I am sensing a lot of tension in forum members in the past few weeks - clearly, the impending winter and prospect of getting back on the mountains is making people a little jittery, as well as somewhat impatient.
For me, reading Pavel's beautifully written inspirational stories helps deal with these feeling :D. When are you going to write a book about life and skiing, Pavel? You will have a ready audience amongst the J2ski brigade.
However, to spread the load wider, I thought it might be nice to share some memories of magic moments in skiing. Pavel, Ise and others regale us with tales of first tracks down special off-piste runs but even those of us, of more limited capabilities, have enjoyed special experiences on the mountains, whether it was the first time we made a decent turn, a special favourite run, a particular view that took our breath away, a face plant that left us laughing while buried deep in fresh soft snow or whatever.
To get the thread going, here are a few of my special memories:
1. Waking up in Meribel one morning on the last day of our holiday to find that it was raining and miserable. Despite this we headed off out with little enthusiasm, expecting a fairly lousy last day. Got on the gondola, everyone was pretty subdued and disappointed ........
...... then, about half way up, the gondola broke through the clouds and we emerged into glorious sunshine and the sight of lots of fresh snow on the piste. The previously subdued group in the gondola suddenly became animated and excited. The change in atmosphere was simply magical.
2. By coincidence, another Meribel story involving bad weather. Again woke up to a stormy morning with high winds, cloudy and bitterly cold. When we got down to the lifts we found virtually all the gondolas and chairlifts closed. However, we had met up with the Crystal rep who was scheduled to guide a group of us around the resort. He encouraged us to go the mountain anyway and led us all over the mountain,using draglifts that would normally be neglected (I can still remember the extreme cold on one particular long drag when I had to cover my nose with my glove to prevent frostbite!). Against the odds, we had a fantastic day skiing on an empty mountain and a great sense of achievement on a day when most other people had given up and gone home.
3. Listening to the sound of silence and admiring the views on the Sarenne run in Alpe D'Heuz. Its marketed as the longest black run in Europe but in reality is a pretty straightforward red (with a short steep pitch at the top). However......... for the average on-piste skiier, it gives you a rare opportunity to ski down into a truly beautiful valley completely unspoilt by lifts, restaurants, etc. I remember skiing one day with very few people about and at one stage on the run, all I could hear was the sound of my skis on the snow echoing off a cliff-face. Another magical moment.
Looking forward to reading some others "magic moments".
Magic Moments
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Pavel i know what you mean, I too have skied in -30 temperature`s and it was the freakiest thing that`s probably ever happened to me.The pain in your chest when breathing was awful.My OH face was glossy as if it was wet,But it was frozen
Hair that was sticking out of my beanie was brittle,Clothes were stiff like cardboard and had no give.Men with moustache`s were like Walrus with icicles hanging from the corner`s of their mouth`s.Like i said FREAKY........
AJ Adele
To Create or Answer a Topic
Started by Wanderer in Ski Chatter 28-Aug-2008 - 12 Replies
Wanderer posted Aug-2008
Tony_H
reply to 'Magic Moments' posted Aug-2008
I can think of quite a lot to be honest, but heres the immediate ones that spring to mind:
1. Arriving at Innsbruck Airport, which was covered in snow, apart from the runway, and heading out to the Ziller Valley on the transfer bus. It was the first week in January, and the rep announced: "Welcome to Austria. I have some great news for you. It has been snowing every day since mid November, and it stopped last night, and the forecast for this week is clear skies and bright sun."
We drove up the valley and arrived in Mayrhofen, where the snow in the village was piled up to over 2 metres high at the side of the roads. Needless to say, the snow and conditions for the next week were about as good as it gets on piste.
2. Skidaddle and I took a cheap week to Sauze in 2007. The snow had been poor, and reports were of resorts struggling to stay open at this time, late March. We landed in Turin and took the short bus trip up to Sauze, where it was scorchingly hot and no sign of any snow whatsoever. We were gutted, so we went to Paddy McGintys to drown our sorrows, only to meet people and hear stories of glorious skiing conditions! Next morning, we awoke to temperatures of minus 5 in the village, a little more hopeful, and headed up the Clotes ski lift. As we headed over the last summit, everything turned white and we could see perfectly pisted runs for miles. The weather was calm all week, and we skied in cold but sunny conditions on superbly maintained pistes, and even made the link over to Sestriere for 3 days. The morning we woke up to fly home, they had had half a metre of snow overnight in the village.....!!!!!
3. Verbier, early April 2008. I had agreed to ski the day with a guy called Ian who was staying in my chalet, a South African from London (arent they all?) who I had spent a couple of hours with on the slopes the previous day. It was dark, miserable, foggy and slightly wet outside. Ian wasnt too keen, and felt we should stay local, maybe give it a bit of time to clear, but I insisted we went out at 7.45 as arranged, which we did. By the time we got the bus to the Medran lifts, it was throwing it down with rain, and we got quite wet just getting onto the Gondola. We headed up into the clouds, where visibility was virtually nil, and the rain was turning into sleet. It was not pleasant. We jumped off and took the Cable Car up to Attelas, and half way up, the cable car popped through the top of the cloud and we were greeted with glorious sunshine. There were only 6 other people on the cable car, all of whom were Swiss and were carrying fat Stockli off piste skis, and I recall vividly how they drew breath and muttered "wow" to each other, as their eyes lit up. I realised then this was going to be a special day. At the top of the cable car, we attached our skis and adjusted our boots saying nothing to each other. The Swiss guys took off down the back of the mountain somewhere, whooping as they went, the place was almost deserted. Most people I imagined had looked out of the window and thought it was best not to bother first thing. As we moved off, the snow under our skis creaked. For only the second time in my life, I could hear the snow chattering back to us from under my skis. We did the red run that goes back down to the cable car station at Les Ruinettes - perfect pisted snow with a lovely soft top surface that flew off behind your skis and glistened like a rainbow in the sunlight. We had the slope to ourselves, and really let go, almost to the point of scaring ourselves. From the bottom, we headed up to Mont Fort on the Jumbo cable car, and had the most amazing day skiing the off piste itinery routes down to Tortin, my first real experience of off piste skiing, and despite the sweat, the odd fall, and aching boots by the time we made the bottom, the sense of satisfaction and achievement in the most wonderful conditions took us over. It was as good as it could get.
1. Arriving at Innsbruck Airport, which was covered in snow, apart from the runway, and heading out to the Ziller Valley on the transfer bus. It was the first week in January, and the rep announced: "Welcome to Austria. I have some great news for you. It has been snowing every day since mid November, and it stopped last night, and the forecast for this week is clear skies and bright sun."
We drove up the valley and arrived in Mayrhofen, where the snow in the village was piled up to over 2 metres high at the side of the roads. Needless to say, the snow and conditions for the next week were about as good as it gets on piste.
2. Skidaddle and I took a cheap week to Sauze in 2007. The snow had been poor, and reports were of resorts struggling to stay open at this time, late March. We landed in Turin and took the short bus trip up to Sauze, where it was scorchingly hot and no sign of any snow whatsoever. We were gutted, so we went to Paddy McGintys to drown our sorrows, only to meet people and hear stories of glorious skiing conditions! Next morning, we awoke to temperatures of minus 5 in the village, a little more hopeful, and headed up the Clotes ski lift. As we headed over the last summit, everything turned white and we could see perfectly pisted runs for miles. The weather was calm all week, and we skied in cold but sunny conditions on superbly maintained pistes, and even made the link over to Sestriere for 3 days. The morning we woke up to fly home, they had had half a metre of snow overnight in the village.....!!!!!
3. Verbier, early April 2008. I had agreed to ski the day with a guy called Ian who was staying in my chalet, a South African from London (arent they all?) who I had spent a couple of hours with on the slopes the previous day. It was dark, miserable, foggy and slightly wet outside. Ian wasnt too keen, and felt we should stay local, maybe give it a bit of time to clear, but I insisted we went out at 7.45 as arranged, which we did. By the time we got the bus to the Medran lifts, it was throwing it down with rain, and we got quite wet just getting onto the Gondola. We headed up into the clouds, where visibility was virtually nil, and the rain was turning into sleet. It was not pleasant. We jumped off and took the Cable Car up to Attelas, and half way up, the cable car popped through the top of the cloud and we were greeted with glorious sunshine. There were only 6 other people on the cable car, all of whom were Swiss and were carrying fat Stockli off piste skis, and I recall vividly how they drew breath and muttered "wow" to each other, as their eyes lit up. I realised then this was going to be a special day. At the top of the cable car, we attached our skis and adjusted our boots saying nothing to each other. The Swiss guys took off down the back of the mountain somewhere, whooping as they went, the place was almost deserted. Most people I imagined had looked out of the window and thought it was best not to bother first thing. As we moved off, the snow under our skis creaked. For only the second time in my life, I could hear the snow chattering back to us from under my skis. We did the red run that goes back down to the cable car station at Les Ruinettes - perfect pisted snow with a lovely soft top surface that flew off behind your skis and glistened like a rainbow in the sunlight. We had the slope to ourselves, and really let go, almost to the point of scaring ourselves. From the bottom, we headed up to Mont Fort on the Jumbo cable car, and had the most amazing day skiing the off piste itinery routes down to Tortin, my first real experience of off piste skiing, and despite the sweat, the odd fall, and aching boots by the time we made the bottom, the sense of satisfaction and achievement in the most wonderful conditions took us over. It was as good as it could get.
Pavelski
reply to 'Magic Moments' posted Aug-2008
Wandered,
You have motivated me to share this "magic moment" (although I do not recommend anyone to do this)! These moments are only as a result my youth, my false perceptions of "invincibility", and my attitude to get my moneys worth of skiing!
As you get older you realize the possible problems I could have had. As you get older you see a bigger picture and know that money is not a "valid" reason to ski in some conditions. Yet such "immature" skiing decisions often result in magic moments! The following incident is now considered "a magic moment" ,,then it was a very cold moment!
Let me set the stage. University student, not much money yet thinking of skiing every second! A fellow studen had a ski cottage and invited me to come along. All I had to pay was the lifts! All week I dreamt of my three day ski trip. All week, I checked and re-checked all my material. I thought I was ready!
Before I continue, I must "prepare some of you" since I am sure you have never in all your life experienced such "outdoor conditions"!
Most skiers think the most dangerous conditions to ski is during a snow storm! Not so! In most times snow storms have mild temperatures and if wind is low,it is great to ski this.
No,,,the worst and most dangerous conditions to ski in is on those cloudless winter days when temperature is in the -40c! That is not a typo,, really -40c! The smoke from houses is going straight up like long thin clouds! As you step out,, the cold air from your first breath "freezes" your lungs! It burns from the sudden cold! In seconds you feel a tingle near your ears and nose as the skin cells are telling you what a fool you are!
What a new world this cold temperature creates !
The ski center had 20-30 people on it. You experience new sounds. The tree braches cracking,,,ready to break off! The lifts seem to groan like your joints! The snow seems to have millions of "magnets" that stick to bases. The cold is like invisible London "fog" that seeps into you,,,slowly draining that precious inner heat! This is just standing at base before lift!
I thought I was "tough". I had camped in winter. What I forgot was a small detail. I minor point ( it seemed at the time). This thing called windchill factor! All you skiers know that when you come down a ski run,,,,you create some "wind" and this is added to other winds. very soon that -40c was a few degrees lower! But I thought I was tough!
It was another world at top! Forbidden, as nature reminded us how vuneralble we were with millions of microscopic icycles attacking my lungs, my ears,my nostrils!
Quickly I skied down to "warmer" levels! Wrong! Did you note the word,,"quickly"! In this setting quickly resulted in lower temperatures. After three turns my slow, slow processing brain was registering strange sensations;
1.boots did not flex.
2.skis did not slide
3.body did respond to brain in same way
4.eyes seem to be stuck.
Let me explain.
At some temperature level the tears in your eyes freeze. I mean really freeze so that I had tear icycles in both corners of my eyes(of course I was wearing goggles). I could not blink!
As I skied, the wind was like an octopus with millions of "arms" seeking tiny holes, seams into which they could enter! I felt like a pin cushion. Slowly the cold found my muscles and my body was telling me what a "fool" I was. Perhaps tough,,nevertheless as fool!
The skis and boots were now a solid piece, very much like an anvil! Solid. Unmoving. Definitely not my friends. They were complaining about the conditions I was forcing them to "perform"! Strange sounds were coming from from! Cracks, groans, you know that sound when you take take your nails on a blackboard and press down hard or you are in a WW 11 sunmarines and at depths far past the securiy level!
I see that you get the picture. One lone skier coming dowm a deserted run, trying to ski!
So what is the magic moment?
Well here it is. Once I had freed myself from the skis. Once I had taken the three layers of sweaters off, the two gloves off, slowly melted the frozen tears, and checked if my fingers were still there, I had the most glorious, most wonderful hot chocolate in my life!
A simple drink in most places, yet in this context,this drink warmed my inner cells! After 50 years, I still remember the taste,,no the overall sensation it gave me as I returned to this world! Now I know how a frozen chicken feels like when it is "thawed"!
What is surprising about this drink,,is that it affected my brain! Too much chocolate! Too much heat too fast! I do not know,,however I must confess that I when out again! Had to experience that skiing sensation!
So for some of you lucky J2skiers, when you watch some ski scenes on your favorite DVD, look carefully and you will see a lone skier in a blue scene and a deserted ski run. That is a young Pavel in -40 weather doing two runs. Just two,,, yet the memories are like yesterday and hot chocolate drinks are now special to me!
You have motivated me to share this "magic moment" (although I do not recommend anyone to do this)! These moments are only as a result my youth, my false perceptions of "invincibility", and my attitude to get my moneys worth of skiing!
As you get older you realize the possible problems I could have had. As you get older you see a bigger picture and know that money is not a "valid" reason to ski in some conditions. Yet such "immature" skiing decisions often result in magic moments! The following incident is now considered "a magic moment" ,,then it was a very cold moment!
Let me set the stage. University student, not much money yet thinking of skiing every second! A fellow studen had a ski cottage and invited me to come along. All I had to pay was the lifts! All week I dreamt of my three day ski trip. All week, I checked and re-checked all my material. I thought I was ready!
Before I continue, I must "prepare some of you" since I am sure you have never in all your life experienced such "outdoor conditions"!
Most skiers think the most dangerous conditions to ski is during a snow storm! Not so! In most times snow storms have mild temperatures and if wind is low,it is great to ski this.
No,,,the worst and most dangerous conditions to ski in is on those cloudless winter days when temperature is in the -40c! That is not a typo,, really -40c! The smoke from houses is going straight up like long thin clouds! As you step out,, the cold air from your first breath "freezes" your lungs! It burns from the sudden cold! In seconds you feel a tingle near your ears and nose as the skin cells are telling you what a fool you are!
What a new world this cold temperature creates !
The ski center had 20-30 people on it. You experience new sounds. The tree braches cracking,,,ready to break off! The lifts seem to groan like your joints! The snow seems to have millions of "magnets" that stick to bases. The cold is like invisible London "fog" that seeps into you,,,slowly draining that precious inner heat! This is just standing at base before lift!
I thought I was "tough". I had camped in winter. What I forgot was a small detail. I minor point ( it seemed at the time). This thing called windchill factor! All you skiers know that when you come down a ski run,,,,you create some "wind" and this is added to other winds. very soon that -40c was a few degrees lower! But I thought I was tough!
It was another world at top! Forbidden, as nature reminded us how vuneralble we were with millions of microscopic icycles attacking my lungs, my ears,my nostrils!
Quickly I skied down to "warmer" levels! Wrong! Did you note the word,,"quickly"! In this setting quickly resulted in lower temperatures. After three turns my slow, slow processing brain was registering strange sensations;
1.boots did not flex.
2.skis did not slide
3.body did respond to brain in same way
4.eyes seem to be stuck.
Let me explain.
At some temperature level the tears in your eyes freeze. I mean really freeze so that I had tear icycles in both corners of my eyes(of course I was wearing goggles). I could not blink!
As I skied, the wind was like an octopus with millions of "arms" seeking tiny holes, seams into which they could enter! I felt like a pin cushion. Slowly the cold found my muscles and my body was telling me what a "fool" I was. Perhaps tough,,nevertheless as fool!
The skis and boots were now a solid piece, very much like an anvil! Solid. Unmoving. Definitely not my friends. They were complaining about the conditions I was forcing them to "perform"! Strange sounds were coming from from! Cracks, groans, you know that sound when you take take your nails on a blackboard and press down hard or you are in a WW 11 sunmarines and at depths far past the securiy level!
I see that you get the picture. One lone skier coming dowm a deserted run, trying to ski!
So what is the magic moment?
Well here it is. Once I had freed myself from the skis. Once I had taken the three layers of sweaters off, the two gloves off, slowly melted the frozen tears, and checked if my fingers were still there, I had the most glorious, most wonderful hot chocolate in my life!
A simple drink in most places, yet in this context,this drink warmed my inner cells! After 50 years, I still remember the taste,,no the overall sensation it gave me as I returned to this world! Now I know how a frozen chicken feels like when it is "thawed"!
What is surprising about this drink,,is that it affected my brain! Too much chocolate! Too much heat too fast! I do not know,,however I must confess that I when out again! Had to experience that skiing sensation!
So for some of you lucky J2skiers, when you watch some ski scenes on your favorite DVD, look carefully and you will see a lone skier in a blue scene and a deserted ski run. That is a young Pavel in -40 weather doing two runs. Just two,,, yet the memories are like yesterday and hot chocolate drinks are now special to me!
Swskier
reply to 'Magic Moments' posted Aug-2008
My biggest magic moment came this season!
It was during the UK easter holidays, which was begining of april! We went on a school skiing trip to Wagrain, Austria!
When we arrived there was no snow in the valley whatsoever! And when we went to the hill on the first day the run down to the bottom was maintained purely by man made snow!
The first day was good but quite slushy most of the time due to the warm weather!
The next morning our teacher knocked on our door to check we were awake and told us to look out the window!
It was snowing outside and clearly had been for quite sometime! About a foot of snow at the village height! It was going to be a good day!
We started our lessons that morning and for about an hour or so our instructor was making us do technical exercises! I think we all knew that he didn't want to be doing them in these conditions and neither did we!
So he took us back up to the top and into the trees!
Up until this holiday i'd never really given off piste skiing a try!
Give me any grade of slope and im fine off piste just didn't appeal!
But today was different! I'd never had conditions to ski in like this before except my first trip in Winter Park but i was just a meere learner!
Our instructor taught us the technique of skiing the trees and we just had fun all day in them! This then continued for most of the week! It was our instructor's last season as he was going back to Holland as a pro basketball coach so just wanted to have fun all week!
a video of our first day in the trees can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DM85LfiLUA
I'm the first skier you see come down!
To me that was the best and most memorable skiing holiday i've ever been on and i'm glad i'm only 17 and will have many many more to come!
Chris
It was during the UK easter holidays, which was begining of april! We went on a school skiing trip to Wagrain, Austria!
When we arrived there was no snow in the valley whatsoever! And when we went to the hill on the first day the run down to the bottom was maintained purely by man made snow!
The first day was good but quite slushy most of the time due to the warm weather!
The next morning our teacher knocked on our door to check we were awake and told us to look out the window!
It was snowing outside and clearly had been for quite sometime! About a foot of snow at the village height! It was going to be a good day!
We started our lessons that morning and for about an hour or so our instructor was making us do technical exercises! I think we all knew that he didn't want to be doing them in these conditions and neither did we!
So he took us back up to the top and into the trees!
Up until this holiday i'd never really given off piste skiing a try!
Give me any grade of slope and im fine off piste just didn't appeal!
But today was different! I'd never had conditions to ski in like this before except my first trip in Winter Park but i was just a meere learner!
Our instructor taught us the technique of skiing the trees and we just had fun all day in them! This then continued for most of the week! It was our instructor's last season as he was going back to Holland as a pro basketball coach so just wanted to have fun all week!
a video of our first day in the trees can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DM85LfiLUA
I'm the first skier you see come down!
To me that was the best and most memorable skiing holiday i've ever been on and i'm glad i'm only 17 and will have many many more to come!
Chris
RossF
reply to 'Magic Moments' posted Aug-2008
Spent a day in Kicking Horse after about a metre of fresh in 3 days. I don't think I need to go into many more details. Blower pow. Pillows. Tired legs.
AJ
reply to 'Magic Moments' posted Aug-2008
pavelski wrote:
At some temperature level the tears in your eyes freeze. I mean really freeze so that I had tear icycles in both corners of my eyes(of course I was wearing goggles). I could not blink!
Pavel i know what you mean, I too have skied in -30 temperature`s and it was the freakiest thing that`s probably ever happened to me.The pain in your chest when breathing was awful.My OH face was glossy as if it was wet,But it was frozen
Hair that was sticking out of my beanie was brittle,Clothes were stiff like cardboard and had no give.Men with moustache`s were like Walrus with icicles hanging from the corner`s of their mouth`s.Like i said FREAKY........
AJ Adele
Pavelski
reply to 'Magic Moments' posted Aug-2008
AJ,
I have the attitude try it once,then make up mind if it is for you! When I hear people say, "I do not like cheeses, or I do not like wines" , I always ask, "have you tried some"? How can you say you do not like a product or activity if you have not sampled some!
So it is with skiing. I would never now ski in -40 weather,,however I know why because I did it once!
Last year during the new product demo days it was -20c and one fast run caused all cheeks to freeze and nose to get white! The skis were so stiff you could not feel them flex!
No -20c weather is for fireplace chats and walks in woods!
That hot chocolate drink was "special"!
I have the attitude try it once,then make up mind if it is for you! When I hear people say, "I do not like cheeses, or I do not like wines" , I always ask, "have you tried some"? How can you say you do not like a product or activity if you have not sampled some!
So it is with skiing. I would never now ski in -40 weather,,however I know why because I did it once!
Last year during the new product demo days it was -20c and one fast run caused all cheeks to freeze and nose to get white! The skis were so stiff you could not feel them flex!
No -20c weather is for fireplace chats and walks in woods!
That hot chocolate drink was "special"!
Goff
reply to 'Magic Moments' posted Aug-2008
Funny after skiing for 23 years the moments i remember are not to directly with alpine descents.
num 1 a breakfast in Grand Targhee the sun broke thru clouds listening to Vivaldi .
2 Sitting in a hot stream at Mammouth looking at snow covered mountains .
3 |Snowmobiling in Yellowstone .
4 But the best was learning to ski especialy in Austria - too many schnapps to recall the details .
Goff
num 1 a breakfast in Grand Targhee the sun broke thru clouds listening to Vivaldi .
2 Sitting in a hot stream at Mammouth looking at snow covered mountains .
3 |Snowmobiling in Yellowstone .
4 But the best was learning to ski especialy in Austria - too many schnapps to recall the details .
Goff
Topic last updated on 25-January-2018 at 17:10