J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by steverandomno

I have skied the past several seasons with disposable daily contacts for astigmatism. They are definitely the way forward. You don't have to worry about over glasses goggles and you dont have to fiddle about with solutions in the bathroom so they are more hygenic. I tend to take my glasses to the resort and remove my lenses as soon as i've finished skiing. This seems to stop my eyes drying out too much.

The only issue I find when i'm actualy skiing, is on the rare occasion when it is bright sunlight when i ski into shadow and out again. The rapid change in brightness seems to temporarily upset the lenses and it takes a few seconds for them to settle down again.

Adam67 wrote:I was stranded in Geneva for 2 days a couple of years ago and Easyjet did nothing. Neither did my insurance, but thats another story!

Sounds like the same incident. We met a few easyjet passengers who spent the night in the airport. It made me realize the value of flying with a a 'frills included' airline. There is often only a few tens of pounds difference in cost, but boy do you appreciate being looked after when things go wrong. Swiss were faultless one that occasion.

Hopefully this is a one off incident. Having used Swiss many times in the past from City Airport, we have never had a problem. The staff in Geneva were brilliant a couple of seasons ago when all of the airports in the UK closed for a couple of days. They put us up in a decent hotel and reimbursed us for meals. We were very happy not to be flying with some of the other carriers, who's passengers we found still camped out on the floor of the airport the following morning.

This has got me quite excited about my early Jan trip:

http://environment.alberta.ca/apps/basins/DisplayData.aspx?Type=Figure&BasinID=14&DataType=4&StationID=SUNS

It is shaping up to be as good as last year.

Adam67 wrote:I presume it is a prerequisite then to have appropriate first aid and medical skills if you have all the avalanche kit? On the other side of the coin, if you have the kit does it make it easier to be found or should I say quicker to be found if 'taken'? or is it just designed to find people? Can anyone recommend the best value for money kit for recreational skiers? Thanks

Not sure about value for money, but I can vouch for the BCA Tracker. It is very simple to use with large controls, which becomes very important if you have to use it. The newer model has been improved to make it even esier to operate. (I especially like the look of the control to switch from transmit to search mode, which makes it very difficult to accidentaly leave it in search mode.)

http://www.backcountryaccess.com/product/tracker-2/

For shovels and probes, ebay is probably your friend. Do make sure that you pick a shovel and probe that is sturdy enough. Avalanche snow sets very solidly. You are not going to be digging or probing light powder. Then you need a backpack to put it all in. Do not be tempted to strap these things to the outside of a pack. They can easily get ripped off if you are caught in a slide.

As you can see, it is a pretty big outlay for something you hope to never need, even at ebay prices. This is without considering, touring bindings, boots or skins. Then you need to consider how much baggage this will add to your allowance when flying. You must make sure you know how to use the equipment and practice. As others have said, it is just as important to get educated so that you don't end up in a slide in the first place.

I suspect that most people who read this site are similar to me in that they do a few weeks skiing a year, at most, and will not realistically be able to develop the skills and experience necessary to venture off into the wilderness without a guide during the limited time they have. This makes it very unecconomical to get all of the kit for the few times you might hire a guide or participate in a group excursion. In many of these cases, the kit is available or provided for free. However, there are a few avalanche controled areas in Canada that require you to have the equipment as a condition of entry.

bandit wrote:

In no way am I experienced in off piste or mountaineering. I have barely scratched the surface. The more I learn, the more I realise there is to learn.
My personal opinion is that reckless behaviour off piste should be addressed pretty firmly. If this does not happen, it will eventually become impossible to buy affordable insurance.

Bandit - Apologies. You may have only scratched the surface, but from the little I know, you are more experienced than me which I guess is what I meant.

For what it's worth. I absolutely agree with you about reckless behaviour. What worries me, is that the laws drawn up to clamp down on reckless behaviour off piste will have the unintended consequence of penalising, or even criminalising, those who have behaved responsibly but were just unlucky.

bandit wrote:

steverandomno wrote:

If SwingBeeps interpretation is correct, think about what this means. Imagine you are skiing with a guide in an area miles away from the resort having done everything right (training, checking avalanche bulletins, carrying the right equipment etc...). However, you are very unlucky and get into a situation where you need rescuing by your guide and companion, who also call mountain rescue and the emergency services. Do you then go to prison?

If you are prosecuted, are you tried by a jury of your peers? Are you tried by a jury of off piste skiers or the general public?

In that scenario the Guide is responsible as they are the professional in charge of the group/you.

Any trial like that would call an Expert Witness. In France Alain Duclos is often called to give an opinion. It's usually a Judge in charge.

http://www.alea-avalanche.com/

Bandit, I'm curious. As somebody who is experienced in off-piste and mountaineering, do you have an opinion about these legal issues?

SwingBeep wrote:
It is a criminal offence to trigger an avalanche in Italy (even in the middle of nowhere) the punishment can be up to 12 years in jail, if a death is involved 15 years. As I mentioned previously it's mandatory to carry avi gear when skiing off piste in Piemonte, in the rest of Italy ski tourers are required use avalanche transceivers if there is an obvious avalanche risk, the risk level is not given.

I can understand if you trigger an avalanche onto a piste or other slope users due to recklessness, but this law seems ridiculously draconian.

Sorry to hijack the thread somewhat.

If SwingBeeps interpretation is correct, think about what this means. Imagine you are skiing with a guide in an area miles away from the resort having done everything right (training, checking avalanche bulletins, carrying the right equipment etc...). However, you are very unlucky and get into a situation where you need rescuing by your guide and companion, who also call mountain rescue and the emergency services. Do you then go to prison? Do we end up in the situation that people in minor incidents hold off reporting them due to the fear of prosecution? How does that serve the greater good?

If you are prosecuted, are you tried by a jury of your peers? Are you tried by a jury of off piste skiers or the general public?

I find the encroachment of law into private mountain pursuits very sad.