mgmm
Diva in Training
Well, I skied two days in a row at Crystal with the Ripsticks to wrap up the season, and I had such a great time. I had no problem with higher speeds on cruddy snow (something I always had trouble with on the season rentals). I was fully confident and felt in control on steepest parts of blue runs. I played around with turn shapes, turn sizes, putting little hops with my turns, skiing backwards (poorly, first attempt lol), etc, and I just loved it. I was having so much fun that when my snowboarder friend went into some trees, I followed. When he went to the park for some jumps, I said, heck, why not, and got my first jumps in.
I have a habit of looking back at my own tracks somewhat frequently after a private lesson earlier in the season. As expected, rail road tracks take more conscious effort with these skis, and the feeling of carving is worth that extra effort. Yes, I want to be a better skilled skier, and I'm aware that skis as wide as mine may hinder progress. I do think I can learn a lot with them over time. Also, to be perfectly honest, I'm just happy to be able to get out there and have fun in the snow with friends after decades of wondering what downhill skiing might feel like.
@NYSnowflake @Jilly I watched the ski selection video (and so many other Deb Armstrong videos--she's a phenomenal teacher) toward the beginning of my thinking about ski selection, and I even linked it in my post:
I have a habit of looking back at my own tracks somewhat frequently after a private lesson earlier in the season. As expected, rail road tracks take more conscious effort with these skis, and the feeling of carving is worth that extra effort. Yes, I want to be a better skilled skier, and I'm aware that skis as wide as mine may hinder progress. I do think I can learn a lot with them over time. Also, to be perfectly honest, I'm just happy to be able to get out there and have fun in the snow with friends after decades of wondering what downhill skiing might feel like.
@NYSnowflake @Jilly I watched the ski selection video (and so many other Deb Armstrong videos--she's a phenomenal teacher) toward the beginning of my thinking about ski selection, and I even linked it in my post:
In the end, my local shop didn't have the 88 Ripsticks in a length appropriate for me and I chose based on cost. At this point I can't afford the space or money for more gear, but I'm excited for future me to consider adding a narrower ski!Related, I watched Deb Armstrong's video about proper ski selection and skis holding people back
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