J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by smirnoff_skier

Good work ross, a smooth landing!

I can definately see how bad things can happen in tree wells. 2 weeks ago whilst in La Thuile, I was waiting my my GF's dad and little bro to come down a run. I got a bit bored so skied over a little ridge (just next to the piste) and skied parallel to the piste for a bit. I caught my ski on a stump an ended up standing in snow above my waist by a tree.

It was actually quite scary as the snow was too soft to climb out and I kept falling back in. I ended up digging the snow away in a sort of step type arrangement and clawed myself out. It may only have taken 5 minutes to get out and it wasnt like I was in the middle of nowhere but at the time I did panic a little as no-one was around and I was stuck.
Nasty times for anyone who ends up in one of those with even more snow.

bandit wrote:Invest in some Zipfit liners, and you can move them to your next pair of boots.They should last you through 2 shells worth of use.

Cheers bandit, sounds like a good plan. I asked at Ellis Brigham when I bought the boots if it was worth buying 2 sets of slalom inners so I could replace them after a while but the response was that by the time the inner needs replacing, the shell usually does too so the Zipfits may just do the trick.

Tony_H wrote:Stop drysloping )

I would but its the only way I can get my fix (and I dont think the uni would support weekend trips to the alps for race training)

Brilliantly illuminating Ross!

RossF wrote:I need 8000 words in my head by Monday, who gots da skillz?

I feel the pain Ross, I need inspiration on 10,000 words by next Friday.
I may have left this dissertation thing a little down to the wire.

Write notes on cards and then try and remember what was on it, seems to work for me in exams. Either that or a lot of red bull.

I have also bought the Impact 8's at the start of the season and have to agree that they are brilliant. I went from a pair of Atomic M Tech 110s into these and even for racing the flex is just about right for my level and use on the dryslopes.

Having said that, after 4 hours of racing a week since October and 2 weeks on the snow, the shin padding seems to have packed down a little more than I was expecting and I am having to adjust the straps more and more. Anyone else had similar issues?

I was in the shop for about 3 hours trying on different boots and sizes so they are defiantely not too big (like Tony, these are actually a few sizes smaller than the Atomics I bought off the shelf).

I dont want to turn it into a situation where the more I tighten the buckles, the more packed it gets so the more I tighten the buckles. Having only bought them at the start of the season, and with a lot more dryslope use and another 2 weeks on snow to come this season, I am not quite sure what to do. Any suggestions?

£350 should be enough to cover any skis (unless they are top end).
You need to bear in mind that skis are not usually replaced on a new-for-old basis. I.e. if the skis are 2 years old then you will get less money for them. I was lucky that my skis were 3 days old when they were nicked so I got the full replacement cost.

In terms of off piste, you will get medical treatment if you are off piste (they arnt just going to shake their head at you and refuse to land the helicopter) but your insurance may not cover the costs for the medical people (thousands of pounds for a helicopter, morphine etc). In Mayrhoffen in December, one of my mates was boarding in the trees and dislocated his shoulder on a tree stump. He had to stumble at least 200 metres back to the piste so he could claim on insurance. An extreme example I know but you know how petty insurance comapneis can be.

Ski hire insurance and insurance for your own equipment is pretty important.

Last year I put my brand new racing skis down in VT for lunch. When I returned, my skis were gone but an identical pair (make, model, colour) were a couple of metres away which were 10cm longer. I can only assume that the owner of the other skis picked mine up by mistake, managed to clip into the bindings, and set off down the hill none the wiser. Either that or he wasnt getting tight enough turns on his and fancied ago on my shorter ones.

Lukilly I managed to get a police report off the gendarms (very important when claiming on insurance), hired some rental skis and was able to claim the full £400 + cost of hire skis back on the insurance when I got home.
Would have been screwed without the cover.