Boy Scouts and the Berm

So, you get the word, you're going to have twenty five or
thirty Boy Scouts this morning, maybe eightish or so, none
have ever skied.

Of course, you're the only ski instructor available for this
particular class. Now, there will be some Scoutmaster types
there to pick up an occasional kid, but none of them are
instructors, and in fact let's hope none of them think they
are.

My gosh. How is one guy going to handle 30 some 8 year
olds that have never skied?

Well, you *could* just run 'em at the berm, and laugh at
the whole situation.

The berm?

The *first* thing you show them is home position. You
get each one in a parallel, then grab their tips and give
that tiniest jerk forward. You tell each to use their abs
and to put their hands forward as they fall back when
you pull forward on their tips. Keep pulling until each
can do it. It doesn't take long.

"When you start to ski, you'll get thrown backward. Use
your abs and hands to get you back into home position."

When you get in trouble, go home.

OK.

This hill has a rope tow. So, you show all of them the
star turn. You know. where you step around, keep the
tails together, spread the tips, and go around 360
degrees. Then you show them a step turn, so they
have at least *some* means to turn if they need to.

You show them how to ride the rope tow, have them just
step up to the loading flat (maybe show them the duckwalk
so they can get there), put the poles (yes, poles) under
their arm closest to the rope, make a shoulder width
parallel stance, keep their body between the skis, and
keep the skis pointed straight up the hill.

Grab the rope with both hands, ride up to the spot
cleverly marked with some bamboo, and use the star
turn to get off. This is the point at which they'll get
sufficient speed, but won't go over the top of the
berm.

You already can see where this is going, no?

Now what? If they must, use their poles to push
themselves over to where they're directly uphill from
the berm, then point 'em. Use the step turn to point
the skis straight down the hill and go. Parallel, straight
down the hill into the berm. On this *particular*
berm, they get another treat besides the run into it.
They get to go backward a bit after they stop. Then
they step around the berm and go again.

But you see, you make them hold their poles horizontally,
shoulder high, arms held at equal length, almost straight,
as they do their parallel runs into the berm. That way,
their hands can't flop all over, and they automatically
work up some muscle memory for effective hand
position.

Then you set up an assembly line, just like Henry Ford.
You keep running them into the berm in parallel until
they look pretty good.

Thing is, they actually think it's fun.

Then you show them wedge changeups (parallel to
wedge to control speed, then back to parallel) and
let them all do *that* until they look pretty good.
Wedge changeups into the berm.

Same thing with the poles, hold them out front
horizontally. Set the goals of being able to keep the
changeups in a straight line (try not to turn one way
or the other), and of maintaining home position.

*Then* you send them into the berm in parallel
while alternately lifting the tail of each ski while
leaving the tip on the snow.

All the time holding the poles out front.

Mind you, you've probably killed an hour or two
already, and none of the kids have even turned at all.
All they've done is parallel into the berm, and used
a wedge to control their speed.

They've also learned the feeling of the front seat
from doing the pick up the tail drill.

They could do this all year, but of course, they
won't.

Once they can do the pick up the tail, leave the tip
on the snow drill, you take them up the hill a bit, and
turn it all sideways. Traverse in parallel, make a
wedge, then lift the tail of the inside ski "just a little".
Then, put the inside ski next to the outside if they
can.

No shoulder steering, no hand waving, no leaning,
it's all done with the legs, shoulders square to the skis
at all times.

If all goes right, you'll get a turn in which the tails
skid around the tips, because the kid is all over
the front of the ski.

Most all already know they can turn by pushing on
one ski or the other because they accidentally did it
while doing the wedge changeups.

Son of a gun, most seem to be able to turn. In time,
all will be able to if they stick with it. Some stay in a
wedge, some are actually turning in a wide sort of
parallel. Many are in between.

Until you finally take them up the hill to start turning,
you've simply been standing around and laughing at
the whole situation, giving feedback, and *maybe*
picking up a kid or two, but that *is* really the job of
the Scoutmasters. Besides, these kids are mostly all so
strong they get up on their own anyway. They just
find a way.

Well, obviously, you've got some that are ready to
turn, and some that are still running the berm, either in
parallel, doing changeups, or lifting tails. But, *you*?
You're *still* laughing.

It's absolutely *amazing* what you can do if you
*only* have a berm. You don't even need a brain.
Just a berm.

But, you've *got* to do *something* to earn your
money. OK, after the lesson, you're supposed to take
your kids on an adventure. I learned that in my ACE
clinic.

Oh I've got an adventure alright. "Anybody wanna go
on an adventure???"

"YEA".

There are a few diehards left that haven't finally lost
attention span and hit the lodge or become preoccupied
with snowplay.

We go all the way to the top of this very long rope tow,
and I tell them we should all parallel way across this
wide hill, and stop (where I'm going to) at the top of this
jump so we can get AIR!.

"YEA YEA let's get AIR!!!!.

So I go first. I demonstrate and traverse in parallel all
the way across the groom, past the cut up crud and
into a big ole patch of fresh, lovely powder as deep as
the kids are tall, directly up hill from the jump. Then
I step down the hill a bit and tell them, "OK, come
to me". Right straight into the uncut deep stuff.

Golly, Hardly any of them even got around to trying
the jump. In fact, it took most about a half hour just
to get out of the powder. You could clearly see some
had probably earned the swimming badge.

Needless to say, it was a powder day to remember,
and if nothing else, I wanted to give all the kids that
I could the experience of powder beyond belief on
the first day they ever put on skis.

"Wanna go on another adventure????"

"Yea maybe, but, please, no more deep powder".

Hmm. I can't help think, with time, that sentiment
might change.

foot2foot wrote:

So, you get the word, you're going to have twenty five or
thirty Boy Scouts this morning, maybe eightish or so, none
have ever skied.


Must have been Cub Scouts? Boy Scouts are eleven and older.
CLIP

This hill has a rope tow.

Holy cow, where do you teach!? A rope tow! Does it have a Historical Plaque?

"lal_truckee" wrote in message
...
foot2foot wrote:

So, you get the word, you're going to have twenty five or
thirty Boy Scouts this morning, maybe eightish or so, none
have ever skied.


Must have been Cub Scouts? Boy Scouts are eleven and older.
CLIP

This hill has a rope tow.

Holy cow, where do you teach!? A rope tow! Does it have a Historical
Plaque?

Alpental still has a rope tow. Stevens Pass still has a rope
tow. Summit West still has a rope tow. Pomerelle,
Kelly Canyon and Pebble Creek still have rope tows.

A lot of places (in the NW at least) still have a rope tow.
There's a place in central Washington that, until last year
I guess, still had the rope tows it had since the thirties.
No more model T engines though. I think they were
running 289's.

Although the point is moot, the berm is as good for a
magic carpet as it is for a handle tow, or even a chairlift,
like the one at Bridger Bowl, if Bridger didn't take it out.

As long as students can get off it, and head straight down
the hill in a parallel without going over the top of it, and
come to a stop by the force of gravity.

Bridger has the most fabulous beginner lift in the entire
country, if not the world, and they were talking about
taking it out and putting up some stupid building.

I teach at a lot of places. Enough to know that the
berm works better than anything else I've ever
seen.

Yea, I guess they must have been Cub Scouts.

Thanks for the reply LAL. : )

foot2foot wrote:

"lal_truckee" wrote in message
...
foot2foot wrote:

So, you get the word, you're going to have twenty five or
thirty Boy Scouts this morning, maybe eightish or so, none
have ever skied.


Must have been Cub Scouts? Boy Scouts are eleven and older.
CLIP

This hill has a rope tow.

Holy cow, where do you teach!? A rope tow! Does it have a Historical
Plaque?

Lookout Pass still has one and McCall (Brundage) as well, i think.

Dave



Alpental still has a rope tow. Stevens Pass still has a rope



tow. Summit West still has a rope tow. Pomerelle,
Kelly Canyon and Pebble Creek still have rope tows.

A lot of places (in the NW at least) still have a rope tow.
There's a place in central Washington that, until last year
I guess, still had the rope tows it had since the thirties.
No more model T engines though. I think they were
running 289's.

Although the point is moot, the berm is as good for a
magic carpet as it is for a handle tow, or even a chairlift,
like the one at Bridger Bowl, if Bridger didn't take it out.

As long as students can get off it, and head straight down
the hill in a parallel without going over the top of it, and
come to a stop by the force of gravity.

Bridger has the most fabulous beginner lift in the entire
country, if not the world, and they were talking about
taking it out and putting up some stupid building.

I teach at a lot of places. Enough to know that the
berm works better than anything else I've ever
seen.

Yea, I guess they must have been Cub Scouts.

Thanks for the reply LAL. : )

foot2foot wrote:

Alpental still has a rope tow. Stevens Pass still has a rope
tow. Summit West still has a rope tow. Pomerelle,
Kelly Canyon and Pebble Creek still have rope tows.

A lot of places (in the NW at least) still have a rope tow.
There's a place in central Washington that, until last year
I guess, still had the rope tows it had since the thirties.
No more model T engines though. I think they were
running 289's.

Cool. Last rope tow I used was 21 years ago, when my son was 1 year old.
I put him in skis, and trundled over to the rope tow at Homewood
(Tahoe.) Grabbed the rope, grabbed him, he started squirming and slid
down to where I had him under the chin in a near choke hold, him
screaming all the way up. But once he felt the thrill of speed while
skiing back down between my legs, he's never let up. Didn't want to
quit. He's a skier.

That day was my last encounter with a rope tow. Next previous encounter
was Dodge Ridge in the 50s.

"lal_truckee" wrote in message
...
Cool. Last rope tow I used was 21 years ago, when my son was 1 year old.
I put him in skis, and trundled over to the rope tow at Homewood
(Tahoe.) Grabbed the rope, grabbed him, he started squirming and slid
down to where I had him under the chin in a near choke hold, him
screaming all the way up. But once he felt the thrill of speed while
skiing back down between my legs, he's never let up. Didn't want to
quit. He's a skier.


When was his first encounter with powder as tall as he is/was?

"lal_truckee" wrote in message
...
foot2foot wrote:

So, you get the word, you're going to have twenty five or
thirty Boy Scouts this morning, maybe eightish or so, none
have ever skied.


Must have been Cub Scouts? Boy Scouts are eleven and older.
CLIP


You know what? They *were* Boy Scouts, ten or
eleven or so.

The eight year olds were the church group. Or one of the
school groups.

There were quite a few of them as well, and only me to
teach them all.

It all becomes a blur after a while, without the berm it
would be a nightmare.

With the berm they all have fun and so do I, the ski
school saves a bundle (on instructors), and most all
learn to ski at least adequately that day.

foot2foot wrote:

When was his first encounter with powder as tall as he is/was?

About 4; I didn't want to lose him under the powder the first couple of
years. He didn't spiral his tibia until 5, while jumping.