Fear holding back the ripper?

[frozencorn]

Hucking isn't skiing.

I can't jump at all, my knees can't take it. I accept that limitation with my skiing.

But I don't consider myself less of a skier because of it.

Same. Just no interest really in hucking. Call that age (34) if you will, but I wasn't when I was 17 either.

 

[danny p]

very cool idea for a thread.
in the past few years the thing that holds me back is the fact that i do a lot of solo riding. when i was in college i always had 3 or 4 people to ride with and we always pushed each other. not in a overly competitive way but everbody just got amped when you up'ed it a bit. thats one of the few things i miss about riding with a crew. now adays its me draggin other people to ride and they are not at the same level so there is no one to push me. the last few years have been about self motavation. which is one of the reasons i got a splitboard. i really do miss riding with a group of people. riding in a group of good people brings out the best in people.

that sums up exactly what I've been going through the last couple seasons. Riding solo has its advantages but for the most part riding/skiing with other people is better because it definately raises the bar (and of course its fun to share the experience with friends). Ditto on dragging people to the hill nowadays just to find out that they aren't at the same level (most of my friends ride 3-4x times a season).

 

[drjeff]

To be honest I would bet very few, if any of us in here are rippers. I know I'm not, but I'm a darn good skier with some sort of a skill set. To me rippers are very few and far between. I know a few, as I'm sure we all do. Rippers, well all they do is ski and have done so for a very long time. They don't need great equiptment, they ski everyday no matter what, it is there life. Ripers can ski anything anytime NO MATTER WHAT THE CONDITIONS ARE as if they're skiing a groomer. They ski with such speed, power,agility, balance and yes no fear.

Years ago at Smuggs we had ripper on the mountain. He wasn't ski school, he wasn't ski patrol, he was a local dude, an ex-racer from Green Mountain College. IMHO, Lift Line at Smuggs is one of the best on map trails anyone could want to ski, and you have to be an upper level skier to manage it---just manage it, not "rip" it. There was a group of us who skied on weekends when we weren't working which included Mike, the "ripper". We were all some kind of certified with PSIA, so again, we had some kinda clue as to what we were to do. We started down from Sally's Alley over to Lift Line with Mike following----peeps were watching from the lift givin a few hoots now and then which must have ignited something inside our resident ripper because he took it up a notch to the point were it was truly amazing to watch. The dude flat ass ripped it with such command that it's very difficult for me to explain. He launched off everything he could find and never hesitated once over the big headwall---he carryed such speed over that thing that it was scary.

Guess my point is if anyone wants to rip it takes mileage, dedication, a few screws loose and a big smile.

+1

 

[Trekchick]

.........if anyone wants to rip it takes mileage, dedication, a few screws loose and a big smile.

Looks like a great sig.

 

[Trekchick]

All of you guys who are talking about slowing down because you're getting older are killin' me!

 

[2knees]

Fear will hold you back in any sport. Fear is also a natural deterrent from throwing yourself off a high rise building cause it looks like fun.

At my age, (38), with my injuries and the specter of explaining to my wife why I busted my head open, I have one simple rule. If I'm truly afraid of something, skiing wise, I just don't try it. Apprehensive, fine, but truly scared, forget it. When I was in college, it was a completely different story. So I say age most definitely has something to do with. We get smarter with age, right?

 

[campgottagopee]

All of you guys who are talking about slowing down because you're getting older are killin' me!

You'll see....I'm not slowing down----everyone around me is just going faster

 

[deadheadskier]

Fear will hold you back in any sport. Fear is also a natural deterrent from throwing yourself off a high rise building cause it looks like fun.

At my age, (38), with my injuries and the specter of explaining to my wife why I busted my head open, I have one simple rule. If I'm truly afraid of something, skiing wise, I just don't try it. Apprehensive, fine, but truly scared, forget it. When I was in college, it was a completely different story. So I say age most definitely has something to do with. We get smarter with age, right?

sounds to me like you have more to worry about on the soft ball field that the ski hill :lol:

 

[Greg]

Another question:
How much does age play into it?
Age that we start skiing?
Age that we are when trying to step it up?

I think physical conditioning and health has more to do with it than age. I started skiing at age 20. I'm 35 now and I only started getting serious about my skiing the past 3 or 4 years.

What he said, only skiing for 2 that I hope to be 4. A tad different in that I know my best 'ripping' is behind me. From age 10 until age 25, I skied 60+ days a year and probably averaged closer to 80. I'll never be better or even as good as I was at 25, actually I was probably at my best at 17 as I had ZERO fear and would huck with reckless abandon, but was also technically sound in all aspects of the sport and in great shape as a three sport varsity athlete.

I can ski better than what I have over the past few seasons though, but it will take commitment to fitness to do so, which I'm working on. I've slacked on fitness for years and I don't want to have that as an excuse holding me back from my best this upcoming winter. I won't ski as well as when I was 21-25 however. Why? Nothing can replace 80 days out a year on the hill. I could go into this season the best shape of my life, but at what will be 33, I'd have to string together a couple of years of 100 days to get back to that level. Even at that, I don't know if I'd ever 'rip' like I once did because as Greg mentioned, I'm not just skiing for myself anymore.

I actually think my best years of skiing are still ahead of me. Like I said, I seem to advance more each season than I anticipated so it's still an intriguing activity to me. By starting as an adult pretty much and have only been trying to log 30+ days the past few years, I'm still improving a lot. Mileage is key and the improvement just comes for me. For guys that have been skiing seriously for 20 or 30+ years, I can see that learning curve starting to level off or perhaps even flatten out. I fully expect to go into this ski season in perhaps the best shape of my skiing life so I'm really looking forward to it!

To be honest I would bet very few, if any of us in here are rippers.

How many AZers have you skied with? There are most definitely some rippers in the community, at least in terms of recreational skiing which is what I think we're all talking about.

 

[Trekchick]

Same. Just no interest really in hucking. Call that age (34) if you will, but I wasn't when I was 17 either.

Age matters how ever much you let it (within reason). I have seen some ripping 40-60 year olds. Many of whom can still school me and often times do. You gotta keep the body up as you age but a lot of that most people have control over (or at least more control than most people would allow themselves).

I started skiing at age 3. I sucked and was a terminal intermediate until college and only started to turn the advanced corner at 21 and committed to an expert skiing level at age 23 or so. I am 29 now. I went from dabbling in bumps and not being able to ski powder to being able to ski pretty much anything in any reasonable condition with exception of certain highly exposed no fall terrain in about six years.

I think age and total time on skis is not something that would hold most people back that commit to improvement. .....................

Fear does keep me from getting better.. I feel like I've plateaued since around the beginning of college (now I'm 27). Sometimes if I'm with others I'll push myself (and I like that even though I have fear), but I just get scared jumping off anything more than a few feet. I don't have fear on expert stuff without mandatory jumps at places like Jackson Hole (Tower 3, Alta Chutes, Expert Chutes, etc.), but once a cliff gets thrown in, I get nervous that I will get hurt.

Turning 37 the day before Thanksgiving

Started my ski addiction at age 8

I.

You'll see....I'm not slowing down----everyone around me is just going faster

I'll see?
How long until I see?


Greg, thanks for the input. I will say that passion, good gear, and technical advancement, have helped me overcome some of my timidity.
Time for a new sig for me.

 

[drjeff]

All of you guys who are talking about slowing down because you're getting older are killin' me!

I'm not slowing down because I'm getting older, I'm slowing down because my center of gravity keeps changing(and it's not moving up anymore )

 

[Beetlenut]

I agree with most of the "old" guys, in that as you get older and wiser and have more experiences with pain and recovery, you tend to anticipate what will cause future pain and recovery. Since older usually comes with more responsibilities and less time to keep in shape, there's always the conditioning aspect too. For me, it's all about control. If I can stay in control, I'll ski just about anything. If I start to get out of control, even on a groomer, that self preservation mode kicks in (also known as fear) and I do all I can to get under control again. The more my skilz improve, the more advanced terrain I'll ski, because I can do it under control. Under control It's fun and exhilarating, out of control it's scary and stupid! Also for me, starting later in life, I'm still learning and having fun with the self-discovery aspect of it all. Every year, I learn another little piece that keeps me coming back.

 

[campgottagopee]

How many AZers have you skied with? There are most definitely some rippers in the community, at least in terms of recreational skiing which is what I think we're all talking about.

To my knowlege none......and I'm sure there may be some true "rippers" around, but that's why I said few and far between. I've just seen and skied with so many peeps (like I'm sure most in here have) who can talk it but can't ski it......Again, JMHO rippers, well they're fun to watch.

Also, any ripper that I know (now recreational) has come from some sort of formal ski training, mostly racers, some bumpers, PSIA and Patrol. Without some kind of training I believe it would be hard to becaome a "recreational ripper".

 

[Puck it]

All of you guys who are talking about slowing down because you're getting older are killin' me!

Slowing down is not an option. I am 45 and have been skiing since I was 4. I played hockey from age 2 through college leve (almost dropped out to play minor league). I stopped skiing for a couple of years at age 11-13. 120 games a year did let me go. I have played hockey on and off since age 28. I started again this summer.

I wish I had skiied competively though.

I am on my fourth knee surgery. Fifth is to remove a bone spur that bothering me when I walk(not skiing though). I tore my bicep tendon in a mogul field two years ago. I kept skiing for another two hours. Currently having problems with my left hip due the right knee issues. PT is working it out and losing some pounds. I am lifting daily upper and lower body now. I am walking the dogs daily at a brisk pace(running not an option, too much pounding). I will be rollerblading and mountain biking this fall.


Oh yeah. I still rip. I go out west with my neice's boyfriend (28 years) and he follows me and asks if we are really going down that. Hell, yes!!!!!


So get out and rip at your own pace.

 

[Trekchick]

Slowing down is not an option. I am 45 and have been skiing since I was 4.

Oh yeah. I still rip. I go out west with my neice's boyfriend (28 years) and he follows me and asks if we are really going down that. Hell, yes!!!!!


So get out and rip at your own pace.

Twice in one day, I have to say..........
Puck it! I think I love you!!

 

[prisnah]

To my knowlege none......and I'm sure there may be some true "rippers" around, but that's why I said few and far between. I've just seen and skied with so many peeps (like I'm sure most in here have) who can talk it but can't ski it......Again, JMHO rippers, well they're fun to watch.

Also, any ripper that I know (now recreational) has come from some sort of formal ski training, mostly racers, some bumpers, PSIA and Patrol. Without some kind of training I believe it would be hard to becaome a "recreational ripper".

I think you are severely underestimating this board and some of the people who are registered here. To the best of my knowledge there a quite a few people on this board, though they may not all post regularly, who rip hard. And if someone had previous formal training, I don't know if you could consider them a recreationist per se.

I think TrekChick got it right, the only thing holding most back is what's between the ears.

And I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't consider skiing recreational at all.....it's more of a way of life for me.

 

[campgottagopee]

I think you are severely underestimating this board and some of the people who are registered here. To the best of my knowledge there a quite a few people on this board, though they may not all post regularly, who rip hard. And if someone had previous formal training, I don't know if you could consider them a recreationist per se.

I think TrekChick got it right, the only thing holding most back is what's between the ears.

And I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't consider skiing recreational at all.....it's more of a way of life for me.

Could be, dunno---Not arguing that peeps rip because I'm not that narrow minded, Just stating most/some people who claim to, don't, and that it's not easy to get to that level.

Between the ears???? Guess that's why I stated most rippers THAT I KNOW have had formal ski training. That thing between the ears that's telling you to slow down, well it doesn't exsist for those dudes. Just sayin'

Skiing was my way of life but now it's recreational---wouldn't have it any other way

 

[Puck it]

Could be, dunno---Not arguing that peeps rip because I'm not that narrow minded, Just stating most/some people who claim to, don't, and that it's not easy to get to that level.

Between the ears???? Guess that's why I stated most rippers THAT I KNOW have had formal ski training. That thing between the ears that's telling you to slow down, well it doesn't exsist for those dudes. Just sayin'

Skiing was my way of life but now it's recreational---wouldn't have it any other way

Ripping does not require formal training. I have never taken a lesson. It comes naturally, all sports do for me. I think your staement is incorrect. There are a lot of great skiers that never competed.

 

[Trekchick]

I think TrekChick got it right, the only thing holding most back is what's between the ears.

And I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't consider skiing recreational at all.....it's more of a way of life for me.

You know, If I can jump that 6 inches between my ears and clear the landing, I'll have it made!!!

 

[campgottagopee]

Ripping does not require formal training. I have never taken a lesson. It comes naturally, all sports do for me. I think your staement is incorrect. There are a lot of great skiers that never competed.

Again, that very well could be, but if you read my post I said that the rippers I KNOW have had formal ski training. That is all----happy ripping.