J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by steverandomno

Has anybody oon here skied a skier only resort. Did it realy make any difference?

I don't see a problem with it, any more than I would see there being a problem with a snowboard only resort. The motivations of some of the people interviewed seemed to be based on dated predjudices they held against snowboarders, but that is inevitable in a segment for which the interviews will have been picked to support an interesting narative that the producers may have wanted to follow at the outset.

I expect there are lots of other people who enjoy skiing in a snowboard free environment and vice versa for reasons other than pure prejudice. I'm sure there are many snowboarders who would enjoy skiing lift serviced terrain without skiers. Snowboaders and skiers move down the mountain differently. It's a fact. It is one reason why they don't have a combined snowboard and ski world cup downhill. When you ski in a resort you are aware of the people around you and to a certain extent your anticipation of their likely movements. I expect that a beginner-intermediate snowboader or skier could feel 'safer' in an environment containing only snowboaders or skiers. Do snowboaders generate moguls in the same way skiers do? I'm not sure, but I suspect that a boader only resort might have fewer moguls and a skier only resort may have more regularly shaped moguls. If moguls are your thing, or not, then this may be a factor. It was a shame that these issues were not investigated in the segment. Personally I don't think it would make much difference to my skiing experience not to have boarders, but that's just me, others will see it differently.

At the end of the day, it is something that is likely to die out anyway. The social aspect of snowsports is so strong that spliting groups of skiing and snowboarding friends isn't going to be a very good long term business plan.

PS - the other reason it will die out is that it is a one way deal. The ski only resorts have probably been that way since the advent of snowboarding. They are likely to need the snowboard market eventualy, but there is no going back. Once you have regular groups of family and friends who ski and snowboard it is PR suicide to go back to one or the other.

Powder technique is all about movement. Practice short turns on a groomed piste exaggerating the movement up and down with your legs (not your back) through the turn cycle. Then move to some moderate powder at the side of the run and repeat, progressively moving to deeper and deeper powder. Stay centred over the fore and aft of your skis throughout the turn, as you would do on any terrain, do not lean forward or backwards.

Tin Pot - your second picture is very nice. I like the look of that nice tree lined powder run. Where was it taken?

I would tune into the radio station.....

Nostalgie! (you have to say it in the style of the jingle - emphasize the gieeee... at the end :-) )

Everybody seems to have this station on in Val Thorens.

Wow that's a thorough trip report. Thanks. Glad you had a good time, and the snow is very good for this time of season, so you are very lucky.

I will remember the following useful gem of tip - thanks:

I bought an Orange (France) sim card on arrival at Lyon airport for 5 Euro, and for a further 5 Euro I had unlimited data usage for 7 days – certainly a whole lot cheaper than the roaming charges my local cell provider charges.

Did you find the Rhum box bar in Val-T?

There has been loads of chat recently about cold feet / poor circulation etc... Here is my check-list for warm feet when skiing in order of effectiveness (based on personal experience):

1 - When buying boots, find a decent boot fitter to fit and modify your boots. (Boots almost always need modifying and this should be factored into the price you expect to pay for new boots.)
2 - Ensure that boots are dry.
3 - Feet change every year, get boots modified when necessary (Just a few mm change can constrict an important artery or vein and restrict blood flow enough to make a huge impact.)
4 - Keep your boots in a warm place overnight.
5 - Wear thin socks.
6 - Ski with your boots done up comfortably e.g. not too tightly (especially for the first couple of runs). The top buckles should be done up more firmly than the ones on the bridge of foot. The buckles on the bridge of the foot should really be closed just enough to hold the shell's shape rather than putting any pressure on the foot.
7 - For very cold temps get some boot gloves (take them off when you go indoors and at the end of the day.
8 - Ensure that you buckle up your boot shells when you store them. If you don't, they will alter their shape affecting the intended fit of the boot.

You should also remove the liners completely overnight to allow your boots to dry out. I have not included this as it depends on how much your feet sweat etc.. Also it can be quite difficult to remove the liners and there is a risk that doing so upsets any shims or other modifications that the boot fitter may have added. The main thing to remember is that water is a very efficient conductor of heat so your feet will cool down very quickly if the liner is not dry. The drier the better, however this is achieved.

Have i left anything out? Are there any other tips and tricks people use?

I wore silk socks for a long time - but they are just too thin for me in very cold temperatures. I prefer the thin wool socks.
Don't go for the cheap thick socks for two reasons:

1 - as Pavelski mentions, a thick sock negates the design of the boot, reduces the connection between your foot and your ski.
2- the cheaper tube-type socks tend not to be designed to fit your feet with much precision. The result is that the sock bunches up in some places and puts too much pressure in others.

Much better to buy two pairs of decent socks and wash them often than to buy lots of cheap ones.

My recommendation would be to get a well fitted boot and ski with them loosely tightened. Most skiers tend to over tighten boots. If a boot fits correctly and there is a good 'connection' between your foot, your heels and your boot, there should be no need to crank the buckles up. There is a common misconception that boots should always feel uncomfortable and so skiers tend to over-tighten them. True, when you first buy boots, they will be a tight fit, but once the liner has compressed, after a week or two of skiing, recreational ski boots should be relatively comfortable.