J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by steverandomno

AllyG wrote:So does this mean we shouldn't even be ski-ing between pistes without shovel, probe, and transceiver and doing the rest of the avalanche research?

The only thing I have is Recco on my ski boots, and I remember someone saying on here that it's only useful really for finding dead bodies!

Who is going to dig you out?

You need a partner too, with a shovel, probe, transceiver and training.

On the subject of Recco. Many resorts are equipped with Recco scanners. However, consider that your survival window when buried is very short. How long will it be before ski patrol get the equipment and get to you?

Though the idea of a panic button might be good. You will probably find that Apple, Microsoft, Google et al, have very strict rules on apps upon which the app and phone service reliability is linked to personal safety. You should look into this.

lilywhite wrote: Or I half fill a couple of bottles with hot water and insert them in my boots and use my ski socks like a stopper in the ankle of the boots for the trip to the mountain so I can put toasty boots and socks on just before we get going.

That's a neat trick. I have never thought of doing that and will definitely give it a go this season.

Another bizarre tip related to lilywhite's comment about core temperature, is watching what and when you eat. Try to eat some granola or some oats in the morning. this will slowly release energy throughout the day. Also, try to eat well before starting to ski in the morning. Your body prioritizes blood flow. You will find your extremities get slightly colder for a short time after eating in cold weather as the blood flow is prioritized to the stomach for digestion.

Assuming that you have boots that fit properly. these are the common rules for keeping your boots warm:

The main thing to keep in mind is that the plastic and linings out of which your boots are made, have thermal and mechanical properties that vary enormously with temperature, and in the case of your liners, moisture content. When skiing somewhere like Banff, you may put your boots through temperature differences of up to 20-40 degrees. So it is not surprising that your boots will behave and feel differently in these different temperatures.

0-An object, your foot in this instance, cools at a rate that is proportional to the difference in temperature between itself and it's surroundings. The blood circulating to your foot at 37 degrees Celsius is far warmer than the snow which could easily be as cold as -20 and below. Blood flow to your foot supplies the heat lost to the surroundings through the liner and shell of your foot. So it's a battle between the rate at which heat is lost from your foot and the rate at which heat can be supplied to your foot by blood flow. Restricting that blood flow by over tightening your boots, will upset the balance so that your foot cools more rapidly.

1- Your feet change during the course of a season. The boots you may have had fitted perfectly at the end of last season will be very different at the beginning of this season. The settings you found comfortable last season may not be appropriate for the start of this season. During the first couple of weeks you should find that you need to tighten and adjust the buckles to accommodate the changes in your foot.

2-Your feet change over the course of a ski day - Don't over tighten your boots. Especially in the morning.
Related to point 1. tighten your boots by how they feel, not how many notches on the buckles you did at the end of the previous day. Start off with your buckles closed but relatively loose in the morning and do a few practice drills on moderate terrain. This is a good time to practice technique anyway. As the day progresses, tighten up your boots as necessary.

3-Never leave your boots in the trunk of the car. if your boots are -20 at the beginning of the day, you are never going to have warm feet.

4-Keep your liners dry.
At the end of the day, your liners will have a high moisture content even if they feel dry. This will dramatically increase the thermal conductivity of your liners. If you let this moisture remain. Your feet will cool rapidly during skiing the following morning. To avoid this, always remove the liners and leave them in your room so that the moisture can evaporate naturally.

Boot gloves really help. I have found them to be far more effective than boot warmers. What boot gloves do is place an thick extra layer of highly insulating neoprene between the shell of your boot and the cold exterior (the glove goes over the shell). Remember again that the blood circulating to your foot is at 37 degrees, so you already have a highly effective boot warmer in the blood circulating to your foot, the key is retain the heat for as long as possible and slow down loss to the environment. Boot gloves reduce the rate at which your foot and boots conduct heat to their surroundings.

Ljb12, what level of skier are you? Are you just learning or have you done a couple of weeks or more?

Where are you planning on going Huwcyn?

Huwcyn wrote:

smartski wrote:

It's taken 13 years of marriage but I just accept her for what she is now.

Oh! I'm perfectly happy for her to be where she is, if she's enjoying it. My disappointed lies more in the fact that she is considering cross-country, which kind of seems like she is giving up, plus, considering our ages, we need to maximise our chances of improvement before our bodies stop allowing us to improve any more.

I don't think he does it anymore but the following article might put things into perspective...

http://www.canada.com/story.html?id=7ff01d62-c7a4-4b2b-9c28-70fc23449384

Confidence. This is one of the main jobs of an instructor. It has a lot to do with choice of terrain. But there are also lots of human factors.

This might not be what you want to hear, but you could also be having an effect on her development for different reasons. Are you always ahead of her? Do you always give her encouragement? Do you speak with her lots about her skiing. Perhaps this is actually quite intimidating to her. She may be intimidated by the constant presence of someone who she considers to be a better skier and whom she sees as falling behind. She may feel very uncomfortable about holding you back and so does not focus on her skiing.

Ideally she needs to have a lesson so that she feels she has leap-frogged your ability. She may need some one-on-one tuition with an instructor without you being there. Or she could take part in a small group lesson that is well within her ability. It is a difficult one but you have to encourage her to go and get some lessons without you in a way that does not entrench those ideas. Ideally, I would suggest a Christmas present of a private ski lesson or a few days in a good group lesson without you. Ideally you could persuade somebody else to get it for her and play down your involvement.