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Snowboard And Ski Gear
Snowboard
Christmas Playlist 2010
With the countdown to Christmas officially at two weeks, it’s time to put the celebration into high gear.
Getting the most out of a clinic
This is from a series of posts based on my experiences at The Hartford Ski Spectacular/PSIA-ASSI Adaptive National Academy in Breckenridge, CO.
I used to go to PSIA/ASSI clinic and walk away with a nugget or two that would really click. But at some point I thought I was spending too much money to just get one or two things (while having a good time on the snow and making friends).
Here’s what I do to get more out of a clinic
I carry my cute argyle notebook in my front pocket with a pen to every clinic. The silhouette looks funny poking out of my jacket, but I’m OK with that. The mechanical act of writing helps me remember.
If the weather is OK, I jot down notes on the chairlift or the side of the hill. Sometimes this means I’m skiing after the group whilst trying to put my gloves and pole straps on. It would be funny for the group if anyone was around to see it but they are usually gone.
If it’s too cold, snowy or rainy I jot down notes inside. I will often check with my group to make sure I have everything down.
So what am I writing? The drill, why we did it, what the outcome was and feedback the leader gave to me or others. Those little nuggets that help you understand or teach something.
Make sure you understand the what, why, how and when the clinic leader is telling you. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “so and so examiner said” followed by something nutty.
So now you’re back home with this great stuff. What are you going to do?
The biggest mistake is to take someone’s shtick and try to use it verbatim. You have to say it in your voice and use in your teaching.
I like to write blog posts about it. If we did a drill that I like, I’ll write a post about how I will use that drill in a progression. Here’s an example.
The last step for me is to teach it and boy do I get fired up to use this great, new material. Then I look and the group and say nope, not the right thing. When I find the right fit for the drill, I get very excited and my group thinks I’m nuts.
Ski instructors can be very trendy, I can remember seeing everyone do the teapot drill. Just because an examiner or national team member is doing doesn’t make it right for your students. And the extended hand or spout goes over the inside ski.
Once I’ve seen it, jotted down the notes, blogged about it and taught it. I own it. But credit will be given, where it is due. Thanks trainers and examiners!
Which Way Now?
The first time it happened, I knew it wasn’t a coincidence. I wasn’t clear about anything else in my life but I knew it wasn’t there by chance. It had been placed there because I needed to see it. My good god, I needed to see it. I had gone to the beach that cold February afternoon to feel the wind on my face, to see big horizons, to try and forget about everything. To escape for just a second from the inner turmoil that was the inevitable consequence of being on the receiving end of 2 years of abuse of my heart, trust, and belief in someone else. I had given my heart purely and simply to the wrong guardian and there it was at the bottom of the sand dune. A heart. An arrangement of stones in a heart shape. Pure and simple yet overpowering in its message. I was loved.
From this moment on, I saw them all the time and continue to do so 18 months down the road. I don’t just mean hearts because quite clearly that would be more than a little monotonous. What I mean is signs. Perceptible indicators of something not immediately apparent; a pointer, a nudge, a reminder, an affirmation. Whatever shape or form they have taken, they have guided me in a very clear direction on the incredible adventure that my life has been transformed into over the past couple of years. And they have always appeared when I’ve been playing in the outdoors. In the early days of the fallout, I sometimes missed them but as clarity, trust, and calm were slowly re-established within, so I could reflect and see that they were always there.
I certainly missed the next one that occurred but it didn’t matter in the slightest because it was merely a symbol of reassurance that I was in good hands. What am I babbling about? A cow having a lie down in a field suggesting that strangely enough it will indeed continue to rain in July in Scotland? A red sky at 8pm indicating that shepherds should rush out and buy scratchcards?
Not really. Just that when my Dad suggested I try ski touring with him following the incredible snowfall in Scotland in February 2009 I was also experiencing periods of enormous anxiety. I decided to push my limits, give it a go and it was the beginning of something that has become incredibly special and sacred in my life. The sign I missed? Oh just that my rental skis were Movement ‘Shamans’. Hell yeah I was in good hands. I was being looked after by not only the ever constant, knowledgeable and amazing man that is my father, but also by a North American Indian medicine man with incredible healing powers. With that combination behind me, failure was never really on the cards.
We three had a great time over the course of that winter. I say ‘that winter’ but it only really lasted four days. Its significance for me however was far longer lasting and wider reaching. When I look back over the various things this triumvirate accomplished in these action packed few days in 2009, it’s not the first trip up Cairngorm together nor the ascent of Fionn B’heinn in a complete whiteout that stand out as the most powerful memories. Of course it was amazing to skin up to the top of two Munros, but we actually had our best times together on the rather less vertically impressive Knock of Braemoray. Here one has to endure a whole 20 minutes of ascent but is rewarded handsomely with a descent lasting a maximum of 20 seconds. Hardly a rival for the Haute Route but how can you beat being on your own at sunset, skinning up behind mountain hares to descend over powder sparkling like orange and pink jewels while grouse are flying overhead? That’ll be a resounding 1-0 to the Knock then.
Since those early days of hearts and Shamans, there have been many more eyebrow raising incidents which have revealed themselves at interesting and opportune moments but it was these bad boys that were the keys that opened the door to the crazy adventure that my life currently resembles.
Yup, symbols and signs are there all around us. Of course they don’t mean a thing until you interpret them but as soon as you do, that interpretation gives them power, momentum and energy. And if you’re very lucky you just might end up like me – 34, living at home with your parents with a beaten up old car as your only asset, and working in a climbing shop. Oh go on, you know it sounds like fun. Someone did once say that true humour is the symbol of the freedom of the soul.
Big fat thursday
Vacuum press at work on another 51 big.
51 standard and 51 big side by side. You can see the obvious dimension and side cut differences. The waist and tail of the big is about 1″ wider then the standard.
Brain Wilson printed me up some new stickers of just the right colors. Big rode great today thanks to the conditions being perfect. Even though its wide it carves well, not as easily as the 51 standard but considering its wide waist today was better then I could have hoped for. Since I carry the camera there are no shots of me. Maybe Eric or Cole will slow down a bit next time and snap some pics.
Today was epic, about 6 inches of soft cold snow on top of a crazy crust of small hail balls. It was a perfect day to explore some steep in bounds terrain. We got first tracks all over today, thanks to the main quad being shut down. You had to ride two old style chairs to get the the north bowls plus the fact that it was a Thursday made for an pretty empty mountain. Here’s a shot of Eric on our last run.
This early grab was a make but just barely.
Solder named Walter Camp All-American
Senior outside tackler Nate Solder is going to need a bigger trophy case.
CU Independent
A Weekend in Aspen: What Makes Skiing So Great?
Skiing in Aspen
If you’ve never been skiing in your life – and this applies especially for those of you in a more tropical climate – you might ask yourself why there is such emphasis on skiing, especially with people who seem to have a lot of money. “A weekend in Aspen” doesn’t sound fun to you; instead, it sounds like a way to canoodle with friends, have an excuse to drink warm drinks by a fire, and get cozy with a loved one.
Actually, that doesn’t sound so bad, does it?
It’s not. Let’s take a look at what a typical “skiing weekend” might be like for you, and whether or not you’d enjoy it.
Friday:
Meet up with friends. Greet each other appropriately – especially if you haven’t seen each other for a while. Feel sentimental upon seeing old high school friends. And get to work: start going into the pro shop to rent some ski boots, skis, and ski poles. Make fun of your best friend for wearing a hat with a puff ball on the top of it.
In the afternoon, hit the slopes – maybe take a quick lesson from an instructor. You still feel like a rookie, but at least you have an idea of how to slow down your momentum. When you cut loose and really let gravity take you down the hill. Wipe out, get laughed at. Throw a snow ball.
Evening comes, and with the cold, short, winter days, you and your friends decide to call it a night at your cabin. Except you don’t call it a night; you get warmed up, play a board game, watch a DVD, and generally have fun. Fall asleep from exhaustion.
Saturday:
Repeat, except you start today at sun-up. Maybe you’re a little sore from the previous day, but you don’t let that stop you. The prospect of actually pulling off a nice ski run down a hill still thrills you. You and your earlybird friends head out.
By noon, you feel like you’ve already spent a whole day on the slopes, honing your skills, and you’re amazed at how fast you’ve improved. When your other friends join you, they see you pull of some tricks you haven’t before. Then it happens: you finally execute a successful skiing turn. The thrill gets to your ego, and you wipe out again, laughing at yourself.
Sunday:
Ski some more, and finally say goodbye to your friends, who by now you might be getting sick of, in a brother or sisterly way. You return all of your equipment and prepare yourself for another workweek, wondering where all the time has gone.
Photo Credits: Matt Ryall
Originally posted 2009-04-21 05:32:39.
Snow in the Yard
Snow in the backyard, finally!! My new planet snowtools rake is amazing, thanks Cory!! The dirt mound promises lots of lines. Here’s a shot of Teig.
This shot of Max was taken before the big dump we got this weekend. There is now about a foot of light fluffy snow over a solidly frozen ground, which kinda hurts sometimes.
I’ve been wanting to try a deck mounted directly to the sub. This isn’t a new idea, lots of people have tried this but I wanted to see how different it would feel. There are 1/4 inch pads between the deck and truck. It pops surprisingly well and it actually carves hardpack ok on mellow slope. In powder there wasn’t much difference in the float but the low center of gravity is pretty fun and it is light. The top deck is only three plys thick which helps cut down the weight. I guess I was trying to simulate Wolle‘s set up a bit.
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I’m having a lot of fun with the powdersurfs but I do miss the concave and tail that you have with bi-decks. Wolle‘s surfs have the channels on the sides which serve as concave. You still don’t get the pop from the tail of the top deck which I kinda like. I’ll be messing around with it some more this season I’m sure.
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Getting onto a ski lift is easy.
- Slide to the line where you wait for the chair, and make sure you have a free hand (free of ski poles, that is).
- As the ski lift chair nears the back of your legs, extend your free hand to the chair and sit.
- Now, you are on the ski lift. Lower the bar restraint and enjoy the ride.
For more Skiing tips, visit http://Skiing.lifetips.com
The CU Independent is on winter break
We’ll be back in action on Jan. 10. Happy holidays everyone!
CU Independent