I Like Gapers

[Paul]

Gapers are way more fun to ride the lift with than those peculiar snobby 'flatlander go home' bearded tele types.

Gapers are at least generally really enthusiastic and happy to be out on the hill.
Sometimes though, they are fun for other reasons:

At reggae weekend in 07, the highlight of the day (really) was watching a powerfully inebriated 40-something male gaper, replete with jester hat, blue blocker sunglasses, and corey dillon pats jersey, catch about 6 inches of air on the 'chicken pitch' section of tote road, scream whooo hooo at the top of his lungs, and somehow manage to lose both skis upon 'landing'.

I don't feel superior to these folks in any way except for my skiing ability (and even that is debatable)..but I do get a kick out of seeing the outfits and gear of the 80s and 90s. I like ridiculous things and people who are so into their shtick or are otherwise oblivious...

For example:
Growing up, I lived across the street from the high-tension lines (powerlines). There was this guy who used to come bombing down the trail on a large displacement (480cc) old 2 stroke Honda motocross bike...shirtless..with a cigarette dangling from his mouth...wearing no helmet...usually just cutoff jean shorts and sneakers.

That guy was awesome for the same reason gapers are awesome.,

This.


BTW, Gapers are great

For me to POOP on!

 

[bvibert]

Yeah, I know most are joking... but I beg to differ about others, and I'm sure you know who I mean. :-?

You talking about me??

Gapers suck, and I tell em that all the time. No joking there. Sometimes I throw stuff off of the lift at them too...

 

[MRGisevil]

You talking about me??

Gapers suck, and I tell em that all the time. No joking there. Sometimes I throw stuff off of the lift at them too...

Too bad you can't throw stuff of the lift at yourself then

 

[tjf67]

Well, one annoyance to me is the patroller or instructor that pretty much sucks at skiing. I think if you're going to go that route, you better have a fair amount of skill to be deserving of that position. Luckily, most are indeed very accomplished skiers.

We have yellow jackets up here that are horrible skiers. I see them skiing up to people and wonder whether they are going to help or plow them over. All nice people but may be they should stick to the parking lot for there free passes.

 

[scharny]

Regarding equipment and clothing, I'd say that more often than not, it seems that the people on the older, worn-out gear are often better skiers/riders than a lot of the people skiing on shiny, top-of-the-line ski equipment with shiny new outfits.

Ya can't buy skillz...

 

[billski]

We have yellow jackets up here that are horrible skiers. I see them skiing up to people and wonder whether they are going to help or plow them over. All nice people but may be they should stick to the parking lot for there free passes.

I silently mutter to myself "I only hope they are better at First-Aid than they are skiers." but as others have said, it is rare to find patrol that are not good skiers.

I would never want to be on Patrol. These guys work like dogs and are poorly paid. (that's why so many want to be ambassadors instead.) My hats off to the vast majority that do a damn fine job.

 

[Greg]

We have a friend who's a level III. He's constantly breaking down the skiing ability of instructors. He'll even show videos of various skiers and instructors and do critiques. He's convinced me that at the lower levels a lot of instructors are not that great in terms of technique. The skiing requirement at level 1 are not very stringent. And I personally know a couple of level 2s who don't really like to ski bumps. Now, a recently certified level 3 can really ski. That said, I'm not sure you need great technical skills to effectively teach beginners. Effective communication and the ability to spread enthusiasm are probably much more important when teaching lower level skiers.

Fair enough. But who would you rather have teaching your kids?

 

[billski]

Fair enough. But who would you rather have teaching your kids?

Depends on the age. I've been through the drill three times now.

Personality, flexibility, adaptability, patience are tantamount in the early ages (4 to about 10/11). they must have solid fundamentals (there aren't that many fundamentals) and tricks, methods to make it fun for the kids. (Boys and girls in general come at the sport entirely differently.)

After age 11/12, I'd want to shift to a more accomplished instructor.

 

[hammer]

Fair enough. But who would you rather have teaching your kids?

A Level III with excellent skiing and communication skills...not asking too much.

As a person who teaches in a different sport, I'd say that having a good grasp of the fundamentals yourself is essential to being able to explain techniques to others.

 

[drjeff]

Depends on the age. I've been through the drill three times now.

Personality, flexibility, adaptability, patience are tantamount in the early ages (4 to about 10/11). they must have solid fundamentals (there aren't that many fundamentals) and tricks, methods to make it fun for the kids. (Boys and girls in general come at the sport entirely differently.)

After age 11/12, I'd want to shift to a more accomplished instructor.

I'd also throw creativity into the mix for teaching the youngsters. Afterall what's an effective way to communicate a desired technique to one 6 year old will go in 1 ear and out the other for another 6 year old!

What I find really impressive with respect to instructors and kids lessons, is when you see an instructor with a half dozen or so kids in tow where all of them are skiing exhibiting similar techniques. That's the person I want teaching my kids, because of their ability to effectively communicate to all of them!

The instructors I really feel for are the ones that get to teach the 3 to 5 year olds for their 1st day(s) where little Sally/Johnny's semi-psycho Mom/Dad is on the other side of the snow fence next to the magic carpet screaming/yelling half at their kid and 1/2 at the instructor if little Sally/Johnny is down on the snow for more than 2 seconds!

I almost feel like a stalker nowadays watching my daughter in her ski lessons where I've realized both for her benefit and the benefit of the instructor/rest of the class that if I'm going to watch her, it's better from a distance than up close. I'll let the pro's do their job and then ask what my daughter's been working on at the end of the day.

 

[drewfidelic]

For the advancing skier, an instructor who can see flaws in technique and effecitvely communicate how to address those flaws-- and adapt to find a way that works for the student-- is more important than the instructor him/herself ski flawlessly. There's a reason that many undistinguished athletes go on to become exceptional coaches-- it's more about teaching as opposed to doing. So for an instructor teaching beginners and/or intermediates, their technique does not need to be flawless.

For an instructor teaching advanced skiers-- then I agree that the isntructor should be a great skier.

As for patrol, don't patrollers need to be able ski a loaded sled down the gnarliest inbounds run at the area under the worst possible conditions? They may not ski pretty, but don't patrollers need to be pretty good skiers?
________
LASER

 

[billski]

The instructors I really feel for are the ones that get to teach the 3 to 5 year olds for their 1st day(s) where little Sally/Johnny's semi-psycho Mom/Dad is on the other side of the snow fence next to the magic carpet screaming/yelling half at their kid and 1/2 at the instructor if little Sally/Johnny is down on the snow for more than 2 seconds!

That age group you need a baby sitter (again, I'm generalizing.) You spend more time going in for hot cocoa, going to the bathroom, changing clothes, getting over being scared. The time outside is usually spent walking around on skis and not really teaching anything ski-related, other than how it feels in those uncomfortable boots.

 

[Greg]

That age group you need a baby sitter (again, I'm generalizing.) You spend more time going in for hot cocoa, going to the bathroom, changing clothes, getting over being scared. The time outside is usually spent walking around on skis and not really teaching anything ski-related, other than how it feels in those uncomfortable boots.

:blink: Not for my daughter. She has three days in and each consisted of at least 2-2 1/2 of on snow time skiing. She's 4 going on 5. Even last year at 3 and 4 years old, we would do at least 90 minutes sessions. So yes, you are generalizing.

I do agree at that age that you let the kids determine the agenda. Perhaps I'm just lucky that my daughter mostly wants to do the skiing part.

 

[koreshot]

Yeah, people don't want to admit it, but I bet an attentive Level 1 instructor could give quality pointers to just about every skier on this board, myself included. Great skiers don't necessarily make great instructors.

 

[RISkier]

Fair enough. But who would you rather have teaching your kids?

Of course I'd rather have the really accomplished skier with good communication/teaching skills teaching my kids. But I'm not sure someone has to be a really top flight skier to effectivelly teach beginners. Any ski school probably has a pretty well defined progression of exercises. And I think teaching children probably requires some special skills that have nothing to do with skiing. There aren't that many certified level IIIs around. Some areas have none.

 

[hammer]

Yeah, people don't want to admit it, but I bet an attentive Level 1 instructor could give quality pointers to just about every skier on this board, myself included. Great skiers don't necessarily make great instructors.

True...but the best instruction/communication skills don't mean a whole lot if the instructor doesn't have the skiing skills to properly demonstrate a technique or drill.

 

[drjeff]

For the advancing skier, an instructor who can see flaws in technique and effecitvely communicate how to address those flaws-- and adapt to find a way that works for the student-- is more important than the instructor him/herself ski flawlessly. There's a reason that many undistinguished athletes go on to become exceptional coaches-- it's more about teaching as opposed to doing. So for an instructor teaching beginners and/or intermediates, their technique does not need to be flawless.

For an instructor teaching advanced skiers-- then I agree that the isntructor should be a great skier.

One of the 1st times I had a REALLY good instructor/race coach where it really clicked what a difference it could make was back in the late 80's. I was out at the Mt. Hood Summer Ski Camp in late June/early July. I was in a group of about 20 J1's and 2's that was training GS with 3 coaches assigned to our group (one at the top, one mid course and one at the finish line all linked up with walkie talkies). I made my 1st run, which I felt pretty good about, got to the finish line and the coach just looked at me and said, you're from the East, and stop scrunching your toes up from mid-turn through the finish. I looked like a deer in the headlights as I'm trying to figure out what the heck he was talking about and why. All of the sudden he goes to me, your entry boot tongue pressure and hence turn initiation is great, but from mid turn through the finish, you're consistantly loosing tip edge pressure, but maintaining a decent body position, which is usually a sign of toe scrunching just as your getting ready for gate impact mid-turn, thus causing you to end up on a slightly lower line and ultimately you getting late for the gates from basically mid course to the bottom.

Not believing him, my next 3 runs were similiar and all I heard from him at the bottom was "stop scrunching your toes". Finally after my 4th run, he says to me, all I want you to think about for yor next run is your toes. Reluctantly I listened and proceeded to knock off some runs that were around 1 second quicker on a more rutted course the rest of the day.

It blew my mind thinking back about it, and really instilled to me the effectiveness of a really good instructor/coach and the ability to communicate. I still to this day drop this guy a Christmas card, and he still just joking tells me "toes"

 

[Greg]

Of course I'd rather have the really accomplished skier with good communication/teaching skills teaching my kids. But I'm not sure someone has to be a really top flight skier to effectivelly teach beginners. Any ski school probably has a pretty well defined progression of exercises. And I think teaching children probably requires some special skills that have nothing to do with skiing. There aren't that many certified level IIIs around. Some areas have none.

Well, I can't argue with this and I see your point. I guess my concern is the attentive, highly communicative instructor teaching the wrong things. I agree at the lower levels it's probably not that much of an issue.

 

[bvibert]

Too bad you can't throw stuff of the lift at yourself then

Ooh, good one! :lol:

Much better than yesterday's lame comeback...

But FYI, I can throw "stuff of the lift" (which I'm assuming means pieces of the lift) at myself quite well actually...

 

[bvibert]

How did this turn into a thread about the virtues of instructors?? Damn hijackers... :roll: