Ever been inspired?

[sledhaulingmedic]

I was at the Crotch Thursday night. As I got on the chair, I could see up near the top of Pluto's a skier skiing smooth, Stein Erikson form, legs locked together, quiet upper body. I thought: "Wow, now that's Old School!'

As he got a little closer, I noticed that he was carving, without a trace of snow being kicked up. I thought that was a little odd. Then I noticed his pole position was , shall be say, static. Then, when He got closer, I realized, he's skiing on one leg!

He lapped the mountain for a good part of the evening, and everytime I saw him, I thought back the racing drills of skiing runs on one ski. My hat's off to this guy. I'm seriously impressed. :beer:

He also seems to have a bit of a self-depricating sense of humour: his vanity plate is "IHOP"

 

[billski]

I followed Billy Kidd free-ski down to the lodge after a day of racing. The guy's was 65 years old and skied so effortlessly, fast and smoothly, like a butter in a knife.

I then watched Phil Maher take to the course I had just gone down at Steamboat. I felt like a total klutz after watching him. Again, the style, the form, the grace, the attack was just textbook perfect. And yet, he had nothing but words of encouragement for us all afterwards, and a gentle tip or two also. A real gentleman.

Lastly, Klaus Obermeyer, who was filmed by Warren Miller. Knicknamed the "fox" because you simply can't catch this 70-year old.

Inspiration for a lifetime. We always kept saying, "If I can ski half as good as that at his age, I'll be thrilled." There is always something to aspire to.

 

[campgottagopee]

I was at the Crotch Thursday night. As I got on the chair, I could see up near the top of Pluto's a skier skiing smooth, Stein Erikson form, legs locked together, quiet upper body. I thought: "Wow, now that's Old School!'

As he got a little closer, I noticed that he was carving, without a trace of snow being kicked up. I thought that was a little odd. Then I noticed his pole position was , shall be say, static. Then, when He got closer, I realized, he's skiing on one leg!

He lapped the mountain for a good part of the evening, and everytime I saw him, I thought back the racing drills of skiing runs on one ski. My hat's off to this guy. I'm seriously impressed. :beer:

He also seems to have a bit of a self-depricating sense of humour: his vanity plate is "IHOP"

Yes, I'm inspired every time i ski with my buddy who is paralized from the waist down. The guy LOVES TO SKI!!!! Obviously he skis in a chair and the dude rips it up. I see him from time to time during the summer and all we talk about is skiing. Like the guy you saw he has quite a sense of humor as well. Whenever he goes into the trees with us he seems to always wipe out getting stuck on his side. He always laughs after bitting it and will say please don't leave me here until spring I don't have near enough granola bars to last me. We always bust on him about getting 50% off on every "set" of skis. Anyway, our "gang" loves it when the guy joins us because he truly makes you look at things a little differently than when you first got there.

 

[kingslug]

I think the guy I met at Stowe did it for me. 83 years old with an Alta pin on his jacket, he was there when they opened. Some of the fastest and best people I have ever skied with where over 70.

 

[Sky]

I absolutely love to see the morning folks @ Wachusett. "Old Timers' they call themselves. Frequently there will be a couple of older uys wearing the latest greatest Gore-Tex gear chatting about their new skis and flashing some new boots as well.

These guys are very happy people!

I've been on the lift with older folks...a guy and his wife out for a few runs...one guy whose pals have abandoned the sport so he's up on his own. All in there 70's or better.

That's inspirational to me.

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

I absolutely love to see the morning folks @ Wachusett. "Old Timers' they call themselves. Frequently there will be a couple of older uys wearing the latest greatest Gore-Tex gear chatting about their new skis and flashing some new boots as well.

These guys are very happy people!

Blue Hills used to have a midweek morning crowd of older gentlemen. Really nice folks, enjoying the sport. They'd be there very regularly. If the weather or snow was really rough, you might find them in the lodge a little more, but they were always happy to get out. There was one fellow I knew, for the longest time only as "Doc". A true gentleman and great guy. It took me a little while to make the connection ('cause I'm not the smartest guy on the planet) that he has a couple of sons that ski a lot, too. Doc Egan.

 

[NHpowderhound]

My inspiration comes from a gentleman I met back in the mid 80's. His name was John Philbrick. One of the nicest guys on the planet. He was in his 70's and still skied over the Lip at Tuckermans every spring! This guy had done it all. Climbed the Matterhorn, Climbed Kala Pattar in the Himalayas, climbed McKinley in Alaska, climbed and skied way too many places all over the world to name. He was in the Phillipines in the 80's when they had thier coup and his hotel was being hit buy RPG's. He was also president of his local astronomy club and would travel all over the world to see eclipses and other celestial rareities.

John lived his life to the fullest yet was as humble as they come, never gloating about his accomplishments but shareing them with others that shared his passions.
John was a non-smoker marathon runner/mountaneer and he died of lung cancer just two weeks after being diagnosed.

It was a privalidge for me to know him and I strive to live the quality of life he did.

((*
*))NHPH

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Three years ago I rode the lift at Blue mountain with an elderly man who had skied for 70-something years. He had been on more than a dozen trips to South America and more than 30 ski trips to the Alps. I'm sure he doesn't get mad steezy speed and air but just skiing..even slow and deliberate turns which he made is a bonus times 7 for him since he already lived past the average life expectancy and still skied and right down the fall line. After talking to him I was like,"Wow". It gives me incentive to workout more and stay on top of my health and go to the Dr. and say no to fast food. I know alot of really cool old dudes and he was one of them. One day I want to be a cool old dude and a healthy one as well. O.K. back to my pizza and beer..:beer:

 

[dmc]

Not really... Maybe Jake Burton... But nobody wants to hear about that right now...

 

[snoseek]

When I was a kid (and beyond) I used to follow some of the old-timers around cannon mt. these folks were on the mountain almost every day, and were damn near flawless skiers. I probably will never be able to ski that smooth in a thousand years.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Not really... Maybe Jake Burton... But nobody wants to hear about that right now...

I rode the quad lift with Jake Burton at Stowe and he asked me why I didn't snowboard...lol,,

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

Not really... Maybe Jake Burton... But nobody wants to hear about that right now...

Back in a previous life, I was in Sales/Marketing. (That ended abruptly when I lost the will to lie. That's another story.) There was a saying from the boss: "What have you done for me today?" In other words, "I don't care what you sold yesterday. What did you bring in today?"

I don't care what Jake did for snowboarding in the past. What he's doing now is bad for the sport. End of song.

 

[dmc]

I don't care what Jake did for snowboarding in the past. What he's doing now is bad for the sport. End of song.

I can't discount all the great things he's done for the sport and philanthropy he's performed. i've personally worked on a couple Burton projects that gave orphans of FDNY that died on 911 a chance to enjoy a couple days of snowboarding.. And i found it very rewarding..

I love the way all you "skiers" are reponding to this whole BS Burton thing.. It pushes us snowboarders that dissagree with your pompous ideas of behavior back to being outsiders again....awesome!!!

I didn't like being inside with ya'll much anyways... much rather be on the fringe when it come to this kind of thng..

 

[dmc]

I rode the quad lift with Jake Burton at Stowe and he asked me why I didn't snowboard...lol,,

Did ya spark up?

 

[Warp Daddy]

Altho i ski with several folks in their 30's as well as my grandkids, at 64 several of my ski buddies are in their late 60's / early 70's and have been active their entire life participating in differant athletic endeavors. Several are ex - college hockey pucks who STILL play pot belly league stuff .

But one of my real inspirations is a former hs teacher of one of these guys --HE'and HIS wife are 89 and still ski as smoothe as Stein . They ski 2 days a week, just in the morning have lunch with us then head out for other activities

They are incredibly fit and YOUNG at heart !

 

[riverc0il]

I love the way all you "skiers" are reponding to this whole BS Burton thing.. It pushes us snowboarders that dissagree with your pompous ideas of behavior back to being outsiders again....awesome!!!

A few snowboarders have also shared the same "pompous ideas" that have been suggested by skiers on the board.... and again for the record, I love seeing the poaching idea but just believe the delivery is poor and does not suit the "campaign" well.

 

[threecy]

It's not every day that get the chance to go skiing with a former PSIA Certified Examiner...

...while scouting out potential future trails and lifts

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Did ya spark up?

No..do you think he smokes pot?

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

I can't discount all the great things he's done for the sport and philanthropy he's performed. i've personally worked on a couple Burton projects that gave orphans of FDNY that died on 911 a chance to enjoy a couple days of snowboarding.. And i found it very rewarding..

I love the way all you "skiers" are reponding to this whole BS Burton thing.. It pushes us snowboarders that dissagree with your pompous ideas of behavior back to being outsiders again....awesome!!!

I didn't like being inside with ya'll much anyways... much rather be on the fringe when it come to this kind of thng..

Much as I generally respect your opinions, D, I think you've missed the point.

This is not "snowboarding vs, skiing", though many seem to see it that way. This is not "Jake is a ______" (insert prefered derogatory term). I'm sure he's done many wonderfull things. The point is this: Many skiers and a number of boarders feel that this marketing stunt was a bad move. It is viewed as potentially re-building the rift between skiers and boarders for Burton's gain. I think the very reason this seems to be such a huge blunder is because he and his company have done so many good things in the past. He's put himself up to a higher standard and now he's being held to it.

No one can convince me that this is good for the sport.

 

[dmc]

It is viewed as potentially re-building the rift between skiers and boarders for Burton's gain.

What "rift"....????

As far as I'm concerned there is no rift...