Arriving at the state forest just as a hundred or so high schoolers were leaving after a classical x-c ski meet, the trails were ready with lots of new snow.
Hesitation has been in my skiing as of late. I knew as I approached the trails that struggles over the weeks before would show up in some tentativeness in skiing. More tentative about the downhills, feeling like I am loosing my balance more on the sharp quick declines.It is a balancing medium after all and requires relaxation in the muscles, which I didn't have. Enter more self doubt. Does this come with age or lack of practice.
But I am more inclined to think practice, since I can control that. So I decided that hills were what I needed - up then down then up then down. Up the steeper ones and then down. Adjusting my crouch, using my poles, stepping with my skis to compensate for for the bumps and twists of the trails.
The forest is higher up which makes it ideal snow conditions and hills and for this dopler weather ball.
Somehow this picture and the next don't show the length and angle of these down run. I will say that it takes longer to go up than it does to go down.
Finally, this was my only accidental picture, the face plant of a downhill. Oh well, but it was first and the last and came only after I'd been at it for a a few hours or so and getting more daring on a long steep decline.
Fortunately the trail was empty except for me, though I am not so confident that the expletives I was loudly using didn't escape the stillness of the woods. So as we prepare for more snow. Perhaps there will be more skiing in my immediate future.
5 comments:
Jeff -
I always xcountry skied but as I got older (and had a knee replaced) the downhills freaked me out more and more and it wasn't even because I was falling, it was the thought of falling.
Bill had snowshoes from the '70's stored at his sister's house that were retrieved this fall. Last weekend we went out in the woods with them and I have to tell you I'm in love. It was fun and so easy - and I never felt like I was going to fall.
And there's nothing like a walk in the woods to clear your head and ground you.
I got a pair of snow shoes this winter and only tried using them once and just sank in the soft snow.
I am sure I will use them many more times as the woods near our house are not good for skiing (to many downed trees and streams.
Plus I do love the speed, when I don't do a face plant that is.
I have never been skiiing or been on snow skis...our mountain house is located at Snow Shoe Ski Resort, but we don't ski. we don't go tubing, and we don't go sledding. We just like the mountains. I would probably kill myself. I can hear you swearing from here...lol next time will be a lot better!! ...debbie ( love the photos - so pretty)
I went out again yesterday for a couple of hours and it was good skiing, them I started feeling the fine mist of rain on my face and knowing I was 15-20 minutes or so from the lodge, hightailed it using a technique called double polling. You get more speed on the down hills and it forces you to move quicker on the uphills, of which there were many and I made it in 10.
My concern was less the skiing, and more the condition of the roads at that high an altitude. I wanted to get out of there before it iced up, which it did after I was gone.
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY JEFF!!
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