Quick note from an old newschooler

STAUSS

STAUSS

Active member
Hello,

My name is Jack and I live in Utah by way of Vermont. I've been skiing for 25 years and from ages 13 - probably 24 I was a pretty regular newschoolers user/ contributor. While I haven't used NS in the last 5ish, I have been skiing a lot and following the sport closely. Over the years I have transitioned from primarily park (competition, fun, filming) to all mountain freeride and ski touring. It has been a great adventure! I've been inspired by the generations before me as well as those that have come up in the last few years. It's awesome to see the multitude of different styles, forms, progressions of skiing out there.

So, I want to give some of you an unsolicited piece of advice/ cautionary tale to some of you younger fellows out there. It is one I wish I had heeded earlier. From banging myself on rails and hardpacked snow for a decade, several of my major joints (ankles, knees, hips, elbows, and shoulders) do not function as they are supposed to. I am 29 and have arthritis. I often wake up unable to do normal tasks, having to creep into my day slowly warming my body up to just put my socks on. My back is fucked up, deep pain that comes and goes randomly sometimes dormant for months, only to come back and floor me for a week.

I went park skiing for the first time this season two days ago and while it was really fuckin fun, and I didn't even really slam... I was unable to even walk the dog on my return home. Fuckin hobbled.

So basically my conclusion and advice is two fold: first... get into a training pattern now while you're young and carry on with it as you age. Strengthen your core and your back. If I had learned this when I was 14 I am sure I would be in a lot better shape. Get into a flow where you make it as important as skiing is to you. The second part is don't get tunnel vision. There is more to life than skiing park, shit there is more to skiing than skiing park. Learn other styles so you can make skiing a sustainable life-long endeavor. I am back-peddling now, spending 80+ days on the skintrack, which has be awesome and less intensive but perhaps starting younger I would have saved my joints.

Anyway, I'm sure a lot of you know this already but I also know there are some kids on here that do not. So please, take my advice and don't fuck your body up.

Keep those tips pointed down the hill and hope to see ya out there.
 
Always cool to see OG members coming back. Hopefully you can stick around, NS has actually been pretty chill lately and its a good mix of new kids and older skiers sharing tips, wisdom etc. Im 30 now and can echo this sentiment, I never got into park really but have skied hard all my life and a lot of things you can brush off younger start to catch up to you. I found lifting with Kettlebells and Yoga to be the best combo for skiing and injury prevention. Yoga especially, I know there is a perception that its not really a 'manly' thing but its the best tool to keep your ski form really on point and your body balanced. Back in the day at CU, I remember Matt Walker always having to dip out of our group project to do Yoga for his comp training and that is what first got me inspired to do it. I took some pretty nasty falls in my day and I probably would have been more messed up without a good yoga/strength training regimen.
 
this season was the first season I actually started to notice soreness after I ski, especially in my knees. I'm 17 and I've been skiing since I was little. I've been trying to strech before and after but it sucks to see your friends sending and know if you were to do that you probably wouldn't be able to walk once you get out of your boots.
 
Great post. Would also add in head injuries to that list. Got my 5th and 6th concussion this summer at mt hood and just turned 20. The head injuries that I have experienced from skiing will effect my career pursuits out side of skiing.

Once you reach a certain level of park skiing, the risk vs reward relationship becomes wildly skewed.

Large reason why I slowed my roll this season with hopes of pursuing med school. As stupid as this makes me sound, realizing my brain functioning at its highest capacity is necessary for my career dreams really shifted my approach to skiing.

Getting obsessed with progression is sustainable for only a few people.
 
14017791:.otto. said:
Once you reach a certain level of park skiing, the risk vs reward relationship becomes wildly skewed.

Getting obsessed with progression is sustainable for only a few people.
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I think this is really the central theme of Stept's 'Mutiny' movie. The crew pushed the progression to the point that the meathook realities started to really catch up to them beyond the initial passion/fun aspect of it.
 
I'm 35 a ski park regularly I also stretch almost daily and have since I was about 14 years old. I also took the wise words of Candide when he was asked how he was skiing so well in his 30s, he said have a good chiropractor. Ive messed up myself up over the years and a good chiropractor has helped out a ton. Mostly just stay active year round and live healthy.
 
When is the last time someone died of an avalanche in park? Just sayin' there's more than one way to skin a cat. And sayin do more than just park aint gonna save you from living life.
 
just wanted to add, at 32 and suffering from my first tweaked knee last year. injuries are really scary if you don't have a wealthy family to insulate you if you wreck yourself and can't work during healing, not to mention the actual cost of healthcare and the shit show that it is.

now that i am older i am grateful i stopped skiing park hard when i was 18, i would have ruined my body if i didn't tone it down to casual park riding.

still enjoying the entire mountain and park but when feeling good and warmed up, even then my back will be rough for a few days after a hard day on snow.
 
Yes, great advice. Go to the gym, stretch, yoga, meditation, whatever works best for you but take care of your body, it is with you for the rest of your life.
 
Cheers to all of this! I really wish I treated myself better when I was younger. My spine and knees paid the price dearly. It was impossible for me to fathom how much I took my health for granted until I got really hurt and couldn't function as an adult for a while. It's a shit experience I wouldn't wish on anyone. Take care of your fleshbag it's the only one you get! Ski fast, take chances, also cross train, rest and love your joints kids! Love, a washed up park rat turned ski patroller.
 
Hi Jack!

I'd like to add that technique is key to long term sustainability in park skiing and skiing in general. Always land square, NEVER PIZZA, with your weight forward or neutral, engaging your boots if possible. Don't get into the habit of landing back seat and doing a wheelie out of tricks to stay on your feet. It may work for awhile but all it takes is one weird landing/tweak to start a long painful road of ligament deterioration and eventual rupture. Take it from someone with multiple knee surgeries, if you feel like you are going to land backseat it is better to just wash out to your side and try the trick again, rather than force a landing and potentially injure yourself.

end PSA
 
Meh, fucking send it.

Don't completely destroy yourself if possible but what's the point of saving yourself for retirement?

By back, knees, and head are fucked. Totally worth it though. Stretching and getting in good shape are helpful though. I think like anything else it's just luck of the draw. Most people can ride park for years without really doing much damage, some not so much.

"If I died with a body that wasn't completely wrecked I'd feel like I completely wasted it" - Matt Hoffman

The more life goes on the more shit there is to worry about. Enjoy the fuck out of that yolo park skiing time for however long it lasts.
 
Facts

This season I had some knee issues and my knees would get sore by about lunch. Especially when hitting cliffs and pillows. I got kinda bummed cuz I'm only 16 and I thought my knees were gonna be screwed forever, but then I started stretching and running and stretching some more and then track season began and I got in better shape and voila! My knees lasted the day! I had no clue that some excersize and stretching would help so much, but they did.
 
14017852:VISHNU said:
Hi Jack!

I'd like to add that technique is key to long term sustainability in park skiing and skiing in general. Always land square, NEVER PIZZA, with your weight forward or neutral, engaging your boots if possible. Don't get into the habit of landing back seat and doing a wheelie out of tricks to stay on your feet. It may work for awhile but all it takes is one weird landing/tweak to start a long painful road of ligament deterioration and eventual rupture. Take it from someone with multiple knee surgeries, if you feel like you are going to land backseat it is better to just wash out to your side and try the trick again, rather than force a landing and potentially injure yourself.

end PSA
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Lmao tell that to your riders...

Just playing
 
14017872:Murphy802 said:
Lmao tell that to your riders...

Just playing
Click to expand...

If anything our skis encourage proper landings because if you land sloppy or backseat you most likely won’t ride away. Consider it helping?
 
14017873:VISHNU said:
If anything our skis encourage proper landings because if you land sloppy or backseat you most likely won’t ride away. Consider it helping?
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I just made the joke because I saw a wheelie out of a landing at :20 in your recent video. Don't get me wrong the vid was sweet.

**This post was edited on Mar 28th 2019 at 6:32:38pm
 
as a 28 year old who splits his time pretty evenly between park, inbounds alta shredding and touring, theres a lot to be said for listening to your body and taking care of it. Don't smoke tobacco, get plenty of sleep, keep your weight under control, eat healthy, stretch and stay in shape in the off season. Mixing it up goes a long way too, ski for what the conditions call for, not what you feel like doing. If its nuking snow, ski inbounds pow. If snow is good but stable, go tour. If the snow is slushy in the backcountry, ski park. Also, and this is important, take days off. I used to make myself ski every day, and by the end of the season my whole body hurt. Now I go as hard as i can on my days off from work, but I only take a ski break on work days if i'm feeling it, or sometimes i'll just cruise groomers on a break. I'm still getting better at every aspect of my skiing, but I really focus on quality over quantity now, and being overall health goes a long way too. Theres plenty of guys that still throw down well past their 20s, most of them only ski park on the side but they still do sick stuff in the park. Take care of yourself.
 
Good stuff in this thread and OP

I’m 30. I skied park hard like 100+ days a year from when I was maybe 14-23. I neve got seriously injured which I’m thankful for. I haven’t been in a park in 5 years maybe more now. I am in search of a good pair of twin tips for this spring to play around on.

Still try to ski as much as I can. But if I get a hard 2-4 hours in I’m feeling it. Knees are not what they were at 20.
 
Stretch, drink PLENTY of water, omega3 fatty acids, protein, cut out refined sugars and carbs. Keep all your joints active and your muscles strong and learn to crash out.
 
14017874:Murphy802 said:
I just made the joke because I saw a wheelie out of a landing at :20 in your recent video. Don't get me wrong the vid was sweet.

**This post was edited on Mar 28th 2019 at 6:32:38pm
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No offense taken, no one lands perfectly 100% of the time I’m just saying that the landing should have as much of a focus as the trick itself, rather than “im gonna huck my meat and hope I land on my feet” type vibe
 
14017879:VISHNU said:
No offense taken, no one lands perfectly 100% of the time I’m just saying that the landing should have as much of a focus as the trick itself, rather than “im gonna huck my meat and hope I land on my feet” type vibe
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100% with you
 
14017816:TRVP_ANGEL said:
OP how many days did you average each year in your early days?
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I think this is quoting trap angel? haha NS is different now! Do I still have to do [/ img] to put a photo in?? In response... I would say that I skied an average of 65 days a winter from the time i was 15 til now? Perhaps what you're getting at, and an important part of this isn't that what I've said effects everyone the same. So if you ski less days etc you might be in better shape. Many of my skiing esp part days were not 9-4. I've tried to think about how many hours I've spent on my skis but I haven't come up with a solid number.

Cool to see so many responses, and a conversation that I mostly agree with. Yoga is huge, "lifting" whatever that habit means to you is also. I did lol at the abortionators post because well, that's sort of my point. i can no longer do certain things on skis. So I didn't wait til i was dead to have a wrecked body, I got it when I was not quite 30. and I still just fuckin send it on the regs!
 
14017866:theabortionator said:
Meh, fucking send it.

Don't completely destroy yourself if possible but what's the point of saving yourself for retirement?

By back, knees, and head are fucked. Totally worth it though. Stretching and getting in good shape are helpful though. I think like anything else it's just luck of the draw. Most people can ride park for years without really doing much damage, some not so much.

"If I died with a body that wasn't completely wrecked I'd feel like I completely wasted it" - Matt Hoffman

The more life goes on the more shit there is to worry about. Enjoy the fuck out of that yolo park skiing time for however long it lasts.
Click to expand...

He isn't saying "don't send it ever, at all. Do nothing at all costs." He is saying if you recognize now that you can send it hard by being responsible about your self care outside of skiing, you'll be able to send it longer. This means that you should go as big as you can but recognize that some strength and flexibility training will facilitate injury prevention.

I also am in my late 20s and know OP. OP sent/sends real fuckin hard so this is qualified. Myself - I use to ski 100+ days per year throughout highschool and through the first few years of #college and did my best to send. That said, even by the end of high school I was beginning to have some knee issues. A PT told me that greater leg strength (all muscles you can) takes pressure off the componentsn of your joints that will wear out. I now have more trouble sending than I would like because of my knee pain that I blame on poor training when I was younger. The point is to avoid retirement until your 70 because you're a lifelong sender, which is seriously made possible by being strong and flexible. Everybody take Stauss's advice.
 
I echo the sentiment of OP..

I'm 32 now, have always ski'd 75-125+ days for the last 15 years..

I can't stress enough proper nutrition, and training. I have been pretty fortunate to not have 'serious injury,' but have had some heavy sprains, hip, broken clavicle, shoulder, concussion etc over the years.

Everything that was a nagging injury has been remedied by lifting & training.

I feel like I've always waited for the optimal conditions to send the things I have wanted to, which has probably hindered some progression short term but heavily helped longevity and I still feel like my best skiing is in front of me by far.

I was heavily inspired by guys like JP Walker & Jeremy Jones.. those guys are a decade older than I am, and over the years in SLC you would always see JP at yoga, JJ at the gym, and taking their fitness/athletisicm very seriously off the hill.. they are still sending super hard into their early 40's..

Food for thought..
 
True! I’m only twelve but I’ve been strengthening my body because I had one very bad crash and almost tor apart many areas in my left knee. I started getting up into the mountains more and I love it! But I’m gonna continue competing in slopestyle and progressing as a park rider.
 
Solid advice.

At 27 I took a goofy fall on a rail and I’ve been struggling to sleep on one side all season because my shoulder nags. Worth it? I dunno. I’d rather be able to take chill laps into my 60s and go on road trips and shred with my kids like my dad still does if possible. Broken bodies sound badass until you realize the rest of the world just feels sorry for you instead of being impressed, and that life just becomes more difficult.

Makes me think of Eric Jackson’s movie Alignment - fishing for steelhead being his way to give his body a break and turn down how hectic the “full send” mentality is. Good to have balance to sustain into the future - keeps you sane and healthy.
 
This is a great message for the kids. If I could give advice to my younger self it would be 'GO TO THE DAMN GYM'. I could have saved myself so many surgeries just from being stronger in my early 20s. I'm 27 now and have started going to the gym seriously for the first time in my life. I am stronger on my skis than I have ever been. My knees feel pretty good and my back pain is gone. But both of my meniscuses are slightly torn and backseat landings are a big no no for me. Every single time my skis leave the ground it is with the mindset 'Stomp or Tommy'.

Seriously kids, an hour a day, 3-4 days a week of deadlifts, squats and core will save you so much trouble in the long run.
 
I feel you on this homie. I'm also someone who grew up skiing VT and lives in UT now. Although I havn't been skiing as long as you (19 years and I'm 22 now) your advice still holds true. I work in the ski industry now and ski 100+ days per season. Even at 22 I'm starting to get sore and am having knee troubles (beginning of tendinitis). I made the same switch from park to freestyle all mountain/touring and it's definitely helped a lot. I encourage all of you young park rats to branch out and stay in shape, your joints will thank you!
 
Some more advice to get buried:

STRETCH YOUR HAMSTRINGS. These are the muscles underneath your quads. The quads get all the glory because they are the muscles worked the hardest. Hamstrings/lower back help to stabilize. If they get to tight stuff starts to blow out. Blown ACL? Might have been from tight hamstrings
 
nice thread OP!

I'm an older skier myself (turning 27 this year) and I'va always had problems with my knees. nothing torn, but pain and overstretched and stuff.

couple of years ago I started going to the gym and doing functional fitness, biked more and started running last year. it helped me so much with the pain and getting hurt. but still I moved away a bit from skiing park the last 2 years. I still enjoy the slushy late season park skiing, but during the "real" winter months I am now more into skiing backcountry and touring. decided to get pin bindings now for my Line SFB to hike even more and maybe some solid touring skis next season.

I really consider every younger skier to take care of their body and prepare for each season, cause being stuck at home with torn muscles in your abs (not being able to get up from bed) isn't fun. and don't let any tell you that yoga is not manly. it's tough as hell and makes your body smoother and more flexible.

also don't forget to do some avalanche safety refresh every year or 2! you forget way too fast

stay safe out there and enjoy the snow
 
14017929:Billiards. said:
He isn't saying "don't send it ever, at all. Do nothing at all costs." He is saying if you recognize now that you can send it hard by being responsible about your self care outside of skiing, you'll be able to send it longer. This means that you should go as big as you can but recognize that some strength and flexibility training will facilitate injury prevention.

I also am in my late 20s and know OP. OP sent/sends real fuckin hard so this is qualified. Myself - I use to ski 100+ days per year throughout highschool and through the first few years of #college and did my best to send. That said, even by the end of high school I was beginning to have some knee issues. A PT told me that greater leg strength (all muscles you can) takes pressure off the componentsn of your joints that will wear out. I now have more trouble sending than I would like because of my knee pain that I blame on poor training when I was younger. The point is to avoid retirement until your 70 because you're a lifelong sender, which is seriously made possible by being strong and flexible. Everybody take Stauss's advice.
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I agreed that staying in shape atretching etc is good.

People in this thread ate def saying dont ski park as hard, theres more to life. OP said almost those exact words.

You could break your leg skating and never be able to run ot even walk right again. That might make you bitter and regret skating but whatever.

Shit happens but the idea that you should scale back your skiing just because some people are pissed that their bodies are getting old is ridiculous imo.

Seems like more of a "when I was your age" type deal. Everyone is going to get old a some point.

Everyone skis differently. People shouldnt sweat it and have fun. Dont break yourself but if you want to ski park hard by all means do it.

At some point maybe Ill have to stop skiing park. That would be a bummer, but I would never push theidea that people shouldnt have fun when theyre younger. Everybody has different priorities.
 
Also Im not suggesting that people are being dicks or anything. It just seems like its more about reflection. If your body is fucked, that sucks, if the uears of heavy park skiing werent worth it, thats a bummer.

There are plenty avenues in skiing outside of the park. I love carving groomers and touring as well. If my body is totally trashed because of park days, that's ok with me. That shit maes me happy.

Stay on top of your health especially as you get older but have fun out there.
 
14017809:Jaskier said:
I also took the wise words of Candide when he was asked how he was skiing so well in his 30s, he said have a good chiropractor.
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And a solid 7-8 hours of sleep the nights before/after a big session.
 
Stretching is so huge. I can't tell you how many of my homies chirp me for taking 30 minutes to get out of the lodge in the morning just because I'm stretching/warming up. Same with lunch and end of the day too. I'm cool with it because I'd rather be able to ski for a long time than have one more run in a day
 
I stretch all the time, drink plenty of water (and pretty much only water), try to eat well and get good sleep, but my body still feels beat to shit. I don't think my 40s and above are going to be very comfortable
 
14018026:theabortionator said:
I agreed that staying in shape atretching etc is good.

People in this thread ate def saying dont ski park as hard, theres more to life. OP said almost those exact words.

You could break your leg skating and never be able to run ot even walk right again. That might make you bitter and regret skating but whatever.

Shit happens but the idea that you should scale back your skiing just because some people are pissed that their bodies are getting old is ridiculous imo.

Seems like more of a "when I was your age" type deal. Everyone is going to get old a some point.

Everyone skis differently. People shouldnt sweat it and have fun. Dont break yourself but if you want to ski park hard by all means do it.

At some point maybe Ill have to stop skiing park. That would be a bummer, but I would never push theidea that people shouldnt have fun when theyre younger. Everybody has different priorities.
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Okay well lets ignore the "there is more to life" narrative. In that case I think you're being counterproductive. The activities I do now outside of work (mostly cycling) I am easily as passionate about as I ever was about park skiing (to qualify myself (because I don't care if NS thinks I'm lame for claiming) I rode for On3p for 3 years). So which time period gets priority? Being 17 and skiing park or being 27 and wanting to race my bike? Obviously neither is more important, but one happens after the other. So if I would have known at the 17 and park skiing point in my life that some self care (strength training, stretching, yoga - whatever possible) would help me continue to be able to enjoy what I am passionate about, I would DEFINITELY have implemented that self care! So ignore the part of this argument you are bothered by, and help the younger generation realize that they can make their love of sport sustainable if they do it the right way. I really do not see why that argument is bothersome. Get the most out of life!
 
14017791:.otto. said:
Large reason why I slowed my roll this season with hopes of pursuing med school.
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But the part in the hood edit was sick- Pro park skier doctor? Come up to tech and do pre-med here.
 
All about this, about to hit 33 and I'm looking at my 5th knee surgery thanks to years and years of abuse skating, skiing and generally being reckless. If I hadn't started paying attention to my health a few years back, eating right, exercising etc I probably wouldn't be able to ski now.

The best advice I have for riding is that progression is about direction not speed, new tricks will come but trying to push for them too soon will just lead to injuries, give it time and you'll be at a much lower risk of hurting yourself.
 
14018126:Lonely said:
But the part in the hood edit was sick- Pro park skier doctor? Come up to tech and do pre-med here.
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Thanks g!

NS posted recently some orthopedic surgeon resident doing a double backie lol. May be my future lol -Dr. Otto park part.
 
14018194:.otto. said:
Thanks g!

NS posted recently some orthopedic surgeon resident doing a double backie lol. May be my future lol -Dr. Otto park part.
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Great place, great park, good pow and in state tuition
 
topic:STAUSS said:
Hello,

My name is Jack and I live in Utah by way of Vermont. I've been skiing for 25 years and from ages 13 - probably 24 I was a pretty regular newschoolers user/ contributor. While I haven't used NS in the last 5ish, I have been skiing a lot and following the sport closely. Over the years I have transitioned from primarily park (competition, fun, filming) to all mountain freeride and ski touring. It has been a great adventure! I've been inspired by the generations before me as well as those that have come up in the last few years. It's awesome to see the multitude of different styles, forms, progressions of skiing out there.

So, I want to give some of you an unsolicited piece of advice/ cautionary tale to some of you younger fellows out there. It is one I wish I had heeded earlier. From banging myself on rails and hardpacked snow for a decade, several of my major joints (ankles, knees, hips, elbows, and shoulders) do not function as they are supposed to. I am 29 and have arthritis. I often wake up unable to do normal tasks, having to creep into my day slowly warming my body up to just put my socks on. My back is fucked up, deep pain that comes and goes randomly sometimes dormant for months, only to come back and floor me for a week.

I went park skiing for the first time this season two days ago and while it was really fuckin fun, and I didn't even really slam... I was unable to even walk the dog on my return home. Fuckin hobbled.

So basically my conclusion and advice is two fold: first... get into a training pattern now while you're young and carry on with it as you age. Strengthen your core and your back. If I had learned this when I was 14 I am sure I would be in a lot better shape. Get into a flow where you make it as important as skiing is to you. The second part is don't get tunnel vision. There is more to life than skiing park, shit there is more to skiing than skiing park. Learn other styles so you can make skiing a sustainable life-long endeavor. I am back-peddling now, spending 80+ days on the skintrack, which has be awesome and less intensive but perhaps starting younger I would have saved my joints.

Anyway, I'm sure a lot of you know this already but I also know there are some kids on here that do not. So please, take my advice and don't fuck your body up.

Keep those tips pointed down the hill and hope to see ya out there.
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I really appreciate this advice. What’s your routine like now ? I’m curious what kind of back stretches you think would help in the long run. How long and how frequently do you do your work out?
 
less booze, less tobacco, keep your core strong, eat decent and stay active. partying hard and skiing non stop while youre in your late teens to mid twenties are the best times there are, but it will catch up, trust me.
 
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