The Skiing Thread (Redux)

[UK Redsox]

One of my best ever days skiing today. Made it all the way over to Arc 1950 across the other side of the Vanoise Express.

[Risso]

Have fun fella.  Still recovering from mine, although mostly from the drinking rather than the skiing.

[UK Redsox]

Have fun fella.  Still recovering from mine, although mostly from the drinking rather than the skiing.

Yep, i overdid the free white wine on the first evening

[UK Redsox]

Final day of the trip. Despite the lack of any new snow during our stay, conditions have been very good.

Chalet staff have been great.

[UK Redsox]

Have fun fella.  Still recovering from mine, although mostly from the drinking rather than the skiing.

Just had a message from a friend who's chalet hosting in La Plagne. One of the guests who arrived on Sunday afternoon is a bloke in his 80s. He was absolutely rat-arsed by early evening and had to be carried to bed.

[usav]

Have fun fella.  Still recovering from mine, although mostly from the drinking rather than the skiing.

Just had a message from a friend who's chalet hosting in La Plagne. One of the guests who arrived on Sunday afternoon is a bloke in his 80s. He was absolutely rat-arsed by early evening and had to be carried to bed.

Wow.  Hope I'm still able to do anything at that age, let alone ski or get shit faced still.

Whistler is 4 weeks away........I will be wearing a helmet for the first time in skiing life.  It's shit getting old.

[UK Redsox]

Len Silver, who I've mentioned before on this thread is now 87. He was out again in La Plagne this winter but had to head home a few days ago for ankle surgery.

He's hoping to be fit enough to ski again next season.

[Risso]

Have fun fella.  Still recovering from mine, although mostly from the drinking rather than the skiing.

Just had a message from a friend who's chalet hosting in La Plagne. One of the guests who arrived on Sunday afternoon is a bloke in his 80s. He was absolutely rat-arsed by early evening and had to be carried to bed.

Wow.  Hope I'm still able to do anything at that age, let alone ski or get shit faced still.

Whistler is 4 weeks away........I will be wearing a helmet for the first time in skiing life.  It's shit getting old.

Everybody wears them in Europe.  A friend of ours hit her head after a fall skiing, and suffered concussion and memory loss.  The doctor reckoned if she hadn't had a helmet on she'd have been in a Schumacher style coma at best, and more likely dead.

[UK Redsox]

I can't understand why anyone would even consider skiing without a helmet.

[usav]

I can't understand why anyone would even consider skiing without a helmet.

Ok, but didn't you start skiing just a few years ago?  To Risso's point most people do here now as well, it's only the idiots like me who have been skiing for years that don't.

I first went with school in 1988, I can assure nobody wore a helmet.   This will be the first major ski trip I've been on since 2002, all my other skiing has been local hills here in PA.

[waringpongo]

Just back from a months skiing in the alps in the camper. Do it every year in the van and its good value for money. Started off at a small resort to get the ski legs in and unfortunately my wife broke her arm having a go at snow boarding. Then on to Les Gets for a week avoiding the Gendarme on the car park for a free week. Then Grand Bornand where my wife eventually went for an xray and got her arm plastered. Finally Les Saisies. We were going to go for Mont Genevra but decided to head home as she got fed up showering in the van with an arm in cast and she was worried about falling on her bad arm whilst skiing. In the month out it only snowed once or twice but there was plenty on the slopes and perfect blue skies nearly every day. We both wear helmets since 2014 when I had a bad fall.

[Lastfootstamper]

A mate of mine had a bit a spill on his first trip out of the 97/98 season. He lived in Switzerland, and was a very experienced boarder. Hit an icy path first run out, "helicoptered", broke his right(I think) leg in 8 places. It did, however, lead to (I'm going to hell) quite a funny episode when we all had to leg it when it kicked off in Marseille at the World Cup. My youngest brother has also had to be airlifted off a mountain after headbutting a skier.

I'm starting to think the moral of this story is that snowboarders* are fkn dangerous.

*I've been once. Got a bit cocky when sliding in to the chalet for a hot chocolate, proper clattered the skis stand thing.

[Risso]

I'm starting to think the moral of this story is that snowboarders* are fkn dangerous.

Yep, mostly arseholes who don't give a stuff about anybody else.

[Lastfootstamper]

I'm starting to think the moral of this story is that snowboarders* are fkn dangerous.

Yep, mostly arseholes who don't give a stuff about anybody else.

I'm not going to argue. Hence my 'once'.

[UK Redsox]

I can't understand why anyone would even consider skiing without a helmet.

Ok, but didn't you start skiing just a few years ago?  To Risso's point most people do here now as well, it's only the idiots like me who have been skiing for years that don't.

I first went with school in 1988, I can assure nobody wore a helmet.   This will be the first major ski trip I've been on since 2002, all my other skiing has been local hills here in PA.

I started skiing in 2008 but had been a mountain biker for many years before that. We wouldn’t even let people ride with us if they refused to wear a helmet. Therefore, it never even crossed my mind to ski without one.

I disagree with Risso regarding how many people wear helmets in Europe. I’d say that the majority of instructors that I’ve seen  in France don’t wear helmets and that a surprising number of beginners also risk it.

It’s not the falling over and hitting your head (although, even on piste that can hurt), it’s the falling over and then being clattered into that should be the reason for wearing a helmet.

I’ve never understood why wearing a ski helmet isn’t compulsory. To me it’s no different to helmets being mandatory for motorcycling

(I’d also make them compulsory for cycling)