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5 months until my first ski trip



 
 
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  #1  
Old November 1st 03, 12:01 AM
Christopher Mooney
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Default 5 months until my first ski trip

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"?

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

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

Thanks in advance

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  #2  
Old November 1st 03, 12:31 AM
Monique Y. Herman
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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
PLEASE don't CC me. Please. Pretty please with sugar on top.
Whatever it takes, just don't CC me! I'm already subscribed!!

  #3  
Old November 1st 03, 03:44 PM
Eric Holeman
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Default

In article ,
Christopher Mooney wrote:

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.


Smart moves. Make sure that if you have any skiing friends who are
tagging along, that you shoo them away as soon as you have skis and boots
in hand. Do not, under any circumstances, let them near you when you're
actually putting on the skis and learning how to fumble around on 'em.
As a corrollary, you may want to make sure you and your wife are in
separate classes on Day 1, but I'll defer to couples who've actually been
in this situation. Some things are just better learned from a
professional and/or by yourself, without having familiar shoulders to lean
on and/or cry on.

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


Don't skimp on the clothing. Make sure you have real ski socks,
preferably wool. Have a proper inner layer such as polypro or wool.
Borrow or rent a bib or ski pants. Some combo of sweater and a shell
should take care of you on your upper half. Wear as little cotton as
possible--it gets wet and stays wet.


--
---
Eric Holeman Chicago Illinois USA

  #4  
Old November 1st 03, 11:29 PM
ant
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Eric Holeman wrote:

Don't skimp on the clothing


Yep. And the simplest, handiest thing to get is a fleece neck gaitor. They
don't cost much, and you'll love it if it's cold/windy. Scarfs are useless,
forget them. Although if it's spring break, you might get warm weather....or
you might get blizzards!

ant



  #5  
Old November 2nd 03, 01:47 AM
Christopher Mooney
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On Fri, 31 Oct 2003 18:31:16 CST, "Monique Y. Herman"
wrote:

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?



Thanks for all the great tips! By the way, in response to your query,
I grew up in Houston (no snow), now live in Bentonville, Arkansas (few
decent snows) and will be going to Brekenridge at Spring Break with
the Church Group.

Chris Mooney

  #6  
Old November 2nd 03, 05:40 PM
Monique Y. Herman
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On Sun, 02 Nov 2003 at 01:47 GMT, Christopher Mooney penned:

Thanks for all the great tips! By the way, in response to your query,
I grew up in Houston (no snow), now live in Bentonville, Arkansas (few
decent snows) and will be going to Brekenridge at Spring Break with
the Church Group.

Chris Mooney


What kinds of cold weather gear do you already have? How much money do
you feel comfortable spending on a sport you may or may not try again?

--
monique
PLEASE don't CC me. Please. Pretty please with sugar on top.
Whatever it takes, just don't CC me! I'm already subscribed!!

  #7  
Old November 3rd 03, 10:10 AM
lal truckee
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Monique Y. Herman wrote:
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.


Roller skating (in-line particularly) also uses some ski specific
muscles/moves. Race coaches often recommend soccer for it's directional
changes and stamina enhancement to their youth racers.

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.


It's a classic ski excercise. You will get sore legs skiing (everybody
does the first few times) so get all the training you can, but for
sanity's sake I recommend activities (see above) rather than gym
workouts, although weight traing does have it's benefits. But your
primary problem will likely be altitude. Anything you can do to build up
your cardio will help, for you, missus, and kids. For instance chase the
soccer ball to deep chest wrenching panting, go another 10 minutes past
that; and do it again the next day. repeat until trip. Even so you'll be
left behind by those who train at altitude, so don't expect miracles.

Also don't worry. Skiing is an individual sport, so there's no stress -
ski till you're tired and stop. Or ski more relaxed and go farther; it's
all up to you.


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.


This is an easy one; I bet your wife won't leave home without a hair
dryer - just make sure it has a low temp or cool setting and you can use
it to dry gloves/boots. Your hotel room may have a dryer also, or you
may want to pack two. Or you can look in the magazines and waste $100 on
a special "boot/glove dryer."


Extra ski socks.


Commercial ski socks are a crock: ski socks should be wicking (polyprop
or similar, relatively thin, high rising (so there's no edge or wrinkles
inside the boot cuff) and snug. Commercial ski socks are too thick and
often have wool in them. Wrong. Don't expect to pad out a sloppy boot
with thick or multiple socks - it won't work; insist on a good fitting boot.

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


The synthetics are better than silk; just not as expensive.

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.


Boy is this correct; nuts, dried fruit, jerky, hard cheese, etc will get
you and yours from breakfast to dinner without killing the budget.

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


Not something I've done; but something I've heard about. Packages ski
trips; they always cost more than rolling your own. If you ease into
skiing like some of us, starting at birth in a skiing family, we learn
this in the womb. If I was you, I'd pay lots of attention to lodging,
transportation, ticket discount info etc, so if the family ends up
liking this skiing stuff you can ease up on the expense in the future.

I envy you - skiing is a marvelous family activity and you get to
discover something new and wonderful this spring. Have fun.


  #8  
Old November 3rd 03, 02:22 PM
Christopher Mooney
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On Sun, 2 Nov 2003 11:40:05 CST, "Monique Y. Herman"
wrote:

On Sun, 02 Nov 2003 at 01:47 GMT, Christopher Mooney penned:

Thanks for all the great tips! By the way, in response to your query,
I grew up in Houston (no snow), now live in Bentonville, Arkansas (few
decent snows) and will be going to Brekenridge at Spring Break with
the Church Group.

Chris Mooney


What kinds of cold weather gear do you already have? How much money do
you feel comfortable spending on a sport you may or may not try again?


We get at least 2 good snows every year, sometimes 3. we get probably
15-20 below freezing days a year with usually one good freeze below 5
degrees.

On the money question, I am not too keen on spending too much of my
disposable income on items I may not ever use again. I understand the
bibs thing, but gloves, goggles, long johns, etc that can be used
again with or without skiing is more palatable.

HOWEVER, that being said, if there was something(s) that if we took
with us would add to the enjoyment of the trip, considering this may
be our only one, I would put it on the list.

We have already decided against buying any of the actual equipment the
first time out though.

Thanks!

Chris Mooney

  #9  
Old November 3rd 03, 04:29 PM
mark
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Default


"Christopher Mooney" wrote ...
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"?


Any exercise that works your legs and develops your balance will help.
Roller blading is excellent, playing soccer is excellent, bicycling and
running are good, with mountain biking and trail running being better than
road biking or running on pavement.

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


Ski lessons are a must. A lot of couples find that they are better off in
separate classes. If your 4 year old is at all shy or timid, consider
watching a ski lesson with him in the morning (or the previous day) and
starting with a half day lesson.

Don't skimp on rental equipment. If you're at all dissatisfied with your
boots and with the efforts of the rental shop staff to fit you, find another
rental shop as fast as you can. Ski boots fit much more closely than any
other footwear (except maybe climbing shoes), but they should not be
painful.

Where are you going for your first ski trip?

--
mark



  #10  
Old November 3rd 03, 04:30 PM
pigo
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"Christopher Mooney" wrote in message
...
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


This is a good place to get some skiing advice without your every post
being stalked by someone that might disagree with you. You might still
want to lurk at rsa as there is still some good ski advice you can pick
up over there.

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


Aerobic **** is good. You'll be breathing hard much of the time.
Stomach is probably the most overlooked thing. Thighs, calves, that's
pretty obvious. Stomach is huge though (mine is :-)

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


Better to have and not need than to need and not have.

How are you arriving. If you're flying it's harder to take everything.
I wouldn't take anything for the 4yo. Rent what you need for the hour
before the whining starts and save the room for your own stuff.

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


See first answer to #2

pigo



 




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