Progression

[OldsnowboarderME]

:roll:

 

[riverc0il]

beginner to intermediate was a quick progression. intermediate to advanced took forever. advanced to expert happened really quickly once a few basic ideas really "clicked."

 

[SnowRider]

Well i was once a skiir. It took me many years to become intermidiate. I was about to be considered and expert when i quit and took up snowboarding. Snowboarding i was the same as oil.

 

[Grassi21]

I have skied a grand total of 12 days in many life (10 of those days being last season). I feel confident calling myself a solid intermediate. I'm eager to see where I will be after 20+ days this season.

 

[Greg]

Remember back to your early days of skiing or riding. Did the progression of your skills come slowly, little advances, over several seasons or were there days there was that sudden leap in skills. I still remember the night at Pat's when I first linked turns all the way down without falling. It was snowing and it seemed like I was the only one out there. The experience bordered on the spiritual for me.

I don't have to think back that far to remember times of great progress. My progress is a combination of all you mention, little advances over several seasons as well as days where there was a sudden leap in skill. I've never taken a lesson and I think that I got to intermediate skill pretty quickly. I was able to parallel turn pretty well and "hockey stop" after only a few days out. I got to the point that I could ski any groomed black diamond terrain with some semblance of skill after two or three seasons. That's the point I stayed at for probably five years. I then got to a point where I could fluidly link turns versus chopping down the trails. Soon after that I discovered bumps and then started to log seasons with 15-25 day totals. I think I know how each little aspect of skiing bumps correctly feels. I'm just working on putting them all together consistently now. I've dabbled in the trees and I can see that being the next step for me, after I perfect my bump skiing. There were several moments during my skill progession that just "clicked" for me. Some include:

• Linking turns. There's that distinct feeling of weightlessness between turns where you just know you're doing it right.
• Proper hand position. Eventually you get to a point on some steep terrain where it clicks that proper hand position keeps you forward (actually centered, but it feels "forward" on steeper terrain). The feeling of control here is awesome.
• Keeping a line in the bumps. I still remember the day at Loon where I was able to consistently keep a line in the bumps. Before that point I was able to keep a line for 4 or 5 bumps. Getting to the point of being able to keep a line for half the bump field is truly encouraging.
• Absorbtion in moguls. The first time your knees are kicked up towards your chest is a really, really cool feeling.
• Extension in moguls. This "breakthrough just came to me this past season. After absorbtion, being able to drive your skis down the backside of the bump gets you back into that proper "home" position. Combined with good absorbtion, extension does indeed help you to control your speed in the bumps. It's a weird thing because you would think that driving your skis effectively down the hill would have the opposite effect. As with other breakthrough you just can feel when you're doing it right.

With moguls, there's as much of a mental challenge as there is a physical one, which is why I'm drawn to them so much. I expect that during the next (hopefully) 40+ years of my skiing career, there will be many, many more breakthroughs and enlightening moments. Great thread!

 

[bvibert]

I can recall last season when I finally felt what it felt like to get my weight foward. As a bad back seat driver it was a great feeling. I'm still trying to achieve it all the time, especially on steeper terrain...

 

[Jonni]

It seems as if my progression has come slowly but surely. I have been starting to venture more off piste now, ski a little faster now and hit the bumps a bit more. It's taken a few years and some new equipment to attack some of the harder stuff, but it's what keeps me coming back to the sport of skiing. If I can better myself at it a little than it doesn't make for as much fun as skiing the same way over and over again. I'm not saying that I don't like skiing the same place more than once or twice, but it's more the knowledge that I'm getting better at what I love that keeps me on the slopes.

 

[ctenidae]

I'm only about 3 seasons in on my skiing rebirth, after a 15 or so year haitus. I feel like I picked up the basics pretty fast. I did have a few "A-Ha!" moments last season, after I got used to new skis (at some point, it really is the equipment that makes you better). With more confidence in my skis, I was able to concentrate on what I was doing and how I was doing it, rather than how unlikely it was that I'd be able to avoid the next tree/gawker/lift pole/ice/ditch/small animal. Trees at Jay Peak was one moment, or string of moments.

 

[Greg]

Not sure why this thread never stuck so I thought it was worthy of a bump.

 

[Grassi21]

I have skied a grand total of 12 days in many life (10 of those days being last season). I feel confident calling myself a solid intermediate. I'm eager to see where I will be after 20+ days this season.

After seeing my progress this season I'm officially calling myself out. Today, I believe I am a solid intermediate. I learned a lot this year and can see I still have much more progress to make. But getting 20 days this season showed me how important mileage is and that I can get that many says if planned properly.

 

[Greg]

After seeing my progress this season I'm officially calling myself out. Today, I believe I am a solid intermediate. I learned a lot this year and can see I still have much more progress to make. But getting 20 days this season showed me how important mileage is and that I can get that many says if planned properly.

I would agree with the solid intermediate assessment. Definitely heading towards upper though. Need to work on keeping the body more square to the fall line and you're there. Mileage is key.

 

[Grassi21]

I would agree with the solid intermediate assessment. Definitely heading towards upper though. Need to work on keeping the body more square to the fall line and you're there. Mileage is key.

The regular Wed. nights might be what gets me that mileage this season. I'm going to keep my goal at 20 for next year.

 

[millerm277]

beginner to intermediate was a quick progression. intermediate to advanced took forever. advanced to expert happened really quickly once a few basic ideas really "clicked."

Same here, I think it may also be because of the wide range of difficulties in the intermediate/advanced range, once you really feel comfortable on all the advanced trails, you're pretty much ready for expert.

 

[wa-loaf]

I think I don't ever want to have the feeling that I have "arrived" in my snowboarding skills.

No matter how good you get (or think you are) there is always someone better than you out there. Go ski/ride with them and push yourself. There's nothing I like more than skiing with a better skier than myself, and there's plenty of them. :-o

 

[Angus]

given my limited # of ski days per year - 10 to 15 per year - earlier this season I felt I had plateaued and had become a bit complacent as well as frustrated. I took a trip up to MRG (1st time there) and got totally schooled in February. Made me realized how important it is to really challenging yourself terrain-wise if seeking improvement. that visit served as the impetus to really start skiing bumps and at year-end my skiing had really improved. I noticed when I took my daughter to Sunapee after an almost 2 season hiatus how the entire mtn seemed very easy - so I guess things are incremental as well.

 

[Hawkshot99]

Beginer to intermediate was very easy. I was a little kid who could learn anything quickly. Moving beyond that took much more effort.

 

[Terry]

I have found that if I ski with someone who skis better than I do, I tend to ski better, and also ski more difficult terrain. I am a visual learner and watch a lot of people ski. I try to ski like the better ones that I ski with. I just started to get into skiing the moguls this season when I got injured but I will keep at it next year and try to get so I can ski them without stopping every few turns. I have a guy at Shawnee Peak who has been skiing moguls for years and am going to ski with him a lot next season I hope.

 

[riverc0il]

given my limited # of ski days per year - 10 to 15 per year - earlier this season I felt I had plateaued and had become a bit complacent as well as frustrated. I took a trip up to MRG (1st time there) and got totally schooled in February. Made me realized how important it is to really challenging yourself terrain-wise if seeking improvement.

Don't feel bad about getting schooled your first time at MRG, I think most people do! :lol: It certainly is a good kick in the butt to up your game though, eh?

 

[zook]

Three major factors in my progress - challenges, mileage and lessons! In the beginning I remember I progressed rather quickly thanks to challenging myself, and not always by my choice I took few trips with friends that were more advanced than me, and always ended up on terrain that was slightly more challenging than what I was used to. When that happened, the first couple of runs were always slow plows but after 5-6 runs I was able to link turns and control the speed. Then, after just 8 days on skis, I went to Utah for my first skiing course. 7 days of skiing that wonderful snow, 5 days with an instructor, correcting your posture, etc. - that helped my skiing a lot. This past season I got new skis and I also took the same carving course in Utah. I have to say I came back a different skier. I finally realized one of my major mistakes with turn initiation and started getting results correcting this. I also took a first bite on skiing powder and I really enjoyed it. Since that Utah trip my skiing is totally different. Now I just need to get some mileage with my new skills

 

[Marc]

I have no idea where I'm at, but I guess I have progressed. And I think I'll keep doing that because it's fun.