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Dannys Ski Tip Of The Week

09.14.2009 · Posted in Recreation Articles

Well, it’s the start of a new year on the slopes – be it locally or up at Whistler, you get all of your gear ready, and up you go. First things first, do yourself a favour and try and hydrate a couple of days in advance. Yes that’s right, drink good old H2O and your first day on the slopes will be that much better. You’ll still probably have your morning coffee, and you might have had a few wobbly pops the night before, but if you hydrate for a few days in advance, you’ll thank me for it later and you will ski better.nnIf this is your first time up on the slopes, LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS. Remember this is supposed to be fun and you ARE paying good money to be up on the mountain. Enjoy the day. Second, make sure that you don’t put your boots in the car overnight. Not good. Make sure that you have a good pair of moisture wicking socks and don’t put them on until just before putting on your boots. Another little tip is when putting on your boots; DON’T slam the heel down to get your foot in. Simply put on the boot, do up the second buckle, then flex your ankle and knee a few times first. This will place your foot in the correct position and now you can buckle them up. Not too tight. As well when you are walking to the lift from the parking lot, lift the buckles so they are still in place, but not clamped down. When you’re ready to ski, then clamp them down.nnWhen you start skiing remember one little saying: “MINIMUM TERRAIN, MAXIMUM SPEED”. What I mean by this is simply go on some runs that you are really comfortable with and then experiment with going at different speeds to help you find your balance. In my opinion, if you have to boil skiing down to one word, it would be BALANCE. Your only goals for the first day of skiing should be to have fun, be safe and try and find the middle of your skis. What does that mean? I’m pretty sure if you have skied before you know what it means. No need to get too technical right now. First of all, you don’t want to have your legs tight together. Yes I know, you think it looks cool, but trust me when I say that it will hurt your ability to balance and it will also not allow you to use today’s equipment to its fullest. Your stance should be a comfortable width apart. Imagine standing in line at a bank. I’ll guarantee you won’t have your legs together. This will be good for your lateral balance.nnSecond, you shouldn’t feel that you have a lot of pressure on your calves and nor should you have your shins slamming into the tongues of your boots. Play around with some small bouncing. Almost like your dancing to a very quick song. You can’t bounce very well if you are leaning too far back or forward. Give it a try. I mean really small quick bounces where you flex your ankle and knees up and down quickly. Next, on a very shallow *****, give this a try… While skiing, jump off the snow so that the entire ski comes off the ground. But only try and get 2 inches of “air”. Can you do this and have no part of the ski touch the ground? Try this while doing some turns. By this I mean when you finish your last turn, start your next turn with a little hop. If the tails of your skis remain on the snow, you’re too far back. If your tips remain on the snow, you’re too far forward. This will help your for/aft balance. If you can do this you are well on your way to being balanced. nnRemember, set realistic expectations for your first day, and play with balance all day by doing these little drills. Try leaning too far forward and too far back. This will give you a better appreciation for when you are actually in the middle of the skis. Finally, when you feel the need for that “one last run,” don’t do it. STOP for the day and go have an adult beverage and celebrate a great first day on the snow!!!!!

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