2020 ski goals

[skiki]

What do you mean?

Especially early season at my home hill you see a lot of experienced skiers doing drills on the greens. Sometimes its just good to go back to the basics.

 

[beginnerskier96]

I’m a second time skier. I went skiing once in my teens but was so bad. It was in Italy. Until this year I didn't return to the slopes.

 

[musicmatters]

I want to learn to truly carve this year.

 

[Steve]

One of the many great things about skiing is that you're never so good that you can't learn something new on the bunny hill.

What do you mean?

Trying to develop new motor skills often requires dialing down the difficulty. Of course the definition of a bunny hill (or nursery slope as you called it) might differ. If it's a very short flat beginner area advanced skiers may never us it, but a longer flat run is great for doing things like skiing on one ski for example.

 

[KevinF]

What do you mean?

There are two aspects to what I was trying to convey:

1. There's a saying in ski instruction; old technique is used in new terrain and new technique is learned in old terrain. An "advanced" skier on "easy" terrain can focus solely on ingraining a new movement pattern as there's no fear factor related to the terrain itself. I believe this is what @Steve was conveying in his earlier reply.
2. Steepness and speed make certain aspects of proper ski technique easier -- you can get away with some mistakes on steeper slopes that would cause you to stumble on flat terrain. I had a lesson two or three seasons back where we spent two hours on the flattest trail on the mountain moving at walking speed to eliminate any terrain or speed-induced mistakes. It was an awesome breakthrough lesson and one of those eye-opening "ok, I've been skiing for 25 years and I still can't make a perfect parallel turn on the bunny hill".

 

[beginnerskier96]

Thabks for the explanation!

 

[Yo Momma]

Thabks for the explanation!

I always start the season w/ my first runs being in a snow plow on easy slopes! Like skiki said... constant drills on easy slopes even years later. Have fun out there!

 

[Brian Finch]

Why not learn to ski the longer boards in tight places?

I finally had to admit that I was on the same lengths as folks double my size & that it was my lack of technique that was creating the sensation of instability, not that a moderate length ski was unstable.

Early results have been real positive.

 

[MarkP]

Ski again. (2018-2019 total = 0)
Ski without worry/concern/fear post hip replacement.

Goal #1 accomplished... skied again!
Goal #2 is a work in progress... I know I can handle a full day on blue groomers when the crowd is light. Still have to get through the fear of others and of ooooopses.

 

[beginnerskier96]

To safely ski a bunny slope alone!
To learn about the sport.
To make progress.
To embrace skiing
To keep fit
To persevere
To improve technique

 

[Decreed_It]

Learn to race (the basics!)
Learn to jump - the littlest of things, to say hop a rock or small obstacle in the line. That's it - not talking hucking cliffs!
Injury free!
Have tons of fun is a given

 

[Ogg]

To safely ski a bunny slope alone!
To learn about the sport.
To make progress.
To embrace skiing
To keep fit
To persevere
To improve technique

Good goals for your first real ski season but I think the first one will probably shift to “safely ski beginner terrain” after a couple of lessons and a few days on snow. The bunny slope gets old once you can actually turn and stop.

 

[Andy Mink]

I can carve pretty well on low angle slopes. I need to learn to do it on somewhat steeper terrain. I just don't care to go fast on the steeper stuff so I end up making a jillion small turns that are, in effect, braking. Gotta get out of my head and let the skis run a bit more.

 

[bgimby]

Wall of text incoming. It was warm and rainy last weekend so the hill was closed all week, so I'm stuck thinking about skiing in the apartment rather than on the snow.

Last season, my goals were:

• Have more consistent one ski skiing on blue runs (MADE IT)
  • There's still work to be done but I'm a lot better than at the start of last season.
• Consistent NASTAR gold (handicap <15), the local beer league used NASTAR timing (NOT QUITE)
  • About 1/3 of my runs were gold, but most of my runs were early in the season. I think I've improved a good bit since I was last timed for NASTAR.
• Get MA done multiple times (MADE IT)
  • I sent video in to effectiveskiing.com (thanks @razie!) and I did a bunch of video review at Mt. Hood. I had never seen a video of myself skiing before last season.
• Get better at bumps in general (NOPE)
  • Honestly I forgot this was one of my goals. I could've moved to the mogul group at Mt. Hood for a day or two but I ended up staying with the racers all week.

I also had a stretch goal:

• Get a platinum medal (handicap <8) in 1 NASTAR run (NOPE)
  • I thought maybe the pacesetters would have a bad day, but no such luck.

Overall, I think last season went pretty well. I don't think there's much I would change about it with the time I had.


This season, my goals are:

• Ski out west more than 14 days
• Get on the podium at the end of the season in the second highest class in my masters league
  • Right now, I'm one good run from getting upgraded into that class
  • They do WC-esque points, so finishing every race will get me close even if I'm not winning (which I don't expect to be)
• Get my SO carving the occasional blue and safely skiing groomed blacks out west
  • Right now, she's carving on the greens at a green level pretty consistently and safely and comfortably getting down groomed blues
• Get better with bumps... For real this time.
  • They can be hard to find in the midwest, but it's becoming a more and more obvious weakness

And a stretch goal:

• Get upgraded to the highest class in my master's league
  • I'd have to consistently be ~10% faster than I was in the last few races last season... We'll see.

 

[TexasStout]

1. ski 25 days
2. master the carving to level admired by others and pleasing to self
3. bumps without hesitation
4. steeps and more steeps
5. get to use my powder skis

 

[Rod9301]

My goals are more terrain related. Ski a few couloirs that for one reason or another i did not ski in previous years. Mostly afraid of dying or getting ready hurt.

Technique wise, need to learn or get better at changing edges while still in the old counter.

I'm getting better at pulling back my inside ski, but i still need to think about it on every turn, or so it seems. Hopefully this year it will become ingrained. This, for me if a huge deal, it allows me to be centered right at the beginning of the new turn.

 

[beginnerskier96]

To smile and relax as I ski

To get used to the sport

To stay upright!

 

[crgildart]

Can't recall if I posted here already or if it was the 2019 thread.. Anyway, I'm kinda in a not so motivated place. My SO nas never skied and can't ski due to medical concerns that aren't fixable. My kids are now in high school. They were excited and fun to take along when they were first learning and didn't have their own interests to chase after. Now only the older kid likes to ski, but more with his scout troop friends than hopping in a car with me for a day trip. He's still all in for a longer weekender as long as it doesn't interfere with his other interests, school group/team stuff, etc..

It's a three hour commitment for me to get to the parking lot of the closest ski area. I don't have weekdays free so if I'm not there by 8:30 or 9 on a holiday or Saturday I will have a very long walk or shuttle bus ride schlepping the gear. That's boot up at the car territory.

Insult to injury, is that I'm more fragile than other more active folks my age. The 3 hour drive home can be quite uncomfortable after limping a half mile back to the car with dead legs and a sore back.

Regardless, I'm still all in to get out a couple times a season with all of the above in mind. Wife is good with living closer to or in the mountains when we retire. That's probably about 5-10 years down the road.

My 2020 goals are 3-5 day trips and one weekender with the scout troop. Might also get to Rob's Laurel Mountain MidAtlantic Gathering party but that's not a given. Getting up at 5am on a day off isn't likely. Leaving at 9am to ski noon to 3 on a Sunday is how I'll roll for now.

 

[OldJeep]

After watching some video from the past season, I realized how much terrain I require with my longer boards & why I struggle in tighter Eastern haunts. I’m planning on a focus of getting better on shorter skis.

What’s your goals?

No more broken ribs this year and get back into Platinum range times.

 

[mdf]

I want to get some small air without banging up my skis.
On one of the last days at A-Basin last year, noodling around with @dean_spirito and a few of his grom students, I got air off a small rock. But the last six inches of my skis got fairly scratched up. I'm guessing that's a technique issue, not something you have to live with.

Notice that I am not saying "Corbets". (Last year I said Big Couloir and did it at the Gathering.) I'll sidle up to Corbets and take a look, but no promises.