J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by AlistairS

Hi Tino,
We don't ski in formation ) It is a mixed ability group with the biggest group of about 6 that ski together at any one time. I don't think we have raised the body count as yet however, we are always on the look out for the odd lone skier! :lol:

Great night of ski coverage tonight. The womens downhill will take some beating. Its just such a shame there is not regular coverage (outside of the olympics) of the world cup events on the BBC. Ski Sunday should be extended to a 1 hour show throughout the whole season. :cry:

Skier cross is very exciting stuff. Love it.

Did you hear about the chap that lost his teeth Tignes, its turns out he forgot to glue them in. Yes, I have several thousand gumsheilds in stock, cheques made payable to. :D

Tony H - I refer you to read the content of the message! At my age, fashion is not my priority but reducing risk/s is. I ski with a group of upto thirty. I was one of two that were wearing helmets during our last trip. Within this group it is definitely not seen as fashionable however, I think some have been converted and I look forward to the next trip and the head count.

Brucie - I have been back in gainful employment for many years, albeit in a less physical role. My ex-employers make/break the rules. They could have re-employed me (suitable alternative employment) but chose not to. In fact, it was through their negligence I suffered the injury and this was dealt with. I am offically 18% disabled but why should I let that get in the way of wanting to live my life to the full!

Trencher - Thanks for finding the case. It is a most unlucky ending for that poor women.

I started skiing rather late in life and have been skiing for the last five years. Previously, I had been medically retired due to a serious back injury that required surgery and therefore learning to ski did not come naturally at the age of 48. Since starting skiing, I have been on 7 trips. I perservered and am happy to class myself as an improving intermediate. I took a heavy fall in Hochgurgl in December when my ski caught an edge in poor light conditions. Normally you can prepare for a fall and take defensive action to protect you from injury however, this was not the case. The first thing I felt was a massive impact of my shoulder hitting the piste. As a former Paramedic i thought that I had fractured my clavicle and several ribs. Fortunately I had just suffered a rota cuff injury which healed by the time I went to Italy in February this year. Following this incident I thought that had my head hit the piste with such force I would have been knocked unconscious without a doubt and may have suffered more serious internal head injuries.

Prior to my skiing trip to Italy this February I puchased a helmet. It is, without a doubt, one of the best things i have done since starting my skiing career. It is comfortable, warm and I did not have to adjust my beanie after every run! I feel safer and feel I have minimised the risk to some degree. Also on the plus side, it is now becoming fashionable to wear a helmet. I also feel it has benefited my skiing as it has given me more confidence (not over confidence) in my approach.

It is for the individual to decide what is best for them however, ski deaths occur even if you wear protective equipment and a helmet. I was reading about an American women who was killed in Telluride, I think in January 2010. She was heli-skiing with a guide and somehow got her ski helmet lodged between two rocks in a mountain stream. Despite the efforts of the guide to free her she subsequently drowned! In sum, my view is ski safely abide by the local rules for the area and minimise the risk/s. Keep safe people! :)

or upgrade to silver service and an extra inch of leg room for an extra £1,199! Skis go free :lol:

Pablo,
They record them as light refreshments now! You can have the choice between a soft cookie or a packet of bird seed! Yum Yum. Whatever happended to the hot breakfast. :lol:

Interesting comments, When you consider BA used to offer free carriage on skis and may well of got more skiing customers as a result, I think they may loose custom if this is the case. I used BA last year and our skis went free of charge. The more competitive nature of the airline companies is bringing about casualties. I cannot understand why BA are charging so much more than the smaller companies however, look at the BA terms on the Inghams site and its there loud and proud £80 return for ski carriage. :(