Starting skiing later in life

[liquidfeet]

I feel this every time I see a bump run under the chair. I'd love to practice more, but I'm not doing it "there."

The skier carefully getting down that slope may never ski again after what that crowd is doing. And the crowd is laughing and having fun making fun of this skier. I hate this.

 

[BlizzardBabe]

Me too @liquidfeet. As if everyone on the plaza was born a pro and has nothing left to learn.

We sometimes spend lunchtime on the deck watching beginners exit the beginner chair. Granted, we laugh our fool heads off sometimes, but we are far enough away that no one on the chair would ever make the connection and we would NEVER yell anything at the folks providing the levity. If we were right on the spot, we'd be helping them up, collecting scattered equipment, and offering encouragement.

 

[MissySki]

I feel this every time I see a bump run under the chair. I'd love to practice more, but I'm not doing it "there."

Ya know.. I used to avoid runs under the chair like the plague. Then I realized at Sunday River that the most beginner bumps can be found under chairlifts there, so I sucked it up and would practice there when I was starting to really work on them a handful of years ago. No one ever has said anything to me, that I've heard, unless it's a friend who recognizes me and calls out. Once I did take a spectacular fall under a lift on a groomer, I got cheers once I sat up which made me laugh. I still don't like being under the chairlift in general because I hate having an audience, but I will ski anything under them now because I have stopped caring and feel more compelled to get to ski that terrain than avoid it due to other people and how they may behave. For the harder bump runs under the lift most of the people on the lift likely aren't or can't ski them anyway, so I don't usually think most would outwardly be making fun of the people doing so. Those runs are usually pretty uncrowded, even though the lifts and groomers around them are full. So most aren't choosing to go on them, and therefore shouldn't be faulting anyone else's skiing on them. I think most respect the fact that someone is skiing there, though on occasion I will cringe if someone really shouldn't be on said terrain and wonder why they put themselves there, or if the conditions are awful and I wonder why they are there.. but I certainly don't say those things out loud and to each their own if they are safe and having fun. Usually, I am just having fun watching the skiers than anything else and listening to see how conditions are sounding if I might want to ski it and taking in anything to watch out for on the way down etc. Are there exceptions and jerks? Yes. Do instructors sometimes use people on runs under the chair to discuss body mechanics and what is wrong or right? Yes, but certainly not loud enough for anyone to hear.

One thing I found helpful for skiing under chairs is to listen to music. Then I can really block them out and if anyone says something I am so focused on my skiing and probably the song that I wouldn't likely notice. We always think others are focused on us, but truthfully people are usually so focused on their own experience that day that you aren't more than a quick blip on their radar as they ride up and you ski down. Some people are just jerks.. but I've also skied 54 days so far this season and I have yet to hear any heckling from the lift anywhere I've been skiing or riding a lift. Which is a good thing! I think it's unlikely for the most part that someone will be that outwardly awful, though terrible when it does surely happen.

 

[AJM]

I still don't like being under the chairlift in general

I love skiing under our chair as often the best snow is there and try block out any noise coming from above.

 

[MissySki]

I love skiing under our chair as often the best snow is there and try block out any noise coming from above.

I just dislike an audience, in all things haha. It stems likely from my fear of public speaking and general stage fright. It’s gotten better for skiing though as I just don’t care that much anymore. Something about the anonymity that skiing can allow I think.

 

[AJM]

I just dislike an audience, in all things haha. It stems likely from my fear of public speaking and general stage fright. It’s gotten better for skiing though as I just don’t care that much anymore. Something about the anonymity that skiing can allow I think.

Our local ski hill is so small that you can kiss goodbye anonymity so I might as well get the best snow

 

[Trailside Trixie]

I like to listen to music when I ski so it's very helpful to get in the groove. I generally dislike skiing directly under the chair but sometimes there's no option so I've gotten better at just doing it. I learned to ski when I was 40. I just started teaching with the adaptive program at Bromley and it's truly the most rewarding thing I've ever done.

 

[brooksnow]

A few weeks ago I fell in a surprisingly deep spot directly under the beginner (and I mean beginner! - Skidway for those who know Sugarloaf) lift and struggled to climb out of the thigh-deep hole I had created. In my obvious and official coat. When another instructor rode by I asked him to tell the two girls who were waiting for me below that I was trying to dig myself out. I showed them the deep hole when we rode over it. They were thrilled to tell the story to their parents when they were picked up.

@AJM No anonymity here either, especially for those who work here. We can spot each other from a great distance.

Most trails under lifts I don't mind skiing, but there's one very narrow steep bump run under a lift that I typically only ski when the lift is closed. When my daughter was young it was her favorite trail (probably because of the fun name) and she always wanted me to ski it with her. Every time I did - not in uniform - I'd go into the locker room to a round of "Saw you on Sheer Boom."

 

[snoWYmonkey]

I admit to disliking skiing under chairs as I know for a fact that they have eyes....lol. How do I know? The dreaded "are you open to feedback" question in the locker room. Actually, it is pretty cool, and equally nerve wracking for me. Since there are plenty of show offs who ski the powder under the chair any day I much prefer the hard to find far away places on the hill. I do like to point out other skiers to my students from the chair, but for what is efficient and inefficient.

 

[NewEnglandSkier]

I started skiing at age 30--so not super late in life but not as a kid either. I hate skiing under chair lifts. The only ones I don't mind skiing under at all are the beginner lifts! But nevertheless, sometimes I will choose to ski under one because it might be a good un-groomed one for my level or something like that so I may suck it up and try it anyway. But often I'll just pick a parallel run and do that one instead to avoid having an audience.

 

[AJM]

A few weeks ago I fell in a surprisingly deep spot directly under the beginner (and I mean beginner! - Skidway for those who know Sugarloaf) lift and struggled to climb out of the thigh-deep hole I had created. In my obvious and official coat. When another instructor rode by I asked him to tell the two girls who were waiting for me below that I was trying to dig myself out. I showed them the deep hole when we rode over it. They were thrilled to tell the story to their parents when they were picked up.

Haha, I've had a few falls in very obvious spots as well but that's a whole other thread, think ski brake stuck to the belt loop in your ski pants as you inelegantly flail down the intermediate slope with the ski flapping around like a helicopter rotor behind you