: "Well done for coming skiing". What a guy!
Andorra Pas dela Casa for reference.
Last year I think I left every lift cleanly so no dramas luckily.
New skins arrived last night, they are snowboard specific
Which ones did you get? The G3 skins?
Trimmed my Black Diamond Glidelite skins with the supplied trim tool - was a bit apprehensive at first by was actually pretty straight forward
The Spark R&D tail-clip was a good investment - I think Spark's skins are re-branded G3
GrahamS - Member
Nice one jamiep - Japan is definitely on my Bucket List, but it seems to be mighty expensive and a massive pain to get to. Would you mind revealing what you are paying and how you are travelling/staying?
It is more spendy than a week in France, of course, but not crazily high once flights are bought. We have gone diy rather than a package. it is fairly trouble free to get to.
Flight was £560, which was a steal. Manchester-Hong Kong then Hong Kong-Sapporo.
Shuttle coach transfer £20-25 each way
We have an apartment rather than a bunkhouse. About £48 a night, which wasn't much more than a bunkhouse.
Lift pass is still to be bought but they are cheaper than Europe.
Food/drink is cheaper than France resorts
Cheers jamiep, that's actually [b]a lot[/b] more reasonable than the horror stories I'd heard. Maybe next year 😉
For comparison, our family half term trip to Les Deux Alpes for a week is costing us £3222 in total !!
(flights/accom for 3 adults and two kids + lift passes, kids club and lessons)
And my 2 week trip to Whistler comes in at: £2412 pp
(Flights/accom = £1362, 2 days catboarding = £650, 10 day pass = £400)
Ah well.. it's only money eh? 😯
Going back to the carving conversation. Here is Ryan Knapton ably demonstrating carving on a board:
And then ably demonstrating that it is the rider, not the board:
Which ones did you get? The G3 skins?
Yes, they're the Burton x G3 skins. Tails clips was the main reason for getting them. I did buy two sets of the Spark tail clips but could never fit them as our current skins are too short. In fact they talkies are in the loft – I really should chuck 'em in eBay.
[b]jamiep[/b] That's a fantastic price for flights, our group paid between £800 - 1000.
[b]GrahamS[/b] You forgot the $1000 you're going to spend in the GLC 😉
10 day pass = £400
Wow ... that's pretty reasonable for BC - I thought Whistler would be about $100 CAN per day [with a discount for multi-days]
I think Fernie is over $80 CAN per day this season - hence why I bought my 'early bird' season pass in June!
You forgot the $1000 you're going to spend in the GLC
And that's just for a pitcher of beer & some nachos! 😉
Here is Ryan Knapton ably demonstrating carving on a board
Gotta love a bit of 'layback carving'! 8)
