J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by HeadAddict

By far the best fitness routine I've ever experienced (having played organized sports throughout school, with extensive training), is a combination of Tabata (20 secs on, 10 secs rest, 20 secs on, etc. intervals), maintaining a steady heart above your target for height, weight, age, etc. and best of all, kettlebells. Working your core and all of the small, often forgotten muscles, will help you in more ways than you know while attacking the slopes. PM or openly ask for more details if you're interested. Been doing this routine for about 15 months now.

It is seriously time for a new set of boots, but I'm having massive trouble finding a qualified fitter who I can rely on to set me in some new ones. I'm looking for someone anywhere in the Southwest (so that follow-up tweeks won't be too difficult) with a good reputation and who carries at least 5 different manufacturers who I can try out. I would love some suggestions. Thanks!!

I'd like to just give a quick review of our trip to Marilleva 1400 and the surrounding areas (including Madonna di Campiglio and Folgarida). First the good: Snow was unbelievable. At least knee-high powder off-piste (where we were yelled at by the Italians to have our passes taken away). Apparently the Italians are afraid to ski off-piste... (and you'll know why if you view their "blacks"). Also, the views were beautiful. Weather cleared out after the first two days and left us with some stunning views of the Dolomites. Not the "proper" Alps, but beautiful indeed.

Now for the not-so-good parts: Flat as a pancake!! Aside from one good piste on Mount Spinale that we weren't allowed to run for apparently no good reason (despite the beautiful conditions it displayed from the gondola), the terrain has been flattened out to nothing and then the snow flattened and groomed to a pulp on top of that. I was primarily skiing with my soon-to-be brother-in-law who is a level 4 instructor from Canada and if I was bored, you can imagine his displeasure with the terrain... Maybe it was just us, but it seems people where more interested in saying (and photographing) themselves "skiing" in Italy then actually skiing! In order to get to some of the "black" runs you had to run a Nordic course first to avoid all of those steep, scary sections where someone might actually have to ski! This disappointment holds over to the lodging and overall accommodations as well. It seems they have done nothing but add some high-speed chairs since the 1970's when all the hotels and trails were designed. I can give details to anyone interested, but I would say that if you are a beginner it is great for you, just don't expect any service from them. If you want anything challenging to ski, then don't bother. Oh, and what is up with people stepping on my skis constantly in the long lift lines (not usually the Italians, I can at least say that, but seriously the skiers code I grew up with was nowhere in site for most of the punters on the slopes and we almost came to blows more than a few times).

Can't wait to explore some real mountains soon...

ise wrote:

HeadAddict wrote:As with anything that involves chasing or creating a dream, one's ability to think outside the box is usually the deal-maker (or breaker). If you're looking for a life on the slopes, perhaps developing a talent like park ranger or photographer/cinematographer would act as a nice dovetail to coincide with his passion...

I sorry to say that people leave ski stations every season after a few months discovering there's already a local photographer or hairdresser or plumber :cry:

Fair enough, but that is all assuming you're doing it for the masses on location. Why not take pictures for the people who can't be there, just as an example. I couldn't do it, but there is a money-making niche everywhere if you use your imagination... Personally, my business is virtual and needs only an internet connection to operate, so when I do go skiing, my Blackberry becomes only an emergency paperweight, as it should be. There are ways to do anything you want, that is the main point I wanted to make.

As with anything that involves chasing or creating a dream, one's ability to think outside the box is usually the deal-maker (or breaker). If you're looking for a life on the slopes, perhaps developing a talent like park ranger or photographer/cinematographer would act as a nice dovetail to coincide with his passion...

Had one, once... (although I'm not exactly a posting maniac).

Andy - Great to hear yet another good word spoken for the Sportube. Ours is on it's way next week and I was hoping it wouldn't cost us more in carriage fees for our upcoming trip to Italy (as it is the double). If you've spent hundreds and hundreds on equipment, why would you go with anything less than a hard case to protect them?!?

Tomski - How many of you are going and is Grenoble a must or might you consider Geneva? Either way, I think you're going to pay for it, but it appears that the Geneva connections are more plentiful at least...