Help me get out of the back seat: terrain selection

[markojp]

I see you are from the kinder and gentler generation.
At Taos, we just toss them down one of the runs off the West Basin Ridge. Instant enlightenment.

Ahhh! The old 'Powder Bowl' trick.

 

[Yepow]

OP still here, gotta get that reprogramming done

 

[slow-line-fast]

OP still here, gotta get that reprogramming done

Nice! Motivation is the most important key to a successful reprogramming , followed by good instruction. On the hill, not on the internet. Season-long instructional programs are best, as they enable focused long term development.

 

[slow-line-fast]

I see you are from the kinder and gentler generation.
At Taos, we just toss them down one of the runs off the West Basin Ridge. Instant enlightenment.

They do it that way at Snowbird too

 

[Yepow]

Nice! Motivation is the most important key to a successful reprogramming , followed by good instruction. On the hill, not on the internet. Season-long instructional programs are best, as they enable focused long term development.

Lots of motivation, perhaps missing ALL the ingredients required to taking a winter off of work and instead spending it all skiing and paying instructors

 

[slow-line-fast]

I don’t mean taking a gap year, just if you live near a mountain and they offer something like every Saturday morning for 6 weeks or whatever, that’s a great format. If you have to travel far to ski, then still trying to get instruction over multiple days will be more effective than a one-off here and there. Just possibilities to look for.

 

[James]

I don’t know, people are pretty adaptable, and can use whatever technique they have in situations you wouldn’t think it would work. So given guts and desire, they will just get better at whatever they do, when in difficult terrain.
Maybe if it’s too much work, they could be motivated. So terrain is a motivator to a certain degree, but not enough.

@slow-line-fast ’s statement may be the defining operator. Video may be able to motivate, but maybe not.

because for the skier, that inefficiency is skiing as they know it.

It’s astonishing what some young kids will do on steeper terrain to avoid committing downhill. They can practically sit down on their tails and make a wedge turn, they’re so flexible. Adults don’t have that option, so they go shopping for bargains that don’t exist.

OP still here, gotta get that reprogramming done

Seren’t you in the Northern Rockies for a good week in late April? How was that?

 

[Yepow]

Weren’t you in the Northern Rockies for a good week in late April? How was that?

Slower than I'd like on the reprogramming And, physical flexibility and balance proved to be an issue--working on correcting that over the summer.

 

[Tony S]

Adults don’t have that option, so they go shopping for bargains that don’t exist.

So many great one-liners in this thread!

 

[Wilhelmson]

I went down a fairly short but steep blue trail on old wooden xc skis. I took all my determination to turn enough to maintain control. Once it turned back to green steepness, I let the skis actually do what they are supposed to it wasn’t so bad.

 

[James]

Slower than I'd like on the reprogramming

Might take a bit-

One of the great scenes in Film.

 

[geepers]

Slower than I'd like on the reprogramming And, physical flexibility and balance proved to be an issue--working on correcting that over the summer.

Have you thought of doing CSIA instructor training?

1. CSIA because you are already traveling to Canadian resorts and doing lessons under CSIA instructors.
2. L1 and L2 training are short, 3/4 day workshops/assessments for a fairly modest amount of money (plus a small annual Association fee). They will break down and rebuild your technique step by step.
3. L1 training is conducted by resorts with their own L3 instructors. L2 training by CSIA L4 instructors with the necessary extra training.

Neither of those levels requires fantastic skiing skills. Just an ability to listen, accept constructive advice and a willingness to attempt what is asked. It won't turn anybody into a hip to snow carver nor a demon in the bumps - those things aren't even covered in those workshops - but it will provide a solid foundation.

Would recommend being comfortable back on skis before doing the workshops - say a few days on snow either immediately or shortly before.

Got to be one of the quickest paths to improvement short of spending several weeks to a season on snow and forking out huge $$s for resort lessons.

 

[DebbieSue]

.

Adults don’t have that option, so they go shopping for bargains that don’t exist.

What if one is a highly motivated shopper?

 

[KingGrump]

.

What if one is a highly motivated shopper?

Same end result.



Highly motivated just means one enters the crash phase with higher speed.

 

[Yepow]

Have you thought of doing CSIA instructor training?

1. CSIA because you are already traveling to Canadian resorts and doing lessons under CSIA instructors.
2. L1 and L2 training are short, 3/4 day workshops/assessments for a fairly modest amount of money (plus a small annual Association fee). They will break down and rebuild your technique step by step.
3. L1 training is conducted by resorts with their own L3 instructors. L2 training by CSIA L4 instructors with the necessary extra training.

Neither of those levels requires fantastic skiing skills. Just an ability to listen, accept constructive advice and a willingness to attempt what is asked. It won't turn anybody into a hip to snow carver nor a demon in the bumps - those things aren't even covered in those workshops - but it will provide a solid foundation.

Would recommend being comfortable back on skis before doing the workshops - say a few days on snow either immediately or shortly before.

Got to be one of the quickest paths to improvement short of spending several weeks to a season on snow and forking out huge $$s for resort lessons.

This is a super interesting idea that I've now been thinking about... could take like a 5 week course at Big White (the Sunshine one, while at my home resort, sounds like it is for nomadic 22-year olds who have no need for personal space or the avoidance of COVID)... sounds like not even that much skill required. Might turbocharge the skiing ability and be a little skibbatical? Presumably you would go from not-so-good a skier to competent over the course of that training?!

 

[geepers]

This is a super interesting idea that I've now been thinking about... could take like a 5 week course at Big White (the Sunshine one, while at my home resort, sounds like it is for nomadic 22-year olds who have no need for personal space or the avoidance of COVID)... sounds like not even that much skill required. Might turbocharge the skiing ability and be a little skibbatical? Presumably you would go from not-so-good a skier to competent over the course of that training?!

Prep courses for L1 and L2 look really fun - for young gappers with a desire to explore the outer limits of alcohol and general substance abuse. Some of them occasionally go outdoors and actually put on skis. As far as I've heard it's not very different resort to resort.

Not entirely convinced prep courses are necessary for L1 and L2. For a vaguely competent skier the short CSIA workshops will cover what is needed.

L3 is a different matter and the CSIA are quite open that their relevant short workshops are unlikely to be enough preparation. Those workshops are essential but not sufficient - a great deal of self or purchased development is likely to be required.

Did a 6 week L3 prep course in 2018. Most of the participants (gappers) had just completed the L1/L2 prep course. Fortunately there were a 4 or 5 of us older ones for company. We watched with some amusement the gapper "Days of our lives" soap opera and pitied the poor guy who was the company's in resort rep. The one thing we found hard to understand is the amount of absenteeism. Great instructors, great teaching, great snow, interesting terrain (Sun Peaks) and many of the gappers partied too hard. Personally I didn't miss a single minute.

If you do any prep course take a separate room as us oldies did. It is simply not worth any amount of money to do a total emersion in young adult angst with none of the benefits.