Dirty skiing?

[KingGrump]

I see first hand this thing with aging at Taos. Lots of really good local skiers muscling down the mountain. I start to see them in ski weeks and locals clinics after they turn 40. The body hurts too much after a hard day of skiing. Nothing gets people moving like pain. They all figured out that better technique will get them to ski more efficiently and less pain.

One of the Santa Fe reporter detailed his ski lesson experience at Taos in the following article.

Learning from the best at Taos Ski Valley

The instructor mention was Derek Gordon. Derek is a regular in our afternoon posse. He is 71 years old. Still kills it every time. He is one of those that proves age is only a number if you have the proper technique.

 

[François Pugh]

@KingGrump
40s seems about right.
When I was in my twenties I was self-taught, reckless (and fortunately wreckless), and happy to speed through almost anything, relying on strength and agility.
In my forties, I decided to learn proper technique, not because I felt that my strength and agility were no longer up for the task, but just because I got around to wanting to be able to do it "right".

In my fifties, after suffering a few minor skiing injuries (surprisingly enough not in moguls) and realizing that I wasn't Superman, I was glad I had learned some proper technique. In the latter half of my 50s, the pounding that speeding through big moguls would give me, even sans error (except for the choice of skiing too fast for the conditions), makes it less enticing to do so. I'll stick with proper mogul techniques, and not treat a bump run like a DH race (unless I'm racing someone ).

 

[MikeS]

 

[Don in Morrison]

Did he leave the gear there when he was done?

 

[KevinF]

Regarding the "over 40" thing... I hit the big four-oh a couple years ago with the big five-oh getting fairly close. I've modified my fitness routine a bit to include more weight training and (slightly) less cycling, but I've also taken my ski technique more seriously as well. With numerous variables, it's hard to say what, if anything, is the "major contributing factor", but I find I can still ski bumps and trees late into the day, wake up the next morning, and do it all again.

I'd like to think that the frequency of needing to "muscle the skis down the hill" has decreased... As was mentioned above, the older I got the more I realized that skiing can exact a brutal toll on your muscles... or it can be fairly relaxing. I like the latter.

 

[KingGrump]

I don't need no stinking muscles. I got gravity.

 

[slowrider]

C2H6O reduces fear and pain.

 

[MountainMonster]

C2H6O reduces fear and pain.

as does cannabis without the Veisalgia

 

[KingGrump]

Is it even possible to be good at dirty skiing if you are not also good at clean skiing?

Senility strikes again. Skipped right over the obvious.

The fastest way to gain easy mastery of off piste skiing is get a new pair of ski. We are living in the golden age of ski design and development. We can now actually buy a turn. A wider and longer ski with a blend of no/reverse camber, rocker, splay, taper tip and tail, 5 point profile or all of the above, will allow the skier to float on top of the 3D snow. Making the snow more 2D-ish. Think reduced complexity.

Works every time. Just need a thicker credit card.

 

[François Pugh]

I don't need no stinking muscles. I got gravity.

On the rare occasion nearing the last run before they shut down the lifts, when my legs are feeling the workput, I just stop turning so hard; I make lazy SG turns down the hill and let wind resistance and gravity balance out. UNLESS conditions are perfect for chair shadow slalom or GS. I can't resist a good chair shadow course.