Tired - but happy.
Today I got out to the mountain about 2:15. It took the ski shop no time at all to get my skis taken care of. It literally took longer to ring me up than for him to run the skis over the wax machine. I was out and skiing by 2:30.
Observations from today:
- Silk can be ridiculously warm. I bought a medium-weight silk turtleneck that I wore today underneath my parka. I had to actually take my jacket off in the car because it was just too warm, which never happens (I don't keep the heat on that much in the car), since the ride isn't *that* long. It was 20 degrees at the summit (they have the thermometer in the window of the lift booth up there) so I needed the warm there. It worked great.
- Protecting the face makes a huge difference. Along with the turtleneck, I bought some silk sock liners, some silk/wool blend socks and a silk baclava (which is basically a ski mask without a mouth opening, and the eyes opening is formed for goggles with one big oval). The sock liners were under cotton socks and I had a wool cap on top of the baclava (along with mittens, of course!). Didn't have any problems with being cold.
- I need to remember to use the anti-fog glasses cleaner on my sunglasses before I go again - pulling the baclava up over my face, I got fog action on my sunglasses.
- I'm getting so much better at this. One of the runs that was so challenging a week or two ago (maybe two weeks) wasn't nearly as scary today. Matter of fact, I took that run and remember being past it on my way down the mountain and thinking "was that really the same run?" It was. I'm just getting a lot more comfortable and can turn more easily at higher speeds and I'm more comfortable with a steeper slope.
- Good news - I'm getting better at going down faster, but with control. Better news - it's starting to feel like actual work the faster I go. Today, I was there until around 4:30 and I was really feeling the exhaustion in my legs on the last run. Especially my right leg, which isn't my weaker leg. I tend to turn more to the right, I've noticed. I lean on my right leg to do that, and I can definitely feel it. Of course, the fact that I spent the afternoon doing much steeper slopes consistently had something to do with it, I'm sure. I'm having to do a lot of stretching afterward to keep from getting stiff, but that's fine with me.
- I get a lot of questions on the lift about my "short skis" and many people say "I've been wanting to try them." I always tell them they should, that they'll really like it. When I think about how many times I've gone skiing in my life (less than ten before this winter, by my honest estimate) and how I'm now comfortable on the black diamonds after a single season wearing them, I'm really glad I got the ski boards. I honestly don't think I'd be doing this well with a pair of skis. I'd probably still be falling on my ass with a snowboard on green slopes if I'd gone that route.
- Although some reviews said that my model ski boards were on the heavy side, I don't really notice that. Since I'm heavier for my height and have really strong legs, I need the stronger boards and I don't feel like they're overly heavy - in fact, I don't even really notice their weight. They keep their arch even with my weight - I can tell, because when I check them after a day's skiing, there's more wear at the front and back right near the ends. That's because the ski boards have a definite arch like a snowboard does, and those points are getting more wear rather than being mooshed flat from my enormous (slight sarcasm) weight.
- I love how it's really easy for me to use my ski boards without poles. Unlike a snowboard, I don't have to futz around with attaching/undoing my bindings at the bottom and top of the hill. I'm really getting annoyed with the packs of kids (it's always these teenagers - they need to get off my lawn) who will all just plunk their asses down right as you're getting off the lift in the middle of things to do their bindings, wait for their friends, etc. It's like a frickin' slalom course to get to the actual trail sometimes. If I have to stop to adjust something, I get out of the damn way - it's not the fact that they're boarders, it's just that they're rude little kids. There are plenty of adults who board who manage to not be RIGHT. IN. THE. WAY. Grrrr....
- Getting there when I did was perfect - I was tired just as the sun was setting and the swarms of kids were clogging up down at the bottom of the lift to the right hand (easier) blue runs. I've noticed that there's always less of a line to the lift to the harder trails. Nice.
My goal in the next week is to go at least twice, maybe three times. Today, I almost changed my mind about going (a common occurrence lately), but I told myself that once I got out there I'd be really happy to be there. I was. I made a new playlist before I left for the ipod that probably contributed to me going faster on the slopes. It's a lot easier to get into that zone where things seem to be working well when you're listening to something that really makes you want to move. I was probably singing to myself more than a bit, but only on the trails. People can deal or kiss my ass. *chuckle* I think I was actually doing a ski/dance party for one this afternoon. It was awesome.
Observations from today:
- Silk can be ridiculously warm. I bought a medium-weight silk turtleneck that I wore today underneath my parka. I had to actually take my jacket off in the car because it was just too warm, which never happens (I don't keep the heat on that much in the car), since the ride isn't *that* long. It was 20 degrees at the summit (they have the thermometer in the window of the lift booth up there) so I needed the warm there. It worked great.
- Protecting the face makes a huge difference. Along with the turtleneck, I bought some silk sock liners, some silk/wool blend socks and a silk baclava (which is basically a ski mask without a mouth opening, and the eyes opening is formed for goggles with one big oval). The sock liners were under cotton socks and I had a wool cap on top of the baclava (along with mittens, of course!). Didn't have any problems with being cold.
- I need to remember to use the anti-fog glasses cleaner on my sunglasses before I go again - pulling the baclava up over my face, I got fog action on my sunglasses.
- I'm getting so much better at this. One of the runs that was so challenging a week or two ago (maybe two weeks) wasn't nearly as scary today. Matter of fact, I took that run and remember being past it on my way down the mountain and thinking "was that really the same run?" It was. I'm just getting a lot more comfortable and can turn more easily at higher speeds and I'm more comfortable with a steeper slope.
- Good news - I'm getting better at going down faster, but with control. Better news - it's starting to feel like actual work the faster I go. Today, I was there until around 4:30 and I was really feeling the exhaustion in my legs on the last run. Especially my right leg, which isn't my weaker leg. I tend to turn more to the right, I've noticed. I lean on my right leg to do that, and I can definitely feel it. Of course, the fact that I spent the afternoon doing much steeper slopes consistently had something to do with it, I'm sure. I'm having to do a lot of stretching afterward to keep from getting stiff, but that's fine with me.
- I get a lot of questions on the lift about my "short skis" and many people say "I've been wanting to try them." I always tell them they should, that they'll really like it. When I think about how many times I've gone skiing in my life (less than ten before this winter, by my honest estimate) and how I'm now comfortable on the black diamonds after a single season wearing them, I'm really glad I got the ski boards. I honestly don't think I'd be doing this well with a pair of skis. I'd probably still be falling on my ass with a snowboard on green slopes if I'd gone that route.
- Although some reviews said that my model ski boards were on the heavy side, I don't really notice that. Since I'm heavier for my height and have really strong legs, I need the stronger boards and I don't feel like they're overly heavy - in fact, I don't even really notice their weight. They keep their arch even with my weight - I can tell, because when I check them after a day's skiing, there's more wear at the front and back right near the ends. That's because the ski boards have a definite arch like a snowboard does, and those points are getting more wear rather than being mooshed flat from my enormous (slight sarcasm) weight.
- I love how it's really easy for me to use my ski boards without poles. Unlike a snowboard, I don't have to futz around with attaching/undoing my bindings at the bottom and top of the hill. I'm really getting annoyed with the packs of kids (it's always these teenagers - they need to get off my lawn) who will all just plunk their asses down right as you're getting off the lift in the middle of things to do their bindings, wait for their friends, etc. It's like a frickin' slalom course to get to the actual trail sometimes. If I have to stop to adjust something, I get out of the damn way - it's not the fact that they're boarders, it's just that they're rude little kids. There are plenty of adults who board who manage to not be RIGHT. IN. THE. WAY. Grrrr....
- Getting there when I did was perfect - I was tired just as the sun was setting and the swarms of kids were clogging up down at the bottom of the lift to the right hand (easier) blue runs. I've noticed that there's always less of a line to the lift to the harder trails. Nice.
My goal in the next week is to go at least twice, maybe three times. Today, I almost changed my mind about going (a common occurrence lately), but I told myself that once I got out there I'd be really happy to be there. I was. I made a new playlist before I left for the ipod that probably contributed to me going faster on the slopes. It's a lot easier to get into that zone where things seem to be working well when you're listening to something that really makes you want to move. I was probably singing to myself more than a bit, but only on the trails. People can deal or kiss my ass. *chuckle* I think I was actually doing a ski/dance party for one this afternoon. It was awesome.