The STW Ski & Snowboard thread. The 2012-2013 season

13 weeks to go! 8)

Snow in Serre Che, too!

None in Vegas , though! :-).

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!

*glitchy mogul kicker*

From my window, 5 minutes ago:

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)

http://instagram.com/p/Q1PeU3kA4R/

You beat me to it Nick….

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

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;
Free Radicals

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;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgDMo01ppWE

Looks awesome! Some serious, seeeeerious stoke-age! 🙂

Snorkel depth pow!

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?

😉

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.