The STW Ski & Snowboard thread. The 2013-2014 season

Helmet? WWYTJD?

I still don’t have a helmet and am holding out against getting one……am I wrong?

No.

I held out for many years. Eventually bought one cos I was riding in the snowdome, where helmets are compulsory on freestyle nights, and I didn’t like wearing the hire ones that had a nice sheen on teenage sweat on them. 😕

But now I have a helmet of my own I unexpectedly quite like wearing it. It’s comfy and warm. It means I can bump through low branches on tree runs and when I do fall I don’t have to hike back up to get my beanie and goggles.

WWYTJD?

Stop that…!

As with Graham, I held out for an age. No idea why, really, it seems silly now, looking back on it. Then, went skiing several years ago with Mrs CFH’s much younger sister. She had a helmet from a previous school ski trip (Where it was compulsory) and asked why we didn’t wear one? This was before we went, and got me thinking. Why not?

Haven’t looked back since, and wear one all the time now. Great for annoying little bumps as well, such as the chairlift bar coming down on your bonce as someone overeagerly slams it down! As a friend discovered, it also protects you against getting clouted on the back of the head by the wing mirror of the ski bus if you’re not paying attention….

Works really well with goggles, too. Never fogging up at all. Never felt too hot in one yet, nor too cold (Thin beanie underneath on really cold days and/or a Buff covering lower face/neck)

About six years ago, about 5% of people in most resorts were wearing helmets. Now, it’s about 5% of people who are NOT wearing them. Quite a change.

I suspect that within a couple of years, you may not be able to get insurance without one, so may as well get used to it now!

.am I wrong?

No, just different.

As flashy says years ago it was rare to see them. I’ve had mine many years and did get strange looks in Europe – not that I cared.
However after several incidents with friends and just general skiing around I think we would have had a couple of horrible hospital visits, had it not been for the protection of wearing helmets.

Same as biking though if you have an accident and dent it, get a new one.

Mine was an impulse buy. But being 6ft3, it definitley helps with bar impacts on those ancient 2-man chairs.

Much more comfier than a hat when it’s -20C out there and blizzarding.

Oh and one friend did have a head-snow interface, a night in hospital, double vision for several weeks, and he’s what you would call quite a “safe” skier. Almost all other friends went to the shop the next morning to buy a lid.

Witnessed a high speed collision last year. Can’t say helmets would necessarily have helped. Fortunately it was the guilty party that suffered at least a spacked ACL, and more probably a broken leg, while the beginner was merely dazed. Could have easily been the other way around. We were on the chairlift and saw everything. Medics and carabinieri got there before we reached the top.

I’ll leave the “holding out” to road cyclists that don’t want compulsory lids.

Unless you need the shovel to dig your car out of the snow at the end of a hugely satisfying ski-trip. Apart from building kickers, thats all mine has ever done since I bought it 16 years ago! Fortunately

And snowpits from time to time?

Plus the occasional igloo:

^^That pic belongs in the online dating thread!^^

😉

Yeah, it’s a bit “Hello Laydeez!”

To be fair, I was trying it on with the now wife at the time. She was very impressed.

I’m the same. Bought my helmet because I was instructing in sno!zone and its company policy that you can’t go on features without one. I do believe its personal choice but don’t come crying to me if you get an injury that could have been prevented by wearing one. 😀

Change of subject. Ive got 5 days off at the end of Novemeber so me and the other half were thinking of Zermatt. All it says on the website though is that it opens at the end of novemeber. Anyone know when it was last year? If not, will there be any early open areas?

in another change of subject, how cool are these….

Radder than a rad thing that’s especially rad!

That’s AWESOME!

As is the not too surprisingly calm consensus on helmets on here…

indeed, and guess who’s 2yr old just got a strider for his birthday. i think the ski option will be arriving shortly.

Little Miss CFH already has an Easy Rider balance bike lined up, but they don’t do a ski attachment….

Think she might be about to discover the meaning of N+1 very early on in life! 🙂

Still hoping to get her out to Serre Che for a week. Would love to see her up on a pair of those ickle baby skis on the nursery slope. She’s walking already, so surely if she can walk, she can ski!

She’s walking already, so surely if she can walk, she can ski!

Our eldest had her first ski lessons in Italy last year at ~2yrs 10months.
The instructor said she was the youngest skier she had taught.

She did well but I think she’d have struggled much younger than that, partly due to strength, coordination and physical exertion, and partly just because they need the language skills to understand instruction and the discipline to follow it.

So, just over a year old in January? She’ll be shredding the gnat in the park on some steezy twin tips 😉

Was more thinking of a play on the piou-piou slope one lunchtime, not real skiing for her.

[bites] OK, who’s doing those ski attachments in the UK? It looks like they’ll attach to any balance bike of the more bike shaped variety (if that makes sense) and at £20 I’d happily stick the on number two son’s Rothan. Google failed me. [/bites]

And is anyone doing a 26/650/29er version?

http://www.striderbikedealer.co.uk/accessories-a-gloves/product/265-strider-snow-skis

Helmet, had one for a while now.

Had a bit of tumble off a narrow rocky ridge trying to access an off piste descent. Rolling down rocks with a wooly hat on persuaded me. I’ve also witnessed a couple of classic snowboarder skier coming together mid piste, as a skier you’d want to be wearing a helmet even if the boarder doesn’t get you with body weight or his board hell be wearing a helmet and if he clashes with your unprotected head that’s curtains.

CFH – took my kids from 6 months, not sure I’d do it again. OK for having fun in the snow, bit of a walk, slide around on toboggan but you need “help” and suitable accommodation. Best holidays when kids were small was Mark Warner as kids club included. 4 or 5 is min for them to have a “ski holiday” IME and you need to choose resort carefully (eg I really Like Arosa for this, nursery slopes in village at 1900m next to bus stop, little outdoor ice rink, horse drawn sleigh rides (cost a bomb but kids love it – special treat)) etc

Jam Bo

Thanks. I thought I’d looked on that website, but clearly not.

At £19 that’s not bad at all. Bought. I’ll let everyone know if they fit the Rothan.

I was hoping this helmet debate wouldn’t arise 🙁 .

For me its not really a debate though, it just makes sense to wear one, end of. I’m sure you wouldn’t go out on the mtb without one right? 😉

Something a little different this year?

MONTANE ICEMAN POLAR.14 GREENLAND RACE EVENT

“THE WORLD’S TOUGHEST ARCTIC SKI RACE

Northeast Greenland 13th – 26th April 2014

NEWS !!

Bordering the world’s largest frozen fjord and the world’s largest National Park competitors will endure challenging sub zero temperatures in this most beautiful and remote region of the High Arctic. Hurry Fjord, the spectacular Liverpool Land mountains and Greenland’s most remote village of Ittoqortoormiit form the backdrop to a new concept in Greenland extreme ski racing and challenge events.

This landmark race will test the skills and commitment of pioneer adventurers over two gruelling multi day routes and mark the beginning of a new era of more affordable polar challenge events. Whilst many competitors will be focussed on competing at the highest level and with the fastest times, the unique and exciting nature of the event will also attract many adventurers who enter purely for the enjoyment of taking part in such an unusual, challenging and fun expedition.

The event will end in Ittoqqortoormiit village and there will be opportunity for teams to engage in other additional local tours including dog sledding, ice fishing, snowmobiling, hot spring visit, guided village tour. The event will end with a party and an opportunity to experience the local food delicacies including polar bear, whale and musk ox steaks!!

Private, corporate, sponsored and charity fund raising teams of 3 or 4 people are welcome to apply.
Individuals and pairs will be teamed up to make effective and safe teams for the glacial travel requirements of the race.

Only limited places available (and going fast!) (10 teams of up to 40 competitors maximum)

For full details visit the ICEMAN website at icemanpolar.com ”

nedrapier – Member…….

And snowpits from time to time?

Plus the occasional igloo:

Good work fella! Bet that blew the top off the smugometer

I love my helmet, it is warm and comfortable.

Plus it’s a perfect excuse for spending money on nice shiny kit!

ocrider – it certainly did, it was years ago and I’m still pretty chuffed with it! It stayed up for nearly 2 months till the spring sun got to it.

It was a pretty cool process building it, too. Laying a block that’s at an angle flatter than 45 degrees, and having it gripped and supported in place by the one underneath and the one next to it – never got boring. And putting in the last piece was great – a 3 dimensional keystone. Recommended if you’ve got the snowpack, the time and the inclination (and a snowsaw, and a shovel)

I do like an igloo. Friends built one up in our local hills earlier this year, it seemed to last for ages.

Kiddy skiing – don’t you just love it when they are tiny and go up the magic carpet, don’t concentrate then there’s a big pile up at the top, when they all topple on to one another?
Also seeing 4 – 7 years old’s bombing down a piste in a massive snow plough and just stopping in no distance at all.

Shifter is that the 3+ set?
Thats what I need to get next!

Just recently got myself a whole touring setup, New boots but 2nd hand skis/bindings and skins. looking forward to some highland snow, and extending the season!

Yeah 3+. Seems very nice, more than I need obviously. Budget well and truly blown.

Just thought I would drop this in here. These lads look like they are having a great time.

Amazing skills and creativity off those lads there!

I bought my helmet as it was compulsory on freestyle nights at Chill Factore….I’d only been riding for about 3 months when I bought it so it just feels natural to wear one now…got some nice scrapes on it already so I guess that it was money well spent 🙂

I bought some Oakley crowbars yesterday to go with it….perfect fit 🙂

20secs or so in to that vid…

😉

Tom, Crowbars are my pick as well. Lovely goggles, never once had them fog up.

Black Iridium for sunny days, and Persimmon for bad light. I know some swear by the yellow, but I think that all the years of riding bikes in Persimmon means I just feel really comfortable with that lens. Super easy to change lenses, too, so if it looks like it might be a changeable day, I pack a spare lens in my goggle pocket. And some sunnies for the lunch time steez, of course! 8)

I’m not convinced the case for helmets in skiing is as good as that for biking but that’s a personal opinion based largely on anecdotal evidence.

I mainly do off piste and touring. I wear one for steeper off piste lines, lines threatened by ice/rock fall and those with jaggy rocks sticking out.

My first helmet only lasted 3 days before it had to go in the bin 🙁 but it did save me from either a nasty scalp wound/concussion/fractured skull. The dent in the helmet was 6 cm long and 1.5cm deep and it was inflicted by my own ski!

Next one has lasted about 5 years so I guess I’m not trying hard enough now 😉

Anybody got experience of Nordica skis, currently torn between Volkl Kenja or Nordica Wild Belle……

For anyone looking at new skis it looks like ski bartlett have some really good deals on right now for last winters models.

I’m not convinced the case for helmets in skiing is as good as that for biking but that’s a personal opinion based largely on anecdotal evidence.

I mainly do off piste and touring. I wear one for steeper off piste lines, lines threatened by ice/rock fall and those with jaggy rocks sticking out.

I just don’t get this. I think I go faster on my board than I can on my bike. There are lots of things covered in snow but there are also a hell of a lot of hard things that aren’t. Rocks, trees, people, lifts, hidden drops, misread speed and bad choices!

I think I go faster on my board than I can on my bike

While sliding down a mountain can certainly feel fast, in reality it’s much slower than you’d imagine (IME).

On a bike I’ll regularly hit 48-50km/h.
On skis, 45km/h is really going for it, on longish GS carve skis, first thing in the morning on nice crisp firm snow.

andytherocketeer – have you skiied with a GPS?

in reality it’s much slower than you’d imagine

IME, I always thought that “going for it” would be 40-50mph, I was quite surprised I’d gone faster than 40mph just cruising about. Never had a GPS on when I’ve been up to cheek-flapping, struggling to breathe speeds though.

But I’d sooner wear a helmet for trees, nadgery steeps, weird snow on roller coaster singletrack exit routes with rocks about; than for going quick on good snow.

Disclaimer: while I realise this thread has willy waving content, that was not the motivation for the post!

Yeah fair enough, that may be true, still going more that fast enought to do some serious damage if coming to a halt very quickly!!!

I’ve managed to reach 55mph on my snowboard according to my friends gps. I don’t do that the whole time but I certainly ride to the maximum limits of the slope/conditions a lot of the time.

Also some rather large jumps in the park and big (small compared to the movies) drops etc off piste.

At the risk of derailing the thread away from the helment debate (Even though it does rather look like consensus…!), I popped in to S&R at lunchtime. New catalogue is out, and new skis are in. Shiny!

These look excellent in the flesh;