J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Dave Mac

This is one of the best recent postings, but firstly, I think we should leave out personalising the Ollie bit. It seems that he has youth and confidence on his side, and as he gains experience, he will work out for himself his relative ability. Inadvertantly, what he has done, and Jan has picked it up, is raised the subject.

I guess that Jan & I ski pretty much at a similar speed down the Niederau pisted runs, something under or over 4 minutes. Yet Jan skis in a totally different style to myself, he is an open knee modern carver, I am a hips and knees together skier. We are both fast, competent piste skiers. I would not hesitate to call Jan an expert, in the conditions that I have seen him ski.

I occasionally ski with the best Austrian instructors, as I know Jan does. I have rarely seen the best Austrians ski down the main off-piste runs. They clearly can do. But in Niederau, when you ski on the Stuck abfaert, you are on view to all those going up in the Gondola. Sooner or later, you will fall.... and be seen.

However, some of the less experienced instructors do not cope well with off piste. So ~ are they expert skiers?

I think this is an issue of labelling. Competences, Capabilities, Intermediates, Experts.

I was recently reminded that early this year marked forty years of skiing for me. (Must have started when I was one year old :wink:) Every day up the Gondola, I am thinking of what can be done today, that is new for me. What bit of technique needs slight changes.

Then I get off the Gondola, and ruin it all by going down as fast as possible, most times. Somedays though, something new just sticks.

The point about the speed of learning being connected with the introduction of carvers has been made. There is also the aspect, that with the improvements of artificial snow quality and piste management, few people now, encounter ice. I mean real ice, not marbled snow. So one day, they are a good intermediate, the next, they can feel like a second day beginner.

Man, it is a tough sport.

Well done Jan. Thanks for the fun Pav.

Jan, you don't see a connection between Niederau skiers and the winners of the last two Pavel competions do you???

Jan, I cannot quite work out the logic of the 4 man chair. The only issue with the single chair was it's age, it was after all, the first chair lift in Tyrol, installed by Herr Hochmuth, in 1947.

But there was hardly an issue with lift queues, so I would have thought that a double chair would have been OK.

The other issue is that the chair is only feeding the Hochberg. What would be good is if another run was developed. The easiest for this would be the Gseng, and I discussed this with Michael Unger. He said the bottom section was too steep and narrow for the average skier, and this is true. So why not develop, the bottom section?

I see at the top, on the path to the Anton Graffe Hut, there is some log/earth widening.

There used to be other runs there, too, the Standard, and the Touchech, both of which got treed-over.

With regard to the Roscopf idea, I think the issue remains with the camber of the Lanerkopfl, together with it's preponderance to ice over where it is wind-exposed.

Main prob with the Vicki is the lack of investment. The rooms are still the same as when I use to occasionally visit, many years ago. I tried to check it out last week, but answers there came none.

Hamish, if you want a possible alternative, close to the Harvenwirt, lots of room, but restricted bathroom facilities, pp me.

Tony_H wrote

Good time to be getting off to the Alps, methinks, and get away from the coffin dodgers.

So then Tony, at what age exactly, will you retire from skiing?

Jan, your answer was superb. Hats off to a great approach to the analysis.

I confess that this quiz scared me, I knew if you wanted to do well, there was a lot of time involved.

Was in Niederau last week, but couldn't meet up, every minute was filled. Will catch you in second half of January, maybe wait at the bottom for you? :-)

Tony, wash your mouth out, preferably with Zillertaler stuff.

1. Zipfer Marzen, in Niederau

2. 4 o'clock Gluewein, at top of Marbachjoch, Niederau, followed by the best skiing of the day, or so it seems at the time.

3. Thrappledrouser, in Fife

Not allowed a fourth, so I won't include Thickstons,(written as pronounced), Yooorkshire.