The STW Ski & Snowboard thread. The 2016-2017 season

Flashy – Aw thanks (blushes).

Blimey Sloan is soooo cute.

hi graham, thanks for the reply

Much as I’d like them to board, many of the ski schools still won’t teach snowboarding till they are 8

i think that us generally regarded as being the old way of thinking with no reason for 8 years old being the ‘right’ age. Not that I am saying that is how you think. Here in Sweden they offer lessons from 5 years old.

We have a riglet reel and he is doing well with it, was asking more about technique for teaching i suppose, a logical order.

found this nice vid for inspiration

Eldest at 9 tried boarding last year. He hated being back on the nursery slope when his ski lesson had been practising black moguled pistes that morning. He diplomatically said it was nice to try but he’d be sticking to skiing for the moment.

Not sure if that helps answer the question.

i think that us generally regarded as being the old way of thinking with no reason for 8 years old being the ‘right’ age. Not that I am saying that is how you think. Here in Sweden they offer lessons from 5 years old.

Yeah, I agree it is outdated thinking (as that video suggests), and personally I’d have no problem at all with my kids being on boards, but a lot of ski schools still have that rule so it was more of a practical consideration for us.

We have a riglet reel and he is doing well with it, was asking more about technique for teaching i suppose, a logical order.

I’m no instructor, but I’d probably get him doing the same things you get beginner adults to do. Start with simple J-turns (i.e. on a very gentle slope, go straight, turn to edge, stop, repeat, then do the same for other edge) then onto “garlands” after that (basically linked J-turns, don’t come to a complete stop each time, just slow and turn back down the slope).

The old “Go Snowboard” book is probably a reasonable guide for kids too.

But really, proper lessons are always good (speaking as a self-taught idiot with many self-taught bad habits)

We’ve started our 2 and a half year old on a board this winter, starting with him getting used to sliding a little further between us each time. Hopefully we’ll have him on a proper nursery slope and making turns by the end of the winter but at the moment he’s just enjoying being in/on the snow which is all we want.

The Kids Can Ride[/url] is a great place to start for advice and tips and has sections on kids from 2 to 8 years old with advice on getting them started and how to help progression.

Re instructors wearing helmets, quite a few British ski schools here have moved to wearing helmets in the last few seasons. Not compulsory for them but most do now. They said it wasn’t for any other reason than they were tired of being asked by clients why they didn’t wear one.

OK, that’s enough powder for this year thank you, weather Gods, my knees are tired.

Would you rather hand your five year old to an instructor dressed like a gladiator or an instructor who clearly isn’t worried about his/her own head and obviously isn’t going to put your kid’s group (a kid’s head is much more vulnerable than an adult’s even with a helmet on) in danger?

Gladiator? Yawn.

We have a riglet reel and he is doing well with it, was asking more about technique for teaching i suppose, a logical order.

Straight Run -> Side-slip -> Diagonal Side-slip -> Falling Leaf / Garland -> Basic Turn -> Standard Turn

Avimore ski instructor site photos[/url] – spot the helmet (I think I can see one, maybe)

Cheers all

Avimore ski instructor site photos – spot the helmet (I think I can see one, maybe)

Trying to figure out which millennium these photos had been taken

Skiing to snowboarding. My 3 all learnt to ski, then tried boarding. The best skiier wan’t insterested in going backwards in terms of standard. The other two who are more indifferent didn’t care and have stuck with it. Note one boarded for 4 days on a 25 day holiday on perfect conditions, when I say indifferent I meant it !

Roll on SATURDAYYYYYYYYYY!!!

+1

Snow forecast long range for Sunday but warming up quite a lot on Monday. Regardless it’ll be fun.

Wow a helmet discussion 😆

When you consider that helmets for skiing and boarding are a newer phenomena than for cycling it’s no wonder that it’s not a thing for some. The CTT committee still can’t bring themselves to voting for compulsory helmets in time trials (much like Brexit this has been blamed on the older committee members). I’m sure it must be a similar feeling for ski schools, they want their instructors to make their own choices.

I’m actually surprised at how quickly that helmets for skiing have caught on and become the norm.

It does make me laugh when I see an instructor skiing along with their bobble hat on and a helmet dangling off their body somewhere (pun not intended). Why not just wear it!?

Why not just wear it!?

Because you can’t communicate as well with it on

Because you can’t communicate as well with it on

Male cow excrement.

Far more communication problems from hiding behind mirrored lenses. As worn by almost all ski instructors worldwide, with or without a helmet.

I can hear perfectly when wearing my helmet as it is. If showing people that hearing was that vital, it’s got removable ear pieces. So, no barrier to hearing at all.

So, tell us all, oh wise one, how does a helmet without any ear covering, or that has no noticeable impact on hearing, affect communication?

Why not just say you don’t like them? It would be a far better argument, as that would be a valid opinion. Your “fact” re communication isn’t. More than happy for people to have a choice, and ultimately that’s how it should be, but don’t try and present facts that aren’t facts as a justification.

I confess I never wear one, yet make my boys (10 & 6) wear theirs. The privilege of grumpy hypocrisy.

Mind you I travel far more sedately across the pistes than the two Stoner-rockets to.

I started on a board 17 years ago aged 24 under the mis-guided belief that since I never roller-skated, or ice skated but did skateboard and windsurf, one plank would be a better bet. Then as my boys were learning to ski I decided to learn too, and have to say that I learnt to ski “better” and “with less pain” than I ever did on the board. But then I had spent the previous 15yrs watching skiers ski, whereas I had never seen a snowboard before learning. I prefer to ski in certain conditions and prefer to board in others. It’s nice now having the choice.

Id rather the boys didnt “waste” time trying to learn to board until they were good skiers first, probably in another 2 or 3 years.

Because you can’t communicate as well with it on

Really? Most helmets I’ve seen don’t stop people from being able to talk, hear, point, wave or draw diagrams in the snow.

If that really is the case (which I doubt) then why not leave it at home?

You can really though.

It doesn’t have to be a full face helmet with ear muffs. There are plenty of skate-style piss-pot helmets that they could wear.

I fully support their freedom to choose not to wear one – but communication problems is a totally bogus reason.

Because you can’t communicate as well with it on

Bullshit

TBH, I mostly wear one as a hat. If I’m gonna wear a hat anyway….

I “taught” my lad to board by letting him figure it out for himself. Just stuck him on a board on friendly slopes and let him slide down and fall over. Started on my board which was a bit ridiculous!

A few tips and a few years later –

^^ nice

Flashy getting insulting on his own thread.

Communication isn’t just about hearing, it’s body language, facial expression (instructors prefer sunnies over gogles too when conditions allow). It’s about selling yourself, your service, your sport and perhaps also about being objective about risk.

Given the number of people who die from head injury in car crashes on the way to ski resorts each year compared with the number who die from head injuries within “zone sécurisées” (the ski areas made safe including the off-piste within them) you’d do better to wear your ski helmet in your car than on the piste.

Earlier this week on the road up my local hill:

Oh good, the usual whataboutery. Cars have crumple zones, air bags, etc. Heads don’t.
Your communication argument still doesn’t stack up. A helmet doesn’t hide facial expression, nor does it affect body language.
Failing to see any insults, by the way, my apologies if you took offence.

Male cow excrement.

Piemonster at least had the good grace to type it straight.

Check out the stats for road casualties with death due to head injury and you’ll see that all those air bags and crumple zones don’t help a lot when you are rolling down a mountain. The guys above were saved by a tree that stopped the car after about 40m.

Walk into a supermarket in a ski helmet in my local town and they’ll ask you to take it off. Walk down the street in a motorcycle helmet with a reflective visor down and you are breaking the law. You don’t want to see my point so won’t, Flashy.

The helmet debate has parallels with cycling. The Dutch rarely wear helmets but have on of the lowest death per km rates in Europe. It’s not the helmet that’ll save you but where and how you ski.

I snowboard very slowly and stop abruptly if I see a nice bar.
I wear a helmet ‘cos I need somewhere to mount the GoPro so granny can get pictures of her grandsons skiing.

True story.

Roll on SATURDAYYYYYYYYYY!!!

+2 8)

Does anyone get anything out of petty arguments about safety equipment? No. Some people choose to wear them, some don’t personally I’m good at hitting my head so I do. I have been taught by people both with and without a helmet, teaching methods vary by person more than by headwear.

Do we prefer to keep this thread about the 3 most important things in life, snow, mountains and arguing over whether skiing or boarding is superior*

*This is irrelevant by the way, both are bloody great fun and everybody should just go out and enjoy what they do.

Communication isn’t just about hearing, it’s body language, facial expression (instructors prefer sunnies over gogles too when conditions allow).

Chris Davenport in a hat and in a helmet:

You’d really find it more difficult to communicate with him in the right pic than the left? Bollocks.

I’m all for informed adults making their own decisions about helmets, but the “harder to communicate” argument is complete nonsense.

the 3 most important things in life, snow, mountains and arguing over whether skiing or boarding is superior.

Don’t make me weild the banhammer!

😉

You’re worried it’s not skiing aren’t you CFH 😉

We all know the correct answer.

😀

If you really are a moderator, Flash, it would explain the nature of the e-mails that sometimes arrive in my in-box.

Anyhow Helmets haven’t cut brain injuries and some studies show they have increased.

Chris Davenport makes a pertinent comment. The latest gear allows you to go faster with less skill needed.

You do realise that that’s a ski-mountaineering helmet don’t you, Graham? And in the case of that helmet I agree it doesn’t affect communication. It also provides next to no protection except from stone fall which is no doubt why he’s wearing it. I own one and put it on for racing (obligatory) or when I’m doing a route overhung by cliffs.

You do realise that that’s a ski-mountaineering helmet don’t you, Graham?

Any skate-style pisspot ski/snowboard helmet looks more or less exactly the same as that without the removable ear flaps.

No removable ear flaps on that ski-mountaineering helmet. For a downhill ski helmet to provide any worthwhile protection it needs to protect you in the most common types of high speed fall, the face plant for a start. Bearing in mind that your ski sticks complicate the hands/arms in front of the face reflex. Skate helmets mainly protect the backwards fall when your skates go from under you.

Little more than psychological protection, risk compensation. If you think your helmet is protecting you you’re probably doing something beyond your ability. How much difference do you think a helmet makes if you hit a tree, a rock or some poor victim pottering down minding his/her own business?

The most compelling argument I’ve directly seen for wearing a helmet is a friend who managed to “scorpion” when landing badly and hit himself in the back of the head with his own board.

As piemonster says, if I’m going to wear a hat anyway I might as well wear a hard one with a good clip to hold my goggles on.

Les Gets minus 3 days… 🙂

I “taught” my lad to board by letting him figure it out for himself. Just stuck him on a board on friendly slopes and let him slide down and fall over. Started on my board which was a bit ridiculous!

Fair bit of ‘counter-rotation’ and ‘scooching’ the back end around in that video – not a massive problem but as your lad starts to ride steeper stuff he would probably benefit from lessons if he wants to progress to more ‘performance turns’. Sometimes it’s good to start with lessons as ‘what people do first, they learn best’.

He’s clearly enjoying himself though and that’s the main thing! 🙂

instructors prefer sunnies over gogles too when conditions allow

Ski instructors in France maybe, but almost every Canadian instructor I’ve ever met has worn goggles unless they are touring.

The Dutch rarely wear helmets but have on of the lowest death per km rates in Europe

I think those figures refer to death and injury on cycle paths – I think the figures regarding cycling injuries on the road are comparative to other European countries.

Although I wear one when snowboarding, I think it’s a personal preference for an adult: when beginning; riding in the trees or the half-pipe etc, you’d be daft not to, but in spring conditions in the European Alps when the air temps can be well into double figures one’s helmet can start to get a bit ‘funky’! 😳

1000!