J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Meercat

I've been rather busy the past few days and not had a chance to add my repsonse to this thread.

The above entries are all entirely valid 'top sins' and unfortunately, it's true that there are a lot of sinners around......

Here are a few more.

1. Running into the back of a ski left queue/line where children, adults and the sinner all topple over like a line of dominoes. Actually, for the sinner themselves, the 'looks' of disgust they get combined with mouthed curses are usually sufficient to ensure that they never make the same mistake.

2. Whilst travelling up in an enclsoed mountain transport system such as a funicular, cable car or - worst of all - a gondala - somebody chooses to break wind. Conversation dwindles to a murmur as everybody attempts to put on an innocent face with the end result that everybody looks the same and everybody is blaming everybody else.

3. Skiing past somebody who is in dificulty is a 'no no'. You *always* stop if you see somebody who has fallen and is on their own and maybe struggling. Even if you stop a short distance away, this gives you time to see if they need help. In any case, giving help usually ends in a never ending exchange of pleasantries and leaves the helper feeling good about themselves and the helped feeling cared for. Excellent interaction!!! This rule can be dropped if it's a 'mass start' race. (I do know of somebody who stopped to help a faller at the start of a race. She ended up coming last - but she probably would've anyway..... However, she earned herself a free ticket to the right hand chair beside Him :-)

4. Stealing somebody elses ski sticks. This happens a lot in France. You go into a restaurant only to come out to find that your ski sticks have been stolen. This often ends up with the victim moving on to steal another person's ski sticks/poles etc etc until the last person holds the dummy card. You can avoid this by mix n matching your skis/sticks with another skier in your party. This works a treat when you get up to 6 people - when - at 'reclaim time' you might as well throw the whole lot in a pile to work out who owns whos.

5. By far the worst though has to be a skier who skis too closely to a beginner who, in their panic to avoid a collision, opts to fall. Beginners find it far more dificult to 're-arrange' themselves following a fall and the deliberate actions of another competent skier who has the entire 200 metre width of the run, chooses to cut up the beginner. I have to say, that when this happens to my wife (2nd year skier) I chase after the sinner and cut them up something chronic. Justice!!!

There are probably other sins, but, also, there are many many pleasant exchanges which occur each day that outweigh the negatives. That could be what causes skiing to be so popular in addition to the obvious aspects.

Trencher,

I agree with you entirely. Added to the issues of carving are boarders who also enjoy the wide sweeping turns and they are hindered by their (NECESSARY) posture which makes it difficult for them to glance up hill at times.

Yes, the person 'behind/up hill' is responsible for avoiding a collision, but two skiers carving - one from the left and one from the right are in danger of meeting right in the middle when they are close to max velocity.

Combine this with crowded runs and the recipe for disaster is complete. Actually, in a way there comes a point where 'critical mass' is reached and skiers/boarders cannot carve across the piste because it's just too crowded to even start a wide sweep. At this point one of two things happen. Either the skier/boarder gives it up as 'too much hassle' or - risks are taken.

I'm unable to provide a solution to this problem - and I worry that the point will be reached where rules and regulations are introduced to protect people - and with that goes part of the pleasure of snow sports - the day we all have to buy a ticket to use a run at a particular time and then wait 30 minutes for your next 'allotment of skiing/boarding'.

I'm surprised that the beuaraucrats (sp?) in Brussels have not yet stuck their noses in - but they probably will in, I guess then next 10 years.

And rule No. 1 will be - you must wear a helmet.

Chalet,

Oh - this is what dreams are made of - waking up in the morning to find a fresh snowfall and that nice muffled sound.......

As they say in the mountains-you're nearer to heaven.

Skiing these days has become different to what it was (say) 20 years ago.

Firstly, there are more people.

The lift queues are shorter and people are skiing rather than queueing and sitting on lifts.

The restaurants are expensive so people spend less time not skiing.

As it's a pretty expensive sport, people try to get more out of it - and ski more.

Snow boarding has appealed to a younger generation who now go boarding as a day break (Eg. local nationals)

These days, limb injury has gone down the league table as a result of improved ski bindings releases.

Speed has increased.

Styles of sking such as boarding and carving cause people to zig zag across the slope. This makes it more likely that they will cut in front of another person going downhill in a straighter line.

Collisions between two skiers/boarders produce the most harmful injuries. Impact speed can be in some cases twice that of a person falling over on their own.

Collisions result in the worst neck and head injuries.

A helmet becomes more and more necessary as a result of the above.

Do I wear one? No. But maybe I should. I always look left and right up the hill before making a turn to ensure that I do not cut somebody up, even though it is the uphill skier who has to ensure they do not run into somebody.

The day will come - I'm sure of it - when we will all have to pass tests etc to be allowed on certain runs, you'll have indicators/turn signals on your arms or ski poles. There will be traffic lights at intersections and maybe the odd roundabout or two.

Hopefully, by then, I'll be a bystander commenting about 'in the olden days.... we never had to do all this.....' (And my son and daughter will be cringing and thinking 'Dad - just go home - you're so old fashioned!!!')

I've been skiing in Davos since 1961 and in those days snow was abundant before Christmas.

The past 10 years have seen the middle of December with little snow, but more often than not it snows between Christmas and New Year.

At present, there is about 50cm on top with another 40-50 cms predicted.

They will attempt to keep some of the runs closed until such time as sufficient snow has fallen and a good base has established, but they will have to open more and more runs in the approach to 22 December when the resort becomes full and skiers denined the opportunity to ski on runs that appear ok causes lots of bad feeling.

I've never known it to to be so bad in January (even the beginning of) that skinig has been limited/restricted to just a few runs.

Davos at 1560 Metres is quite a bit higher than other resorts (such as Klosters) so you can be pretty sure that it'll look nice and white in the vilalge/town itself.

We're off there on 6th Jan.

Try these links to have a good look around the web cams.

http://www.schatzalp.ch/p.cfm?s=29

http://wispo.myswitzerland.com/requests/MySwitzerlandSearchRequest.jsp?lang=en&rKey=430

http://www.j2ski.com/snow_forecast/Switzerland/Davos_snow.html

(Main ski area)

http://www.parsenn.ch/?lang=en

Davos is great!!!!! You'll love it!!!!

Ouch! wrote:What on earth do you do for a week in a ski resort that has no snow????

Try some of these.

1. Check out if there is a resort within daily travelling distance that you can go to.

2. If there is any snow at all - consider cross country skiing.

3. If the resort is cold enough - are there skating rinks or curling rinks? Ice Hockey?

4. Check your travel insurance to see if there's 'no snow' cover and then imagine how you'll spend your £50/equivalent.

5. Take a pack of cards and a backgammon set with.

6. Take swim gear with and seek out pools.

7. Consider hiking in the mountains. Mountain biking?

8. Take plenty of money for 'refreshments'.......

(I know. It's dire being in a ski resort and not being able to ski - which includes when all is closed owing to too much snow - but at least it looks nice and you can have a snowball fight!!!)

Just checked my resort of interest - Davos - which is predicting 80cm of snow (top) during next week.

That's a nice dump and should provide the much needed base - no matter what the weather does over the coming weeks.

I'm due to go to Davos 6th January and I was beginning to fear the worst. Usually, in Davos it snows quite a bit between Christmas and New Year. That'll do (if it comes true).

Also, I sigh with relief at the news that it's due to snow next week as a serious lack of snow for the period 22nd Dec to 5th January (when people are on the Christmas break) results in future 'disinclination' for people to pay the peak season prices over Christmas - which in turn leads to the resort having to up its prices throughout the skiing season.

Furthermore - a lack of snow - which restricts the number of runs open results in over crowded runs now that they've sorted out the lift queueing system - so no queues for lifts which means more people on the run itself causing congestion to the point where you can hardly turn!!!!

There's more..... closed runs which lead to restaurants cause the few restaurants which are reachable to be very crowded.

There's no doubt that European winters are not producing the snow that we used to see in the 60's and 70's.

Lower resorts are going to really suffer and, if the economies of France, Italy, Switzerland and Austria which rely heavily on this lucrative income do not devise ways of making access to snow guaranteed - I fear that the skiing population is going to be squeezed higher and higher into smaller areas *unless* the ski resorts take the daring and expensive gamble of building new ski areas which are as yet undeveloped.

That'll go down like a lead balloon with the Swiss who already complain that their beautuful mountains are being destroyed by lift systems.

I know that in Davos -the main ski area - Parsenn - is millions and millions of Francs in debt and they are unable to recoup their losses by increasing lift pass prices as they would then cause many tourists to divert to France or Austria.

Their other source of income - mountain restaurants - is also under heavy pressure as there are many young snow boarders who do not use restaurants but rather take a packed lunch with them - or at most buy a Bratwurst and a piece of bread.

This has resulted in the restaurants doing away with the more expensive menus as they cater for the masses and not the big money items. This in turn causes those who *do* want to eat well on the mountain to give up lunch on top and instead have lunch down in the village where it's cheaper and better quality.

It's a catch 22 - and I'm not sure what the answer is - but a lot of it is down to 'skiers/boarders go where the snow is' - and if you can guarantee that - you can make money easy - within reason.

There's a lot of worry in the ski resorts about 'where are we headed?'. The US and Canada do not suffer yet-indeed they may benefit from the problems in the alps. But it could change for them too in years to come as the Arctic circle withdraws.

Anyway - let's look on the bright side.... snow is on its way...... we'll be skiing in Europe this year and probably years to come with a bit of judicious planning in the resorts.

Oh - a couple of others I've realised should be included.....

. Everybody asks them what the weather forecast is

. They carry a Swiss army knife to effect minor repairs on the piste/run (but this is just a ploy to get chatting to a member of the opposite sex who will admire them for their knightly behaviour. This rule applies to men only).

. If they fall (Which is very unlikely) they convert the fall into a bit of trick skiing

. When waiting for followers to catch up they stop facing uphill with their skis in a V shape with the poles held dangling directly in front of them

. When they 'de-ski' (at a restaurant for example) they undo their ski bindings whilst still moving and jump out with a small trot and then plant their poles at their neatly aligned ski tips

. They ski at full speed in a white out

. They will gladly admonish any skier who skis dangerously

. They know the first names of all the ski teachers and will wave their ski pole at them and nod when they see them taking a beginners class and give a look of 'poor you having to go so slowly'

. They say which animals created the tracks in the deep snow

. When walking through the ski village with skis on their shoulder they slide along in their ski boots. ('I can't get enough skiing - look - I don't even need skis to ski')

. They rarely buy drinks for tourists as this helps the image of 'Look, I ski all season and it costs a fortune and I can't afford to buy people drinks as well!!'

. They gladly accept drinks from tourists and will wave to them in the future which does the tourist good in that they think that they're in with the 'in crowd', so propogating the futherance of free drinks, which helps cement the previous rule

That's enough for today. :o)