J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Innsbrucker

I have been told repeatedly here I should have lessons. I am sure that is right. I have nothing against lessons, provided the teacher is good. On the contrary I would very much like lessons & will take lessons when I can.

Having said that, if it was lessons or nothing I would not be skiing. And if it was up-to-date skis or nothing I would not be skiing. And it if were not for constant supervision from a partner from the Alps, who, though not a qualified teacher, is properly trained and has gained more experience and track record in over 40 years skiing of staying safe, on piste, off piste, and in deep powder, than almost any 20-year-old teacher could have accumulated, I would not be skiing. The funds were not there.

Speaking for myself, I will take lessons when I can. But neither am I an out of control idiot. I have never caused a collision (though I have fallen a lot when moving slowly as a beginner, and more recently as a near beginner, fallen at speed owing to pushing myself ONLY when the piste is empty). I can now, in my third season (so still a beginner really), get down an icy black run safely if slowly when some of the faster skiers (who knows, maybe they have taken lessons) are flailing around like Disney characters on a tightrope, and falling around me.

I find out of control idiots as annoying as anyone, and I can see why some members here would consider it irresponsible not to take lessons. Lessons would no doubt have improved my progress, and probably also help cut the number of idiots on piste, but probably do not cure the problem, which also relates to temperament, common sense, level of alcohol consumption and other factors.

My thoughts must be taken on the basis that I am in my third seeason and no great skier. Learnt mainly from gf who cannot give the analysis a teacher would (but born and bred in a ski resort, a qualified mountain guide in the family, decades of experinece) so is able to keep an eye on safety & mountaincraft, and demonstrate safe and stylish skiing in most conditions).

So a teacher would be good, and I like to watch good skiiers, and teachers when teaching others too. Don't over analyse.

What I did and still do was learn the old way, keep weight forwards and in the knees (bit learning not to lean upper body too much), first snow plough, then half christie, them stem christie, then do a traverse and if necessary stop at the side of the piste, keeping an eye on skis staying parallel through turn. Then wedeln (more or less tight zig zag) but try not to throw upper body arround or start turn with shoulder, just face the way you are going and use legs / hips to do a skidded turn side to side). Anyway the sidded turn (not only the carved turn) involves transfer of weight, keeping weight on the valley ski and off the mountain ski. Then when the traffic & snow & steepeness suit me (in terms of it being safer to get up a bit more speed and take up more space), I will sometimes open out the skidded turn, just using transfer of weight to initiate more open s shaped turns, following Sofa videos, more like carving. Also I am should be more careful about learning not only to ski without poles, but (at least as diffiuclt) to use poles correctly to assist the turn.

To go through this process has taken me three seasons including this one. Would have been quicker with a good teacher (in addition to, not insteaed of, general guidance from GF) and would have been much quicker with skis suited to my level, rather than the old skis, made originally for advanced skiers, which was all I could afford at the time.

Right through I have mostly skiied with my GF. Early on she tried a teaching method based on the way parents put small kids between their legs to teach them, but she skied in front, I just followed leaning against her back, my skis between hers, holding on, it must have looked hilarious, like ridding pillion, and must have been tough for her taking all my weight, and braking on demand, as I am far heavier than her. The down side is that (as she will admit) she has not the analytic skill of a ski teacher, but the upside is that it nice to ski so far as possible with someone who can keep an eye on safety, can spot instantly if I am getting tired or doing someting dangerous or stupid, can take respsonsibility for the level of difficulty and extra challenge I should take on, and who would know how to react if there was a major problem. So I recommned if you can ski with experienced friends, that is a big plus even though not a complete replacement for lessons.

I will try Trencher's drill. It would not have made much sense to me in my first season, but I think I have been a slow learner. It sounds like it might help me now.

I don't get the Mackonky video. It is amazing viewing. But if he falls in a steep place he ain't going to stop falling. I saw some tracks on super steep bits of mountain from the lift in Seefeld. And thought the same then.

And no one can guarantee they will not fall. Can they? Mountain climging is highly dangerous, but this is not just dangerous, looks like Russian roullette. I am wrong?

I don't know, really, but trying to get through it seems best.

Being no experienced skiier, and risk-averse, I lost confidence at the beginning of the season (my third) and had a horrible day, started at the top of a red and fell twice within the first 60 seconds skiing of the year, and wondered why the hell anyone would want to slide down a mountain on a couple of boards. Remembering what I learned last year in terms of technique, during first two ski days, helped. So technique does give confidence, which means lessons may help. Now a few ski days later fear has gone, as I know I am unlikely to have a bad fall if I take it easy, except when I am tired. I found I have been coping with black runs and ice safely, when I have had to, though I don't enjoy either, or do it in any style. Seeing it working counteracts fear. I still fear collisions from snowboards travelling at racing speeds, and skiers who are visibly wobbling and flailing around.

Probably if you hire in Austria they have them already, but maybe not in Germany if it is not compulsory. But probably the German hire companies have them fitted if they are based in Munich / Bavaria, maybe the fee is based on policies for nationwide companies working to the same charges across Germany. The tyres should be marked as winter or M&S (all season). The charge sounds a rip off.

We had this discussion before, someone said that winter tyres are not compulsory in Austria if you have a UK car complying with UK law (so presumaby that would go for a German car complying with German law). I did some googling. That seems to have been true in the past, but now both British government http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/europe/austria and Austrian govvernment http://www.austria.info/uk/how-to-get-there/austria-by-road-1134817.html websites say winter tyres are compulsory for everyone using the roads in Austria in winter.

Having driven in Austria, I find winter tyres do make a huge difference on snowy and icy roads.

I'd like to visit Lech & St Anton, I heard they are lovely, but aren't they both very upmarket and expensive?

The one thing that worried me at Obergurgl were almost hidden rocks. I suppose experienced skiiers can spot them. But a local teacher should know where they are.

I had my second try in powder at Obergurgl on Saturday, 'forced' into it by gf, she can't keep away from it, but behaves like an excited kid when she sees soft powder. She just said 'you have to learn this for touring, anyway all pistes will be easy afterwards.'

Where it got very deep I had a complicated fall, not injured but one ski ended up buried under deep snow, the other came off. I was in snow well above knees, no chance of getting leverage from the foot without a ski, or of moving the foot with a ski. And no resistance in the snow, so although I could touch the lost ski with my foot, there was no way to get it fixed. I suppose that is what skiing powder is all about....