struggled in the mashed potatoes today

[marymack]

Skicrazed, I know looking at the sticker price of skis can make your eyes bug out, but there are certainly deals out there, especially if you are willing to buy used. The skis I use almost daily, I got for $100 from a Diva on here. There is also craigslist, ebay and local ski swaps to check out (look for ski race clubs to host these, while geared to racers, they usually have a good selection of recreational skis that people turn in on consignment).

What I did when I was first starting out and what I recommend to a lot of people, is to lease skis for a year. Sure, you aren't getting top of the line new skis, but you will have skis and boots that have been fit (enough to make comfortable for beginners) to you that you can learn on without committing a ton of money to a set of skis that you will outgrow in a season or two. When I did it, I knew I would be on longer skis by the end of the season and the shop I leased from let me come in February and traded me for the same skis in a longer length for no charge. Assuming rentals are about $25 per day, I think I paid $250 for the season, so after 10 ski days it paid for itself, plus it was worth it to not have to deal with the hassle of renting each time (waiting in line, getting refitted, dealing with broken parts/ill fitted boots/bad tunes).

You will certainly find that being on the same skis (even if they are beginner skis) will help you improve exponentially! Plus, I found myself going out to ski more often because I didn't have to pay for rentals each time, so the cost per visit went down.

 

[HeidiInTheAlps]

I'm not familiar with the second hand market in Seattle...but I'm sure in the fall there will be a ski swap somewhere, and those are good places to pick up good second hand ski's. Otherwise, I'm sure my cousin, who lives in your area has a small inventory of ski's.... she teaches at Mt. Baker.

But, after you've been reading this forum, you are already pretty informed about ski's, so should you go looking for second hand ski's, you are equipped with the knowledge to buy something appropriate. And the beauty is, after you've skied them a year, you can likely sell them for close to the same price you paid for them.

Fortunately, here where I live, the second hand market is awesome. Most Dutch people ski once a year, they buy their equipment, for their kids, then sell it two years later, after it's been skied on 12 times...I've picked up ski's for my girls for $50-$75, boots for $15, poles for $7,50... I've also scored some great ski clothing on ebay for dirt cheap. Spyder onsies with Picabo Street on them for $25, like new... and Spyder two piece for $25,-

Having said that, I'm like a hound dog when it comes sniffing out the deals on line...

 

[skicrazed]

It's great to hear more about the used ski scene and ski swaps. I own a pair of skis that I like quite a bit, but they don't do as well in powder and slush, so I am fantasizing about wider skis. It's nice to know there are a bunch of different options for trying skis out!

 

[cleopatra]

I had a day like this last week. It was our end of season party up at the cat ski lodge. It had been 10-15c for a week with blue skies, obviously huge effect on the snow. I avoid these conditions like the plague on the ski hill, but thought maybe at the lodge with out as many tracks it might be better.

Boy, does this ever show you the difference between an advanced and expert skier. The experts were flying through the stuff, they weren't really enjoying it, and they were going slower than usual, but you couldn't tell they were struggling through crap conditions at all.

Then there was me, an advanced skier who suddenly couldn't even turn. It was so embarrassing and not fun at all!! I tried to do all the things mentioned above but it was so hard.

So my dilema is, do I care enough to take lessons (next year) in crap conditions so I can be one of those people? Or just keep skiing all the good days and probably not progress much further?

 

[Pequenita]

So my dilema is, do I care enough to take lessons (next year) in crap conditions so I can be one of those people? Or just keep skiing all the good days and probably not progress much further?

Option 3: take lessons on good days. It'll help progress because there is probably something you are doing in your everyday skiing that doesn't cause problems when conditions are good but show up when conditions worsen. An instructor can help identify those anamolies and assist in the fix. And then the next time conditions are crappy, you'll have the "fix" in your toolbox!

ETA: you can tell an instructor that you have difficulty in a particular kind of condition, and even if conditions are good, he or she can translate how you're skiing on "today's" conditions would manifest in different conditions.

 

[cleopatra]

Option 3: take lessons on good days. It'll help progress because there is probably something you are doing in your everyday skiing that doesn't cause problems when conditions are good but show up when conditions worsen. An instructor can help identify those anamolies and assist in the fix. And then the next time conditions are crappy, you'll have the "fix" in your toolbox!

I like this idea!

 

[litterbug]

I think Pequenita is right on target. I learned that my troubles came from a lack of understanding of skills, not snow conditions, when I took a lesson at Bridger two weeks ago on what I consider classic packed powder: groomed, dense, dry, hard-packed, and squeaky-cold. In the two weeks since then I've had big improvements skiing crud, mashed potatoes, mush, slush, ice, and saturated cut-up half-melted off-piste crud. That's because the instructor, a level 3 instructor trainer (or was it examiner?), broke down my skiing in terms of basic skills and in only two hours taught me to do the same. Now I'm thrilled about putting the skills to use in all kinds of situations, and I think I'll be making the 4.5 hour drive to Bridger several times next year.

It just happens that my skis apparently haven't been helping me a lot. I've loved my Kenjas--they're fun, aggressive, and strong, and my Geishas, which are fatter, softer, and a calmer sort of ski. The skills translated well to the Kenjas, on which I can now sideslip and do falling leaf much better than before, but let's just say they're not a subtle ski. I was on rented Temptation 88s at the lesson because my skis needed a tune and I'd been reading about them on these forums, and I demoed them again yesterday. They're a really different ski, far more responsive to subtle movements and finesse, and more versatile, and the skills plus the skis me very confident on snow that would have thrown me off before. The only thing I need to know about them is whether they're good in the kind of dry soft powder we get in a good storm. Unfortunately, work demands mean I won't ski in the cold storm coming through in the next few days, but I'm hoping the cold weather lasts into next weekend so I can play around with soft off-piste conditions.

As for lessons, it's best to ask for a well-qualified instructor who fits your learning style if you know what it is. Some can learn just by watching an instructor demonstrate a skill and getting a few tips. I do terribly with that style; I need someone who'll explain why and how it works before the skill is demonstrated and not get tired of correcting me or answering silly questions. That's what I asked for at Bridger--someone who was able and willing to explain what they were doing as many times as it took for me to understand.

Another tip is to go very early in the morning or just before morning group classes end. Instructors with higher certifications get first dibs on private lesson requests, and are more likely to be available if you ask either before they're assigned to group classes or just after group classes are done.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

It just happens that my skis apparently haven't been helping me a lot. I've loved my Kenjas--they're fun, aggressive, and strong, and my Geishas, which are fatter, softer, and a calmer sort of ski. The skills translated well to the Kenjas, on which I can now sideslip and do falling leaf much better than before, but let's just say they're not a subtle ski. I was on rented Temptation 88s at the lesson because my skis needed a tune and I'd been reading about them on these forums, and I demoed them again yesterday. They're a really different ski, far more responsive to subtle movements and finesse, and more versatile, and the skills plus the skis me very confident on snow that would have thrown me off before.

Interesting revelation: "far more responsive to subtle movements and finesse, and more versatile..."
Food for thought...

 

[litterbug]

I found it interesting too. Let's just say that up until now my skiing hasn't been the least bit subtle, so this is an entirely new measurement of ski performance for me.

 

[Allie]

Skicrazed,

A wider pair of skis doesn't need to set you back if you are willing to buy used demo or out one season new stock. There are several shops in WA that sell on Ebay. I have bought skis from liquidationsports in Wenatchee, WA and sir_davahad in Seattle, WA. I also like and have bought from bargainsportsusa in Bloomfield, MI. Right now liquidationsports has a pair of 156mm (good length for you given your height/weight/purpose) Head Wild Ones listed for $224.99 with shipping. The Wild One is around 81mm underfoot. Not the widest but wide enough to give you that stability you are looking for in the slush. In Canada, I love Sportsletter in Quebec and Asogear in Ontario. Both sell new skis at blow-out prices. All the rental places where you ski should also have demo skis on sale right now too.

I get demo bindings so I can share skis with friends from out of town and the girls, all who have different boot sizes. It is also easier to resell skis with demo bindings. I sold the new beginner skis I bought online for the girls on Craigslist for the same price I bought them new on Ebay two years later. Worst case scenario you should be able to do the same if you end of getting a ski you don't like or you grow out of it.

The only thing I worry about in recommending buying a wider ski is that wide skis can cover up a lot of bad technique as they literally plow over everything and tend to have a wider sweet spot for balance. Two years ago I would have swore my skis were holding me back but that was not true. It was 100% my technique holding me back. I actually love skiing in the slush as it means glorious warmth and sunshine.

Good-luck with your own ski adventures.

....
To those of you who mentioned wider skis for powder and soft/spring snow, are there any such skis that are appropriate for beginner/low intermediate skiers? Most of the ones I've seen seem aimed at more advanced skiers. I own skis that I like, but I think they're probably categorized as carving skis; Salomon Origins Pearl 2011, size 151. I am 5'4", 120 pounds. Thanks for all of the great tips!

 

[Allie]

Sorry for the duplicate post. Don't know what happened there.

 

[Jilly]

Me fix. It sometimes happens, you think the computer has timed out, but it hasn't and you get a duplicate post. Not to worry, that's why we had MOD's!

 

[marzNC]

I had a day like this last week. It was our end of season party up at the cat ski lodge. It had been 10-15c for a week with blue skies, obviously huge effect on the snow. I avoid these conditions like the plague on the ski hill, but thought maybe at the lodge with out as many tracks it might be better.

Boy, does this ever show you the difference between an advanced and expert skier. The experts were flying through the stuff, they weren't really enjoying it, and they were going slower than usual, but you couldn't tell they were struggling through crap conditions at all.

Then there was me, an advanced skier who suddenly couldn't even turn. It was so embarrassing and not fun at all!! I tried to do all the things mentioned above but it was so hard.

So my dilema is, do I care enough to take lessons (next year) in crap conditions so I can be one of those people? Or just keep skiing all the good days and probably not progress much further?

Option 3: take lessons on good days. It'll help progress because there is probably something you are doing in your everyday skiing that doesn't cause problems when conditions are good but show up when conditions worsen. An instructor can help identify those anamolies and assist in the fix. And then the next time conditions are crappy, you'll have the "fix" in your toolbox!

ETA: you can tell an instructor that you have difficulty in a particular kind of condition, and even if conditions are good, he or she can translate how you're skiing on "today's" conditions would manifest in different conditions.

More support for lessons from an experienced instructor in the conditions of the day. I did lessons at Massanutten (little hill in VA) in Jan-Feb before my ski safari out west. Sometimes the lessons were in spring conditions, sometimes not. Add on a 3-hour private at Bridger (Level 3 instructor I worked with last season) in good conditions before a week at Big Sky and then Alta.

One day was going to be so warm around SLC, Bill and I went over to Bridger since he had never been there. It was probably 50 at the base by 10:30am, so lots of sticky snow. The way Bridger is laid out, while we could stay high it was impossible to avoid the worst snow near the base of the lifts. Wasn't the best skiing, but I know I managed better than in past years. Bill is one of those who can turn in anything. Even so, we gave up relatively early in the afternoon.