From never ever to black diamond skier in three days

[James]

What do we think of this. Don't really see the process. 3 days from zero to "black diamond".
After the first 15 sec or so, skip to 1:45 to avoid the Greyhound schill.

@Ron , this was at Steamboat.

 

[David Chan]

What do we think of this. Don't really see the process. 3 days from zero to "black diamond".
After the first 15 sec or so, skip to 1:45 to avoid the Greyhound schill.

This is just stupid IMHO..

I don't want them to take a lesson with me afterwards. That is just a disaster waiting to happen. It's like when a child comes into a group lesson and the parent insists that this 6 year old can ski black diamonds all over the mountain, and when you get them on an easy green grade, they powerwedge the whole way down. The parent insists we don't bump them back but On blues its the same thing except with more chattering of the skis, faster and even less control. The only turns you see are terrain created, or an emergency attempt to not hit something.


I've seen some phenomenal athletes go from never ever to blues or even blacks in a very short time but these were people with other skills and very athletic. Gymnasts, Hockey players, figure skaters, Roller bladers, etc, however in a lesson, I would never advance them or take them anywhere where they are not using decent turn mechanics (at least most of the time) to make their turns. Doesn't have to be perfect but they should be fully in control and able to stop and turn on demand. anything else is a danger to the client, and to every other person on the slope.

 

[James]

This is just stupid IMHO..

Yeah, we also don't see much of the actual learning process, so it looks like she got to her level in an hour. She's extremely defensive, even on the easy stuff.
That near flat beginner terrain with a magic carpet, wish we had something like that.

 

[David Chan]

I've been to Steamboat recently I really like their beginner area.. I was there with a friend who is a stroke survivor and started skiing again.
Steamboat has a great adaptive program so she was booked into a couple of lessons and I tagged along to watch/learn/help if necessary so I've been on all those lower slopes.

If you look hard enough (I'm sure most of the instructors there know how to move around) there really were no big gaps in terrain from beginner to intermediate. Unlike our resort where the beginner area and the magic carpet are very easy, and one of the beginner lifts are an appropriate step up from the magic carpet area. The other beginner lift is a huge jump from carpet to next level green. To get on a high speed chair, the student better be comfortable on beginning blues because even though there are "green marked runs" for both of our next level lifts, there are some pretty steep pitches you have to navigate.

 

[T-Square]

What do we think of this. Don't really see the process. 3 days from zero to "black diamond".
After the first 15 sec or so, skip to 1:45 to avoid the Greyhound schill.

@Ron , this was at Steamboat.

Well let’s put it this way, some good ski instructor is going to have a large number of lessons with her to get all those bad habits drilled out of her.

 

[abcd]

Well let’s put it this way, some good ski instructor is going to have a large number of lessons with her to get all those bad habits drilled out of her.

Can completely relate. Started skiing late, black diamond on day 5. With what I know now, Id rather take another 100 days to get there. Lots of lessons, but remain quite defensive.
12:00 in the video is amazing, it exactly shows how a black run used to feel back then

 

[fatbob]

Re the Steamboat girl - she's a Youtuber so it's all about the "personal challenge" narrative and the views / followers. She basically will negotiate herself free stuff on the grounds she promotes it. So it probably has sod all to do with an aspiration to actually learn to ski and an outcome where she ended up a nice clean skier on gentle terrain wouldn't have the dramatic payoff of being a flailing sack of spuds "conquering" the extreme black diamond ( which looks distinctly blue black to me - would be a red tops in Yurp).

Assuming Steamboat actually provided her coach as a promo thing it's actually pretty irresponsible of them/her to encourage this sort of crap for the industry as a whole as it sends out terrible messaging re terrain choice and even how fun skiing can be to beginners. Is a never ever going to look at the crowning glory run and say "That looks hella fun let's learn to ski" or say "sod that". Maybe the marketeers need to think harder about how they reach Millennials.

 

[Tricia]

What do we think of this. Don't really see the process. 3 days from zero to "black diamond".
After the first 15 sec or so, skip to 1:45 to avoid the Greyhound schill.

@Ron , this was at Steamboat.

I know it was her goal to go from zero to Black Diamond in three days but she really had no business being on that Black run at that stage of her mental and skill game.

 

[Tricia]

Re the Steamboat girl - she's a Youtuber so it's all about the "personal challenge" narrative and the views / followers. She basically will negotiate herself free stuff on the grounds she promotes it. So it probably has sod all to do with an aspiration to actually learn to ski and an outcome where she ended up a nice clean skier on gentle terrain wouldn't have the dramatic payoff of being a flailing sack of spuds "conquering" the extreme black diamond ( which looks distinctly blue black to me - would be a red tops in Yurp).

Assuming Steamboat actually provided her coach as a promo thing it's actually pretty irresponsible of them/her to encourage this sort of crap for the industry as a whole as it sends out terrible messaging re terrain choice and even how fun skiing can be to beginners. Is a never ever going to look at the crowning glory run and say "That looks hella fun let's learn to ski" or say "sod that". Maybe the marketeers need to think harder about how they reach Millennials.

At the end she didn't mention Steamboat but she did thank Greyhound for sponsoring her video. Also, the instructor was not in uniform.

 

[Tricia]

As the request of some members, I have moved the posts about MK's journey from never ever to black diamond skier to its own thread.
I agreed its worthy of its own discussion.

 

[Wilhelmson]

Bring back the old man "Get Off My Snow" picture. She did it for fun and to make a few bucks. No different than the crazy guy from Maine or short ski guy at Alta.

So no time on the snow is better than a 3 day crash course with a pro?

 

[scott43]

I love circuses!!!

 

[Tricia]

Bring back the old man "Get Off My Snow" picture. She did it for fun and to make a few bucks. No different than the crazy guy from Maine or short ski guy at Alta.

So no time on the snow is better than a 3 day crash course with a pro?

Sorry if I came across like that.
As I said in my earlier post, I understand that she did it for a youtube channel, I just hate to see people over terrained at the risk of wrecking a long term skier experience.
How interesting would the youtube video be if Sophia said, "You're not ready to go to the black diamond run yet."?

 

[Wilhelmson]

Sorry if I came across like that.
As I said in my earlier post, I understand that she did it for a youtube channel, I just hate to see people over terrained at the risk of wrecking a long term skier experience.
How interesting would the youtube video be if Sophia said, "You're not ready to go to the black diamond run yet."?

Nope not you just the attitude in general.

Under the King Pine lift at Sugarloaf we saw a 5 year old snowplowing out of control on a black diamond until she couldn't hold the wedge and started skiing straight down the hill. She ended up ok and the trail has a gentle runout at the end. We were on the lift and I almost threw up because I thought she was going to crash. There was no adult in sight.

 

[Bad Bob]

If that video exposes others to skiing and gets them interested enough to try it great. Is it the way you should start a never ever skier, NO. We have all seen (or been) the first-timer dropped in the middle of too much terrain. Not right, but it happens.

Used to watch the US Army take never-evers put them in rubber Bunny Boots on 7' wooden skis with non-release bindings and an "instructor" (think sargent) who could barely stand up. They were expected to be skiers in a couple of days. They showed up with their very own ambulance.

Point being; it can always be worse.

 

[Tricia]

If that video exposes others to skiing and gets them interested enough to try it great.

This is a huge positive of the video. She is clearly scared but her experience calms her fears as she makes progress. That can show others that they can do it too.

 

[Tricia]

Nope not you just the attitude in general.

Under the King Pine lift at Sugarloaf we saw a 5 year old snowplowing out of control on a black diamond until she couldn't hold the wedge and started skiing straight down the hill. She ended up ok and the trail has a gentle runout at the end. We were on the lift and I almost threw up because I thought she was going to crash. There was no adult in sight.

At Northstar I saw a dad take his kid with a harness down The Rapids, which is a long sustained mogul run. Sorry, but if your kid needs a harness(harnesses are a whole different talk show topic) then you probably shouldn't be taking him down The Rapids

 

[fatbob]

.

Used to watch the US Army take never-evers put them in rubber Bunny Boots on 7' wooden skis with non-release bindings and an "instructor" (think sargent) who could barely stand up. They were expected to be skiers in a couple of days. They showed up with their very own ambulance.

I've pretty sure armies the world over teach skiing the same way - I've seen Brit squaddies in Scotland on the hike up, ski down, don't whinge programme of tuition. What do they care? It's a change of scene and if they get hurt chance of a few days off.

Back to the Steamboat girl - thing was first day (particularly if we can trust that the filmed run was her first of the chairlift - I have some scepticism) she had made GREAT progress and there was the potential for something good though the pro-skier wasn't exactly modelling appropriate skiing. Then it all seemed to go to crap based on the over terraining ambition. Maybe its a useful public service - whip it out and show it to pupils who aspire to "ski a black this week" or whatever. I'd have loved it on that run given how they started someone on the last day had skied past and yelled "Get a lesson Jerry!" at her on camera.

 

[T-Square]

At Northstar I saw a dad take his kid with a harness down The Rapids, which is a long sustained mogul run. Sorry, but if your kid needs a harness(harnesses are a whole different talk show topic) then you probably shouldn't be taking him down The Rapids

Had a 4-5 year old in a kinder ski group lesson with several instructors. Kid was able to ski but was visibly scared/terrified and leaning back 30+ degrees in his boots all the time. Found out from Mom that Dad had "harnessed" him down a black diamond and fell on top of the kid to boot. She was not pleased. It was no wonder he was scared and leaning back. I sort of understand but can’t comprehend why people do this to their kids.

 

[slowrider]

Same Dad & son took a lesson early this season. He can ski lift line blah blah. Took him on easy groomers. No tech skills just 8 yrs old. Finally after hounding me for an hr. I took him off piste. Chopped up heavy PNW cream cheese & I'm on 156 sl. Kid floated over it, he's 8 yrs old. Not my best run. Course other employees were heckling me from the chair. In my defense he sucked. Lol