2013/2014 Newbie Ski Improvement Strategy

[ss20]

Go to the top of the biggest mountain you can find & just point them downhill.

That only works on kids ages 3-7.

 

[steamboat1]

Go to the top of the biggest mountain you can find & just point them downhill.

When you start to go to fast fall down.

Rinse & repeat.

 

[dlague]

Since the center of gravity is higher for adults, I recommend treading lightly and build up!

 

[steamboat1]

This guys a weinie.

No problem.

 

[dlague]

With our family experiencing three broken collar bones, a torn ACL, a broken shoulder and three concussions we know a lot about gravity! Does not impede our skiing though - out there every day of every weekend. The only one without injury is our youngest and he is still low to the ground!

However, the point and shoot down hill approach does teach a lot!

 

[dlague]

I also need to point out that when a teenager many years ago my friends who skied well left me at the top of Jay Peak off the Jet chair and took off! Learned a lot that day!

 

[thetrailboss]

I saw your earlier posts here. Getting in time on the snow is what is most important...so I'd stay close to home for now instead of driving so far north.

 

[NotEasyBeingGreen]

I'd say Butternut is a great idea. I had a couple of game-changer breakthrough days there on some trails that were just slightly outside of my ability and comfort zone, but not scarily so. That's been the key for me - pushing myself just a little bit more each time I'm out. Not so much that I risk injury, because I want to go out the next weekend! It's could be easy to fall into a habit of only doing the comfortable trails, which is fun, for sure, but you don't progress. Also, I try to have a plan each day for what I want to work on such as getting more comfortable with speed or bumps or steeper incline,etc. and that plan is usually dictated by the snow.

Also, I have learned a TON from reading this forum!

 

[uncleezno]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I think I'll stick closer to home at Butternut and do my lessons there. The driving time is half of what it is to get to Killington, which makes a difference, especially since I'll be doing the drive solo. The cost of gas to get back and forth to Killington is about $225 by my estimates, which makes the free skis (whose exact model Killington won't tell me) less of a deal.

 

[steamboat1]

Driving solo doesn't bother me, in fact I sometimes prefer it. But that's me, you may be different. I don't know how you're coming up with your gas cost estimates because I can drive from Brooklyn, NY to K & back on less than $100 worth of gas in my Subaru Outback. I think that's a little further than central CT. You must be driving a real gas pig. I'm not knocking Butternut but I think you'll progress more rapidly at a mountain that has more challenging terrain available, especially since you already have a season under your belt. You don't have to ski the more challenging terrain but it's at least there if you chose to. Don't know why you can't find out which ski's they're giving away, the info is readily available.


edit: as for NotEasyBeingGreen's comment about pushing himself just a little further but not so far as to risk injury that's bunk. I broke my ankle & blew out my ACL last year on a simple flat traverse going to a chair. I've been skiing over 50 years! Injury can happen anytime, anywhere.

 

[uncleezno]

I appreciate your opinion. I drive a 2013 Impreza that costs about ~$70 to fill up. It goes about 400 miles on a tank. It's 150 miles to Killington, so 300 miles each way or 1200 miles total for the four trips. That's three tanks, or somewhere north of $200. I don't know what to tell you about that except that it's the truth, and it's an expense that I'm paying attention to. It's ~270 miles each way from Brooklyn to Killington, over 500 miles roundtrip, so you're talking about a tank each time for yourself, too.

As for the ski, I called Killington and asked, and they wouldn't tell me what model it is. Yes, I have a link to that picture as well, but there's no Explore eRise on either their site or the catalog of rental skis they offer. eRise is a marketing term for a feature in their skis, but they won't say what the actual ski is. I could take a guess, I suppose.

Don't see the need to call my car a gas pig, or to say why I can't find out which ski's [sic] they're giving away, or to blithely suggest that I just go to the top of the tallest mountain and fall my way down. And clearly driving solo for three hours each way bothers me, that's why I mentioned it. To everyone else, again, thank you.

 

[dlague]

Injury can happen anytime, anywhere.

+1 In my family we know this all too well! One example: My wife who has about 14 years of experience and I consider her an advanced skier got cut off (literally skied over her skis) by an out of control beginner on a narrow trail that was flat - result seven fractures down her Humerus from the Humerus Head down. Lucky for me, she got back out there last season and cranked!

When learning - ski in control and build confidence, later increase the risk when you understand balance and control better! There isn't a race to be the best or fastest or the most extreme! Ski the way that makes you happy and challenges you in a way that makes you feel good! This sport is one of the most exhilarating experiences most of us can have! Learn it enjoy and have fun!

 

[Savemeasammy]

Good call on choosing a local mountain. If your goal is to get better, nothing trumps time on the hill (especially when added to quality ski instruction). Spending less on fuel means there is more in the budget for equipment! Ski the heck out of Butternut this season, and good luck improving your skills.

 

[snowmonster]

I went from never ever seeing snow to being a pretty competent skier recently so let me echo what some posters here have been saying: there's no substitute for time on the snow. So, try to get as much ski time as possible. Skiing is a game of constantly building muscle memory and learning to react to different snow conditions. I started by getting on the ski bus as often as I could because that was the cheapest option available to me.

If you're the type of person who learns faster by reading about a sport then executing the movements on the hill, you may want to supplement practice by reading about ski technique and practicing drills. I learned a lot from two books: The All Mountain Skier by Mark Elling and Breakthrough on the New Skis by Lito Tejada Flores. I only took two ski lessons in my life and these books offered me an insight on skiing technique for a cheaper price. The Elling book comes with drills that you can do on the hill to help you break through. Sometimes, I would go on a ski trip and just work on one set of drills the whole day (e.g., railroad carves or carving on one ski). I think these books gave me good skiing habits and helped me break down the intricate physical movements that you need to be a better skier. Plus, the books helped me cut down on ski lesson expenses. I was penny pinching as much as I could when I got into the sport and I think I got a lot more knowledge for $20 than a whole season's worth of ski lessons.

You may also want to consider skiing with some of the AZers around here. Nothing like a bunch of ski enthusiasts whose techniques are higher than yours to feed of on. A lot of getting better at a sport is emulation and having a group push you forward on that learning curve is a good thing. Plus, you get to swap stories over beers at the bar when the lifts shut down for the day.

Have fun out there, man! Skiing is the closest you'll get to flying without leaving the ground. I already miss it!

 

[dlague]

I went from never ever seeing snow to being a pretty competent skier recently so let me echo what some posters here have been saying: there's no substitute for time on the snow. So, try to get as much ski time as possible. Skiing is a game of constantly building muscle memory and learning to react to different snow conditions. I started by getting on the ski bus as often as I could because that was the cheapest option available to me.

If you're the type of person who learns faster by reading about a sport then executing the movements on the hill, you may want to supplement practice by reading about ski technique and practicing drills. I learned a lot from two books: The All Mountain Skier by Mark Elling and Breakthrough on the New Skis by Lito Tejada Flores. I only took two ski lessons in my life and these books offered me an insight on skiing technique for a cheaper price. The Elling book comes with drills that you can do on the hill to help you break through. Sometimes, I would go on a ski trip and just work on one set of drills the whole day (e.g., railroad carves or carving on one ski). I think these books gave me good skiing habits and helped me break down the intricate physical movements that you need to be a better skier. Plus, the books helped me cut down on ski lesson expenses. I was penny pinching as much as I could when I got into the sport and I think I got a lot more knowledge for $20 than a whole season's worth of ski lessons.

You may also want to consider skiing with some of the AZers around here. Nothing like a bunch of ski enthusiasts whose techniques are higher than yours to feed of on. A lot of getting better at a sport is emulation and having a group push you forward on that learning curve is a good thing. Plus, you get to swap stories over beers at the bar when the lifts shut down for the day.

Have fun out there, man! Skiing is the closest you'll get to flying without leaving the ground. I already miss it!

That was great advice and well said! I would like to add one word "confidence"! Getting out as much as possible builds confidence which is half the learning battle. Confidence is what will get you out of tricky situations and help you to understand your own capabilities. Confidence helps you to not look at a slope and think of it as a line that you want to traverse or have fun with. Without confidence steeps, narrows, refreezes and bumps (to name a few) can be intimidating. So build confidence and everything falls into place and you will wish that winter was year round!

 

[ss20]

Skiing is the closest you'll get to flying without leaving the ground.

This is what skiing is.
Thanks for the new quote on my signature.

 

[NotEasyBeingGreen]

Hey Steamboat - Fair enough. I'm quite sure I'll break my leg tripping over the dog someday. And I lost about a month after killing my knee on a botched chairlift exit. I just try not to invite trouble, ya? Oh - and I'm not a dude.

 

[steamboat1]

You're right. Butternut is perfect for this guy.

 

[Huck_It_Baby]

Go to the top of the biggest mountain you can find & just point them downhill.

+1

If something gets in your way, turn.