J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by idkwia

Iceman, it may be an old topic for you but not for me and other newish members. If you are bored with it then don't get involved. You must remember that not all of us have been on here since 2007!

And I am not here to wind people up but obviously it has wound you up.

Yes, I have been to Niederau, why do you ask?

Iceman wrote:Went away with some boarders this year. The style was excellent. My friend has been doing it for a number of years, it did not take him a couple of weeks to be where he is. Yes, we go on about them sitting down all the time, mainly in jest.

Think you have done this to wind people up. Next you will be going on about 'N' and 'H' :)

Thanks for your input Iceman. I have not made this comment to wind people up I made it after giving it a lot of thought and a great deal of observation.

I said "a few weeks" rather than "a couple of weeks".

You said that your friend who is a boarder has been doing it for a number of years; how many weeks on snow does that equate to? And how many weeks have you skied?

Also, did your friend change from skiing to snowboarding which my initial post is referring to?

Ade73 wrote:Ha. What a ridiculous idea you have come up with there. Have you ever tried snowboarding? Probably not and maybe it's because you don't like the idea of it. I took to snowboarding because I didn't like the idea of skiing. Nothing to do with my ability purely a preference thing but your musings make me realise that I made the right choice. Also it takes a little longer than a couple of weeks to become a good snowboarder. I nearly always board with skiiers and we get on just great and we both appreciate each other's abilities. Slightly amusing/annoying thread. B)

Ade, thanks for your thoughts but if you read my post again you will realise that I am talking about people who change from skiing to boarding which would not include yourself.
When I say it takes a few weeks to become a good boarder I mean in relation to skiing. For the sake of argument let's call it 10 weeks; a snowboarder would progress much further than a skier in that time because it is inherently much easier. Nothing wrong in that at all but as I said many people swap to snowboarding for that reason and then act as if they are somehow better or cooler than skiers.
I have done some snowboarding, only a few days, and enjoyed it. I will at some point give it more time as it would be good to do both but I know the 'journey' will be years shorter than it has been for skiing.
Maybe you should try skiing at the same time and then we would both be qualified to comment better.

Dave Mac wrote:Nope, well the premise is wrong anyway.

In order to achieve the Statchliche award, an instructor must pass in both skiing and boarding. Those who are a little long in the tooth, often fall, (sic), at the boarding hurdle.....

An interesting comment Dave but I think this actually emphasises the point I am making. To reach the level of Staatlicher as a skier takes at least a couple of decades. The fact that these guys are taking snowboarding instructor exams, even though some of them fail, after a probable relatively short period of time shows that the latter takes a much shorter period of time.

Trencher wrote:

idkwia wrote: I am convinced he may not have done if he had not been wearing a helmet.
I think that there should be a non-helmet forum or ski club.

Snowboarders wearing helmets must really freak you out :wink:

I never said that I don't like people wearing helmets per se I just said that I prefer not to and wanted to hear why others had made the same choice as me.

bedrock barney wrote:I'm sorry, but this topic has been done to death.

Firstly, there are many people here who have not discussed helmets before either because they are new or because they don't spend a significant proportion of their free time here.

Secondly, I wanted to hear from non helmet wearing people as to why they made that choice. I don't think this has been covered before.

Thirdly, if you are not interested in this subject then don't bother to participate.

I have recently come to the conclusion that the vast majority of snowboarders do so because they are not very good at skiing. They realise that to become a very good skier takes years and a lot of sweat and tears whereas snowboarding takes a few weeks. They feel they get a lot of kudos from being a snowboarder whereas with skiing they got the opposite. I also notice lots of guys on snowboards whereas their wife/girlfriend is on skis which must be for the reasons stated here.

Some interesting views everyone but my thread is about NON-helmet wearing enthusiasts. I am not interested in hearing from those of you who wear helmets as I have heard all the arguments and I bet that the vast majority of you don't wear back protection or avalanche safety bags. If you are truly worried about the effect it will have on your family etc then DON'T ski at all. I don't need an answer, thank you, I am not interested.
The main reason I don't wear a helmet is that I want to feel 'free' in the mountains. I also want the people I ski with recognise me in the evenings. When I ski with helmeted people they all look the same and without personality and I have real difficulty in recognising them when they take them off.
I also like to feel the sun on my head and the freshness of the mountain air.
PS I suffered my first ski injury this year because someone skied into me from behind when we were both travelling at speed and I ruptured a ligament in my shoulder and damaged my knee. My shoulder will be permanently disfigured. Both are still painful after nearly 4 months. The guy who hit me was wearing a helmet and I am convinced he may not have done if he had not been wearing a helmet.
I think that there should be a non-helmet forum or ski club.