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New Skier - DO's

surfsnowgirl

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Magic Mountain, Vermont
This is a great tip, but if you are skiing in a foreign country and do not speak the language it can be difficult.

Thanks and yes that's true but how often does that really happen. Sure there are exceptions to every scenario but lots of people in europe speak English for example. Even when we were skiing in eastern Quebec we got a trail recommendation out of our chairlift companion and she barely spoke english. One isn't looking for a lengthy conversation, just a quick sorting of trail map directions so i think this can still be accomplished even if you have to bumble through some language challenges. Worst case speak less, pull out a trail map and point.

Cheers


:rocks:
 
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Monique

bounceswoosh
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On the morning of day 3 or maybe 4 when you wake up and your feet hurt and the bruise on hip has grown to the size of a dinner plate and you feel like turning over and going back to sleep take 400mg of Ibuprofen and GET UP. winners never quit, quitters never win. This is the day it will start to click and you WILL make it all the way down the bunny slope without falling.

Hmm, not sure I agree with this. I mean, sure, if you're that kind of person, do it. But if you're not, sleep in, have a leisurely breakfast, and you know - enjoy your vacation.

Also I used to take a shit-ton of Ibuprofen, and I now have a GI disease, and I kind of wonder if there's a relationship. Certainly the amount of "Vitamin I" many skiers take is not good for your organs.
 

TQA

Putting on skis
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Apr 27, 2017
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75

On the morning of day 3 or maybe 4 when you wake up and your feet hurt and the bruise on hip has grown to the size of a dinner plate and you feel like turning over and going back to sleep take 400mg of Ibuprofen and GET UP. winners never quit, quitters never win. This is the day it will start to click and you WILL make it all the way down the bunny slope without falling.

Hmm, not sure I agree with this. I mean, sure, if you're that kind of person, do it. But if you're not, sleep in, have a leisurely breakfast, and you know - enjoy your vacation.

I used to instruct back in the 80s and day 4 was dropout day in the beginners classes.But if they did turn up even if they were hurting then we usually got them to where the slow speed fear falls started to disappear and they began to link turns.

Once they dropped out they usually gave up on skiing altogether.

I guess this might be more a European thing where the beginners came for a week and would sign up for a weeks lessons as part of the package.
 

Monique

bounceswoosh
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Jim McDonald

愛スキー
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Nov 15, 2015
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Tokyo
It's not just a European thing. I did three four-day programs back in the '90s, Ski Esprit at Whistler twice and the morning lessons at Taos once. Each time, the class shrank from the third day. At Whistler, by the fourth day I was the only one left once, and only two of us the other time; at Taos, went from seven to three on the last day.
 

Wilhelmson

Making fresh tracks
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May 2, 2017
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Take your time getting ready and relax. Don't get stressed lugging your (and maybe your kids) stuff up to the lodge. Make sure your boots fit correctly and are comfortable. Take lunch at 11 rather than 12 to avoid the lift lines and crowded lodge. Use hand warmers and feet warmers if they feel ok in your boots. Stretch before and after. If you party till 2 am skiing will be more difficult and cold.

In order of importance:

1. have fun/relax
2. hydration
3. layers/gloves
4. byob (which is apparently spelled bourbon here)
 

TQA

Putting on skis
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How do you know this?

I skied in Europe and did some instruction with beginners. Generally beginners signed up for 6 days tuition as a block as part of their one week holiday. You would see the numbers in the beginners classes drop sometimes quite dramatically on days 3 and 4. I had friends who were instructors.and they were often grousing as they only got paid if they taught and the ski school would sometimes amalgamate classes so they needed fewer instructors.

Of course I do not know if the dropouts never tried again but I suspect in most cases they did not.
 

Monique

bounceswoosh
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I skied in Europe and did some instruction with beginners. Generally beginners signed up for 6 days tuition as a block as part of their one week holiday. You would see the numbers in the beginners classes drop sometimes quite dramatically on days 3 and 4. I had friends who were instructors.and they were often grousing as they only got paid if they taught and the ski school would sometimes amalgamate classes so they needed fewer instructors.

Of course I do not know if the dropouts never tried again but I suspect in most cases they did not.


Ah, that makes sense. Thanks for the explanation!
 

Varmintmist

Bear, with furnture.
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As to clothing from a guy who has worked and played outside for about 40 years...

..i.. to the fashion police. Once you take up the sport, then you might step up to a name brand,,, or not.
Cotton is not your friend. However a T-shirt and drawers as a layer isnt call for the end of times. Base layers matter. Poly pro is good, and never discount a wool/silk blend or silk as a base layer. Grandpa wasnt a trans anything when he took Grannys stocking to hunting camp.
Head hands and feet is where to spend some money. You can get by with a waterproof shell over a sweater, or even a sweatshirt, but you need good gloves and a head cover that retains heat. 10% of your body heat is lost through your head. Get a lid on it even if it isnt fashionable.
Dress warm, but dress smart. It is better to be a little cool than to hot because you are better off to be dry than wet. If you sweat hard, you are done. If you feel the sweat dripping down your back, there is not enough wick despite the hype to keep you warm and dry.
 

dbostedo

Asst. Gathermeister
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As to clothing from a guy who has worked and played outside for about 40 years...

..i.. to the fashion police. Once you take up the sport, then you might step up to a name brand,,, or not.
Cotton is not your friend. However a T-shirt and drawers as a layer isnt call for the end of times. Base layers matter. Poly pro is good, and never discount a wool/silk blend or silk as a base layer. Grandpa wasnt a trans anything when he took Grannys stocking to hunting camp.
Head hands and feet is where to spend some money. You can get by with a waterproof shell over a sweater, or even a sweatshirt, but you need good gloves and a head cover that retains heat. 10% of your body heat is lost through your head. Get a lid on it even if it isnt fashionable.
Dress warm, but dress smart. It is better to be a little cool than to hot because you are better off to be dry than wet. If you sweat hard, you are done. If you feel the sweat dripping down your back, there is not enough wick despite the hype to keep you warm and dry.

Good tips... I'll just add that for some of us, sweating is unavoidable, regardless of thermal control or wicking. More important for me is that clothing doesn't retain the moisture, doesn't get heavy and clingy, and does dry quickly.
 

Varmintmist

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Everyone will sweat, it is a physical activity. By not over dressing, you can mitigate some of the problem.
 

marjoram_sage

newly addicted to skiing
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Great advice here.. Wish I had read some of this before I went out for my first day of skiing last year in Jan. It was full of mistakes like the following
  • 1st mistake was going to Heavenly. I should have gone to much smaller place. We couldn't find parking and as a result we had to park about a mile downhill and had to walk up with gear. Plus there is very little beginner terrain at Heavenly.
  • 2nd mistake: over dressing. I had too many layers and sweated a lot. All my inner layers were wet by the time I walked one mile up hill.
  • 3rd mistake: went for a weekend at a time with a month long gap in between. It reset my progress to near zero every time. I should have gone for at least 4 days at a time.

I now realize that going to an uncrowded place is very important for new skiers. And it's not just b/c you will spend less time in lift lines. Crowds make the snow worse: scraped off and icy. When you haven't mastered your turns, nearby people will make you very nervous.

Base villages are not your friend when learning to ski. Base villages = more walking in ski boots to get to the beginner lifts. If it's at high elevation, you will lose a lot of your energy. It can be avoided by going to an area where you can drive up close to the lift and drop off your stuff.
 
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pchewn

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Do not leave the rental shop without trying on BOTH boots. This will prevent the rare but embarrassing TWO-LEFT-BOOTS scenario. Very bad when you rent in town and drive up for skiing.
 

marjoram_sage

newly addicted to skiing
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Do not leave the rental shop without trying on BOTH boots. This will prevent the rare but embarrassing TWO-LEFT-BOOTS scenario. Very bad when you rent in town and drive up for skiing.

Funny you mention this. I did that last year with my snow boots. Luckily there were not my ski boots and since they were 1/2 size larger, I still managed fine.
 

DerKomisar

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Outside Chicago
Also recommend wearing a helmet. Either renting or buying one if you're going to ski more than a few times. I never wore one as a kid, but now I won't ski without one. Besides it really does keep your head warmer than just a hat. You can usually find a decent one at places like Costco in season for around 30 bucks.
 

Philpug

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Do not leave the rental shop without trying on BOTH boots. This will prevent the rare but embarrassing TWO-LEFT-BOOTS scenario. Very bad when you rent in town and drive up for skiing.
For every skier out there with two left boots, there is usally another with two rights. ;) Remember, two while Wrights make and airpline, three rights make a left.
 

DerKomisar

Putting on skis
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For every skier out there with two left boots, there is usally another with two rights. ;) Remember, two while Wrights make and airpline, three rights make a left.
On a recent ski trip, my daughter grabbed a right and left boot, but the wrong size left one.it was a club trip and many rent the same looking equipment. That was a one time mistake I hope to never make again. Moral of that story is to make sure to use some obnoxious stickers to help our kids equipment stand out.
 

LiquidFeet

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New England
Moral of that story is to make sure to use some obnoxious stickers to help our kids equipment stand out.

This is important to adults as well as for kids.

This last Feb I was assigned to teach a group of never-ever British teens, accompanied by one adult never-ever teacher-chaperone. This was for three days of lessons. They were all on rental equipment, and the skis were all the same brand and model. To these newbies, they all looked the same.

There must have been 200 teenage-school-vacation-skiers and their adult chaperones from all over England on the hill those three days. Many of them were never-evers unfamiliar with ski gear. After their first day of skiing, all the skis were stored together in a shed on the mountain. On day two I met my group outside the shed and we took off. After we rode the chair up and started off on a green trail, I realized my chaperone guy had picked up the wrong pair of skis out of that shed. His bindings kept letting go. He could make maybe two turns then out he'd pop, falling in the soft snow. Evidently the rental shop did not impress upon these new skiers the importance of memorizing the sku number on the sticker on their skis.

When I realized he could not keep his boots connected to his skis, I stopped the group and sent a message down the hill for ski patrol to come to us to pick this guy up in a sled and give him a ride back to the rental shop. This took time, but left a lasting impression on them all about the importance of bindings being matched to the boots. Unfortunately it also embarrassed the chaperone, who was a math teacher at the school. He seemed to deal with it as well as possible.

I wish our rental shop would do something more obvious than ask them to remember the sku number. Stickers would be great, or better yet, writing the name of the skier on a piece of tape on the skis. There's a lot of stimulation going on with a group of teens out-of-country for vacation at a ski resort. They won't all be able to absorb all the information coming at them fast on their first day of skiing.
 
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