Best approach for first two ski days of the season?

[nopoleskier]

Yesterday was day 1.. It felt so good to ski.. 3 trails top to bottom at okemo, snow was fantastic, just like mid winter, no death cookies,
Sunny side of trails was soft lovely powder. We had Blue skies in the am. no people!!
Everything worked fine, today I can tell I worked my legs. Skied about 15 runs.
First couple runs we Took it easy, but after 2 runs everything everything clicked for me and my knee didn't hurt at all! (I wrecked my mcl in May) so I was back to my usual tons of turns.. I had my Atomic 11's on they like to be on edge.. was nice grippy snow. So much fun to be hooked up..

Only thing I forgot was my Lip balm!!
I'm so sad that it's raining today.. back to the dry land training.. cold air and hopefully snow coming this weekend!

 

[ski diva]

Yesterday was day 1.. It felt so good to ski.. 3 trails top to bottom at okemo, snow was fantastic, just like mid winter, no death cookies,
Sunny side of trails was soft lovely powder. We had Blue skies in the am. no people!!
Everything worked fine, today I can tell I worked my legs. Skied about 15 runs.
First couple runs we Took it easy, but after 2 runs everything everything clicked for me and my knee didn't hurt at all! (I wrecked my mcl in May) so I was back to my usual tons of turns.. I had my Atomic 11's on they like to be on edge.. was nice grippy snow. So much fun to be hooked up..

Only thing I forgot was my Lip balm!!
I'm so sad that it's raining today.. back to the dry land training.. cold air and hopefully snow coming this weekend!

Hey, I didn't see you there!

 

[nopoleskier]

Hey, I didn't see you there!

We looked for you too!!
We got on the lift about 10 of 9!! (Tim and Diane must be out of town, lol)
skied til about 1230..
I'm glad you were there, Russell said conditions were TONS better than prior 2 days!

 

[ski diva]

We looked for you too!!
We got on the lift about 10 of 9!! (Tim and Diane must be out of town, lol)
skied til about 1230..
I'm glad you were there, Russell said conditions were TONS better than prior 2 days!

I only skied from 9 til 11, so just 8 runs. I'm taking it easy with my knee. Yeah, conditions were better than Monday or Tuesday, but I didn't think they were that bad then (except for Sapphire).

 

[Abbi]

I only skied from 9 til 11, so just 8 runs. I'm taking it easy with my knee. Yeah, conditions were better than Monday or Tuesday, but I didn't think they were that bad then (except for Sapphire).

I was wondering when/if you'd been out yet. Delighted to see you were on the snow! I'm envious as there IS snow and I really can't get up there before I move in. I could do a day trip next Wednesday but ... the day before Thanksgiving for day one of the season doesn't sound that appealing! I move my stuff in on December 1 and will be back the next week with the cat, skis and more stuff.

See you, and who ever else is around, soon!

 

[SallyCat]

I guess it was foolhardy to sign up for two full back to back days of instruction on opening weekend??

I don't think so! You're not skiing full-tilt when you take a lesson--there's stopping and talking, etc. And what a great way to start the season with great habits.

I skied my first day today and much like @nopoleskier , once I did few easy runs I wanted to crank it up to eleven. I skied from 8 until 2; no leg pain or fatigue; I felt great. (I suspect the strong start, fitness-wise, is largely because I started running more seriously beginning in August.)
So why not make your first days lessons!

 

[marzNC]

Drove to Killington from Boston for my first day this season. Was fun to start off with a relatively long groomer that took >5 minutes to finish. Great Northern to Bunny was the only route from the top that went to the base of the K-1 gondola. Turned out to be on the cold side, in the 20s, so my first run was a bit faster than was completely comfortable because I wanted to go back and get a better neck warmer. Also didn't realize how many snow guns were pointed at the trail about 2/3 way down.

Snow conditions were pretty nice. Only a few small icy spots that were easy to avoid. It wasn't crowded since it was the Monday before Thanksgiving. Mostly locals plus groups of kids in racing school. The North Ridge triple was also open. Was a good combination for a first day on snow.

https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/i...irst-impression-of-killington-nov-2017.22182/

 

[volklgirl]

I spend the first bunch of runs on the snow doing 1000 steps, railroad tracks, step-up turns, falling leaves, and pivot slips, about every other run, just to get the balance and edging skills back. Then I just ski until my legs give out.

 

[just jane]

I'm an ... advanced intermediate? Early season when it's just WROD is good in some ways because it forces me to take it easy my first few days out. I can't head to the back side if it's not open!

The first time we went up this year, it was truly just one blue WROD open. Now they also have the blue/green WROD open, so we switch back and forth, doing laps on whichever seems the least crowded (today - our 3rd day of the season - was the blue/green run). I don't usually ski a full day initially - maybe 4-ish hours. Being forced to stick to groomers and deal with crowds keeps me going slower and focused on technique, which sounds about right for early season!

 

[marzNC]

I spend the first bunch of runs on the snow doing 1000 steps, railroad tracks, step-up turns, falling leaves, and pivot slips, about every other run, just to get the balance and edging skills back. Then I just ski until my legs give out.

I won't think about skiing in that organized a fashion until early Jan. Would do drills at my home mountain, but not when exploring new places, which is what I tend to do during early season.

That said, I did a few pivot slips at Killington in the afternoon after most people had left so that I didn't have to worry about watching out for other people. Especially on the short trails off the one chairlift on the upper mountain that was open. I did RR tracks on the runouts or flatter sections of the blue groomer that went top to bottom.

What are step-up turns?

 

[Abbi]

Does an hour out count for day one? Last night I wasn't going to try skiing at all and would spend more of today unpacking and organizing my VT place. But .... since it wasn't raining this morning I couldn't NOT go up the hill! Very gloomy and it turned the upper 2/3 of Okemo were foggy and a bit windy at the top. The killer was the nice soft snow since it's warm-ish! I'd rather be able to see! I suppose the upside of being a perpetually slow skier is not outskiing the visibility!!! I made lots of turns, trying to get onto the edges some. I tried going to the smaller section, more down the mountain but it was still foggy until halfway down that. Oh well! Had a few nice feeling runs. Got off the hill before the rain and there is a whole season ahead.

 

[newboots]

@Abbi - crowds? Probably none!

 

[Abbi]

@Abbi - crowds? Probably none!

I doubt there were 10 ski bags on the storage bins. If I were not within a couple of miles of Okemo, I wouldn't have bothered. I was still pretty damp when I was done!

 

[ski diva]

Does an hour out count for day one? Last night I wasn't going to try skiing at all and would spend more of today unpacking and organizing my VT place. But .... since it wasn't raining this morning I couldn't NOT go up the hill! Very gloomy and it turned the upper 2/3 of Okemo were foggy and a bit windy at the top. The killer was the nice soft snow since it's warm-ish! I'd rather be able to see! I suppose the upside of being a perpetually slow skier is not outskiing the visibility!!! I made lots of turns, trying to get onto the edges some. I tried going to the smaller section, more down the mountain but it was still foggy until halfway down that. Oh well! Had a few nice feeling runs. Got off the hill before the rain and there is a whole season ahead.

The ONE DAY I bag it to go Christmas shopping! I figured the rain was imminent, so I didn't head over. If it's not raining, I'll be there tomorrow. Thursday I have jury duty!

 

[Tvan]

Well here's my trip one (no pivot tables...although I do love pivot tables, haha)...each time I use it it gets modified slightly. This one was for a 10 day trip, 7 ski days (actually snowboard days), overseas...

View attachment 7629

We are twins... I have a master spreadsheet with different tabs for different types of trips...driving ski trip, flying ski trip, winter business trip, summer business trip, yearly family trip to family summer house, etc.... No pivot tables though. Guess I need to work on that!

 

[newboots]

We are twins... I have a master spreadsheet with different tabs for different types of trips...driving ski trip, flying ski trip, winter business trip, summer business trip, yearly family trip to family summer house, etc.... No pivot tables though. Guess I need to work on that!

. . . and I can barely manage to fill out my mileage reimbursement form with its user-friendly spreadsheet.

 

[Abbi]

The ONE DAY I bag it to go Christmas shopping! I figured the rain was imminent, so I didn't head over. If it's not raining, I'll be there tomorrow. Thursday I have jury duty!

Christmas shopping was still a better idea. The air was so wet it was light a light misty rain anyway. I skied with no goggles as they wouldn't stay dry long enough to bother. See you tomorrow, maybe!

 

[volklgirl]

What are step-up turns?

It's a race drill where you step up from the inside edge of your downhill ski directly to the inside edge of your uphill ski then fully transfer your weight to that ski to start the next turn. It really tests your edging, balancing, and weight transfer skills.

 

[snoWYmonkey]

My home mountain is Jackson Hole. Some years my first day is an official instructor training day so I am left with no choice. Other years we miraculously have powder and I rush out ski until I feel like collapsing and try not to listen to my self critical brain as it remembers what I am supposed to be doing.

If I can, I start with no more than two or three hours for first few days. I forgive my mind for chiming in, and see what "pointers" come out. Often, I hear the same refrain of skills I need to work on daily.

I will usually try to do some laps with no poles. Tedious, but a great way to get the legs and feet active and really place the focus where it's usually needed.

I also do a bunch of how slow can you go turns once I feel somewhat back in the game. These bring out all the quirks and force me to get smooth instead of too excited.

Most of all, I focus on how fun it is to ski even if it is early season, man made snow and rocky, in the cold loud fog of water cannons.

 

[marzNC]

I will usually try to do some laps with no poles. Tedious, but a great way to get the legs and feet active and really place the focus where it's usually needed.

Do you leave your poles at the base?