J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by steverandomno

Dave Mac wrote:steverandomno wrote:

Cool. Is that your own work Dave?

Yes. It is the third painting posted on J2.

Ahh yes.. looking a bit closer, the Dave Mac signature in the bottom left hand corner should have tipped me off. :-o

Nice work.

Brimster wrote:If you end up in Bognor make sure you don't take responsibiilty for anyone else going with you :lol: :)

Isn't that where they send you if you crash into somebody?

P.S. You know where to come for advice in a few years when you mates want to try some uninsured off piste skiing without avalanche trancievers (after ten pints and some acid). :lol: :twisted:

Cool. Is that your own work Dave?

The best tips I have from experience are below:

Preparation:
1-Try to avoid travelling at all if the conditions are really bad.
2-Keep your phone charged and know where reception is available.
3-Brush the snow off your tail lights!!! (To make sure other people can see you.)
4-Brush the snow off the rest of your car. A common courtesy to other drivers and if you break, the snow from the roof will not end up obscuring your windscreen.
5-Pack a ditch kit should you have to wait for help. Include warm clothes, chocolate and plenty of water (don't leave it in the car to freeze)

Driving:
6-Take it slow and steady, give yourself plenty of time to stop, especially for traffic lights.
7-Don't panic if you skid. Almost anything you do will make it worse. If anything, try to steer rather than break or accelerate. (As pointed out previously)
8-When turning off of a busy road across the flow (i.e. right in UK), avoid having your wheels turned whilst you wait for a gap in the oncoming traffic. Many times people have been killed because they were pushed into the oncoming traffic when they were waiting with wheels already turned and a car from behind, skidded into them or did not see them due to point #3.
9-With ref to point 6 - the area leading up to traffic lights can be especially slippery when there is a lot of compacted snow on the road. This is due to the waiting cars exhaust's melting the snow into very slippery ice.
10-Remember a 4x4 will help with traction but will not stop any faster than a 2WD.

OK how about how to stop my goggles icing up in minus 20? :x

I have some Oakley's.
I use torric monthly disposables to solve the other not being able to see problem.

Just wondering...

Has anybody been to Crystal Mt WA. (near mt Rainier, near Seattle) since they built the new chair?

I can't remember the name of it but it looked like it opened up some good terrain. We were there the new years eve before it opened (06/07 I think). We had some shockingly warm weather, but I have always fancied going back sometime.

More detailed:

http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20081216/BC_blackcomb_gondola_081216/20081216?hub=BritishColumbia

Hope the few people that went to hospital are OK.

Not discounting the good advice others have given on this thread, but in defence of Hoop: I think they had booked this holiday a long time ago when money wasn't as much of a concern as it is now.

Let's face it; getting a group of friends to come to a decision on what pub to meet at is difficult enough, never mind choosing the right resort. If it is a group of blokes then they almost definately thought they would all be candidates for the winter X games after day 2, so Chamonix being more advenced probably did not feature in the beer enhanced decision making process.

It sounds like he has done the right thing in stressing that lessons are an invaluable investment and should not be left up to a mate to pass on his bad habits. But they are having non of it.

So he is in an akward position. The way I see it is that he has three choices:
1 - refuse to teach them and give them all the information they need to book some lessons. This is not going to make him popular.
2 - pay for them to have lessons so he can sod off and enjoy some skiing. A popular choice but why should he pay for them. (I suggest this investment can be recooped as a stealth beer tax over the duration of the holiday)
3 - try to "tell them what to do and work it out for themselves" (which sounds a lot like trying to teach them) In agreement with everything others have said, this is a very bad option.

If you are going to take option 3, then make sure you go to the Le Tour area of Chamonix. The wide open and less steep lower slopes there will be much less crowded. They will stand a better chance of being able to learn something.

That said, countless relationships have been destroyed by friends/boyfriends/girlfriends/husbands/wives trying to instruct.

Remember, progression from beginner to intermediate level is as much about confidence as it is about technique. If you do not have confidence in your abilities to instruct them, and you probably shouldn't, then you will find it difficult to impart confidence on your mates.

My advice is to go with option 2 if you can afford it. You mates might see how serious you are if you are forced to stump up your own cash.

Good luck.