The STW Ski & Snowboard thread. The 2014-2015 season

Well that’s the first round of forecasts checked.

And all the webcams checked…… twice

And a couple of forums.

I’ll give it half an hour and check again…..

Glad its not just me then! 🙂

I’m relieved to see the temps dropping in Austria from the weekend and (Say it quietly) some snow on the way! 😀

25 days to go! 8)

Do you have of those targeted at folk who like to pretend they are middle class?

Step 2 – Choose ‘Euro’!

🙂

Great video Graham….made me laugh! 😀

Note they also have How To Be A Mountain Biker and How To Be A Road Biker videos… (links at the end)

We call it the Euro Gap (between helmet and top of goggles). Very funny Graham S.

Can’t understand why they are wearing a dress that I had in the 1980s. Wish I’d kept it now.

I’m relieved to see the temps dropping in Austria from the weekend and (Say it quietly) some snow on the way!

25 days to go!

Me too! Although only 18 days to go here…. 😯

As a large foreheaded gentleman I suffer from goggle gap.

Giro are the best and even their helmets don’t come down to the goggle line.

Hence my well documented preference for helmet and sunnies maybe.

Nice video.

bought a £165 oakley jacket from an outlet store for £33 !!!!!!! now i feel i have to go boarding

I’ve checked snowheads already, but does anyone have any personal preference of Ski school in Val Thorens? I’m presently thinking Prosneige for some private lessons, both for my wife 1-2-1 and for me and a friend 2-1.

Also, as an intermediate (read capable after 2 years but looking to learn loads this year and not willing to stand around waiting for large classes to fall over while I wait at the back) will 3 mornings of 3 hours be the right amount? It’ll give me time for a leisurely lunch then practice in the afternoon till I’m ready to fall over. Or would 4 be a better option?

Note they also have How To Be A Mountain Biker and How To Be A Road Biker videos

And the ‘seminal classic’ … “I Only Ride Park”! 😉

Their videos pop up on NSMB site as I think ‘IFHT’ that are somehow linked/connected to NSMB.

Very funny – and pleasantly self-deprecating!

Anyhow … back to the snow!

IGM, Smith lid and Oakley goggles on my sizable bonce. Zero gapeage.

Smith don’t fit sadly. I tried.

I have a Giro shaped bonce. And only their expensive helmets too.

Story of my life – the expensive stuff is nicer…

Smith lid with Smith goggles here. Made for each other = zero gapeage too.

Edit: Gah. oh well

Surely:

Must work?

Yep they’re pretty cool! By the way in reference to intermediate skiers….at what point does an Intermediate skier become an Advanced skier?

I like to think of myself as quite advanced but then someone goes past me like I’m a beginner and I come to my senses!

Is the term ‘Intermediate’ too extensive? Should there be a better grading system?

Plenty of charts out there to score yourself against.

Plenty of charts out there to score yourself against.

what are you?

Reckon I’m 7-7.5…..but Ive seen 11’s out there! 😯

at what point does an Intermediate skier become an Advanced skier

I think it’s a ‘State of Mind’ 8)

I wouldn’t worry about it. Everyone has strengths & weaknesses; good days & bad days; crappy conditions & awesome conditions.

As long as you are progressing & enjoying it then what’s the worry?

If you feel like an ‘Advanced Skier’ you *might* be an Advanced Skier, but it’s purely subjective*

*Unless of course you are a seasonaire/instructor/guide/pro etc … in which case you can bask in the glow of your own Advanced Awesomeness! 🙂

I reckon I was level 8 , able to ski everywhere but havent been in 16 years .

hoping for snow in Les Gets at Xmas .

Plenty of charts out there to score yourself against.

what are you?

Reckon I’m 7-7.5…..but Ive seen 11’s out there!

Is that Canadian? What’s the European equivalent of a blue?

This one is a bit more detailed:

http://www.insideoutskiing.com/level.html

Again though, it’s subjective, and for me, the biggest thing is fitness.

As a rough guide:

Canadian Blue = Euro Red

[although they will vary from Resort to Resort and they aren’t really directly comparable as a Euro Red might be a Groomed Run of varying width whereas a Canadian Blue might be narrow cat-track/trail through an ungroomed area]

I wouldn’t worry about it. Everyone has strengths & weaknesses; good days & bad days; crappy conditions & awesome conditions.

Very true.

Me too! Although only 18 days to go here….

That’s more than ive got (12), at least there is snow at the resort and a ton of snow cannons. Can’t imagine the full area stands any chance of opening sadly. To be honest, it’s another week of lessons. So long as we get those in I wont be too dissapointed.

And we are away again late January, which helps 8)

Still, fingers are firmly crossed and prayers are being offered.

Some Italian/Austrian Reds are more like some French Blues.
Some (single) diamond blacks in north America are as hard as some of the hardest blacks in France.

I call myself an experienced intermediate, even though I’ve been skiing since 1988.

We’ll I’m talking from ‘2 weeks of lessons so far’ so not quite beginner, I can stand, get on and off of chairs and lifts ok, corner and stop, but I’m so so far from anything other than early intermediate. I’ll avoid the grading graphs for a few years yet.

Grading systems are pretty random in any sport though, MTB black run at Thetford vs one in Wales or Scotland are 2 very different things.

One day I may make it to the heady heights of decent intermediate and happy to ride any slope, but I didn’t get the opportunity to ski as a kid, so I have a lot of catching up to do with the seasoned pro’s like you lot 😉

I’ve been musing recently on classifying ability level based on the terrain available to you. It’s at least a little bit less subjective and it’s easy to understand (e.g. doesn’t rely on people self-describing their skidded turns as “carving”).

It would go something like this:

New Skier: Limited to nursery slopes.

Beginner: You are limited to skiing/riding on green/blue runs and are not able to tackle anything steeper.

Intermediate: You can ride any groomed terrain comfortably, but struggle on the steepest slopes or if the surface is icy or bumpy.

Advanced: You can ride any groomed terrain in style and can deal with a variety of snow conditions. You can ski off-piste in most conditions. You are confident taking air off small natural or park features.

Expert: You actively seek-out the most challenging terrain wherever you go – on-piste, off piste or in the park. You can handle any conditions the mountain can throw at you.

I’ve been musing recently on classifying ability level based on the terrain available to you.

The thing is, I am confident on just about anything, ski fast and can take on most situations, although tend to stay on piste. So whilst I am advanced in that environment, it then comes back to perfectly executed turns and style marks. Well I’m probably only advanced intermediate on that basis.

As said previously its great to aspire and keep trying to improve, but enjoyment is the key.

Intermediate and probably always will be here

rockape63 – sorry dude, you’re an intermediate!

Sorry, it’s a bit of a resort cliché – “What level of skier are you?”

“Well, I’m an expert skier, but I don’t do black runs or off-piste”.

“So, intermediate then?”

Nothing wrong with being an intermediate skier. You really need to be doing a lot of skiing (i.e. seasons) over a long period of time (i.e. all your life) to really be pushing towards “Expert”.

Could always apply my Dad’s test. He got it from a golf pro, so I’ll stick with golf:

“What level golfer are you?”

“I don’t know, not bad?”

“On a scale of 1 to 10, where a beginner is 1 and Tiger Woods is 10?”

“Eh, 3?”

stevomcd – I like that.

I feel a bit more upgraded now, as I will ski anything on piste, like a bit of off piste and love powder, although I panic sometimes when I get tired, when hubby leads me astray.

Still count myself as intermediate though, because even after many, many lessons, I still slightly skid my turns, which is very common with us recreational skiers.

Off to Norway this weekend but my new snowboard pants are too tight with my protective shorts underneath. Life is just a series of testing moments isn’t it?

Expert: You actively seek-out the most challenging terrain wherever you go – on-piste, off piste or in the park. You can handle any conditions the mountain can throw at you.

After 20 years skiing/snowboarding, a couple of seasons, working in the industry and a few holidays (for me anyway) with people who have competed in the Olympics, and countless mates who ski every weekend from bases in Geneva….there’s only one group of people who I EVER actually hear utter the word “expert” when describing themselves…middle aged men who ski one week a year, read every ski magazine produced, can recite the technical specifications of every bit of ski equipment and can describe every ski run they’ve never skied….yet who cannot possibly admit to themselves (or more usually anyone who will listen) that they’re intermediate 🙂

Working for a ski company is an eye opening experience as to the delusions of the majority of people who indulge in the sport. A marketing manager’s wet dream.

I imagine it’s the same in mountain biking? 😉

You can handle any conditions the mountain can throw at you.

Nobody then.

I’ll happily tackle steep stuff but with apalling style and am far more confident off piste than on.

Where does that place me on the scale? 😉

Hors catégorie

Liability was what I was thinking…

I reckon I’m probably advanced by steveomcd’s ratings – on skis and snowboard. 8)

I think “humble” is my level. Even then things go wrong:

We set out early: up the avalanche-prone slopes before the sun hit the slopes, along the ridge and back down safer slopes was the plan. When we got to the ridge the cornice was in a horrible state, well both were, one on each side. That meant reversing the way up and quick before the cornice fell off or other things started moving. Which they did but fortunately not much. So apart from slithering down with some surface slides and skiing snow so heavy each turn was playing Russian roulette with our knees we had a trouble free descent.

rockape63 – sorry dude, you’re an intermediate!
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Yeah, probably! 🙁

Edit: I would like to say that just reading the above and I certainly wasn’t suggesting I was even close to being ‘Expert’. I was merely asking if I was near ‘Advanced’ level.