Stuff I did in Vail
Feb. 28th, 2008 03:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
miss_ytHere is some stuff I learned in Vail:
Because my Spring Break coincided with a few different options for Mom's medical conference, we decided to go to Vail, because I like skiing. Mom enjoyed the conference even though one of the guys there was trying to pick her up. Which was about as weird for her as it was for me, truth be told. She was not originally planning to ski herself, but everyone else seemed to be having so much fun that she took a couple of lessons on her third and fourth days here. She went from being scared of the whole idea to being irritated with someone else in her class for sucking so much that he slowed her up on the Practice Loop (the easiest green run on the slopes where we were skiing). She was also adventurous enough to try sushi, and eel, for the first time. I'm very proud.
Anyway, I didn't actually ski on my first day here. I did for the second, third and fourth days. I made the mistake of getting an intermediate ski rental pack (with bad, stiff boots that were too tight) and going into a high-intermediate class. I didn't realize my mistake with regards to overreaching myself until we were up on top of a blue slope and I freaked out. Fortunately one of the teachers, Mark, was there to guide me down. We went down the blue slope and switched to the practice loop so we could get to Eagle's Rest, the gondola stop/restaurant/shop/lodge structure near the top of the mountain. It took us an hour and a half, because I was dehydrated, freaked out and my boots sucked. But we got there, and I learned a lot of good techniques along the way.
Mark was very proud of me, and I spent the afternoon in a lower-level class with him on the bunny hill.1 I called Mom at lunch to tell her of my travails and she scheduled a massage for me at a little spa called Heaven.2 The Marriott we're staying in for the conference has a spa, but Heaven was recommended by a friend of hers. I think the massage kept me from being really sore the next day. Afterward we went to an organic restaurant called Larkspur, which I would highly recommend to anyone visiting Vail. Not just because it's organic, but because it will be one of the best meals you've ever had in your life.
On the second day I was with Mark again. There were three other people in my group: an Asian couple (I don't know what country they were from, I'm not that good at telling) and a man who had just turned eighty. Mark was worried about him, but he did very well on the bunny hill drills in the morning and was the only one of the students who didn't fall at some point on the practice loop in the afternoon. The husband in the aforementioned couple fell several times, poor guy, and I think he was really scared. I also think that his wife was making fun of him or at least not being very sympathetic. I fell a few times myself and my legs hurt, but I got back up.
Today I did the practice loop in the morning, but had some trouble because I'd been skiing my keister off the previous two days and my legs were complaining. I ended up in a different class in the afternoon, and then got put in yet another class because I was more advanced than the other person I was skiing with. The first teacher I had in the afternoon taught me something that none of the other instructors had mentioned: you should not look down at your skis. You have better posture if you look ahead, you don't feel like you're going out-of-control fast, and you can plan your course better. I got moved to a different teacher3 for a run down the practice loop again. I did it faster than I'd done it the past three times, and far more easily, because of the advice to not look at my skis.
I had to cut out a little early because I was hurting. Fortunately I could take the gondola down the mountain. Tomorrow I'm going home, but I hope I can ski again next year instead of taking a six-year hiatus like I did since the last time I skied. This is one of the few sports I enjoy, and I would love to do it more regularly. I think now that Mom's done it, she would like to do it to. Maybe we can go on another medical conference/ski trip! And then I am going to get myself some ski boot liners with orthopedic foot pads for the sake of my toes, feet and legs.
1 Because Vail Mountain has a flat area near the peak but is steep from there on down, the bunny hill is up at the top near Eagle's Rest, not near the base of the mountain like you'd think.
2 Their motto: "Ski like hell, go to Heaven."
3 Mom got put in the class with my first teacher of the afternoon, and the other guy I was too advanced for. He was the one she was complaining about by the end of the day.
- Get the right ski boots. If one of your feet is larger than the other, size for the larger foot. If you are an amateur, make sure to ask for flexible boots with lots of cushioning. And make sure they are snug but not so tight that they strangle your calves and cut off your circulation.
- When standing or walking with ski boots on, don't lock your knees. That is of course the natural thing to do, but ski boots kind of force you into a different posture. You have to rely on your ankles - the front of the boots, rather - for support, not your knees.
- When skiing it is natural to lean backwards or sort of squat defensively, but it will strain your muscles and make your skis harder to control. Stand up and lean forward a bit: it's safer and more comfortable.
- Don't look at your skis. It will scare you and ruin your posture. Look ahead, like you would if you were driving a car.
- Little kids, unlike adults, are not scared of going fast. They're the ones you have to watch out for on the ski runs. Them and the snowboarders.
- Even though it's freakin' Vail, your mother will still be surprised at how expensive everything is.
Because my Spring Break coincided with a few different options for Mom's medical conference, we decided to go to Vail, because I like skiing. Mom enjoyed the conference even though one of the guys there was trying to pick her up. Which was about as weird for her as it was for me, truth be told. She was not originally planning to ski herself, but everyone else seemed to be having so much fun that she took a couple of lessons on her third and fourth days here. She went from being scared of the whole idea to being irritated with someone else in her class for sucking so much that he slowed her up on the Practice Loop (the easiest green run on the slopes where we were skiing). She was also adventurous enough to try sushi, and eel, for the first time. I'm very proud.
Anyway, I didn't actually ski on my first day here. I did for the second, third and fourth days. I made the mistake of getting an intermediate ski rental pack (with bad, stiff boots that were too tight) and going into a high-intermediate class. I didn't realize my mistake with regards to overreaching myself until we were up on top of a blue slope and I freaked out. Fortunately one of the teachers, Mark, was there to guide me down. We went down the blue slope and switched to the practice loop so we could get to Eagle's Rest, the gondola stop/restaurant/shop/lodge structure near the top of the mountain. It took us an hour and a half, because I was dehydrated, freaked out and my boots sucked. But we got there, and I learned a lot of good techniques along the way.
Mark was very proud of me, and I spent the afternoon in a lower-level class with him on the bunny hill.1 I called Mom at lunch to tell her of my travails and she scheduled a massage for me at a little spa called Heaven.2 The Marriott we're staying in for the conference has a spa, but Heaven was recommended by a friend of hers. I think the massage kept me from being really sore the next day. Afterward we went to an organic restaurant called Larkspur, which I would highly recommend to anyone visiting Vail. Not just because it's organic, but because it will be one of the best meals you've ever had in your life.
On the second day I was with Mark again. There were three other people in my group: an Asian couple (I don't know what country they were from, I'm not that good at telling) and a man who had just turned eighty. Mark was worried about him, but he did very well on the bunny hill drills in the morning and was the only one of the students who didn't fall at some point on the practice loop in the afternoon. The husband in the aforementioned couple fell several times, poor guy, and I think he was really scared. I also think that his wife was making fun of him or at least not being very sympathetic. I fell a few times myself and my legs hurt, but I got back up.
Today I did the practice loop in the morning, but had some trouble because I'd been skiing my keister off the previous two days and my legs were complaining. I ended up in a different class in the afternoon, and then got put in yet another class because I was more advanced than the other person I was skiing with. The first teacher I had in the afternoon taught me something that none of the other instructors had mentioned: you should not look down at your skis. You have better posture if you look ahead, you don't feel like you're going out-of-control fast, and you can plan your course better. I got moved to a different teacher3 for a run down the practice loop again. I did it faster than I'd done it the past three times, and far more easily, because of the advice to not look at my skis.
I had to cut out a little early because I was hurting. Fortunately I could take the gondola down the mountain. Tomorrow I'm going home, but I hope I can ski again next year instead of taking a six-year hiatus like I did since the last time I skied. This is one of the few sports I enjoy, and I would love to do it more regularly. I think now that Mom's done it, she would like to do it to. Maybe we can go on another medical conference/ski trip! And then I am going to get myself some ski boot liners with orthopedic foot pads for the sake of my toes, feet and legs.
1 Because Vail Mountain has a flat area near the peak but is steep from there on down, the bunny hill is up at the top near Eagle's Rest, not near the base of the mountain like you'd think.
2 Their motto: "Ski like hell, go to Heaven."
3 Mom got put in the class with my first teacher of the afternoon, and the other guy I was too advanced for. He was the one she was complaining about by the end of the day.
