I'm kind of a big deal around here

[Crudmaster]

Yeah, she's pretty good.

And Ingrid is a Crystal Mountain product.

As were both the Freeride World Tour top male snowboarder (Ingrid's brother Ralph) and top male skier (Drew Tabke) in 2013.

I may not be a big deal around here, but Crystal Mountain is.

 

[cantunamunch]

One of the other lady instructors and myself are in glades off chair 5. We see the guys out on the run. So Lyn and I pop out of the glades and do some turns above the guys. 2 gals, matching suits, ski up.....full of himself left right after that.

Kangourou!

I <3 chair V.

Obviously, his boots weren't bought in France...

 

[4ster]

I have had the pleasure of occasionally skiing & hanging out with a former mogul world champion, a few Alpine World Cuppers & even an Olympic Ski Halfpipe gold medalist. In all cases their skiing doesn't humble me nearly as much as their humility.

 

[slowrider]

Overheard one guy say to a ski friend. "That guy could ski on tennis rackets." That's a new one.

 

[slowrider]

I have had the pleasure of occasionally skiing & hanging out with a former mogul world champion, a few Alpine World Cuppers & even an Olympic Ski Halfpipe gold medalist. In all cases their skiing doesn't humble me nearly as much as their humility.
View attachment 43413

Actions speak louder than words.

 

[Stephen Witkop]

Do you think there are certain mountains where you don't talk about what a big deal you are?

Examples: Squaw, Jackson Hole, Snowbird

I mean, if you're sitting at a restaurant at Squaw talking about how awesome you were when you ripped Chute 75, there is a good chance Jonny Moseley is at the next table.
If you're at Jackson hole talking about how your massive huck, there is a good chance Griffin Post is a couple seats over at the bar.

I find it humbling to ski these places.

Now I do!

My first western trip in the early 90s in my early 30s was to Jackson Hole. I was by myself, first tram wearing the original Scott Schmidt Extreme jacket, holding my Kastle 208 SG skis someone dumped as a trade in and I could feel the people eyeballing me. It was unnerving not knowing what the heck they were looking at but at the time I didn't understand the history or reputation of the place and its skiers. Years later I figured out they must have thought I might be someone they should know and were trying to figure me out and size me up.

Glad I didn't realize it at the time since I didn't need to feel any more self conscious than I already did, the mountain itself was humbling enough.

 

[Itinerant skier]

I find that I'm a bigger deal and my stories have bigger air and gnarlier gnar after I have a few après ski drinks.

 

[Long Hair Hippy]

I am hot…and when I’m not….I’m cold as ice!
-Bon Scott

 

[DanoT]

The older I get, the better I was.

 

[laine]

I don't have this problem, but a similar one. I have a friend who's an intermediate skier, been skiing for 4-5 years, and takes periodic lessons, but seems to have stagnated at an intermediate. Nothing wrong with that. She'll do black runs if she's skiing with a group and that's where the group goes and we verify that they're not too hard, but I'm pretty sure she doesn't ski them alone. I've taken her on some black runs and have had to coach her down if they're technical.

Now I'm no expert - I'd say I'm advanced - but I've been skiing for 40+ years and have taken my fair share of lessons.

What drives us all nuts is that our friend will offer ski tips and technique advice that I'm guessing she's heard in lessons? She tries to "teach" giving the unsolicited advice to other intermediate skiers we ski with (and sometimes to the advanced ones). I just ski away and ignore her when she does this (as long as it's not on the lift), but she does it to my husband all the time. And while he's an intermediate skier as well, he's actually showing improvement with every lesson, and is a better skier than she is. She's a nice person, but it's annoying and when it happens, but it annoys him too.

Any advice for the next time she does that?

 

[luliski]

I don't have this problem, but a similar one. I have a friend who's an intermediate skier, been skiing for 4-5 years, and takes periodic lessons, but seems to have stagnated at an intermediate. Nothing wrong with that. She'll do black runs if she's skiing with a group and that's where the group goes and we verify that they're not too hard, but I'm pretty sure she doesn't ski them alone. I've taken her on some black runs and have had to coach her down if they're technical.

Now I'm no expert - I'd say I'm advanced - but I've been skiing for 40+ years and have taken my fair share of lessons.

What drives us all nuts is that our friend will offer ski tips and technique advice that I'm guessing she's heard in lessons? She tries to "teach" giving the unsolicited advice to other intermediate skiers we ski with (and sometimes to the advanced ones). I just ski away and ignore her when she does this (as long as it's not on the lift), but she does it to my husband all the time. And while he's an intermediate skier as well, he's actually showing improvement with every lesson, and is a better skier than she is. She's a nice person, but it's annoying and when it happens, but it annoys him too.

Any advice for the next time she does that?

Too much advice can be confusing (and annoying if it's unsolicited). "Oh, is that what YOU do?" works. You're not agreeing to take the advice, or agreeing or disagreeing with it. You're just acknowledging that she thinks some technique works for her. Then ski away.

 

[Philpug]

I can get on and off the lift unassisted. Does that count for anything?

 

[Uncle-A]

I don't have this problem, but a similar one. I have a friend who's an intermediate skier, been skiing for 4-5 years, and takes periodic lessons, but seems to have stagnated at an intermediate. Nothing wrong with that. She'll do black runs if she's skiing with a group and that's where the group goes and we verify that they're not too hard, but I'm pretty sure she doesn't ski them alone. I've taken her on some black runs and have had to coach her down if they're technical.

Now I'm no expert - I'd say I'm advanced - but I've been skiing for 40+ years and have taken my fair share of lessons.

What drives us all nuts is that our friend will offer ski tips and technique advice that I'm guessing she's heard in lessons? She tries to "teach" giving the unsolicited advice to other intermediate skiers we ski with (and sometimes to the advanced ones). I just ski away and ignore her when she does this (as long as it's not on the lift), but she does it to my husband all the time. And while he's an intermediate skier as well, he's actually showing improvement with every lesson, and is a better skier than she is. She's a nice person, but it's annoying and when it happens, but it annoys him too.

Any advice for the next time she does that?

Not to be mean but next time she does it hold up a mirror in front of her face and ask her to repeat the tip. I hope she gets it

 

[DanoT]

Not to be mean but next time she does it hold up a mirror in front of her face and ask her to repeat the tip. I hope she gets it

Or you could pull out a camera and ask for a live demonstration...to be later posted on Pugski.

 

[David Chaus]

I can get on and off the lift unassisted. Does that count for anything?

I am very very proud of you, Phil, good job!


Seriously, though, it’s a very big deal to me when I’m teaching a class. It counts for a lot, especially when I’ve got other students who aren’t there yet.

As I type this, though, I’m aware of my current way of thinking about skiing and skiers, as evolving from awe to appreciation.

 

[dbostedo]

I can get on and off the lift unassisted. Does that count for anything?

Only if it's not a conveyor load.

 

[markojp]

I don't have this problem, but a similar one. I have a friend who's an intermediate skier, been skiing for 4-5 years, and takes periodic lessons, but seems to have stagnated at an intermediate. Nothing wrong with that. She'll do black runs if she's skiing with a group and that's where the group goes and we verify that they're not too hard, but I'm pretty sure she doesn't ski them alone. I've taken her on some black runs and have had to coach her down if they're technical.

Now I'm no expert - I'd say I'm advanced - but I've been skiing for 40+ years and have taken my fair share of lessons.

What drives us all nuts is that our friend will offer ski tips and technique advice that I'm guessing she's heard in lessons? She tries to "teach" giving the unsolicited advice to other intermediate skiers we ski with (and sometimes to the advanced ones). I just ski away and ignore her when she does this (as long as it's not on the lift), but she does it to my husband all the time. And while he's an intermediate skier as well, he's actually showing improvement with every lesson, and is a better skier than she is. She's a nice person, but it's annoying and when it happens, but it annoys him too.

Any advice for the next time she does that?

Being in the instruction biz, the general rule of thumb is, when not on the clock, no thoughts are offered if no thoughts are asked for, and even then, only a bit is given. I like to 'just ski' as much as anyone. I think I'd tell your friend, "I appreciate your enthusiasm for all the nstruction you've been getting, but let's just ski today."

 

[Kit]

Being in the instruction biz, the general rule of thumb is, when not on the clock, no thoughts are offered if no thoughts are asked for, and even then, only a bit is given."

running joke in our group of friends...

Q: how do you know you're on the lift with a "retired ski instructor"?
A: they'll tell you...

I've been living by your words of wisdom for a long time - nothing offered if nothing asked for... it preserves my sanity and not being "that guy"

 

[mdf]

Last weekend I skied by myself for the first time this season. It was definitely easier to feel like a big deal when not surrounded by reality checks!

 

[wutangclan]

There was a middle-aged fellow at my home mountain for whom the CSIA Level 3 was a really tough slog. Kudos to him though: even though he kept failing the exam, he persevered, diligently training and retaking the exam year after year. One day I overheard a conversation between him and a new instructor:

Old guy: Hey, haven't met you before, are you new?
New guy: Yeah, but I have many years of experience at [other mountain]
Old guy: Well welcome to the team, awesome to meet you.
...[small talk, eventually turns to exam talk]...
New guy: So you gonna do the Level 3?
Old guy: Sure, I'll keep trying, though I already failed it seven times! It's not an easy one for an old guy like me.
New guy: Wow, seven times, eh? I'm not into that, I'm like a sniper: One shot, one kill.
Old guy: Uh ... okay, good luck!

A few weeks later, the old guy finally passed it on his 8th try. The not-so-new-anymore guy has since failed it a couple of times and just given up altogether.