Please do not laugh too much when answering the following ( I have never gone skiing before): <BR> <BR>1. can skiboots be worn when walking around i.e. from your accommodation to the ski-school? on which surfaces should they not be used? <BR>2. when riding a skilift, do skis sometimes become undone and fall off the boots, disappearing down into the great white expanse? <BR>3. what if you would like to carry some stuff with you when sking, i.e. small camera, chocolates...is a small daypack OK or should I stuff it into my jacket? <BR>4. do skiiers get annoyed/upset when beginners fall in front of them? <BR>5. is it better to buy a day-by-day skipass, rather than a multipass, as one does not know what the weather might have in store? Or will skiing generally be possible everyday, even for a small bit. (Jungfrau-area, Jan 6-13). <BR>6. is it true that queueing in Europe does not exist, and that you have to bump & push to get a place on a skilift? <BR> <BR>Thanks all! <BR>

Louise, <BR>You better give skiing a try, before you run out and buy a week-long pass. Also you might be too sore to ski everyday...it's quite an exhausting sport.

don't worry, I am a superfit sportsfanatic.....do lots of running, canoeing, swimming, boardsailing, and rollerblading....so exhaustion is least of my worries. <BR> <BR>Anybody care to answer my questions?

1.) Ski-boots can be worn for walks but they are uncomfortable. If a thin layer of ice is on the streets, stairs etc., they don't offer grip and one should be careful. Normally people wear them on their way to skiing since you don't have to walk great distances. <BR> <BR>2.) Never happened to me and shouldn't happen if you stepped correctly into the skis. <BR> <BR>3.) You can use a small dayback but I prefer to stuff it into my jacket. Don't take too much. <BR> <BR>4.) Normally not. You should start at the easy places anyway and there you won't be alone in having problems with skiing. If you go to the more difficult slopes, one of the main problems will be the drag lifts. If you can't ski, you might have problems with them and force others to step out of the lift, which means that they have to wait again. I did this too and normally people weren't annoyed but rather took it as something which happens. <BR> <BR>5.) I always took a multipass and never regretted the decision. <BR> <BR>6.) Queueing of course exists at the ski-lifts. The difference might be that it is a little bit chaotic at the ends of the line where they might be more of a bulk than a line. If you don't move, someone will pass you but it's done without bumps and pushes. Just take it easy and go with the flow. <BR>I think the idea that queues don't exist in continental Europe comes from the British which have a love affair with them. I will never forget how people started to form a line at a bus station a quarter of an hour before it should arrive. <BR> <BR>

From my experience as an American, central Europeans (Germans, Austrians...) don't queue. You have to be aware of your place in line and aggressively maintain it or someone will happily go in front of you. Maybe they don't push to get on a ski lift, but they pushed in every line I was ever in. Not slamming Germans, but they have a different idea of what it means to queue than Americans. On a scale of 1 to 10 on queue manners, Brits get a 10, Americans get 7 and Germans get 3.

Hans <BR>Coming from Germany I can see why you seem to find it so amusing that the British love to queue, on the few times that I have visited Germany I have been amazed at the German peoples rudeness and pushiness when waiting for some sort of service ie buses, shop counters, not forgetting beach chairs. They appear have no consideration for anyone but themselves. Is it so bad to queue?

thanks for the answers, Hans! <BR> <BR>thank goodness I am South African and not a citizen of any of the nations mentioned above! being part of a multicultural society I am used to queuers and non-queuers.....just wanted to be prepared when I try this sport overseas.

Hi Louise...Back to the skiing questions! <BR> <BR>Hans has covered it very well. What I would add is take a week lesson! Especially in Europe. You will be with other skiers at your level, you will learn much quicker, and you will usually have a great time with the other skiers in the group! I have skied for many years and still take a lesson every once and awhile to fine tune the skills that I have let go lax! <BR> <BR>One other point: Your other athletic skills will help you progress much quicker in your learning curve. I guess you already knew that! <BR>JOHN <BR> <BR>

I agree with John that some form of ski-school is a good idea to get started or to improve the skills. I don't know how easy it is to learn skiing if you have never done it before but I think that it is possible to have fun on your own after a very short time. <BR>It might be the best if you have some form of ski-school which also allows for some time on your own. In a group, the skills are bound to differ, even if you start at the same level. It gets on the nerves if you always have to wait for some of the slower members or feel rushed because you can't keep up with the faster ones. I found it a good compromise to go skiing with a group for half a day (because of the fun in the group or to learn something) and to spend the other half on my own or together with people of the same speed. <BR> <BR>As for the queues, I think that they are respected in Germany if they are formed, for example in front of the cashier's desk in a supermarket or in post offices. In case of a bus, I simply don't care whether I enter it as number three or number eight. I guess that many people think like this and find it difficult to understand why one should form a line. It's more like walking in a crowded street, you don't think about passing someone but you wouldn't push him either to get ahead. Maybe it's something one has to be accustomed to but I don't feel that I'm in a rude struggle.

Good answers from Hans. Re the lessons, agree w/ John they are a good idea. My first time on skis, I had signed up for lessons but had an hour to kill prior to the appointed time. My friends decided to take me down the beginners' slope: despite their best intentions, I careened down the hill, sometimes backwards, ending up covered in snow (and in answer to Question #4, advanced skiers aren't annoyed by falls by beginners--they ARE annoyed, however, if you are out of control, and thus pose a danger to yourself and others). The instructor was horrified, though I probably appreciated the skills I learned from the lesson more than the others. Since then (almost 15 years ago), have skied more some seasons than others--still find lessons useful for learning new skills, brushing up, etc. Often they are for a few hrs in the AM or PM, leaving you free to practice the rest of the day. ...Being in good shape will definitely help, though suspect you'll still find muscles you didn't know you had. And re Question #2, agree that skis are unlikely to fall off, but be careful of your poles and gloves, etc--they can be difficult to locate in the "great white expanse" once they're gone. Multipass saves waiting in line each day (and usually some $), but esp as it's your first time, you may indeed want a day or two off. Finally, re the queueing: last year in Vermont, took the lift up with a British woman who said they'd specifically chosen to go trans-Atlantic to avoid long (and perhaps unruly?) lines in France/Switzerland etc. For whatever that's worth... <BR> <BR>Have a great time! Don't let your friends talk you into skiing slopes you're clearly not ready for--it can be pretty scary getting down. Make sure your boots fit before you leave the lodge (I assume you're renting) and that your long underwear/socks etc. are perfectly smooth in the front inside the boots, as you exert a lot of forward pressure on them and having everything squished up there can become REALLY painful after a few hours. Good luck!

Louise, do as you feel comfortable with. My sister and her husband were novices and a friend started them off on an almost 45 degree slope - needless to say they were scared s***less and were sensible enough to refuse to go and risk injury. <BR>Re queues, sometimes the bus coming along is already almost full, so the first to arrive at the bus stop expect to have the remaining (if any) seats. People in Sydney queue for buses, esp. long distance ones to/from work where the journey can take 1 hour or more. However, generally if there are older or disabled people someone gives their seat up for them, even if they have been queueing longer.

Louise, as a Floridian who'd never seen snow until I went to live in Germany, please be assured that I didn't think your questions were at all funny, but rather, thoughtful! My responses would be: <BR>1. No, buy some snowboots with good tread, and carry your skiboots to the lift area. There will be a place to put your snowboots and anything else you don't want to try skiing with. <BR>2. Yes, skis do sometimes fall off on the lift, especially if you're renting and the bindings aren't set correctly. However, my first-hand experience has been that nice skiers or snowboarders usually retrieve your skis or poles or gloves or hat or whatever else is lost and turn them in at the bottom of the lift. However, it does make getting down tough on one ski. This is a good reason to stick to lifts where your feet stay on the ground (banana bar, "butt lift," t-bar, etc.) until you know what you're doing. Plus, those lifts are usually on the less challenging slopes, which you may want to stick to for awhile. <BR>3. See answer number 1. You can buy a fanny pack to wear, but again, until you know a little bit about skiing, you may not wish to be sitting on your camera, chocolates, etc. Stash them along with your snowboots and retrieve when needed. <BR>4. See answer number 2. Nice skiers and snowboarders will empathize and try to help - until you fall off the third time in front of them and the whole lift has to stop for you to get up. Then they may get annoyed. A friend of mine once absolutely refused to turn loose of the lift when she fell for the third time (because the lift operators will usually "bump" you to the end of the line at that point), and hung on while she was dragged on her side to the top. She looked like she was just relaxing, and we were all in hysterics. Got a lot of attention. <BR>5. Sign up for ski school and get the lift ticket they recommend. You will be able to ski, but having tried the Jungfrau as a beginner, I can seriously tell you that you DO want to take lessons. It is NOT a fun area if you're snowplowing. Took me all day to get down the mountain twice. And I was seriously trying. <BR>6. It is true. Here are two tips: plant your poles between the legs of the guy who tries to ski in front of you, and if the person cutting in front is a kid (which is the norm), wait until he gets just past you, then pull his hat off and toss it over your shoulder. <BR>Have fun... and one other suggestion: Look into cross-country!!