Make A New Year’s Resolution To Avoid Saying These Things. Here Are Tips To Help.

Don’t be a scare crow skier.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

The Scare Crow Skier. I know a skier who is so stiff he looks like a scarecrow with a pole up his back. Nothing moves. Nothing flexes. His ski poles hang down and drag behind.

“I’m practicing,” he says. “I’ll take a lesson when I get good enough.”

Vince Lombardi had it right: “Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.”

Even good skiers get stuck in a rut, says Tim Wolfgram, director of Snowsports Services at Solitude Snowsports Academy. Take a lesson, brush up skills, and you’ll have more fun.

The Vintage Equipment Skier. “My skis are 20 years old,” says another skier. “I’d try new equipment if I enjoyed skiing more.”

Technology marches on. Current skis have so much nifty technology built into them that updated skis make skiing much easier.

Many resorts have demo days throughout the season, and you can try skis right there at no cost. All you have to do is show some identification. It’s a great way to try what’s new. You might find skis you really like. Check on when demo days are scheduled at your favorite resort.

The Willy-Nilly Skier. This man grew up in a European village where skiing was a way of life. Then gave it up for many years. Recently, he got back into the sport, and he bought skis willy-nilly off a used equipment rack.

Now he whines: “These skis are terrible. I wasted my money. They won’t go straight.”

His expert, old school technique is incompatible with the ultra-shaped, learner-type skis he grabbed and bought.

There’s nothing wrong with buying used equipment. Most reputable ski shops will give honest advice about what skis you might like—whether new or used—even if you don’t buy there.

The Tuneless Skier. “Don’t wax my skis. I don’t want to go fast,” say many skiers, especially women. But it’s a misconception that taking care of your skis will turn you into an Olympic racer.

“Tuned and waxed skis slide and turn more easily. And you won’t get as tired because they won’t use as much energy,” said Brayden Morgan, head of rentals at Alta Ski Shop.

Many shops will inspect skis and give a no-cost assessment of what needs to be done. Often, skis just need to be waxed. Or, if they haven’t been tuned or waxed for a long time, they might need more work, said Brett Pergrossi, rental manager at Snowbird. “It’s all about safety and the quality of turns.”

To read more from Harriet click here for her stories on SkiUtah.

 

4 Comments

  1. Cracked Edge says:

    The very most stupid thing you hear today, especially on lifts:

    “HELLO?”

  2. Daniel Chisholm says:

    I agree wholeheartedly with you when you said: It’s all about safety and the quality of turns.

    I am 65, on one knee replacement and having a ball; fully savoring every turn.

  3. Another stupid thing you’ll hear skiers say:
    “I don’t ski in the East because it’s always icy.’

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