Latest posts for the topic "Big snow falls in ZInal"

Big snow falls in ZInal

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:14:31 GMT

Some slightly challenging skiing conditions the snow's excellent but the visibility is not more than a few metres. Fortunately it's pretty soft and deep so you can use that to smooth things out if you miss a turn.

Re:Big snow falls in ZInal

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:37:31 GMT

Looks like it's pretty clear in Zinal, We should have come round

Re:Big snow falls in ZInal

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 17:45:58 GMT

Tony_H wrote:Dull

Maybe, just maybe this was meant literally? The visibility isn't great...

The snow looks amazing in your other pics though, v.v.v. jealous.

Re:Big snow falls in ZInal

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 19:29:45 GMT

I don't think it looks dull. It's just a snowy day in the mountains.

I like looking at the pix Ise posts- this place is stunning.

Re:Big snow falls in ZInal

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 19:43:12 GMT

Tony H says it looks dull - tho I can't see where that post has gone.

Anyway, does anyone else suffer from terrible disorientation in poor visibility? It must be very common. Would it be vertigo?
I feel sick and dizzy. I sit back on my heels and turn into a complete numpty. I'm not the best to start with, but on a very 'dull' day I forget all I ever knew.

Dids

Re:Big snow falls in ZInal

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 20:02:43 GMT

Dids1 wrote:

Anyway, does anyone else suffer from terrible disorientation in poor visibility? It must be very common. Would it be vertigo?
I feel sick and dizzy. I sit back on my heels and turn into a complete numpty. I'm not the best to start with, but on a very 'dull' day I forget all I ever knew.

Dids

Yes, it's really common.
For me it goes like...

The surface is white...the sky is white...all around me is white....so which way is up?
Splat

I'm not as bad as I used to be, and I do think it goes with more time on skis, and it becomes less "survival" and more about feeling the snow.

Next time you are skiing, try finding somewhere really gentle and quiet and ski slowly with your eyes shut for a few moments to really feel what is going on underfoot.

Re:Big snow falls in ZInal

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 20:10:56 GMT

Ok, will do. You are right tho, I am sure it gets easier the better an all round skier you become.

Re:Big snow falls in ZInal

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 21:44:58 GMT

I had a strange feeling once....whilst in total white-out conditions i thought i had stopped moving, lost my balance and fell over. I suddenly felt all th snow start moving around me and thought i was in an avalanche. In fact i had not stopped but was still moving although very slowly. It was a surreal moment and quite scary!!

Re:Big snow falls in ZInal

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 21:47:13 GMT

Dids1 wrote:Ok, will do. You are right tho, I am sure it gets easier the better an all round skier you become.

that's the glass half empty view

The glass half full, actually nearly full, is you'll never get a better chance to practice a good stance and posture. Normally, if you get in a good posture and relax a bit it pays off. In this light though it pays off hugely and turns the whole thing into a bit of a giggle. You've got to rely on feeling what's going on, partly why I like soft boots to get a good feel, and having a good posture so no matter what force comes up at you it doesn't unbalance you. Like bandit suggests, like having your eyes shut, it's great practice.

Amazingly, I reckon we've had another 10 or 20 cm this evening.

Re:Big snow falls in ZInal

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 21:51:29 GMT

Pudding wrote:I had a strange feeling once....whilst in total white-out conditions i thought i had stopped moving, lost my balance and fell over. I suddenly felt all th snow start moving around me and thought i was in an avalanche. In fact i had not stopped but was still moving although very slowly. It was a surreal moment and quite scary!!

In mountaineering on glaciers you can get that disorientated quickly, some people reckon rolling snow balls around helps you gain a perspective on the slope and I sometimes do that off-piste in horrible conditions where I can't quite read the slope in front. I also carry a g3 Rutschblock cord that's designed so you throw and retrieve it to read slope angles. http://www.genuineguidegear.com/backcountry_saws_rutschblock_cord.html