Who is going skiing and where 2015?
Discussion
Mr E said:
JEA1K said:
Looks like temps are dropping again later this week so next week could be a decent week. Most of the Alps needs an EPIC dump!
A bit forecast, but not huge amounts. I presume they'll run the snow makers flat out?Out for the first week in February - what do the 3 valleys look like (courchevel particularly)?
te anywayWelshbeef said:
Well the issue with running them for prolonged durations is the vast amounts of water they use - ie in Bulgaria a certain ski resort x years ago effectively drained a lake on the mountain kind of a huge no no.
The other issue is fauna. In Austria they're a no no after mid February iirc, due to disrupting natural flowering cycles etc.Having not been for 7 years (many times prior to that though) and the missus only having been once 7 years ago too, we visited the Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead on Sunday in prep for Easter in Tignes.
Have to say it was a very impressive place.
The missus did a 3 hr beginners snowboard lesson and by the end she was doing proper turns etc. Was amazed at the progress. Think a little refresher just before we go will be a good shout but from then on she should be able to hit the slopes instantly which will be good
Thankfully for me its like riding a bike and I was back to 'normal' almost instantly. The lift pass option just to go on the main slope was reasonable money (3hrs for £40 I think) but I got bored after 1 and got changed and watched the missus. Once you are fairly competent, a 5 second downhill blast followed by 5 mins queueing and riding the button lift gets old (and tiring walking awkwardly with one foot in a snowboard) pretty quickly.....
All round though, definitely an excellent place for a refresher or lessons before going proper. Very impressed with the scale of it; the photo makes it look small but it was actually massive for an indoor place.
Have to say it was a very impressive place.
The missus did a 3 hr beginners snowboard lesson and by the end she was doing proper turns etc. Was amazed at the progress. Think a little refresher just before we go will be a good shout but from then on she should be able to hit the slopes instantly which will be good
Thankfully for me its like riding a bike and I was back to 'normal' almost instantly. The lift pass option just to go on the main slope was reasonable money (3hrs for £40 I think) but I got bored after 1 and got changed and watched the missus. Once you are fairly competent, a 5 second downhill blast followed by 5 mins queueing and riding the button lift gets old (and tiring walking awkwardly with one foot in a snowboard) pretty quickly.....
All round though, definitely an excellent place for a refresher or lessons before going proper. Very impressed with the scale of it; the photo makes it look small but it was actually massive for an indoor place.
Edited by vescaegg on Tuesday 13th January 09:15
vescaegg said:
Having not been for 7 years (many times prior to that though) and the missus only having been once 7 years ago too, we visited the Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead on Sunday in prep for Easter in Tignes.
Have to say it was a very impressive place.
The missus did a 3 hr beginners snowboard lesson and by the end she was doing proper turns etc. Was amazed at the progress. Think a little refresher just before we go will be a good shout but from then on she should be able to hit the slopes instantly which will be good
Thankfully for me its like riding a bike and I was back to 'normal' almost instantly. The lift pass option just to go on the main slope was reasonable money (3hrs for £40 I think) but I got bored after 1 and got changed and watched the missus. Once you are fairly competent, a 5 second downhill blast followed by 5 mins queueing and riding the button lift gets old (and tiring walking awkwardly with one foot in a snowboard) pretty quickly.....
All round though, definitely an excellent place for a refresher or lessons before going proper. Very impressed with the scale of it; the photo makes it look small but it was actually massive for an indoor place.
Really want to go to Hemel for the freestyle nights but not doable to get up from London without a car for 6pm on a Friday Have to say it was a very impressive place.
The missus did a 3 hr beginners snowboard lesson and by the end she was doing proper turns etc. Was amazed at the progress. Think a little refresher just before we go will be a good shout but from then on she should be able to hit the slopes instantly which will be good
Thankfully for me its like riding a bike and I was back to 'normal' almost instantly. The lift pass option just to go on the main slope was reasonable money (3hrs for £40 I think) but I got bored after 1 and got changed and watched the missus. Once you are fairly competent, a 5 second downhill blast followed by 5 mins queueing and riding the button lift gets old (and tiring walking awkwardly with one foot in a snowboard) pretty quickly.....
All round though, definitely an excellent place for a refresher or lessons before going proper. Very impressed with the scale of it; the photo makes it look small but it was actually massive for an indoor place.
Edited by vescaegg on Tuesday 13th January 09:15
vescaegg said:
Having not been for 7 years (many times prior to that though) and the missus only having been once 7 years ago too, we visited the Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead on Sunday in prep for Easter in Tignes.
Have to say it was a very impressive place.
The missus did a 3 hr beginners snowboard lesson and by the end she was doing proper turns etc. Was amazed at the progress. Think a little refresher just before we go will be a good shout but from then on she should be able to hit the slopes instantly which will be good
Thankfully for me its like riding a bike and I was back to 'normal' almost instantly. The lift pass option just to go on the main slope was reasonable money (3hrs for £40 I think) but I got bored after 1 and got changed and watched the missus. Once you are fairly competent, a 5 second downhill blast followed by 5 mins queueing and riding the button lift gets old (and tiring walking awkwardly with one foot in a snowboard) pretty quickly.....
All round though, definitely an excellent place for a refresher or lessons before going proper. Very impressed with the scale of it; the photo makes it look small but it was actually massive for an indoor place.
Do these places have proper instructors that could teach a lifelong skier a thing or two? Have to say it was a very impressive place.
The missus did a 3 hr beginners snowboard lesson and by the end she was doing proper turns etc. Was amazed at the progress. Think a little refresher just before we go will be a good shout but from then on she should be able to hit the slopes instantly which will be good
Thankfully for me its like riding a bike and I was back to 'normal' almost instantly. The lift pass option just to go on the main slope was reasonable money (3hrs for £40 I think) but I got bored after 1 and got changed and watched the missus. Once you are fairly competent, a 5 second downhill blast followed by 5 mins queueing and riding the button lift gets old (and tiring walking awkwardly with one foot in a snowboard) pretty quickly.....
All round though, definitely an excellent place for a refresher or lessons before going proper. Very impressed with the scale of it; the photo makes it look small but it was actually massive for an indoor place.
Edited by vescaegg on Tuesday 13th January 09:15
Or do the cater for the less experienced with affable young seasonaires?
Mr E said:
Welshbeef said:
Well the issue with running them for prolonged durations is the vast amounts of water they use - ie in Bulgaria a certain ski resort x years ago effectively drained a lake on the mountain kind of a huge no no.
So, praying for a dump then.DoubleSix said:
vescaegg said:
Having not been for 7 years (many times prior to that though) and the missus only having been once 7 years ago too, we visited the Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead on Sunday in prep for Easter in Tignes.
Have to say it was a very impressive place.
The missus did a 3 hr beginners snowboard lesson and by the end she was doing proper turns etc. Was amazed at the progress. Think a little refresher just before we go will be a good shout but from then on she should be able to hit the slopes instantly which will be good
Thankfully for me its like riding a bike and I was back to 'normal' almost instantly. The lift pass option just to go on the main slope was reasonable money (3hrs for £40 I think) but I got bored after 1 and got changed and watched the missus. Once you are fairly competent, a 5 second downhill blast followed by 5 mins queueing and riding the button lift gets old (and tiring walking awkwardly with one foot in a snowboard) pretty quickly.....
All round though, definitely an excellent place for a refresher or lessons before going proper. Very impressed with the scale of it; the photo makes it look small but it was actually massive for an indoor place.
Do these places have proper instructors that could teach a lifelong skier a thing or two? Have to say it was a very impressive place.
The missus did a 3 hr beginners snowboard lesson and by the end she was doing proper turns etc. Was amazed at the progress. Think a little refresher just before we go will be a good shout but from then on she should be able to hit the slopes instantly which will be good
Thankfully for me its like riding a bike and I was back to 'normal' almost instantly. The lift pass option just to go on the main slope was reasonable money (3hrs for £40 I think) but I got bored after 1 and got changed and watched the missus. Once you are fairly competent, a 5 second downhill blast followed by 5 mins queueing and riding the button lift gets old (and tiring walking awkwardly with one foot in a snowboard) pretty quickly.....
All round though, definitely an excellent place for a refresher or lessons before going proper. Very impressed with the scale of it; the photo makes it look small but it was actually massive for an indoor place.
Edited by vescaegg on Tuesday 13th January 09:15
Or do the cater for the less experienced with affable young seasonaires?
You can pick a level to have a lesson at. In the 'what level am I?' section one of the options is - I am a consistent skier/border on red terrain and am wanting to get performance/freestyle skills from my skiing/boarding'.
http://thesnowcentre.com/lessons/adult-group-lesso...
vescaegg said:
DoubleSix said:
vescaegg said:
Having not been for 7 years (many times prior to that though) and the missus only having been once 7 years ago too, we visited the Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead on Sunday in prep for Easter in Tignes.
Have to say it was a very impressive place.
The missus did a 3 hr beginners snowboard lesson and by the end she was doing proper turns etc. Was amazed at the progress. Think a little refresher just before we go will be a good shout but from then on she should be able to hit the slopes instantly which will be good
Thankfully for me its like riding a bike and I was back to 'normal' almost instantly. The lift pass option just to go on the main slope was reasonable money (3hrs for £40 I think) but I got bored after 1 and got changed and watched the missus. Once you are fairly competent, a 5 second downhill blast followed by 5 mins queueing and riding the button lift gets old (and tiring walking awkwardly with one foot in a snowboard) pretty quickly.....
All round though, definitely an excellent place for a refresher or lessons before going proper. Very impressed with the scale of it; the photo makes it look small but it was actually massive for an indoor place.
Do these places have proper instructors that could teach a lifelong skier a thing or two? Have to say it was a very impressive place.
The missus did a 3 hr beginners snowboard lesson and by the end she was doing proper turns etc. Was amazed at the progress. Think a little refresher just before we go will be a good shout but from then on she should be able to hit the slopes instantly which will be good
Thankfully for me its like riding a bike and I was back to 'normal' almost instantly. The lift pass option just to go on the main slope was reasonable money (3hrs for £40 I think) but I got bored after 1 and got changed and watched the missus. Once you are fairly competent, a 5 second downhill blast followed by 5 mins queueing and riding the button lift gets old (and tiring walking awkwardly with one foot in a snowboard) pretty quickly.....
All round though, definitely an excellent place for a refresher or lessons before going proper. Very impressed with the scale of it; the photo makes it look small but it was actually massive for an indoor place.
Edited by vescaegg on Tuesday 13th January 09:15
Or do the cater for the less experienced with affable young seasonaires?
You can pick a level to have a lesson at. In the 'what level am I?' section one of the options is - I am a consistent skier/border on red terrain and am wanting to get performance/freestyle skills from my skiing/boarding'.
http://thesnowcentre.com/lessons/adult-group-lesso...
RE: Instructors/indoor lessons etc.
To teach indoors you don't have to be that good of a skier. BASI have level 1-4, level 1 they suggest you have around 16 weeks recreational skiing under your belt and is the minimum level required to teach indoors. Level 2 is what most GAP students aim for, allows you to teach in a real/mountain environment in several countries on piste. I think minus the shadowing hours for teach Lv 2 is easily achievable for a decent skier.
Aimed at seasonal workers or youngsters looking at doing a season as the money you can make isn't such that you'll have much other than living expenses, not enough that you can save and not worry too much about work in the summer, some follow the winter to the southern hemisphere.
Lv 3 is a big leap up, more training modules (foreign language too), more hours teaching and be able to demonstrate a high technical level of skiing. For people who want a ski related career. You teach variable on piste conditions and off piste and is internationally recognised.
Lv4. Involves more modules and the Euro test-where men must ski to within a certain % of a zero FIS point racer. Failure rate is high and one could argue a fast skier wouldn't necessarily make a good teacher. But it allows people who were good enough to earn a living.
Indoors clinics such a bumps are often held by external providers with top notch instructors. Those employed by the slope will be Lv 1 and most I've seen are youngsters, possibly level 2's at best. Unless it's someone who's stopped teaching abroad i.e. had a family etc I'd expect the more highly qualified are teaching abroad......
To teach indoors you don't have to be that good of a skier. BASI have level 1-4, level 1 they suggest you have around 16 weeks recreational skiing under your belt and is the minimum level required to teach indoors. Level 2 is what most GAP students aim for, allows you to teach in a real/mountain environment in several countries on piste. I think minus the shadowing hours for teach Lv 2 is easily achievable for a decent skier.
Aimed at seasonal workers or youngsters looking at doing a season as the money you can make isn't such that you'll have much other than living expenses, not enough that you can save and not worry too much about work in the summer, some follow the winter to the southern hemisphere.
Lv 3 is a big leap up, more training modules (foreign language too), more hours teaching and be able to demonstrate a high technical level of skiing. For people who want a ski related career. You teach variable on piste conditions and off piste and is internationally recognised.
Lv4. Involves more modules and the Euro test-where men must ski to within a certain % of a zero FIS point racer. Failure rate is high and one could argue a fast skier wouldn't necessarily make a good teacher. But it allows people who were good enough to earn a living.
Indoors clinics such a bumps are often held by external providers with top notch instructors. Those employed by the slope will be Lv 1 and most I've seen are youngsters, possibly level 2's at best. Unless it's someone who's stopped teaching abroad i.e. had a family etc I'd expect the more highly qualified are teaching abroad......
a311 said:
Indoors clinics such a bumps are often held by external providers with top notch instructors. Those employed by the slope will be Lv 1 and most I've seen are youngsters, possibly level 2's at best. Unless it's someone who's stopped teaching abroad i.e. had a family etc I'd expect the more highly qualified are teaching abroad......
Pretty much as I suspected, cheers 
a311 said:
Indoors clinics such a bumps are often held by external providers with top notch instructors. Those employed by the slope will be Lv 1 and most I've seen are youngsters, possibly level 2's at best. Unless it's someone who's stopped teaching abroad i.e. had a family etc I'd expect the more highly qualified are teaching abroad......
They can also be held by level 1 qualified instructors but who have a lot of specific experience. I qualified with my level 1 last summer, and I'm 41, been skiing over 30 years and have some competition experience under my belt, both alpine and freestyle (albeit from about 20 years ago). I'm hoping to complete my level 2 this season if I can get a course that suits my timing, and then work towards my level 3. While you're right that many are youngsters I'd certainly not say 'most' was the case. At MK, the instructors I tend to work with are in their 30's or older.
feef said:
They can also be held by level 1 qualified instructors but who have a lot of specific experience. I qualified with my level 1 last summer, and I'm 41, been skiing over 30 years and have some competition experience under my belt, both alpine and freestyle (albeit from about 20 years ago). I'm hoping to complete my level 2 this season if I can get a course that suits my timing, and then work towards my level 3.
While you're right that many are youngsters I'd certainly not say 'most' was the case. At MK, the instructors I tend to work with are in their 30's or older.
True I was making some sweeping generalisations, I know plenty of people who've either come to skiing completely later in life or just the training element. It all depends on your aims, a good little gig is working for someone like Interski, they have a arrangement in Aosta where Lv 2's can teach up to 4 weeks in total can either be a block or individual weeks. For those who have a fulltime job back in the UK and/or a family it works, for those who like teaching it's like a paid holiday. Most clients are kids.While you're right that many are youngsters I'd certainly not say 'most' was the case. At MK, the instructors I tend to work with are in their 30's or older.
Getting the instructors qualifications is mainly about demonstrating technique IMO particularly at Lv 1 and 2. I've a ISIA qualification, these days with only 2-3 weeks a season I just like to ski for fun. The dream is to retire early then could look at doing a 'lifestyle' job such as ski instructing. Not that there ever was much chance but the older I get the more impossible it would be to ever pass the Euro Test. I've watched many people try and mostly fail you really have to be right on and beyond the limit to turn a passing time in.
The hardest thing for a lot of people fitting around other commitments-particularly if you can't get to an artificial slope is getting the shadowing hours in. The tech modules you can just rock up and pay the test fee, recommended after having a BASI trainer have a look at your skiing.
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