On Sat, 01 Nov 2003 at 00:01 GMT, Christopher Mooney penned:
I am delurking to start priming myself for my very fist ski trip this
coming Spring Break. Seeing as though I have never been skiing, the
missus, myself, and our four year old will be signing up for the
onsite lessons.

Few things I was wanting to ask a

1. Are there any exercises or practice routines you would suggest to
start now to be "ahead of the game"?

Ice skating uses some similar muscle groups, if you're doing it right,
with lots of bend in the knees. Anything that works on quad strength
and particularly endurance -- even sitting on an "imaginary chair" with
your back against the wall until your legs ache will do some good.

2. When you took your first ski trip, what did you wish you had
done/taken with you that you didn't?

Boot/glove dryer! You'll be amazed at how long it can take for wet
gloves to dry without proper ventilation. This is one of the many
reasons that I love my gloves, which have zip-out liners.

Extra ski socks.

"Wicking" long johns rather than the old-style honeycomb kind. Silk
long johns are great; so are many of the synthetics out there.

Snacks in pockets. Most resorts will charge an arm and a leg for food.
If you can manage a paper-bag lunch, even better, but personally I like
having something nice and warm.

Speaking of food, avoid going to the cafeterias during peak times.
You'll be able to get in and out a lot faster at 1:30 -- and after all,
the point is to maximize skiing time, right?

You don't specify what sort of climate you inhabit -- are you used to
cold weather? You also don't specify your destination -- where are you
going?


3. Same as two, but flipped. What did you take/do that you wish you
hadn't?

Too many layers. You will get very cold going up that lift, but coming
down you will find yourself unzipping and stripping because you're
working hard, and the temperature will probably change 10 degrees from
top to bottom. Once you're wet with sweat, you *will* be cold going up,
no matter how many layers you wear. So start light, and add as needed
after a few runs, rather than starting heavy with the plan of paring
back if you get hot.

Thick socks. Thick socks are evil. Thin socks will keep your feet
warmer by *not* cutting off your circulation.

One thing you may want to be aware of (or maybe this is just me) -- the
brisk mountain air, in combination with the exercise, may induce
ravenous starvation-type eating habits. If I'm not careful, I will
easily eat far, far more than I could ever justify with the amount of
exercise I've gotten.


--
monique
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