My high school shut down "freeride team" (not legitimately shut down, just switched to snowboarders only) and now my only choice is the ski racing team. I mean... I love carving and id be insane at it but I'm not sure if I'm ready to sell my soul to the dark side. What are your guys thoughts on this?? In the end it's really just a ride to the mountain, and I could pretty much bring any of my skis to practice, id only have to use slalom skis for races (unless I was really feeling like ripping groomers)
Ski racing team
- Thread starter 21CABBAGE
- Start date
steez_apprentice
Member
I mean you kinda summed it up... sounds like a good deal but racing just isn't my thing but it DOES help you improve too if you're okay dressing in a spandex bodysuit and chin guard helmet.
Highly doubt you'll be insane at it without any fundamental racing skills.
In fact, I'd recommend you join the team for that exact reason. It'll be pretty humbling to get smoked by some kid who can squat twice your weight.
Ski racers are the best all around skiers on the hill, period. The only exceptions are kids who started skiing big mountain at age 10 in Tahoe, Jackson, etc.
In fact, I'd recommend you join the team for that exact reason. It'll be pretty humbling to get smoked by some kid who can squat twice your weight.
Ski racers are the best all around skiers on the hill, period. The only exceptions are kids who started skiing big mountain at age 10 in Tahoe, Jackson, etc.
Calvin8200
Member
You’d probably be decent at it off the bat. The only thing that’ll kick you ass if you’ve never raced before is the quick edge to edge movement, it’s harder than it looks to get right. Highly recommend it tho for cheaper skiing and improving your skiing
officechair
Member
Worst case is you hate it and quit. Best case is you gain the skills to pick up any aspect of skiing. Every former racer I know is casually capable of stuff 99% of people can't do.
Honestly, I raced in high school. I even raced on our high school team. It was an absolute blast to skip class and hit the slopes. We usually had free time to ski around after practice and racing. Most of my team was split between doing it for fun and doing it because we were seriously racing. I recommend it.
vissi
Member
14553215:ModMommy said:
We had training camps in northern Finland so between morning and evening practice we had 10h hours to go ski park and all around the mountain for the whole week. We always took our park skis with us, later few of us quit racing and changed to park and freeride.
Now over ten years later after we quit racing we still go to Norway and do some touring there almost every year.
**This post was edited on Sep 22nd 2023 at 9:21:58pm
Paul.
Active member
Definitely do it. Racing will help you dial in your technique and make you an all around better skier. Also any ride to the mtn is great. When I raced in highschool we would bus up to the hill every wednesday night for training which was tight. Race days kinda suck cause youll be standing around all day waiting for your two runs. But just take some free laps in the park when you can or hang out and talk to racer honeys. Also dont train on pow days thats just dumb
14553181:skiP.E.I. said:
That might be true, but most racers build a skillset that could take them into the park or the backcountry. Park skiers generally don't have that type of foundation or versatility. There are always exceptions, but I don't know how this is even a debate lol.
Go look at any local hill across the Northeast. Try to tell me the kids hiking rails all day have comparable skillsets to those training gates.
skiP.E.I.
Active member
14553398:Slugger66 said:
People always bash kids hiking rails, but it does improve skiing competencies.
Technical rail tricks require a more centered stance and use of all the small muscles in your feet, even more than racing with the possible exception of high level drills most race kids will never get to.
When you're skiing fast it's easier to compensate for errors than when you're moving at a lower speed.
Further, the park skiing mentality is very progression centered and fosters an attitude of being able to quickly adapt to new techniques, so if you put park skiers in performance skiing drills they generally take on whatever technique is required quickly.
Technique aside, someone who's self motivated, such as a kid hiking rails is just going to have a better and quicker time learning than someone who's being hauled up to the mountain and put in race drills all day.
I've coached a lot of kids over the years and the ones who come from a free skiing or park background almost always progress more quickly and are able to improve bad habits than kids from a race background.
At my tiny local hill in the northeast, there's one guy out of the hundreds of kids in the race program who was into park skiing from the start and is now one of the better local park skiers. He was also consistently the fastest in the region when he was racing. The main perceivable difference between him and the hundreds of other race kids was his experience in the park.
I'm not saying racing doesn't provide a good technical background, but people tend to diminish the role park skiing plays in making a good skier.
BallClapper
Active member
It's defiantly a great way to get some mad skills as far a technique goes.
KilaTsunami
Active member
Depends on how serious your coach is about the team. I did Race team all 4 years of HS and by junior year I wasn't racing Varsity anymore, specifically so I could just do the lil' bullshit JV races and get back to lapping the park. Our coach just loved to see us skiing/happy and wasn't bothered by the fact that we didn't care for racing anymore.
You'll definitely level up as a skier on the race team by learning edge control, and proper form so I'd say race if you gotta just for the sake of skiing. You can always lap park after/between races and on the weekend with friends.
You'll definitely level up as a skier on the race team by learning edge control, and proper form so I'd say race if you gotta just for the sake of skiing. You can always lap park after/between races and on the weekend with friends.
Michigan_Sucks
Member
I mean, do it to meet girls your age that also love to ski
bogust
Member
I ski raced all 4 years in high school and it was a ton of fun. I always brought park skis and I was beating kids in speed suits with my detuned v's and 2xl Harlauts. It also looks good if you want to go to college especially if your captain of the team your senior year like I was. Also you can get away without spending money on any new gear, I borrowed slalom and GS skis and made by own pole guard's.
**This post was edited on Sep 26th 2023 at 1:33:00pm
**This post was edited on Sep 26th 2023 at 1:33:00pm
Update:
Quit that shit and sold all my gear. Least I gave it a shot, Racing is damn retarded! although did learn how to properly rip a groomer and lay hip. Idk tho, I may or may not be restricted from ever racing in the Oregon highschool race league do to a little conflict with a race officer...
Quit that shit and sold all my gear. Least I gave it a shot, Racing is damn retarded! although did learn how to properly rip a groomer and lay hip. Idk tho, I may or may not be restricted from ever racing in the Oregon highschool race league do to a little conflict with a race officer...