The Skiing Department Blog

My journey to Verbier started with a flight to Geneva, with British Airways, who have now decided to charge for checking in more than one bag. This means for a return trip, it would cost up to an extra £70 to take a suitcase and a ski bag. I got around this charge by packing my ski boots in my hand luggage and all my other clothes in my ski bag. I noticed that many people had taken as much hand luggage onto the aircraft as possible, surely a compromise to safety. I can only imagine the negative impact this has on the UK ski industry when buying your own equipment means an extra charge of £70 on top of your ski trip. I understand that airlines need to make a profit and I would be happy to pay extra for a ski bag, but £70?!

Anyway…….I had decided to go to Verbier but had to travel out on a Sunday and be back on the Wednesday night. I took an early flight Sunday morning and a late flight Wednesday night meaning I could ski Sunday afternoon and all day Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

My skis arrived both safely and quickly (a record for Geneva airport) in the baggage reclaim area and I was outside in under 30 minutes from leaving the aircraft. Getting to Verbier from Geneva airport is relatively simple and there are various options available including the train (about 2.5 hours with 2 changes) or my choice of Alpine Express. This privately owned transport company provides private or shared transport directly to Verbier at regular intervals. I met their representative in the arrivals hall and the transfer left at the scheduled time of 11.00, meaning my arrival in Verbier at precisely 13.00.

Verbier sits on a sunny south west facing plateau 1500 meters above sea level in the French speaking Valais region of South West Switzerland. The town grew during the 1960’s and ‘70’s, quickly establishing itself as one of the leading ski resorts in Switzerland. Renowned for its off piste skiing and crazy night life, Verbier appealed to a slightly younger and edgier crowd than other traditional Swiss resorts like Zermatt or Wengen.

Having arrived in the middle of town, at 13.00, meant I should waste no time getting changed and getting in a few hours skiing. Access to the main slopes above the town on a two stage gondola/cable car system starts at the top of the town, at Medran. I walked onto the lifts without queuing and I was on my skis by 14.00. Before the Funispace cable car was built in 1995, taking skiers directly up to Attelas (2700 meters) was a single 50 person cabin making the journey. Verbier had a reputation for serious queuing bottlenecks in key areas. Slow chairlifts were the only alternative and Verbier was in serious danger of getting left behind by its French neighbours. A huge re-working of the lift system seems to have eliminated all of these issues and in the 3.5 days I skied in Verbier, in the middle of peak season, I did not queue on any lift for more than 5 minutes.

I met up with an old friend of mine who has been coming to Verbier every season for more than ten years. Newton is a Californian who resides in Shanghai, he spends about 3 weeks in Verbier every February. I asked him why he comes back here year after year. ‘The skiing rocks and the atmosphere in town is great’. He goes on to say that this combination is hard to find in any resort on both sides of the Atlantic.

We ride up the Funispace lift together and reach Les Attelas on a sunny and mild Sunday afternoon. The snow looks in good condition although I’ve been warned that the powder could be better right now. We hit the pistes between Attelas and the mid station of Les Ruinettes which offer the intermediate skier good terrain for practicing wide carving turns or making excursions into the bumps, if the need is there. It doesn’t seem too busy although at the end of the day the slopes further down towards Verbier do get a little crowded, as people make their way back home or to the pub.

The piste skiing in Verbier is a bit like going to Rick Steins seafood restaurant and eating steak. You will get a very nice steak, but really it’s all about the fish. Many people hear amazing things about the skiing in Verbier, turn up and don’t quite get it. To really understand what Verbier is all about you have to be able to ski pretty much any kind of slope. This is not to say that beginners or intermediate skiers won’t have a good time. There are plenty of options for all levels to enjoy. But unless you can confidently ski off piste, on moguls or down steeper runs than you find in most resorts then you just won’t get the full Verbier experience.

We leave the off piste to another day and head down to The Pub Mt Fort. This Verbier institution is nestled close to the bottom of the main Medran lift station which is reached by a fairly crowded blue ‘road’ run through the trees. The Pub Mt Fort or just ‘The Pub’ as it is commonly known, is brimming with tourists, ski bums and resort workers mainly from the UK and Scandinavia. There are also plenty of Swiss people around and being a Sunday there are lots of regulars up from Geneva and Lausanne enjoying the late winter sunshine, on the terrace, before heading back to their city jobs the next morning. Newton introduces me to some Finns who seem like they have had a good day. ‘The snow is pretty good but you have to look for the best stuff’ said one, referring to the fact that it has not snowed heavily for more than a week and much of the off piste terrain has been ‘tracked out’. We drank a couple of beers and left early to be ready for a big day out on Monday………to be continued.

The Skiing Department is now on Facebook which gives you another way, to keep updated with our blog posts.

We look forward to hearing from you, on Facebook.

What are ski poles for and why do we need them?

Often a question asked by beginners as they are handed an item of equipment which on the face of it seems unnecessary.

Certainly some beginners are taught without poles at first, especially children as learning to ski without relying on the support of a pole can be beneficial in the long run. But ski poles are an essential tool that enable us to balance, support and time our turns on the slope. In modern day downhill skiing we use two poles, one in each hand.

Balance:
Look at any Alpine or Freestyle ski racer and you will never see them without ski poles. Our balance is enhanced by the length of the poles extending away from our bodies. Skiing is a dynamic and athletic sport which means our bodies are constantly moving and adjusting to compensate for the potential loss of balance. Our skis poles provide an extra aid, to our natural abilities, to keep us in balance.

Support:
When we learn to ski, our ski poles can help us to stay upright when in a stationary position. But we must not rely on them as a general support tool. They can never be used as a brake or a direct aid to change direction. More advanced skiers can use a pole as support in moguls or steep slopes. In moguls, the pole is ‘planted’ on the mogul as a timing device but also provides a minimum amount of support and stability. On steep slopes, a pole can be used as support when making a turn.

Timing:
Skiing is all about turning in balance. Our poles provide an essential timing device that initiates the turning process. Aspiring expert skiers must learn to use their poles as a timing device to progress further technically.

Parts of the ski pole:

Grip/Handle:
Most grips are made with plastic or reinforced rubber. They have small slots for the fingers and some have a larger plate on the top to stop potential eye injuries and the same on the bottom to prevent hands sipping down. Personally I prefer the slim reinforced rubber type without these plates as I place my thumb on the top of the grip.

Strap:
The strap is there to stop the pole from slipping away from the hands. Your hand must go up through the strap and then hold both the strap and the grip. Most straps are integrated into the pole handle although there are some makes which have a special release strap which stays on your ski glove.

Baskets:
The primary role of the basket is to prevent the pole driving down into the snow too far. The basket is situated at the bottom end of the pole, about 3 cm’s from the tip. They come in various circumferences depending on the general depth of snow expected. Most poles have a standard circumference.

Types of Ski Poles:

In most cases, ski poles are ski poles!

One of the most important factors is the length of the poles:
For most adults, the range is anything between 110cm and 135cm, with the average pole length being 120cm for men and 115cm for women. This length depends on your height and the most common and basic way of measuring the correct length of your pole is to take the pole, turn it upside down, hold it directly under the ‘basket’ with the handle on the ground. Your elbow should be at right angles when tucked into your body.

More expensive poles are lighter whilst retaining their strength. They are made with composite materials such as carbon fibre. Cheaper ski poles which are often used for rental purposes, are made from aluminium.

The weight of the pole is only really important for skiers that use their poles to the full extent. Ski racers use various different shapes which aid aerodynamics and contour to the body. Most ski poles are straight and that is the way you should try and keep them!

Ski Tourers use telescopic poles that can extend to walk up slopes and reduce in size when skiing down. They also have larger baskets to stop the poles driving into the snow.

Some manufacturers that make high quality ski poles include:

Scott Sports: Good all round poles for general, Freeride and racing use.

Leki: Makers of the ‘trigger’ system, click and go

Black Diamond: Great backcountry and ski touring poles

BBC Sport will be providing comprehensive coverage of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games which will run from the 12 February to 28 February, including the Opening and Closing ceremonies.

As Britain’s Winter Olympic and Winter Paralympic broadcaster, coverage will be available on TV (including HD), radio, online, BBC red button, mobile and BBC iPlayer and the BBC is set to provide more coverage than ever before.

Full details of BBC coverage can be found on the BBC Sport Vancouver 2010 website.

The BBC TV team of world-class presenters, commentators and analysts will provide intelligent, informative and exclusive insight on all the action in Canada and comprises some well-loved and respected faces, as well as a few new ones.

From biathlon to bobsleigh; curling to cross-country; skiing to skeleton and snowboarding to ski jumping, the BBC TV team of roving reporters – Sir Matt Pinsent and Lizzie Greenwood-Hughes – will prove indispensable as they get under the skin of the man or woman of the moment.

Followers of the Winter Games can stay up to date with all the latest news and information via social network sites Facebook and Twitter.