Ski

It's a really bad trend to shut down because the weather resembles winter.

Aaaaargg...CB has somehow infected Montage with it's wussy attitude. The rain changed to snow about an hour ago and I was going to hit a few runs before my swim meet tonight. Sucks...

Montage is closed today and tonight because of snow flurries and a chilly breeze.

Not me. When I get panties, I keep them.

Yeah, could you do that for real, Doug? I'd hate to drive all the way down there for nothin'.

It changes through the turn. A turn begins with a tipping of the downhill ski, then pressure toward the shovel. Depending on steepness/conditions, you may begin with 60/40 downhill ski, then as much as 80/20, or more at the apex of the turn. But modern ski racing is much less downhill pressure than the old style, where you were taught to unweight the uphill ski, sometimes completely. The modern technique is also much better with a very wide stance. The biggest epiphany I had at race camp this season was to start thinking about my little toe on the uphill ski. Imagine that you want to set both skis on edge in a turn...it's easy to get the downhill ski to tip on edge and carve. But that damn uphill ski? Think about driving the little toe of your uphill ski into the hill, so that outside foot is mimicking what your downhill foot is doing. Get that right and your turns are twice as strong.

Yeah, I went up for last hour on Sunday night. I nearly blew over in the lot trying to boot up and it was brutally cold---about 7 degrees, with a minus 20 windchill. Tonight was BEAUTIFUL. 33 degrees, with a nice warm breeze. Everyone just wanted to go home early. I'm over it, though. I called the snow phone and left a message with the group sales department with how I was feeling about things

I took two runs down Boomer, then two down CBall (the bigger headwall was groomed all crazy, like the guy running the cat was doing donuts, or something), and was going to finish the last hour on WL. But nooooooooooooooooooo...

I went up to ski the last two hours tonight and some dorky Ranger greets me at 9:10pm with the news that they are closing because of high winds. Where we are standing next to the Phoebe Snow, the winds are about 10mph, with gusts of about 20mph. "But it's really windy up top," he says with a straight face. Man, was I pissed. I had even called the snow phone before heading out because of the icy rain in the area earlier. Bad job by Montage tonight.

I think K2 was just kidding...spreading a rumor. It was discussed a long time ago, but should probably be repeated: parents should call the athletic director at their local high school before allowing their kids to accept prizes, if they plan on having their kid play a high school varsity sport. Certain prizes can actually make a kid ineligable for high school teams. Not my rule, but I've seen it enforced in both PA and NJ.

Bringing it back to the very basics, there are two ways to turn skis: skidding and carving. Carving will always be faster (aside from a "stivitz", which involves a little of both, but only done in about one turn every three different courses). So once someone is able to carve a great turn, leaving those two razor-like parallel trails in the snow, then the next step is to maximize the carve. The outside leg becomes nearly straight and skeletally aligned. This takes pressure off the muscles; just a little bend in the downhill knee to absorb some bumps. The inside knee is bent and drawn up; that ski matches the arc of the other and is also out from your body. These angles allow for you to carry the most speed through the turn. And when the ski is bent with all that pressure, it is finally released at the end of the turn. That "pop" is one of the things that separates the greats from the rest. Using that energy to go forward instead of up. Before his motorcycle accident, Hermann Maier was the best at this. Other skiers were prettier to watch, but nobody loaded and unloaded a ski like Maier.

You're such a tool Rob. Blaming other people for a rumor your own kid starts. Seriously, though I'd suggest you have him tone that down. Coaches tend to have a problem with kids that act like they don't want to be there. Well, good luck with that, and I'm glad to hear that he can bang out a zipperline in real moguls. The rest is pretty easy.

And consider if everyone took the same basic line down a GS. It's the person tipping the skis on edge the most and creating the most angles that slams the gates the hardest.

You're sorta quiet parkbuilder...we forgot not to goof on Shawnee. Ever since they announced they were open for skiing a few years ago, but didn't mention it was only on Little Chief, we've been a little hard on them.

Sounds like you have it dialed in. Make sure to show her pictures of ex-GF's and tell her you have a new video camera for later on. Good luck, man!

Ha, that's probably exactly it. I was hanging with a friend in a shop the other day and watched a family pick out the 'coolest looking' snowboards. Screw the model, brand, or functionality...GRAPHICS!

And to think you don't have a GF, Doug? I just don't understand it. You seem so in touch with what women want to hear

And you would be wrong

Hahaha...and I know some kids who wish they didn't have parents. Have you seen real J4 mogul skiers? Like the one from Hunter on north? I gotta tell ya that any bump team would have a huge advantage over specialists from the other events, especially now that they are throwing huge air WITHIN the mogul run. They land and are right back into the zipperline bumps. Even coming from someone that prefers slalom/carving, moguls get my utmost respect. It's a shame there's so little opportunity in this area for real bump training. Sure, in kind of a disgusting way. But that's just my opinion. Maybe when he's older he'll change it to areola. So your son is telling people he's being punished by having to be on the CAT team and you're are upset that adults are publicly saying he's being punished? Rob, your issue is with your son, NOT the adults repeating what your son is telling them.

Beautiful pics, Sib, except for those really ugly bib numbers Just to add Shadows, the only racers that don't want to hit gates are downhillers. Gates are usually set so the best line ISN'T directly at or through a downhill gate, but a more rounded line. And hitting a gate at 90mph+ hurts and can dislodge your goggles, etc. Bode Miller is one of the few racers that sometimes will cut a line tight enough to be smashing downhill gates, but it's incredibly risky and often slower. And if you hook an arm in a gate, it can easily dislocate your shoulder at high speed. For most recreational racers, instructors will tell them NOT to try and hit gates on a course like a NASTAR. Hitting gates should come from dynamic angles, with your skis out away from your body, not from just leaning in and trying to hit them without purpose.

Because each run counts. The overall time of the race isn't important, other than for that day. It's best to go all out on every run as a J4/5; better to win one run and crash in the other, than to have a couple of 7th places finishes. It looks like Ridge had a 7th and 4th place run, for 86 total points on the WC scale. And then, I believe it's the best of one less than half the runs that are counted. So out of 8 runs, they'll take the top three runs (which is one less than half).

Sib, it's quite obvious that it's been a long time since you've taken a 5yr old skiing and then to China Buffet...it does things to your brain. 'Dude, I think you have to go to the various club websites to view unscored races. They aren't posted nationaly.

Hmmm, I had no idea that members weren't listed under 'athlete lookup'. I figured coaches and maybe Masters. Oh, well, learn something new...

Why don't I see an athlete profile for Ridge in the USSA athlete lookup? Hopefully that's just lag time in posting...

We have a race Saturday on Exhibition, which is next to the park...how's RT looking these days? The website is pretty happy/optimistic: "81% of the mountain is open with up to 2 feet of snow! Our expert snowmaking team made another 4 to 6 inches of fresh new snow for you overnight." They make it sound like RT is digging out from a blizzard. Luckily, 'Slope Safety Awareness Week' will be over before we get there. WTF is with that? You guys get in trouble or something?