Helpful skiing tips that you may not know...

this isnt 100% true. . . one way your feet could be cold is because of lack of circulation. the other could be because its fucking cold outside and if your not using a boot glove the plastic boot will freeze and make your feet cold.
 
alot of people are posting how to properly buckle your ski boots, but everything they are saying is different than the way I learned to properly buckle my boots, so im just gonna throw my technique out there. i dont know which way is actually the best way to do it, but whatever.

First of all, i heard that you should NOT bang the heel of your boot on the ground after you put them on. Apparently, that might actually push your foot closer to the toe of the boot rather than the heel. cant remember why that might happen exactly, but i remember it making sense when i heard it.

Second of all, i learned that you should buckle the top buckles first (the ones on your shins) as well as the strap. Then, you flex forward, applying the same stress as you would when you're carving, and hold this position. This lets your foot move to the back of the boot. While still flexing, you then buckle the remaining buckles (the ones on top of the foot). This kinda locks your feet in the position they should be in when you are skiing.

thats how i learned to buckle my boots, works nice for me
 
The e-brake tip is actually a really bad idea if you drive a AWD car, it will wreck the differential eventually. AWD cars don't like it when you lock up one axle, same reason you can't tow them with only two wheels on the road. Just FYI.

Great thread though
 
Who said to learn to drive with ski boots? You fucking stupid? No. 1. It's dangerous, quite. 2. It's illegal. 3. If your driving you should have room to carry your boots in the trunk and wear shoes while you drive.
 
i just read this entire thread. this is the longest string of constructive activity i have ever seen on NS. good work and great advice.
 
This isn't always the best thing. Yes the centripetal forces sends blood all the way to your fingertips but it also prevents it from recirculating back to your heart and warming at your core. Your sending more warm blood to your fingertips, but your also allowing it to cool in your fingertips.
 
Prob has already been said but: if you are storing your skis for a long period or road tripping with them on top melt some wax on top but dont scrape/brush till the night before you ski on them. Wax will protect them and the bases will last longer.

wear a seperate pair of socks in the car to the mountain, take them off let your feet dry in the sun or against the air vents in your car and put on a dry set of thin wicking ski socks. This will keep your feet comfy all day.

whoever said cotton is bad is retarted. A wicking base layer is all that is required but layered cotton is great and keeps you warm even in sub zero temps.

shortening your own poles can be done with a heat gun, a vice and a pipe cutter available at any hardware store. Im pretty sure the process is self explanatory.

Its been said but be nice to people on the lifts even if you look like a park rat. Its what seperates us from douchebag snowboarders who ride twice a year.
 
I said that cotton is bad. And I think I know what I'm talking about. Cotton is for summer. It soaks up water and doesn't dry fast at all. Wet clothes are definitely dangerous on a cold day. Why not use fleece or polyester? Trust me. Cotton is bad, when I ski, the only cotton I wear are my boxers. My dad (a great: skier, snowboarder and tele skier) taught me that and I know countless other experienced skiers, mountaineers, etc agree. There are always stories of people at my resort who didn't dress appropriately and went into the backcountry and died overnight before people could rescue them because hypothermia got them. Moral of that story
 
if you want to keep a good pair of goggles from fogging:
always keep them dry (store them in a dry place)
make sure the vents aren't blocked
don't hike with them on if you sweat
dont wipe the inside of the lens (most new goggles now come with an anti-fog seal on the inside)
 
Don't know if its been mentioned, but just to clarify, the don't wipe the inside of your goggles thing only applies when they get wet ie snow inside, fog, etc. Wiping when dry is fine.
 
skiingforlife: you are correct in that only cotton is bad. what I meant is a dry fit shirt or wicking base layer and layered cotton over it is great and that i have had no problems with this setup in any temperature. I cannot speak of spending the night in the backcountry with it on but I have slept in my car in a 0 degree sleeping bag with a dry fit shirt and pants on and a cotton layer on top and i was comfortable throughout the night with the windows cracked. it was -3 F that night.

but you are correct in that when cotton gets wet it is bad for buisness

 
this was said earlier, but it's vitally important: drink LOTS of water. invest in a camel back... they're not much of a hassle when you find yourself sucking down water every lift ride. staying hydrated will do more for your energy levels than eating a bunch of calories... most people aren't hydrated enough BEFORE doing activities, let alone while doing them.
if you don't or can't invest in a camelback, just carry a 12 oz bottle of water or make 3-4 stops at a water fountain over the course of a full ski day. even the smallest amount of water digested will give you exponentially more energy
 
Oh, I'm not saying that it's not warm and comfortable... For sure. When I go out on a cold winter night I wear cotton. But when it comes to skiing. Never. Not even in layers.... Not for me. Unless you know its going to stay dry. I recommend to stay clear of it altogether. You can find a lot of cool shirts and ski clothes like hoodies that have all synthetic fabric or wool.
 
I got this advice from Andreas Hatveit and its been working out for me very well:

In your first run through a park that you are familiar with, try something unnatural or something simple that you know you can do, but would not normally do on the first run. Only do this if you know the park though and are confident with it. For example, if you have 3 jumps in a round, go for unnatural 3s on all of them. If you land them, you will have accomplished two things: 1) success 2) effort that you went for the trick. If you do not land them, you will be proud that you tried. This gets your day going quicker and progressing faster. I was able to finally get switch unnatty 7s using this method.
 
Like the sharpie mentioned earlier: if you want to mess with a buddy, you can write on their bases (silver or black or whatever shows) then wax, scrape and brush over them. The sharpie gets stuck into the pores of the base and the was covers it... It stays for a decent amount of time too.
You could also do that as a way of identifying your skis I guess.
Remember to write down the serial number of your skis
if your skis' top sheet starts peeling up even just a little bit, trim it with a sharp razor blade or something so it stops.
Instead of a metal hip flask, fill up a used regular plastic water bottle for a disposable, high capacity container that you don't have to lug around or fall on when your done with it.
Racers do this, kinda stupid looking as well but.... if you have no place to hook your lift ticket to you can fold it around your goggle strap if your mtn still uses those shitty sticky passes.
Don't be a prick and go through the singles line with three buddies behind you then sneak through and group up together. It puts a bad name to the ns lookin people and others will hate us.
Kinco's work gloves are the best/warmest/most inexpensive gloves ever. http://www.kinco.com . . I prefer the Lined Grain Pigskin w/ Knit Wrist. they're under the lined leather palms icon. $12 for a pair.
If you can keep your ipod closer to your body heat it will last longer. Battery + cold = insufficient joosage.
Your boots are probably to big.
If you drink, do so wisely and use a smidgen of moderation.
TGR tip: If you go skinning in the backcountry, and own the marker dukes... marker makes an longer/extended metal support deal for your heal so you can go up steeper terrain more comfortably

at home/more race tuning:
when you sand your bases before waxing you can wrap the sand paper around a round but level tube and roll the paper as you drag it down the bases.
if you tune your edges, you can write over where your filing with a sharpie in order to see that your getting all of the material off and not fuckin it up.

alright, i'm done for now.

 
Like the sharpie mentioned earlier: if you want to mess with a buddy, you can write on their bases (silver or black or whatever shows) then wax, scrape and brush over them. The sharpie gets stuck into the pores of the base and the was covers it... It stays for a decent amount of time too.
You could also do that as a way of identifying your skis I guess.
Remember to write down the serial number of your skis
if your skis' top sheet starts peeling up even just a little bit, trim it with a sharp razor blade or something so it stops.
Instead of a metal hip flask, fill up a used regular plastic water bottle for a disposable, high capacity container that you don't have to lug around or fall on when your done with it.
Racers do this, kinda stupid looking as well but.... if you have no place to hook your lift ticket to you can fold it around your goggle strap if your mtn still uses those shitty sticky passes.
Don't be a prick and go through the singles line with three buddies behind you then sneak through and group up together. It puts a bad name to the ns lookin people and others will hate us.
Kinco's work gloves are the best/warmest/most inexpensive gloves ever. http://www.kinco.com . . I prefer the Lined Grain Pigskin w/ Knit Wrist. they're under the lined leather palms icon. $12 for a pair.
If you can keep your ipod closer to your body heat it will last longer. Battery + cold = insufficient joosage.
Your boots are probably to big.
If you drink, do so wisely and use a smidgen of moderation.
TGR tip: If you go skinning in the backcountry, and own the marker dukes... marker makes an longer/extended metal support deal for your heal so you can go up steeper terrain more comfortably

at home/more race tuning:
when you sand your bases before waxing you can wrap the sand paper around a round but level tube and roll the paper as you drag it down the bases.
if you tune your edges, you can write over where your filing with a sharpie in order to see that your getting all of the material off and not fuckin it up.

alright, i'm done for now.

 
This may be common sense but when buying outerwear always look at the waterproofing first. I bought a jacket and didnt and its useless for the northwest. A nice dry jacket worth the extra money and will make the day much more enjoyable
 
^^also make sure you have a separate city jacket and ski jacket

the rain and air thats in the city is waayy more dirty and will ruin the waterproofing on your coat

invest in a skiing-only coat and the waterproofing will last way longer
 
clever thread idea, umm not much of a useful tip but i find a bit of mind over matter works a wonder when it's super cold, often other people chat about how cold it is or chatter their teeth / shiver etc , i find feigning nonchalance and pretending it's a heatwave helps me feel warmer....sounds like total bullshit but it actually does help!
 
your boots are most likely too big for you. also, when you go to a boot fitter, go at the END OF THE DAY not in the morning. your feet expand from the pressure they are subject too after walking around all day and will do the same when youre skiing, dont want something too small/constricting when your feet want to expand.
LAYERS ARE NOT WARM, YOU MAKE THEM WARM. dont go outside of the lodge and put your jacket on on cold as witch tits days. put all your gear on, including your gloves to keep the warm air inside your layers. dont listen to people who tell you not to bunch your fingers in your gloves, do it. your fingers will warm up, allowing the glove to insulate the heat from your fingers.
pole straps are meant to be put on in such a manner:
1. hand through strap2. let pole hang from wrist from strap3. grab OVER the strap and grab pole
this allows for more pushing leverage and keeps your poles on your wrist when you fall.
hydrate, when youre pee is green/yellow and it smells, you are dehydrated. drink more, feel better.

last but not least FUNCTION OVER FASHION
take that NS.
 
I dunno if it's just me but if you have a gore-tex jacket and its wet on the outside when you take it off;put it somewhere where it can dry; above a (not too hot) radiator or somewhere in the vicinity of a fireplace or keep it on.if you take off the jacket while its still wet and hang it away in a place where the water cannot evaporate properly it will permeate back into your jacket and if its an unlined jacket you'll be skiing/hiking in a cold and moist jacket for the rest of the day ....
 
repost? not sure BUT if you are in the BC or somewhere where an avvy is possible DO NOT put your straps on. if you are caught in one 1. its harder to ditch them and most important; 2. they're like anchors for your arms they will pull them down with the snow and make things worse then what your already in.

perfect example is the extras in such is life (forget who it was my bad) when he is being dug out you see his arms but still cant move them why? he's got his straps on and his poles are burried even deeper. another tip that i hope no one should have to use in an avvy ditch your skis if you can and keep your pack on it could offer some protection for your back
 
fantastic thread!cant wait to get out and try some of the tips on here
my advice is go to bed early (or get up late lol)skiing while your tired makes everything harder

 
when you go in the lodge. take off your jacket/anything else warm. if you dont your body will adjust to the temp inside with all your stuff on. when you go back outside youll be much colder than before
 
If you have too pee on the hill, pee. If you hold it for some reason because you dont want to go in the lodge or go into the trees, you will get colder faster. When your bladder is full of water it has to be warmed, and that warmth takes away from your body.
 
stfu noob thats blatantly untrue

sorry for the harshness, but NEVER double socks. ever. even if there was a fire.
 
Bring a second pair of gloves. They're good to have when taking your gear off in the parking lot and help with cold steering wheels too.
 
Fuck that. Boot up outside where its cold as balls... great idea. Your boots will be that much harder to get on beause the plastic is stiffer. And if you are talking about IN your car... IDK what kind of car you drive but unless you're driving a hummer or truck your car is gonna constrict you and its gonna be hard to get on with no room. A lot of my friends do this and I dont get it. Not to mention you'll have to walk around through the parking lot to get to the mountain wearing out your boots. Walk in them as little as possible.

There are so many more reasons to put them on in teh lodge than in your car. Next time you post a suggestion use common sense. Just because you do it that way doesnt mean its the best way of doing things
 
Straight wrong. Proper tech layers are so much better than cotton in EVERY regard for skiing.

Cotton while skiing is for fashion-istas who don't care about performance, but worry about how they look.
 
You obviously dont know what you are talking about. Cotton keeps the water next to your skin rather than wicking it away when you ski. Causing you o be cold as balls. Not only that but teh warmth/weight ratio sucks... wool of fleece is way better. It actually has loft to it. Keeping warm is about trapping air, not layering 50 tall T's. When cotton gets wet it also weighs a shit ton and takes forever to dry, and doesnt insulate anymore. Wool or fleece will still insulate at least. It will suck wearing a wet wool sweater but at elast you willbe warm. Get learned fool. Cotton can kill you.

The only good time to wear it is in the summer because it keeps your sweat next to your skin and helps you stay cool.

 
ski with friends who are (not ridiculously) better than you so they can push you and help you out and not have it to be akward to ask. on that, help out people if they ask for it
 
Because people are being retards about thinking cotton is good. Despite me saying over and over it is really bad. These guys up ^^^ there have just helped to prove my point. Thanks guys, +K
 
my threads...
my tip: dont build a jump on the bunny hill if the park isn't open, experience shows people get hurt. stay classy
 
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