-
Women skiers, this is the place for you -- an online community without the male-orientation you'll find in conventional ski magazines and internet ski forums. At TheSkiDiva.com, you can connect with other women to talk about skiing in a way that you can relate to, about things that you find of interest. Be sure to join our community to participate (women only, please!). Registration is fast and simple. Just be sure to add [email protected] to your address book so your registration activation emails won't be routed as spam. And please give careful consideration to your user name -- it will not be changed once your registration is confirmed.
Long Steep Steeps
- Thread starter mollmeister
- Start date
DanniAB
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Yikes... just reading that got my heart beating faster!!
skibum4ever
Angel Diva
@Magnatude, your description certainly got my attention and raised my fear level. I can picture your goat track (sorta) though I have never faced anything that gnarly. I have taken some whoop-de-doo traverses where to the right of me was a steep cliff down, to the left was a cliff above me and skier traffic approaching. I told my husband that I never again want to be taken on a double diamond traverse. Your "goat track" sound like a triple diamond traverse. Yikes; I'd never release that rope!
I'm pretty sure I know which traverse you're talking about. I actually crashed off it once, probably a decade ago, literally inches past the cliff and landed upside down in a tree. (Got too close to the uphill wall, stuck a tip in it and cartwheeled off the edge! ) Good times.
I was proud of myself the other day for negotiating one of those full commitment turns to get into West Rustler off the T. You can't see past the drop in and first corner, so can't see if there will be a place to scrub speed. But I went for it and it was nothing. But that stuff gets in your head!
I was proud of myself the other day for negotiating one of those full commitment turns to get into West Rustler off the T. You can't see past the drop in and first corner, so can't see if there will be a place to scrub speed. But I went for it and it was nothing. But that stuff gets in your head!
I'm all about the rhythm- when you got that flow going, your brain just quiets down and you just......flow. And rhythm helps me get to flow.
When my brain gets too loud, I'll shut it up by singing or whistling. Right now, I'm singing "Worth It" which is a terrible song, but has good rhythm and an ear worm quality. Makes me feel both stupid and badass which helps me ski with both confidence and the ability to laugh at myself when I'm sucking.
One of my teachers at ski college always whistled when he skied, which I loved. It was just so happy and carefree! I try to channel that too.
When my brain gets too loud, I'll shut it up by singing or whistling. Right now, I'm singing "Worth It" which is a terrible song, but has good rhythm and an ear worm quality. Makes me feel both stupid and badass which helps me ski with both confidence and the ability to laugh at myself when I'm sucking.
One of my teachers at ski college always whistled when he skied, which I loved. It was just so happy and carefree! I try to channel that too.
SkadiSkiGrrl
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Had my first day back this season and feel I have really, finally, become a truly advanced skier. A few years ago I made progress, but then hit a plateau. Last year I had my daughter do a video of me going down a black slope. I noticed I was back on my skis, turning in the middle of my ski, and going very slowly. She kept leaving me in the dust. It was embarrassing, especially since I KNOW NOT TO DO THOSE THINGS!!!!
After that video, I made a concerted effort to right my wrongs. I put my fear aside and got forward on my edges, I pointed my knees in the direction I wanted to go, I kept my body forward over my tips, I held my core, put my weight on the front edge of my boots and when it came time to turn--well I did it all right. My carving is silent and streamlined and I finally have that sensation of floating I always thought skiing would be but is not in the early stages. The next time my daughter skied with me, she said, "Wow, what did you do? You look totally different--you look great and you are fast."
This first time back, I am happy to say, it really was like riding a bicycle. My body remembers! Yay!!! I went right to the blacks and made it down a very icy World Cup at the end of the day, swallowed my fear and skied down--not scraped down--the icy steeps in my Völkl Yumis, which in another thread we established is NOT a great hard pack, East Coast ski. On the ice, I focused on getting on that downhill edge. Last year, I skied a double black at Tremblant that was super steep and super slick.
I started skiing in my 40s after a long break (I had only skied a few times in my early 20s) and am now 51. I am ecstatic and thankful that I can do this and that this sport I love so much is part of my mid-life. It is never too late to try something new and to get good at it.
So, I guess the "golden raisin" to this comment is to not give up or get discouraged when you forget to do this or that. It is a lot of working parts the skier has to worry about. When you hit a wall, have someone video tape you so you can see what you need to work on. Don't beat yourself up if it doesn't happen in the timeframe you think it should. And remember, that you will get lazy and forget to use all the techniques you learn, but after a while, you will be in a place where you are more competent and comfortable with your skiing at which point you will actually be able to employ the techniques you have learned SIMULTANEOUSLY--it'll happen.
After that video, I made a concerted effort to right my wrongs. I put my fear aside and got forward on my edges, I pointed my knees in the direction I wanted to go, I kept my body forward over my tips, I held my core, put my weight on the front edge of my boots and when it came time to turn--well I did it all right. My carving is silent and streamlined and I finally have that sensation of floating I always thought skiing would be but is not in the early stages. The next time my daughter skied with me, she said, "Wow, what did you do? You look totally different--you look great and you are fast."
This first time back, I am happy to say, it really was like riding a bicycle. My body remembers! Yay!!! I went right to the blacks and made it down a very icy World Cup at the end of the day, swallowed my fear and skied down--not scraped down--the icy steeps in my Völkl Yumis, which in another thread we established is NOT a great hard pack, East Coast ski. On the ice, I focused on getting on that downhill edge. Last year, I skied a double black at Tremblant that was super steep and super slick.
I started skiing in my 40s after a long break (I had only skied a few times in my early 20s) and am now 51. I am ecstatic and thankful that I can do this and that this sport I love so much is part of my mid-life. It is never too late to try something new and to get good at it.
So, I guess the "golden raisin" to this comment is to not give up or get discouraged when you forget to do this or that. It is a lot of working parts the skier has to worry about. When you hit a wall, have someone video tape you so you can see what you need to work on. Don't beat yourself up if it doesn't happen in the timeframe you think it should. And remember, that you will get lazy and forget to use all the techniques you learn, but after a while, you will be in a place where you are more competent and comfortable with your skiing at which point you will actually be able to employ the techniques you have learned SIMULTANEOUSLY--it'll happen.
