Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 74 total)
  • Skiiing – how long to learn?!
  • colwyn58
    Free Member

    ok – am pretty "sporty" and am a good snowboarder (used to teach).

    therefore how long from scratch to learn to ski to an acceptable standard, eg parallell turns and not make it look difficult?!

    there is method behind this rather abstract question I promise!

    Thanks,

    Chris.

    Hairychested
    Free Member

    If you feel like becoming a human being I suggest a couple of days with a trainer. I did it in Spindleruv Mlyn and never looked back. Great mountains, cheap beer, loads of Norvegian/Dutch/German female skiers didn't hurt either. And it was cheap.

    Bunnyhop
    Full Member

    I would say 3 days with the skis they have today (parabolic).
    With your fitness and the fact you're used to the snow and how the lifts work, you have a head start.

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    lunge
    Full Member

    2 or 3 days to be parallel, 3 or 4 to look good and in control.

    the_lecht_rocks
    Full Member

    i'm still learning, after 36 years at it………and living in northern norway from the age of 7 till 9 😀

    B.A.Nana
    Free Member

    Some profesional coaching pays dividends, you will progress quicker without all the bad habits/techniques

    😉

    markfu
    Free Member

    I went skiing for the first time this year, having had no previous experience on snow whatsoever. I was 'doing' red runs on day 3 and also did a couple of blacks on day 5. However, at no stage do i imagine that i looked remotely competent, and it would probably take me another couple of days to get back to the same level now.

    ScotlandTheScared
    Full Member

    Well – I've been skiing since I was 2 and my dad is a BASI trainer. And I am still learning (31 now). I can easily spot errors with technique which would not be obvious to your average ski-ing punter. So it depends who you want to impress! The skis these days help a lot. I reckon less than a week with an instructor would sort you out if you are already good at balance etc. from boarding…
    It took me 2 days to convert from alpine skiing technique to telemarking whereby I could get down the hill and look OK. Has taken me at least several more weeks instruction (via dad) to get to what I would call an acceptable level though…

    DezB
    Free Member

    Did a week's skiing at request from the wife (her and our son ski). Have 'boarded quite a few years and the techniques are so similar it won't take you more than a couple of days with an instructor to look decent.
    It's actually quite good fun, but not a patch on snowboarding 😉

    eldridge
    Free Member

    It's actually quite good fun, but not a patch on snowboarding

    It's the other way around. Snowboards are mountain toys, which offer really good fun.

    Skis are mountain tools, which offer the user a potentially much richer mountain experience – ski touring and mountain travel, for example.

    People who have to be grown-up in the mountain environment – avalanche control teams, ski patrol – always wear skis. Snowboards are not a patch on skis.

    DezB
    Free Member

    So I'm wrong, you're right? Bollox.
    Give me a toy over a tool for fun anyday.

    eldridge
    Free Member

    Unless your idea of mountain fun includes travel in mountain terrain. A snowboard would be no fun on the Haute Route. So the range of fun on snowboards is more limited than that available on skis.

    So I'm wrong, you're right? Bollox.

    In a debate, one person puts up an argument, and other people evaluate it and propose counter arguments. Grow up.

    Capt.Kronos
    Free Member

    I spent a week in Switzerland learning to ski. Loads of fun, prefered it to boarding (which I did a bit of in California a few months prior to the ski experience). Wouldn't say I was remotely competent after that week, but was having plenty of fun and was skiing parallel pretty early on (think day 2 or 3???).

    Want to go and do some more sometime, but there is so much going on at the mo that it looks unlikely

    GrahamS
    Full Member

    Skis are mountain tools, which offer the user a potentially much richer mountain experience – ski touring and mountain travel, for example.
    People who have to be grown-up in the mountain environment – avalanche control teams, ski patrol – always wear skis. Snowboards are not a patch on skis.

    One of trickiest parts of skiing is mastering the smug supercilious attitude.
    A moment to learn, but it takes a lifetime to master the disdain properly 🙄

    swavis
    Full Member

    I gave up the skis after 15 or so years and switched to snowboarding last year. Would never go back.
    My ideal day of fun would involve a helicopter, a swallowtail and some AK powder 😀

    DezB
    Free Member

    In a debate, one person puts up an argument, and other people evaluate it and propose counter arguments.

    It wasn't a debate – it was a flippant comment about my opinion. Hence the 'wink'.
    'De gustibus non est disputandum'

    I have no intention of growing up when it comes to having fun.

    DezB
    Free Member

    Well said Graham

    FunkyDunc
    Free Member

    It took me about 10 years from teaching myself to getting to international racing standard…. depends where you are aiming really!

    eldridge
    Free Member

    One of trickiest parts of skiing is mastering the smug supercilious attitude.
    A moment to learn, but it takes a lifetime to master the disdain properly

    I don't quite get this – are you suggesting that I've still got a lot to learn to master the skier's superciliousness when it come to boarders?

    Or are you suggesting that I've got it spot on?

    'De gustibus non est disputandum'

    unless your taste is for sex with children, presumably. I guess it's the exception that proves the rule here.

    eldridge
    Free Member

    I have no intention of growing up when it comes to having fun.

    I didn't suggest you grow up as regards to fun. I suggested you grow up in your attitude to having your flippant remarks answered with reasoned debate.

    This is often a problem with stroppy adolescents:

    Adolescent: "Flippant, unthinking remark!"
    Adult: "Reasoned response."
    Adolescent: (sound of door slamming)

    So I'm wrong, you're right? Bollox

    is that door slamming.

    Grow up.

    djglover
    Free Member

    Oh god, eldrige has arrived with his sour blend of cold sanctimony and chip on shoulder. What a nice man.

    GrahamS
    Full Member

    I don't quite get this – are you suggesting that I've still got a lot to learn to master the skier's superciliousness when it come to boarders?
    Or are you suggesting that I've got it spot on?

    It's definitely a good start. You have the indignation down pretty well, but your random insult technique is pretty sloppy.

    eldridge
    Free Member

    his sour blend of cold sanctimony and chip on shoulder

    Now that is a lovely insult. Thank you. I cherish it for the food metaphors: "sour", "cold", "blend", and "chip"

    and for the unexpectedly educated Latinate vocabulary: "sanctimony"

    and for the lovely cliche "chip on shoulder"

    and for the laboured irony of "nice man"

    And do you think snowboards are superior to skis too?

    (Just to get back to the original assertion that started this debate)

    Hairychested
    Free Member

    My ideal day of fun would involve a helicopter, a swallowtail and some AK powder

    My ideal day would involve loads of tits, beer and naughtiness. You're weird 😀

    swavis
    Full Member

    Lol @ Hairychested

    "My ideal day would involve loads of tits, beer and naughtiness."

    That's for the evenings entertainment though 😉

    rogerthecat
    Free Member

    Ok Chris – why do you want to ski?
    You have now started Snow Wars, so explain yourself.

    GrahamS
    Full Member

    And do you think snowboards are superior to skis too?
    (Just to get back to the original assertion that started this debate)

    There is no debate. There is a little tongue-in-cheek comment from DezB followed by you going off on one with the surly hollow bitterness of a man who spends all his holiday being serious and working hard to "perfect his technique", while moaning about people "doing it wrong" and having fun.

    I think most "snow enthusiasts" would agree that both forms are valid and can be fun.

    But before I get accused of not properly countering your "reasoned response":

    People who have to be grown-up in the mountain environment – avalanche control teams, ski patrol – always wear skis. Snowboards are not a patch on skis.

    People who have to be grown-up in the summer mountain environment – mountain rescue etc – always walk. Ergo mountain bikes are rubbish and not a patch on rambling. 🙄

    DezB
    Free Member

    Jeezus! the pr1ck told me to grow up again!
    Don't ride a Trek do you Eldridge?

    And do you think snowboards are superior to skis too?
    (Just to get back to the original assertion that started this debate)

    I didn't say snowboards are superior to skis now did I? Did I? No.

    So have you got an answer for the OP, or are you just here to try to start arguments?

    gonefishin
    Free Member

    Wow this has kicked off a bit. I think some people need to learn not to take snow sports too seriously.

    In answer to the OP I'm a reasonable boarder, but no instructor, and it took me a total of about a week and bit to get "reasonable" on skis. I was in lessons for the whole of that time so I'm guessing that made a difference. I found it pretty easy as all the time I'd spent on the board gave me confidence on the snow so all I had to do was learn the techniques of skiing. I was surprised by how similar the techniques are to be honest, not identical but certainly some similarities.

    One thing I will recommend is a proper boot fitting. All the nonsense that people say about ski boots being uncomfortable is rubbish, they just don't fit properly. I got mine done by Surefoot, not cheap but my ski boots are as comfortable as my boarding boots.

    MussEd
    Free Member

    Ok – what about someone who was "no bad" when he did skiing lssons on dry slope at Hillend with school 20 years? How would they gt on learning to ski again/or starting snowboarding?

    colwyn58
    Free Member

    asking as possibly looking to take a role which includes "ski guiding" and am getting the impression they'd prefer someone to do it who was on skis!

    donald
    Free Member

    asking as possibly looking to take a role which includes "ski guiding"

    So you're going to want to be able to go down any run in the resort in reasonable style. It's impossible to say without seeing your current standard – but even if you are very talented it'll take you many weeks to get to be that proficient.

    Donald (ex instructor)

    peachos
    Free Member

    depends who you are looking to ski guide for. i've worked in ski resort and there's a distinct difference between ski guides who work from their hotel (ie crystal holidays et al) who are basically just taking guests around the pistes and ski guides who work for a proper ski guide company who will be offering a proffesional service taking skiiers far away from the pistes and into the backcountry.

    can't believe that people still argue about whether skiing or boarding is the best. i ride and always have ridden with both. i board myself but it's undeniable that both ski and board industries have learned lots from each other. look at the way ski's have developed since the introduction of snowboards with their progressive sidecuts etc.

    oh, and you'll never beat riding through waist deep powder on a board 😀 (well, maybe a 20 foot wave but i've never achieved that)

    peachos
    Free Member

    oh, and if you're a good boarder you should pick up skiing quickly. my first day on skis i just went to the top of the mountain and hit the first black run i could find. but i suppose riding with skiiers lots helped me.

    nbt
    Full Member

    depends who you are looking to ski guide for. i've worked in ski resort and there's a distinct difference between ski guides who work from their hotel (ie crystal holidays et al) who are basically just taking guests around the pistes and ski guides who work for a proper ski guide company who will be offering a proffesional service taking skiiers far away from the pistes and into the backcountry.

    It'll be the former as you need a professional qualification for the latter

    I'd say if you spent a season skiing, you;d be good enough to guide. Most people I know who've done it say that you need to be able to look better than 90-95% of guests. The first 60% is easy….

    DezB
    Free Member

    can't believe that people still argue about whether skiing or boarding is the best Neither can I mate, neither can I 🙂

    oh, and you'll never beat riding through waist deep powder on a board
    Argh, what have you said?!

    Spongebob
    Free Member

    I have been skiing 23 years now. It took a week to get the fundamentals. It comes down to how good the instruction is and your attitude. I don't recommend French instructors, they don't seem to have the interpersonal skills. I didn't rate any of the ones I had and my kids simply hated the "couldn't care less" attitude. I recently saw a couple of French instructors chastising a distraught English boy who couldn't have been older than 8. They told the boy (I quote) "Shut the fxxk up, we're sick of your whinging and get on with the lesson, do as I say, shut up you little sxxt". I nearly intervened, I wish I had done! Arrogant scroats!(like a good number of the French people you meet). I am boycotting France now due to this and their inflated prices. Austria is much cheaper (beer's a lot less there) and the Austrians have a much less hostile manner. I digress!

    Looking tidy on skis takes a long time for most people, years even. Getting down the mountain on any slope looking tidy is something I haven't yet achieved. If i'm in the mood I can perfect parallel on all but the most mogulled up runs. I should get some lessons really.

    Parallels take a couple of weeks to learn for most people. Looking sylish with skis together and distributing you weight correctly whilst facing downhill takes a lot longer, years, if ever!

    Snow boards are a perfectly valid form of getting around on the mountain. It's easier to pick up and i'm sure is brilliant fun in deep powder off piste. My mate says that steep black runs are easier on a board. I've watched him and he doesn't put in many turns, he mostly slides down 'em.

    The downsides are getting on and off lifts and it's not much fun if your group contains skiers and boarders. Buttons T-Bars and chairs, all a hassle on a board. Flat sections of runs are a pain for boarders as they have to stop and walk. Stopping anywhere usually requires you to sit down and without poles, boarders often have to hop to get going. Long less steep runs are more tiring on a board than skis because you always need to keep an edge. I find, as a skier, it's generally harder to predict where a boarder will go. They can be a bit unpredictable and I think these people are mostly the novices who are confident beyond their ability etc.

    There's plenty of room for all types of user. Go enjoy! I love skiing.

    gonefishin
    Free Member

    The downsides are getting on and off lifts and it's not much fun if your group contains skiers and boarders. Buttons T-Bars and chairs, all a hassle on a board.

    They really aren't that bad you know. Most boarders that complain about them haven't put the time in to learn how to do it properly. As part of one lesson I had on a board we had to use a T bar without holding on. It was "entertaining" but not that difficult.

    I find, as a skier, it's generally harder to predict where a boarder will go.

    If you were to learn how to board, you'd have a much better idea of where a boarder will be going. Not having a go but I think that is down to your ignorance (i.e. lack of knowledge) of snowboarding more than anything else.

    I think these are mostly novices who are confident beyond their ability etc

    This can apply to skiers as much as boarders.

    There's plenty of room for all types of user. Go enjoy! I love skiing.

    I certianly agree with that!

    Smee
    Free Member

    I went from never having been on skis to being confident on black runs in a matter of hours, but then I had been snowboarding and kayakin for many many years. Its all about remembering what your edges are doing and what you want them to do.

    GrahamS
    Full Member

    Some buttons can be a bit of a pain (literally) on a board, particularly if they are old-school ones with little or no bend above the button, or if the poma is icy and heavily double-tracked by skis.

    One of our criteria for booking a resort (for a large group of mixed abilities) is the number of drag lifts. If we can't get around the resort without drags then we simply look elsewhere.

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