That other thread was really jumpy...
I couldn't believe the lather it got some folks into.....
it was almost like an April Fool's joke only we're at the wrong end of the year.........
there was some great fishing in amongst it and plenty of bait was taken.......
These days, the specific words which go to make up the title of a book are there to make you pick it up....its not expected to be definitive....its what's inside the book that counts........that's why they invented that catchy cliche....Never judge a book by its Cover....
So what about the ratings given by HH? For me, I'm at the lower level of his scale when it comes to skiing and so I bow to the greater collective wisdom of those on this and other forums........
My need to classify myself is simply so I can communicate to those who are about to give me a lesson....."So what level are you at buddy??".....
I usually answer that I'm at the Advanced Fun Level.......
So here's my take on Fun Ski Levels that I'd like to see.......
Green Fun Level :
Start up skiers.... these guys/gals fall over and immediately commence laughing out loud and make a point of remenicising loudly to others during the apres-ski about the huge fall they had.......no skill, or brains, required to stay at this level but risk of injury is high...mostly recreational skiers and no instructors......
Blue Fun Level or Fun Intermediates :
Recreational skiers and some instructors.....these guys/gals are able to face plant or turtle up and still come up grinning widely cause they've been pushing it and they know they're not far off getting it right,.... no injury this time..thew!!......usually they're with friends who are at a similar level and the apres-ski conversation is about how to get it right the next time........skill and brains are required at this level but risk of injury is still high because of the G forces this lot generate whenever their bodies are in a state of imbalance......
Advanced Fun Blue :
Instructors and some recreational skiiers........OK, these guys/gals are able to smile/grin in/under All Mountain Conditions and in some cases can be heard humming/whistling or singing to themselves as they come done/around the mountain.......they spend their spare waking moments reliving the last seasons thrills ( but not necessarily spills ) and are generally surrounded at the apres ski by friends who listen to their words as if they are spoken by the gods.......risk of injury is now lower because you're skill levels are higher, your fitness is better and you've probably been smart enough to read books and watch vidoes like "Anyone can be an Expert skier"......also being an Advanced Fun Blue makes you a "chick magnet", or if you're an Advanced Fun Blue gal then you become a "guy magnet",.......plenty of skill and now confidence are required at this level and if you've got any brains you won't ignore the magnetic pull you are exerting......
I'll skip the remaining other levels and jump straight to the Expert Fun Level, as there is very little difference discernable to the rabble who aspire to reach the lofty heights of being in the class of being able to have.....Expert Fun ........
Expert Fun Level :
There are few instructors at this level......because, for example, they are too busy either writing/posting on forums like this or else their conversations are lost to us mere mortals by their analysis/paralysis.....
Mostly at this rarefied level, there are only the recreational skiers.........these fun-loving guys/gals type-cast as "recreational skiers" spend their off-season time swapping stories with other like ski-minded friends , planning for their next ski season, especially the overseas one........generally looking fit and healthy as a result of the past snow season's activities.......they ski well and are informed about what is necessary to ski safely both from a skill level as well as a common sense point of view and more importantly they love the exhilaration of the crisp air as they ski down the mountain, they love the smell of the cold, the feel of the snow no matter where it gets in, they thrill at the execution of the last maneovre ........they're with their friends and family having fun and sharing precious moments on the slopes that can't be explained or adequately defined in words.........and in the words of that last-century comic, Maxwell Smart......"and Loving It !! "......
So that's my take on the levels of skiiing......its proabaly has a few conceptual ideas which I haven't explored and to which others can explore if they feel the need to and if they think it would be fun to do so......
Watch out for the snow snakes......
Bluey.....
Last one down's a dirty snowball.....
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