J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Paul_SW1

There is something in the T&C's which says you may be charged a standard ticket if you don't use the return leg of a cheap day ticket. Whether this is enforced I do not know.

Surely there is less drag with an edged ski compared to a flat ski, because with an edged ski there is less ski surface in contact with the snow, meaning less friction/drag?

Hi,

I read in a book that when skiing on flattish terain, where you would normally ski in a straight line (because there is no need traverse the fall line to reduce speed), the fastest way to ski is not with skis flat on the piste, but to permenantly carve a very slight s-shape. The reason being there is less friction when carving (albeit very slightly) compared to when the skis are flat on the snow. If I think about this it makes sense. I tried this a lot when I last went skiing, and I think it is true, in that it I seemed to overtake my peers who were skiing flat. So, even though I skied a greater distance (the gentle s shape compared to a straight line), I seemed to get from A to B quicker. I'm not suggesting it is good to ski as fast as possible on flattish terain, but am interested to see if what I believe is true is actually true. Any views?

Thanks for everyone's input on this - it makes interesting reading.

Hi,

I was watching some winter Olympic slalom skiers on tv. I noticed they carved their turns, but still skidded to a small extent. I wondered if a perfect skier could carve 100% of the time without skidding or scrubbing out any speed? I guess such a skier would pick up a lot of speed and therefore need to be very strong to deal with the large g-force encountered when carving fast and inclined into the turn. Any views?

I used to have cold hands. I was told that my gloves were too tight. In my mind they were a good fit, which was true. But I learnt that a good snug fit doesn't equate to good insulating properties. I bought slightly larger, less snug gloves, which appear to keep my hands warmer.

Hi,

Watching World Cup Skiing on tv, I notice that many skiers, on passing the finish line, appear to put one or both arms down and forward. Why is that? Is it to trigger their finish time as soon as possible? What does trigger the finish time: when the skip tip crosses the finish line, or the front of the ski boot, or a hand placed ahead of the ski boots?

On a similar note, what triggers the start time: when the boots hit the little bar at the start gate, or the start of the last and long horn blast?

Julia Moss wrote:If you have your own transport you should consider getting a ski pass which covers other ski stations in the Maurienne including Aussois, La Norma, and one we can particularly recommend - Valfréjus, which you could explore in a day and has some great intermediate runs and plenty of safe off-piste.

Thanks. We do have our own transport. Is driving between ski stations not too tortuous?