why do many use "vertical ft" to measure how much they've skied

[wyowindrunner]

Why not track horizontal? Just as useless.
View attachment 68058
31.6 miles, 43mph, 18,340ft,
Berg fx ski weather app.
Which was annoying because the weather was either in the valley or the top at 3,300 m. "Hey it's going to be -10c tomorrow instead of +5c! Wait, no"
A couple photos are more useful.
View attachment 68059
Col des Chassoure, Verbier. Goes down to Tortin. This was before I turned the app on.
View attachment 68060
Return from Thyon/Veysonnaz. Somewhere at top of map in white area.

Holy buckets those are some pretty bumps!! no boarders smearing them flat there?

 

[Sibhusky]

But there is some extra ego involved for some people when it comes to using vertical.

Any time people are comparing numbers, whether it's days, runs, or vertical (or inches, time, speed, size, etc.) it's about egos. There's not an iota of difference between quoting days at someone vs. vertical. It's just that people don't like being trumped by a different number than their own record. Just like they don't want to hear about the day they didn't go... Unless it was terrible.

 

[James]

Holy buckets those are some pretty bumps!! no boarders smearing them flat there?

Hah, I guess not that many. You'd want to be pretty decent in bumps on a board or you're going to have a bad time. It's long. One can just ride the gondola down.

 

[firebanex]

I track days primarily, however, recently I started using my Fitbit Ionic to see exactly how hard I was skiing through out the day along with where. Most of that data is simply for my own curiosity and I don't compare it to anyone else. Due to life and how skiing is where I live, I aim for 40 days a season.

 

[graham418]

Speaking as someone who has tracked their vertical since 1989.

It all started when a co-worker said his annual week long trip to Colorado amounted to more skiing than my every single weekend skiing in the Poconos. He said that his 40,000 per day amounted to more skiing than I could get on an 800 foot vertical hill. So, of course, I had to prove him wrong!

I started just with number of runs and vert in a spreadsheet. Added comments about conditions, weather, which runs, with whom, etc. over time, which has actually proved to be quite useful. Then I added which skis I used, and when they were last tuned. Then I added cumulative feet for the prior year for that ski day to help gauge my increasing (or lately, my decreasing) fitness.

Sure the local area tracks my vert. And there was a time my position on the vert list was a huge factor. (My best year ever was number 25 -- the year I slammed into a tree and ended my season. That resulted in a complete rethinking of the competitive aspect.) Relying on the mountain for tracking makes you a bit of a pain when the liftie is feeling lazy, so I do my own tracking. And I've largely let go of that focus on my relative performance to others and mostly look at my performance compared to myself in other years. As I age, that comparison is both upsetting and yet an incentive, depending on my mood.

I realize that's thirty years of what some would call obsessive behavior. But ultimately vertical, not runs or days, is the only way to compare "amount" of skiing. If this was cross country, maybe mileage would make sense. But this is downhill. I've tried hours, but you'd need a stopwatch to eliminate chair time, line time, talk time, etc. It's too exhausting. I just start my altimeter each day in the locker room. Turn it off when I return, then enter that info on my spreadsheet when I get back to the house. Takes about three minutes for all those actions combined. Most of which is the time opening the spreadsheet.

Now that's a wealth of information. You should compile some kind of compendium. Share it with the rest of us!!

 

[Sibhusky]

When people ask we what the weather is likely to be any given week, I've referred to that data. For myself, understanding where my head and fitness was at around that point in the season helps me gauge my progress.

 

[raisingarizona]

Some people love numbers. Every year I try to keep track of my days and every year I forget somewhere around day 18. I guess I’m not that into it.

 

[Brad J]

I use ski days myself but i think vertical feet is a way better measure. i usually ski bell to bell but most of my friends quit after lunch or 2pm if its great conditions. all ski days are not created equal.

 

[LuliTheYounger]

I count days, which to some seems obsessive. We have a guy at our home mountain who is number 2 or 3 in the world for vertical. He spends about 6-6 1/2 hours a day going up and down a 1200' hill doing the same turns.......................to each his own I guess.

Tell me this isn't at Bristol?

 

[Doby Man]

I bet a desire for racking up braggin rights subconsciously results in turning less.

 

[Guy in Shorts]

Like many on line here tracking Days/Vert/Runs is simply my OCD side shining thru. I also track days and vert on each pair of skis that I own. Once you put out a number someone will always post a larger number.

Watched a 13 year old ski buddy lap Superstar 49 times a couple of seasons ago during a soft May ski day. Lifts ran from 8-5 and the lift operator would not let him on for run 50. The bumps were huge and Superstar was the only way down. I would be willing to bet that no one here has skied 49 Superstar Quality bump runs in a session.
but once you put out a number........