Going to narrow it down to 5 and see if between the shops I can demo at least 3. Will prob just go ahead and buy out there. Thanks for the help!

Ps, the missus worked 2 seasons there but because she insists on being stuck in the nineties (boarder), she can’t remember which shops will be best for ski demo’s. :roll:

Mechmonkey, just checked out the DPS website and some reviews. Looks like exactly what I’m after but pricey.

Michealmcc, thinking the plan of attack will be find a good hire shop in Whistler and ask If they can get some skis in for me to demo. Cause they may need to get different bindings on I’ll need to get in touch before I go. Know any good hire shops there?

Usually just westbeach trousers and depending on the weather that day some thermals. Eider jacket with TNF fleece and wicker top. Dakine gloves and a Bern helmet with a thin balaclava thingy under it.

Question for ski gurus. Currently have an old pair of rossi B2s which are seen as the best 50/50 ski. Going to whistler and japan this season so have been looking at a more 70/30 ski due to off piste and back country opportunities. The hard bit is, I’ll be tellieing so the skis have to be light for touring but I still want some stiffness/support for the piste.

Its driving me up the wall because I just can’t seem to find what I want. Thought of S7’s or the new Salomon rocker, but dont think I’ll get the piste support I’m after. K2’s skis seem to be polarised too much between pow and piste with not much inbetween.

At the end of the day, I’m asking, whats the best allrounder?!

When based in Belfast, the unit I was with was made up of squaddies on 6 month detatchments, so a couple of times a month we would get told to go to the airport and pick up so and so. Looking at the admin instruction we would find out if the new lad was a “new” lad. Usually it was “rab” and “Al” who would go down and pick them up but the essential part of the plan was “Al” was a native of Belfast.

“rab” would go get the new lad, confirming all his details etc etc, then take him back to the car (non mil), throw his bags in the boot and tell him to get in the back. As they were driving back, “Al” would point at the browning under his leg whilst telling the lad in his strongest Belfast accent that he was a freedom fighter and that the newbie was being taken to the border for interogation. This was a standing joke in the unit until one lad tried to jump out the car whilst it was still going. After that it was stopped.

It used to be brilliant when the new lads were brought into the workshop, wide eyed and chalky white!

After that we had to settle for making boobie traps wired up to banks of flash bulbs. Many times I opened my locker first thing in the morning in the pitch black, only to be blinded for the first 5 min of the day.

It’s never held me back not having a degree but I’m not against them. There is a place for all qualifications, whether it’s practically gained or academically. At the end of the day its what you want to achieve and the amount of effort you’re willing to put into it.

I completely agree that the degree system has been watered down in the past decade or so.

Me and the missus have just finished The Killing (Danish one). Absolutely brilliant.

I actually agree with Darcy. It’s the whole point of forums. It’s like downtown abbey. If you don’t like it, there’s always homeland on the other side. :P

I won’t. Nite.

I’m not going to get into this, I genuinely have better things to do with my time but if you are honest and in no way being a keyboard warrior even you will admit there was a mocking tone to your “trained killers” comment.

If you deny it you won’t have to argue the case as everyone on this forum will see straight through you.

As I’ve already pointed out, I don’t have a problem with people not taking part in rememberance, just don’t disrespect those who do.

Which you did with that remark. Still hiding…

Rememberance day is a personal day for me to remember friends and colleagues. I’m beginning to despise those who have started to use the period of rememberance for either political point scoring or some other agenda. Whether its wearing a white poppy, applauding through the silence or hollow nationalistic muppets who don’t know even know where their local memorial is. If you don’t wear a poppy or attend a service I honestly dont mind! It’s your freedom of choice, however of you disrespect me or the majority of the population that do, you have no moral argument.

Oh and deadly Darcy, as for your “trained killers” comment. Yes we do get sensitive around this time. Especially to idiotic comments by pre-pubescent children who hide behind their keyboards.

My cousin does a side line of buying cat c/d then fixing them up and selling them on. He is honest about their prior condition so not going to appear on rogue traders anytime soon. Bought a couple off of him in the pass and ran them into to the ground. Works out surprisingly cheap!

Only prob I came across is retailers will not touch them with a barge pole if you want to part exchange them for a newer car.

Just lift one ski out and angle it. :-)

True. I’m all up in air at moment with kit though. My mate is trying to sell me S7’s with a set of pre cut skins. Problem is they’ve already been drilled out twice and I dont know if the structure of the ski will be goosed if I have to re-drill them for my bindings :?

The B2’s were 2nd hand 5years ago so need to move on.

Yeh I got obsessive. Anything to make life easier and strike the balance between glide and grip. I then spent more time touring so just stuck some purple in my pooch!

I got a bit geeky about sussing out temperature and whether we were in or out of the tree line so I could pick the correct wax until my instructor told me to stop being a **** and uttered the famous words known to many,

“every day is a purple day”

Bratty, there is shed loads of different colours of wax for different snow conditions. Purple wax covers from -15 to +5, hence the phrase.

On cut trails I actually enjoy it. Brilliant for the fitness and it can be very peaceful, especially at night. Just remember heed torch! Thing about cut trail skiing, the ski’s are designed solely for them. Very thin and pointless for anything else. If you use fatter touring/back country skis on the trails you’ll widen them and piss off the local’s.

If you’re financially able, buy them, but for an all round package get a set of touring skis and fit them with telemark bindings. You can get 2nd hand tele gear relatively cheap. With that set up you wont (or shouldn’t) use cut trails, but then your not restricted to where you can go. Just get a local map and go for a walk, just like you would with an OS and your bike. They’re also good on piste. I’m on Rossignol B2’s with 7tm bindings and they’re brilliant. Good all rounder set up.

As for progression, start off on the flat walking backwards and forwards and you’ll find your centre of balance. When moving forward the best tip I got was imagine you are pushing a football with your big toe, not kicking it. Practicing this, you will eventually get the efficient “gliding finn” posture.

If you do start touring about, depending on the gradient you may need to invest in skins. If it’s generally flat get some wax.

“every day is a purple day”

G.N.A.R. Skiing isn’t great but the story and the lads ski holiday mentality behind it make it one of the best ski films made.

I stop planes trading paint over the south of England. 8O

Ski instructors get paid the grand some of eff all

*Sorry, british entry level instructors.

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. :roll:

What steve and micheal said.

Parents hanging around are a massive distraction to the kids and the instructor. The worse kind are the ones that think they’re a good standard of skier and insist on “helping” or insist on repeating your instructions to the kids. :evil:

As for kids under 5, we used to do parent and toddler lessons. Only 30min a time so it was more for familiarization of equipment, snow etc but it was handy to have the parents there to pick them up and support them.

Good idea to get them excited about the lesson/skiing. Can be hard work trying to keep an uninterested kid occupied for 3hrs.

Drop the kids off, forget about them for a few hours and enjoy some time on your own! :lol:

I find either snow heads (http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/) or winter highland (http://www.winterhighland.info/forum/list.php?2) to be very helpful when it comes to kit reviews and tips.

Dont bother with fancy air roll mats. Never had a problem with “karrymat”.

This is quite subjective though since mats (provided they insulate) are for comfort.

I agree its personel choice, I just never had a problem with foam roll mat. When I was out in Norway it was always a “rushed” affair (pull pole) so an air roll mat would have been to much like extra faff to deflate and put away. I have one now though to go camping with the GF!

Put your water in a flask. Shouldnt be frozen in the morning.

Invest in a good sleeping bag. I “forgot” to hand in my army doss bag when I left. Although bulky, it’s the best sleeping bag I’ve found. (spent 3 winters in Norway)

Dew liner for doss bag helps, but don’t bother if you are packing light.

Most heat is lost from head, ankles and wrists. Head = hat. Ankles = extra socks. Wrists = wristlets. Wirstlets are amazing!

I always slept with my boots and jacket betwee my legs as it makes it easier to get out of your doss bag in the morning if these bits of kit are already warm.

Dont bother with fancy air roll mats. Never had a problem with “karrymat”.

We always had a candle on the go. Although it didnt give off heat, phsycologically it works wonders. (also good for drying kit. Sit with knees up to chest. Place candle on floor below knees. place wet kit over knees like a mini tent)

Buzzards nest car park, other wise known as the lazy fat slow unfit bar steward car park, ride up the hill and get better.

Couldn’t agree more. Nice warm up from the bottom car park and the blue down form there is a nice way to finish off the day. I snigger at people who drive past me…….

Guys quick question for you.

Going to be buying a set of Rossi’s 2nd hand off a mate and I was wondering if anyone knows any shops on the south coast (Bournemouth – Portsmouth – M3 Corridor) that will be able to mount 7tm tele bindings? I’m a bit too far from mountain spirit!

I’ve seen it from both sides.

I’ve wanted to grab some cyclists on a canal path in Leeds, clothes line them clean of their bikes and explain to them that they are giving us all a bad name by barreling down narrow paths. There was absolutely no compromise in the way they were riding, so if you do ride canal paths at a vast rate of knots in the Leeds area, stand by.

On the other side of the coin. Wide double track on a down hill section of the south downs. I was 15m in front of my not so confident girlfriend as 2 walkers (think oap daily mail readers) were walking up hill. The old dear saw me, and moved from the raised middle into the the other track from her husband forcing me to leave the bridleway completely. No problem for me, but this forced my girlfriend off as well where she just managed to keep control and avoid the ditch

Dont come back with the counter argument that she shouldn’t have been going fast, I was controlling her speed by being in front and we were doing only walking pace as we passed. Its the only time I’ve not gave a sarcastic “thanks”, but a full blown “what the f*&k do you think you are playing at?” She and her husband walked away and never looked back. :evil:

Harry is worth the £3 a year I pay for the royals on his own. Drop in Phil the duke and I think you get great value for money :P

On a more serious note, if you seriously have an issue with him getting naked, whilst on a private holiday, with a group of mates, in Vegas then you need to man the frick up. Yes he is a public figure but I’d like to see you moaners live squeaky clean in the same situation. As for the holiday being paid for out of the public purse, how do you know that? I know for a fact that on a CPT’s wage after a 6 month tour you could easily afford that hotel room ($4k a night split between 6 rich mates). Add in for good measure that he is single and mortgage free, as well as having an inheritance means that public expense would be very limited.

I’ve got a hangover that should have been given to breivick as a sentence instead of the paltry 21 years he got, so if i’ve offended anyone go have a word with yourself. :oops:

Thanks. Spent a couple of hours exploring around. Bumped into a 4 guys who gave me a couple of tips. Went to the bike park for a look. Unfortunately i didn’t give it a go as some people were working on it and I didnt want to get in their way.

Unlike recumbents telemarkers.

Grrrrrrr……….

Snowboarding is soooooooo 90’s. Discuss.

Just been looking at the “put the heart back into STW” thread.

Soll. Runs aren’t too long so you feel like you’re on a lift all the time, but the area is a massive tree lined play ground! Good apre too!

Woody, not being negative but I don’t think the ski in a day course is worth it. I was at braehead instructing and the best progression I achieved was through individual lessons on the level system. It works for some though. Would defo recommend some lessons before you go. Dry slope or sno slope would be fine.

Last minute booking for middle of Jan, prob France but after the nonsense they spouted I’m thinking of taking my money back to Austria! Mate going to japan for the season as a mountain guide so might crash on his floor for a couple of weeks.

As for kit, I’m happy as Larry (whoever he is) but the b2’s are looking a bit done in so might invest in some k2’s. Going to tryout some ntn bindings. Got an old 7tm set up with toured attatchment but can be a bit of a faff.

Got a cousin who is a contracts manager who is living Cham so may pay him a visit.

And NO, I will not buy a TNF sleavless puffa!!!! :evil:

I find the more expensive the gloves, the better.
So do you buy all your gloves in resort then?

No I don’t buy them in resort. Instead of going through every type, make, material etc of glove I thought I would give straight forward, no waffle advice. In my opinion and experience out of the 4 or 5 pairs I’ve owned, the more expensive they have been, the warmer and more durable there are. I’m sure there is good cheap pairs out therelike you have, I’ve just not found any that I like.

Sorry if this sounds like a rant. Just woken up.

I’m the furthest you will find from being a brand snob (apart from boots). Always found the mountain one of the most pretentious places going but its funny picking out all the Brits in the bar by the amount of TNF gear on display!

Good. Buy a Rab one instead!

Like that? :D

Cobrakai – don’t worry I have no intention of buying a NF Gilet

Thank frick for that.

By the way, how do you quote someone else in your post? Am I being a muppet?

Each to their own on the thermal thing but I’ve not encountered any probs.

Ah, get the SLX now.

Yeh a lot is not worth the hanger its on, but you can luck out. I was meaning more for the socks and the thermals. Thats where I get mine.