(no subject)
Took Monday off to spend some time on the mountain. My choices were of course between Whistler and Cypress, and ultimately the weather made the decision easy -- with strong winds no 'high alpine' terrain was open at Whistler, so no point in making the drive.
Being a weekday Cypress was very quiet, which was particularly great since three chair lifts were closed due to the aforementioned winds. There had been a good dump of snow the night before (with snowfall ongoing throughout the day), so it was a good opportunity to practice powder skiing... not exactly my "strong suit".
Overall, the day was pretty great -- my Dynastar skis are terrific in powder (although they are technically not a dedicated 'powder ski'), and I had a great time. Despite challenging myself in conditions I am not terribly comfortable with, I only fell once... but it was rather spectacular...
Coming down a steep run I managed to hit fresh snow covering a hard-packed section, which I adapted to without difficulty -- it was the deep powder I encountered an instant later that caused me some trouble, and I immediately lost my balance. I actually managed to go down backwards -- falling head-first downhill on my back, then did a complete backwards somersault stopping with my skis pointed across the fall-line and downhill. It wasn't a hard fall (neither of my skis detached), and I stopped in such a way that all I had to do was push myself into a standing position.
I must say, this year I have fallen in the most unusual ways -- I am beginning to think that with more advanced skiing comes more spectacular falls.
As an instructor once told me: if you aren't falling, you aren't challenging yourself.
Being a weekday Cypress was very quiet, which was particularly great since three chair lifts were closed due to the aforementioned winds. There had been a good dump of snow the night before (with snowfall ongoing throughout the day), so it was a good opportunity to practice powder skiing... not exactly my "strong suit".
Overall, the day was pretty great -- my Dynastar skis are terrific in powder (although they are technically not a dedicated 'powder ski'), and I had a great time. Despite challenging myself in conditions I am not terribly comfortable with, I only fell once... but it was rather spectacular...
Coming down a steep run I managed to hit fresh snow covering a hard-packed section, which I adapted to without difficulty -- it was the deep powder I encountered an instant later that caused me some trouble, and I immediately lost my balance. I actually managed to go down backwards -- falling head-first downhill on my back, then did a complete backwards somersault stopping with my skis pointed across the fall-line and downhill. It wasn't a hard fall (neither of my skis detached), and I stopped in such a way that all I had to do was push myself into a standing position.
I must say, this year I have fallen in the most unusual ways -- I am beginning to think that with more advanced skiing comes more spectacular falls.
As an instructor once told me: if you aren't falling, you aren't challenging yourself.