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williswall
poser
Joined: 30 Sep 2007
Posts: 1968 | TRs | Pics
Location: Redmond |
Life is interesting, and sometimes we can give it a little kick. I've found that stepping out of my comfort zone is an important ingredient as I get older. This was especially true when I took up Kendo at age 49 10 years ago; that was really uncomfortable for about a year, but now I can't imagine life without it. Now this year my 67 year old buddy and I decided to branch out from pure alpine skiing, something I've done for 52 years, and venture into ski touring and ski mountaineering. Although comfortable in downhill mode, there is so much to learn about this part of skiing and enjoying the outdoors that we of course don't know what we don't know. Sure I researched and perused the informative threads available on this site, and sure I've got outdoors experience and even a modicum of mountaineering experience, but we all know that when taking up something new, experience is the greatest teacher and director of what questions to ask, what equipment works and doesn't, where are my personal limits and so forth. But we took the plunge and have been acquiring gear over the past two months to the best of our knowledge (thanks Big Steve for all the info you have provided on this topic). Now it's just time to start venturing out. Cascade Climber has said that he is a mountaineer that skis. I guess I would be a skier that is getting back into mild mountaineering (I have always been very conservative in this respect, and fairly wussy when it comes to scary slopes, weather conditions, route conditions etc). With an eye toward the Haute Route, we plan on squeezing in trips like St Helens, Adams, Baker and maybe Glacier, and I'd personally like to ski Rainier (this is not on Craig's list tho he has summited).
So despite very high water content.......
 Crystal skin water content  Crystal skin3  Crystal skin14  Crystal skin5  Crystal skin13  Crystal skin7  Crystal skin9  Crystal skin15
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Magellan
Brutally Handsome
Joined: 26 Jul 2006
Posts: 13116 | TRs | Pics
Location: Inexorable descent |
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Magellan
Brutally Handsome
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 Wed Apr 23, 2014 4:48 pm |
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Jetlag
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Joined: 17 Aug 2010
Posts: 1410 | TRs | Pics
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Jetlag
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Thu Apr 24, 2014 12:17 am |
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Cool . . . and just at the right time as the ski mountaineering season takes off! Congrats!
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DIYSteve
seeking hygge
Joined: 06 Mar 2007
Posts: 12655 | TRs | Pics
Location: here now |
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DIYSteve
seeking hygge
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Thu Apr 24, 2014 7:47 am |
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We await your steep firm kick turn video
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Randito
Snarky Member
Joined: 27 Jul 2008
Posts: 9513 | TRs | Pics
Location: Bellevue at the moment. |
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Randito
Snarky Member
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Thu Apr 24, 2014 3:53 pm |
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| BigSteve wrote: | | We await your steep firm kick turn video |
Kick turns are one place where being good at one footed yoga poses is an advantage in ski touring.
Also unless you are really good at one footed yoga poses -- don't try to show off by removing skins without removing skis at the top.
When the skin track is steep and your skis start slipping backwards, focus on keeping your weight over your heels, standing erect, taking shorter strides and visualizing pulling yourself up and forward, rather than pushing yourself uphill.
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joker
seeker
Joined: 12 Aug 2006
Posts: 7953 | TRs | Pics
Location: state of confusion |
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joker
seeker
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Thu Apr 24, 2014 4:22 pm |
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Welcome to the club! And thanks for the reminder of looking for new ways of retaining beginner's mind!!
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DIYSteve
seeking hygge
Joined: 06 Mar 2007
Posts: 12655 | TRs | Pics
Location: here now |
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DIYSteve
seeking hygge
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Thu Apr 24, 2014 4:46 pm |
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| RandyHiker wrote: | | Also unless you are really good at one footed yoga poses -- don't try to show off by removing skins without removing skis at the top. |
I'm about as flexible as a hemlock 2x4 and I usually rip skins with my skis on.
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I'm Pysht
Member
Joined: 11 Jul 2007
Posts: 517 | TRs | Pics
Location: Pacific NW |
Awesome! Gives me more hope for the future. I look forward to hearing and seeing more of your adventures.
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cascadeclimber
Member
Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Posts: 1427 | TRs | Pics
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Ah, glad to read this. It's never too late to abandon slowshoes for faster and more enjoyable floatation 
Thermogenesis awaits your downhill rippage!
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joker
seeker
Joined: 12 Aug 2006
Posts: 7953 | TRs | Pics
Location: state of confusion |
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joker
seeker
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Fri Apr 25, 2014 2:37 pm |
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| BigSteve wrote: | | RandyHiker wrote: | | Also unless you are really good at one footed yoga poses -- don't try to show off by removing skins without removing skis at the top. |
I'm about as flexible as a hemlock 2x4 and I usually rip skins with my skis on. |
I think this is more about balance than flexibility, though it's not really fair to call it "one footed" as I always have one pole planted while I'm doing this...
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cascadeclimber
Member
Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Posts: 1427 | TRs | Pics
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| RandyHiker wrote: | | Also unless you are really good at one footed yoga poses -- don't try to show off by removing skins without removing skis at the top. |
Getting them off without stepping out is easy. Putting them back on is an entirely different matter.
Watching people learn to deal with skins and skinning can be highly entertaining 
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Jetlag
Member
Joined: 17 Aug 2010
Posts: 1410 | TRs | Pics
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Jetlag
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Fri Apr 25, 2014 6:34 pm |
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Since I have to put my two ski pieces back together to make a snowboard, I don't have to deal with the de-skinning flexibility problem . . . but . . . my transition takes longer. What's surprised me this week is how few back-country skiers OR riders I've seen on the slopes. So, WillisWall, once we old dogs learn these new tricks, we're going to have lots of fun IN and OUT of the resorts.
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williswall
poser
Joined: 30 Sep 2007
Posts: 1968 | TRs | Pics
Location: Redmond |
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