Looking for special deals

As I am late booking my skiing holiday this year, I thought I better had start making the effort to look for some special deals.  Looking at some specials in France at the moment, mainly because I love the skiing there, but will start to widen my search this weekend.

No holiday booked yet but still training

It's October now and I still have not booked or sorted where I will be going skiing yet, normally have this one in the bag by now.  None the less I am still training by doing a lot of cycling and running and will be streathening the core leg and stomach muscles so fitness cannot be the excuse for not going somewhere at the drop of a hat.

Never too early to start ski training

Even if you don't have a ski holiday booked up yet for this coming Northern hemisphere ski season, now is a good time to start training.  I try and keep myself fit all year round anyway as I do a lot of cycling and the odd triathlon, but if you are not active throughout the summer months, then now is a good time to start training.  Start it gradually and build it up, that way it is easier and less aches and pains.

Not sure where I will ski next year

I have not booked up for next season yet, my mates are all going back to the same place, which I know I will miss.  But due to various reasons, mainly money I will have to give that all inclusive great hotel in Val d'Isere a miss.  So thinking about a few other options around Europe, possibly even driving down to France.  SO we will have to see what the next couple of months brings.

Southern Hemisphere skiing

With some hot weather around Europe, most of the summer skiing is still in the glaciers and best in the mornings.  The southern hemisphere skiing season is well under way now with some great snow reported already.
The main places to ski are Argentina, Australia, Chile and New Zealand, and some of the resorts with some excellent snow at the moment is El Colorado and La Pava in Chile, Chalpeco in Argentina and Mount Dobson and Mt Lyford in New Zealand with the latter having some excellent powder with 40cm on 27th June.
For the southern hemisphere enjoy the skiing and for the northern hemisphere let's get on down there, don't forget to visit this site before you go: http://getlamarsnowboard.com

Summer skiing

Find the glaciers in the northern hemisphere and you can still get some summer skiing in, best advice is to ski in the mornings where the snow will be in better condition, for the afternoon enjoy some of the scenery and mountains it would be a wasted opportunity not too.
So where is good at the moment?  These snow depths are at the top of the mountain.
Presena Glacier has 450cm and last snowed on 6th May
Dachstein Glacier has 280cm and last snowed on 23rd May
Kaprun and Zermatt both with about 170cm and 190cm respectively and forecast to snow this week

And good at top and bottom is Timberline with 373cm at the top and bottom!

Summer skiing in the Northern hemisphere

With the southern hemisphere resorts not open yet, there are still some place to ski in Europe and North America.  The main thing to look for are the resorts with glaciers and to mention a couple where late season skiing and summer skiing can be available, (please always check before booking somewhere, remember we are always reliant on the weather in this sport)
Some places to keep an eye on in Europe are Zermatt in Switzerland with 5 summer ski lifts, the Presena Glacier in Italy and the Stubai Glacier in Austria.  Unfortunately one of my favourite places to ski at Tignes is now closed although it does have a glacier.
In North America the Blackcomb glacier at Whistler and Timberline at Oregon.
Good luck and enjoy the summer skiing in Europe.

End of season parties

For the northern hemisphere most skiing is coming to the end of the season sadly.  It has been a great season and some great conditions, for the high resorts with glaciers there will still be some skiing, even summer skiing for some lucky people.  One thing is evident is all the end of season parties that seem to get arranged and a good excuse to have that apres ski feel even if you are not on the slopes!
So enjoy the end of the season and I am going to start looking into southern hemisphere skiing, can't wait.

Beating the flying ban in Europe

Due to the volcanic ash floating around above us in Europe coming from Iceland and the effect that jets can't fly around a lot of Europe.  This does not mean we still can't get the last of the ski season at the higher resorts anyhow.
I have driven from Kent to the Alps in France on many occasions, Mortzine was my destination just a few lifts from Avoriaz, part of the Portes du Soleil region with over 600km of piste!
Now anyone that does not like the idea of driving, then let me give you some of my positive experiences;

1. We used to leave early evening about 2000hrs, drive down to the Chunnel to get on the pre booked train.  Traffic is not so busy at this time and getting on the train is very easy and quick, the train does not take long and the roads in France are excellent even with mostly two lane motorways, drivers in France tend to move over to the first lane as soon as they have overtaken (sorry, just a bugbear of mine).  If you have at least a couple of you that can and will drive in France, then you can keep going stopping only for fuel and refreshments.
2. Take the toll roads it is quicker, the roads are great and easy to follow directions (plan all this before you go though).  One tip with the tolls, they have times on the tickets between tolls, so I am convinced they can check for speeding, my experience is the toll is more expensive the quicker you go, although I have not had that confirmed.
3. Some of the scenery you will experience is just amazing and better than flying and then getting a coach.
4. If you take door to door travel times, including waiting at the airport as you have to check in early, then in my experience driving to Mortzine most times driving was slightly quicker, but both take about 12 hrs door to door.
5. When driving over night, as long as you can check in your room or get the keys for your chalet, you can have a couple of hours sleep, or just go straight out onto the pistes, giving you an extra half day to even an extra full day's skiing.  Now that has to be worth it on its own!
6. With a car you have more freedom to try another mountain or even ski area near by, or visit some places to see, whether it be activities or restaurants it can all add to a better holiday experience.
7. If driving an economical car with 4 in the car sharing the costs, this can work out a lot cheaper than flying.

So there you have a few of my positive experiences, and would I drive again?  Definitely without a doubt.

Top 5 tips for skiing later in the season

When the season gets later in the northern hemisphere and the sun gets on the slopes some top tips for finding the best snow:

1. Look for the higher skiing lifts, searching for the highest lift will give you a good indicator that the resort is likely to have some good snow, anything above 2,500 meters is a good bet, but remember it is the weather we are talking about so not guaranteed.
2. Go to the higher resorts, although this does not guarantee a high ski lift, if the resort is high then there is a good chance the lifts will go even higher.
3. When at the resort find the northern facing slopes to ski on, these slopes normally have more shade through the later skiing season where the sun is higher and the temperatures slightly warmer.
4. Avoid a south facing slope first thing in the morning, there is a high chance of the slope having a lot of sun the previous afternoon and therefore the top layer of snow would have melted slightly which means a risk of ice first thing in the morning.
5. Ski to the conditions, if it is icy then keep a good position and don't panic, the skis will find grip eventually, certainly avoid any part of the slope that looks blue!  If the snow is heavy and a bit sugary then try to keep the technique good as the chance of catching an edge are slightly higher.

Hope these help, enjoy, as still some good skiing to be had.

Couloir de la table picture

Here is a picture of me on the Couloir de la Table in Val d'Isere in France:

Skiing Holiday day 4 part 2

After the walk to the top of Rocher de Bellevarde, at high altitude what looks like an easy walk is always made tougher when the air is thinner and less oxygen.  There was another group with another guide just about to go off one edge, and our guide said that is where we are going, I looked at the guy's face about to what seemed like drop off the edge from where I was standing and he looked terrified, so our guide said enjoy the views for a while we will get our breath back and wait for this group to go. So Mark and I looked down from the start gates of the downhill races and they were steep so no wonder these top skiers in the world get up to speeds of 120 to 140 kph.
It was our turn; our guide went first and at the top the drop in is only a maximum of 2 meters wide with rocks either side, the first 20 or 30 meters is extremely steep.  I do enjoy steep skiing, I would class myself as good but not extreme like you see on the videos, but I am pushing myself more and more to find steeper off piste to ski and this was it!
It is called Couloir de la Table and it takes you down one very steep run that I did not even know existed.  Mark then over the edge and it was my turn and for one split second I was scared and I love that feeling, the heart pumping, the hot feeling surging all over the body and for one moment the thought cam into my head 'don't fall from the top there are rocks either side and something nasty could happen'.  Probably the worst thought to go through my head at that time, but isn't that why we look for the adrenaline rush?  So what did I do? well one thing for sure is I could not refuse to go down, I would never live that down, and failure is not an option in my mind, so I slid my skis over the edge and found myself on what I can only describe as the steepest run (if you can call it a run) I have ever been on, I think even steeper than the top of 'The Wall' in Avoriaz and a lot narrower.  A bit further down and it opened up and the deep fresh powder was worth every moment.  Adrenaline and the unknown is a funny thing, if I could have I would have got straight back to the top and done it all again.
This ride was not over yet, more in the next post.

Skiing Holiday day 4

There was one day that I want to share with you regarding one of the best experiences I have ever had in all the seasons and different countries I have skied in.
We had our off piste guide taking us to some fantastic areas at Val d'Isere in France all week so far and I just could not have dreamt this afternoon was going to be the skiing experience that memories are made of.  If I never skied again (and I definitely hope that is not the case) the one experience, if I had to pick one that would stand out from all the skiing experiences would probably be this afternoon.
We had just finished yet again another lovely lunch and went outside ready to ski the afternoon, I felt a bit tired after a few days hard skiing and unfortunately not the best nights sleep, I was probably too excited like a little boy at Christmas.  But with the fresh mountain air I soon felt good to go again, only two of us made it out after lunch, my best mate and I, we have been skiing together for a very long time now.  The others that were in our group either met up with other people or felt too tired to ski this afternoon.  It turned out that only being two of us was our gain and their loss as the guide was waiting to see if he got only two or three skiers to take us down some very steep and exhilarating off piste.  I write exilarating because quite frankly if we did not do as he told us and follow him closely then it could have been very dangerous.
In the cable car on the way up he asked us both 'are you chicken?' to which we both replied of course not we love the steep stuff.  Now let me explain when our guide said something like 'this next bit is quite steep' it is a little dangerous here' what he meant was 'this bit is almost vertical' and 'this bit is extremely dangerous and only idiots or guides with the correct off piste equipment ever come near here'.
So when we made it to the top of the cable car, we put our skis on and he quickly told us to take them off and looked up to our right and said we are walking up there, take it easy as it will take us about 30 minutes to walk.  We were heading to the top of the mountain called Rocher de Bellevarde at 2827m, this is the point where the World Championship Men's Downhill skied from and they head down the Face, which incidentally is one the best black runs I have ever skied (ski it in the morning though as it gets torn up and the top layer of snow gets taken off leaving some icy patches by late afternoon).
We did not ski down the men's downhill, you are not allowed to as it takes you right through the top of the cable exit where lost of people are after coming out of the cable.  I will cover off what we skied in my next blog.

X Paralympic Games

The Winter Olympics may have finished but we now have the X Paralympic Games about to start in Vancouver and Whistler to look forward to.
I can't wait, for a fan of any sport especially winter sports I am sure this will be just as exciting to watch.  Two days to go and counting.

Olympics are over for now

Now the Winter Olympics are over, and the  X Paralympic Winter Games are about to start , I feel I don't want the winter to finish.  Only two weeks of winter sports so far, but if you are like me and you follow the web sites, blogs, and TV coverage then I have been almost addicted and felt sad when the Olympics finished.  But what an end with the men's ice hockey between two of the biggest ice hockey nations Canada and USA.
It was almost like a movie could have written the script, Canada go 2-0 up and USA come back with seconds to spare to even the score, then to take it to what we Brits know as golden goal, the first to score in 20 minutes.  And the guy that scored, branded in British TV as one of the best Ice Hockey players around at the moment Sydney Crosby, had a very quiet game in fact could have finished the game off for Canada in the last couple of minutes when he broke out one on one against the keeper and failed to score!
Then Crosby comes good with a fantastic goal a couple of minutes into extra time being played.  A fairy tale ending and for a neutral in the sport I was pleased Canada won on home turf.
Well done to Canada for a fantastic Olympics, not without its talking points but that for me makes it all the better.
Bring on the X Paralympic Games!

Ladies Giant Slalom

So the ladies giant slalom has decided who won the medals at the winter Olympics in Whistler and some fantastic very talented and committed skiing especially with the visibility getting worse as the race went on.  I think it came down to the skier that wanted to race the hardest and not just the best technical skier, a classic example of this is Bode Miller in the mens skiing who notoriously always looks on the edge and ready to crash at any moment.  He often skies with his weight on the back of his skies which must be frustrating as hell for the technical coaches, but with his weight back it can make him quicker but with less control over the skies.  So my point is the skier that skies the hardest and took more risks, stood a good chance of winning.
A shame for Lindsey Vonn taking a tumble but it does prove she is human at least.
The gold going to Viktoria Rebensburg from Germany with an impressive performance, silver going to Tina Maze from Slovenia and bronze going to Elisabeth Goergl.

Olympic update

Some great skiing at the alpine events at the Olympic games, now Bode Miller has all 3 medals at this games with his latest gold coming the super combined event, does this make him one of the best skiers in the world of all time?  A debate that could run and run, whatever your feelings on Bode, one thing for sure he has always been very entertaining to watch, he never leaves anything left on the mountain even in the world championship races.
And as for Lindsey Vonn, arguably the best ladies skier around at the moment, and using men's skies, another great debate, should she be allowed to use them?  well they are not against the rules and if she has the strength to use them then why not, the other athletes have that choice if they want to use them, but the stiffness can put extra strain on the legs.
Although the skiing has been fantastic to watch, was the course fair for the ladies on the Super G on the 21st Feb? part of the course still had the downhill blue markings showing and just after a roller so the skiers came over the crest with a jump and so many of the athletes missed the gate, which looked to me like they were following the older blue markings.  Of course the argument is they should have memorised the course and the more experienced skiers seemed not to have a problem with it.  So plenty to think about, but overall some fantastic skiing, and to add to that the mens ski cross now part of the Olympics and so it should be.  I was lucky enough to witness these skilful skiers close up in Sierra Nevada, Spain on one of the World Championship tours about 4 years ago and it is one of the most exiting events around to watch.  Can't wait to try and find somewhere to have a go!

How Alpine skiing works

The men's downhill started yesterday at the Vancouver Olympics, finally after some warm weather delayed the start and what a great race it was, with Bode Miller from the USA getting the fastest time early on then some great skiing by Aksel Svindal from Norway and then the winning run by Didier Defago from Switzerland.
There are different types of alpine skiing so I thought I would cover this off.

• Downhill

Firstly the downhill, probably the fastest and longest run down the mountain at speeds of up to 140kph on the fastest slopes, with the course laid out down the mountain normally about 1100 meters.  This is fast and furious and they have one run with the fastest time the winner, so it is all flat out from the start gate.

• Slalom

The slalom course is a shorter course at about 180 meters with more precise turns around the gates, wrong side of the gates and the skier either walks back up to go the correct side or is disqualified.  Two runs and the times are added together to give a fastest total time the winner, so if you have to walk back up, that would be over as far as a chance of winning.

• Giant Slalom

Giant slalom is a longer course with longer and wider turns to make around the gates, so same applies as slalom, you have to get the correct side of the gates and two runs combined to make the total winning time.

• Super G

This combines the downhill with the giant slalom, with one run and the fastest wins, the course is not as long as the downhill and still has the gates to get around.

• Super Combined

This is the downhill and the short tight slalom course as two races with the times combined, one run at each and the two times are added to get the fastest winning time that also gets around the gates in the slalom run.

Winter Olympics underway

Now the winter Olympics have officially started this weekend and from what I have seen so far the competition looks good.  Fantastic ski jumping down to the last jump and this is on the smaller slope jumping 107 meters, wow!
I just love watching the speed skating, so explosive and on the shorter races always excitement often right on the last bend, the Koreans and Chinese always look string at this event, mind you we have a couple of British girls doing well, Sarah Lindsay and Elise Christie both making it through to the quarter finals of the 500m track.
Adam Rosen in the luge did well finishing 16th, so well done to him, unfortunately missed out on a top 15 place, but still a good effort, while on the luge I must send my condolences to the family and friends of the guy that lost his life in the luge.
Good luck to the curling team, we often do well at this, so no pressure guys!
And I could not go without saying finally the downhill looks ready to go ahead today after being delayed, so good luck to Chemmy Alcott, David Ryding and Edward Drake.
And let's keep an eye on Zoe Gillings in the snowboarding cross.

Skiing Holiday day 3 afternoon

After a great lunch our guide gave us some bad news, there had been a death in an avalanche on the Monday, the skier had only been under the snow for two minutes and was with an experienced off piste group apparently. This news did remind us all how dangerous the mountains can be even for a very short time. My condolences go out to his family and friends.
We still ventured out looking for some fresh snow on the glacier on the Val d'Isere side, even after this news, it just makes you a little more observant. These pistes are normally fairly quiet but they are high and wide and not difficult so great for beginners and intermediates, but I always feel colder over this side of the mountain. Probably because of the height (obviously) but mainly because it stays in the shade for longer, a lot of the slopes are north facing. Now this does have its advantages, it keeps the snow on and off the piste in nice condition.
So looking for good snow off piste can be a little easier, even if it has not snowed for a few days.
We got to the top after one of our group (a mate of mine) fell off the button lift at the bottom, don't worry he received plenty of ribbing for that not from just us and the guide but the rest of our mates skiing with other groups this week.
From the top we traversed along an off piste slope to the side of the piste for quite a while, it looked good powder leading down to the piste but our guide had different ideas. He took us over the other side to some fantastic views and parts of the mountain I would never dream of skiing alone. With mountain goats up above us, sun still shining and the views you dream of this afternoon was fantastic. We still had to be careful and follow the guide closely as there were cliffs and a river running down the mountain which we could not see nor hear until we got near the bottom. The river or stream is a real danger because it is often covered by snow but that snow can give way to some freezing water! After a great afternoon coming down that side of the mountain we eventually made it back to furthest point from Val d'Isere on this side which I finally recognised where I was. A short coach ride back to town and a well deserved beer with some cake back at the hotel, trust me that does go together when you have had a terrific afternoon.

Skiing holiday day 3 morning

On the Tuesday morning we headed over to the Tignes ski area, but before we made it over to Tignes the chair that takes us to the top of Toviere at 2704 meters has an avalanche transponder tester unit. Now all the years I have skied this area and I have never noticed this before, probably because I have not wore an avalanche transponder unit and we tend to use this part of the mountain as the gateway over to Tignes so just ski straight off once we get up there. Shame because there are some fantastic views and a restaurant at the top that on a clear day can see across Val d'Isere and Tignes. Now this transponder checking station is a small board with off piste information and avalanche risk on it and underneath it is a small unit where we stand next to, to check we get the green light that our transponder units around our waists are working.
A brief excursion off piste over on the Tignes side and we headed back to Val d'Isere for lunch. If I was not with a guide I would have probably stayed over the Tignes area and had lunch there, but our guide preferred to eat in Val d'Isere. Another good morning and again the pistes were only used to get somewhere quick, and what I really enjoyed is our guide would ski reasonably fast and safely when the skiing allowed and just told us where he was heading and we either kept up or met him at the bottom. My type of skiing, I much prefer to ski like that than to ski stop, ski some more and stop, I find that can be tedious, not to mention can be unsafe if stopping in the middle of the piste, but I think most people know to pull over to one side to stop at the side out of the way.

Learning to ski

For all those beginners out there wanting to take up the great sport of skiing, then I definitely recommend it.  Find a resort good for beginners with plenty of green and blue runs, (not all resorts have green runs).  The pistes are colour coded for difficulty. Green being nursery slope, blue is easy normally great for learning, red is intermediate, black is difficult and in some resorts the blacks will have diamonds to identify how difficult with the more diamonds the harder the run.
I would always recommend finding a dry slope or indoor slope to take a few lessons first, it will help when you are out on the snow, and make your week's skiing holiday more enjoyable.  It also a very good idea to take lessons when out on your skiing holiday too.  Some lessons will last all day, some will be for the morning and you can ski with your partner or friends if they are better skiers in the afternoon.
I am adding a link to a book I read a few years ago, I read the first edition, but I rate this book very highly, it has some great advice on learning and improving your technique.

Skiing holiday day 2 afternoon

After an excellent lunch back at the hotel, which is full board and fully inclusive and of course the food is excellent, we would probably stay out on the mountain all day if it wasn't and get some lunch in one of the many mountain restaurants, but as the hotel is ski to the door, good food and wine and a coffee before setting out to try and burn off the calories just eaten!
This afternoon was going to be completely off piste, not just in the powder just next to a freshly groomed piste, but walking past the sign that states 'hors piste' and in some cases 'danger' signs.  But we were with an experienced guide from the French ski school, which I regard as one of the best.  Our guide had arranged some avalanche transponder units for us to wear around our waists and checked they worked from his unit.  I asked what happens if he gets caught in an avalanche how do we find him?  To the reply 'well we are in trouble then!' but seriously he had what is called an ABS which is a avalanche bag, when he pulls the cord it inflates a large bag with the idea he floats on top of the avalanche.  Nice idea, hope you never have to use it I thought.  He then explained there are other avalanche aids such as an oxygen bag with a tube, this sits in the front of your jacket and gives you 3 hours of oxygen, hopefully enough to survive until you are found.
The snow had been kind to us, we had 30cm the night before and the sun was out so there was some nice fresh powder, not loads to enough to do what we wanted to do.
Our first area we visited was an area called 'Charvet' not steep but some virgin snow and away from the pistes.  The views and the tranquil surroundings were just amazing, and straight away the feeling of the busy day to day world had been forgotten.  The mountain goats watched us as we skied down to a path that followed a route back in to some civilization.  Although the ski down this side of the mountain was not too difficult, probably just right for someone that only skies once a year, it was still a thrill of a lifetime, being able to look back at the fresh tracks just made by our small group.
We skied some other off piste areas with some walking and trudging through the snow, which can be quite difficult at a high altitude.  Through using the lift system and pistes were used to only get to another off piste, we covered quite a lot of ground in one afternoon.  Some tumbles but unfortunately I never got them on my new iPod with video, which was a shame as I could have put them on here to show all.
A fantastic first day and a well earned drink and cake back at the hotel.

Skiing holiday day 2 morning

When only skiing one week a year (due to funds, not due to the lack of wanting to!) the first morning of the skiing holiday of 2010 is here.
There has been a very recent snow fall of up to 30cm on the higher slopes and 15 - 20cm on the lower slopes.  The pistes have been groomed and the sun is out shining on the top of the mountains as I look out the window as soon as I get up.  For those passionate about things you will understand when I say I feel like a young child at Christmas all excited about getting out on the snow, I can't wait.
I head down to the self service breakfast, more food than you can wish for, back to the room to get my salopettes and ski gear ready, then down to the boot room to get my boots and skis and walk out onto the snow just outside the door which handily leads to a gentle slope to the lifts and cable car.
As a couple of us chose to ski with a guide for the week, we meet up and join the English speaking class for the off piste, our guide is called Stefan and turns out to be a great guide and good fun for the week.  The class is mixed with one guy from Netherlands but living in Geneva (so he did not have far to travel) and a couple from France and a couple of guys from Israel.
For the first morning we ski as a couple of groups on piste to warm the legs up and get our ski legs back, it is a fast pace, but on freshly groomed piste that is an ideal start to what we hope to be a fantastic week.  Snow boarders are put into a separate group so we are all skiers at a similar level, which always helps so there is no waiting around.
I have skied at Val d'Isere for a few years now, but never get tired of the 300km of piste and plenty of off piste, so with the morning consisting of good snow, freshly groomed pistes, sunshine and a steady group to ski with, it was a fantastic start to the week.  After a few hours warm up we head back to the all inclusive full board hotel for our two hour lunch, which normally I would only stop for an hour, but with the food being so good, a glass of wine (when in France do as the French do) is my motto, and at that time I did not appreciate how good and tough the week was going to be, so although I like to class myself as fit to ski, I felt I needed the 2 hour lunches by the end of the week.

Skiing holiday day 1

After laying down a deposit what seemed like months ago, winter ski insurance booked, we were finally ready to go skiing in Val d'Isere in France. The all inclusive full board hotel which gives a fantastic service, excellent food, great boot and ski room, gym, sauna and spa area and not to forget ski to the door is worth every penny plus more, was all booked for the group of 20 of us. Flying from London Gatwick a few of my friends had far to travel so some stayed in a hotel in Gatwick and one of friends stayed with me as I am not far from Gatwick.
Saturday night was a meal down my local Indian restaurant before the early start Sunday morning. After a short drive to the airport, car parked and we all met inside the airport to get checked in. All checked in okay even with one minor hitch of the lead name not on the booking computer at the check in desk?
The short flight of about one and half hours to Geneva, we all collected our bags, boots, skis and boards for those that had them which is always a good start. Boarded the coach for a 3 hour coach journey to Val d'Isere, about the only downside to the holiday is this long transfer, but is worth it to ski at the Espace Killy region with over 300km of piste.
One brief stop on the way and 3 hours later we were in the hotel. Welcome drinks, a brief talk about the hotel which most of us already knew as this being the ninth year at this hotel.
My mate and I are very keen skiers so we got our bags in the room and took our boots straight down to the ski hire room within the hotel. Now our skis and boots in the boot lockers ready for the first morning.
We both signed up for the top ski class which is also included in the price which is more of the tour of the mountains and all off piste by the French Ski School (Ecole du ski Francais)
A good meal and not too much wine so as not to affect the first days skiing the following morning.

Exercise tips_one

As I am keen on fitness as well as my skiing as firmly believe a better level of fitness helps you enjoy your skiing or boarding more, so I thought I would run a session of fitness tips specifically for skiing.

First exercise on the quads (thigh muscles)
An exercise that can be done almost anywhere, so you do not need any expensive gym equipment or memberships (although I would recommend using a gym too) but let's start with the main muscle group for skiing, the quads or thigh muscles.
Standing with your back against a solid wall, keep your feet together out in front of you. Then slide your back down the wall so your knees are at a 90 degree angle and your back is straight against the wall. You may need to move your feet out to get the correct position. With your arms down by your side and hold that position for as long as comfortable.
When you first try this exercise you should feel the thigh muscles in the front of your legs working. Try not to stay in that position too long for the first time as you do need to get back up out of the position and that will be easier said than done when you have been in that position for as long as you can hold it. If you can hold it for 2 and a half minutes then you are doing well.
If your legs are already strong and can hold this for longer, then you can always hold one kilo in each hand or a bag of sugar to add a bit of wait.
Do this exercise every day if you can, it will definitely help when you come to skiing and holding a tuck position or just getting off the floor after a fall if you are a beginner.

Mogul tips

Some tips for the skiers that are starting to tackle the moguls, first make sure you pick a mogul slope that is not too steep when you first start tackling the moguls. Skiing moguls is not for everyone, but can bring a great deal of satisfaction when you can ski them even if you only ski a few turns at a time then catch your breath. The feeling is awesome when you get into a good rhythm, so here goes for some great tips.

1. Keep your weight over the centre of your skis and keep the weight on the whole foot, not heels nor toes.
2. When riding the mogul try to keep your head at the same level so your knees are acting as pistons and shock absorbers absorbing the bumps.
3. It is important to keep your skis together, certainly no wider than your waist.
4. Keep your hands and elbows forward as if you are holding a hoop or a tray (making sure not to spill the imaginary drinks on the tray!)
5. When sliding down the mogul edge, use both skis to control your speed, controlling your speed at all times is very important, it also keeps you in control of which route you are taking through the mogul field. You can also check the skis (a slight parallel stop position to slow down not stop mid flow) on the base of the next mogul bump.
6. Try to plan and look about 5 turns ahead at all times.
7. Don't just use the edge of the ski to turn, try twisting your feet slightly to enhance the turn.
8. Try not to edge too hard this can have the opposite effect and actually create speed.
9. On drop of mogul absorb the drop like jumping off a wall.
10. Don't lift your inside ski in the turn, keeping them together and using both edges to turn as points 1, 3 and 5.
11. Keeping your stomach strong in the mogul field will help reduce the chance of being thrown back. If you get thrown back on your heels, then try to check your speed or stop as weight on your heels will create speed.
12. And finally, when out of the mogul field on the piste that is well within your limits, practice short swing turns thinking of the points above.

Hope that helps and enjoy your mogul fields, they can be a lot of fun. http://buybolleskigoggles.com

Mens downhill

After watching the mens downhill at Bormio, I found it interesting that a couple of new names seem to be appearing on the podiums. Now this could be for a few reasons, like a couple of injuries to the big names which is the case for a couple of unfortunate skiers, but is it also some of the skiers feel they have a decent chance of a medal at the winter Olympic games in Vancouver in a February? And they are backing off slightly to ensure getting down the mountain in one piece with some decent points to add to their championship. Now backing off slightly may sound like a crazy thing to do when these guys need to be committed 100% to their downhill run, but it does make sense. Backing off might mean doing 111 km/h rather than 115 km/h and coming in the top 10 instead of pushing and risking it all for that win. For the mere mortals that can only dream of skiing like these guys, which is most of us, we perhaps cannot appreciate the speeds and efforts required to get the ski edge to dig in at these speeds, but I for one have skied at a decent pace for my ability and I know that if I pushed a little faster, then the likely outcome would be taking a face full of snow as I slide down the piste in probably a spectacular wipeout that should be caught on camera and added to You Tube. So if my limit was 60km/h, which I am only guessing because I have never timed it and I skied at 55km/h that is probably enough to ensure I get down safely but not too far off my limit.

Now of course I am only speculating and it is my opinion, but whatever the reason I think it is great to see some new faces and names winning the downhill and could even carry that form through to the winter Olympics! which could make it very interesting to watch, bring on Vancouver.

Just over 2 weeks to go

So with just over two weeks to go until my skiing holiday in Val d’Isere, can’t wait, mind you need to step up my training as I do like to ski from the morning’s first lift until I get the last lift back up the mountain and keep that going for the whole week. The great I love about Val d’Isere is the amount of skiing, now I know there are a lot of resorts like that but I do like to ski from one side of the mountain to the other side of the mountain range lifts pending of course. So with only a couple of weeks away I am well into the stretching and overall fitness as I find it helps me have a better week, just can’t handle the apres ski though, must be getting too old to burn the candle at both ends?

I am also thinking of getting my boots out of the loft and having a go down a dry slope, should have got my boots out last week or so as the amount of snow we had I’m sure would have made it better!

So for those that have already seen the new year in, happy new year, and for those about to see it in, have a good one, just about to go and get ready to go out now. So last skiing post of 2009, look forward to 2010 and of course my skiing holiday.

Looking forward to the new year

I don't like to wish my life away, but one of the great things about booking a ski holiday for January is it gives me something to look forward to after the Christmas break. Yes I could book any type of holiday that I would look forward to but a skiing holiday is different to a sun and beach holiday, firstly as long as I have the money then I can book a sun and beach holiday anytime of year to go where the sun is, but skiing normally does have its restrictions even if you can afford to ski both hemispheres, which I can't so having that time on the snow just after Christmas is a fantastic thing to focus and look forward to. So once we have all had a great time at Christmas, eaten loads and drunk loads for the lucky ones it is nice to then try to fit into my salopettes and ski gear and make my way to the slopes in January.

Ski fitness

With the new ski season about a month away for the northern hemisphere, you need to be thinking about your fitness to get the most out of your skiing.

Firstly for the beginners, don't make the mistake of thinking 'I won't be doing much skiing for the first week so I do not need to be fit'. I have helped teach some beginners and one thing I have learnt (because I done it myself) is when you are learning, one thing you will need to learn how to do is get off the snow after falling over!

And with all the ski gear, boots and skis on it can be tricky for the first time. The good news is there is a little technique which makes it all very simple. I will go into the technique in another blog, but for today I want to talk about the initial fitness.

Now there are a lot of programmes out there that you can follow which are very good, but the key muscles to get into shape before you go skiing are the legs (I don't say!) but also your stomach muscles abdominals and obliques (front 6 pack and sides of the stomach). The reason being is keeping the core of your body strong not only helps maintain a good skiing position but certainly helps when getting off the floor.

Oh, one other tip, if you have your ski goggles or ski glasses or anything else that can get squashed in your jacket pocket, try to put them in a top pocket that does not get squashed when you get up. A pocket that is legs and stomach may squash your ski goggles or ski glasses.

Snow skiing

A fantastic past time to have for the winter has got to be skiing or boarding in my opinion. One of the attractions for me is the feeling of freedom on top of a mountain with the fantastic views of mountain tops covered in snow and getting to a high point where most good ski resorts have a scenic view point and often with a table naming all the peaks you can see for miles on a clear day.

Along with the amazing scenery, the exhilaration of skiing down a mountain whether it is on the crisp freshly groomed corrugated pistes, skiing in the powder off piste or searching for the steep off piste amongst the rocks (only recommended for expert skiers of course).

I have been skiing for close to 20 years but I still love skiing an easy blue because of the scenery and the feeling of the fresh clean air brushing past my face. So from beginners to expert there is always something for everyone.

So for the beginners I would always recommend hire the expensive equipment like skis and boots before you know you like the sport, you can even hire salopettes and jackets! For the more experienced, well they have enough experience to decide themselves.

The important pieces of equipment are to have skis, boots, salopettes, ski jacket, ski socks, hat, gloves and ski goggles or ski glasses. I find it best to have thin layers under the jacket and often I only wear one item with long sleeves and a round neck or even something like a roll neck.

It’s best to have good ski goggles and ski glasses as depending on the weather and how fast you ski depends on what you wear. But as long as they are a good make and the ski goggles’ have a double lens to avoid fogging you should be fine, I personally recommend Bolle Ski goggles, there are plenty of good makes out there but have a look at my link.