J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by verbier_ski_bum

Tony_H wrote:FWIW, I learned in Val Thorens, plenty of greens and blues which we were taught on. However, we spent 3 days snowploughing before being taught to parallel. I really feel looking back that I wasted 3 days of my life, and suffered with unecessary aches and pains as a result.
I didnt even realise there was a direct to parallel method of teaching!!!!

It's not a waste, Tony. A good snowplough turn teaches you a lot about a weight transfer and can be a real life-saver in some sketchy situations. I look at turning as the way I move across the fall line. Using the shape of the skis is not optimal all the time. And when you get scared sometimes you need something very basic to fall back on. And while it's bit harder on legs if you have your weight where it should be it's not that hard. Most aches and pains come from relying too much on muscular support. And going to parallel from here should be easy.

Tony_H wrote:If people pay its because they don't have a choice. Or they like to have a moan about it later.
I walked into a bar once and ordered a drink, the bar man asked me for the money and it was ridiculously expensive, so I said I wasn't paying that, left the drink and walked out.
We can all do that if we really wanted to

Exactly. There is always this choice. Better than paying and moaning after. No-one ever said skiing and everything related would be cheap especially since it's a big tourists attraction. Golf, tennis, skiing have been known for their exclusivity. I remember paying 6 dollars for glass of coke on a beach in Bermuda, and this was back in 1995! This is the way resorts work.

Trencher wrote:

The reason you are struggling with the hockey stop is most likely because you have learned to turn using a braking snowplough. It will also slow down your progress to good parallel skiing. Try to find places with ski schools that teach direct to parallel, or a modified form of D to P that uses a slight wedge. You'll save a lot of money later if you don't have to struggle learning to ski parallel.

It shouldn't normally slow down any progress to good parallel skiing and I can't see this methid as being practical unless there is a possibility to keep beginners on bunny slopes for an extended time. In reality adult beginners are graduated to "grown up" slopes afte frist half a day or rarely after a day - once they get a good control with their snowplough and hockey stops as this is what they need to do well to fall back onj if they get scared etc. Even gentle blues over here are much steeper than an average bunny hill, so without a good snowplough it can be quite difficult for a learner to move to real slopes even if they can turn parallel on a bunny hill.

I don't think it's possible to actually learn anything in a one hour lesson, certainly not enough to remember how you do it for much longer after the lesson is over. Maybe on your next trip you should just join a school for a week? To stop you really need to put pressure on tips, having your skis in a snowplough position doesn't mean you are snowploughing if you are sitting back - your skis are just taking you for a ride. If you weight skis properly it's very easy. Get more extensive instruction - they should be able to identify your problem and find a solution. One hour only is hopeless and you are in for a lot of struggle. Being able to stop at any time is an absolute must for a beginner. Otherwise there can be a disaster in the making. Plus, if you just keep doing ski schools for a few holidays you will avoid picking up bad habits which can be very hard to get rid of once they are ingrained into your skiing. And in skiing style = substance so lessons will definitely pay off.

There is now such thing as "overcharge" in the market economy. If people pay then it's a fair price. Mega resorts = more people and this is taken into account in pricing. Discount systems for "locals" exist in Switzerland too. These discounts are also a form of reward for loyalty. I am renting a house and a contract is on my name so I get discounts too because over the course of the season I will on average leave more money for the local businesses than an average tourist who comes once in his lifetime for a week and then off to the next resort.

Tony_H wrote:

verbier_ski_bum wrote:

Tony_H wrote:

andyhull wrote:Chamonix is the one big European resort missing from ski cv, I'd love to go there at some point.

What Bryan said on this page is what I have heard from too many people. Disjointed, aloof people, and lots of closures. I would however kill to have a crack at the Valley Blanche

Well, I heard these comments too. I guess people want different things from their ski holidays. generally "disjointed" is only an issue if you ski in a group of truly mixed ability and want to ski together all the same. Unless this is the case I can't see how this can be an issue - there is no way you can ski all of it in a day even if all the areas were connected. You need to decide what you are looking for in a ski holiday and go from there. If you want fast lifts, ski-in and many miles of linked flattering cruisers where everyone can look an expert - this is one thing, if you want epic terrain, magnigicient scenery and sense of achievement when you finish your ski day - go to Chamonix. Yes, you will spend time on buses, and lifts can be slow but you will be a better skier by the end of your holiday. And check weather and what's open first to avoid riding a bus to a closed area. And waiting for lifts to open on a powder day only adds to excitement. You don't need a car really, it solves the problem of buses (which are frequent) but when it's busy you may end up with a problem of parking. So figure out what you want first and then make a list of places. Vallee blanche - maybe you want to come to Cham in the summer and try walking the arete then first. If you can do the arete classic route will be easy.

We always know what we want out of a trip, and it involves maximum ski time and easy access to lifts and slopes mainly. Thats why Cham has not featured so far, and having read your comments, probably why it wont for a while yet. Maybe I will do a 3-4 day trip and try out some of the more interesting stuff when Im not looking to maximise what little time skiing I already have.
I really dont want to drive about on buses or in cars, wait for lifts to open, and have to worry about which bit is open. Not for a weeks holiday anyway. Maybe its all a bit more serious in Cham, so for people like yourself who live nearby(ish) you can go with a different attitude.

Maximizing ski time is good, but skiing can be different and couple runs in one resort may be worth more in real terms than doing endless laps for 6 hours in another one. The first time ever I skied from top of Grands Montets it took me 2 hours to ski down to mid station, and it was about 40 min to get to the top. After that I did couple reds and was happy to sit down on a terrace for the rest of the day as it was my best ski day to date. Chamonix is all about skiing that's why people who go there don't care about buses and slow lifts. If it wasn't for Verbier I would be skiing in Chamonix all the time, and Verbier is the same - go up Mt. Fort and ski down to Tortin, back to Verbier side and ski down Mt Gele and you will have enough adrenaline to last you till the evening and can spend the rest of your day working on your tan if lift lines are too long t bother as it will be probably still more skiing in real terms than lapping cruisers for 6 hours.

Tony_H wrote:

andyhull wrote:Chamonix is the one big European resort missing from ski cv, I'd love to go there at some point.

What Bryan said on this page is what I have heard from too many people. Disjointed, aloof people, and lots of closures. I would however kill to have a crack at the Valley Blanche

Well, I heard these comments too. I guess people want different things from their ski holidays. generally "disjointed" is only an issue if you ski in a group of truly mixed ability and want to ski together all the same. Unless this is the case I can't see how this can be an issue - there is no way you can ski all of it in a day even if all the areas were connected. You need to decide what you are looking for in a ski holiday and go from there. If you want fast lifts, ski-in and many miles of linked flattering cruisers where everyone can look an expert - this is one thing, if you want epic terrain, magnigicient scenery and sense of achievement when you finish your ski day - go to Chamonix. Yes, you will spend time on buses, and lifts can be slow but you will be a better skier by the end of your holiday. And check weather and what's open first to avoid riding a bus to a closed area. And waiting for lifts to open on a powder day only adds to excitement. You don't need a car really, it solves the problem of buses (which are frequent) but when it's busy you may end up with a problem of parking. So figure out what you want first and then make a list of places. Vallee blanche - maybe you want to come to Cham in the summer and try walking the arete then first. If you can do the arete classic route will be easy.

PrivateBryan wrote:Ranchero,
You live in Chamonix so you probably choose the days you go out.
Mine was a 4 day break.
I'm sure it's an amazing to live.
I reported on my experience that week.
I know there are great buses, all the time, but if you get Le Tour and the lifts are shut it's a pain in the ass getting back on to go to Les Houches which at least was open.
I do think it's an amazing place, the scenery is out of this world and there's loads going on and i'll go back - one day.
Tony, perhaps you should try it.
The people who rate it so highly cannot all be wrong. But get someone to show you all the gems that a typical holiday maker(like myself) might miss. I think it's the kind of place that the longer you're there the more you rate it.
Lovely in summer too.

That's why there is Internet. Check what's open first before leaving the house - easy:)

Messages posted by : verbier_ski_bum