J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by smirnoff_skier

Hi guys and girls,

I have got a hankering to head to scotland this weekend for a bit of spontaneous skiing.
Does anyone know the best places to go and what the snow will be like?
I am thinking cairngorm would be best

Cheers
Tom

All the little things can be bought off ebay, and as its the end of the season there will be loads of stuff going up there soon.

Things like shin guards, pole/hand protectors, helmet can be found cheaply 2nd hand. Try ringing dryslopes around the country, they will all have race clubs or old stock going cheap. Swiss Tim's Skis in Sunderland is good. Also try and find racers who are upgrading all their stuff, they may have last years skis/gear.

If your on a dry slope I assume its slalom you are doing. A slalom helmet needs a chin guard. GS racing doesnt allow for chin gaurds so most racing helmets have a removable guards.

If you want to get into tuning (edge and wax) your own skis, there are loads of threads on this forum about the gear you need. Start off small and try different things.

On a seperate note, video of me using the new Salomon race skis in Italy last week is below:

Hi all, long time no post.

I think you made the right decision with the interview. The snow will always be there (hopefully!) but in this climate there aren't too many jobs going.
I was all set to go and do a season in Banff getting my instructor badges. I had paid some of the money and was set to leave mid December.
I applied for a graduate scheme for next September when I get back but didn't get the job. They rang back 2 days later and offered me a permanent job that was better than the grad scheme with better opportunities. The only catch was it started straight away and not next year.
A massive amount of soul searching went on, with my heart and finances committed to Canada and my head and logic saying take the job.
5 weeks into the job and I definitely made the right choice although I am still gutted.

I reckoned it was better to get a job in the industry I wanted, at a time when graduate jobs are hard to come by. As you said, no job = no skiing. Plus, my new company have been very understanding and have said I may be able to the course in a few years time. If it leads to happier times at a job you enjoy, then it must be worth it! :-)

Hi guys, long time no post.

Having not found enough money to go to New Zealand this summer, I am pretty set on doing a season in Banff, Canada next year.
I realy want to do an instructors course (up to CSIA level 2) but cant make up my mind which company to go with.

All of the courses are between 11 and 14 weeks long and cost about £7200 each.
However, there are some differences between them:

NonStop ski offers lift passes and teaching in all 3 resorts around banff but is only 11 weeks long and doesnt include flights.
SnowSkool is a 14 week course and includes flights, but the teaching and lift passes only cover Sunshine village.
Peak Leaders gave a great talk at the Natives fair at the weekend, but my friend went last year and had problems with their organisation of things.

Has anyone used any of these (or other) companies for courses either in Banff or anywhere else, or heard anything good or bad about them?

Cheers
Tom

I think 'ski pleasure' sums up pretty much all snowsports.

I am going to alp d'huez tomorrow for 2 weeks of slalom and GS training with an ESF coach. I have had slalom coaching in Austria before but not in France with ESF. I imagine they are very good.

It would definately be better to do the training in the morning when you are more focused and fresher.
You have really have to block out the fear of crashing and risk, as the closer you get to the gates, the quicker you go (generally).
It will be really good fun if you have not done it before and should hopefully allow you to hone carving techniques.

Do they mean slalom or giant slalom training? After 4 weeks, I wouldnt think they are going to send you down a slalom course (which are tight and technical), it will probably be a GS course (youtube it).
If you can find any, download some of the ski sunday episodes from last year. They took celebrities to Courmayer in Italy and helped them with GS technique. Some of the examples and methods were pretty good and easy to understand.

Tom

Fischer make quite soft flexible skis which would be better suited to lighter skiers. This means they are more forgiving and easier to use, but may not give the outright performance that a stiffer ski (Atomic) might.

Best advice I can give is go and talk to a professional at a ski shop and try and demo as many pairs as you can in a snowdome or at a resort. If you find one you like, try and look for last years model on ebay as the only major differences will usually be a graphics and you can save yourself a packet of cash.

Legend!