How important are the terrain parks to you? and where do you go to use them?

[jackstraw]

I will say that most of the 30+ AZers that I've skied with can ski pretty damn good. Even of those that do prefer groomers, ski them with very good form and technique and probably could ski more technical terrrain well, but probably just prefer the groomers for whatever reason. I've also skied with a few "older" AZers that are just starting out and in both cases, I was pretty impressed at how well they skied given the fact they've only been doing it for a season or two. Some of the really really old farts like Jim and HPD ( ) absolutely rip and can ski a hell of a lot better than me. When you have 30 or 40 years of experience under your belt, you're inherently just going to ski well. I guess the bottom line is that anyone that posts here frequently does so because they are truly passionate about the sport; much more so than your "average" skier.

Doug Coombs...30 or so when he came into his own.
Micah Black...30+
Jerremy Nobis...30+
the list goes on and on....

every ski town in which ive lived the best skiers on the hill were over 30.

 

[loafer89]

The main difference that I see with my skiing at age 34 is the need not to have to ski Killington in October and May for one run. I guess that age and financial responsibility come more into play as influencing factors.

The wow factor of doing this faded quite a few years ago, now I am up for it again somewhat because my son is just as crazy about skiing as his old man.:-D

 

[JimG.]

Thing of it is, Austin is just a kid and hasn't really been around the skiing block yet. When I was his age I had spent alot of time around what he calls "older skiers" (my Dad's friends in the ski school at Hunter) and I knew they still had alot left. Austin may not have alot of comparison.

In fairness when I'm skiing trees, bumps, natural terrain, I don't see alot of guys my age, but I do see some. I work out constantly in the off season to extend my years being able to do the kind of skiing I love.

I know...and Austin, I'm not trying to dump on you either. I don't like sterotypes and generalizations.

HPD, upon reflection I have to agree with you. I work out a ton too to keep myself fit and ready. Maybe I'm not typical, but I know alot of folks our age (40-50) who absolutely rip bumps, trees, airs, whatever. The best skiers at Hunter are in that group, although it's more obvious that the younger crowd has caught up to us now.

Age is just a number; how you perform is based on talent and more so on personal effort and dedication and none of those things have anything to do with age.

And I'm sorry for the angry rant Austin.

 

[meat]

I ski the trees and backcountry quite a bit with 41, 45, and 51 year old dudes, they love the stuff as much as anyone, they just might be a little more reserved than myself. the 41 year old is in better shape than myself and hikes faster than me, he won't shoo away from a cliff drop either. You can tell that they don't let the number of their age dictate what they do on the hill. heres to you oldens that rip!

 

[meat]

re: JimG and BobR

My son also got hurt twice this past season - both times doing big airs. The first time he was trying for his first 3, and went big but didn't have enough rotation, came down 270. Hard. Knocked the wind out of himself which scared him at first.

The next weekend he went big at Windham, when he came down he had bit through half his tongue (his jaw hit his knee). Lots of blood, but he skied down to first aid.

After those 2 incidents he shied away from going big. Understandable.

Prolly next season he'll be back out there.

this is a big problem with people getting hurt these days, just gunning it off a big booter and doing tricks they have never done before or not having the calculation down. Especially doing a 3, you can learn a 3 on a 3 ft jump without much speed. definatly need to start small and work your way up, otherwise its reckless, like a novice skiing tuckermans.

 

[SkiDork]

this is a big problem with people getting hurt these days, just gunning it off a big booter and doing tricks they have never done before or not having the calculation down. Especially doing a 3, you can learn a 3 on a 3 ft jump without much speed. definatly need to start small and work your way up, otherwise its reckless, like a novice skiing tuckermans.

Exactly. Thats what a bunch of folks told us after that incident.

He subsequently landed a 3 off a water bar on lower Devils Fiddle about a month later. But the fact that you don't need huge air to pull a 3 is valuable advice. Thanks.

 

[Vortex]

Meat. My son crashed in a Seasonal program. I taught skiing and racing many moons ago, but my boarding knowledge or lack of knowledge is why I had someone else teach him. no blame though.

to your other post

I ski with a 63 year old and a 71 year old every Sunday and I can keep up with the 71 year old. The 63rd old skies fast and gracefully. I last a little longer though. I would say the 63 year old may be one of the best skiers I have ever seen. Age is not always an issue. I hope that will be the case with me in 20 to 30 years.

 

[meat]

Exactly. Thats what a bunch of folks told us after that incident.

He subsequently landed a 3 off a water bar on lower Devils Fiddle about a month later. But the fact that you don't need huge air to pull a 3 is valuable advice. Thanks.

yeah, thats the kind of place to try a 3. I landed my first 3 when I was in 10th grade in 1995 at my local sledding hill off a sled jump, it was one of the best feelings i've had on skis after trying many times
to get good at park you definatly will get your eggs scrambled a bit, but you need to get back on that bronco that just bucked you off, easy'er said than done.

 

[kbroderick]

I like the rails a lot. Actually a lot better than jumps. Start just riding over the features ( 50-50) Then start to tweak the board on the rail/box a little once you master the 50 - 50. Then when you can turn yourself completly boardslid (sideways) start jumping onto he feature turning boardslide and landing on the rail. Start small and work your way up. Also, start with boxes, there much easyer. To bad you will have to wait till next season to try again!

For anyone interested in learning how to slide, don't forget your local mountain's snowsports school. One of the PSIA publications even had a pretty good get-started-on-boxes-and-rails progression in it this winter, and it seemed to be aimed squarely at the crowd that might be interested but a little leery of introducing hard objects into their skiing.

(SnowRider's post reminded me of that article because he has summarized the progression as I remember it in about three sentences; it seemed to be a pretty good article, but I never had the right combination of free time and snow conditions to give it a shot.)

As far as my three cents on parks...I shoot a lot of park photos, and the basic theories involved are pretty simple. However, managing to apply those theories (particularly understanding that you need to get enough air not to knoll a landing and carry sufficient speed into a kicker) is a bit harder. One of the few times I actually hit a kicker this year was a result of prodding from a friend (after I had pointed out to her that the reason she was having trouble on the same kicker was that she was wimping out and slowing down on the inrun, thus not making the landing); I carried a little more speed in...and promptly knolled the landing. Another two feet and I would have been fine; instead, I got to remember why I don't do this crap very often. (yes, if I was more proficient at it I would have been carrying sufficient speed and made the landing...but getting to that level of proficiency would probably involve more pain than I feel like dealing with).

Boxes and rails I'm not terribly interested in because I maintain my own equipment, and even my "go-virtually-anywhere" skis can do without rolled edges, thanks.

 

[hiroto]

A 60 footer? :blink: Definitely not. Probably not a 6 footer either. :lol: I'd rather beat up my knees in the bumps, thanks.

Those kickers are surprisingly gentle on your knees than you might think. The landing
of those kickers are so well made (most of the time) that they really gently meet the
parabolic trajectory of your jump. I find them gentler on my knees than coming off
an end of a box and fall a couple feet down to a flat landing.

 

[Greg]

Those kickers are surprisingly gentle on your knees than you might think. The landing
of those kickers are so well made (most of the time) that they really gently meet the
parabolic trajectory of your jump. I find them gentler on my knees than coming off
an end of a box and fall a couple feet down to a flat landing.

That's only if you have the balls to hit them fast enough to make it to the designed landing, of which I don't.

 

[Mark D]

A 60 footer? :blink: Definitely not. Probably not a 6 footer either. :lol: I'd rather beat up my knees in the bumps, thanks.

the couple of times i tryed bumps this year on skis (i started skiing this year but still mainly snowboard) my knees got more screwed up in the bumps then days were i've done nothing but park riding. You just have to MAKE the landing. If you make the landing and its build right you just roll away with almost now pressuer on the knees.

 

[SkiDork]

Those kickers are surprisingly gentle on your knees than you might think. The landing
of those kickers are so well made (most of the time) that they really gently meet the
parabolic trajectory of your jump. I find them gentler on my knees than coming off
an end of a box and fall a couple feet down to a flat landing.

truer words were never spoken....

 

[Mark D]

That's only if you have the balls to hit them fast enough to make it to the designed landing, of which I don't.

well then stop being so french and hit the hit with enough speed to make the landing.

 

[Greg]

well then stop being so french and hit the hit with enough speed to make the landing.

:flame: :-?

Where's that pic of you nailing the 60 footer?

 

[jackstraw]

well then stop being so french and hit the hit with enough speed to make the landing.

i don't get the french comment? can someone explain?

fyi...im not french if that matters.

 

[2knees]

i believe it is a reference to being "wimpy" as in the french surrender very quickly etc etc. that would be my guess anyway. having skied with greg a number of times, i can say he is far from that.

 

[Mark D]

:flame: :-?

Where's that pic of you nailing the 60 footer?

I do video. I'll try and find the footage and host it somewere....

i believe it is a reference to being "wimpy" as in the french surrender very quickly etc etc. that would be my guess anyway. having skied with greg a number of times, i can say he is far from that.

yep

 

[meat]

the couple of times i tryed bumps this year on skis (i started skiing this year but still mainly snowboard) my knees got more screwed up in the bumps then days were i've done nothing but park riding. You just have to MAKE the landing. If you make the landing and its build right you just roll away with almost now pressuer on the knees.

You can also easy overshoot the transition and screw yourself big time, nothing like the feeling of going way bigger than expected only to see that your going to land on the flats and crash. big hits take skill and calculation and shouldn't be done til you've worked your way up and feel ready. I agree its a totally rad feeling, but doing a 60 footer when you only hit little jumps, c'mon now. also if you ski bumps correctly they shouldn't hurt your knees either, especially if your young.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

You can also easy overshoot the transition and screw yourself big time, nothing like the feeling of going way bigger than expected only to see that your going to land on the flats and crash. big hits take skill and calculation and shouldn't be done til you've worked your way up and feel ready. I agree its a totally rad feeling, but doing a 60 footer when you only hit little jumps, c'mon now. also if you ski bumps correctly they shouldn't hurt your knees either, especially if your young.

I'm not saying I go way big, cause I don't, but last season I over shot a table top and landed flat. My back hurts just thinking about it.