View Full Version : Ski Mag Editor Recants
Skilasnow
08-25-2003, 11:18 PM
So I wrote to Joe Cutts of Ski Mag re: his recent article about Tucks where I particularly mentioned his comparison of the steepness of Tucks to Starr at Stowe. Here was his reply:
Hi John: I've been taken to task by others for that line and have
come to regret the comparison. I guess I was eyeballing it, and
to me, what's up there is certainly scary-steep, but truly doesn't
seem as freaky as people make it out to be. I think the exposure
below makes it seem steeper, since there are higher consequences
in a fall; also, I think after all the work of getting up there,
people want to think it's a bigger deal than it is. Certainly for
sustained steeps, it's king of NE. I still want to believe that
there are portions of trails or lift-served skiing that are at least
briefly just as steep, but maybe I'm just wrong. The only way to
know is an inclinometer and an objective operator. Didn't mean to
belittle the place, though. It's tough. And I wish I hadn't made the comparison. JCI still want to believe that
there are portions of trails or lift-served skiing that are at least
briefly just as steep, but maybe I'm just wrong
I think he is just really wrong.
That guy sounds like a freakin lame poser...
elwood
08-25-2003, 11:31 PM
DMC you are freaking cracking me up tonight.
That guy is way off. Tucks is the steepest, no doubt. He probably doesn't want to hike all the way out there to learn for himself.
People making judgements about something they dont know about....
Just like.... umm... nevermind.... ;)
elwood
08-25-2003, 11:41 PM
DMC:
People making judgements about something they dont know about....
Just like.... umm... nevermind.... ;) exactly...
loafnut
08-25-2003, 11:45 PM
seriously guys, this is SKI magazine we are talking about here. magazine of the ski LIFESTYLE not actually doing any skiing. I think they say stuff like that just to outrage the hardcore skiiers and to make their readers feel good. or maybe not...
anyway skilas took the bait :D :D
and tucks is scary-steep
Mumster
08-26-2003, 08:05 AM
DMC:
People making judgements about something they dont know about.... LOL.
Anyway, if he's so regretful, one would think he might publish his request for forgiveness, rather than just note it in a personal correspondence.
NHski
08-26-2003, 08:25 AM
People making judgements about something they dont know about....
Just like.... umm... nevermind....
Too funny
HeyBC
08-26-2003, 08:34 AM
Mr. Cutts should make the hike and strap on the boards :skierscared: . It's a little steeper when looking down from the Lip.
HeyBC:
Mr. Cutts should make the hike and strap on the boards :skierscared: . It's a little steeper when looking down from the Lip. Mr. Cutts should stay out of my way... I can picture him pinned to the side of the Chute. With his fingers clenched onto a small shrub and a trickle of yellow flowing down the falline.....
Mumbling something about Starr and Goat...
I wonder how casual he'd be doing Left gully on the last or next to last top to bottom day. Those rocks would get some of that fatuous attention, that's for sure.
RR:
I wonder how casual he'd be doing Left gully on the last or next to last top to bottom day. At that time of day - It would be dark and icey... And he would be cold and sooooo afraid..
Praying for death to come quickly :)
Dreaming of skiing Stowe...
Castlerock
08-26-2003, 09:27 AM
I'm inclined to give Mr. Cutts a little break. I can't recall from the article, did he ski anything other than Left Gully and the lip?. Left Gully is nice, but it doesn't get the juices flowing, except for the little wall at the top. The the lip gives you a little trepidation at least the first time. But for someone used to big mountain Western skiing those two runs are "good", maybe even "great" but not "GREAT".
Now take him around Center Headwall, Dodge's etc, and he'll either demand to come back for more, or run away with his tail between his legs!
Castlerock:
Now take him around Center Headwall, Dodge's etc, and he'll either demand to come back for more, or run away with his tail between his legs! And thats the point... He made his mind up based upon the easier stuff... If I just rode the base of the bowl I could compare it to anything...
TheOctopus
08-26-2003, 09:30 AM
How the #@$@ can someone write an article observing the standards of journalistic professionlism that makes the statements that he did? Maybe it's fine for The National Enquirer, but (most) people know that stuff is farce.
The problem with Tucks, I think, is that too many people don't take it seriously. It's a dangerous place. Someone gets killed there nearly every year. Scores of people get badly injured. Many more get totally gripped above the headwall and put themselves and others at risk because they're skiing way above their ability. And a lot of the reason for people getting themselves in trouble, I think, is that they read some bull-honkey article like this and think Tucks is no big deal. Grrrr....
Sure, there's a lot of stuff out there that's way the heck more burly (this isn't the Chugach, or some crazy eastern Sierra double-fall-line couloir), but much of the terrain in Tucks is legitimately steep and should be treated by all skiers (including jaded journalists) with respect.
My. $.08.
TheOctopus:
How the #@$@ can someone write an article observing the standards of journalistic professionlism that makes the statements that he did? Maybe he's an Editor for the New York Times as well... ;)
<enzo>
08-26-2003, 02:23 PM
What's the old saying?? "Those that can, do. Those that can't, write." ?
I lost my respect for most of the ski mags when they stopped publishing actual on-snow evaluations of equipment by nationally ranked skiiers, and wimped it down to just a listing of who made what.
NHski
08-26-2003, 02:26 PM
Couloir is a good magazine.
Mumster
08-26-2003, 02:38 PM
<enzo>:
I lost my respect for most of the ski mags when they stopped publishing actual on-snow evaluations of equipment by nationally ranked skiiers, and wimped it down to just a listing of who made what. Enzo, why do you keep posting, but you don't register? :confused: I don't see the advantage...
pepperdawg
08-26-2003, 03:06 PM
<<Couloir is a good magazine. >>
I agree - I picked up an issue a year ot two back while at some hippie-food store in Putney VT....Haven't seen it anywhere down here in the 'FLat lands'
Skilasnow
08-26-2003, 03:08 PM
pepperdawg:
<<Couloir is a good magazine. >>
I agree - I picked up an issue a year ot two back while at some hippie-food store in Putney VT....Haven't seen it anywhere down here in the 'FLat lands' me neither but they have these things called subscriptions too ;)
NHski
08-26-2003, 03:09 PM
pepperdawg:
<<Couloir is a good magazine. >>
I agree - I picked up an issue a year ot two back while at some hippie-food store in Putney VT....Haven't seen it anywhere down here in the 'FLat lands' Earnyourturns.com
FYI:
cou·loir: A deep mountainside gorge or gully, especially in the Swiss Alps.
TheOctopus
08-26-2003, 07:58 PM
M@:
FYI:
cou·loir: A deep mountainside gorge or gully, especially in the Swiss Alps. Further point of information: pronounce it as cool-ARE if you want to eat lunch at the cool kids table.
On a related note, someone want to take a stab at the difference between a couloir, a gully and a chute? I think a gully is something water runs in. I'd guess that to be a couloir, it would have to originate from a ridge. But it can't be too wide, or it's a "saddle." I'd call everything else concave a chute. Can anyone shed some clarity here?
Skilasnow
08-26-2003, 08:52 PM
TheOctopus:
M@:
FYI:
cou·loir: A deep mountainside gorge or gully, especially in the Swiss Alps. Further point of information: pronounce it as cool-ARE if you want to eat lunch at the cool kids table.
On a related note, someone want to take a stab at the difference between a couloir, a gully and a chute? I think a gully is something water runs in. I'd guess that to be a couloir, it would have to originate from a ridge. But it can't be too wide, or it's a "saddle." I'd call everything else concave a chute. Can anyone shed some clarity here? My knowledge of French is imperfect, but 'couloir' is essentially the French word for gully, or even corridor. However, the english word for gulley I think of as a small valley cut by running water and in fact the part one would ski would be more the sides, not the center. In skiing terms I consider them interchangeable.
gul·ly *
n. pl. gul·lies
A deep ditch or channel cut in the earth by running water after a prolonged downpour.
chute
n.
1. An inclined trough, passage, or channel through or down which things may pass.
2. A waterfall or rapid.
Givevn these two definitions I think the only proper word to use in skiing parlance would be chute, unless you are referring to skiing to the gully floor as opposed to skiing the gully
Frankontour
08-26-2003, 09:31 PM
I must say that in french, chute = only waterfall. Couloir is almost the only name to name a gully in french. If you tell someone not used to the ski terms that you ski some chutes, he will think that you jump down the Niagara ;)
Skilasnow
08-26-2003, 11:16 PM
[quote] I must say that in french, chute = only waterfall [quote]
But we're speaking English ;)
NH_tele
08-26-2003, 11:21 PM
Back to the original article, someone should write him a letter or something. Or show him a picture looking down some of the stuff that's "as steep as Stowe" <snickers>. I'm sure he wouldn't want to actually go up there and ski it for himself...
The Lip can be quite scary on it's own when you get all those bad skiers sliding down from above, hardpack snow, and bumps & the right crevasse to skier's right... I actually took it pretty tentatively on my first tele ski run down it.
Jolly J
08-27-2003, 07:32 AM
Unfortunately pictures rarely do justice for steepness.
elwood
08-27-2003, 07:41 AM
I say we just drag Joe Cutts (if that is his real name) up to the top of the headwall, light his ass on fire, and throw him over the edge...
Yet again the confrontation: East vs West. Dam'n few powdery monkeys (the lucky stiffs, I mean that, powder skiing is as close to heaven as I want to get before I die) can handle what your average New England grandmother skis with aplomb. There are notable exceptions, but the rule stands...just listen to the whimpers, especially if they go to Cannon.
Killy trained at Cannon, ruled the world. Bodie trains at Cannon, same deal. And the Cannon kidz rule the off piste and BC in that part of NE. Jay locals cover the rest of western NE, with serious competition from Waitsfield.
And then there's the Mainers....saw a flock of them in Left Gully this Spring...oh yeah, the real deal there too!
Now, consider tthe big mountain lines ripped by the helo crowd....just come to Tucks in Feb. Plenty of powder then, so if they must have sloughs to run in, Sluice and Right will do nicely!
Frankontour
08-27-2003, 09:09 AM
SkiLasLeñas:
[quote] I must say that in french, chute = only waterfall [quote]
But we're speaking English ;) It was just a little reference as you talked of some french on your previous message and seemed not to be sure...
hey Franko, I found out about Chutes Monmorency the hard way a couple of winters back....went for a little swim under the WI4 section (That's as hard as I could climb back then). Broke through looking for a dropped ice screw. Good thing the parking lot is so close!
NH_tele
08-27-2003, 11:32 AM
RR:
Yet again the confrontation: East vs West. Dam'n few powdery monkeys (the lucky stiffs, I mean that, powder skiing is as close to heaven as I want to get before I die) can handle what your average New England grandmother skis with aplomb. There are notable exceptions, but the rule stands...just listen to the whimpers, especially if they go to Cannon.
Killy trained at Cannon, ruled the world. Bodie trains at Cannon, same deal. And the Cannon kidz rule the off piste and BC in that part of NE. Jay locals cover the rest of western NE, with serious competition from Waitsfield.
And then there's the Mainers....saw a flock of them in Left Gully this Spring...oh yeah, the real deal there too!
Now, consider tthe big mountain lines ripped by the helo crowd....just come to Tucks in Feb. Plenty of powder then, so if they must have sloughs to run in, Sluice and Right will do nicely! Let's see. West has better terrain, snow, and trees...but who has the better skiers???
I think that Eastern "hardpack" (boiler plate ice) creates the better skiers, who can then rip up the powder out west...I know that's been the case when I travel out West; the snows better, skiing's fun as hell, but if you can ice you can ski anything.
Frankontour
08-27-2003, 12:53 PM
RR:
hey Franko, I found out about Chutes Monmorency the hard way a couple of winters back....went for a little swim under the WI4 section (That's as hard as I could climb back then). Broke through looking for a dropped ice screw. Good thing the parking lot is so close! ish... it's sad that the snow doesn't stick on the slopes on the right side of the chute. Do you imagine skiing that in winter ;) I wonder how long the huge bump of ice remains, in spring/summer.
About the east/west, it's possible, NH_tele that the easterners become better than westerners, but they can practice in summer while we regress a little bit and they can develop skills that are impossible to develop in the east.
They live in mortal terror "out there", afraid we will visit the Hotel California with our "steely knives"...oh, so sorry, razor sharp edges.
I never regress...
I drive my car up to Killington in October - strap the deck on - and hit it!!!
I always feel just like the day I stopped in May...
Serious... I never understood why people regress and have problems the first day...
note: Thats was in no way intended to be and attack or a blast. No Quebecers were hurt in the writing of this post.
Frankontour
08-27-2003, 01:28 PM
I don't think it's possible to not regress at all. On the first turns, there is always a tiny thing not normal. The trails look steeper than usually (surely not the "Rime" at K, though), etc. Personnaly, my toes are hurted a little bit, after the 2-3 first days of the season. There is only in 1998 that I did my 1st run of the season right into the Vertige at Tremblant (steep double black 100% bumped, that november day). Usually, I begin by the "Nordique" at St-Sauveur and the lower pitch seems enough steep in the first turns !
May be it's just me... but a thing is sure, while they improve during summer, you don't.
No NJ boarders were attacked in this message ;)
Frankontour:
May be it's just me... but a thing is sure, while they improve during summer, you don't.
Hmmmm - maybe it IS just you!?! You tend to speak for everyone... I don't particularly care for that.
But then again - I don't snowboard to improve..
Snowboarding IS a lot easier than skiing though and thats much of the reason I do it...
I snowboard only for fun... To me - It's all about soul...
Soul riding.... It's where it's at for me...
pepperdawg
08-27-2003, 01:40 PM
DMC:
:
I snowboard only for fun... To me - It's all about soul...
Soul riding.... It's where it's at for me... Nicely put......... :p
Seriously...
When I skied... Everyone was always pushing to get better and better and better... Better in the bumps - better in POW - better on the flats..
Use this technique or that style... Take classes and clinics and ... People try and one up you in the bumps or racecourses... on and on and on... It just NEVER stopped...
I just hated it... Everyone became a critic and had to interject their own methods.. I'm just a lowly granola cruncher - more interested in blasting the Grateful Dead on the headphones then "Leaning into the valley"
With snowboarding - you just kinda get the basics and go.... Suits me just fine!!!
BladeGirl
08-27-2003, 01:52 PM
DMC:
I never regress...
I always feel just like the day I stopped in May...
I have been skiing nine years and I ALWAYS regress. At least I don't regress as far back as I used to. Was skiing (eastern) single diamond trails by the end of my second year, but regressed back to green start of third year :(
(although perhaps the fact that I injured my ACL & medial meniscus end of second year made it worse).
That will change...regretably. After 10 years of bicycle racing I took up triathalons because there was a more laid back reality. Not any more.
Maybe BC will stay honest and free..it's all about earning your turns and going where there aren't any signs.
BladeGirl:
I have been skiing nine years and I ALWAYS regress. It may just be all in your head? I ride the chair(truck) at KMart in Oct and people are nervous about that first run... I'm chomping at the bit - ready to hit it!!!
I always say - my first run of the year sets the pace for the rest of the year...
I would be comfortable staring down the Chute at this very moment.. (If there was snow) and I'd be psyched to jump in...
It also may be a ski/snowboard thing..
RR:
That will change...regretably. After 10 years of bicycle racing I took up triathalons because there was a more laid back reality. Not any more.It always starts with soul and then the "Type A's" find their way in... Then everything changes..
I am also of the "no warm up runs" camp. You get to the mountain and you go down what you want to go down. Day 1, day 100: Hit the hard stuff.
M@:
I am also of the "no warm up runs" camp. I got friends who used to insist that they warmup on the lower parts of the mountains when we're out west... I always told them they were out of their minds and just took the first Gondola to the top...
Warmup!?! I stretch in the morning after I eat... Or climb...
Thats my warmup...
They'd finally be taking a Gondola up at 10:30 AM and they'd catch me blasting POW or dropping.. Now they just head right up to the top...
TheOctopus
08-27-2003, 02:10 PM
DMC:
When I skied... Everyone was always pushing to get better and better and better... [snip!] It just NEVER stopped...
I just hated it... Everyone became a critic and had to interject their own methods.. I'm just a lowly granola cruncher - more interested in blasting the Grateful Dead on the headphones then "Leaning into the valley" Dude, sounds like (1) you were skiing with or around some of the wrong hombres and (2) you really belong in the backcountry, where the freedom to do your own thing is what it's all about.
Every time I ski, though, I totally concentrate on getting "better" (and getting myself in better shape), but only so that I can go ski more awesome or out-of-the-way stuff!
Ahhh, youth, I remember it hazily. Wait 'till it hurts getting out of bed or after sitting more than 10 minutes. You'll be happy just making turns, on anything, anywhere, anywhere at all.
Then, after sufficient warm up, got for the gusto...and then the wheels fall off and it's time for lunch....then, do it again until 3:30, at which time...it's time for something cold to drink.
I was skiing with the wrong people for sure...
I've locked myself into a BC crowd now... A rag-tag group of riders, free heelers and skiers..
We didnt leave the Catskill woods until it all melted this last season...
Frankontour
08-27-2003, 02:19 PM
DMC:
Hmmmm - maybe it IS just you!?! You tend to speak for everyone... I don't particularly care for that.
Like I said, may be it's just true for me ... and all the persons I know who ski or ride, except you....
Glad for you if you don't regress at all
Frankontour:
Like I said, may be it's just true for me ... and all the persons I know who ski or ride, except you.... And M@ and the people I ride with..
Glad for you if you don't regress at all Thank you! Maybe someday you'll be able to hit that first run with the passion and power of your last... Your still a kid - you got a few more years to develope that...
There's always exceptions to what you think reality might be...
In the words of Bob Wier/John Barlow...(From memory)
"Just because they say it - that don't mean that it's so"
Frankontour
08-27-2003, 02:32 PM
DMC:
Seriously...
When I skied... Everyone was always pushing to get better and better and better... Better in the bumps - better in POW - better on the flats..
Use this technique or that style... Take classes and clinics and ... People try and one up you in the bumps or racecourses... on and on and on... It just NEVER stopped...
I just hated it... Everyone became a critic and had to interject their own methods.. I'm just a lowly granola cruncher - more interested in blasting the Grateful Dead on the headphones then "Leaning into the valley"
On this, I agree at 100000% with you . I have absolutely no ski technica and I don't want to improve it. The only thing I work is to be able to ski crazier and crazier places. Summer skiing would help me, skiing some gullies like the Torngat ones... hmmmmmmmm...
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus/messages/2508/2523.jpg
About the warmup, honestly, even though I regress a little bit during summer, my first run is without warmup neither and I always take the toughest possible, although generally, it's just the Nordique. At least, the 30 degree long pitch on the lower part gives me a tiny thrill (only the first run).
Frank - Do you mountain bike, surf, balance board or anything like that?
Something to keep you balance centered and your skills up during the summer?
I find a sweet single track on a mountain bike to be a lot like skiing...
elwood
08-27-2003, 02:36 PM
DMC:
M@:
I am also of the "no warm up runs" camp. I got friends who used to insist that they warmup on the lower parts of the mountains when we're out west... I always told them they were out of their minds and just took the first Gondola to the top...
Warmup!?! I stretch in the morning after I eat... Or climb...
Thats my warmup...
They'd finally be taking a Gondola up at 10:30 AM and they'd catch me blasting POW or dropping.. Now they just head right up to the top... Warmups? We don't need no stinking warmups!!!
I agree with DMC. I am at the same level I was at the prior year on my first run, I never digress.
I fire up a fatty in the morning for my warmup...
Frankontour
08-27-2003, 02:38 PM
DMC:
Thank you! Maybe someday you'll be able to hit that first run with the passion and power of your last... Your still a kid - you got a few more years to develope that...
Honestly, if I was beginning in the "Rime", I wouldn't feel like I have regressed. If I do my first run of the season in a triple black diamond, it's easier to see I regressed a bit.
No bicycle or other things in the kind. I prefer just hiking, it's the only possible way to be in my favorite ski trails during summer. (I would laugh a lot seeing a mountainbiker in Contour in summer lololololol)
elwood:
I fire up a fatty in the morning for my warmup... Hmmm... maybe your on to something... :)
Castlerock
08-27-2003, 02:42 PM
There is no warm-up better than climbing(especially with Elwood's enhancement). But I think the differentiator here has a lot to do with "getting your reps in". Some skiers/riders can do it without thinking, usually the product of several 60+ days a year seasons in a row. They are the ones that "don't regress". Sure they can improve, but the muscle memory is so locked in, you can't break it.
My first run the last several years has been Great Scott at Snowbird (early Dec Business trip, save the company money , stay over Saturday). But it took years of ripping to be able jump off the Tram and over the cornice.
Frankontour:
Honestly, if I was beginning in the "Rime", I wouldn't feel like I have regressed. If I do my first run of the season in a triple black diamond, it's easier to see I regressed a bit. People get freaked out on the first day on the Glades a Kmart... They really do...
Like I said... If my first run of the season was down the Chute at TUX - it still wouldnt matter..
I know what I'm capable of and I'm ready to do it... That principal guides me through the scarey stuff..
It's all in the head...
Stand on the curb of the street and look over the edge.. Are you afraid? No...
WHY? Because you know your not going to fall into the street...
Now stand at the edge of Corbetts in Jackson and tell me your not afraid...
It's all in the head...
BladeGirl
08-27-2003, 02:46 PM
Although I do regress, that does not stop me from "hitting the hard stuff" which I figure is the best way to force me to deal with it and get back into form. As for being "ready" to ski, I am *always* ready to ski! It just takes me a few runs for my body to catch up.
-BG
BladeGirl:
It just takes me a few runs for my body to catch up.As with a lot of other people...
Do you find those blades going in every direction your first run?
Jedi school of skiing:
"hummm, look you at me...season matters not..."
"There is no fall, only skiing."
".... Beware the powder, once you go down that piste, forever domminate your destiny it will."
Jolly J
08-27-2003, 03:09 PM
DMC, I agree with you on the mountain bike thing. I'm just picking it up again. I used to bike a lot about 10 years ago. I'm having a blast on the XC trails. Going over the ruts and bumps and dips, it's great for balance and keeps you sane in the summer. It feels like pumping for more speed like on a snowboard or extending in the bumps like skiing. Tons of fun. I can't wait to buy a real bike. I think I'm going to break my sons bike soon.
BladeGirl
08-27-2003, 03:22 PM
DMC:
BladeGirl:
It just takes me a few runs for my body to catch up.As with a lot of other people...
Do you find those blades going in every direction your first run? I don't usually bring the blades out early in the season (I save them untill there is enough snow to ski glades, and even then I mostly use them to explore a glade to see if I can get in there with my skis). But whenever I *do* take my first blade run, they are rather wiggly.
Another Yodaism: There is no Fall . . . or summer. Only Winter and Tucks!
-BG
Skilasnow
08-27-2003, 03:41 PM
Waow, that is a lot of posts in a short time.
I don't "regress" anymore, but that first run sure takes a lot more out of me than it used to. The only reason I don't attack the full on hard stuff right off, is not because i can't ski it, but It saps my energy too fast. This is mostly because i am not energetic enough during the summer.
Was it RR that said the muscle memory is still there?, I agree with that completely. And BG saying that the first few years saw major regression, I agree too. It wasn't until I was skiing at least 25 - 30 days most years that i felt as good in December as I did in March - about the skiing, not the endurance, I don't get that back until January.
Mumster
08-27-2003, 04:11 PM
I agree w/ SkiLas - the more you ski during the season, the less you lose in between...I skied about 60 days last winter (counting mid-week dashes up for night skiing) - and didn't feel like I lost ground when I got to Mt. Hood -> speaks for the importance of spending a lot of time on the slopes. I'm aiming for a million vertical feet this winter - :D
BladeGirl
08-27-2003, 04:23 PM
Last year I made 24 days (counting Tucks) and that was the most I've ever gone. This year, with a place at Mittersill, I hope to be out there at least 35 days. Actually, I hope to be a weekend instructor at Cannon, which should really help set that muscle memory. I've never done that before, but it sounds like a lot of fun.
-BG
Mumster
08-27-2003, 04:32 PM
BG-
Be careful about teaching commitments. A bunch of my friends teach or have taught skiing. Instructors don't get much real skiing in - since people who want lessons are beginners or early intermediates. At least in the Poconos - the instructors don't have much free time to :skiplow: unless the weather is bad.
NHski
08-27-2003, 04:42 PM
last year i put in 40 day on lift and bc. This year i hope to do 50 with at least 20 days bc.
TheOctopus
08-27-2003, 05:49 PM
OMG -- leave for a few hours and there's like 30 new posts. This joint is really jumping this summer.
I'll take the middle ground in this most recent debate. I don't "regress," but I don't drop a cornice on my first run of the season, either. It usually takes me a day or two early season to get back into things -- there's not much "extreme" early-season skiing around these parts, anyway. The last few years my first turns have been first or second week of November, hiking at MRG (I guess this is "extreme" in that you're skiing pow on *no* base whatsoever!). By the time the woods are ready (4' at the Mansfild stake is my personal safety guideline, I'm ready for primetime).
Keeping in shape and working on balance during the off-season helps a lot. I hit the cardio hard. I also add lots of rollerblading, cycling and hiking. Running *down* a hiking trail is the closest thing to skiing hand-eye coordination that I've found. I'd imagine mountainbiking is a similar experience.
Extending the ski season on both ends also helps keep the skills up. This year I started 2d week of November and went through the Tuesday after Memorial Day, plus the South America trip.
Also, the last few seasons my skiing has really focused on quality rather than quantity. Ten of my 43 days this season were entirely hike-to backcountry. Almost all of the rest were off-piste terrain at resorts, much of which involved some hiking. Truth is, I don't get a lot of skiing in on days that I ski (I remember trying to rack up 20K vertical night skiing at Blue Mountain PA!) because I'm chewing up time getting to lines and then savoring them one I'm on them -- but I'm totally stoked about the quality of the stuff that I hit.
Fortunately Mrs. O is on the same wavelength with all this. Lucky me!
Mumster
08-27-2003, 06:11 PM
TheOctopus:
Keeping in shape and working on balance during the off-season helps a lot. I hit the cardio hard. Yup. I do quad exercizes year round too - Murderous, but I fly :skiplow: during early season while others are moaning.
BTW, TheOctopus, it sounds like we'd like Mrs. O. Why don't you get her a login name?
NHski
08-27-2003, 07:19 PM
Theoctopus, I totally agree, quality over quantity. Is there anything better then hitting the 420 in the woods before a tree run, then just cruising an untracked line?
Frankontour
08-27-2003, 10:25 PM
Ish... I wanted to write this a good 6 hours ago, but the internet broke down and just came back to life. (heh... Kannadda...........)
Mumster:
I agree w/ SkiLas - the more you ski during the season, the less you lose in between...I skied about 60 days last winter. I'm aiming for a million vertical feet this winter - :D Lucky... As a student, my last year's 37 ski days was my best ever. I hope to reach the million vertical feet in the coming years. Last year, only did 768 000, cause 7 days of hiking on the 37 and many 4-hours ski days. In 2001-02, I skied 30 times, but I did a 832 000 vertical feet. I don't think I'm going to ski a lot this winter, but 2004-05 could be the one to reach the million feet ! (hmmmmm, when I think to the good old time when I had an average of 40 000' vertical skied by day...) (40 000' of quality, of course : woods, moguls, that's all.)
Bannick
08-28-2003, 07:40 AM
I don't regress in the off season.....I used to attribute the butterflies the morning of my first day to nerves but I have come to realize that it is excitement and anticipation. I step on the board at the top of the chair and it all comes back instantly. The soul the fluidity of motion, the power and the feel are there like a trustworthy friend. It doesn't matter if that first run is powder, trees, steeps or boiler plate machinemade, it is like I was never off the snow. Somehow I feel complete again, finding that state of mind and the passion within me that gets muted a bit over the summer.
I am not the average body type for a snowboarder or skiier, I am not a skinny kid, yes, I am overwheight. Peoples first impressions of me when they see me is doubt and disbelief but that all disappears when they see me ride. The extra weight makes me go faster :D . I am living proof that it doesn't matter what you look like or what you ride. All that matters is that you slide on snow and have fun while doing it. I snowboard for me it keeps me sane, makes me forget the crap of the day.
I do have to admit that since my knee injury I don't huck myself off of stuff like I used too, I ride the park very rarely, the pipe only on the soft sunny days. For me it is about speed and trees and powder now. I push myself more each day on the hill and come away reminded of who I am and what it all means for me.
Bannik... You got some major soul there brother!
It will be a pleasure to hook up and ride with you when the snow flies!!!
elwood
08-28-2003, 08:44 AM
Bannick:
I don't regress in the off season.....I used to attribute the butterflies the morning of my first day to nerves but I have come to realize that it is excitement and anticipation. I step on the board at the top of the chair and it all comes back instantly. The soul the fluidity of motion, the power and the feel are there like a trustworthy friend. It doesn't matter if that first run is powder, trees, steeps or boiler plate machinemade, it is like I was never off the snow. Somehow I feel complete again, finding that state of mind and the passion within me that gets muted a bit over the summer.
I am not the average body type for a snowboarder or skiier, I am not a skinny kid, yes, I am overwheight. Peoples first impressions of me when they see me is doubt and disbelief but that all disappears when they see me ride. The extra weight makes me go faster :D . I am living proof that it doesn't matter what you look like or what you ride. All that matters is that you slide on snow and have fun while doing it. I snowboard for me it keeps me sane, makes me forget the crap of the day.
I do have to admit that since my knee injury I don't huck myself off of stuff like I used too, I ride the park very rarely, the pipe only on the soft sunny days. For me it is about speed and trees and powder now. I push myself more each day on the hill and come away reminded of who I am and what it all means for me. Well spoken brutha. I couldn't have said it better myself. Skiing defintely defines me as a person, and no matter what I am skiing, when I am doing it everything else just melts away...
Mumster
08-28-2003, 08:45 AM
Frankontour:
Mumster:
I agree w/ SkiLas - the more you ski during the season, the less you lose in between...I skied about 60 days last winter. I'm aiming for a million vertical feet this winter - :D Lucky... As a student, my last year's 37 ski days was my best ever. Franko - It never occurred to me that I could do this either, since I work about 60 hours a week, but was recovering from an injury and was told I couldn't do it, so... :envy:
I was surprised to find how easy it is, with extra :atwork: during other seasons. It requires slipping out of the city to night ski. The quality wasn't always ideal, but there was always something to work on to improve.
I'm switching to vertical feet this winter because it's hard to determine what a skiday is - anytime you :skicool: ? Or do you need an 8-hour full day, etc. Love quality :lips: , but quantity is important too since I'm still working on improving...having sacrificed two decades to :atwork: and raise mumlets, I need the practice to keep up with you guys. ;)
Gave up counting days years ago... :cool:
If someone asks me "how many days?"...
I just say..
How do you count the wing strokes of a butterfly?
Seriously... I just never got into it...
I always write down in my palm that I skiied on a day and who went. I used to have this theory that the weather/conditions were a function of who you went skiing with. Seemed every time I skiied with my sister-in-law the conditions were perfect, but when I skiied with my brother-in-law it was always cold. I never aggregated the data though, as it might prove my theory wrong.
NHski
08-28-2003, 09:01 AM
When I was in Alta last year, some of the Hotel staff talked in terms of days missed this year, not skied. In late Feb, missing only 15 days, now thats a good year.
elwood
08-28-2003, 09:02 AM
DMC:
Gave up counting days years ago... :cool:
If someone asks me "how many days?"...
I just say..
How do you count the wing strokes of a butterfly?
Seriously... I just never got into it... I agree with you DMC, it seems counting days or vertical is only so you can puff up your chest and say "I skied 6000 days last winter". Who TF cares anyway? If you ski, you ski (or board). I have a ski pass, and drive 40 minutes to the mopuntain. I go every weekend. I know that, I don't feel the need to advertise my addictions though...
NHski:
When I was in Alta last year, some of the Hotel staff talked in terms of days missed this year, not skied. Exception reporting...
I'm big into that...
elwood:
it seems counting days or vertical is only so you can puff up your chest and say "I skied 6000 days last winter". I won't begrudge anybody for counting days...
But to me - like you - it's like comparing apples and oranges..
So this guy at Hunter Mountain told me he skied 60 days... But he never went into the woods for the goods... So whats the use..? I may have not skied as many days as him but my days were all hiking... I'd get 4 or 5 runs in during a a day.. All invloved hiking off the lift and dropping sweet powder stashes... He's get 20 runs in on hardpack...
Quality not quantity...
Bannick
08-28-2003, 09:13 AM
DMC:
It will be a pleasure to hook up and ride with you when the snow flies!!! You bet....If I am still in Toronto there will be trips to Vermont for sure. I need to show the girl what riding in the East is all about. What would be half way from Jersey to Toronto? It is about 6.5 to 7 hours to Jay for me.
Elwood....you a Jay local?
elwood
08-28-2003, 09:19 AM
Bannick:
[QUOTE]Elwood....you a Jay local? I usually do about 10 days at Jay, but I go to Smuggs. Smuggs is soooo much closer, and I can hike up the backside of Mt. Mansfield all day. I even get 1 free lift ride at Stowe a day, so I climb up, ski down for lunch, lift up and ski the notch over Sterling Pond. I stay in the woods all day at Smuggs. I do make the trek to Jay quite often though, because a lift ticket for a season pass holder at any mountain is $15 cheaper, and that is off of my VT resident rates. I pay something like $26 for a day at Jay.
So Elwood...
If I fly into Burlington($170 rt from Newark)
How far is Smuggs?
I really want to get up to Northern VT this year..
NHski
08-28-2003, 09:23 AM
I hope Jay does the 1/2 off tickets who any holder of any season pass like they have in years past.
NHski:
I hope Jay does the 1/2 off tickets who any holder of any season pass like they have in years past. Wow... Even a season pass from New York State???
It's like the promised land...
Jolly J
08-28-2003, 09:46 AM
Promised land indeed...they take Canadian Money at par. I wonder if you need to show id. If not you could save a couple of bucks by getting some Canadian Money before you come up.
BladeGirl
08-28-2003, 09:47 AM
Mumster:
BG-
Be careful about teaching commitments. A bunch of my friends teach or have taught skiing. Instructors don't get much real skiing in - since people who want lessons are beginners or early intermediates. At least in the Poconos - the instructors don't have much free time to :skiplow: unless the weather is bad. I asked about this at two mountains in New England and the line they give is that they try to only give you lessons 50% of the time so you can ski the rest. I'll see if the reality matches the talk this winter.
-BG
Jolly J
08-28-2003, 09:51 AM
At our mountain the level 1 instructors spend most of their time on the beginner slopes. And are usually first called to do lessons when the skiings good. The more experienced instructors usually don't work as much on good days....
BTV->JAY = 1:35
BTV->Smugs = 0:50
BTV->MRG = 0:46
BTV->S.Bush = 0:55
NHski
08-28-2003, 09:54 AM
I think Jay got rid of taking Canadian money at par, but I am not sure
Mumster
08-28-2003, 09:55 AM
elwood:
DMC
Seriously... I just never got into it... I agree with you DMC, it seems counting days or vertical is only so you can puff up your chest and say "I skied 6000 days last winter". Who TF cares anyway? [/QB]Elwood and DMC – I often agree with you, but this time I don't. The issue isn’t who rode/skied more. I collect stats to compete against myself. I like knowing that I’m pushing myself ahead. The stats are objective. Lots of people think they ski "all the time." I at least KNOW I ski more than I used to -> though still not enough... ;)
I wouldn't fault someone who didn't want to count, but you aren't necessarily "puffed out and bragging" if you like to keep stats. An eighty year old at our home mountain got eighty runs in one day. He gives me a goal - when I turn eighty, I want to be out there and counting too.
Frankontour
08-28-2003, 09:57 AM
About counting the ski days, honestly, if I was cruising on a hardpack texture during all a "ski" day long, I'm not sure if I would count it as a ski day.
It's not the number of ski days... but what you do on your ski days that count, sure, but when they're always excellent, why not to count them ? I put it in relation with the lenght of the season. By example, this year, my season was split on 212 days / 37 days skied = I skied at every 6 days in average, from Nov 2 to June 1. Kind of stats I like to keep, but I study/work in that, so it's normal...
And finally, I must say I really envy the God Mapadu with his 203 ski days this year, including probably over 100-150 backcountry & hike ones. This guy would hit 36/36 in the die-hard skier test for sure... anyway, he already sold all and moved to the west to ski everyday...
elwood
08-28-2003, 10:03 AM
DMC:
NHski:
I hope Jay does the 1/2 off tickets who any holder of any season pass like they have in years past. Wow... Even a season pass from New York State???
It's like the promised land... They weren't taking half off for season's pass holders last year, it was like $10 off their day rates. So I ended up paying $26 a lift ticket last year... And then it is half price on WIZN days with the Wizard card.. Oh yeah...
Jolly J
08-28-2003, 10:03 AM
I had a contest a couple years ago with a buddy of mine on the patrol. Who could get the most ski days in before May 1st. It started out innocently as a friendly rivalary but it got really crappy for a while. I remember nights driving all the way to mountain to get a run or two in before I drove all the way back so I could go to work at the club. The contest got interesting after the mountain closed and we switched to urban skiing mode in the local parks. Found all kinds of really cool terrain in valleys and rock ledges. I still keep track and am proud of my ski days but I'll never compete with anyone. I like the fact of thinking today is day 60 If I was on vacation I would have skied two months straight. Or at least thats the way I like to think about it in my head. I love skiing...
Frankontour
08-28-2003, 10:04 AM
NHski:
I think Jay got rid of taking Canadian money at par, but I am not sure Don't forget that the ski area is owned by Quebec interests ;) As long as MSSI owns the resort, I think they will accept canadian money at par. Anyway, it's not exactly true, cause I think that the Vermont skier don't pay the normal price (± 55$) so it's about the same rate for the Vermont and Quebec skiers and it's more expensive for the skiers of elsewhere.
Jolly J : Burke Mountain is also at par since 2002-03. It's quite cheaper than Jay Peak. 39$ CAN for a ski day, it's less expensive than Orford, Bromont and Sutton. I liked this place enough. Not crowded, nice gladed terrain (nothing steep, though). It's not an incredible mountain, but at this price, I will certainly come back in the coming years.
elwood
08-28-2003, 10:04 AM
M@:
BTV->JAY = 1:35
BTV->Smugs = 0:50
BTV->MRG = 0:46
BTV->S.Bush = 0:55 DMC, knock at least 10 minutes off of all of those times, M@ drives slow..
:D
Castlerock
08-28-2003, 10:05 AM
Elwood, You skiied HellBrook yet? Smuggs Rocks! (I include the notch, not just the area). I had a pass there from 80-83. Yo-Yoing the Birthdays with the Rasta Repairmen (the boys that worked the mountain shop). Jay gets the press for the snowfall, but for my money the variety and quality of BC skiing at Smuggs is unmatched in the east. Let alone the steeps under Madonna Liftline. Name the date and I'd be there for a T4T session in a heartbeat
Mumster:
Elwood and DMC – I often agree with you, but this time I don't. The issue isn’t who rode/skied more. I collect stats to compete against myself. And thats what I don't begrudge... You seem to be the type of person that sets goals which is very cool... Your active in racing and stuff as well.. Which is great. I love watching races..
Some people though do what Elwood said and use their days as a "I'm better than you thing".. I hate that...
My last ski race was a bump competition.. I made it through the first couple of heats and for my final heat I switched to snowboard... At the time there weren't any rules saying I couldnt...
I knew the guy I was up against would smoke me... So I said ***....
I got creamed... But made everyone laugh...
Mumster
08-28-2003, 10:11 AM
DMC - Just curious - what made you switch from skiing to :snowboarding: anyway? I see a lot of poor skiers default to snowboards because it's easier, or kids learn snowboarding because it's cooler. Not that many adults who ski well changeover...
Mumster:
DMC - Just curious - what made you switch from skiing to :snowboarding: anyway? </strong>
Many reasons...
The first was I found it to be more fun...
Also mogul skiing was starting to take it's toll on my body(back - knees - arms)... All I wanted to do was ski bumps all day...
The final reason was POWDER...
If you've never experienced snowboarding in POWDER you really have to try it... It's insanely easy.. You just stand there and subtley shift your weight and you turn... It's sick...
NHski
08-28-2003, 10:21 AM
I have always admired the way snowboarders make riding powder so fluidly/easy. it makes me jealous.
Bannick
08-28-2003, 10:23 AM
Most of my skiing type friends (who are really good skiers) that switched over did so because they got bored and wanted to try something new. The majority of those guys who have never gone back. Look at a skier and a snowboarder riding deep powder and see the difference. Though with the advent of the shaped skis I think that skiers are opening things up a bit and laying down some giant powerful carves ala snowboarding. I have been riding for 10 years and will admit I am **** scared of skiing. My knees and twisting will not go well together. If I was going to crossover I would love to tele cuz it looks cool and frustrating....kinda like why I golf I am a gluton for punishment.
NHski:
I have always admired the way snowboarders make riding powder so fluidly/easy. it makes me jealous. POWDER is what gets lots of people to finally crossover..
I skied and boarded for years...
Board in the AM on the flat groomers in the early morning... And ski the bumps in the afternoon sun...
elwood
08-28-2003, 10:25 AM
Castlerock:
Elwood, You skiied HellBrook yet? Smuggs Rocks! (I include the notch, not just the area). I had a pass there from 80-83. Yo-Yoing the Birthdays with the Rasta Repairmen (the boys that worked the mountain shop). Jay gets the press for the snowfall, but for my money the variety and quality of BC skiing at Smuggs is unmatched in the east. Let alone the steeps under Madonna Liftline. Name the date and I'd be there for a T4T session in a heartbeat C-rock, I have skiied it all at Smuggs. I love the woods off of Sterling. Awesome stuff back there... And yes, the steeps off Madonna are great. I love it when upper FIS is open... I will be there most weekends this winter and anyone from T4T is welcome to join me. I got a place for you to stay if you wnat too. All of you are welcome at my crib!!!
Castlerock
08-28-2003, 10:34 AM
I think HellBrook is THE classic BC run in VT. Single Trip up the Stowe Gondola. Climb to the Chin. Ski the Chutes up top. Then down the brook into the Notch. It is awesome..
NHski
08-28-2003, 10:36 AM
Sounds like a good run, Elwood, maybe you could show it to me sometime this winter?
BladeGirl
08-28-2003, 10:39 AM
Mumster:
DMC - Just curious - what made you switch from skiing to :snowboarding: anyway? I see a lot of poor skiers default to snowboards because it's easier, or kids learn snowboarding because it's cooler. Not that many adults who ski well changeover... I have two friends who are excellent skiers who both started boarding for the challenge of something new. They go both ways, though. One particularly boards when he is with his girlfriend who is not a great skier, b/c on skis he just wants to rip and on a board they stay together.
2plankerider
08-28-2003, 10:40 AM
ahhhhhhhhhh SMUGGS! now yer talkin'. looks like we're (elwood) gonna have a chance to meet up this year... I LOVE the place. it is so awsome to ski/ride all day and never really be on a "trail"
Madonna lift line is probably my favorite run in the east. When you nail it, you get the respect and when you flail it, you get the laughter! man i'm getting butterflies just thinking about it. and if you r a chick? well it doesn't matter whether you nail or flail, you ALWAYS get respect :D damm, i could go on and on about the lines at smuggs. ordered the bash badge today :skismile: :snowboarding:
as far as the ex-skier now snowborder thing, i have many freinds who have converted and never looked back. there really is no sensation on powder like a snowboard! BUT for me, i still love to :jumpturn: i'd say i hit 50/50 during the year unless we get the stellar powder year and its more like 75 ride/25 ski
NHski
08-28-2003, 10:43 AM
Boarders definitely have the advantage in powder vs. skiers, but with our sticks getting fatter and fatter, its making it alot better
Mumster
08-28-2003, 10:44 AM
My knees are probably what eventually will do me in. Twisting may be less, but, it looks like :snowboarding: is harder on your knees as far as knee flex. You guys are always sitting on your :bum: ; you need to get up off the ground a lot more.
Mumster:
looks like :snowboarding: is harder on your knees as far as knee flex. The only pain I feel after riding all day is from the occasional hard fall...
My knees never felt better..
Seriously - I know lots of people that switched because of knee problems..
Mumster
08-28-2003, 10:53 AM
I may need to consider it if I keep wrecking my knees... :( still don't like the idea of being hobbled.
As far as the sitting thing goes...
Yeah... It Uscks but what are you gonna do...
Once you learn a mountian you get a feel for the right spots to stop where you can keep your board flat and not have to sit...
I dont normally sit on my :bum: ... I'd rather drop to my knees facing up the falline.. I got hit by an outta control skier pretty hard a couple of years ago with my back to the falline. He hit me square in the boots and flipped me over... I was out of the way - in a spot where he could totally see me...
Now I never face down the falline when I stop anymore...
live... learn....
2plankerider
08-28-2003, 10:56 AM
once you get past the "gee i think i'm gettin the hang of it" toeside edge reality check on the first day....snowboarding is pretty painless. i defenitly feel more drained after a day of skiing whereas after a day of riding it is no problemo. personally i started to ride because i wanted a new challenge. as a snowboarder coming from a skiing backgound, it is pretty wild because you look at the mountain in a entirely different way than if you were skiing.
If you really want to be scared...
Try skiing after 10 years of not doing it...
HOLY CRAP... Skis are scarey things....
elwood
08-28-2003, 11:03 AM
You guys are getting me pumped on boarding!
Wish list:
Snowboard
AT Skis
Probe/Transceiver
Ice Axe
420
2plankerider
08-28-2003, 11:06 AM
if and when you do try snowboarding, make sure it is a "soft" snow day. i DO NOT recommend learning on biolerplate. unless you wanna strap a pillow on yer :bum:
2plankerider
08-28-2003, 11:08 AM
whoops! i mean "boilerplate"
NHski
08-28-2003, 11:08 AM
elwood:
You guys are getting me pumped on boarding!
Wish list:
Snowboard
AT Skis
Probe/Transceiver
Ice Axe
420 If we ever go skiing together, I know one of those items will be there.
elwood:
Wish list:
420 Did you ever see the Burton 420 Kit...
I got one from my buddy who worked for them..
They sell it under the RED product line stuff..
Holds lighter, chillim, papers and other stuff..
Papa Jake himself carries one...
Burton 420 Kit (http://www.backpackingmall.com/Detailed/347.html)
NHski
08-28-2003, 11:17 AM
Thats pretty funny.
2plankerider
08-28-2003, 11:20 AM
LOL! i love it... it says as a description "keep your TOOLS organized..." :D
elwood
08-28-2003, 11:20 AM
I just bought one. Damn this e-commerce thing!!!
Dammit, looks like there out of stock! never mind... I still want one...
Why dont you just take a drive over to Burton and pick one up?
I heard Jakes partys are INSAAAAAAANEE!!!
Jolly J
08-28-2003, 03:18 PM
I like the keepin' it real foil pouch.
elwood
08-28-2003, 10:45 PM
DMC:
Why dont you just take a drive over to Burton and pick one up?
I heard Jakes partys are INSAAAAAAANEE!!! Drive? I don't need to drive there....It's right next door!!!
elwood:
Drive? I don't need to drive there....It's right next door!!! Really? Does Trey live on the other side? ;)
kock knock knock ..
Hey Trey - could I borrow some butter - Jake doesnt have any...
Thanks Dude... Later...
2plankerider
08-29-2003, 09:38 AM
LOL!
Talk of Trey and Tuck's on this board...hmmmmmm i thinks i'm REALLY begining to like it here :D
You ought to see the man Mulchehey.
Mumster
08-29-2003, 09:48 AM
DMC - you are changing your pic on a daily basis - you must be really bored.
M@:
You ought to see the man Mulchehey. But definatley not that jerk Wilson.... ;)
DRPHIDDLEPHOS
08-29-2003, 10:27 AM
free ride for the soul!!! i'm with ya on that one DMC! big turns, :sun: days, and cold :beermug: at the bottom!!! you elwood and i have got to get together this winter! i can put you up and we can go f#$k up STArr!!! then hit the NAIL for some apres! :D
I'm there...
Need to explore VT...
DMC: No need to let me catch up. Would like to see you hit the 1000 mark first.
elwood
08-29-2003, 10:40 AM
DMC - starting over??
Burton is next door to where I work. Trey lives in richmond.. Not sure where Jake lives... Jake, can I borrow some headies?
elwood:
DMC - starting over??A new beginning...!
A phoenix rising from the ashes...
Went to the Trey concert at Memorial last year, and saw a sticker, "Trey is Wilson." Thought that was funny, and the obvious good humor of it was that the person was AT the Trey show.
elwood
08-29-2003, 11:50 AM
When TAB played Bonnaroo last summer (first one), they polayed Wilson. The crowd began to chant Wilson as they normally do, but they also started chanting Trey is...Wilson. Trey then told the crowd "I am. I am Wilson" nd I saw a picture of him wearing a Wilson B-ball shirt, and he was flipping the camera the bird.. Pretty funny.
2plankerider
08-29-2003, 01:10 PM
elwood:
DMC - starting over??
Burton is next door to where I work. Trey lives in richmond.. Not sure where Jake lives... Jake, can I borrow some headies? jake lives in moscow...no not Russia, Moscow Vermont. it's squeezed between Stowe and Waterbury. Buddy of mine is VERY close with him, he says the place is sooooooo schweeeeet! I personally have never been there tho. hope to this winter :D
DRPHIDDLEPHOS
08-29-2003, 01:20 PM
he has an indoor soccer field!! can you f#$kin imagine, all this from somthing as simple as the design of the snowboard......i don't want to take anything away from this genius but we all use to stand up in sleds as kids and try to make it down the hill, he took it to the next level!!! he is one lucky SOB!! god love Jake Burton!!!!
elwood
08-29-2003, 01:59 PM
snowboards are cool.. hehehe yeah yeah
pepperdawg
08-29-2003, 02:17 PM
DRPHIDDLEPHOS:
but we all use to stand up in sleds as kids and try to make it down the hill, How true Doc, how true!!!!! hee hee hee :D
Bannick
08-29-2003, 04:26 PM
we liberated McDonald's trays. Dave had straps on his.
NH_tele
09-01-2003, 11:09 AM
A belated post back in the discussion of skier days & snowboards & such...
First of all, I don't keep track of my skiing days too accurately; probably to within 10 days. However, I do think it's a good indicator for yourself to keep track of. I know I skied about 10-20 more days last season than the season before it. That's a good thing in my book. More importantly, I spent even more time in the BC as opposed to resorts (although I was still probably 80/20 Resort/BC). As for that quality argument: I agree, but cruising can be fun as hell sometimes. Depending on the conditions, and my mood some days I actually just like to bring out the old Alpine GS race skis, and lay some really deep carves down the mountain all day long (or slalom skis, short carves are even more fun in many cases, anyone here ever skied on Atomic SL:11s?). Anyway, I count that as a good day of skiing. However, I also LOVE steeps, bumps, trees, & powder. And most importantly, tele skiing. I only alpine ski rarely now; most of my days are on tele gear...it's a great way to get down the mountain.
I tried snowboarding. I got good at snowboarding. I had some fun days. However, I never got into that whole "park scene" thing, and then I got my first pair of REAL shaped skis the year after. I was having so much fun carving on those skis that my snowboarding kinda just fell off. Then I discovered tele skiing, which is just amazing. So graceful & fluid. And it's very versitile, you can tour, etc, etc. Despite the gear not floating as well in powder, I'd still rather be on tele gear than a snowboard in powder. Anyone who's tele skied in real powder probably knows what I mean...
NE Tele, check out a copy of "Big Mountain Little Skier" for some outrageous deep powder tele action. After that has got your attention consider what the "Split Decision" did for BC boarding and the slick big stick helo action in Warren's "Fifty".....
Looks like deep powder is fun for all!
NH_tele:
Despite the gear not floating as well in powder, I'd still rather be on tele gear than a snowboard in powder. Anyone who's tele skied in real powder probably knows what I mean... My friends that Tele talk about one big ski when they're in a tele turn.
If I hadn't found the splitboard - I'd be serously thinking about telemarking... For the access to the goods...
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