Unrestrained fun on the ski slopes and beyond requires high-quality training. We have collected harmful tips for skiers and snowboarders that will be useful to sympathizers, beginners and professionals. Do the opposite and you will have snowy happiness!
Content
- Skating skills
- Instructor
- Weather
- Equipment
- Skiing or snowboarding
- Expensive equipment
- Helmet and other protection
- Medical insurance
- Riding with headphones
- Markings and signs
- Relaxing in the middle of the slope
- Speed
- Distance
- Queues for the lift
Enough for an understanding
Harmful tips are intended exclusively for outdoor enthusiasts with a sense of humor and common sense.
Captain Obvious
Come learn the skill at cool resorts
Only insecure thrill seekers before going to an expensive ski resort learn the basics on the budget slopes next to home. It is much more pleasant to learn to hold a stand, communicate with a capricious bugel and turn somewhere on the Rosa Khutor than on the Krylatsky Hills or Fox Mountain in Balashikha.
In addition, a lot of professionals around you will immediately motivate you to achieve sports achievements — not like clumsy novice dummies with horror in their eyes. True, the cost of studying at popular resorts is close to staying in a decent hotel, and it’s time to take a loan for a few days for a serious course, but the surrounding aesthetics are more important.
It is much more pleasant to learn how to hold a stand, communicate with a capricious bugel and turn somewhere on the “Rosa Khutor”. Photo: Ovchinnikova Irina/Shutterstock.com
Travel guides to Krasnaya Polyana
Perhaps the most famous ski resort in Russia is Krasnaya Polyana, by this name all three Sochi ski resorts are usually meant: Krasnaya Polyana, Rosa Khutor and Gazprom. We have already told you how the Sochi mountain cluster works and what you can do there in winter when you get tired of exploring the slopes. And to close the issue of housing in the mountains, choose any option from this article, you can’t go wrong.
Study with friends, not with an instructor
Such a clever move will allow not only to save significantly, but also to conduct lessons in a relaxed atmosphere of fun and jokes. It’s not scary if your gang itself is riding only for the first season and does not feel very confident on the slope yet: it’s not so sad to make mistakes together, but in agony and disputes an ideal stance is born (and not at all in the clear instructions of the instructor).
It’s much more fun to collect equipment that has rolled in all directions together, and at the same time you can file and post a lot of content online. Mastering a penguin-style turn alone will ensure a good mood for the whole company for the whole day and lights in the story. In addition, you can yell at an experienced friend if he explains something badly or you’re just very scared – it’s indecent to do this to a stranger. Solid advantages and not a single minus!
For comparison: the cost of an individual one-hour lesson with an instructor at Rosa Khutor and in Sheregesh starts from 4000 rubles. The ski pass for yourself and the instructor must be paid separately.
Such a clever move will allow not only to save significantly, but also to conduct lessons in a relaxed atmosphere of fun and jokes. Photo: Denis Torkhov/Shutterstock.com
Forget about checking the weather
What’s in our yard? Winter. This means that there should be snow everywhere and you can safely go to any resort — even in Sochi, even in the Urals. Climate change was invented by politicians, and the fact that stones and roots stick out under the edging in December instead of a plump one is nothing but the machinations of enemies.
Most ski resorts in Russia open in late November–early December, another question is whether there is enough snow on the slopes. But what about the snow cannons, you’ll say, and you’ll be right. But there are nuances: firstly, they are sometimes not enough, and secondly, the operation of guns is meaningless at +3 ℃.
For example, in the Urals in December of this year, after a week of frosts below -35 degrees Celsius, a thaw began with puddles and plus temperatures. There wasn’t much snow anyway, the lifts didn’t work in the very cold, then the remnants of snow “thawed”, which means that ice appeared on the tracks due to the difference in daytime and night temperatures. In general, my board still hasn’t seen the forest.
Lifts are usually stopped at temperatures below -22-25 ℃ and winds stronger than 15 m/s. Each resort decides for itself under what weather conditions to pause work, depending on the set of cable cars and their design features. Resorts at high altitudes, such as the trails of the Sochi, Elbrus, Cheget and Dombai mountain cluster, may be closed due to avalanche threats.
Resorts at high altitudes, such as the trails of the Sochi, Elbrus, Cheget and Dombai mountain cluster, may be closed due to avalanche threats. Photo: Egor Bugrimov/Shutterstock.com
Do not check your gear before going down
It can’t be that you were given skis or a board with poorly tightened fasteners at the rental or they got loose from a couple of descents. Therefore, leave the screwdriver at home and do not try to check in advance whether everything is in order with your sports equipment: you will figure it out in the process. If trouble does happen and you have to walk, walk proudly down the center of the slope: let everyone see that one failure cannot break you.
Skiing or snowboarding: decide which camp you are in
Ancient legends about the confrontation of fans of one or two boards on their feet are not only still relevant, but also cause serious battles even in the company of friends. Skiers dislike snowboarders for their dash on the track and slowness on the lift, and boarders tend to believe that the former are too arrogant and conservative, besides their sticks are very dangerous. Decide in advance which side you’re on. In no case do not try to understand the opponents or try their way of descent and fiercely defend the interests of your brotherhood.
Ski-only resorts are already appearing in the world, where snowboarders are not allowed to enter. These are the rules of the Alta Ski Area in Utah in America: the site greets guests with a warning “Snowboarding is not allowed”. What is the discrimination of skaters! Fortunately, such “progress” has not yet reached Russia and opponents can ride on the same slope.
Ancient legends about the confrontation of fans of one or two boards on their feet are not only still relevant, but also cause serious battles even in the company of friends. Photo: Sergey Mironov/Shutterstock.com
Buy expensive equipment right away
It’s okay if, after another stupid fall on the rollout, you throw a top-end Jones Hovercraft or Arbor Coda Rocker snowboard into the pantry and never get it again. But it will not be a shame to post a picture of a blackboard against the background of the Caucasus Mountains on your favorite social network. They won’t give you such beauty at the box office, and it will be inconvenient in front of friends with a life-beaten rolling projectile. Whether it’s the choice of professionals, such a board rides on its own, turns and pops up in a puddle while you look around. The admiring glances of experts are a bonus.
For a top-end snowboard or ski, you need to pay from 50,000 rubles or more. For comparison: the cost of renting an entry—level kit on our beloved Rosa Khutor starts from 2,200 rubles per day, on Elbrus – from 1,800 rubles per day. However, if you have been riding for a long time and often, then your own equipment will really save money in the long run.
For a top-end snowboard or ski, you need to pay from 50,000 rubles or more. Photo: Alexander Ishchenko/Shutterstock.com
Where to go skiing in Russia
Choose any of the 17 ski resorts in Russia for a winter vacation — from small slopes with short trails near the city to large-scale ones, close in service, mileage and lifts to the European level.
Give up the helmet
As everyone knows, cowards came up with not only brakes, but alsoa ski helmet, funny shorts with built-in hip and tailbone protection, a “turtle” or “shell” for the back, knee pads, elbow pads and other boring things. All of them limit the rapid flight towards adventure! Such a longing: while you put all this on yourself in the correct sequence, you will definitely forget something, curse and double-lace your shoes — faster and less burdened with protection rivals will already roll out the whole corduroy.
Protection also hinders movement and looks bad in photos, and the helmet generally spoils the hairstyle. Give it up in favor of complete freedom and look down on your fully “packed” companions on the slopes — they, fools, will surely remain intact, even if they drive into the fence with a swing.
By the way, every ski resort has its own rescue service. The phone number can be found on the ski pass, in the application, on the running line near the boarding stations of the cable cars or on the information stands at the ticket offices. Write it down just in case.
Protection also hinders movement and looks bad in photos, and the helmet generally spoils the hairstyle. Photo: gorillaimages/Shutterstock.com
Do not buy sports insurance
If something happens to you on the slope, your family and friends will gladly chip in for expensive treatment and six-month rehabilitation. Do not deprive them of the opportunity to voluntarily and forcibly engage in charity and feel their own importance.
Keep in mind that according to statistics, snowboarders are injured three times more often than skiers. First of all, fans of riding with their legs strapped to one board suffer from wrists, ankles, knees, head and shoulder girdle. Skiers are more likely to get a fractured shin and torn ligaments. If you’re still going to read about insurance, here’s our detailed guide.
If something happens to you on the slope, your family and friends will gladly chip in for expensive treatment and six-month rehabilitation. Photo: Peter Porrini/Shutterstock.com
Ride with headphones
Your favorite music at full volume in noise-canceling headphones increases the buzz from the explosion of a chubby and creates the effect of paradise. It doesn’t matter that you don’t hear anything behind you, especially when driving through a dense forest, where there are a minimum of available trajectories and opportunities for safe overtaking. Your pleasure is more important than politeness — after all, you didn’t turn off the highway into fir trees and rocks to let others pass and listen to shouts. Enjoy your life and let the whole world wait.
But seriously, to ride and listen to loud music in the crowd, come to one of the many ski festivals. They are usually held at the beginning and end of the season, but there are exceptions. The most famous are GrelkaFest in Sheregesh (April 12-21, 2024), New Star Camp (March 25-31, 2024) and BoogelWoogel (dates are still unknown) at Rosa Khutor.
Favorite music at full volume in noise-canceling headphones increases the buzz from the explosion of a chubby and creates the effect of paradise. Photo: Maridav/Shutterstock.com
Ski resorts in the near abroad
We have prepared a list of ski resorts in the CIS countries, Turkey, Georgia and Serbia — options for those who want to combine active recreation with sightseeing.
Ignore the signs and markings
Exceptionally fearful people, who probably got up on a board or skis for the first time in the morning, obediently ride only on marked trails. The brave fearlessly climb under the net, ignoring the forbidding signs, and break through all obstacles to meet the coveted chubby. For example, driving on the slopes in Sheregesh and not trying to go into the forest is a terrible, literally unforgivable sin, for which skiers in the next world are definitely waiting for the snowless Sahara desert as punishment.
Avalanche danger? A steep cliff? It’s not true, it’s just that the resort administration wants to take a ride on the untouched snow itself after work. Push forward and don’t deprive yourself of pleasure because of reinsurers and greed. The same applies to color coding: the “black” and “red” tracks were invented to reduce the flow of skaters, and not at all because they are difficult.
For example, on Cheget, the “green” track for beginners ends abruptly from the top and turns into difficult “red” ones. If you do not look at the scheme of the resort and the marking of the trails in advance, fears and suffering or going down on a cable car are provided.
Avalanche danger? A steep cliff? It’s not true, it’s just that the resort administration wants to take a ride on the untouched snow itself after work. Photo: sirtravelalot/Shutterstock.com
Rest in the middle of the slope
This is the best place to take selfies and videos for social networks and see what is so funny in the messenger. In any case, do not stop from the edge of the track — this way you will be poorly visible to other skaters, and they will not be able to fully appreciate your cool equipment and fashionable combos.
Photos from the slopes of the resorts of the Sochi and Elbrus mountain cluster will be especially good: it’s nice to look at the white peaks and know that you won’t have to climb them. Do not forget to actively wave your hands and sticks in the process of photographing the highest point of Russia, so that others know where to look and where to look for beauty: suddenly they do not know yet.
The middle of the slope is the best place to take selfies and videos for social networks. Photo: anatoliy_gleb/Shutterstock.com
Drive hard
Speed control is the lot of reinsurers. Chase Olympic records on a crowded track and scare them away with scary screams in an attempt to increase the speed a little more. You didn’t pay a lot of money for equipment and a ski pass to slow down in the most interesting place. In the end, when the rollout is over, you can please a pretty stranger with a hot hug — Tinder has left Russia, and you need to arrange matters of the heart.
And now a sincere and serious advice: choose wide tracks for speed. If you get tired of Rosa Khutor, go to the Bolshoy Woodyavr resort in Kirovsk. There is artificial lighting here, so you can continue training even at dusk.
Chase Olympic records on a crowded track and scare them away with scary screams. Photo: Dawid K Photography/Shutterstock.com
Do not keep the distance when overtaking
A bowling alley of skiers and snowboarders is a game for real professionals. Overtake end—to-end, cut and fly away without turning around – let beginners get used to the harsh realities of skiing, and confident riders jump on the spot from surprise. If someone gets scared, brakes sharply or falls, this is not your problem – there is nothing to go out on the slope with shattered nerves.
The most interesting thing is to make a fuss on the already narrow roads. For example, on the descent to Glade 960 at Krasnaya Polyana.
Push in line for the lift
With all your strength, using elbows, skis or a snowboard, break through the queue at the lift to the coveted chairs. Walk on other people’s boards, do not pay attention to small children and strive to occupy the entire armchair for late friends at once. The queue will wait, because time is more expensive for you than for other vacationers.
The largest queues traditionally gather for the holidays — do not miss the opportunity to hang out in the crowd and collect a lot of negativity in anticipation of the “Breadbox” in the Hash!
With all your strength, using elbows, skis or a snowboard, break through the queue at the lift to the coveted chairs. Photo: Mirelle/Shutterstock.com
Now you are mentally ready to go out on the slopes anywhere in Russia from Khibiny to Kamchatka. Gather your friends and go in search of corduroy, puffy and unforgettable adventures!
Cover photo: Yuriy Brykaylo/Shutterstock.com
