Cross Country Skiing VS Downhill skiing

Did you know that there are 2 different types of skiing? Well there are. There is downhill skiing (Alpine) and cross country skiing (Nordic). Whats the difference? Downhill skiing uses different equipment compared to cross country skiing. I downhill ski. That means that my boots are attached to my skis with a binding. While skiing downhill your feet do not move because of the binding. Your speed is a result of gravity and the type of terrain you are on. Downhill skiing always takes place on steep mountainsides. There are many more mountains to downhill ski at compared to cross country trails.
Cross country skiing is a lot more physically aggressive compared to downhill skiing. Cross country skiing requires boots and bindings just like downhill skiing except the bindings only secure the boot tip so while you are moving, the bindings allow for you to push off on your skis. You have to use a lot of leg muscle while trying to move forward. Cross country skiing takes place on flat trails where you get no speed from steep mountainsides. As a result, cross country skiing is mush slower than downhill.

Sometimes people get confused when I tell them I go skiing because they assume I cross country ski they soon realize I don't when they see my equipment. I decided to write a post to clear up the confusion for people that may not know the difference between each type of skiing.

Problems, Problems, Problems

Wow its been about 3 weeks since I have been skiing. This past weekend I ventured up to WV with some friends. I have to say this trip was pretty exciting. On Friday night we drove up to Plymouth, NH to stay at the lake house. The drive up was great however we ran into a problem once we got to the house. Since it has snowed a lot the past few weeks the driveway at the house was a little messy. There was about 10 inches of snow on the ground with a lot of ice underneath it which made the driveway really tricky but I did not know this until I tried to drive up it. Even better the driveway has a bit of a slant too! So since I have a Jeep I thought I would just plow right through the snow with no problem. Wrong! I slid on the ice and ended up backed into a tree. Slowly I backed down the driveway and have it a few more tries. However with each attempt I slid even more so I just gave up and parked at the bottom of the driveway. It was no fun carrying all the equipment and bags up the icy driveway although everyone got a good laugh because we were falling all over the place. So at about midnight all the luggage was in the house and we finally lit the fire and settled in for the night to get some rest before our big day of skiing.

Saturday was beautiful. The temperature was about 30 degrees and there was no wind which made for great skiing conditions. The only downfall was that it was school vacation week and every family in New England decided to take their kids skiing. At least that's was it seemed like. By about noon we got about 5 runs in which was pretty good considering the mountain was pretty crowded. After lunch we headed back out to enjoy the rest of the afternoon. Or at least that's what we thought. As we rode the chairlift to the top of the mountain the lift suddenly stopped. At first we thought nothing of it because it happens all the time when someone has trouble getting on or off the lift they stop it to help the person. However this time was different. After about 5 minutes we knew something was wrong. Good thing it wasn't cold because it gets mighty windy on the lift because you are basically dangling in mid air. So after 30 minutes of just sitting on the lift and swinging back and forth, we started to move. Thank god! I was beginning to get worried that we were going to be stranded. Come to find out, a child fell off the lift at the unloading station and was hurt. That's what the hold up was. So after that mid afternoon disruption we skied for the rest of the day and left the mountain at about 3:00.

Even though we had a few problems between the icy driveway and dangling chairlift, the skiing was great. However next time I wont go skiing when it is school vacation week. A lot of kids makes it hard to ski without worrying about running them down. The next planned ski trip is on St. Patrick's Day so hopefully there is still snow.

Helmets are for beginners, right?

Lately there have been a few skiing accidents out west. These accidents were caused mostly by avalanche but they made me think about safety on the mountain. Any way you look at it, going down a mountain with equipment strapped to your feet is dangerous. While looking at some skiing websites I came across a few articles relating to helmet use. Dr. Stewart Levy a brain surgeon in Denver, Colorado has treated many patients who suffer from brain injuries due to a skiing/snowboarding accident. In his experience Levy believes that when a skier or snowboarder is wearing a helmet they are 42% less likely to sustain brain damage. This statistic is evidence that wearing a helmet can prevent serious injury no matter what type of skier or snowboarder you are.

What is my opinion when it comes to helmets? Well while I was younger and was learning to ski, helmets were new. Not many people wore them and if they did it was mostly little kids. I never had a helmet. About 3 years ago I was finally fed up with wearing hats because they always seem to ride up on my head and my ears get cold. To fix my cold ear problem I decided to buy a helmet. The helmet was the best thing I have bought for skiing. About three weeks ago it was pretty warm while skiing and my head was hot so I decided to not wear my helmet. It felt so weird. Not only did I feel like I was missing something but I also did not feel safe. I caught myself skiing slower and being much more cautious. I only went down the mountain once without it . I never realized that I became so dependent on my helmet. I will never ski again without it.

Not only are helmets a safety precaution but they have also become very fashionable. They are now available if many colors and styles. Now on the mountain about 75% of people are wearing helmets. When you see racing teams on the mountain they are all wearing helmets. Even though they are good, they still take precautions.

Accidents can happen to anyone. If you are a beginner or an expert you are still at risk. Even if you are a cautious on the mountain you still don't know the ability of other people on the slopes. Wearing a helmet can help you reduce your risk of brain injury during an accident and even keep your ears warm!

The Dangers of Skiing

Every time I leave the house to go skiing, my Mom makes sure to say, "Be Careful". And as usual I say, "I Will". I never really think about the dangers of skiing. Skiing is a very dangerous sport. Your speed and the speed of others can create quite the accident if you are not paying attention. One false move and you could have a collision. Not only are you moving pretty fast but you have equipment attached to you. One of the more famous skiing accidents occurred while Michael Kennedy enjoying a day on the slopes. Kennedy was throwing a football back and forth with another skier when he hit a tree. This just proves that you must always be alert while on the mountain.

Even though I do not like to think about the dangers of skiing, this past weekend I was reminded of them. Over the weekend a deadly avalanche struck Montana, Utah and Idaho. An avalanche is when a large amount of snow travels down a mountainside. Usually an avalanche is unexpected so no one can prepare for it. Unfortunately an avalanche tumbled down the Big Belt Mountains and killed skiers and snowmobiler's. The skier was skiing out of bounds when the avalanche hit which may be why he died.

In the Northeast, we do not have avalanches but they do occur out west. This just goes to show that even if you are careful while skiing, accidents still occur. The six people who dies this weekend did not know that they were going to encounter an avalanche.

Just remember that skiing is a dangerous sport and that you should know all the dangers before learning how to ski.

Valentines Day Snow Storm

Since Sunday of this past week, everyone has been talking about a snow storm. So of course, us Rhode Islanders get all excited for a big storm that was supposed to deliver snow. Well we got a storm but it was full of ice and sleet. So on Valentines Day when I woke up I was expecting piles of snow and no school. Again I was disappointed. We got a dusting of snow and lots of ice. Oh and school was not canceled.

Even though RI did not get any snow, NH certainly did. As usual I checked WV's website for current conditions because I am thinking about going skiing this weekend. I was really surprised to see that they go 22 inches of snow! Of course new snow means great skiing but there is one downfall. Everyone will want to go skiing this weekend plus it is a holiday. So with lots of snow and a holiday (Presidents Day on Monday), WV will most likely be crowed. Crowds mean long lift lines, searching for a table inside the lodge to eat lunch plus parking in a lot that is very far away. Plus did i mention it is 5 degrees at WV with wind gusts of 50 mph. So instead of fighting the crowds and becoming frostbitten I am going to stay home this weekend and wait out the cold. Hopefully next weekend it will be a little warmer and less crowds.

How do you begin to ski?

Skiing is not a sport you can just pick up. I began skiing when I was about 5 years old. Since it was so long ago, I actually do not remember it at all. I remember taking lessons till I was bout 10 or 12 years old at Attitash Mountain. Now skiing is second nature to me and I never think about the core fundamentals that I learned when I was 5.

Over Christmas break some friends and I went skiing. One of my friends had never skied before. At first I thought I would teach him how to ski. Once I began to think about it more, I did not remember how to ski either. Of course I know how to ski but I have been skiing for so long that I have forgotten how I learned. What is the first thing you do when you put your skis on? How do you even put your skis on? These are very important things that a beginner needs to know. So to avoid an accident, my friend took a lesson. During the lesson, my friend learned how to put his skis on, turn and stop. These are very important elements to skiing.

So what should you do if you are a beginner? You should definitely take a lesson. You will most likely hurt yourself if you just try to ski down a mountain without any clue how to stop or turn. Without control you will fly down the mountain like a maniac! However you should not only take one lesson. In order to grasp the concepts behind skiing you should certainly take 2- 3 lessons. This way you can practice turning and stopping to make sure you know what you are doing. Unfortunately you will not become a pro after a few lessons. It takes time. Every time you go skiing you will improve. Even now after many years I am still improving on skills.

If you want to learn how to ski, lessons are a guarantee. With a few lessons you will be on your way to becoming a better skier!

Still interested in learning how to ski? Visit these sites:

http://skiing.about.com/od/instructionfitness/ht/learntoski.htm
http://www.abc-of-skiing.com/learn-skiing/

Finally a Day Off

So I'm not going to lie. Skiing every weekend can become tiring. This is the first Saturday in a month that I have not gone skiing. I am not going because honestly, it is way too cold! I love to ski but when I can't feel my legs all day and my face is windburn, I draw the line. Right now it is approximately 10 degrees at Waterville Valley with winds at almost 15 mph. Let me tell you, when it is 10 degrees with a wind chill at the summit (top of the mountain) it is real cold.

So what will I do with my free Saturday? Stay inside and keep warm! Even here in RI it is about 18 degrees. Although I cannot complain. In January I was complaining it was too warm and I couldn't ski because there was no snow. Now it is really cold and there is snow. There is no happy middle.

How did I decide not to go skiing this weekend? Well there are a few different things I check before I go. The first thing I check is the Waterville Valley website, http://www.waterville.com. On the mountain website I always go to the complete snow report. Here they list the current ski conditions which include what trails are open, which lifts are running, temperature, and new snow. When I looked today, I saw cold temperatures and windy conditions. I quickly decided I did not want to drive 3 hours to be freezing all day. I also check the Weather Channel website which gives you the full 10 day forecast. I always use this when I am making skiing plans ahead of time. Hey if it says its going to be raining or sleeting, I am staying home!

Now at 12:14am I am going to go to bed and sleep past 6am. No skiing for me!