First Time Skier Information

[NewEnglandSkier]

Wow, these stories are really something. The thing that amazes me the most is that so many people seem to let themselves get talked into things/influenced by friends or boyfriends. I once dated a guy who skiied before I started skiing myself (we didn't last until ski season) and I know that even if he had thought he could teach me himself, there is no way I would ever let him do that. In fact, the more someone tries to force me to do something, the more I refuse to do it! Maybe I'm really nerdy or something, but it would never occur to me to take up a new sport in any serious manner without taking a lesson.
I wonder if some people think skiing looks really easy- because they see other people skiing efortlessly along. Generally, when someone makes something look really easy, that should be your first clue that it takes a lot of skill to master fully.
It's sad that due to some of these people's experiences, they may be scared off from skiing forever.

 

[skigirl]

I just want to be sure this does not get lost.

 

[SuperMoe]

Lessons

I wish I would have started early, but man, I never would have done our ski hill (very steep/short) if it wasn't for lessons. The first time I went to the top, I couldn't believe we let our kids go up there with their lessons.

I had my 4th lesson today...loads of fun. We tried the one blue...I made it down other lessons before OK, but I had a beautiful crash at the bottom of the main slope. I was turning OK, but I carry alot of speed with me, there was a snowboarder sitting down...not really in my way...but in the way for my beginner style. I just turned the skis down and couldn't quite bring them back under control. Almost had it.

But, I would have died if I would have went to the top by myself...probably would have walked down the hill

A good day for crashes today, unfortunately, my daughter and her friends were at the bottom of one hill when I wiped it

My cost...1.5 hr lesson with lift ticket and rental $45...was demoing equipment today...it dropped to $30. Got there at 11:30AM, no one one the hill (hardly) practiced for just over an hour, lesson, then skied for another 1/2 hour. Left at 3:30 totally happy. Can't wait for my ski trip to a much more beginner/intermidate hill in a few weeks.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

a small but important tip

Hate to see this thread get lost....

Here's something that may merit consideration, as I've seen my share of mishaps over the years:

-- Always have dedicated pockets for certain items. Memorize which pockets those are, and DO NOT OPEN until required. Example: one pocket is for your car keys. DO NOT open this pocket unless you are standing in front of your car. I can't begin to tell you how many sets of car keys are found under the lifts after the snow melts! I have seen people hunting under chairlifts in deep snow (usually in vain).

-- Another pocket is for cash and/or credit card. Again, DO NOT open this pocket until you must. One spring years ago, my son found a roll of $20 bills under the chairlift, entangled in a set of car keys with a remote!

The kids of ski school and ski patrol would often hike up during spring pot lucks to go "treasure hunting" (and trash collecting). It was amazing what they'd find. I'm sure that there are now many digital cameras, cell phones and ipods to be found. DEDICATE POCKETS!

Thankfully, most mid and outer layers now have sufficient pockets. Sounds like a dumb tip, but based on my experience, lots of people are losing stuff out of their pockets.

 

[skihawk]

This is a great thread. Everyone is giving great advice. I know I have mentioned this in other threads, but my DH and I went skiing at Sugarloaf for our honeymoon. He had taken 3 lessons prior to going. I was very excited to take clinics and lessons while I was out there. He refused. He chose Whiffletree as his first run. We went up. It took him 90 minutes to get down. Luckily it was early in the morning and we did not see any other skiers. The next day I told him I was taking a lesson and suggested that he get a massage. He took my advice. We got together after my lesson and had a nice lunch. My instructor was great. He was very calm and gave good tips. I knew my DH would respond well to an instructor like that. I convinced Mr. Skihawk to take a lesson. At the end of the lesson he looked at me and thanked me. He had finally ENJOYED skiing! We learned that it was okay if he had to take things slower or if we skied different trails and met up at the bottom. He did not mind when I took a clinic while he skied the easier trails. Now, he loves skiing… in fact he is rather obsessed with it. After his lesson and a day of practice he skied Whiffletree again. It only took him 15 minutes… he looked great… and felt confident.

Everyone has given great advice. I wish I could have passed some of that along to him before our trip!

 

[num]

Good one, MSL. I do the dedicated pockets thing too. Inner chest pocket holds season pass/ID, a piece of scripture I keep on me all the time, and doesn't get opened after I get my lift ticket. Depending on which pants I'm wearing, there's a pants pocket that has spending money and another pocket that takes cell phone and lip balm. I also generally avoid taking things out on the lift, though it's mighty tempting when lifts get stuck.

 

[snowbunny1976]

-- Always have dedicated pockets for certain items. Memorize which pockets those are, and DO NOT OPEN until required.

I'm SO glad I got a new jacket where I can separate everything... my old one didn't have many pockets, and without thinking, while talking to someone (of course) at the lodge, I put my chapstick back into my pocket -the pocket with my money. Get on the mountain, need to remoisturize, grab my chapstick, and what falls out without my knowledge? A wad of about $80. And I didn't realize it until I was returning the skis, and was ready to buy something I've been eyeing in the shop next door all week. PLEASE don't make that same mistake! That's definitely some good advice there!

 

[MaineSkiLady]

I' Get on the mountain, need to remoisturize, grab my chapstick, and what falls out without my knowledge? A wad of about $80.

Ouch. Guess it wasn't a dumb tip after all. Like I've said, the treasure trove beneath the lifts and elsewhere after the snow melts is phenomenal, for those who have the patience to hunt it down. The most prevalent seems to be coins, and it's quite amazing what they look like after having been run over by a groomer a few times (forget using any kind of vending machines with these coins...) DS dumped an IPod at Keystone a few years ago.

Newer jackets really seem to have tackled this issue. Hope it never happens to you again!!

 

[SueNJ]

All the high-ticket items--cell phone, iPod, change purse with credit card and money--go in the inside pockets, which I never access unless I'm standing on the side of a trail or sitting in the lodge. If my phone rings while I'm on the lift, I usually let it ring and wait until I'm off the lift to take it out. Everyone knows to leave a message if I don't pick up. My chapstick, tissues, and any other easily replaced items are in the outside pockets.

Ouch to losing $80!! How frustrating!

 

[snowbunny1976]

I know! I'm still traumatized by the loss.

But I'm SO happy with my new ski jacket. Pockets galore! Inside, outside, on the arm, everywhere! Now that I can separate the goods, it shouldn't happen to me ever again.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Mods, any chance of making this, at least in some variation of its form, into a sticky?
---------------
Tip No. 47 (just kidding, not sure where we are in the count)

The Last Run. This is the time when most of us - no, ALL of us - are very tired, if not downright exhausted.

QUIT WHILE YOU ARE AHEAD

Skiing is exerting - even more so when you're just getting your legs and learning new skills. And you're probably more than a little tense as well, at times.

Know when to call it and walk away. In fact, do it at least one run before - when you find yourself saying, "Okay, I'll do just one more," stop and quit. A large percentage of injuries happen on that infamous last run.

I started doing this a very long time ago after reading same advice. If I think I've got 3 more left, I only take 2. So far, so good - I've not yet had a last-run mishap (though don't ask about the others ). Seriously, you'll be adrenaline-pumped, especially after a major breakthrough day and may not be paying as close attention to your body's fatigue signals as you would otherwise.

Know when to call it.

 

[volklgirl]

Know when to call it and walk away. In fact, do it at least one run before - when you find yourself saying, "Okay, I'll do just one more," stop and quit. A large percentage of injuries happen on that infamous last run.

Great advice! My 2 most infamous "this is my last run" runs resulted in a right ACL replacement and the bending of my race ski beyond repair. :(

Don't do it!

 

[jjsooner]

I'm going skiing for the first time in just over 2 weeks in Utah and I WILL be taking a lesson!

I'm a friend of Robyn's and she's been giving me pointers on clothes (is even sending me some ski pants ) and such and she pointed me over here.

I can't wait...I'm a little bit anxious but excited to finally do it!

 

[Robyn]

YAY!!!!!

 

[geargrrl]

More on what to wear

[
First Time Skiers: What to do on your first day. Wear a ski jacket, ski pants, and ski gloves or mittens. You will want all of this to keep you dry because you will be falling down. Don't over dress with a lot of layers because you will be working hard and you will get hot quickly.

More on what to wear -

What are layers? Sounds silly but for skiing, you would start with a "base" layer like long underwear (NO COTTON, more on this later), followed by a mid weight shirt, and then depending on whether your coat is insulated or not, additional layers like a fleece sweater or a vest. On the bottom, your base layer is long johns, fleece tights or fleece pants, again depends if your pants are insulated.

Why no cotton? the saying is, "cotton kills". What this really means is that cotton is a horrible insulator. If it gets wet, it stays wet, robbing your body of heat and potentially leading to hypothermia. This is true even if you wear it only as a base layer. Cotton gets nice and damp from body heat and sweat, and then turns into a chilling layer. The new technical polyesters are fantastic because they insulate if damp, move moisture away from the body, keep you warm and dry quickly.

Please no cotton sweat pants, T necks or BLUE JEANS!!!

Hats - did you know that you lose a tremendous amount of heat through the top of your head? A hat will always keep you warmer than no hat. Helmets will do the same thing. Many of us prefer to wear helmets: you get warmth and safety!

Keep the core warm- a trick I learned from my mountaineering buddies is that if your hands and feet are cold, add a light layer to your core. I keep a silk base layer in my bag for this purpose.

Cold feet - try changing your socks at lunch time.

Where do I get these items - base layers, fleece tights, etc. Sierra Trading Post, Marshalls and TJ Maxx, REI sales.... just a few of the places you can get good deals on the right kinds of things to wear.

Here's how I layer. Keep in mind I run cold, and I do not wear insulated clothing. If I know I will be skiing crud, or powder I get lots hotter so I subtract at least one for those conditions.

on top - wicking sports bra, power dry t-neck with 100wt shirt over if. Then, either a fleece vest if temps are above 25, or a light zip up insulated "sweater". Shell coat, neck gaiter, helmet. If it's really cold, I'll wear the vest under the sweater over the two other shirts, or, add a silk next to the skin.

Bottom - wicking panties, 200 wt fleece pants, shell pants, ski socks. I'll go lighter on the underlayer when its' above 30.


hth,
geargrrl

 

[Wannalearn]

How long before it is fun?

This seems like a great forum for women skiers - I'm glad I found it!

I'm a (very) beginning skier. Back in January, I enrolled in a "ski week" at the local resort (I live 15 minutes away - just moved here last summer). I'd never skied before in my life and I'm now in my late 30's. It was about 20 hours worth of instruction. The first two days were in a group of about 4 women, however, I felt that the instructor was moving the group faster than my comfort level, so, I hooked up with a different instructor for the remainder of the week, and basically had private lessons. At the end of the week, I was reasonably confident getting down the "bunny hill" (supposedly the steepest in the US).

I would still have moments of panic and terror when my ski got caught in a lip of snow and caused me to wobble or not be able to turn as I intended, and I would lose my rhythm of linking turns, catch too much speed for my comfort, and end up snowplowing the remainder of the way. Nevertheless, I never really fell, or plowed into anyone, and was usually able to stop where I intended. At times, (sometimes I had to talk myself into feeling this), I even felt a measure of control and that this activity *could* be fun if only I could be confident enough in my skills to relax and enjoy it.

Since the lessons, I've gone back and practiced on the bunny slope about 4 or 5 times, and yesterday, tried the "easiest" green run for the first time. An instructor who had seen us ski (I was practicing with a friend who is also a beginner) had said he thought were were a "day past ready" for the green run, so, I was fairly confident that I could do it.

Boy was I wrong! It was awful, I couldn't force myself down the steep hills, basically, forgot how to ski! The steepness of the hills terrified me, as did the fact that I couldn't see around the turns to know what was coming and had no idea how long the run lasted so I could prepare my next move. I spent 30 minutes "psyching" myself up to do it, then, immediately fell (luckily, it wasn't even a steep or scary place to fall), and then had no confidence and decided to walk down at least until I could find a mellower catwalk that didn't freak me out - which I did and I ended up skiing down part way, once I was past the part with the steep hills. My very expert skiing boyfriend had long left me by this point (I sent him away) - it took him 15 minutes to ski down what took me 2 hours.

I thought maybe I'd never go back - that I just wasn't cut out ski since I don't particularly like going fast downhill (have always been reluctant to try mountain biking for the same reason), but, I don't want to give up. I've invested a fair amount of time and money already in this endeavor, it would be a nice shared activity for my boyfriend and I, I live 15 minutes away from a great ski resort and that is what friends and family want to do when they come to visit and I don't want to be left out.

Today, I am thinking that perhaps I will sign up again for another private lesson or two, with the focus on strategies to get down the green run and overcome my fear of hurling myself down steep hills covered in snow and ice on boards (skis) designed to pick up speed, since walking down is not something I want to do again. Doing the bunny slope over and over is only teaching me to be really good at doing the bunny slope, and not a green run, it's clear I need to go back up there and attempt it again, though nothing has changed to make me think I'm going to be any happier doing it a second time.

I am interesting in knowing if anyone has started off from a similar place but gone on to learn to love skiing - or at least enjoy it and be confident. It seems like lots of different people from all walks of life learn to ski and have so much fun doing it. I am envious as I watch other skiers float by effortlessly, seeming unconcerned with tackling the next turn or steep hill, or avoiding the drop off on the side. I fear that much of my "inability" to ski is actually psychological and wonder how that can be overcome, or it it can. If it can, how? It would great to hear any inspirational stories from folks who have felt this way but gone on to overcome it.

Thank you for any thoughts or suggestions!

 

[NewEnglandSkier]

Welcome Wannalearn. I would suggest (like you already mentioned) taking another lesson. Make sure you mention to the instructor what you want to accomplish-- ie. going down the green run, so that they can address that with you and not keep taking you on the bunny hill. I find it helps a lot to tackle new terrain with an instructor rather than by yourself because they can instill confidence and help you get out of anything if you have trouble. Maybe do a morning lesson and then ski on your own in the afternoon to practice. After you do a couple more lessons focusing on what you are having the most trouble with, it will likely fall into place and you will feel more comfortable skiing this terrain on your own.
Where do you normally ski?

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Welcome to the forum, wannalearn. Hope to "meet" you formally in the dedicated section for divas only (which you can officially enter after 5 posts). I'm curious what this resort is, as this might be an indicator of difficulty of the "green" (which is relative only to the difficulty of runs at your particular area). Some are definitely tougher than others.

It's all about confidence and that "aha" moment, which you apparently haven't yet had. (There is a thread somewhere in general skiing about one of us having had one not too long ago in the learning process.) It sounds to me as though you need to hook up with a patient instructor and put your cards out on the table beforehand of some of the points you made here. It would be a great starting point for any instructor. Because once you have that feeling of true control, you WILL have the "aha" moment! And you will Or perhaps even

You sound determined - don't push yourself TOO hard or be so hard on yourself. Skiing is a learned skill, and we all have different learning curves. A good instructor will pick up on all this and hopefully take you to new and exciting places! Good luck, and let us know how it all worked out for you.

 

[LilaBear]

Welcome Wannalearn. I too started off not enjoying skiing and would never have believed where it would take me. My first experiences of skiing were on a "dry" ski slope, the only skiing available to us in the North of England. Nasty things made of matting that is like a nailbrush, which gives you severe carpet burns ... I was taken by my parents who could ski, and the only advice they could offer was to use the fence at the bottom to stop. My first experience of "real" skiing was summer skiing on a Glacier in France, I was sent to accompany my brother who'd been given this as his birthday present (in June - I ask you?) so again I was a reluctant participant. You can only ski in the mornings and it's totally spring skiing conditions - challenging to learn on. I don't really remember why I ever chose to ski again, maybe it was how much everyone else in my family loved it and raved on about the fun they were having. Now it's 20 years later, I have had a ski vacation every year and always take lessons, and I've become a proficient skier. Two years ago I moved to the US, and have been travelling up to Killington for weekend skiing. And now, I've chosen to take a new job in Boulder Colorado so that I can take skiing to the next level.
I love to ski, nothing beats a good day out on the slopes when I feel at one with my body and my spirits are soaring (not every day, but when it's not happening I focus on practicing technique so that it will happen the next time I'm out). I love the other parts of skiing, driving up for hours leads to very interesting deep conversations in the car, silly competitions on the chair lifts (such as guessing the exact time on the clock at the top), hanging out with friends while we prep dinner and being a million miles away from the office is hugely de-stressing and much needed in winter months.
You will come to love this and find it a great way to spend quality time with your friends. You'll find that you progress quickly and find the confidence that will put the smile on your face and make you glad you stuck with it. I still giggle even as I fall.

 

[SueNJ]

Hi Wannalearn--welcome to our group!

I've been skiing for a few years now, and to this day, whenever I ski a new run for the first time, I'm overcautious and a bit nervous. I guess I just don't like the unknown. Once I've negotiated a new run once or twice, I relax and let go. It sounds like you've been doing all your skiing on the beginner's slope, so just by venturing onto a new green run, you're going into unfamiliar territory. If you can, I agree that taking a private lesson, with a goal of skiing some of the green runs at your local mountain, will help you get past that fear of the unknown and get your confidence level up. You really can ski those runs--your body knows what to do, it sounds like it's your mind that's not convinced.

BTW, which is your home mountain?