J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by AllyG

I've just been looking at some lovely photos of my friends boarding in Niederau, and I can see why people keep going back there. The scenery is amazing, and the slope they're on looks pretty steep to me - a black I should say, and certainly not suitable for beginners. They were there over New Year and you can see in the photos that there was plenty of snow :D

Ally

As a matter of fact, Emma, I've been trying very hard not to wibble any more - Admin was going to sell my children into slavery and cut off my head, and I had to run for the hills and hide to save my life :shock:

So you are very welcome to my title - I hereby abdicate - and Emma is the new Wibble Queen :D

Ally

HughieTwingo wrote:Well thanks ( I think ) for all your comments!

WE'll be taking her, we're driving not flying so we'll only inconvenience ourselves!

I think driving is a very sensible idea - you won't have to worry about her ears on the flight :D

I hope you have a great time :D

Ally

Excuse me Emma,
Did you not know that I am the Queen of Wibble?

If there's going to be any wibbling done around here, then would you please consult me first - We are not Amused ... :lol:

Ally

Tony,
Niederau has 70 Km of piste.

Glyn,
I'm glad you had a good time in Borovets :D

Ally

sm4sh wrote:Iv just been having a look at the ski lessons package that iv got when i go away. They are just standard group lessons. 4 hours a day for 6 days.
I was suprised as i was only expecting a couple of hours per day.
Hope i pick it up easy enough. i wanna be off with my mrs & mate exploring (and trying to ski) :D

What do you do in group lessons. In my head iv got it as a group of people moving up and down the same spot learning to stop and turn.
Do they take you down any of the beginner hills or anything? wouldnt really wanna do them same thing over and over for 6 days :shock:

Sm4sh,
If you're in the total beginner class the ski instructor has to spend time teaching people how to put their skis on and hold their poles etc. And then how to walk around in skis (in a big circle when I did it 40 years ago). After that they usually find a very gentle slope only a few yards long and show people how to ski straight down it, one at a time. At this point a lot of people fall over (sometimes the whole group like dominoes if they're standing close to each other) and the poor instructor has to explain how to get up without taking your skis off. Eventually they get around to showing you how to stop and steer. If everyone manages that okay they progress on to learning how to use the drag lift - which is quite difficult - and lots of people fall off it and miss it etc.

Depending on how fast the group learn, after a couple of days of this sort of thing on the flat and the nursery slopes the instructor may take the group up the mountain on a chair lift (more instruction about how to use this) and down an easy blue run.

I have heard of beginner groups going down a black run at the end of their first week, but I should think most groups don't get further than a blue or possibly easy red.

Falling over all the time and trying to get up is totally knackering, and plenty of people start complaining about the pain in their legs and arms. That's why it's so important to do ski exercises before you go.

It is a really good laugh - especially if you get a fun instructor who does things like make you touch your 'head shoulders knees and toes' while ski-ing down a gentle slope.

But if you learn how to ski on a dry slope/snow dome before you go, you can miss out on the nursery slope and learning how to walk on the flat stage and go straight on to the drag lift and greens/easy blues and then up the mountain. At this point you usually all follow the instructor in a line making 'S' shape snow-plough turns, and then when he/she wants to teach you something new they show you how to do it and then make you do it one by one so that they can give you individual advice.

Some people learn really fast, and others are pretty slow, so some people sometimes get promoted up to a higher group.

Ally

Emma,
I don't know anything about skis either. What I do is go to a good hire shop and explain my needs and leave it up to them. I don't ever intend to buy any of my own, because, apart from anything else, the ideal ski one needs partly depends on the condition of the piste (if you're staying on the piste) and this obviously varies from one week to the next. Really keen skiers bring a couple of pairs of skis on holiday with them. After a very heavy snowfall even the piste can become like 'off-piste'. And if your not happy with the hired skis you can take them back and change them, or get the shop to sharpen the edges if you're ski-ing on ice or wax them if you're on powder (free of charge).

I found something about skis here:

http://www.spadout.com/wiki/index.php/Skis

And financially, I reckon one is no better off buying skis than hiring them, because most of the airlines charge £30 or so carriage, and then you have to pay an annual maintenance fee to get them tuned up (unless you're very clever and do it yourself), plus there's depreciation on the skis. And as you improve you may find your needs change. Also, ski technology and design is constantly changing/improving and skiers always seem to want the 'latest' model. I pay about £80 each time to hire top quality skis and I currently only go on one full ski holiday (7 days ski-ing) and one half-holiday (3 days) where I get free ski hire anyway, per year.

Unless you go ski-ing several times a year, I don't think it's worth buying your own skis.

Ally

I am trying not to think about how long I've got until I go ski-ing again, because I've got to lose about a stone in weight and get fit, and my time is rapidly running out :shock:

Plus, I have a load of work here to get finished before I can go :cry:

But - congratulations to everyone else who's about to go off, and has done all their preparation work :D

Ally