Distantly related but still an outdoors activity: Anybody here ski?

[Saab2000]

I'm an adequate skier but not a great one. Started late in life, as an adult. It is a sport which is best started as a child, and as a young one at that.

But I have been lucky with my surroundings and ability to travel. Big trip planned for January.

Anyway, anyone else here have that bug? What about east coast skiing? I know it's gonna be very weak, but I'm only a couple hours easy drive from Wintergreen in Virginia and it's been cold lately. I have my ski stuff in VA at the moment.

Maybe next week if it's warm I'll drive up for a day on the slopes.

Other east coast skiing? But it's all I gots for now.

I know there are a few folks here who do this and skiing is almost as cool as cycling but it doesn't come as naturally to me, which is perhaps why I like it. It challenges me but still excites. So I want to improve.

Anyone else?

[prcrstn8]

Bring your hands down and out* where you can see them out of the bottom corners of your eyes. And shift your weight a little further out over the hill, away from the mountain, exactly what your intuitive sense tells you not to do.

Sorry for the (constructive!) criticism , I can't help myself - been at it since about '62, wooden skis and leather boots and cable bindings. Frostbite, black&blue, separated shoulder, whacked in the balls by my own ski during the safety-strap era, cut off the tip of my pole with my own ski, lost my glasses in the snow. Skiied most of NY, VT and MA, never been to NH, dunno why. Went to ME once. Been to CO, UT, WY, NM, and CH - Verbier is heaven but Taos is a close second. Skiing is my first love, cycling didn't do it for me until much later.

Going up to Sugarbush next week, my usual destination. Followed by Mont Tremblant, never been there and looking forward to it even though we're gonna freeze.

Like those Stocklis. Got a pair of those myself.



*Each arm is 9% of your total body weight. Moving 18% of your weight out in front helps keep your entire body forward.

[Britishbane]

These days I'm only an occasional skier. Its been two years since my last outing. Living in the mid atlantic its hard to get excited about 3 minute runs and 10 minute lift lines after skiing out west.

That said, I LOVE skiing. At the end of the week I'm heading out to the land of Strong and Kirk to Moonlight Basin, MT. Its one of my favorite ski destinations. Not the greatest of amenities, or snow, or nightlife, but its beautiful and uncrowded.

[Saab2000]

Bring your hands down and out* where you can see them out of the bottom corners of your eyes. And shift your weight a little further out over the hill, away from the mountain, exactly what your intuitive sense tells you not to do.


Like those Stocklis. Got a pair of those myself.



*Each arm is 9% of your total body weight. Moving 18% of your weight out in front helps keep your entire body forward.

I need some good lessons. I might sign up for a couple hours of private lessons in January when I go overseas. I did a lesson a couple years ago and it was OK, but the girl doing the lessons spoke no English and very poor German, so there was hardly any communication. Lame.

A lot of it is counterintuitive. I am better than the picture might show, but not that great either. The action shot was skidding to a stop on a fairly steep slope. Not very elegant... The other one was where we got caught in some unexpectedly soft stuff and it tripped me up a a bit.


As to the Stöcklis, I bought them in Switzerland from my bro-in-law. It's their national brand and I'm a fan of the Swiss stuff. But I don't know much about skis and wouldn't be able to tell differences like I can with a bike.

It's not my first love, but if I had grown up in the mountains instead of in Wisconsin it might be. The first time I tried it I was mesmerized and I have always been hypnotized by the World Cup Downhill races. Terrifying and exciting at the same time.

[Britishbane]

RE: Ski's. I desperately need a new pair. My Rossignols are probably a decade old, one of the first generation of shape ski's. Any suggestions for an all-arounder that leans somewhat towards high speed stability and carving ability?

A couple shots from Moonlight a couple years ago:

[prcrstn8]

Nothing helps more than multi-day group lessons, year after year. You'll find places and learn things you'd get very late, if at all, on your own, and you'll learn from the others in your group, too. Sometimes from their mistakes. Private lessons work if you can afford the same instructor for multiple days or if you want a shortcut to learning the shortcuts of a particular mountain. The equipment now lets you learn much faster, even on your own, up to a point but then you have to put in the time and work at it.

Ski Sharp near Sugarbush sells Stocklis. When I belatedly switched from long skinny Dynamics (dee na meek) to shaped skis a few years ago I bought them there.

This kinda shit speaks to me

[curtisvill]

Gre up skiing and was a ntionally ranked racer thru high school. Drugs and a shattered ankle ended any dreams I had of making it a career but I spent 1 year living the dream in Lake Tahoe and skied over 100 days that winter. It is still my favorite sport and is how I found cycling.

I make several trips a year back west to ski, my folks live in Durango, CO so I get to visit them and ski at the same time, win win for everyone involved. Since I stopped racing I have not skied on the east coast, to many nights and to much ice while training just led me to love the softer snow of the west. Granted the hard packed conditions of the east will make you a better technical skier I just don't take the time ski here.

I make take one major trip every year to British Columbia for a week of helicopter skiing. Simply the finest skiing experience I have ever had and keeps me coming back. There is nothing like skiing untracked powder all day for a week. No lines, incredible scenery, pick your line and go. I will post some pictures after I upload them from my computer.

Saab2000 drop me a pm if you want to make a day trip for some turns.

John

[tele]

Got into cycling to try to get stronger for skiing. I moved from bashing gates in high school to free heeling and have not looked back. I thought skiing was expensive, dammit. I have gone quite a few places out west and in Europe, but right here in good ole New England theres some pretty good skiing.....

[Saab2000]

Maybe they're not so distantly related after all. Look invented modern clipless pedals and they were a ski company. And skiing brought some cyclists to skiing. And skiing can have an obsessive lifestyle not so far from that of cycling.

I like it.

Both have lots of technique and are full of nuance which have to be lived to be understood.

[tele]

Both have lots of technique and are full of nuance which have to be lived to be understood.

The beauty is in the details. After skiing for most of my life, not one day goes by where I dont try to refine technique or do something a little different. I can always get better. Now if I had the same knowledge of cycling technique I might be dangerous.

Another common thread between the two: after a good ride or day on the snow, beer justs taste better.

[Saab2000]

Another common thread between the two: after a good ride or day on the snow, beer justs taste better.

That is the truth!

[prcrstn8]

Another common thread between the two: after a good ride or day on the snow, beer justs taste better.

Big thumbs up.

[AbeNP]

Word. I had an awesome trip last winter to Stowe, VT with my lady friend for some skiing* and drinking. As a novice I highly recommend Stowe for a great big mountain experience on the east cost. And of course drinking: the bar at Ye Olde England Inne was the tits for apres ski. Plenty of really good beers from europe on tap and free appetizers every afternoon (that's right, we were there every afternoon).

*I actually snowboard. I hope that's alright with everyone .

[tele]

*I actually snowboard. I hope that's alright with everyone .

fuckin' knuckledragger. my oldest wants to try snowboarding this year, I cant believe I am going to let him. I think I need a support group to help through this time in my life.

oh yeah, I love Stowe.

[prcrstn8]

Mine does too. But we're out there together, a good thing.

I hate the way that jacket puffs out around my gut. Musta been the light or something.

[tele]

Mine does too. But we're out there together, a good thing.

that's what I tell myself, we can do it together, it'll be alright. actually i tell myself i'll earn some extra brew!

[Disturbed]

Yeah, I skied a bit.....

Grew up on the Mountain Road in Stowe VT.

Started skiing when I was 2.

Father was a former 10th Mt Division member that directed the Ski school in Stowe for 35 years.

Mother taught skiing in Stowe where she met my father.

Sister #1 former US Ski team member [60's]

Sister #2 also taught for 10+ years.

Full time coach/instructor when I was 18.

Pro raced on the Eastern Pro Tour for a few years.

Last NASTAR handicap I held was a 2.

Coached 3 summers in Zermatt Switzerland.

Walked away from it when I was 32 to train dogs and have never [OK, 2 runs 5 years ago in tribute to by best friend who died in an accident] looked back.

Don't miss it and will probably never ski again.

Funny to think back on it.

[Tom]

...my oldest wants to try snowboarding this year, I cant believe I am going to let him.

Only let him if it's on a GS board with hard boots. I'm telling you, it's the only way to do it.

I have skiied since I was about two and a half feet tall and while I still enjoy it thoroughly, the time I came over the top of Mountain Run at Whiteface and there wasn't a single person below me so I made wall to wall arcs at a good 45 miles an hour all the way down is the one run I can remember every single inch of.

[MaestroXC]

I skied for the first time in about 11 years last year, and loved it. I'm apparently much stronger and coordinated than I was at 13; go figure. Shelled out for my first pair of boots while I was up at Stratton over the summer, and the girlfriend and I are leading a crew of about 13 up to Burlington in January...I'm glad to hear Stowe is so rad, I was actually shying away from it because it's more expensive than the multitude of other mountains in the neighborhood. Does anyone have any other recommendations in that vicinity? Just looking at the map it looks like Smuggler's Notch and Bolton Valley are right down the road (from Stowe).

A local ski snob suggested we go to Mad River Glen, but I think that would be too much for almost everyone going on this trip...thoughts?

[tele]

Only let him if it's on a GS board with hard boots. I'm telling you, it's the only way to do it.

why's that? do they have hard boots for 7 year olds?