Snow Skills

There is more news about the risks of using Nalgene bottles for drinking fluids. The concern is that bisphenol-a (a.k.a. BPA) is a material which is widely used in the manufacturing of polycarbonate, which is the plastic typically used in hard plastic bottles. Previous studies have demonstrated that BPA can leach from polycarbonate into food and fluids, but the cancer risk associated with this action is uncertain. To date, the most significant risk appears to be to children and pregnant women, as exposure to smaller human beings has the most effect.

The National Toxicology Program of the Department of Health and Human Services recently published a draft report that states that there is no direct evidence that human exposure to BPA harms reproduction or infant development. “A recent article in the New York Times sums up this draft report and provides additional information that the issue continues to be unsettled.

Consistent with our previous posts on this issue, there is no definitive information that the use of a Nalgene bottle has a clear health risk. If you’re concerned, previous studies indicate that higher temperatures are more likely to leach BPA, so you could only use cold fluids in your Nalgene and replace it periodically.

Here’s a balance tip, from a doing approach:

Doing: “Balance more on the outside leg than the inside leg”
Read the rest of this entry »

Build your balance on the outside ski with a soft leg.

Parallel skiers have learned to develop a turn by changing their weight from one side of their body to the other. Improve that skill by building good balance on the outside ski with a ‘soft’ outside leg. Relax your knee and ankle joints to allow your body to fully balance over the outside ski. A stiff outside leg will cause your weight to fall off your outside ski; a soft outside leg will keep your primary balance on the outside ski and help add black diamond trails to your terrain list.

The use of trekking poles with powder baskets will help maintain your balance with whatever you have on your feet. Get the adjustable type of poles to adjust for various snow conditions; the length will depend on the snow’s density and hardness. You’ll also find that shortening your poles will make it easier to climb in fresh snow while shortening them will make it easier to descend. Powder baskets are usually $5 to 8, from the manufacturer.

Compliment the balance of your body in skiing with the movement of your arms.

The movements of your arms will help to fine-tune the balance generated by your body. Stand in a balanced stance and place your forearms roughly parallel with the snow. Keeping your head facing straight ahead, explore the range to which you can move your hands without taking them out of your vision; these movements help balance. Then explore the movements that take your hands out of sight; these movements will not help balance.

Now, make some turns and try to keep your hands where you can see them. Each hand should move independently to assist any variation in your balance while moving. Add in a pole swing that meets these guidelines and the entire body will begin constantly moving to maintain balance. These arm movements will also help you in skiing terrain such as moguls and trees.

Here are four simple tips for that same focus, from four different approaches:

Thinking: “Keep your inside leg light”

Seeing: “Put your jacket zipper over the downhill edge of your outside ski”

Feeling: “Make the turn such that it feels like your outside half travels further around the corner than your inside half”

Doing: “Balance more on the outside leg than the inside leg”

Here’s a suggestion to build on that is to allow a little more ‘anticipation’ by separating your upper and lower body more. Read the rest of this entry »

Separate the upper body from the legs at the hip joint.

The ability to twist the legs without steering the body is crucial to short turns. Stand in a hip-width stance without skis on flat terrain. Using your poles to stabilize your upper body, explore twisting your feet with all the parts of your legs from the hips down. The best twisting movement is one where the toes and heels move a similar distance to leave an hourglass shape in the snow.

Next, twist your feet without using the poles and focus on isolating the movement of your legs in relation to your body. Now, apply this move in gentle parallel turns by focusing on twisting your legs together such that the skis turn more than your body. You’ll find your balance is more steady from turn to turn and your short turns more precise.

There’s an old joke that goes “Want to make a small fortune in the ski industry?” “Take a large fortune and buy a ski area”.

Not a very positive spin on a huge winter recreational business, but it’s true that there are half as many ski areas in the USA (502 in 2003; Ski Magazine) as there were in 1975. The financial challenges of a seasonal business would be large enough without energy, transportation, liability insurance, climate change, and other higher costs associated with skiing and riding.

That said, I’d guess every skier and rider has a small, hidden fantasy of wondering what it would be like to own your own ski area? Here’s your chance: Mt. Abram in Locke Mills, Maine is for sale. For $1.8 million, you can own 644 acres including a ski area with 44 trails and the largest tubing park in Maine. Mt. Abram’s has a 1,150 ft. vertical drop and strong weekend and night-time skiing programs for kids. This is your ‘classic’ New England local ski area. The present owner bought it for only $325,000 in 2000 in foreclosure; this sale occurs while the area is operating and apparently succeeding. I’d expect it will be a mark of the strength of the skiing industry if it sells and it will be interesting to see if the buyer is a sole proprietor or a larger corporation.

Here’s a skiing tip, from a feeling approach:

Feeling: “Make the turn such that it feels like your outside half travels further around the corner than your inside half”
Read the rest of this entry »