taks Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 ok, we're hitting the slopes for the first time of the season friday morning. breckenridge is 117 miles from the springs so my wife and i (as well as two other couples) are driving up at o-dark 30 in the morning to start the season... only 7% of the slope is open but they're making snow like mad. my wife is nervous since this will be her first time (breck has a good "learn to ski school" which she will attend). i'm a noob, but confident enough that i rented skis for the season. we all went out saturday night and caught warren miller's Impact, which was nothing short of amazing... ok, if you can't tell, i can't wait till friday. nuff said taks comrade taks... just because. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deganawida Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 never been. i've always wanted to try, but money and location have prevented me from doing so. maybe i'll have to challenge you to pool sometime, with the stakes being a ski weekend trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phosphor Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 I tried skiing once, back many years ago. I'm still traumatised by the event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Althernai Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 Skiing is fun. I've only done it a couple of times in my life, but I can do it fairly well. I just got up on the skiis and went. Sure, you fall a couple of times, but overall it is amusing. Don't do it if you have fragile bones or somesuch though -- if you are a beginner, you probably will fall more than once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Child of Flame Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 Last time I went skiing was the 3rd grade field trip. I got mixed up with the paths and accidentally ended up on a black diamond....they weren't marked all that well, and the arrows were pointing in the same general direction. It was my first time skiing, needless to say, I got stuck up on the mountain, and one of the ski patrol dudes ended up giving me a ride down. One of the most embarrassing moments of my life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarjahurmaaja. Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 Skiing is awesome. I started skiing when I was a five year old and I don't intend to stop it until I'm dead and buried. By the way, I haven't ever broken a single bone doing it, so it's not all that dangerous as they say it is. Just don't do anything you're not confident you can do and learn to fall. 9/30 -- NEVER FORGET! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pope Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 I LOVE skiing! Maybe even more than I love my girl. It's the only sport I just can't get enough of, ever. I used skis in the past, but since a few years I've switched to snowblades. I wanted to do something else, and snowboarding is so clich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarjahurmaaja. Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 "Much more practical IMO. They're lighter to carry, and you don't have silly sticks that get in your way all the time. It's more of a recreational type of skiing though, but I'm not much of a competitive person anyway. Do note, however, that I'm fast as hell on the slopes with those little skis, and I don't know many folks that can keep up. I'm the kind of guy that just goes downhill vertically most of the time, without even taking turns." I bet I'd beat ya'... by taking turns. Riding these lil' beauties: edit: Seriously, you shouldn't really take pride about just going vertically downhill. Rather, you should be ashamed. 9/30 -- NEVER FORGET! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pope Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 edit: Seriously, you shouldn't really take pride about just going vertically downhill. Rather, you should be ashamed. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Bah! I've taken enough turns in my life already. It's not easy to go down vertically without falling (and thereby hurting yourself quite bad ). Being able to keep your speed under control is quite an art. Usually, you take a turn when you want to slow down. I don't like slowing down. I just love to beat everyone on the slope downhill. :cool: Especially those boarders who think they are so cool... I haven't met too many that can keep up with me. :D Don't get me wrong, I like to ski normally as well. It just gives me a greater kick at higher speeds. To me, skiing is all about the adrenaline, not about making perfect turns etc. PS: another neat thing about my blades is that you can ski backwards with them quite easily. I wouldn't suggest doing that on difficult slopes though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newc0253 Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 sorry but how do you control your speed if you don't turn?? it's okay if you're just scooting down a blue run or something but on a black run? turning is the only thing that stops me from hitting the sound barrier... dumber than a bag of hammers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarjahurmaaja. Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 Besides, it's not like you actually have to slow down (it's good for acceleration, too) when you turn if you know what you're doing. "Being able to keep your speed under control is quite an art." And that's where turning comes in. It's not just slowing down - it gives you constant feedback about whether or not you're 'riding' the skis or the skis you, is used for taking the fastest possible route (which rarely is a straight vertical line), can also be used for acceleration... How long (and how regularly) have you been skiing, anyways? "Don't get me wrong, I like to ski normally as well. It just gives me a greater kick at higher speeds. To me, skiing is all about the adrenaline, not about making perfect turns etc." To me as well. From my point of view, keeping the skis under my control is part of that business, however. 9/30 -- NEVER FORGET! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taks Posted November 23, 2004 Author Share Posted November 23, 2004 never been. i've always wanted to try, but money and location have prevented me from doing so. maybe i'll have to challenge you to pool sometime, with the stakes being a ski weekend trip. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> , i shoot pool quite well... taks comrade taks... just because. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pope Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 sorry but how do you control your speed if you don't turn?? it's okay if you're just scooting down a blue run or something but on a black run? turning is the only thing that stops me from hitting the sound barrier... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> "Being able to keep your speed under control is quite an art." And that's where turning comes in. It's not just slowing down - it gives you constant feedback about whether or not you're 'riding' the skis or the skis you, is used for taking the fastest possible route (which rarely is a straight vertical line), can also be used for acceleration... Maybe I should rephrase. It's an art to go fast and not fall over the bumps (in that case the skis ride you, to put it in Sarj's words). In order to stop and change direction, then yes I'll have to make some turns. It's not that I never turn. And black slopes are an entirely different thing. Obviously I don't go down those without turning. To be honest, I don't really like black runs, exactly because you can't go that fast on them. I've seen skiers tackle 'em without any effort, but I'm not that good. As I said, I'm more of a recreational skier. I prefer slopes that, when going down, almost make me feel the pain I'd be in should I fall. It feels awesome when you survive moments like that unscathed. That's pushing your limits, see how far you can go. How long (and how regularly) have you been skiing, anyways? I started when I was 10, once a year. 2 years ago I started snowblading, and going twice a year (have done it 4 times since then, and getting better and better at it). I'm 20 now, so you do the maths. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludozee Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 Snowboarding all the way, baby . nuffin better than a solid board under your feet instead of two instable ski's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarjahurmaaja. Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 "I started when I was 10, once a year. 2 years ago I started snowblading, and going twice a year (have done it 4 times since then, and getting better and better at it). I'm 20 now, so you do the maths." What does 'once a year' mean, really? That doesn't sound like it's very often... 9/30 -- NEVER FORGET! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taks Posted November 23, 2004 Author Share Posted November 23, 2004 it only takes 10 days or so to get fairly decent. i have 3 days under my belt and i can ski blues (though not well). starting when you're 10, btw, makes a big difference in the learning curve, too. my son will be on skis at 3 1/2 (3 is the youngest they'll allow at most places, but john turns 3 right after the season ends in 2006 so he won't go till that fall). taks comrade taks... just because. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarjahurmaaja. Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 "it only takes 10 days or so to get fairly decent." Uh, more like 10 weeks of training under an instructor, if you ask me. Yeah, that's what I'd call decent enough not to be painful to look at while going down a slope. 9/30 -- NEVER FORGET! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newc0253 Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 Uh, more like 10 weeks of training under an instructor, if you ask me. Yeah, that's what I'd call decent enough not to be painful to look at while going down a slope. 10 weeks? sweet jesus mary and joseph. who has 10 weeks to spend on a slope? with an instructor no less. most people should be okay to tackle an intermediate run after a couple of days on the baby slopes. it may take a few more trips before they're truly comfortable on the slopes, but it certainly don't take 10 bloody weeks... dumber than a bag of hammers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarjahurmaaja. Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 Well, no one has time to spend 10 consecutive weeks on a slope. That's why it takes people years to get any good at it. 9/30 -- NEVER FORGET! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taks Posted November 23, 2004 Author Share Posted November 23, 2004 10 days and i'll be comfortable on a black slope... if you really think it takes 10 weeks, maybe you should work on the foot-eye coordination thing a bit more? (j/k) taks comrade taks... just because. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarjahurmaaja. Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 "10 days and i'll be comfortable on a black slope... if you really think it takes 10 weeks, maybe you should work on the foot-eye coordination thing a bit more?" I suppose we have different interpretations on what "fairly decent" entails. 9/30 -- NEVER FORGET! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taks Posted November 23, 2004 Author Share Posted November 23, 2004 like i said, comfortable on a black slope. that requires a fair amount of skill and typically means you can handle turns well as well as speed. once i get to that point, i'll take a powder lesson and maybe a bumps lesson. i learned how to surf even quicker than this, btw, and it's MUCH more difficult. taks comrade taks... just because. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarjahurmaaja. Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 "like i said, comfortable on a black slope. that requires a fair amount of skill and typically means you can handle turns well as well as speed. once i get to that point, i'll take a powder lesson and maybe a bumps lesson." Uh, "powder lesson"? "bumps lesson"? edit: We really come from different view points here... I take it you're some sort of tourist skier, while I'm someone who started practically as soon as he was old enough to - when I was younger, I belonged to this ski club of sorts. I didn't much enjoy racing though (it felt so goddam restricted), and since that's what they basicly trained you for, I don't anymore. My whole family is pretty big on this skiing thing: my big sister used to do some racing, my father used ski instructor, and so on and so fort. Basicly, when it comes to skiing, I'm an elitist. 9/30 -- NEVER FORGET! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newc0253 Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 Well, no one has time to spend 10 consecutive weeks on a slope. That's why it takes people years to get any good at it. 'any good' is relative. no, you won't be trying out for the olympic ski squad after two lessons. but you certainly don't need 10 weeks to become a decent skier. dumber than a bag of hammers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newc0253 Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 Uh, "powder lesson"? "bumps lesson"? let me guess, you don't have any downhill skiing in finland, just cross-country? dumber than a bag of hammers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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