Being here in la Plagne this week and skiing the runs you’re showing in your la Plagne series makes me appreciate the effortless speed you carry. Nice bluebird day Sunday. Monday(today) snowed all day. Tomorrow the tunnel run.
Glad you made good use of the videos and at least you are getting some sun and fresh snow :-) I did the tunnel run on day 3 but I'm just getting into day 2 on my videos so still a bit to go before publishing that run. Have a great trip and keep us posted...
@@ChasingSnow beautiful conditions today and weather perfect. Did the approach to the tunnel entrance and got too much speed for an overweight 57 year old and did a triple salco and landed flat on my back still in my skis 👍⛷️. All ok and still enough piste to get run up to the entrance
Got back home from Les Deux Alpes on Saturday, and I would have been going there in eight weeks but I had an sort of awkward fall on the blue run Diable during lessons on Monday the second day there, and my left leg sort of semi twisted as I fell, in addition my 67 year old knees were unhappy towards the end of the lesson, and on the first day were also burning. I’d had enough after the Monday lesson at noon as both knees were burning, so took the skis back to Slide Planet, and hobbled walked back to my hotel - Valentine. The weather was also pretty shitty, as the Sunday was a freezing fog for most of the day, Monday it started bright...ish, but the mist cam down and it was a sort of white out, with flat light on the slope, and I couldn't make out the undulations of the blue run. Tuesday it snowed non stop all day, and Wednesday was dull, only Thursday and Friday it was blue sky's and sunny. My left knee swelled up on Monday evening and night, so on Tuesday I couldn’t put much weight on my left leg, and certainly couldn’t attend lessons the next day. On the Wednesday after taking Ibuprofen and using ‘Deep Heat’ on Monday and Tuesday my left leg was a bit better, and I was able to slowly walk to the ski school to inform them I was dropping out of ski school for the rest of my week there, as at my age I didn’t want to risk any possible further injury. I've cancelled the trip to Alpe d'Huez and La Plagne and I won't be going on another skiing holiday, or trying skiing again. All of the other skiers in my hotel and in the resort I saw were 40 or 40 + years younger then me - an old French guy on a gondola said he was 9 when he started skiing. And the ones my age were obviously well seasoned skiers. In short at 67 with a 35 year gap - I was 32 last time I tried skiing in 1988 - I'm now far to old to go skiing as a beginner. Wishing you always fresh snow under a blue sky.
Hi and not so happy about reading this, after all the preparation you've done. Personally I think you are giving up too easily and perhaps your expectations were not met for a number of reasons. I don't think you are too old but personally I would have done things differently. Firstly I would have recommended just doing some easy greens for the first few days until you are very confident at turning and stopping - with the snow plough/wedge. The easy greens with the magic carpet are ideal and at many resorts, you don't even need a lift pass for those ones. You don't need an instructor or group either, or just maybe a personal instructor for the first half day to show you the basics. This also would have warmed up your muscles and other body parts for skiing, giving you an idea what to expect and would have been ideal on the not so nice days. Doing a blue at such an early stage I would not have recommended. If you have problems with your knees then try a knee brace, I see many people wearing them especially the elder skiers. As I have mentioned previous, nice and slow, especially at the beginning. The problem with a prebooked ski holiday is that you can't choose the weather so people just ski, regardless, which is what I used to do but now I wait out the bad days, usually making videos and ski the good days. Don't give up because of this one experience, I would give it another go but taking it much slower and just focusing on getting there, one easy step at a time. No need to go to the fancy large ski resorts either (you simple won't make use of what they offer) for the expense. There are many good indoor centres in the UK, depending on where you are. Once you can confidently ski blues, then your plan would have worked much better. Don't give up, skiing offers way too much fun and satisfaction to leave it so quickly...
@@ChasingSnow Thanks for the advice, and confidence boost, but the level 1 group I was in was taken onto Diable, and after I fell the instructor put me in a lower group, as the group was going to be "taken higher up onto steeper runs", if you look at the two alpes piste map you see to the left of Diable two green runs, I finished up on the one on the right to finish off the lesson. The only other green at two alpes is Petites Cretes, and I went up on the gondola to hae a look at it and it looked s a steeper green then the one lower down. And the green on the other mountain also looked quite steep. I appreciate your good will, but I'm 67, and despite doing squat exercises ect for weeks my joints are not as supple as they once were, even if I tried again next year, I'll then be 68 then, and I don't really have time on my side anymore, regarding my boots thou the soles were alright, their a 110 flex racing boot as I have small narrow feet and can't wear normal beginner ski boots as they are to wide for me, and even thou I thought I was leaning forward, the instructor said I was was standing straight. I was the oldest member in my group, and a tad older then the instructor, and even in the traverse to another run I found it hard to keep up with them, all the other members were in their low twenties. As for indoor slopes, the one at Trafford Park is my closest, but the slope angle is steeper then Diable. I honestly don't know what to do, as I don't want to risk getting seriously hurt, or break something, as that would be to much for me at my age.
I used to go to the indoor centre at Hemel Hempstead a long long time ago to learn snowboarding and the length of the slope was 160m. To the right there was a smaller beginners section and also, during lessons we would go half way up the longer slope, which was not so steep. I think you should really give it a try and good thing is you can do it during summer. Buy the skiing package with lessons and once you can do the whole slope, I think you should book another ski trip and go with your original plan. Steep sections are not really a problem, you just zigzag wide and you will get used to it with time... Don't give up, just take it nice and slow...
I would agree, don't give up. I'm 62 in a couple of weeks and could probably manage an easy red or tricky blue but actually prefer the nice easy wide blue runs. Watching these videos, I think a nice 15% would suit me down to the ground, but maybe not my kids though. :) I love skiing but just don't want to "test" myself and at my age I'm only too aware of the lasting damage a simple fall could have. You should wear the knee brace "before" you need it, it will definitely help. I would agree about checking out some lessons at the local slope in the UK, that would give you some confidence, try the ones with real snow if you can. Give it another go, but plan carefully where you go, and don't believe the piste maps - all blues are definitely not equal, (especially in France). I would recommend Ruka in Finland with its short, wide gentle runs, or if you fancy France then check out La Plagne, with lots of nice gentle blues to potter around on. Good luck and don't give up. :)
![[4K] Skiing La Plagne, Tunnel Run (Blue) and Inversens (Red), Paradiski France, GoPro HERO11](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/O-oTDkC8Fhg/mqdefault.jpg)
![[4K] Skiing La Plagne, Tunnel Run (Blue) and Inversens (Red), Paradiski France, GoPro HERO11](/img/tr.png)
![[4K] Skiing La Plagne, Crossing Resort - Roche to Inversens, Paradiski France, GoPro HERO11](/img/n.gif)
Being here in la Plagne this week and skiing the runs you’re showing in your la Plagne series makes me appreciate the effortless speed you carry. Nice bluebird day Sunday. Monday(today) snowed all day. Tomorrow the tunnel run.
Glad you made good use of the videos and at least you are getting some sun and fresh snow :-) I did the tunnel run on day 3 but I'm just getting into day 2 on my videos so still a bit to go before publishing that run. Have a great trip and keep us posted...
@@ChasingSnow beautiful conditions today and weather perfect. Did the approach to the tunnel entrance and got too much speed for an overweight 57 year old and did a triple salco and landed flat on my back still in my skis 👍⛷️. All ok and still enough piste to get run up to the entrance
Sweet dreams
💯👍⛷️
Good morning to you Olena :-)
Got back home from Les Deux Alpes on Saturday, and I would have been going there in eight weeks but I had an sort of awkward fall on the blue run Diable during lessons on Monday the second day there, and my left leg sort of semi twisted as I fell, in addition my 67 year old knees were unhappy towards the end of the lesson, and on the first day were also burning. I’d had enough after the Monday lesson at noon as both knees were burning, so took the skis back to Slide Planet, and hobbled walked back to my hotel - Valentine.
The weather was also pretty shitty, as the Sunday was a freezing fog for most of the day, Monday it started bright...ish, but the mist cam down and it was a sort of white out, with flat light on the slope, and I couldn't make out the undulations of the blue run.
Tuesday it snowed non stop all day, and Wednesday was dull, only Thursday and Friday it was blue sky's and sunny.
My left knee swelled up on Monday evening and night, so on Tuesday I couldn’t put much weight on my left leg, and certainly couldn’t attend lessons the next day. On the Wednesday after taking Ibuprofen and using ‘Deep Heat’ on Monday and Tuesday my left leg was a bit better, and I was able to slowly walk to the ski school to inform them I was dropping out of ski school for the rest of my week there, as at my age I didn’t want to risk any possible further injury.
I've cancelled the trip to Alpe d'Huez and La Plagne and I won't be going on another skiing holiday, or trying skiing again. All of the other skiers in my hotel and in the resort I saw were 40 or 40 + years younger then me - an old French guy on a gondola said he was 9 when he started skiing. And the ones my age were obviously well seasoned skiers. In short at 67 with a 35 year gap - I was 32 last time I tried skiing in 1988 - I'm now far to old to go skiing as a beginner. Wishing you always fresh snow under a blue sky.
Hi and not so happy about reading this, after all the preparation you've done. Personally I think you are giving up too easily and perhaps your expectations were not met for a number of reasons. I don't think you are too old but personally I would have done things differently.
Firstly I would have recommended just doing some easy greens for the first few days until you are very confident at turning and stopping - with the snow plough/wedge. The easy greens with the magic carpet are ideal and at many resorts, you don't even need a lift pass for those ones. You don't need an instructor or group either, or just maybe a personal instructor for the first half day to show you the basics. This also would have warmed up your muscles and other body parts for skiing, giving you an idea what to expect and would have been ideal on the not so nice days.
Doing a blue at such an early stage I would not have recommended. If you have problems with your knees then try a knee brace, I see many people wearing them especially the elder skiers. As I have mentioned previous, nice and slow, especially at the beginning.
The problem with a prebooked ski holiday is that you can't choose the weather so people just ski, regardless, which is what I used to do but now I wait out the bad days, usually making videos and ski the good days.
Don't give up because of this one experience, I would give it another go but taking it much slower and just focusing on getting there, one easy step at a time. No need to go to the fancy large ski resorts either (you simple won't make use of what they offer) for the expense. There are many good indoor centres in the UK, depending on where you are. Once you can confidently ski blues, then your plan would have worked much better. Don't give up, skiing offers way too much fun and satisfaction to leave it so quickly...
@@ChasingSnow Thanks for the advice, and confidence boost, but the level 1 group I was in was taken onto Diable, and after I fell the instructor put me in a lower group, as the group was going to be "taken higher up onto steeper runs", if you look at the two alpes piste map you see to the left of Diable two green runs, I finished up on the one on the right to finish off the lesson.
The only other green at two alpes is Petites Cretes, and I went up on the gondola to hae a look at it and it looked s a steeper green then the one lower down. And the green on the other mountain also looked quite steep. I appreciate your good will, but I'm 67, and despite doing squat exercises ect for weeks my joints are not as supple as they once were, even if I tried again next year, I'll then be 68 then, and I don't really have time on my side anymore, regarding my boots thou the soles were alright, their a 110 flex racing boot as I have small narrow feet and can't wear normal beginner ski boots as they are to wide for me, and even thou I thought I was leaning forward, the instructor said I was was standing straight.
I was the oldest member in my group, and a tad older then the instructor, and even in the traverse to another run I found it hard to keep up with them, all the other members were in their low twenties. As for indoor slopes, the one at Trafford Park is my closest, but the slope angle is steeper then Diable. I honestly don't know what to do, as I don't want to risk getting seriously hurt, or break something, as that would be to much for me at my age.
I used to go to the indoor centre at Hemel Hempstead a long long time ago to learn snowboarding and the length of the slope was 160m. To the right there was a smaller beginners section and also, during lessons we would go half way up the longer slope, which was not so steep. I think you should really give it a try and good thing is you can do it during summer. Buy the skiing package with lessons and once you can do the whole slope, I think you should book another ski trip and go with your original plan. Steep sections are not really a problem, you just zigzag wide and you will get used to it with time... Don't give up, just take it nice and slow...
I would agree, don't give up. I'm 62 in a couple of weeks and could probably manage an easy red or tricky blue but actually prefer the nice easy wide blue runs. Watching these videos, I think a nice 15% would suit me down to the ground, but maybe not my kids though. :) I love skiing but just don't want to "test" myself and at my age I'm only too aware of the lasting damage a simple fall could have. You should wear the knee brace "before" you need it, it will definitely help. I would agree about checking out some lessons at the local slope in the UK, that would give you some confidence, try the ones with real snow if you can. Give it another go, but plan carefully where you go, and don't believe the piste maps - all blues are definitely not equal, (especially in France). I would recommend Ruka in Finland with its short, wide gentle runs, or if you fancy France then check out La Plagne, with lots of nice gentle blues to potter around on. Good luck and don't give up. :)