Black diamond skiing

On Tue, 08 Feb 2005 11:22:47 -0600, Chuck
wrote:

............Snippage..
I have been to NH and would agree that the most blacks in PA are more
akin to the blues there. I remember skiing a trail at Bretton Woods
named something like "two miles home". For the first two thirds of the
trail I kept wondering how they could call it a blue when I was poling
my way half of the time. Then I came upon a moderately steep section
that must have been the reason for the blue rating. I had no problems
skiing it, but my 12 year old son on the other hand went down on his
backside.


I had a friend of mine give another friend's kid some advice at just
such a time like that. "More Knees, Less Ass", she counseled. I
laughed all the way to the chair.

Cow

On Mon, 07 Feb 2005 23:28:06 -0600, "ant"
wrote:

"Chuck" wrote
and I want to push myself to get better, but I also want to be able to do
some traversing on these trails.

Why do you feel that traversing down a steeper run will improve your skiing?
I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just interested to know how people view these
things.

ant

I needed steeper runs to understand the importance of body position,
edging and being able to see where you were heading.

I was taught to hold the poles outwards (arms in crucifix position,
palms facing up) and ski down a very steep black runs ensuring the
pole ends were always in contact with the snow. A few days of this and
I was back to pole planting, able to modulate the inside edges and cut
out transversing altogether. Since then I usually have to look up the
piste afterwards to appreciate the gradient.

Desmond

Brains wrote:
hold the poles outwards (arms in crucifix position,
palms facing up) and ski down a very steep black runs ensuring the
pole ends were always in contact with the snow.

I can't picture this.

"lal_truckee" wrote in message
...
Brains wrote:
hold the poles outwards (arms in crucifix position,
palms facing up) and ski down a very steep black runs ensuring the
pole ends were always in contact with the snow.

I can't picture this.

No, me neither. You'd need very long stocks. There is a drill called
outriggers, where you turn your hands over so the palms are facing forward,
stretch out the arms so the stocks are out to your sides, and then lower
them so the tips are brushing the snow. Great drill for getting people to
balance nicely over the outside ski, and to quieten the upper body.

Maybe he means they dangled the stocks from their arms by the loops, and
skiied that way. Sounds very uncomfortable.

ant

lal_truckee wrote:
Brains wrote:

hold the poles outwards (arms in crucifix position,
palms facing up) and ski down a very steep black runs ensuring the
pole ends were always in contact with the snow.


I can't picture this.

Neither can I. Palms up suggest that poles are
sticking straight out in front of you, no? How
then are the pole ends (tips?) always in contact
with the snow?

On Thu, 10 Feb 2005 21:24:37 -0600, "ant"
wrote:

"lal_truckee" wrote in message
...
Brains wrote:
hold the poles outwards (arms in crucifix position,
palms facing up) and ski down a very steep black runs ensuring the
pole ends were always in contact with the snow.

I can't picture this.

No, me neither. You'd need very long stocks. There is a drill called
outriggers, where you turn your hands over so the palms are facing forward,
stretch out the arms so the stocks are out to your sides, and then lower
them so the tips are brushing the snow. Great drill for getting people to
balance nicely over the outside ski, and to quieten the upper body.

Maybe he means they dangled the stocks from their arms by the loops, and
skiied that way. Sounds very uncomfortable.

ant

No, I mean "outriggers" but did not explain it well.

lal_truckee wrote:
Brains wrote:

hold the poles outwards (arms in crucifix position,
palms facing up) and ski down a very steep black runs ensuring the
pole ends were always in contact with the snow.


I can't picture this.

I can, and I'm still laughing at the image.

--
Mary Malmros
Some days you're the windshield, other days you're the bug.

VtSkier wrote:

lal_truckee wrote:

Brains wrote:

hold the poles outwards (arms in crucifix position,
palms facing up) and ski down a very steep black runs ensuring the
pole ends were always in contact with the snow.



I can't picture this.

Neither can I. Palms up suggest that poles are
sticking straight out in front of you, no? How
then are the pole ends (tips?) always in contact

Eyeroll. Didn't you read the word "crucifix"?

--
Mary Malmros
Some days you're the windshield, other days you're the bug.

Mary Malmros wrote:

lal_truckee wrote:
Brains wrote:

hold the poles outwards (arms in crucifix position,
palms facing up) and ski down a very steep black runs ensuring the
pole ends were always in contact with the snow.

I can't picture this.

I can, and I'm still laughing at the image.

Way Back When, SNL had something about the pope on skis. Maybe it was
an "action figure" or something. Guy in a white dress with his arms
out...

--
Cheers,
Bev
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~
"Why put fault tolerance in the OS, when it's already built
into the User?" -- Steve Shaw, regarding Win95

The Real Bev wrote:

Way Back When, SNL had something about the pope on skis. Maybe it was
an "action figure" or something. Guy in a white dress with his arms
out...


Current Pope was an active outdoorsman when he was young, including
skiing. I think he wore sweaters, like the rest of the pre-war skiers.