Prime Time Ski Club News for Bethel Citizen 2/20/14
This week proved to be a real bonus for Prime Time Ski Club members and all the other skiers and boarders who were at Sunday River when a major nor’easter dropped nearly two feet of snow in the mountains on Thursday and Friday. Sunday River is 100 percent open and it doesn’t get much better than this. So if you’ve been waiting for the ski season to start, it’s here. Come join us.
First tracks was fun on Friday, gliding through not too deep powder on trails that had been groomed earlier in the evening while the snow was still falling. But after a few runs the soft, silky snow turned into piles of heavy snow, better known as “crud.” It was evident that some of our members as well as others on the mountain didn’t appreciate all the new snow that was piling up (either it was too difficult or too tiring to ski) as the number of skiers dwindled as it got closer to lunch time.
Here are some tips from local ski coaches on how to make adjustments to your technique when skiing new snow or crud. Try these tips with the next dump of snow or after lunch when the nicely groomed snow has been pushed around and maybe you’ll enjoy skiing more and expend a lot less effort.
- Ski the fall line more with shorter turns; the heavy snow will help to control speed.
- Weight the skis about 60/40. You don’t want to unweight one ski too much or it will get caught in the heavy snow. Take a slightly narrower stance so you can keep weight on both skis more easily.
- Make sure that your weight is forward and shins are against the front of your boot. You have to be prepared to keep moving to maintain balance.
- Don’t “shop for turns.” Keep moving, no traversing, always be on one edge or another. Create a rhythm by singing a song or saying “turn 2, 3, 4; turn 2, 3, 4” and make yourself turn as part of the rhythm.
- Keep your abs pulled in tightly to help keep balance when you hit piles of snow. Keep legs flexible to absorb the unevenness of snow piles.
- Expect your legs to get tired more quickly than when skiing on groomed trails because you need to be moving all the time in the heavier snow.
Give these tips a try so you can enjoy skiing no matter what the conditions. And if you’re looking for someone to ski with, remember the motto of the Prime Time Ski Club, “No one needs to ski alone.” Club members meet every weekday at North Peak Lodge at 10 a.m. (upper level, right-hand side). After a brief time for announcements, members (who are 50 years or older) usually break into small groups of from four to eight skiers, based primarily on skiing ability and terrain preference. Check out our website at www.primetimeskiclub.com or just show up at North Peak Lodge and ski a few runs with us and make some new friends.
