Mistakes 80% of men do while skiing!!!!!!

Sounds great, as long as you can ski it and dont end up doing what I have seen in some of your and most of ISEs pictures - what I believe is known as "touring".

skidaddle wrote:Aah yes, the self-appointed champion skier(s) holding court in the bar after a day on the slopes.

The times I've listened to these guys explaining how they conquered the steepest blacks/deepest powder after two weeks on skis and just a couple of lessons...

Not possible and they should fool no-one. There are no short cuts to being able to class yourself an expert or advanced skier. Nothing can substitute weeks on the snow and some good tuition, but sadly many beleive they don't need either before they can say "I am a good skier." I've skied for about 30 years and am only steady through the bumps and cannot ski powder very well at all and I accept both points.


It is the humility that is lacking with these chaps, but it can make for some very entertaining "ear-wigging."

There is a huge difference between being competent and being a good skier. As you rightly point out, its horses for courses too. You, for example, are an excellent piste skier, but I know you arent a fan of powder, off piste or bumps. But that doesnt make you a bad skier. It just means you will ski well what you like to ski. Nowt wrong with that old mate )

Tony_H wrote:

skidaddle wrote:Aah yes, the self-appointed champion skier(s) holding court in the bar after a day on the slopes.

The times I've listened to these guys explaining how they conquered the steepest blacks/deepest powder after two weeks on skis and just a couple of lessons...

Not possible and they should fool no-one. There are no short cuts to being able to class yourself an expert or advanced skier. Nothing can substitute weeks on the snow and some good tuition, but sadly many beleive they don't need either before they can say "I am a good skier." I've skied for about 30 years and am only steady through the bumps and cannot ski powder very well at all and I accept both points.


It is the humility that is lacking with these chaps, but it can make for some very entertaining "ear-wigging."

There is a huge difference between being competent and being a good skier. As you rightly point out, its horses for courses too. You, for example, are an excellent piste skier, but I know you arent a fan of powder, off piste or bumps. But that doesnt make you a bad skier. It just means you will ski well what you like to ski. Nowt wrong with that old mate )

Well, thank you kind sir!

I'm actually a bit better than steady through the bumps as long as they're not too cruddy. Do you remember the first day you had in Mayerhofen with me, when the Horberg had got busy on a relatively mild day? Very choppy and for the sake of safety we packed in. Thats what I'm talking about really. Had it been early morning...

Its all about being aware of your limitations. I don't like off-piste powder, so consequently I have done very little of it and am therefore bobbins at it (especially on skis with a 66mm waist!!)

Good. I look forward to taking you on an itinery route in St Anton in that case )

Oh dear, I think I am guilty of one of those pitfalls. I usually only get to ski once a week each year, and so when I go, I really do try and pack in the runs. As I'm usually skiing with my older brother, I think we get competitive :oops:

I've been skiing since I was 11, and just this year I went skiing for the first time with friends rather than family. One of my group (admittedly a snowboarder, rather than skiier) had had two hours dry slope lessons, and considered that to be enough! So he didn't book lessons for the week, and ended up spending half his day in the chalet because he wasn't enjoying himself. I managed to convince he and a friend to go for a private lesson together, and apparently it was his best day, but still he didn't see the link. Sometimes there really is no hope.

That story reminds me of the group of 15 lads from my village who took a boarding holiday in Sauze, the same week as I was there with a party of 9 skiers.

Some of their group had ski'd or boarded a few weeks previously, and were comfortable, but still cautious, and there were a couple of very good boarders amongst them. However, 4 or 5 of them had never set foot on snow, a board, or even worn a set of sallopettes! A couple of them, by the end of the week, were able to get down a red run without falling over, injuring themselves, on injuring anyone else. However, a couple of them simply didnt enjoy the experience at all. And all because none of them thought it was "cool" to take lessons out there, to be perfectly honest.
Shame, as they are a good bunch of lads, and would enjoy doing it regularly, but some of them will now not go again. In fact, one of them knocked himself out when he went over backwards (No, he wasnt wearing a helmet, as they arent "cool" either for most of them), and his mate had to pull his tongue back up his throat to stop him choking.
Learn properly, please.

You can just about write the script. Meet them in the pub first night.
"Hi there, been to Niederau before?"
"No, this is my first time skiing."
"Great, are you in class tomorrow then?"
"No, my uncle/dad/brother/ is going to teach me"
"Hmm"

Three days later...
"Hi there, did you enjoy your skiing today?"
"Mmm, I had the day off today, my knee's a bit sore"
"Oh, OK, well you you can get back to it tomorrow"
"Oh well, I've decided to go to Innsbruck tomorrow"

I always suggest... Invest in lessons for three years, so as to become a good skier. Then go free-skiing.

In this context, I am defining "good skiing" as skiing correctly and in control.

Some men always seam to have an on going battle with pride and ego,know it all but learnt nothing.This type are doomed from day one until common sense prevails.



AJ Adele