J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Colin L

Or look for Feu Vert which is a kind of Halfords equivalent. You should be able to pick up chains for under 50€. Do practise putting them on before you go: learning in a blizzard is no fun.

Wengen is strong in charm and breathtaking mountain scenery (the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau dominate). The village itself is attractive and even in poor snow cover when I was there for 3 weeks last season the run back from Kleine Scheidegg to the village was kept open. The railway to and from Kleine Scheidegg is a very civilised form of uplift and would suit parents with very young children. There is also a cable car from the village to the top of Mannlichen from where there are several good red runs (and a blue route) down the line of the gondola from Grindelwald. This area offers the widest pistes. You can work your way from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg and vice versa but allow for the time it will take.

The whole area is well suited to intermediate skiers and offers quite a choice of runs. Beginners should beware of blue runs which have some surprisingly and dauntingly steep sections but there are tracks which offer more predictable blue level skiing. The track from Kleine Scheidegg to Brandegg is a great run with the choice of a restaurant there and a station if you want to catch a train back up. Be aware that the track can get very icy in poorer conditions. With good snow cover you can ski right down to Grindelwald.

There are particularly good red runs from the Lauberhorn and of course skiing the downhill course is a must: just put in a few more turns than the racers do. :lol: Stop where the run goes through between rocks and try to imagine these guys flying through the gap at speed.

I have to doubt, however, if Wengen is an attractive proposition for the advanced skier looking for challenges but I can't speak for off-piste: there just wasn't any while I was there.

A day's skiing in Murren is well worthwhile, though a bit of a trek by train and bus from Wengen. Head for the Schilthorn revolving restaurant for lunch and a mountain panaroma.

And finally, there is the option of the railway trip to the Jungfraujoch.

Dshenberger wrote:
I think goggles are oversold sometimes. Unless you are skiing while snow is falling, or in a lot of powder, I don't think they are a necessity.

I don't agree: I much prefer wearing sunglasses but would not go out without goggles in case of a change in the weather. It's pretty well a safety issue. Cold wind alone can make your eyes water to a distracting extent if you are wearing glasses.

I was in Hintertux last week where we were entertained to such current hits as "Que Sera, Sera," "YMCA". "Milord" (but without Piaf) and as mentioned above, "West Virginia". All songs were squeezed into a thumping two beat performance so that we could all bounce up and down. And yes, the slowing down and speeding up of a chorus is as inevitable as the seemingly endless repetitions of the last bits. It's all a bit like Austrian cuisine - hearty and solid.

Funny how it all seems quite jolly and good fun: nothing to do, I suppose, with the great day's skiing and the gluhwein. :wink:

If at all possible, get some lessons at a dry slope or indoor snow slope before you go on your holiday abroad. That means you get through the early bits of learning to stand, walk , fall over, stand up again, slide around, make simple turns in advance. Which then means you are not spending precious and expensive holiday minutes on snow in a beginners' class learning to stand, walk, fall over ...etc. Half a dozen lessons at a dry slope and you should hit the snowy slopes suffiently mobile to sign yourself into a plough swing class in the resort right away. Then you can explore more of the mountain with your friends.

Enjoy! It's a great sport.

I have just found this forum or would have posted sooner on this thread. Most of what I would say to Jake in answer to his original question has been said here and there so in some ways I'm picking out comments and summarising.

Carved turns are parallel turns. There are 3 elements in turning on skis: rotation, pressure and edges. That is, you can rotate your feet and steer your skis; you can change the pressure on your skis by stretching and flexing your legs; and you can tilt your skis over so that their edges cut into the snow. While you can turn by using each one of these elements uniquely, most people will turn using all three to varying degrees - except when specifically carving or doing these bracquage turns mentioned above.

The first part of the video Ross84 asks about shows skiers who are turning almost exclusively by foot rotation - the skis are fairly flat; there is not much vertical movement; and there is no tilting on to their edges. The later turns show a bit more vertical movement (ie stretching of the upper leg in initiating the turn, and flexing later in the turn to resist the pressure of the centrifugal force). There is still foot rotation and now some tilting of the skis. In both the early turns and the later ones the skis skid round quite a bit (not a fault by the way).

A carved turn is essentially achieved by tilting the skis so that you are turning entirely on the edges so that there is no skidding. This means you don't use any foot rotation. If you get it right you can look back and see two parallel cleanly cut tracks in the snow. You use vertical movement (pressure) which facilitates edge change and crossing the hips over the skis.

I think, Jake, you should see carved turns not as something differentfrom other parallel turns but as a progression from your more skidded turns where foot rotation is evident to a greater or lesser extent. You will need to understand a bit more about the inclination (ie leaning into the inside of the turn) you need in order to tilt your skis effectively and the way in which you angle your upper body out in order to counterbalance the inclination of your lower body. (If you don't counterbalance with your upper body you can end up banking rather than inclining - ie your weight goes on to the upper ski and your feet are liable to head off straight downhill depositing you inelegantly on your side.)

There is a lot of work ahead to achieve good carved turns but the outcome is very satisfying and the learning is fun. I doubt if you will do it just by reading descriptions like this. There are various drills an instructor can give you to get the feel of it. Get yourself a lesson! Or two.

Good luck!

The essential difference, of course, is that Hillend is on a mat whereas Braehead is on snow.