Goals for the Upcoming Season!

[jbotti]

I agree. There are two headwalls at my home mountain. Both approach a 40 degree pitch. Carving slalom turns with speed control (getting a velocity that no longer increases which aso means that the radius of the turn never widens as one goes further down the pitch). Even when the conditions are good, this is a major challenge and requires early tip pressure in every transition (among other things!).

I really enjoyed watching both GS races from Soelden this past weekend. They said the pitch hits 61 degrees at one point on that slope (which is actually hard to believe). But not only are they skiing on a hill that is water injected, underneath is solid ice from the glacier. Carving tight turns on that is well beyond my abilities, but if you watch the better racers (Janka, Ligety, Hirscher, Pinterault) they have incredible forward pressure on every turn and they rock some amazing carves in the steeps on solid ice. Fricking amazing!! This is the mental image I want in my head and one of my goals is to be that far forward on every turn.

[HeluvaSkier]

Wow, I must be learning something after all. Either that or we're both crazy. 

ToddW - can you send me the link to that original post via PM?

[jim-ratliff]

<snip> I spent last season searching for something in my skiing, and I think I found it at the end of the season. This season will put it to the test.
<snip>

HelluvaSkier:
I'm curious.  If you can phrase it simply enough that I can understand, what do you think you found and how will that knowledge help you toward your goals?

[jim-ratliff]

Two simple goals

1) Beat HelluvaSkier in a timed GS course

2) Beat Bushwacker down Birthday Bowl

All others are secondary and will require more thought

Living Proof:
Similar question to the one above.  Those are admirable goals.  I assume    that you are now working out a plan to accomplish those goals??

[HeluvaSkier]

HelluvaSkier:
I'm curious.  If you can phrase it simply enough that I can understand, what do you think you found and how will that knowledge help you toward your goals?

...not something that will make a lot of sense if I try to quantify it I don't think. Perhaps best described as intuition?

[Gary]

Perhaps a feeling of continuity, flow....conection?

These are things I strive for and when it's there...the turns just unfold beautifully.

OH yeah.....FUN!

[ToddW]

Wow, I must be learning something after all. Either that or we're both crazy. 

ToddW - can you send me the link to that original post via PM?

Sure, I'll dig it up.  I think it was from the thread where Harald jokingly graduated Max_501 to Max_502.  By now he must be up around Max_795.

[ToddW]

Wow, I must be learning something after all. Either that or we're both crazy. 

HeluvaSkier,

Possibly the latter   HH was crazy enough to strap on a pair of skis, point 'em down the hill, and charge down a WC downhill course sans helmet.  A few years later, they called his successors the Crazy Canucks.  And you appear to have a penchant for "skiing trees" on race stock skis    Have you met jclayton from Mallorca?  He uses pine trees as slalom poles when on Harb Carvers.  A long lost relative?

Without you crazies, life would be so boring.

[jim-ratliff]

HelluvaSkier:
I'm curious.  If you can phrase it simply enough that I can understand, what do you think you found and how will that knowledge help you toward your goals?

...not something that will make a lot of sense if I try to quantify it I don't think. Perhaps best described as intuition?

Now you've raised my curiosity.  Intuition?  Which book was that in?  Is it considered a primary movement?  Or, having reached Jedi level, there is another book?   

[HeluvaSkier]

Now you've raised my curiosity.  Intuition?  Which book was that in?  Is it considered a primary movement?  Or, having reached Jedi level, there is another book?   

Not in a book... nothing to do with movements; more changing my own mindset about my skiing.

[LivingProof]

With all the discussion of laying the hip down on snow....

Check out Lindsay laying down some gs training runs last week at Solden. This level of attainment is slightly beyond my '12 season goals.....just a little!

[Svend]

Waking up a pre-season thread here, which I thought would be a fun and interesting thing to do.  Which is to find out if all of us have achieved what we wanted to when in last autumn we set our eyes on the coming ski season (now past, for most of us).

Me first....  Here's what I said last October, that I wanted to work on technically:

......I would like to work on five things:

1) Getting comfortable in chop, heavy crud, pushed around snow on steep slopes.  I'm fine in that stuff if it's not too steep, and conversely I'm comfortable on steeps if it's groomed, but the combination of the two clenches the sphincters and makes me regress into stiff, non-fluid motions and indecision as to the best line to take for the next turns.  Not good 

2) Looking way farther ahead...or skiing more in the future, as Gary calls it.

3) Working on refining my pole plants, and using them as an integral part of smooth turns and as a major tool for bumps, crud, etc..

4) More fluid, fully-completed turns when I ski on hard snow on my Progressors.  For some reason I don't have this problem when I ski my Mythics, and my turns are more measured, deliberate, fluid.  But on my Progressors I seem to rush the turn completion and transitions too much, and the result is somewhat jerky motions.  Time to slow things down and work on patience.

5) Relax! All the time.  Under all conditions (see nos. 1 and 4, above).  This will help me get more fluid. 

Helpful tips or advice on any of the above always gratefully accepted.   

Here's the result:

No. 1) Achieved! I skied some terrain in Banff this year that I never would have attempted last season.  And, I couldn't wait to go back up the chair for more.  Mind over mountain.  Love it!

No. 2) Achieved....most of the time.  Still needs a bit of work....

No. 3) Still needs work, but lots of improvement.  Need more solid pole plants in bumps.  Gotta stop dropping that one arm down and keep it up and out.

No. 4) Done.  See my post from tonight on the "Raising the front binding thread"

No. 5) Much better.  But still not quite mellow enough for a loose body and fluid movements all the time.

Not bad....three out of five, and some solid improvement on the other two.

Most of all, I had a huge amount of fun this year.  Despite the miserable snow we had in Ontario, I still had some great days on the hill.  And the recent trip to Banff was just stellar.  I learned a lot, and had some of the best skiing ever.  Such a great time, skiing with my family and some great friends. 

Anyone else want to chime in here? Did you all get to where you wanted to be by this point?

[jbotti]

I have a few:
1. ski 60 + days. Last year was 49 so I feel like I have a good shot.
2. Get my CB and CA in place in all turns on all terrain. This means perfecting the No Swing Pole Plant
3. Heli Ski Trip to Greenland. Odds are good that I will finally do this trip.
4. Finally hook up and ski with a few members on this forum
5. Getting my wife into some pow and chow and haviing her love it!

Wow, thanks Svend, because you made me go back and look at my goals for the season.

1. I think I will ski 56-57 days but not 60. Still I feel like that is plenty and I am learning more and more than quality is vastly superior to quantity (I am talking about how I ski and how I focus on improving my skiing versus how much vert and how many hours and days I am on snow)

2. I did make great progress on my CA and CB. I would not say that is in place in all turns in all terrain but I moved a ton versus last year, and the season is not yet over for me, so still time to get or come closer on this.

3. I head to Greenland on 4/16, so yes I will get this one!!

4. I had the pleasure of skiing with LP and High Angles at Squaw for a day and this was the first time I had hooked up with new friends from this forum. This was a nice goal to get.

5. Did get my wife into some pow and chow and she did well and enjoyed t. Not sure we can call it loving it, but super and amazing progress!! The new Pow skis helped a lot.

Wow, nice job Svend!! Great to look back. I will have to be even more aggressive with my goals next season!!

I guess this means the season is over for many. That is always sad to hear. I will say that in Colorado and Montana, April often brings with it the best powder skiing of the season and there is no one on the hill. For those considering a trip to Chile this summer, an April trip to Loveland or Big Sky is a lot easier, cheeper and probably more fun. Something for all to consider!!

[jim-ratliff]

NOPE.  I'm not so "inclined".  My Goals are largely as stated.  They are measurable and can be accomplished.

I will continue to work on CB/CA, along with not dropping my right hand, and a cleaner weight transfer at transition, and committing COM down the hill.  And, with all of those, I could use some help.  But continual improvement of skiing skills isn't a goal, it's just something I plan to do.

My goal for the year is to remember that my glass is much more than "half-full" -- and to enjoy the skiing and the beauty of being outdoors.  And if I skid or stem a turn here and there, it won't keep me up that night. And if I fall in the trees because of lack of some skill, I'm pretty sure that I'll come up smiling -- 'cause falling in soft snow is a joy in and of itself.

About forty years ago in Vietnam, Tony Quiles died and I didn't. Lynn, I also know the two big heartbreaks in your life, and I imagine everyone has similarly painful memories. Steve Job's passing (at 56) sort of gives one pause, reminds almost all of us (I assume) that our glasses are much more than half-full (maybe especially those of us that are older).

Primary goal fully accomplished, even though Helluva was never there to make it easy to find the beauty around me.  Interestingly, when I wrote the goal I was thinking of the beauty of the powder in the trees and the quietness of newly fallen snow.  Not much of that at all this year, and yet we are all still lucky to have the skills and the means to get out and enjoy the snow.  I have a son that's stationed in Afghanistan with US Agency for International Development. He's been living in 1/2 of a 40 foot metal shipping container for the last 9 months, easy for me to contrast that with me being out skiing.

Lynn's goals for me?  Wellll, after seeing me on "film", her goals are my goals for this summer and next year.
My other goal is to beat Lynn in a Nastar course. 

[jim-ratliff]

John:


I had forgotten about Greenland.  Have a great time  ---  and I hope it's not tooo "green" when you get there.


Jim