Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with skiing

Switching from a board to skis?

zardoz — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 17:57:30 -0800

This snowboarder wants to give skiing a try. How to go about it? Background: I'm an intermediate snowboarder--comfortable on a board, but not to the jump/flip/high, high speed stage. I started on a snowboard and have never been skiing, and I'm curious. So next time I'd like to give it a try. What can I expect? The obvious suggestion is to take a lesson, but I'm not in a English-speaking country, so for the sake of argument let's assume an English lesson is out.

My wife also boards with me, and she skied when she was younger, and said she could help me with it, but I'm curious if I need a lot of tutelage. More specifically, has anyone made the transition from snowboard-only to skis? How did you do it?

This is Broadsword Calling Danny Boy? UK Walkie Talkies

eb98jdb — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 04:05:51 -0800

I'm interested in picking up a pair or more of walkie talkies, primarily for use whilst skiing - I didn't seem able to find any good recommendations (I saw this) but it seems US focused. I would like some walkie talkies that offer:-

* Decent battery life (approx 10 hours)
* Robust construction (for when the inevitable crash happens)
* Headset for hands-free operation
* With a button that clips to a jacket to transmit (so don't have to get walkie talkie out of pocket to send)
* Good voice quality
* Long range (8KM) seems the standard
* Licence free

How to stop my glasses from fogging up when I ski?

stilly — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:45:49 -0800

Eyeglasses (worn under goggles) fogging up during skiing. Any suggestions/tips? I started wearing glasses while skiing a year or two ago, and it has really helped me skiing (I can finally see the ski slope clearly!). Unfortunately, the glasses tend to fog up sometimes... particularly if I'm skiing more aggressively and then stop for a moment. It then takes quite a while for them to unfog... far from ideal.

To clarify-- the goggles are never fogging up... just my glasses underneath.

Does anyone have tips on ways I could fix this? Should I buy new goggles? Is there a specifc certain kind of goggles maybe? I've never been able to wear contacts, so that option is out.

Help me ski!

chippie — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 17:53:28 -0800

Do you know any tricks for skiing down small hills while cross-country skiing? I mean without falling down, which is my current style. Skiing does not come naturally to me. At. All. I'm a relative novice who learned to XC ski as an adult, but despite many tries, I have not gotten the knack for skiing down small hills while cross-country skiing. (I mean while traditional XC skiing, not skate skiing, though I've tried both.) I fall numerous times every time I go down hills, and I get really frustrated. After two falls on the same hill I usually end up taking my skis off and just walking down to the bottom, which is embarrassing and dumb. The problem is that now just the thought of going down hills on skis freaks me out totally. If I snowplow, I can't steer. If my skis are straight, I can't control my speed. Is there any hope for me?

I've also tried downhill skiing once, including an hour lesson, and I couldn't control my speed on the bunny hill even. Just thinking about it now makes me feel panicky.

I guess I'm looking for two things: tips on what to do/sources for instruction, and ways to get over being so freaked out about it. Help me get the most out of what is otherwise a pretty fun winter activity for me. Thanks!

help me record my snowboarding trip!

oliverst — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 13:19:31 -0800

I would like to get some video footage from an upcoming snowboarding trip and download it to my computer at a later date. What equipment would be suitable for this? My budget is £100 (~ $200 US) I would like to get some video footage from an upcoming snowboarding / skiing trip and download it to my computer at a later date. What equipment would be suitable for this? My budget is £100 (~ $200 US)

Does anybody have any first hand experience of doing this? Please share what you found and what gave you the best results!

I have been debating whether a single hand held model (with SD card storage) taped to my helmet (or board) would be fine or if a bullet style camera with a separate recording unit is needed. My research so far suggests that a single hand held model offers much better value..

Equipment wise, anything second hand / ebay is good, who knows if it will survive this trip anyway!

Help w/ lodging in Whistler, BC; Or alternate ski trip suggestion

tslugmo — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:56:25 -0800

Can you help me find cheap lodging in Whistler, BC? Or if not, suggest another destination in North America for great skiing and cheap digs? I've skied Whistler/Blackcomb and loved it, would love to take my gf there. She has a $400 flight voucher we have to use by the end of February, and I have 90,000 travel miles through my credit card, so airfare shouldn't be a problem. I could even get hotel with my miles, but the only accommodations offered for miles in Whistler happen to be suites with 5 night minimums. We're hoping to do a Friday to Monday trip, taking off only 2 days from work.

While we'd love to go to Whistler, we're open to pretty much anywhere in the US. She mentioned Wyoming, Colorado, or Utah.

Things to consider:

+ We are on a budget and a tight schedule, so not having to rent a car and drive 4 hours from the airport is a plus. Maybe a package that includes lift tickets?

+ We're also lazy, so staying within walking distance of the slope would be cool.

+ And it wouldn't hurt to be somewhere romantic, so maybe slightly better than a Super 8, and in a cute village of sorts. We could probably budget for $100/nt, maybe a little more.

+ We're adventurous, so we are fine to try "non-traditional" lodging.

+ We live in SoCal, so taking advantage of free airfare would be cool, (ie Mammoth is nice, but doesn't utilize our voucher)

Thinking of Feb 22-25 just cuz it's not V-day or President's day, so maybe availability will be better.

We're excited to be able to choose anywhere, but overwhelmed by researching all those possibilities. Hope my fellow mefites can share their wisdom! Thanks!

tslugmo

TNF Down or TriClimate

jma — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 11:38:53 -0800

Skiers: NorthFace down or TriClimate? I'm buying a new coat, North Face, primarily for skiing. The one I think I want is a down coat, the Full Circle Down Jacket.

Most of TNF's jackets that seem appropriate for skiing are the TriClimate ones, which feel much lighter. I had a Denali fleece with a shell it zipped in to, but that was not at all warm. I know these 'active' jackets are designed in consideration of the body heat generated during winter sports, so I wonder if the down is overkill. Then I think of last week at O'Keemo, 35 at base and 20 midway up...

So since I'm looking at $400 on this, I'd like to know if the down coat is necessary, if the TriClimate is sufficient. I'm a really skinny guy, if that matters.

Skiing in Tahoe for beginners

0xFCAF — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 09:51:40 -0800

Where's the best place for skiing in the Reno/Tahoe area for a bunch of beginners? Is it crazy to go (for a day) during the week of Christmas? My family will be in Reno this year for Christmas. Some of us want to go skiing, others want to come along and do tubing. The skiers are beginners (green / very easy blue) and those who would tube are not a particularly active bunch. Cost is not much of an issue.

So the questions then are
1) What's a good resort to go to that can best fulfill the above criteria?
2) Will the slopes be so crowded as to make this not a good idea? We'd be looking at 23rd-27th as a possible day and are flexible about it, so if there are known days which would be better that'd be good to know.

Skiing honeymoon in the Rockies?

nelleish — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 14:04:22 -0800

Great week honeymooning in the Rockies? Where would you tell a skiing/riding couple to go? We're getting hitched next fall (yay!) but work and school committments will be pushing back the honeymoon until the second week of January, 2009. We're not particular keen on the "lie baking on a beach" concept, and are outdoorsy, active people, so we thought we'd put the timing to good use and have a Ski Holiday. As New England skiiers this fresh powder we keep hearing about seems like something we ought to experience ;-)

We're looking most closely at Aspen, CO right now, because it's the classic choice although of course very touristy. Point in its favor are that it's easy to get to and around in, the mountains look really great, and do very well on this eco friendliness ranking. At first glance it looks like we could really put together a fantastic week of skiing and boarding, with some fun dining, hiking and snowshoing options to boot. (Shopping doesn't thrill either of us, but might while away an hour or two window shopping)

So we're looking for comments on Aspen accomodations and activities, but we'd be open to any recommendations in the U.S. or Canada.

A few other things we're looking for:

- No more than one layover from Manchester, NH - preferably with little (<1 hour) to no driving to our final destination
- Plenty of vegetarian dining options
- Generally we'd be looking for a place to hole up in the evenings with the hot tub, but the opportunity for night or two out for dinner and a show would be super
- Eco-travel and resort options are a huge plus, but not strictly required

Thanks everyone! You can also email me direct, it's in the profile.

advice for a 1st time skiier

jannw — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 13:08:59 -0800

First time skiier needing some advice on what to buy, should I get lessons, etc, etc,. OK ... I am 30, above average fitness and good balance, been ice skating (speed and hockey) and inline skating for 20 years ... and went skiing a few times over 20 years ago. Now I have a week booked in the snow (Austria, Bad Gastein) over the Christmas week, and I am trying to work out what I should organise in advance, buy in advance, and expect.

Specific questions ...
Should I hire skis, boots, clothes? Should I buy good boots (for comfort) and ski-clothes and hire skis (read that somewhere)?
What skis should I hire/buy? Little ones, big ones, really little ones?
Should I get lessons or just wing it?
Can I organise a lesson on-the-spot or will I need to book in advance?
What other advice can you give?

Thanks ... J

Eye of Snowron

Kreiger — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 06:58:33 -0800

Greetings Hive Mind. I love to ski, and I want to have a video record of said skiing. Has anyone got any recommendations for helmet cameras that I could use next time I'm in the mountains? Bonus points for:

- at least 640 x 480
- nice big lens
- reasonable price
- rugged

My brothers and I have been skiing forever (25, 28, and 29 years respectively), and we finally got a chance to ski together again for the first time in years last month. It was great, but we wound up with very little in the way of pics and video, as my trusty DSC-V1 isn't exactly designed for taking spontaneous mountain footage.

I get 640 x 480 out of the V1 right now, but if I could improve on that, that'd be great. The same holds for the lens...most of the rigs that I've seen don't seem to have super-duper optics on them, but if that was an option, I'd be into it.

In terms of price, I'm looking to buy at least two, probably three of these things...I can use my brother's Christmas/birthday present budgets to off-set some of the cost, and I earn a good living (I'm paid in pounds these days), but if I could keep things under about £300/rig, I'd be happy (Americans - that's about $600 at current exchange rates). Don't hold back if you've seen more expensive options though.

We ski pretty hard too, so whatever I wind up buying will need to be able to withstand constant small knocks (moguls) and occasional catastrophic blowouts.

Double bonus points for anyone who's actually used, or knows someone who's used what they're recommending.

Ski Vacation booking - acommodation recommendations?

lalochezia — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 16:40:11 -0800

Where’s the best place to book an all-inclusive ski vacation? Where’s a good powder accessible condo with a view/hottub? Wanted: Place where we can get powder (CO, UT, WY or BC) for the week of 9-17 March and that has some nightlife.

Travelocity, expedia, preliminary standard google searches no good. All give hotels in metropolitan areas or incredibly overpriced ski packages. We’d like to pay ca. $1200 each for flight, lodge and lift ticket for ca 6.days – we’re coming from NYC.

We’d like a condo (pref ski-in ski-out….although a hotel isn’t out of the question), with access to a hottub and access to a nice view. If you just know the answer to this, that’d be great.

We’d like to get some kind of discount for booking flight+lift ticket+accommodation in one go, although if you think that’s a bad idea and you know of a particular steal for pairs or single examples of F/LT/A then let me know too….. Preferably a website/company with which you’ve had good experiences.

And a pony. Yes a ski pony. OK No pony wanted

All about skiis

|n$eCur3 — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 13:24:30 -0800

Please help me understand the differences in ski/ binding/ boot technologies for downhill skiing. Kinda like... longer skiis are good for w, wider skiis should be used for x and stiff bindings are good for situations y and z. Feel free to throw in discussions about materials and whatever else I should know before I go out and purchase a pair. (If you can't tell, I haven't been skiing for a long time). Sorry if this seems too chatty; I don't even know how to ask the right questions.

Where to find ski travel deals?

flummox — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 17:50:50 -0800

What do you do when you are tired of the blank facades presented by Expida, Orbitz or Cheap seats? Where do you go to get the low down on travel deals, alpine skiing specifically? The when and where to get the best prices, the how and why when it comes to finding package deals on deep discount?

Save money at Vail Ski Resort

blueplasticfish — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 11:08:24 -0800

I am going to Vail, Colorado this weekend. How can I save some money on a one day lift pass? I know some resorts offer discount lift passes. Buy tickets at a local bank, grocery store, etc. Or, bring a soda can... any of these apply to Vail? Any ideas?

To ski or not to ski. That is the question. (something about snowboarding too...)

evadery — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 11:34:26 -0800

I've never gone skiing or snowboarding before, but I'm going on a co-worker outing in January to a ski resort for one day. I've decided to take beginner lessons in one - but which one? What would you recommend and why? Personal anecdotes get you a gold star - and yes, I know it's subjective. I just want to know what is easiest to learn, and which one has a bigger payoff for an amateur. Thanks!

What should I expect my first time skiing?

sherber — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 00:26:15 -0800

I'm going to visit my boyfriend's family with him over New Years weekend, and he just casually mentioned to me that there'd definitely been some skiing involved. I've never been skiing before, ever. What should I expect? Apparently teaching me would be a quite frustrating experience for the boyfriend, so my options are either get lessons or hang out in the lodge all day. If I hang out in the lodge I will definitely get my fare shair of heckling from his family, so.. lessons it is. I'm not sure if it'll be an instructor or a group, but I'm pretty sure it'll be just a group.

But, to the question. For someone who has never EVER so much as put a pair of skis on in her life, what should I expect? Please try and be as positive as possible.. I'm a bit nervous about this. Okay, a lot. I'm pretty sure there will be a lot of falling involved, and the thought of doing all of this with a group of strangers doesn't really seem too appealing.

Where can I watch the Biathlon World Cup?

saladpants — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 14:52:34 -0800

Where can we watch the Biathlon World Cup? Following the Turin Olympics, my wife and became enthralled with the biathlon. After the Oympics ended, we discovered that the Outdoor Life Network showed the Biathlon World Cup series with American commentators (yes, we were probably the only two Americans who watched).

This winter, OLN no longer exists, having become the Versus Channel (how silly), and no longer seems to carry the biathlon we love. We'd love to find a way to watch (especially with English language commentary). The US Biathlon site seems to say it has the series, but there doesn't seem to be anything there. Any other biathlon fans out there who can help us find a way to watch?

Talk Taos

striker — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 15:55:41 -0800

Where do I stay in Taos? 6 people, going mid-january, would like to stay close. Are there good ski-in places at Taos? I don't want to spend a lot. In the past I've done some great packages at breckenridge, vail, wolf creek and others that have been reasonable but very close to the slopes. I'm having trouble finding any kind of packages or specials or info at all. Any recommendations would be appreciated, or advice as to why I would want to stay somewhere besides right near the slopes. Tell me about Taos, I've never been. Thanks!

Advice for living in Lake Tahoe for Ski Season 2006-07

zpousman — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 19:12:01 -0800

Living in Lake Tahoe(!) My sister-in-law has a chance to live out in Lake Tahoe for the ski season. She'll be working, either on a mountain or off, but she doesn't have a job lined up yet. My question (after a chat with her) is about where she might want to live. Been to Tahoe? Lived there? Help a recent college grad have a blast. She has something a line on living in the following towns: Truckee, Incline Village, and Kings Beach, but she hasn't made any decisions / commitments to these places. If you were 22 and ready to live it up on an extended stay in Tahoe where would you live? She'll have car. She would be fine living in a resort / party town, as long as there's a grocery and "regular" stuff nearby.

Where's the bunnies?

Sloben — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 13:25:01 -0800

Why is the easiest slope at a ski resort called a "bunny hill"? Specifically, what is the origin of the phrase? Can't seem to figure this one out....

Why are there little trees on the ski jump ramp?

mr_crash_davis — Sun, 19 Feb 2006 10:01:53 -0800

Last night while watching Olympic ski jumping, I noticed what appeared to be tiny pine trees spaced evenly down the center of the hill, right between the jumpers' ski tracks. What are they for, and why use pine trees?

Nordic Combined

Protocols of the Elders of Awesome — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 09:13:38 -0800

Olympic Nordic Combined skiing is male-only. Isn't this against the Olympic Charter? Do women want to compete? Is the sport being promoted to women? What would happen if a woman applied to compete?

rocky mountain high!

ruelle — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 09:06:46 -0800

Heliskiing? What did you wish you knew before going? I'd love to organise heliskiing for a group of about 4-5 people, somewhere in Europe.
We all ski/board on different levels: some are advanced intermediates, others are near professionals.
But before ~~toeing the water~~ tasting the snow, I'd love to get some general feedback from those who did this before..
Was it much more challenging than you initially thought? Did you go in group or solo?
Where did you go? Were there any hidden costs?
What do you recommend?
Anything everyone should know before?
(insurance polcies? first aid? gear? )

Where should I ski/stay in Quebec?

TurkishGolds — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 09:04:33 -0800

I'm thinking about taking a ski vacation in Quebec sometime in February. Looking for advice. Traveling from Western, MA. I've spent time in downtown Montreal, but haven't explored much of Quebec. We are two intermediate skiers used to skiing groomed packed powder in Southern Vermont. My favorite mountain is Okemo -- we're comfortable on their greens and blues, but not quite daring enough to try their black diamonds yet. We can ski like a million bucks in good, packed powder but when the conditions start to get icy and/or piles of snow/bumps we feel a little bit shaky.

I want to take a ski vacation (maybe 2 or 3 nights) this winter and it seems like the lift tickets / lodging are a lot cheaper in Quebec than they are here in Vermont/Maine. And that's not even taking the exchange rate into account.

I would love to stay on-mountain (hot tub!) if there's somewhere where it could be affordable (< $150 usd / per night). we're also interested in nightlife and dining for some memorable apres ski. so what can i expect in quebec? what are the best mountains? how does the snow compare to the states? is the grooming done to the same extent? specific recommendations for lodging at specific mountains? from my preliminary research, a href="http://www.tremblant.ca/index.htm">Mont Tremblant and Mont Sainte-Anne look pretty cool, but I want some insider info.