J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by verbier_ski_bum

Stem-christie can be a useful technique in some snow conditions. But you better take a lesson for transition to a proper parallel turn. It will ensure that nothing will be lost in translation as the lingo can be confusing (for example, some instructions by "inside" mean the downhill foot, some - uphill foot) and may lead to developing bad habbits that eventually will bite you back. It's all about unweighting of your skis to make them turn, but the instructor will be able to tell you what you should concentrate on for turning. You legs will notice the difference immediately.

Factor 30 suncream at least for this time of the year. One pair of gloves should do unless you have a tendency to lose them, but you can always buy new ones at the resort if that happens. Get gore-tex ones as they are fully water and weather proof and your hands might be in the snow quite a lot for the first time skiing. Check the forecast, if it's sunny you need darker lenses that will block the UVA rays, you only have one pair of eyes that can't be replaced. Or get goggles for flat light conditions and sunglasses. Layers. I wouldn't recommend an insulated ski jacket, but a gore-tex (or similar material) shell, particularly for this time of the year. You can always add layers if it's cold, but it's difficult to make a ski jacket lighter when it's warm. Get the thinnest ski socks you can find, they are much better for skiing than thick ones, and the boots will fit better. With thick socks your feet might be swimming in your boots by the end of the day.

I am not sure if 1 hour a day will do much. Possibly the better way to go would be to have one half-day private lesson. This should usually put you on skis, that's it you will be able to control your speed through basic snowplough turns by the end of the lesson and it should give you more confidence for the beginners'class. Or go straight for the group lessond. One hour instruction for a total beginner will leave you with pretty much nothing to practice while you will be waiting for your girlfriend. As for being physically demanding, you can try to prepare yourself by doing some wall-sits. They do miracles for quads and core. Enjoy your trip! It's an effort and takes investment in many senses but totally worth it in the end.

And you can purchase the train ticket right at the station from the machine. Choose English language and follow directions on the screen.

From Geneva Aiport you need a train that goes to Brig and stops at Visp.It leaves every hour, sometimes twice per hour, you can find out at www.cff.ch. From Visp take the train that goes straight to Zermatt. this is the easiest and cheapest way. If you rent a car you will still need to take the train as cars are not allowed in Zermatt. I don't understand why worry about transfers when Switzerland has one of the best train and public transport systems in the world. This is how most people travel here and no-one got lost yet:)

bandit wrote:If it had been thigh deep powder, would you have given your head such a smacker? Glad you are mostly okay ) New helmet time?

Ha! I wish I knew! I had to roll over to get my skis out and my friends couldn't believe I managed to smack my head, but I did hear the sound of helmet hitting something and my head bounced off sharply. I fell soon after I dropped in off-piste. So closer to the tracks snow was probably shallower, also it used to be quite bumpy there during our snow drought. Went to see an ostheopath this afternoon as the stiffness hasn't gone yet.

Not sure what to do with the helmet. Is there some sort of convention to get a new one after the one you've got has been tested?;) helmet is totally fine and i should probably stick with it now that I know that it works..:)

I had a fall on Sunday, nothing major but knocked the side of my head. Took me a couple minutes to get myself together. Luckily the skis stayed on as if I also had to put them on in tigh-deep powder I would have probably broken down:) Anyway, I continued skiing but my neck was killing me by Monday morning, still very sore and stiff. Quite a bad whiplash, but head is OK and I am glad that there are helmets as I would've probably had a concussion on top of whiplash.

Very unfortunate, not sure what "shredded calf muscle" means but hope it's not as horrible as it sounds. Generally you are supposed to take your backpack off when getting on a chairlift. In some places lifties may remind you, in others you might be reminded by the lift:(.

Dine on your husband's guilt trip well!:)