How Not To Get Bored

[ckuck]

Fired open the Feb. issue of Ski. Whadda ya know - an article by Chris entitled Have More Fun! Sounds like my kind of article. So, let's review, shall we?

1. Demo Different Skis: Check. Bought twin-tips this year, the board slide on the box didn't do so well but Feb. 15th will be "try to do a 360" day. Should be good for a laugh if you're at Northstar!

2. Ski Nonstop: Check. Always.

3. Learn To Carve: Check. I'll be taking the blades to Utah in March again, probably spend at least a morning on them.

4. Watch Yourself: Check. Been doing this for a while. Also, listen to yourself. Want an interesting challenge? Get a cowbell (Moen, Reliable Racing has them in their catalog), hang it around your neck, go for a run. Try to make the bell ring in time.

5. Work On Your Boots: Check. Play around with this pretty much every time I'm skiing on the deck.

6. Mini Ski Golf: Check. Ask Kemp about those shots through the trees at Snow Summit. SoCal of all places! Whoda thunk?

7. Chase The Chair: Gotta try this one.

8. Play I-Spy: Check. Sort of. Fox is loose! Hey, it was Malcolm's idea to make me chase Marcel. While I was on the twin-tips. Without poles.

9. Teach Someone How To Ski: Check. Did a presentation on the deck for a customer, first one in over 10 years. School directory was pretty impressed. I was amazed I actually remembered all that stuff, and in the right order.

10. Weather The Storms: Check. Always! Best time to ski is when it's storming, I've always thought. Great snow and keeps the crowds down.

(Deck? What's the deck? www.adventureski.com)

[Jenny]

Thanks Carl for the article comments. Appreciate it very much! There'll be more....are we going to see you soon in a course?

[rusty]

[quote=ckuck;212]
1. Demo Different Skis: Check. Did it at pro jam (a PSIA event), but I can't even remember what I demoed.

2. Ski Nonstop: Check. With Michael Rogan when he came to visit us.

3. Learn To Carve: Checked this one off years ago.

4. Watch Yourself: Check this one off every year.

5. Work On Your Boots: Check. Replaced the heel and toe plates last week. I hate cat tracks.

6. Mini Ski Golf: Does skiing and golfing on the same day count?

7. Chase The Chair: No opportunity this year. Either lousy weather (no shadows), no snow under the chair or working too much.

8. Play I-Spy: I heard someone doing this last weekend.

9. Teach Someone How To Ski: Uncheck. Last weekend I taught a skier how to board. Sorry folks - we just lost another one to the dark side.

10. Weather The Storms: Check. Two ski days on freshies in progress this year.

[ckuck]

OK, so I didn't do a 360 after my 1-day NASTC private. So what. The groundwork has been laid, horizons expanded, eyes opened, fun-o-meter off the scale. I have an uncontrollable urge to ski backwards. I did 180s off of jumps. I tapped a tree.

28

Yes, those are stairs. Yes, that's me skiing down them. :eek: The two kids watching at the bottom were blown. I'm older than their parents.

26

And here's a grab, kind of hard to tell because I'm grabbing my right boot with my right hand. And it's all this guy's fault:

27

Reminds me of a line from "Maltese Flamingo": You're only as old as what you're willing to jump off of. :cool: Or, as I like to think: You don't quit skiing because you get old, you get old because you quit skiing.

[OldGuyinAk]

1. Demo Different Skis: 5 different skis in the quiver all longer and wider than most I see on the slopes. Two pair are twin tips so on a really flat slope I am trying to ski switch. Unfortunately my neck is very stiff so navigation is a bit of a problem. I did demo a 73mm underfoot 170 cm long ski last month. Way too easy to get around and I could almost make them rail.

2. Ski Nonstop: Main run at my local hill is 1400 ft. vertical with a 5 minute ride up. Lift lines are non existent. 6 runs an hour is not uncommon. I quess I could try for seven or eight.

3. Learn To Carve: This will never happen. Slarve maybe. I'll keep working.

4. Watch Yourself: The sun is finally getting over the top of the ridge so I can check my shadow.

5. Work On Your Boots: Skied soft boots (Dale) for years. About a year on new stiff boots. Big difference but Dale Boots were like slippers.

6. Mini Ski Golf: Tried this. Lots of little terrain features still to work out.

9. Teach Someone How To Ski: Took a friend to Idaho for 12 days and he was learning to ski again after a serious illness. I convinced him to take a lesson but he was not impressed. Did a lot of big toe, little toe and completing the turn to help keep him in control. It worked for me too.

10. Weather The Storms: Skiied a storm day on Thursday. Rain at the bottom 20-30 knot winds and snow at the top. Gear soaking wet, heavy Chugach crud - great skiing - silky first tracks down South Face. Resort on weather hold Friday, opened late, I skipped - big mistake, reports are it was epic. Little was left on Saturday morning though outer areas opening eased the pain. Lesson learned.

[ckuck]

Got back from Utah a little over a week ago, skied a couple of days with some old guy from Alaska (which was great fun) including traversing into some off-piste areas. While I was there, I remembered yet another way to have more fun on the hill - racing! :D None of the major areas in California do NASTAR any more, but thankfully they DO do that in Utah! Did 6 runs over three days, wound up with two silvers and my first GOLD medal @ DV, and had a blast. Racing also teaches you to handle speed, and to plan ahead along the lines of Chris' visual skills tip. Racer ready? 3, 2, 1, GO!!!

[Chris]

Every time I go to Squaw, except powder days. I stop by the coin-op race course located at the top of Shirley Lake and take my obligatory runs.

[rusty]

Do they have pace time set for the coin op course? Who's the fastest at Squaw?

[Chris]

Julia, Marco, Tom, Dick or Harry. It depends who shows up.

[Kimberly]

Carl, those are some serious stairs! When I was at Northstar with the NASTC course, I rode the chair over the terrain park and I saw a set of five stairs and I thought those were the ones you did. I think next year you are going to have to get some twin tipped park skis! Maybe we can get a freestyle/park & pipe day on the calendar - what do you think?

[ckuck]

Carl, those are some serious stairs! When I was at Northstar with the NASTC course, I rode the chair over the terrain park and I saw a set of five stairs and I thought those were the ones you did. I think next year you are going to have to get some twin tipped park skis! Maybe we can get a freestyle/park & pipe day on the calendar - what do you think?

I think Convention rocks is what I think! Got kind of the same deal as last year, Kemp and El for a full-day private (his-n-hers lessons? ha ha ha) Anyway, if you want to join us for a day in the park at Northstar while Cheryl and El do girly things over at Squaw <grin>, you're more than welcome. Helmet cam will be in full effect.

Speaking of helmet cameras and how to have more fun, I'm putting together my first "Eyestrain Productions" video for HMF #2 (I believe) - Ski Top To Bottom. It's around 3 minutes, has a soundtrack and everything!!! Filmed entirely on location at Deer Valley!!