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Original poster

Go Skiing They Said ....

115 replies

SnowSnowAndMoreSnow · 22/02/2018 14:14

It will be fun they said

I look like a Generation Game sausage that has been overstuffed

My face is beacon red from wind burn

‘ You’ll be fine on a black run’ - I was scared shitless

Every woman looks super stylish as they swish their hair as they take their helmet off - mine is stuck in helmet shape - definitely no swishing

My toes feel like they have frostbite

The only upside is the cheese fondue & the excuse of needing to warm up so hot wine is perfectly acceptable at 10am

OP posts:
Fintress · 23/02/2018 08:21

Well I am very jealous! I absolutely loved skiing holidays abroad and all the weekends of getting up at 4am to drive to the Cairngorms, Glenshee etc to snow in whiteouts and gale force winds. Then I was struck down by a horrible disease that rendered my knees less than useless and I had to give it up. It was bloody amazing and I would love to be able to do it now but I have the most fantastic memories. You need some good thermal ski socks OP, I never had cold feet but then half the time I was half pished on gluwein Grin.

Elocutioner · 23/02/2018 08:24

I have discovered that there is nothing more terrifying than putting a gung ho preschooler on skis and watching them whizz down a mountain.

I'm not at all risk averse but I basically had an icy claw of fear around my heart!

minipie · 23/02/2018 08:25

I hate cold.

I hate sport.

I love skiing!

You need the right kit and the right company - whoever took you down a black run is an arsehole.

I favour the following approach:

lie in - miss the ski school crowds and ice - head out at 9.30 for a long morning skiing (blues and reds, I can do black runs but why work so hard?) - long late lunch ending at 3pm - gradually wend my way home.

I love skiing but it also has to be a holiday.

PS Are your boots rented? Sounds like you should swap them if you can't feel your toes.

TrickyD · 23/02/2018 08:26

I learnt to ski when I was 46 and kept on, at least once and sometimes three times a year until I was nearly 73 and only stopped because I had a non-ski related hip problem

I loved it, especially when the family came with us, and was very sad to stop.

Gwenhwyfar · 23/02/2018 08:34

"lie in - miss the ski school crowds and ice - head out at 9.30 for a long morning skiing"

You think going out at 9.30 in the morning on holiday is a lie in!
And no lunch till 3?
How is that a holiday?

madameratatouille · 23/02/2018 08:37

Will be trying skiing for the first time this year and my new cheap as chips "ultrasport" jacket and trousers have just arrived from amazon and are absolutely gorgeous! No idea how they have made them flattering but they have. I think I might be missing the point, but I am very excited about wearing my new gorgeous ski clothes. DC very relieved I won't be embarrassing them with how I look, even if how I ski turns out to be a bit bridget jones.

Will not be going anywhere near a black run, though, that is for sure.

Elocutioner · 23/02/2018 08:42

We had wonderful chalet hosts this year who, when you collapsed on the sofa at 4pm, would bring you a cup of tea and a piece of cake. They'd also cook breakfast in the morning and do canapes and a 4 course meal in the evenings.

I put on half a stone.....

JaneEyre70 · 23/02/2018 08:44

We do the Alps in the summer - it's far more civilised and less risk of frostbite and broken bones Grin. I don't remotely see the appeal!

Pedallleur · 23/02/2018 08:48

It's great fun when done right. I was not v.good so it became a waste of money. One instructor I had was stunning to watch - his tracks were like two thin snakes (he was also an excellent instructor). Scenery is beautiful given right location. Ski-ing within your ability is important. I got sick of people blabbering on about 'black runs' and 'you'll be fine'. It's not a daredevil competition it's a holiday! And no-one told me about the walk to the ski-lift carrying skis whilst wearing those stupid boots. It's freezing but I'm sweating like a bastard wearing 5 layers and carrying ski's on a frozen surface

minipie · 23/02/2018 08:49

Gwen given my normal wake up time yes it is! Though you can adjust later if you prefer. And I forgot to mention the 11am stop for hot chocolate and a snack...

minipie · 23/02/2018 08:50

Pedalleur There are some resorts where you can hire a locker right by the lifts to store your skis and boots. So you walk to the locker in your normal kit, change by the lifts, off you go. Same in reverse at the end of the day (which makes apres ski a lot easier).

glueandstick · 23/02/2018 08:58

I’ve been skiing. Note the ‘been’

There is no ‘going’

I love snow, I love mountains. I don’t love skiing. Will happily watch it from a bar.

scrabbler3 · 23/02/2018 09:00

I've been a few times. It's ok. I'll never be "a skier" but I like the social side.

Black runs as a beginner? Foolish. You could have been injured or caused an accident. The person who advised you was stupid but don't let them put you off.

PanannyPanoo · 23/02/2018 09:03

One of my colleagues went ski ing for the first time. He was very excited, spent a fortune. Broke both his legs slipping down the steps getting off the aeroplane.

babyblackbird · 23/02/2018 09:37

I cannot wait to show my husband this thread later. He has skied since he was a child and is brilliant and absolutely loves it. He cannot get it through his head that the slope he considers ok scares the living shit out of me.

We have had so many occasions where he has apparently "scouted out nice runs for me" only to get me to the top of it and me burst into tears. And as for fucking t bar lifts, the day I struggled to get off one and eventually wrenched the bar out from under my bum only for it to ricochet off my helmet before we'd even got to the skiing part, was the last day I skied I think.

I now do the panoramic relaxation room with slope views and plinky plonky music with my book.

Arapaima · 23/02/2018 09:39

I love skiing! Such an amazing feeling. Jealous of you OP, as we’re not going this year.

problembottom · 23/02/2018 10:17

Oh god I bloody love skiing. Three weeks til I go to Italy.

I would advise getting a piste map yourself and maybe asking a local to show you the easiest, nicest runs. Don't follow anyone blindly, unless it's an instructor. If you go down a run that terrifies you it can put you off for life.

HermionesRightHook · 23/02/2018 10:25

I completely love skiing but it's not for everyone - it does sound like you've gone with the wrong group if someone has taken you down a bloody black run when it sounds like you're not very experienced.

It's fun if you like it - I know that's really trite, but I firmly believe it's worth giving things a try when the opportunity arises, and if you don't like it, don't do it again. Plenty of people hate it and that's fine, more room on the slopes for me!

I would say if you had even an inkling of enjoyment of it, try again if you get the chance but try to go with a group that respects you're beginner/intermediate and doesn't do a dickish thing like persuade you into a black run. I find it most fun/satistfactory when I'm slightly pushing my boundaries - I'm a competent but not great skiier and I wouldn't do black runs. The odd red and occasional tiny starter-jump on a lesson, sure, and I hope I improve with practice, but not a bloody black run first time out.

HermionesRightHook · 23/02/2018 10:28

Oh and if anyone does fancy trying it or trying it again - book somewhere that's actually on the slopes. SO MUCH BETTER to be able to go to the apartment boot room, gear up, and walk 200 yards to the lift. Makes everything so much easier. You won't find total budget skiing this way but you can get reasonable packages, it doesn't need to be ridiculous.

Aprilshowerswontbelong · 23/02/2018 10:31

Yabu not to have posted a pic!! Grin

bluetongue · 23/02/2018 12:34

I adore skiing and I didn’t learn until I was an adult. Hot weather doesn’t agree with me and being in snow covered mountains is my idea of the perfect escape from real life.

Having said that, it did take me ages before I wasn’t rubbish at it. I’ll give most black runs a shot these days but it took years and loads of lessons to get to that point. I’m more than happy just to cruise and admire the scenery as well.

The biggest problem with it is it’s so weather dependant (oh, and expensive.) You can spend months looking forward and saving up for a ski trip (which is usually my only trip away for the year) only to have it ruined by rain, wind, not enough snow or once too much snow!

TheVanguardSix · 23/02/2018 12:43

I lived in Italy and was an avid snowboarder for years... yet shat myself on every icy black run. My fear-induced mantra was 'Pear Grappa Soon. Pear Grappa Soon!' every time I'd leave a trail of shit, spit, and nerves behind me.
Then I had kids. I have NEVER graced a piste since. I cannot understand how or why people cart their kids off to the slopes. The sheer stress of it all! It's hard enough when it's just you and a couple of mates. Throw in a bag of whiny children dressed as grumpy Michelin Men with fleas and I would just lose the will to live!

Elocutioner · 23/02/2018 12:49

Vanguard its amazing though once they've mastered it plus its a skill for life. DC amazed me how UNwhiny they were - they didn't mind the boots, or the layers, or the cold because they were just loving it!

JessieMcJessie · 23/02/2018 13:03

Taking a novice down a black run is not big, not clever and not funny. It’s downright dangerous. In fact even taking a moderately experienced Intermediate skier down one is not a great idea. Whoever did this to you was a monumental twat, but you were a bit silly not to stand your ground OP, what did you think was the point of the classifications if a novice skier would be “alright” on one?

However, don’t let this put you off skiing. (Just let it put you off your twattish mates). I love skiing but only got back into it after a 15 year gap after a bad experience. If you take it slowly and have a good instructor you may find it is fun after all.

alibongo5 · 23/02/2018 13:20

Another one who loves skiing here - but I'm not sure I'd want to learn now, I remember the tears of frustration even at the age of 20! But now I am a reasonable skiier, it is sublime (but I still find it difficult to get up if I do fall over!)

I reiterate what everyone else says though - whoever took you on a black as a beginner is a knobhead. A couple of years back I took about half an hour to get a skiier on her second or third day down a section of black (or possibly hard red, I can't remember) with loads and loads of moguls when her stupid friends had taken her there but couldn't even show her how to get down.

It's taken me years to feel comfortable taking on blacks and I still stand at the top deliberating for a couple of minutes before taking the plunge.

I personally would be bored sitting by a pool for a holiday but each to their own.

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