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Carry Your
Skis / Poles Easily and Safely Without Skewering Someone
By Mike Beaudet
As simple as
it might appear to the inexperienced, injuries due to the way we
carry snow skis and poles, to and from ski resorts, can be avoided,
here is how an American Ski Instructor in France teaches it in ski
lessons.
The first thing
to know is that travelling with skis, boots and poles is not an
easy thing to accomplish even for the best of skiers. That in mind,
we will keep safety and ease of transport as our goal along with
trying to look like the real “ski pro” that you are!
Preparation
phase:
- Place your
skis with the ski tips up and the bottoms, the “base” that is,
facing each other. You can obtain inexpensive “Velcro ski strips”,
(you will need 2) from your ski hire shop, and you will place
them on the top and on the bottom of both skis to strap them together,
ski bindings to the outside. Take your ski poles at the straps
(“loops” that go around your wrists) and place the loop on each
respective ski then tie them together with a short piece of cord
around the “waist” or middle of the ski. The following is very
important for travel by car or plane. You will need to purchase
a “ski bag” of good quality to protect the integrity of the binding
mechanism. You want to avoid road dirt or salt entering and affecting
the safety features of your bindings. It is always a good idea
to have the ski shop adjust and verify your bindings before starting
to ski on the first day of your ski holidays. Ski bags, along
with protecting your equipment, will also be a place that you
can put extra socks, hats, gloves and other unbreakable items
as there is always room to do so. Last word of advice put your
socks, gloves and hat in a plastic bag so they do not get wet,
on the way to the ski area!
- Boots go
into a boot bag along with other essentials, tooth paste, shaving
cream, and ski goggles (so they don’t get squashed)…because you
will always want to take your boot bag with you on the plane.
If your ski bag and luggage are lost, you can always hire skis,
but your own boots are difficult to replace.
- Your clothes
and kit will go into a “back pack” the size and shape is a personal
thing but you need a good one with dorsal support and pockets
on the side. This leaves your hands free and you will need them.
- Make sure
that all bags and pack have the same identifying mark (like a
flag or patch or even a badge of your old school) and all your
contact info sewn in the material and in plain view around the
handles or pick up straps!
At the Airport:
- Best bet
is to get a caddy and wheel your stuff over to the ticket counter,
take a “stretch tie-down strap with hooks on both ends” this will
help keep things in place on the caddy and comes in handy for
a lot of other things on a ski trip!
At the ski
area:
- After you
have taken all your ski gear out of the ski bag have it checked
at the local ski shop and arrange to pick it up in the morning
if work needs to be done on the skis. Don’t forget to take your
boots as the ski technicians can’t adjust your bindings without
them!
- The fun
part is carrying your skis over your shoulder in a way that your
girlfriend thinks you’re a real “ski pro”….and your friends get
intimidated by your prowess.
Carrying
skis:
- Place your
skis standing ski tips straight up, (Velcro straps still on) and
after looking behind you swing the tails of your skis behind you.
Bring your skis to a somewhat horizontal position with the “toe
piece” front part of your binding behind your shoulder. Let the
skis rest on the shoulder with the tails at an angle that allows
them to be over your head with the tips pointed down in front
of you! You will carry your ski poles together in the other hand.
Make sure that every time you turn around; be sure there is no
one behind that could be hurt.
Now that you
know how to do it, be very careful around others that may not.
Mike Beaudet
also known as “Megeve Mike” and is the founder of Ski Pros Megeve.
Megeve is located in French Alps, at the foot of Mt. Blanc, just
a 1 hour drive from Geneva International Airport. Day ski tours,
private and small group ski lessons for skiing enthusiasts of all
levels and ages in the French Alps, Italian Alps and Europe.
Mike has an
extensive background in skiing, teaching group and private ski lessons.
Mikes credentials include Full Certification in Professional Ski
Instructors of America-RM, the prestigious French Government “Ecole
National de Ski et d’Alpinisme” in Chamonix as a Moniteur de Ski
Diplome and also a member of the first PSIA National Academy, Mt.
Hood, Timberline, Oregon. With 30 years of ski teaching and coaching
experience in the US and France he has taught major ski areas in
France and America. Visit his Websites, http://www.SkiProsMegeve.com
Contact Mike personally at: http://www.geocities.com/MikeSkiFrance/
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