Skied for my first time ever today!

blong131

blong131

Active member
if anyone remembers my other threads, i was the snowboarder that really wanted to try skiing...well i finally got equipment, and today was my first day on the mountain
let me just say it was awesome. i love learning new things. it was so different from snowboardingg, and im sure i made an idiot out of myself the first 2 or 3 runs. i gotta say the learning curve is fast though...i had my turns tight and took runs down every open run at bear creek by the end of the day...i heard my arms were all over the place though...and it was definitely tough spending my first time on 174s when im 5'8" and 130lbs
im supprised at how fatigued i got...i mean im on a division one track team and im used to snowboarding too...but this was unreal how tired my shins/calves and quads were...is this normal?
im leaving at 7am to try to get first tracks at blue mt tomorrow(or i guess today, wow its a little late)...anyways any tips for a first...well, second time skier? what should i be doing with my arms? (i am using poles). any tips to take some of the stress off my shins/calves and quads? general tips to make me not look like a noob?
 
Muscle thing is normal, its your body using new muscles that haven't been worked heavily in a long time, sort of like the body forgetting the muscle is there. A squat is a really intense full body workout, and if you've ever played anything like paintball or airsoft in a close quarters situation the same thing can happen from constantly squatting and standing up all day. My buddy also confirmed that his drill instructer told them that in the first couple weeks of basic training for the military. This is if your rolling hard of course and really pushing yourself without many breaks. If your muscles are super sore for like 2 days afterwords then thats what it is, otherwise probably just some normal muscle soreness.

Skiing def works different muscles that snowboarding, I noticed I was sore in different places when I picked up snowboarding for a little while when I was like 12 and wanted to be cool. Endurance running works alot of muscles in your legs and probably alot of the same ones skiing does, but there are different muscle groups you will be working from skiing because your essentially in a squat position all day if you are learning.
 
that is soo sick!!! i'm glad you decided to switch over...but ya skiing and snowboarding use totally different muscles so just give yourself a few times to get used to that....and make sure your boots fit right or else that's going to be a bitch all season
 
Dope as a tip I'd say watch what other people ont he mountain are doing and try to mimic them if they look like they're good, also work on from and keeping your skis close together
 
your arms are used to attach your hands to your body, which are for grabbing your skis when you get sick air... just make sure they're in a position to accomidate your hands' urge to grab your skis when suddenly you find yourself catching sick air.
 
hell ya man sounds like you had a good time glad your stoked on it, its def. completely dif than snowboarding so your working muscles that normally dont get worked, the good thing is the more you ski the more they start to catch up to the rest of the muscles around them and you wont get sore anymore. give it some time. the more you ski the more comfortable you will get so dont be afraid to try new shit
 
glad you enjoyed it man. Just learn how to rip some nice deep carves then take that shit to the park. Nothing better than giant turns (normal and/or switch) on groomer days.
 
lawlz @ ricky bobby...that was pretty quick
yeah so i skied my second day today...im feeling totally confident on them now...i took on the blacks that were open at blue mountain and felt real good on em...its amazing me how fast im picking it up...had no problem clearing every jump they had built either[/claim] they were all pretty tiny though...ther parks kinda a joke at this point...i made attempts at some rails too but they ate me up...anyone have tips on this...fist thing i always landed them switch...so like i spun onto the rail and my body just continued spinning till i was switch...also i had a problem with my legs spreading apart on the rails but i think thats just a discipline thing...i really only got to try like 3 or 4 short boxes/mailboxes...also anyone have any things i should think about when skiing switch? i definitely made an idiot outta myself trying to learn that
oh and someone mentioned something about boots fitting...so i took everyones advice and went to nestors (a local reputable shop with awesome staff) and got fitted in a full tilt model a...definitely never wanted to spend that much on my boots (considering i got my skis/bindings used for 100$) but im soo glad i did...they feel awesome and i think they made all the difference in my learning so fast
 
i remember being a wee lad and my pops telling me to hold my hands like I was carrying a full lunch tray down the hill... kinda ghetto but i definitely helped me out in the beginning.
 
Your arms are for planting your poles with when you're skiing gnarly terrain. Or any terrain really but it's not necessary. You want to jam than inside pole into the ground and turn around it. Just watch someone good ski down a crazy run and look at how they are using their poles.
 
one way you could improve your skiing/arm position is work on getting forward to utilize the side cut of the ski to the fullest so you can turn better and you can do that by carving turns with your arms in front of you then double pole planting at the apex of turn to square your body and keep it lose. you will look like a fool at first but this race exercise will improve your skiing alot.

a commen mistake with pole plants is that its a push down and bring your hand back motion. If your carveing turns it should just be a flick of the wrist.
 
yeah it sounds like your problem is that you are just way too back seat, when you are skiing you want to have your shins pressuring the fronts of your boots, and keep your chest up. Also keep your upper body faced down the fall line. If you want to be sick at jumps or really anything in skiing your going to have to learn how to just ski first.
 
glad you liked it but ya mucsles can get sore easily if you havent skiied in a while or ever but as for arms just keep them by your side or out in front of you
 
sweet man. When I was starting rails, 2 major problems that I encountered were

a)feet too close together, therefore slipping backwards

b)not popping enough off the lip to get 90, therefore, one ski slides the rail and the other just fall off the side. Hope this helps. If not ,you can always take Scott Vails instruction on "How to ski a rail"

 
a good little thing to help you get out of the back seat is to jump straight up and down over and over (while not skiing, but with skis on) and then stop and and your body should be in the approximate correct position, also try to keep the tops of your hands in the bottom of you peripheral vision (sp?) with the tips just behind your boot/lower leg

and once you get a little better, you might want to try to ski with your arms straight out while balancing your poles on top (horizontally) without dropping them, which will help develop better upper-lower body separation
 
Take a while to learn how to ski well before you go crazy in the park. It's hard to give tips without seeing your skiing but I'd agree that you are probably backseat. Just bend them knees and get right into it. It's gonna feel awkward at first and you are gonna want to lean back, don't do it. Having good stance will help you tremendously in the park. Then you can learn how to grab ya nuts and rock that sideways gangsta lean
 
Why can't I quote that damn Ricky Bobby video!!!!!

Anyway, Shastafarian you're awesome

1) I love that movie

2) I love that scene

3) You answered his question
 
Tall tee and bandanna for steeze, makes anyone look good.

haha just kidding, as for the shin problem make sure your boots are tight, coming from snowboard boots to ski boots is kinda weird so make sure you got your feet locked in there and they aren't sliding around.
 
For a couple of days...you sound like you're doing really really well. The learning curve is short at first and then refining it takes awhile I think, but you'll never regret it once you see your fellow monoplankers walking in the flats..

Here are a few silly suggestions:

If you've got the hang of turning with your skis parallel or = (french fry turns) as oppose to snowplow turns or > (pizza/triangle turns)... then you're doing great. Next would be to start with what was suggested above...do exaggerated UP and DOWNS with your body. Bend your knees when going into turns(DOWN) and then stand taller, chest open when you're going in a straight line(UP).

UP when you're going straight and then DOWN when you're turning. Exaggerate the body and this movement at first and then you'll get to the point where the movement is very minimal . I know it sounds silly but do GROSS movements and look silly doing it and it'll lead to more FINER movements and MUSCLE memory. You'll need this as you progress for higher levels of skiing.

Next, start linking your turns with UP and DOWN movements. Start with large turns or SSSSs down a run try to use the entire width of the run and progress to smaller tighter turns all the while doing your UP(stand tall, chest open, hands in front) when going straight and DOWN(knees bent, chest closing, hands in front) when doing turns. Start from one side of the run, and then go to the other and then turn and go to the other side and then turn.CAUTION: make sure you have your peripheral vision working as to NOT get hit by others as you traverse the run.

I'm not going to get into knee positioning or feet positioning when doing your up and downs, just begin with keeping them parallel and shoulder width apart.

The next step is to try to correct your stance....which is like 95 if not 100% of the reason why your legs are SO tired. Your legs are the strongest muscle in your body and it can withstand a lot of pressure, but you need to use the quadricep part of the upper leg muscle because that's the largest part of your muscle. What you're probably doing and is sort of a good indicator if you're skiing properly is that if you find that the sides of your upper thigh or gluteus is starting to get sore....then you're sitting or leaning to far BACK in your stance. This is a common mistake in any skier. You want to be forward in your stance, bend in your knees.

One way of correcting this is to pretend like your hugging a tree and you're trying to get your arms around the trunk. Again, this sounds silly, but exaggerate this motion. You can also pretend like you're driving a truck. Anything to keep your arms forward. By doing this, it will help in improving your stance. Keep your arms forward always and your stance will gradually improve and you'll start shifting the torque in your thighs from using the side/gluteus muscle to using your center/quad muscle, and you'll last a hell of a lot longer. Once that gluteus is maxed out...it's maxed out and it's the end of your day.

Just a word of advice concerning your legs. Once you start feeling pain or soreness in your thigh...it's time to take a break if not all together stop for the day. Once it's sore, it's sore for the rest of the day. It always sounds like it's a good idea to go ONE more run, but you will become more prone to injuries. Just head straight to the bar or the hottub/ cold tub...Your day is done.

Those are some beginner tips...hopefully that helps out a little. I converted to skiing when I was tired of binding in and out on every goddamm run at our 1min/runs local hill and 3 yrs now and I've never looked back. Learn how to ski first and it'll improve your freeskiing a 1000%. Pretty soon you'll start looking less like a gayper and your stance will deviate to a freeski stance and your arms will be permanently fixed by your side and your inner thighs will burn but you won't mention it to anyone because you've center mounted your skis and it's working against the natural sidecut of the ski and then you'll be floating reverse cambered fatties down groomers all the while laughing inside at how good you look listening to MGMT...passing monowanker planks in the flatsssssssss....

 
hey dont poache my line malcolm! but yah do keep on keepin on! its normal that it hurts but you dont seen fased!
 
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