Now that winter is just around the corner, many of you are probably beginning to think about cold weather activities and getting outside in the snow. Here in Colorado, a few ski areas are already open! Hundreds of people are making turns on the mountain right now and enjoying a bluebird fall day in the Colorado Rockies.
- There’s me; about to take some turns on my snowboard after hiking up a mountain!
So, maybe you are psyched to carve some turns this winter, but you haven’t quite mastered your skiing techniques and could use a little advice. Or, maybe you have seen every Warren Miller film ever made (don’t forget Teton Gravity Research) and had 100+ days on the mountain last season. In either case, please read on and enjoy these educational and entertaining excerpts from the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School’s Winter Handbook. Learn why you should think of your legs as shock absorbers and how to avoid a yard sale:
Gliding Downhill
Gliding downhill is lovely, and the main reason we all go skiing. Keep a low relaxed stance, weight over your skis and arms, hands relaxed and slightly in front of you, but poles behind you. Think of your legs as shock absorbers, helping you to stay low and stable. If the terrain becomes steeper, go lower, and push one ski a little ahead of the other for stability. For maximum speed and efficiency, you can get in a tuck. Bend your body forward and try to flatten out your back, tuck your poles under your arms, lean your elbows on your knees and keep your head up. Good luck.
As a snowboarder, and not a very skilled skier, I find this next section particularly noteworthy:
Falling Down and Getting Up
As with everything, the falling part is easy, but when skiing it’s advisable to fall backwards rather than forwards. Falling down is a fool-proof way to stop. We all do it, and it’s far better than careening into a tree or over a cliff. Fall backwards and slightly sideways so you land on the snow rather than your skis. Face plants generate lots of applause, but are often uncomfortable and painful. To get up, put your skis across the fall line (rather than pointing downhill), wriggle forward so that your weight is over your knees, slide one ski forward and, with or without using the poles, stand up.
If you are in a great muddle of skis, poles, pack, people and dogs when you fall, you may have to lie on your back, kick you legs in the air and get sorted out: undignified, but effective. In deep powder, cross your poles in an X on the snow to make a platform that will allow you to push off with your hands.
So, there are a few tips to get you started. I hope this has inspired you to get outside this winter and enjoy some good ol’ outdoor recreation in the snow. Now remember, the above information is by no means a comprehensive training manual in skiing. If you are not a skier, but want to be, go to your local ski area and take some lessons. Or, better yet, learn how to ski on an Outward Bound winter course! Most importantly, get outside this winter, challenge yourself and have fun!
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