Skiing rocks!

[saab2000]

So I got dragged out to Cannonsburg Ski Area here in Grand Rapids for a night of skiing. It is my second calling after cycling. I love it.

I never get to go 'cuz of the time and money... But when I do it's a blast. Seriously, the last time I was out skiing was three years ago in Utah at Alta and Park City.

No, I am not very good at it, but it is such a blast!

My true calling would be riding in the summer as soon as the roads can support it, and ride until the snow flies, at which time I would run a ski shop or be an instructor. Or both.

Seriously. Outdoors, fast, in the hills.

Does it get any better?

[maunahaole]

Actually, it does. You go someplace other than Cannonburg...

Be careful of the drunks on the hill there at night.

Cut you teeth there and move on to better hills.

[saab2000]

Actually, it does. You go someplace other than Cannonburg...

Be careful of the drunks on the hill there at night.

Cut you teeth there and move on to better hills.

The first hill I ever skied was St. Moritz. I guess yeah, the skiing does get better than Cannonburg, but skiing itself is sorta what I meant. Besides, for being 15 minutes from my house it's not bad.

For all the whining I do about my job, one of the big perks is that I can fly anywhere.

I'm going to Innsbruck in about 3 weeks...... I think there is some decent skiing nearby.

[ti_boi]

Nothing like the 'local hill'...I'm 45 minutes from one that will suffice.....not a bad way to spend a day....or night! :beer:

[onekgguy]

My daughter and I try and make a point of getting out once each year. We pick a day when it's not likely to be crowded and we each play hookey.

If I were younger I think I'd be into snow boarding...hard to know. It looks fun.

http://kevinandtammy.net/images/our_photos/kevin_and_rachel_at_afton_march_2006.jpg

Kevin g

[A.L.Breguet]

I've never done down hill, just some Xcountry when I was a lad. I absolutely loved the workout.

A buddy of mine used to hit the local hills all the time, then he went to Austria for three weeks. He was so blown away by the thrill of "real" skiing, he gave up on the local hills and basically has not skiied since. He's a little weird, though.

[Bittersweet]

skiing your "local" is actually a lot of fun. No one is there on vacation just neighbors having fun. Totally different vibe and the origin of skiing. Enjoy. Off to my local now.

[d_douglas]

A skiing virgin, that is. At 38, my buddy convinced me to go skiing two weeks ago (I have never clipped into skis in my life)

He was formerly on the French junior national downhill team and was an instructor, so he was great to learn from, but pushed a bit too hard. The end result was a totally great time of sipping down blue slopes at Avoriaz in France. I sucked, but I didn't get hurt and that was a big plus.

What a blast!!

DD

[djg]

yep, skiing does rock saab

I haven't been everywhere -- not even close -- and I don't think I've ever taken a turn in Michigan, but, let's see ... more than a handful of places in Colorado, most of Utah, Tahoe, Taos, off-season on the glacier in Oregon, too many places in New York to remember, a handful in Pennsylvania, much of Vermont, bit o' New Hampshah, including the Dartmouth Skiway, Austria, and some fekkin golf course near St. Louis (don't ask), and if you've been to Alta you've been to my favorite.

IAD to SLC March 6 -- the waitin' is the hardest part.

[saab2000]

I am a huge bike snob, but know nothing about skis. I asked for and got short skis last night and some fairly lame boots. But they did fit OK.

What does one get when buying spendier skis? As a beginner what would I look for? BTW, I am not buying any.

But I have thought about buying boots. We'll see.

I did get myself a very good set of Spyder pants and a jacket from a place in St. Moritz back in the carefree DINK days when money was not an object. Now it is. I wouldn't mind a set of boots.

What to look for?

[djg]

I am a huge bike snob, but know nothing about skis. I asked for and got short skis last night and some fairly lame boots. But they did fit OK.

What does one get when buying spendier skis? As a beginner what would I look for? BTW, I am not buying any.

But I have thought about buying boots. We'll see.

I did get myself a very good set of Spyder pants and a jacket from a place in St. Moritz back in the carefree DINK days when money was not an object. Now it is. I wouldn't mind a set of boots.

What to look for?

saab, I think that there was a thread about this just a few weeks ago -- it's worth looking for it. What you want are your own boots. Most places will rent you ok skis, and serious places can rent you just about anything the market has to offer, tuned right and ready to point down the hill. The thing is, very few places rent good boots and nobody is going to rent you boots dialed-in for you. Nobody. Good boots -- the right fit, the right flex fore-aft and response edge to edge -- are KEY. I don't care if you're an intermediate, a big mountain off-piste skier, or a gate crasher, boots that are good for your feet and your skiing are a gift to good skiing, and bad or badly fitting boots can be anything from a significant impediment to a guaranteed disaster. Ask around for a good boot fitter -- I don't know if there's a soul in Wisconsin who counts, but you can fly yourself to a ski town -- and get some decent boots. There are all sorts of cool boards out there, but you can rent whatever you need and it will be fine -- for a few days here and there, save your money and put it into boots (and lift tickets).

[maunahaole]

+1 on good boots and checking out the other thread. You would best be served by a good mid-range boot. It will work well for you for a few years. Go to a good ski shop that has a big selection and take your time and try on a lot of pairs.

[Ozz]

ski lessons!

My oldest son just started ski lessons....(1st Grader):

[Karin Kirk]

My true calling would be riding in the summer as soon as the roads can support it, and ride until the snow flies, at which time I would run a ski shop or be an instructor. Or both.

Yes, that's the formula! :)

Glad you are having fun Saab, that's great to hear.
Good luck with boot shopping. Also, sign up for a lesson from time to time and get some coaching. That makes it even more fun!

You are going to have such a fun time in Innsbruck. I'm toying with the idea of a Swiss ski trip next year.

[Ginger]

Saab:
Fly yourself over to Bozeman. Take lessons from Karin.

:)

[maunahaole]

Ozz - your son is doing great - I don't detect any edgie wedgies...it's all him making pizza there.

[bumperjohn]

I think kid stoke on skis is the best!

I agree, skiing is a blast and my true first love. I have a couple of trips coming up soon. I leave in 10 days for a week in Utah and in April I will be in Revelstoke, BC for a week of helicopter skiing. :banana:

[Louis]

Any activity that requires the weather to be freezing @ss cold to be performed is by definition stupid.

[csm]

I think skiing is first. I'd do it year 'round if I could. My youngest (7 yrs) has gotten the hang of it. he was tearing up the black diamond slopes at the local hill. we are 10 min away from ski roundtop and have a great group of friends to ski with. we get season passes and pretty much every saturday and sunday we are up there. the kids all get along, we take up a weber q grill and tailgate in the parking lot.
tomorrow looks to be another banner day!

[caleb]

Avoid the rocks, they're bad for the bases.

[csm]

unless they are rock skis.

[Karin Kirk]

or unless your ski area has soft rocks

(which ours does, seriously!)

[sellsworth]

I went skiing today near Lake Tahoe today. It was one of the best days in recent memory. Sunny skies and plenty of fresh powder to boot. We've been hit with a lot of snow over the past few weeks. My legs have that happy burn feeling.

[GregL]

Tug Hill got blasted by lake effect this week. Today, my wife, 8 year-old daughter, and I hit the Winona State Forest (http://www.winonaforest.com/) for some XC skiing. Three plus hours of pure nordic skiing bliss. At least three feet of new lake effect powder, fresh track set, perfect (mid-20's) temps, no wind, and my two favorite ladies. It simply doesn't get any better that this! Did I mention that there is NO fee to use these trails?!?

Note to self: 8 years old seems to be the "tipping point" for sports with kids. A Camelback full of Gatorade and an ample supply of granola bars meant never hearing "I'm tired/hungry/bored." Daddy's little girl was as spunky at the end of the day as at the start. She already asked if we can go again next weekend!

[saab2000]

Looking down that steep hill. Sitting on that precarious chairlift with no handholds looking up thousands of feet and turning around and seeing backwards thousands of feet. The sense of balance at the cusp. The tiny figures and structures at the bottom. They all hold the same alluring, exhilerating near-fear that flying holds. The higher the better! (to a point... I am not dumb either...)

There is no life without fear. Is there faith without doubt? Part of the thrill of skiing is the draw to the danger. Same as with the airplane. Couldn't draw myself away from it even though there was no draw other than the demi-fear. Same reason to race a bike in Superweek. Or in Belgium.

It's intoxicating. Wanting to see what's at the edge. And beyond.

Skiing has that. And my little forays on the hills have shown me that there is adventure here.

My mother still reminds me that I was the one who climbed on the railing at all the places we went when I was 4.

[KeithS]

I'm skipping my spinning session tomorrow to go skiing with my 8 year old son. I asked him if he wanted to go skiing with a local ski club that features day long outings to local areas and day long instruction. He asked "can you go too dad?" I said I couldn't, he said he'd rather ski with me. Can't buy that. It's a riot watching him ski, and get better and better each outing.

I am still jealous of my friend who did really well in his career, worked hard enough to get a big enough pile to quit working in his late 40's, tour the world for a year, and then settle in Bozeman. He rides all summer and skis all winter. Sounds ideal, but I still wouldn't trade that for an afternoon with my lad on a hill here on the prairie.

[Louis]

I am still jealous of my friend who did really well in his career, worked hard enough to get a big enough pile to quit working in his late 40's, tour the world for a year, and then settle in Bozeman. He rides all summer and skis all winter.

Sounds like the Kirks :)

[Larry D]

Saab,

Insbruck is a geat place to ski from. There are free ski busses to take you to the wide variety of ski areas around the city, plus afterwards there is great food. Two of my wife and my favorites were the Stubai Glacier and Axemer Litzem (excuse the spelling). What we found really nice was that the ticket prices lowered on each hour during the day, so you did not have to wait until 12:30 to get a reduced lift ticket.

As far as boot, it is definitely worth the investment to get custom fit boots. If your feet are not happy, you are miserable. Skis are changing each year and you can always rent perfomance demos. Where I work, at Sugarbush in VT, we have a custom boot fitting company called Surefoot on the mountain. They have several location at resorts in the US and also in Europe. If you get a chance I would recomend checking them out. www.surefoot.com

My wife and I are in SLC for the OR show and just skied at Solitude yesterday. What a great place.

Enjoy your skiing in Austria.

[rdparadise]

Both downhill and XC. Both are great fun and I'm happy you're having a blast Saab. I've not been able to ski this year because of a bad knee. Hopefully after my surgery I'll be brave enough to give it another go.

I grew up in Ct., just 10 minutes from Mt. Southington. Rinky dink yes, but great for night skiing just about anytime during the winter. 2 hours to Vermont, Mt. Snow so that wasn't bad either.

Go get the boots Saab. I have my own gear and bought a really nice pair of boots 4-5 years ago. What a difference. :banana: :banana:

Good luck,

Bob

[mschol17]

Skiing at Cannonsburg... that brings me back to middle school. It's pretty small, but not too bad if there's been a lot of snow.

After I went snowboarding in Interlaken I could never bring myself to go back to the 'burg.

[andy mac]

Saab,

Insbruck is a geat place to ski from. There are free ski busses to take you to the wide variety of ski areas around the city, plus afterwards there is great food. Two of my wife and my favorites were the Stubai Glacier and Axemer Litzem (excuse the spelling). What we found really nice was that the ticket prices lowered on each hour during the day, so you did not have to wait until 12:30 to get a reduced lift ticket.

As far as boot, it is definitely worth the investment to get custom fit boots. If your feet are not happy, you are miserable. Skis are changing each year and you can always rent perfomance demos. Where I work, at Sugarbush in VT, we have a custom boot fitting company called Surefoot on the mountain. They have several location at resorts in the US and also in Europe. If you get a chance I would recomend checking them out. www.surefoot.com

My wife and I are in SLC for the OR show and just skied at Solitude yesterday. What a great place.

Enjoy your skiing in Austria.

i will second surefoot - and the suggestion to read the other link. a pair of good fitting boots will last years and save lots of pain.

warning - skiing will change your driving...! and perhaps flying... always seeking the rush.


:beer:

[Hardlyrob]

Skiing definitely rocks. We got out for the first time this season on Sunday at Mt. Sunapee in NH - not a great hill, but my wife is comfortable there.

I spent the whole day going "man this is fun - I got to do this more often" And I've been at it for 36 years.

Cheers!

Rob