Breckenridge Ski Lesson Pictures And Some Food For Thought

Level 8: Michelle, John, Kathleen, Renate, Theo, Scott – nothing but fun and laughs today. Best run … Windows #5 hands down. High level skiing: steeps, trees, bumps … and a cruise down Crescendo. Chocolate for lunch, Scott’s birthday, how appropriate. Good changes, thank you for experimenting with your technique … ‘if it doesn’t feel wierd, it’s not change’.

Level 7, warmest day this spring, no wind, 50F in Breckenridge, sun, cloudless … this was good. Sally, Michael, Martin, Lori, Becky, Elsa, Joelle, Donna, Pam. White Crown, Amen, Pica, West Snowshoe (think that was the name), Crescendo … different focus for everyone. Late lunch, no chocolate today (I’ll bring chocolate tomorrow), lots of technique talk … there were changes today, hope they stick!

Morning: Level 3/4/5 (figure that one out), San Antonio: Roger, Artie, Hector, Jaoquin. Working on less wedge and more parallel, keep hands up, tip inside ski to flatten and steer, speed control with more turn and less pushing on a hard edge. Most enjoyable morning, thanks guys, have a great two days.

Afternoon: Level 5 going on 6: Lauren, Katherine, Marc, Michael, Ben. Dad, daughters and boyfriends, good humor, some laughs, lots of turns, Focus: no lazy hands, hips more countered (facing down the mountain), initiate turns with new inside ski, slow inititation with less twisting, more patience, side slips (practice these at least one each day), less edgie, a bit more angle at the waist. Pleasure meeting all of you, have fun on this vacation, come back again!

Level 3, Austin, Stacy, Mathew, Kristin – 1/2 day, warmer, mild wind, 8″ new. Stacy and Kristin: matching, skidding, shaping, speed control with friction and direction. Mathew: gliding wedge, wedge turns, flatter skis to allow both skis to turn together. Finished morning with ski down to bottom of Snowflake lift.

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!