J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by ise

KevinC wrote:I'm going on Saturday :D and a) due to the euro making this trip rather expensive and b)due to clear weather being forecast for La Plagne on Saturday I don't intend paying for snow chains myself (I'm expecting the car to have winter tyres but that's a whole different matter!).

I realise the risk is that the roads might be snow covered for the return (assuming nothing changes as well bewteen now and Saturday but i will check) .....my questions is - how stupid a risk would that be to take.

I.e. is it just mildly dangerous or absolutely certain to end in death to try to descend without chains should it snow?

I'm hoping someone (Ise seems to know everything snow related) will tell me chains are more for powering up the hill rather than steering or braking... :shock: but I'm sure some of you will have experience.

Thanks

KC

It's a risk a lot of people take and get away with. I'd not rely on winter tires being fitted unless you're renting from the Swiss side in Geneva. If it's just France then it won't be the norm. How dangerous depends on the day, if it's a problem the police will stop you.

Sadly, chains are for up and down the hill though :lol: In fact, I'm fairly sure I've not used chains to get up a hill all the time we've lived in the alps. We've got winter tyres, 4WD and carry chains; hypothetically, if I could only have one it would have to be chains, it's the only thing that'll get you moving sometimes.

Some enterprising person should open a chain rental place in Moutiers or Chambery, it ought to be easy enough to undercut the car hire companies and still make money )

Neiltoo wrote:

Trencher wrote:

I really don't mean to be offensive, but that is exactly what most people who don't carve very well say.

Well, in that case I'm not offended )

Everything you say about carving seems to be about skiing on nicely groomed runs - Skiing groomed runs is (or was) a small part of skiing for me.

I adapt my technique to the terrain and the conditions, if I coundn't switch from a carved turn to a skidded turn to a mixture of both when needed then I would have died in some of the couloirs I skied.

I understand that's called skiing :lol: sounds like fun ...

Trencher wrote:What I was trying to convey before is that carving requires a greater awareness than is usualy needed for skiing.

oh, come on, you're in cloud cuckoo land now :roll: how utterly absurd, it's the easiest of things to do requiring the very least of concentration or effort which is why most accomplished skiers move on to other challenges.

I'd forgot about that :oops: you did say 2 or 3 winters, that was longer ago :D

OK, I see, that's much simpler. In fact your idea of what sidecuts were is incorrect as well, late 80's or so side-cuts of skis would be over 10mm anyway. You might also read the Mark Elling book who talks about carving on slightly older skis.

Ian Wickham wrote:
Believe it or not I agree with what you are saying, I'm very careful on what piste I take little Wickham on, I have seen examples of kids skiing unsupervised who could cause problems. I took little Wickham on her first red last year but I did this after an early lunch as the piste was less busy . I think really ise it's a common sense thing and of cause giving some people a wide birth, what I will pass on to Little Wickham is the etiquette of skiing as I think
it's important part of her skiing development.

sorry :oops: I was trying not to suggest you weren't doing it safely, I would think it's perfectly possible to do safely providing you're a reasonable skier and the kid's not a total beginner. The guy I saw probably ought to have been in lessons and not trying to supervise two kids. I suppose the desire to do some stuff with your own kids and not be separated in different classes is quite normal so it's hard to get right.

Ian Wickham wrote:My point in all of this is that because skiing has become easier to learn for which I am not against, beginners are missing valuable lessons in etiquette and in part become dangerous to themselves and others. Since the near miss last year I ski at the back of the line of three so at least there is an option of protection for little Wickham, I was at the front last year and so could not give protection. It does not bare thinking about had the skier been three inches to the right.

I understand why you might do that, and I've done slightly similar but I'm a bit concerned these family groups running interference for each other are one of the problems we see on the slopes. I was trying to pass some people the other day with a father trying to react to the two kids changes in movement and it was really, really hard to move past. You might have it down to a fine art but in that case I've no doubt this guy was increasing the chances of a collision.

Trencher wrote:

ise wrote:

Ian Wickham wrote:
Sorry Trencher, I have to agree with El bandido, I have seen skiers carving on straights and still do, the straights can't do what the carvers can but they can still carve. 8)

Ditto, I can't see what the problem is, it's simply a question of whether you can flex the ski. Without much flex the arc would be huge and slightly impractical but with enough pressure you could shorten that.

Strange that all these people who carved for years on straight skis, don't have a single photo to show for it and was there no film taken of this common feat of skiing ?

I can see it now, on this weeks "mysteries of the world" documentary, the Yeti, the Loch Ness monster and carving on old school skis :lol:

Trencher

It's the days before Youtube and digital cameras, there's no doubt material but I can't be bothered to hunt around for something just because you demand it because it won't make a blind bit of difference to you. People could and did carve with older skis, it's a fact as you know, so I don't even understand why we're supposed to be providing proof unless you're really saying it's impossible?

Carving and Speed Started by User in Ski Technique, 49 Replies
Trencher wrote:What I was trying to convey before is that carving requires a greater awareness than is usualy needed for skiing. oh, come on, you're in cloud cuckoo land now :roll: how utterly absurd, it's the easiest of things to do requiring the very least of concentration or effort which is why most accomplished skiers move on to other challenges.

What skis are right for me? Started by User in Ski Chatter, 71 Replies
OK, I see, that's much simpler. In fact your idea of what sidecuts were is incorrect as well, late 80's or so side-cuts of skis would be over 10mm anyway. You might also read the Mark Elling book who talks about carving on slightly older skis.

Messages posted by : ise