2011-12 Skiing Thread

[Starfishy]

I'm sorry if this is already posted in this thread somewhere, I did not want to read the whole thing. Does anyone know a good place to pick up some second hand gear for ski/board for a 4 year old?

[mrbanffgirl]

Originally Posted by Starfishy

I'm sorry if this is already posted in this thread somewhere, I did not want to read the whole thing. Does anyone know a good place to pick up some second hand gear for ski/board for a 4 year old?

Best thing to do is go to sport check, and buy new. They have an upgrade program there, so if you buy skis/boot/bindings this year they will give you 50% of you purchase amount towards new gear next year when you bring back the old stuff.
at least you know how old the stuff is, properly sized and most of all safe! the trick with older gear is that if there has been a recall on say bindings (the spring go sometimes go) or if they are older than a specific date, the ski shops will not service them.

[freedogger]

Originally Posted by AR_Six

You are only sort of high. Louise and Castle are immediately disqualified by annual snowfall. They simply do not yield enough pow days.

There is a good argument to be made for KMHR, but I think it's a matter of personal preference between there and Revy. To be honest I don't even know what side of that argument I'd fall on.

Whistler... well first of all, Whistler kind of sucks imo, the lift layout is annoying in terms of getting in enough good ish in one day, though on bluebird its virtues shine. Blackcomb, however, is an awesome hill if you know where all the goods are. It will always be my home mountain, I have hundreds of days there. If you like coastal snow and don't mind flat light, it's great. But the crowds are brutal, the snow gets tracked out quickly and the village is essentially a black hole that swallows money faster than anywhere else I can think of outside of freaking Disneyland. On that basis, the interior hills have a lot on W/B. If you're counting anything other than terrain.

The other problem is related to the crowds - ever since we made the godawful, I-wish-we-could-take-it-back (though a lot of my friends have gotten well as a result so I don't really but just for skiing purposes) decision to make fat skis cool, everyone and their mom thinks they need to make the traverse out into lakeside and flute. It's ridiculous. Seven or eight years ago you could find something good and lap it with two or three other people and it'd be all good. Now, everything everywhere is tracked out by noon. I see people TAKING OFF THEIR GEAR and hiking backwards down sketchy traverses - if you can't ski well enough to GET there, then gtfo before I beat you to death with my ski pole and bury your corpse in booterville. Sparknotes version: gapers and tourists are a big problem at W/B, even more so than in Banff.

You speak the truth AR_Six!

I think high-speed quad chairs cause grief too. I have a soft spot for Castle for that reason - you can ski there all day, the lifts limit the amount of acres that get tracked up. I have never seen anyone take skis off to walk down into a spot! That's f'ud up. I too have logged many moons at Blackcomb, mostly in the 80's before it got overrun by zombies. Whistler was only fun to go watch the the downhill races. Here's me and Steve P. in 1984. The black eye was from a 20 footer to a cat track with pole in the eye. Oh to be made out of rubber again...

[freedogger]

Originally Posted by username

Interesting development: Kicking Horse to be sold to RCR

http://www.calgaryherald.com/busines...009/story.html

Judas Priest. When do they take possession? Gonna have to get a day in before it becomes uninhabitable.

[RatherDashing]

Anybody going to be out at Revelstoke over the next few days? The forecast is calling for rain, and I'm hoping to get a first-person report on how the mountain holds up.

[Vansmack]

Originally Posted by RatherDashing

Anybody going to be out at Revelstoke over the next few days? The forecast is calling for rain, and I'm hoping to get a first-person report on how the mountain holds up.

I suspect it will dump on the top of the mountain and might rain at the base. It should still be awesome. I have a few friends working up at the hill, so I can message them tomorrow for updates if you would like.

[username]

Originally Posted by RatherDashing

Anybody going to be out at Revelstoke over the next few days? The forecast is calling for rain, and I'm hoping to get a first-person report on how the mountain holds up.

It's dumping ripped up toilet paper all over the mountain. My cousins are there and said its unreal. I'm heading up Friday & might stay for the week depending on how busy it is next weekend with the freestyle world skiing tour in town.

[troutman]

Calgary man dies following after-hours tubing
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2.../19173256.html

A 27-year-old Calgary man died early Tuesday after tubing down a closed run on Kicking Horse Mountain after hours.

Skier dies after crashing into tree at resort
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2.../19172231.html

Rick died of chest injuries after hitting a tree while skiing with his daughters, Corrie, 22, and Marni, 20, at Nakiska Mountain Resort 85 km west of Calgary on Monday.


Wear your helmet, ski in control, ski in-bounds.

[troutman]

http://www.skibanff.com/conditions/

Sunshine = 9 cm last 24 hours.

SunshineVillage Sunshine Village
Lot's of #POW today after snow storm RT @rebel7mots: Headed to @SunshineVillage with @stash78 and @mlo2gs. Gonna go HAM on the gnar #PowPow



http://www.skilouise.com/conditions/snow-report.php

Lake Louise = 3 cm over-night.

[troutman]

SunshineVillage Sunshine Village
ow.ly/i/oz1w Super soft powder everywhere today. Big powder on Goat's Eye Great Divide&Angel

[troutman]

http://www.skilouise.com/conditions/snow-report.php

36cm = last 7 days

http://www.skibanff.com/conditions/

37 cm = last 7 days

[darklord700]

I'm a blue run skier and can kind of make my way down black runs with no mogul. I'm grossly right side dominate so I have no problem making right turns. Making left turn has been my weakness for a long time because my left ski is hardly doing anything when I turn left. Is there any exercises/drills that could help improve my left turns?

[freedogger]

Originally Posted by darklord700

I'm a blue run skier and can kind of make my way down black runs with no mogul. I'm grossly right side dominate so I have no problem making right turns. Making left turn has been my weakness for a long time because my left ski is hardly doing anything when I turn left. Is there any exercises/drills that could help improve my left turns?

Have your ski boot canting checked. Any chance of posting some video of you sking? I would be happy to give you decent advice and things to work on.

[mrbanffgirl]

Originally Posted by darklord700

I'm a blue run skier and can kind of make my way down black runs with no mogul. I'm grossly right side dominate so I have no problem making right turns. Making left turn has been my weakness for a long time because my left ski is hardly doing anything when I turn left. Is there any exercises/drills that could help improve my left turns?

Tight boots, proper cant and feet apart (shoulder width) if your arms are flailing around and your sitting back, nothing works properly! best thing for getting things balanced are:
1- Power plow - hands on hips, get in a snow plow set up, make sure yours shoulders are facing down the fall line. moving forward across the hill pressure the front of your boot (outside ski for the direction of turn) and get the front of the ski to bend to start the turn. continue the pressure through the turn until you have completed the arc. recenter your body position and repeat on the other side. this should be done at slow speed and on fairly consistent grade.
2- Javelin turns - moving across the hill, start the turn with both feet, and pick up the inside ski and pressure the front of the boot on your turning ski. cross the tip of the inside ski over the outside one, keeping your shoulders square and level. once the turn is completed put the other ski to the ground, recenter and repeat on the other side.

I use these with the kids i coach to balance and get better body position.
I know that once you start skiing, the last thing you want to do is go back into a lesson, but getting yourself into an intermediate lesson, especially a one on one, can really help. let the instructor know what you are struggling with and they can help sort you out!

[darklord700]

Thanks mrbanffgirl and freedogger. Now that you mentioned, I think I know where the problem is. During my left Javelin turn, I never really picked up my left inside ski, only sort of dragging it along. I'll remember that the next time I hit the slope. Thanks.

[Mccree]

Any thoughts on how to get a 4 year to snow plow and turn. My son seems to think skis straight and straight down hill is perfect for him. Might be a future speed skier but I would prefer him not hit a tree or a snow fence.

[mrbanffgirl]

Originally Posted by Mccree

Any thoughts on how to get a 4 year to snow plow and turn. My son seems to think skis straight and straight down hill is perfect for him. Might be a future speed skier but I would prefer him not hit a tree or a snow fence.

try one of the ski shops and ask for an "edgie wedgie" it's a little rubber chord (stiff) and thumb screws to the tips of the little gaffer's skis. they can't put them straight down the hill and helps keep their tips from crossing.
they are maybe $15 max

[brocoli]

Originally Posted by mrbanffgirl

2- Javelin turns - moving across the hill, start the turn with both feet, and pick up the inside ski and pressure the front of the boot on your turning ski. cross the tip of the inside ski over the outside one, keeping your shoulders square and level. once the turn is completed put the other ski to the ground, recenter and repeat on the other side.

These worked amazing this morning. I never really noticed how much my Right foot was dragging. Thanks for the tip

[freedogger]

Originally Posted by mrbanffgirl

try one of the ski shops and ask for an "edgie wedgie" it's a little rubber chord (stiff) and thumb screws to the tips of the little gaffer's skis. they can't put them straight down the hill and helps keep their tips from crossing.
they are maybe $15 max

This works great for the first few times. Saves a lot of frustration. The other tip I would add is to get them to put their hands on their knees. After they master that, teach them to punch across with the downhill hand to the other knee to initiate the turn.

[RatherDashing]

Has anybody bought a Sunshine card off of kijiji? I'm hoping to pick up an unactivated card, as I missed out on the deadline, and was wondering if there is an easy way to tell if they have been activated or not.