Month: March 2013

Level  3, Chris and Collin, Houston Texas. Predicted 31 degrees … didn’t happen, cold all day with high humidity and wind. Good progress with initiating turns with both feet and being less edgie, more friction and shape for contol. Made it up the Colorado chair and down Springmeire … good job guys … you both are now low level 5 skiers … have a great week!

Shambooskis, level 8, hard chargers everyone. Boundry Chutes, White Crown, Whales Tale, Windows (you guys still speaking to me?), trees and more trees, Y Chute, Lower Boneyard, Crescendo. What a day! Working on hands, ski pressure through apex, extend to lighten skis at initiation, ‘thinking’ about starting new turn sooner than later,being aggressive with linking to carry momentum from one turn to the next. I’m tired tonight … hope all of you are also.

No picture, forgot camera. A good powder day (it’s all relative, good for this season, just another day for two years ago). Level 8 (you guys are skiing better than some 9s (self proclaimed)), skiing anything on the mountain in any condition, this is good. Working left side of Tbar (the run down Ptarmigan was a hoot), trees and then steep trees … if you weren’t the Shinbooskis think I would call you the ‘Woodchucks’. Take or leave Souther Cross but E-chair skiing well with good challenge. Thank you for wine – was a good day.

Ali, level 7, warm but not sunny, area not too busy … a treat to have only one student. Main focus: softent the edges and let the skis slide – so much easier to steer and shape. Some attention to upper body alignment, initiating turns with both skis, early edge engagement (doesn’t need to be a hard edge, just simultaneous edge change). Tbar twice, Pica, Upper 4 O’clock and Dukes – all black groomed runs. Good job Ali, good changed today!

Warmest day this year, what a treat, sunny, no wind … not sure it was Breckenridge. Level 7, a diverse gourp of seven: Dave, Nancy, Celia, Pam, Donna,Becky Dawn. Up high early: Pica, Horseshoe bowl, Upper 4 O’clock, Peak 10, The Burn … some bumps, some trees, some stuff steeper than anything skied in the last two years. Good pictures today, I like them … and no trouble getting a table a luinch, this is about to change with March Madness soon descending. Most exciting of all … finally learned out how to load the Tbar.

Level 1, Florida, Craig (father), Irene (mother/grandmother/nana), Lucas (8 yrs. old). Nana made one run down the magic carpet – skiing not her ‘thing’… but she gave it a go …

 I like your spunk. Craig is Mr. Mild and as a consequence learned quickly (it’s not about strength, it’s about technique). Lucas has a cold and feeling a bit crum but hung in there all day … progressed from ‘never ever’ to sking down Twister in control and riding the chari lift by himself. To the Ackley family – I hope you remember this day for many years – an introduction to skiing, may it stick and pass from generation to generation. Thank you for this day we spent together.

Some of the best snow to date – whatever you want: groomed, off piste, bumps, bowls, steep … and even a table for 7 at the Vista House (now that was amazing). Ripping level 7s: Meow (starting to understand your humor), Joan, Dave, Michelle, Todd, Carole. White Crown (now there was some wind blown powder), Crescendo bumps, Imperial Bowl (that was skiing so good), Amen, Lower Bone Yard. Initiating with new inside ski, keep both skis on the snow, pressure with extension in the turn shaping phase, make the commitment, ‘smile’ drill to promote early edge engagement of inside ski, core facing more down the mountain,hands forward and wide, skis a proper width to align femur with hips. I’m whipped tonight, hope all of you are – a terrific day!

Spring is approaching, just not today – upper mountain a raging wind storm, lower mountain more peaceful. Five inches new snow, just what level 7s need (serious)! Pam, Donna, Joelle, Elsa, Dave, Merrit, Meow, Mike and Randy … and our focuses: more offense in the turns (GO to SLOW), carry the momentum from one turn into the next (a delay in initiation loses the centrifugal force needed to comment into the new turn), aligned ski width (feet, knees, hips stacked to allow the femurs to clearnly rotate in the hip sockets), turn initiation with new inside ski, upper body more vertical (less bend at waist), don’t rush at top of turn (let the new inside ski engage early and then use to to shapre throughout the turn). Last run up the Tbar and down White Crown was memorable!