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a comedy of errors



 
 
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  #1  
Old January 17th 05, 05:40 AM
Monique Y. Mudama
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Default a comedy of errors

So, Eric and I drive up to Mary Jane at Winter Park this morning, planning to
use our four-passes ...

Well, we change into our stuff, rent a locker, wait in the lift line (not too
long) ... and find out that, doh, it's a blackout day for the passes. MLK day
and all. Oopsie.

Well, we're already there, so I get in line for tickets. At the window, I ask
if there's a special rate for idiots who forgot about blackout days. He says,
no, unless you know a season passholder. At this point, the guy behind us in
line chimes in. Apparently, a passholder can get four discounted tickets a
day for his friend. I got two discounted tickets (saved $30ish) and gave the
guy my profuse thanks. Back in line! I ask the lift attendant how much money
WP makes on idiots like us. He chuckles and says, "Probably a lot!"

I suggested that (this is crazy talk) we actually do a warm-up groomer
before hitting the bumps, so we went up to Parsenn Bowl. The stuff
immediately below the lift looked iffy, so we jumped from the frying pan
into the fire, skier's left into some nasty stuff that looked like
windblown powder but acted like hardened cement. We escaped onto
groomed stuff, but then Eric, supposedly in the interest of finding a
shortcut, led us off into flat powder. Flat. No slope whatsoever. We
did, however, eventually find the lift, and I suppose I got a nice
cardio warmup.

We spent a few runs working on (my) technique. I thought about Matt's
"holding cups of water" drill. I worked on pure-edge turns, trying to
minimize my habitual end-of-turn skidding. And I think we found the source of
my quad pain. It seems that I tend to bend my torso forward, probably trying
to get that "forward" position, but it doesn't actually get my body forward;
it just makes my thighs work harder. If I remember to straighten my body a
bit on groomers, I seem to ski just as effectively, but it hurts less. Oh,
and we did work on some short-radius turns on the groomers, just to get used
to frequent turns.

Groomers were good mojo for me today. Moguls ... well ... I had a bad bump
day. In the first few bumps of Derailer, I somehow fell hard on my butt. I
didn't feel my head hitting the snow, but the back of my head hurt too. I
fell a number of times on that run. The visibility was poor, the troughs were
deep (to me), and I was just all over the place. Of course, the more I fell,
the more I skied conservatively, and the harder it was to make any progress
.... It does become clear to me that, in an effort to absorb the bumps, I end
up *way* in the backseat, but I wasn't able to solve that problem today.

Anyway, later in the day, we skied down Phantom Bridge. I got down it, but I
wasn't too thrilled with *how* I got down it, so I went back, resolving to
connect more turns and be more assertive. And I was. Except ... less than a
quarter of the way down the run, just where it gets a little steeper, I
stopped. And somehow my downhill boot came out of its binding. I must have
stepped on the binding somehow, because the back part was pushed down. I
reached for the ski to reposition it ... and my uphill ski shot out, torquing
my ankle painfully. I yelped, and tears sprang into my eyes. I tested my
foot, but it's hard to tell what your ankle is really doing inside all that
plastic. I cautiously (sigh) skied down the rest of the run and we packed up
for the day. Granted, we were going to leave soon anyway (hockey that
evening), but it still sucks to end the day this way. Especially when, for
the first time I can remember, my thighs weren't begging for a break.

(Actually, I suspect that properly sharpened edges and waxed bases have a
*lot* to do with my lessened soreness. I don't have to fight as hard to make
turns.)

So, at the moment, I sit here with:

stubbed/sprained toe from martial arts
slightly sprained ankle from skiing
bruised tailbone and sore neck from hockey (yes, I'm dumb, I played on a
sprained ankle)

Maybe I'll take a break for a day or two ... no, not that kind of break!

--
monique
Longmont, CO

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  #2  
Old January 17th 05, 09:47 PM
F. Plant
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
...
sip
We spent a few runs working on (my) technique. I thought about Matt's
"holding cups of water" drill. I worked on pure-edge turns, trying to
minimize my habitual end-of-turn skidding. And I think we found the

source of
my quad pain. It seems that I tend to bend my torso forward, probably

trying
to get that "forward" position, but it doesn't actually get my body

forward;
it just makes my thighs work harder. If I remember to straighten my body

a
bit on groomers, I seem to ski just as effectively, but it hurts less.

Oh,
and we did work on some short-radius turns on the groomers, just to get

used
to frequent turns.

Groomers were good mojo for me today. Moguls ... well ... I had a bad

bump
day. In the first few bumps of Derailer, I somehow fell hard on my butt.

I
didn't feel my head hitting the snow, but the back of my head hurt too. I
fell a number of times on that run. The visibility was poor, the troughs

were
deep (to me), and I was just all over the place. Of course, the more I

fell,
the more I skied conservatively, and the harder it was to make any

progress
... It does become clear to me that, in an effort to absorb the bumps, I

end
up *way* in the backseat, but I wasn't able to solve that problem today.


snip

If you are having backseat problems in the bumps from absorbing them, you
may not be extending enough after each absorption, or you are absorbing them
too quickly so your range of motion is used up before finishing the bump.
You mention you were practicing standing taller on the groomers, so it
wouldn't surprise me if this is a big part of the problem in the bumps.
Been there done that

You may also want to try undoing your top buckle to alow you more forward
flex at the ankle. If this helps, it could be you are not aggressive enough
for the boot in the bumps, and may want to get the boot softened up -or if
just undoing the top buckle works you can just stick with that. Personally
due to the stiffness of my (oldish) boots I keep my top buckle undone almost
all the time except for when I need to plow thru crud. I have a great fit
though so the buckles are pretty irrelevant to the fit. I use them more to
just tune the flex of the boot.

F.plant

  #3  
Old January 17th 05, 11:50 PM
Monique Y. Mudama
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Posts: n/a
Default

On 2005-01-17, F. Plant penned:

If you are having backseat problems in the bumps from absorbing them, you
may not be extending enough after each absorption, or you are absorbing them
too quickly so your range of motion is used up before finishing the bump.
You mention you were practicing standing taller on the groomers, so it
wouldn't surprise me if this is a big part of the problem in the bumps.
Been there done that


I think it would be only a minor exaggeration to suggest that I look like I am
polishing the tails of my skis with my butt while in the bumps. I'm having
trouble envisioning absorbing the bumps without my butt moving back, though.

You may also want to try undoing your top buckle to alow you more forward
flex at the ankle. If this helps, it could be you are not aggressive enough
for the boot in the bumps, and may want to get the boot softened up -or if
just undoing the top buckle works you can just stick with that. Personally
due to the stiffness of my (oldish) boots I keep my top buckle undone almost
all the time except for when I need to plow thru crud. I have a great fit
though so the buckles are pretty irrelevant to the fit. I use them more to
just tune the flex of the boot.


Hrmmm. The fitter at Surefoot expressed the belief that I could flex the boot
adequately, but I don't know how that translates to actual, dynamic use on the
slopes.

Undoing the buckles makes me nervous. That probably indicates something wrong
with my skiing technique, but then, what doesn't? *grin*

I think I'm going to have to attend some of the Mary Jane bump jamborees.
That's just all there is to it.

--
monique
Longmont, CO

  #4  
Old January 18th 05, 03:59 AM
F. Plant
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Posts: n/a
Default

"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
...
On 2005-01-17, F. Plant penned:

If you are having backseat problems in the bumps from absorbing them,

you
may not be extending enough after each absorption, or you are absorbing

them
too quickly so your range of motion is used up before finishing the

bump.
You mention you were practicing standing taller on the groomers, so it
wouldn't surprise me if this is a big part of the problem in the bumps.
Been there done that


I think it would be only a minor exaggeration to suggest that I look like

I am
polishing the tails of my skis with my butt while in the bumps. I'm

having
trouble envisioning absorbing the bumps without my butt moving back,

though.



Practice, practice, practice. Its hard to break habits that are part
survival instinct.


You may also want to try undoing your top buckle to alow you more

forward
flex at the ankle. If this helps, it could be you are not aggressive

enough
for the boot in the bumps, and may want to get the boot softened up -or

if
just undoing the top buckle works you can just stick with that.

Personally
due to the stiffness of my (oldish) boots I keep my top buckle undone

almost
all the time except for when I need to plow thru crud. I have a great

fit
though so the buckles are pretty irrelevant to the fit. I use them more

to
just tune the flex of the boot.


Hrmmm. The fitter at Surefoot expressed the belief that I could flex the

boot
adequately, but I don't know how that translates to actual, dynamic use on

the
slopes.



Flexing when you feel safe and comfortable on groomers is one thing, doing
it when you are intimidated is another.


Undoing the buckles makes me nervous. That probably indicates something

wrong
with my skiing technique, but then, what doesn't? *grin*



Dosn't indicate anything wrong, just try to do it on terain that dosn't make
you nervous. Odds are at some point in your ski life you've unbuckled your
boots on the lift and forgotten about it until part way down the hill. Just
start by 'letting off' on the top buckles and see how that feels.

You may also want to find a bunch of small starting to form moguls and try
traversing across the field just concentrating on absorption and extension.
Increase your angle across the hill as you become comfortable with it.

I also just thought of a dry land exercise you could try. Wrap a 2x4 in a
towel and lay it flat on a carpeted floor and stand across it with your skis
and boots on. Have the center line of your skis / boots approx. in the
middle of the 2x4. Now practice your hand position, stance, and try to
exaggerate (as we all do way less than what we think we do when we ski) your
extension and absorption. Try to rock slightly forward as you extend,
re-center as you compress, but try not to rock onto your tails as you want
to break that habit. If you slide around on the towel but some heavy
elastic bands around it. If the clunking back and forth bugs you, hump the
towel up a bit in the center of the 2x4. Just remember that this will not
properly train you to project your mass across your skis and down the hill,
but it might help get you to flex all your joints and stay balanced. If
this is too easy use a 2x2, then a dowel, then a wobble board.

BTW check your shells for smooth movement. I have had to clean up shells w.
a dremel and give them a squirt of silicone to get them to have the full
range of motion they were designed to have, as things sometimes don't quite
come out of the mold the way they were planned.

F. Plant

  #5  
Old January 18th 05, 07:09 AM
F. Plant
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Posts: n/a
Default

"F. Plant" wrote in message
. ..
"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
...

sip

I also just thought of a dry land exercise you could try. Wrap a 2x4 in a
towel and lay it flat on a carpeted floor and stand across it with your

skis
and boots on.

snip

Forgot to mention you'll need to keep your buckles undone so your body can
get used to the feel of flexing all your joints and being balanced or
slightly forward. If you keep the buckles done up you will probably just
mash the tips on the carpet when you try to absorb and flex your ankles.

F. plant

  #6  
Old January 18th 05, 09:52 PM
MattB
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Posts: n/a
Default

Monique Y. Mudama wrote:
So, Eric and I drive up to Mary Jane at Winter Park this morning, planning to
use our four-passes ...

snip tale of woe

So, at the moment, I sit here with:

stubbed/sprained toe from martial arts
slightly sprained ankle from skiing
bruised tailbone and sore neck from hockey (yes, I'm dumb, I played on a
sprained ankle)

Maybe I'll take a break for a day or two ... no, not that kind of break!


Ooh. That sucks, but not quite as bad as forgetting your boots! I did
that once on a big powder day so I rented boots and skied bumps and
powder hard all day. The boots were really low-end and I had to crank
them. I had bruised feet and shins splints for the rest of the season
after that!

Matt

 




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