What run....

[Robyn]

What run are you dreaming about conquering this season? Is it one you've tried and not felt confident on before or one that you've seen from the chairlift and not dared approach yet? What about it intimidates you?

 

[sdskiqueen]

Vail - Lover's Leap. Psychologically it's a real challenge because you have to drop into the run. The drop is very sheer and depending on where you drop in it can be 10 feet or 4 feet. You can see it from the chair and it's really crazy. You see everybody standing at the edge for a really long time. Then, when someone does decide to make the plunge, they literally drop out of sight. After you drop in and make your first turn, then the rest is a lot easier. I've skied it once before with a group of friends, but last year I just scarred the s&*t out of me.

 

[abc]

I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for. But the runs that I need to "conquer" are the kind I don't yet have the skill for. So I don't think about them. I tend to focus on improving my skill till I'm truely ready without thinking ("dream") much about the runs I will eventually "conquer".

When I'm ready, it'll not be a single run. It'll be a whole "class" of runs! (e.g. every tight trees, cliffs higher than my head, chutes not wide enough to side slip, etc...) that I've never dare to do...

 

[altagirl]

To be honest - I know this is why I'm more into biking than skiing over the past few year. I don't really have any skiing goals and for the past year or so have felt like pushing myself skiing is setting me up for knee pain and injury, so I've just been doing the same old stuff over and over again - and even backed off of doing things I used to do in the past. (XC skiing has actually been more fun because it's new and I had to learn to do it basically from scratch). My only 'goals' have been things like keeping my hands up higher, working on various drills, things like that. I guess I feel stuck in that I have no intention of jumping anything bigger than I have in the past - 12' or so was big enough and didn't feel so great either.

Whereas for biking - I have a laundry list of things I'm working on, and have done dozens of things this year so far that I've never done before and am working on new skills and challenges all the time.

I guess I should come up with a plan of at least a few goals for the winter to get myself motivated. Hmmm... what to do, what to do...

 

[Shellski]

Vail - Lover's Leap. Psychologically it's a real challenge because you have to drop into the run. The drop is very sheer and depending on where you drop in it can be 10 feet or 4 feet. You can see it from the chair and it's really crazy. You see everybody standing at the edge for a really long time. Then, when someone does decide to make the plunge, they literally drop out of sight. After you drop in and make your first turn, then the rest is a lot easier. I've skied it once before with a group of friends, but last year I just scarred the s&*t out of me.

I can understand this one - Lover's Leap is the only run at Vail I've never skied, although I love skiing the surrounding area. I just don't like the drop business, but next time I am there I might give it a go.

 

[skibum4ever]

I've also been thinking of trying Lover's Leap this season if the snow is good.

I'd also like to ski Climax at Mammoth well. It's a double diamond, consistently steep and mogulled, and though I've skied it I've never done so without feeling intimidated at some point.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

For me, it's the forever-gnarly, narrow, never-groomed, full of rocks (I'm talking boulders) and stumps and bumps, Winter's Way at Sugarloaf. This was the first run ever cut at Sugarloaf, in 1949-1950, and has happily been left unmodified from its original configuration. Not much snowmaking on it, either, so get it while it's good and good luck. Hope to make my first trip down it next season??

 

[Jilly]

There are few tree runs at Tremblant that I haven't skied yet. Maybe this year. When they were good last year, I didn't want to do anything to myself that might hurt my chances at my level 3 instructors. So, since that's not in the works for this year maybe. Emotion, Les Bouleaux and the glades on the Versant Soleil.

 

[skigrl27]

Gawdy's at Snowmass sounds similar to Lover's Leap. Cornice drop at the top - varying depending on snowfall and where you drop in. But the remaining runout is super steep - so a bad drop in can mean lots of tumbles for a long way down.

I want to own that this year. I've skied it many times, but I want to at least look like I'm not about to crap my pants when I do!!!

 

[sdskiqueen]

Shellski - I think you should definitely give it a go. It looks worse that it really is - at least the first couple of turns. Dropping into a run is more of a psychological challenge than anything else. When I did it I had a group of friends with me so I had to suck it up because my ego just couldn't stand to be the only one that backed away - and besides, one of my friends had his 10 year old son with him and the 10-year old did great after a little coaching from his dad. Also, there was a lawyer from my law firm with us who was really annoying. He kept saying "let's go, we can't wait for anyone. I'm a great skiier." He looked very hesitant as well but took the plunge. He dropped in, tried to make his first turn which turned into a yard sale! I've only been back to that run once last year with just my husband and I decided to back off. I'm still pissed off at myself to this day for not going for it - especially since I've done it before! Better to have taken the plunge and fallen than to not have taken the plunge at all.

 

[Kiragirl]

Cascade at Killington, it's steep and can get bumpy depending on the conditions. I've done it once, in the spring, when it was a LOT easier.

 

[LilaBear]

Last year Cascade was sheer ice for the whole season. I think I did it the season before - tentatively. Mostly I watch from the chair, there are many people who take that run and do not make it look easy (or reassuring).

I didn't have a run to put on this list, but the answers above are making me think that Lover's Leap is my new list. I definitely want to find a cornice to drop in from - that's what makes me feel like a SkiDiva. It's also one of the other differences in skiing out West, there are no Eastern Cornices as far as I know ........

 

[tradygirl]

This year, I'm going to ski off the Pfeifferhorn. Whether it's the NW Coulier or the south face, I've got to do it! It's a little bit of spicy mountaineering and a whole lot of steep skiing.

I also really want to ski Bonkers - the North face of the Broad's Fork Twins, but that takes the right conditions. Word is that it's the biggest, baddest powder run in Utah if you can hit it right.

Hmmm.....these goals also mean serious pain and suffering. I better start getting in shape too!!

 

[Gloria]

To be honest - I know this is why I'm more into biking than skiing over the past few year. I don't really have any skiing goals and for the past year or so have felt like pushing myself skiing is setting me up for knee pain and injury, so I've just been doing the same old stuff over and over again - and even backed off of doing things I used to do in the past. (XC skiing has actually been more fun because it's new and I had to learn to do it basically from scratch). My only 'goals' have been things like keeping my hands up higher, working on various drills, things like that. I guess I feel stuck in that I have no intention of jumping anything bigger than I have in the past - 12' or so was big enough and didn't feel so great either.

Whereas for biking - I have a laundry list of things I'm working on, and have done dozens of things this year so far that I've never done before and am working on new skills and challenges all the time.

I guess I should come up with a plan of at least a few goals for the winter to get myself motivated. Hmmm... what to do, what to do...

I feel the same in alot of ways. Skiing is a comfortable sport for me, I don't obsess with my gear or technique too much, I just go. It's more of a relaxing form of recreation for me. There are other sports that I feel more inclined to work on or that I feel less adept at that I tend to have goals or get worked up over gear etc about. I just like the freedom of skiing along.
On a side note, I have been dealing with lower back pain partly due to stretched hamstrings and shortened hip flexors. One thing I was told was that cycling can contribute to this, Cross-country skiing is one sport that will counter it so it sounds like you are doing the right thing to keep in good biking health. .

 

[Robyn]

Interestingly, it is exactly because I found myself setting new goals in cycling that I started thinking about more specific goals for skiing. The satisfaction of putting that goal out there and then accomplishing it is so cool that I don't want it to stop over the winter.

So, for me the runs that I'd like to do are:

*Palli at A-basin with more grace. I've done it a few times but not with any style. This year it will be done with more style.
*East Wall at A-basin
*Tucker Mountain at Copper. This one is a hike for turns set up. I did it once a couple of seasons ago but the snow was mashed potatoes at the time. I want to do it when the skiing is good. And I want to hike further out rather than to the first run.
*Lover's Leap is a good one as well, mainly for the cornice drop.
*Birds of Prey downhill top to bottom.
*Independence Bowl at Keystone. Another hike or cat for turns.

 

[katitarae]

I would love to gracefully ski The Stoodges @ Silverton Mountain. Steep trees. Last time I was in there the snow was sluffing off, and I had no idea where that cliff band was below me. Pending doom took over! My goal is to do more than 3 runs in a full day there...

Also, I would like to ski Sultan before next summer.

 

[abc]

I feel the same in alot of ways. Skiing is a comfortable sport for me, I don't obsess with my gear or technique too much, I just go. It's more of a relaxing form of recreation for me. There are other sports that I feel more inclined to work on or that I feel less adept at that I tend to have goals or get worked up over gear etc about. I just like the freedom of skiing along.
On a side note, I have been dealing with lower back pain partly due to stretched hamstrings and shortened hip flexors. One thing I was told was that cycling can contribute to this, Cross-country skiing is one sport that will counter it so it sounds like you are doing the right thing to keep in good biking health. .

While I DO have ski goals. They're not defined by runs. A lot of the runs I could "get down", even in control. But not in style, or not in GRACEFUL style. And it all boils down to lack of specific skills.

This is almost the same with my biking goals. There're no specific "runs" I need to "conquer". There're definitely skills I'm working on. These skills will come in handy when and if I do venture to runs I was shaky in the past.

 

[Robyn]

Okay, I think I should clarify that for me, by choosing specific runs that I want to accomplish it is directed by skills I haven't had thus far. For example, improving Palli has to do with bump skills, Lover's Leap is cornice drops, East Wall and Independence Bowl are powder skills etc. The runs are just the culmination. Kind of like training for a race, you train and train and by the time you get there you know you can do it but there's the actual event that you are aiming for to help get you there.