Latest posts for the topic "wife to become a snowblader ,darkside or not ??????"

wife to become a snowblader ,darkside or not ??????

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 19:43:01 GMT

my wife tracy is taking up snowblading when we go away in 4 days time, she felt that after 4 years of being on the skis she should be more confident than she is ,and after reading reviews that some people that have changed to blades have improved so much and it makes you feel more confident because they are so easy to use,i hope its true ,she just bought some salomon miniverse 90 blades, x my fingers she does well on them

Re:wife to become a snowblader ,darkside or not ??????

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 20:16:26 GMT

A couple of things you might consider. The first is that she may need some boot work to help her ski well. If she needs canting, it would make turning harder than it should be, as would several other conditions. You should be able to find somewhere to do a stance analysis very cheaply. The work to solve any problem might cost a bit though.

The second thing to try is some different skis. Early rise tip skis like the Rossignol Avenger 74 are a boon to skiers who are not able to pressure the tips of the skis. Most people in this group feel they instantly ski better, and certainly look better as well.

Snow blades are fun, and can be a good training tool for skiing, but do have limitations.

Re:wife to become a snowblader ,darkside or not ??????

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 20:19:02 GMT

Hi We have used both O/H stayed on them longer than me.I agree they are very easy to use. You can spend alot of time walking as you don`t have poles. I have a pair in St. G but dont use them and have lent them to friends who prefer them. As long as she enjoys them what does it matter?

Re:wife to become a snowblader ,darkside or not ??????

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 20:33:07 GMT

Trencher, what are the limitations of blades? I thought that blades were harder to use than full size skis. Mind you that's only based on a throwaway comment made by our very first instructor who said you can build up a hell of a speed on them.

Re:wife to become a snowblader ,darkside or not ??????

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 20:40:21 GMT

i was told that of piste is a big no for blades ,but eggman is right if she enjoys herself and gains confidence what does it matter,

Re:wife to become a snowblader ,darkside or not ??????

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 20:55:12 GMT

I can see where you're coming from. Gaining confidence was my first priority this year. If it works, maybe next year she'll feel have a different priority. I am curious though, because I never viewed blades as confidence building tools. It's an eye opener for me.

Re:wife to become a snowblader ,darkside or not ??????

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 08:27:49 GMT

Brought a pair of blades used them for a few days for a couple of weeks and they now sit in my garage ..... got a bit bored with them to be honest with there limitations, I'd stick to skis and save the money.

Re:wife to become a snowblader ,darkside or not ??????

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 11:18:36 GMT

Snowblades used to be in fashion a few seasons back but I don't see that many people on them now. Actually I see less snowboarders too in comparison to 5 years ago.

As for your wife, it really depends on what is causing her confidence issues, and what sort of issues they are. She feels she should be "more confident" but doing what exactly? Reds? blacks? Off-piste? Carving in general? 4 years on skis is not awfully long especially if you ski couple weeks per year with long breaks, and really says nothing about her actual progress. My true breakthrough year was the 5th one, and I ski every weekend. Is she going to ski-schools when on ski holidays? How about her boots? Snowblading may help to develop better balance, but blades are less stable than skis to begin with. Much shorter length is not everything and it doesn't guarantee more confidence. Maybe she should try a bit shorter skis instead?

Re:wife to become a snowblader ,darkside or not ??????

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 14:56:56 GMT

We have skied on both blades and long skis,we find we have a great time on either or and use what ever we choose on the day. we have agreed to take only our blades on our next trip in 2 x weeks, purely because of the cost of air carriage charges for skis, we have to catch 2 x flights, so double the cost, we can fit our blades into our baggage with the rest of our gear. We generally drive and take both sets. All i can say is what ever your wife feels more confident on then that is what she should go with, remember skiing should be fun and not taken too seriously.

Re:wife to become a snowblader ,darkside or not ??????

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:36:02 GMT

The salomon miniverse 90 blades that I've seen, have non release bindings. Unless she is a very experienced in line skater with strong legs, that's an mcl tear waiting to happen.

Re:wife to become a snowblader ,darkside or not ??????

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 19:47:21 GMT

2ski wrote:We have skied on both blades and long skis,we find we have a great time on either or and use what ever we choose on the day. we have agreed to take only our blades on our next trip in 2 x weeks, purely because of the cost of air carriage charges for skis, we have to catch 2 x flights, so double the cost, we can fit our blades into our baggage with the rest of our gear. We generally drive and take both sets. All i can say is what ever your wife feels more confident on then that is what she should go with, remember skiing should be fun and not taken too seriously.

Hi, I forgot about the costs, we used to take both pairs of blades in a big O`niel bag, before we got our own place. They are made by Head and have quick release bindings.

Re:wife to become a snowblader ,darkside or not ??????

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 20:53:28 GMT

thanks everyone for your comments ,wifey has looked at the advise you have given and is looking forward to the trip if the blades are not helping then she can always go back to the skis no problem ,trencher you have scared the cr?? out of her about mcl tear, but tbh 3 years ago in andorra i came of my skis at about 5mph realese bindings no worky and big tear in achilles tendon , so nothing is full proof i know what your saying though but everthing carries a risk, anyway we will let you know what happens

Re:wife to become a snowblader ,darkside or not ??????

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 22:10:01 GMT

I once used snowblades out in Mongenvre for a week in excellent snow conditions and had great fun. I think I was probably a fourth week skier at the time and I found them a confidence boost partly because there wasn't so much ski to get round a tight turn in say a gulley or narrow piste, but mainly because they got me pointing down the mountain rather than skiing very wide zig zags right across the piste. Traversing isn't great on blades anyway because they vibrate - can't think how else to describe it!
Tried using them in Zermatt and found them hopeless and went back to skis.

Re:wife to become a snowblader ,darkside or not ??????

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 22:16:23 GMT

I hope your wife has fun whatever she does.
Personally I wouldn't try them, my daughter had a day on them a couple of years back and after an hour wanted to go back to skis as she found them slow, hard work, unstable and eventually uninteresting.
I have to say the people I have seen using them did not look like they were having fun either.
I also know of 3 kids who went on my daughters school trips who came back in plaster after going on blades for a day. Trencher may be right warning of potential increased injury risks.

Re:wife to become a snowblader ,darkside or not ??????

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 00:10:49 GMT

I have known two users of blades. My younger son switched to them for two seasons, he seems to experiment with different things. Using the blades allowed him a transition from being an average intermediate, to becoming a fast piste skier. Then he switched back to skis, spent two seasons working on techniques, and is now OK.
The second guy is a Niederau local, and skis on nothing other than blades. On the piste, he is very fast, and almost keeps up with the group of racers that I hang on to. Off piste, he is magic. He can go anywhere, throwing fast turns through the trees, and dropping down the steepest slopes.
I'm going through a ski length transition this season, but will not reduce as far as blades!

Re:wife to become a snowblader ,darkside or not ??????

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 08:49:24 GMT

Don't worry too much about the scare mongering that goes on in this topic, I did not find them unstable,
they chattered about when pushed a bit harder, I tended to use them all day without injury, I will finish by saying that I would consider blades ok for the odd day for a bit of change but they are
no replacement for skis.

Re:wife to become a snowblader ,darkside or not ??????

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 10:16:03 GMT

This thread has made me want to give blades a try. Does anyone know if you can hire them instead of skis at Chill Factor?

Re:wife to become a snowblader ,darkside or not ??????

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 23:22:12 GMT

This thread has reminded me not to ever consider using blades.

Re:wife to become a snowblader ,darkside or not ??????

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 07:34:31 GMT

Tony_H wrote:This thread has reminded me not to ever consider using blades.

A good decision

Re:wife to become a snowblader ,darkside or not ??????

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 08:44:49 GMT

i had that same consideration for ski,s once .but i damn glad i tried them now