So I'm afraid of hills...

[marge]

Thanks to Rhody, I have pretty pretty skis sitting by the front door waiting for me to get over this pneumonia. The skis are taunting me, I swear!

Awesome!!! I hope you love them! :D

 

[AliceH]

Awesome!!! I hope you love them! :D

Oh, I do I do I do! Even though the conditions were pretty crunchy today (there was supposed to be a storm but it never got here), and even though I'm still recovering from pneumonia so I'm not as strong in lung or leg as I was a month ago, we went out and it was WONDERFUL - I skied down hills I didn't have the nerve to even when I was pushing myself last time I went skiing.

At first I thought these skis were a mistake, they felt like planks on my feet, but after a couple of runs they definitely felt like the right fit for me at this point in my skiing.

 

[Blue Diamond]

Those are great news, AliceH! Maybe you just had the "wrong" skis before. It is amazing how equipment plays a huge role in helping you improve or holding you back.

Congrats! Keep enjoying those skis. And I hope you recover completely soon.

 

[RhodySkier]

Yea! I'm so glad you liked them. Enjoy, enjoy!!!

 

[B.E.G.]

Alice, that's great! I'm so glad things are working out!

 

[gardenmary]

Oh, I do I do I do! Even though the conditions were pretty crunchy today (there was supposed to be a storm but it never got here), and even though I'm still recovering from pneumonia so I'm not as strong in lung or leg as I was a month ago, we went out and it was WONDERFUL - I skied down hills I didn't have the nerve to even when I was pushing myself last time I went skiing.

At first I thought these skis were a mistake, they felt like planks on my feet, but after a couple of runs they definitely felt like the right fit for me at this point in my skiing.

I was wondering how you were doing...so glad to hear this news!!! Congratulations!

 

[litterbug]

Thanks to Rhody, I have pretty pretty skis sitting by the front door waiting for me to get over this pneumonia. The skis are taunting me, I swear!

Stick with it! I've had pneumonia twice and had to really pay attention to my body after the infection was gone. I could be more active after about a month, but it took me about two more months to get to 100%. Take care of those poor lungs!

AliceH: Pay no attention to people who tell you that you have to suffer and feel bad for not being skinny! My story is very long but typical: over-training and under-eating make me gain weight (and usually injure myself, too). I won't deal with a trainer, doctor, etc. who insists that I lose weight or size or whatever, and I won't truck with salespeople who don't care that I'd spend money in their store if they supported those of us who aren't skinny but still want to go outdoors (gasp!).

Keep on keeping on, and, as my Dad says, "non bastarde carborundum" (bad Latin, but hey, he never did make it to college!).

 

[Serafina]

Stick with it! I've had pneumonia twice and had to really pay attention to my body after the infection was gone.

+1 on that, Alice. I had pneumonia in 2 lobes May 2008 - it was October before I felt entirely myself again. It takes amazingly long to get over that, but it is MUCH better not to rush it! This is a disease that was mostly fatal 70 years ago - for very good reasons. Take it easy!!

 

[Serafina]

I won't truck with salespeople who don't care that I'd spend money in their store if they supported those of us who aren't skinny but still want to go outdoors (gasp!).

I'm going to +1 this as well. I'm 5'10" and 190, most of it is muscle. I could stand to get down to 175, at which point I will actually Look Thin. I'm just huge. I weighed 10 lbs at birth. I've always been in the top percentiles for height and weight. I got down to 165 when I was finishing my PhD and getting divorced (same summer) and I was emaciated...people kept asking me if I'd been seriously ill. And even then? I wore a standard size 14. Size 14 on me is where my backbones, collarbones, ribs, and hip bones stick out.

One thing that really pisses me off is the totally bizarre and tiny sizing for women's technical gear (ski, hiking, yoga, you name it). Standard size 18 (XL) chest is 43-44". Columbia uses the standard sizing, but Patagonia, North Face, and prAna consider a chest of 41 1/2 (size 16) to be an XL. Lands End also considers a 41" chest to be a size 16, but they more reasonably consider this to be a Large. It's even worse for some of the other brands, who consider 14 to be an XL.

I think it's not just women's gear, though, because when I took Mr. Serafina to get a pair of insulated ski pants, he wound up in an XXL, I think, and he's a very normal size for a guy.

WTF is it with this stuff? Athletic women are assumed to be tiny? Who the devil considers a size 14 to be an XL? This isn't Manhattan's Fashion District, for pete's sake. I have been riding Steep & Cheap looking for some suitable softshells for the spring, and basically, I don't even bother if it is some garment intended for women, because I know they aren't going to make it in my size (and while I have a 44" chest, that is only a C-cup for me!). All of the athletic gear I have is men's gear! Including, I should say, my SKI BOOTS because I take a 26.5 mondo, which is not at all a common size to find in a women's boot.

Boo. Hiss.

 

[litterbug]

I hates the sports clothing designer, I hates them! 5'3" and 155, most of it in my belly and chest--geez, you'd think I belonged in a freak show the way they cut their clothes!

But for me, Patagonia clothes fit right now! Sleeves on my nano & micro puff are a little long, but they fit around my bust and my hips!

 

[AliceH]

I just thought I'd provide an update - I've been super busy over the past several weeks and haven't had time to do much online recreational activity.

Two weeks ago I skied my first blue run in a class. At the time I felt I could manage it but that it wasn't going to be something I'd do very often.

Last weekend I skied a couple of blue runs several times, almost keeping up with my 8-year-old. He was so excited, and so was I! They're actually starting to feel a bit comfortable, and this was despite the horribly icy conditions we saw last week - it was blizzardy almost to the point of white-out, and the wind was blowing so hard that the mountain was a giant pile of crust.

Contrast this with where I was in January, it's pretty darned amazing. I was hoping that by the end of next ski season I'd be doing blues. You ladies are AWESOME support, and I can't thank you enough for pointing me in the right direction. I ESPECIALLY have to thank Rhody for selling me these awesome skis, which I may be passing on next ski season as I move up to some slightly more advanced skis.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Congrats!
So glad to hear this.
We knew you could do it.

 

[Serafina]

Yay!

By the end of next season, you'll be going down those blues and wondering to yourself how you could ever have been intimidated by them! I'd bet on it!

 

[RhodySkier]

Yea! AliceH, I'm so happy the skis worked out for you. Congrats on skiing those blues!

 

[ScottishGirlie]

Well done AliceH!!!

Sounds like you've got the ski bug now!!

 

[Mitch09]

Tonight I had my first ski with my new boots. My last run was down the bunny hill I started the season on....when I did a big fall and landed directly on my chin.... I wanted to remind myself of how far I have come this season....I've become confident on all greens and finally made it onto blues in the last month. I've also increased my comfort with a bit of speed and have moved to parallel skiing (except when I get tired or lazy I sometimes resort to a bit of wedge work in my turns or when slowing down). I think the biggest help has been just getting out as many times as I could this season.....in other words....mileage! I did also take one lesson which helped with some of my parallel issues. I try to only look at other people skiing for reference of what I need to work on or to remind me that "Ha....my technique is better than at least some others" :ROTF: Some days the biggest challenge is not the snow or the skiing....but dealing with that thing behind our eyes.......yup our minds and our thinking at that moment! Keep up the hard work and try to remember to find something to feel happy about each time you are out.....

 

[litterbug]

Sometimes I watch people skiing blacks and see a lot of things I don't want to do. It's not to criticize them, just to remind myself how important it is to get solid enough with my own technique in order not to flail and fall.

OTOH, I've skied some blacks in difficult snow this week and have definitely looked much like those same skiers, which will keep me humble.

 

[TracyMcP]

Some days the biggest challenge is not the snow or the skiing....but dealing with that thing behind our eyes.......yup our minds and our thinking at that moment!

This is exactly my problem. I was skiing blues happily and easily, with confidence all day Saturday. It was a bluebird day. Beautiful blue sky, sunny, good snow.

So Sunday we ski together so he can see how I'm doing. Same peak, we go to the top and it's blowing like a hurricane. Can't see a thing, I had to hold onto a sign to keep from going backwards. Really messed up my head.

I told my husband I'd ski a hell of a lot better if I could just leave my head back at the condo.

 

[TracyMcP]

Well, That was supposed a quote from Mitch's reply. I somehow messed that up.

 

[SnowHot]

I think my equipment's good. I noticed last weekend that one of my heels is slipping just a tiny bit in my boot, so I'm planning on hitting a bootfitter probably early next month. I've got a pair of K2 Lotta Luvs that are pretty well used (I bought them used) but are still in good shape, and I had them tuned up at the beginning of the year. I'm going to take them with me to the bootfitter to have them checked out too.

Most of the women's ski clinics that I've found that are close enough to drive there and back in a day are either weekday clinics, require the skier to be good on blue slopes, or are just plain too expensive for me to consider right now. I can't swing a weekday clinic right now with having to pick up kiddos from school in the afternoon.

I'm hoping next season I'll be able to do the clinic in Taos with Kathy...can't remember her last name...that someone was talking about in another thread. We have family there, so at least I wouldn't have to shell out for lodging. But right now I really can't get away for more than a weekend day.

A lot of this is just me venting, there's no suggestible solution for limited funds and limited time.

Oh, and...my son overheard me talking to my husband about the part of the hill where I got stuck parallel and being unable to muster the courage to point my skis back down the hill, and chimed in, "Oh, I love that part of the hill, it goes so fast!!!"

Its possible that your equipment is not suited for you at this stage of your skiing.
I'm glad that you're making the progress that you wanted.
Just a bit of food for thought in hind sight....
The Lotta luv is an advanced ski, and though it has some forgiving properties, it will go faster than you need to(or should) while you're learning. The trouble is, you're spending too much time trying to slow the skis down and not spending enough time learning to ski.
IMHO beginner skiers should either rent, or buy beginner skis to get them through this stage of your skiing, then graduate to your Lotta Luvs.

Beginner skis really do have a purpose.