New Sites

Hi all,
We have added some new sites to the "Links" page of our website.
Regards Gail & Mervyn.

Skibike Bungees

Hello there,
A consideration when flying rather than driving on holiday, is how to secure the various pieces of your skibike within your ski bag, it's a question we do get asked occasionally. Ask other skibikers how they do it and they will all come up with different ways of achieving this. Some of the more popular ways include: electrician's tape, Gaffa tape (Duct tape), rope and string - they all work but with the exception of rope and string they are not reusable so a fresh supply has to be packed ready for the return journey. We prefer a different approach, "Bungees". The picture shows a complete skibike including footskis plus a spare front ski, spare pair of handle bars and a bum bag containing tools, all secured using just 5 bungee straps, total cost £1 from a high street £1 special shop. Granted they only last 2 or 3 seasons due to the ski edges tending to chafe them after a period of time. but at that price its not an issue and a piece of card placed between the ski and the bungee reduces the problem considerably.
Gail & Mervyn.

FIS Piste Rules

We have never seen an intentionally reckless approach to skibiking on the ski slopes of Europe and we feel sure the same applies in other parts of the world (discounting racing of course, a safe racer may well be a losing racer.) Even so, the information listed below courtesy of the "FIS" is sound advice and should be of interest to us all.


Consideration for others
Skiers and snowboarders must constantly behave in a manner, which can neither endanger or injure others.

Control of speed and style
Skiers and snowboarders must adjust their speed and style to their abilities, the terrain and the weather conditions.

Choice of line
Skiers and snowboarders coming from behind must select a line, which does not endanger those in front.

Overtaking.
Overtaking is allowed from above or below and from right or left, but must always be at a distance which allows full freedom of movement to the person being overtaken.

Obligations of the lower or traversing skier or snowboarder
Those skiers or snowboarders wishing to enter the run, or cross the piste, must ensure that this is possible without endangering themselves or others, by checking both above and below. The same applies after every stop.

Stopping on the slopes
Skiers and snowboarders must avoid non-emergency stops at narrow or blind spots on a run. Fallers must clear such spots as quickly as possible.

Ascents
Ascending skiers and snowboarders must keep to the edge of the run and leave in bad visibility. The same applies to those ascending on foot.

Observing the signs
Skiers and snowboarders must observe the markings and signs on the slopes.

Behaviour in the case of accidents
All skiers and snowboarders are obliged to help in the case of an accident.

Obligatory identification in the case of accidents/Accident reporting
All persons, whether witnesses or those involved, whether responsible or not, must identify themselves in the case of an accident.

When reporting an accident, prepare answers to the following questions:
Who is reporting the accident?
Where did the accident happen and from where is it being reported?
What has happened and when? Short description, number of persons injured, type of injury
Can a helicopter land and where?
What is the weather like in the accident area ? Bright or cloudy, cloud height, wind direction and strength, visibility in metres, snow type, ...

FIS-piste-rules for download
http://www.fis-ski.com/

New Snow

Hi All,
Last night (New Years Eve) should have been a quiet friendly affair for our family, so how on earth we found ourselves crawling into bed at 4:30 am this morning (New Year's Day) is anyone's guess. About all I can remember of the evening's activities is the fantastic fireworks display at midnight from the London Eye - Sydney Harbour eat your heart out. So another year gone and only 3 weekends to go before we head off to Austria, so now is the busy time, preparing the skibikes and sorting all the clothes for the holiday; it's not too bad when when your vacation is one week, but this time we are going for two weeks so with a 33 kilo airline baggage allowance, items have to be carefully weighed. Thankfully though we pay a skibike surcharge these days so their weight is not included, unlike the old days when this was not an option and you never new if your skibike would make the same flight as you, or any flight for that matter. On a lighter note though it would appear the snow forecast for Austria is looking better with snow predicted for much of this week. We were starting to worry as the lack of fresh snow was becoming a concern.
Gail & Mervyn.
P.S. You may have noticed that the Nostaglia page has gone from our website, the reason is the lack of material we could include, and the fact we had 13 pages in our website, not that we are superstitious though?