J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by pavelski

Dave Mac,

Ha,,,,the sins are coming out!
Ha,,,such wonderful sins !
Ha,,, such wonderful sinners.

The final message is; if you have a passion,,nothing will stop you! You will find the way to achieve this passion!

Never sit in a hot bathtub with your new leather boots for more than an hour!
Never sleep in the furnace room of the ski base lodge.
Never tell your parents "a friend has invited you to ski during Christmas"
Never let Warren Miller convince you to translate his jokes in French to a French audience ( silence)

Dave Mac,,,,I believe your mother had a twin ( and never told you) !


Now for a real sinful story!

Many years ago when skiing was not a tourist "attraction" there was a small village that had a shrine near a major ski center. Lots of hotels but only opened in the summer for the flock to ask for a miracle! In winter it was a ghost village,,except for a few sinners who "on Sunday would ski" ! It was at one time a sin NOT to go to church on Sunday!

I could not find a room so I asked directions to the next village from a priest ( who happened to be a concierge of a hostel) ! He was lonely and found me "different" (not his religion, young, not crippled, etc,,) . So we struck a bargain. He would let me stay at his "hostel" for free, if I would discuss "religious matters" with him for one hour in the evenings!
You see I had told him that I did not believe some of his concepts, some of his rituals and by chance I had just finished a university course in comparative religions of the world! In short I was cocky, full of my knowledge and yes a bit arrogant ( university education does that to young males)!
Every morning I would leave to ski just 1 km. away. Every night, after supper we would have "discussion" about his beliefs and my beliefs. The origins of holy water, the candles, the conflicting scriptures,the histories of popes and their wives ( of course mistresses), etc,,,, In my sinful arrogant way I held back no punches comparing others religions with his! Some historical truths are accepted by all but the faithful!

It was a delicious intellectual dual every night!

On the second night another priest "happened" to stop by!
On the third night another joined in our discussion!

You can see where this is going!

In my stupid arrogant manner I was "questioning" ,,no rejecting some fundamental concepts, practices, issues that others did not dare even consider!

I really must have been a strange sight to these priests. A young university educated boy who was so ignorant of the "important" aspects of life, death, the soul, hell, heaven etc,,,

I had a great ski week! They must of had a terrible week!

My sin ?


Well, 10 years later I am lecturing in a university and at the end of class a man comes up to me, smiles , extends his hand out and says, "thank you" !

I assumed it was for the lecture I just presented.

"I am here because of you" he continues. "Not only do I now ski but I have left the priesthood and becoming a psychiatrist" !

Some of you may have read his many books!

Pavel

Bandit.
You are right about the shell width on Fischers. I need at least 110mm width and no top level race Fischer boot has this so I get the Fischer allround fun ride type boot. Use race inserts and add one power strap more!

No skier with wide foot should buy Fischer race level boots!

I really did forget the very most important aspect of what ice teaches us!

Ice is the very best "diagnostic" tool to determine the extend of your knee problem!

If you have some form of osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease) you will feel every undulation of the surface, every crack, cut, bump since they will be magnified 100 times!

You will feel the vibrations in your teeth!

Now if you have some form of ligament tear,,,,well now you will have another sensation! Your body will go one way (in the turn) and skis will go another way (perhaps with you,,perhaps with ice) !
You will feel a play,,,a loose interface with boots!

Now if you have serious ACL tear,,,,,the symptoms while skiing on ice will be evident! Take 5 razor blades. Insert them on the medial side of the knee and try to place the most sharp most pointed edges near the nerves! Now go and ski!
Every turn will be associated with 5 cuts,,digging into knee nerve! You may see white stars from pain. You may feel weak from pain. Do not worry soon knee will be numb and so will your brain!

All of these "sensations" are messages to you to not quit skiing,,but see a physician and get knee replacements! The sooner the better! Too much great skiing left to do!

Hope this helps some of you get surgery right away!

Pavel

Most skiers avoid ICE.

Just the sound of the word brings shivers to some!

Just the sound of it on the slopes makes some,,,,go back to chalet!

But ice is a great teacher!

You should not avoid it!


Here is why!

Skiing on ice will make you a better skier FAST or else you will have many blue spots!

Ice is a task master with no tolerance for "sloppy", cheater, lazy skiers! Make a mistake and zap,,, you are on the mat!

Ice teaches you;
-to be soft on edges even when going at 70 km.
-to think well ahead
-to turn softly with easy grace
-to never but never lean back
-to go to bathroom before skiing
-to learn how to tune skis
-to feel ski edges as they bite into slope
-to listen to skis ( your turns do make special sound)
-to know 5 types of ice ( from the ice/blue plated ice,,,to the soft melting spring ice )
-to know your fear level
-to know your maturity level
-to know your speed tolerance


It can be ,for you a great teacher,,if you allow ice to teach you how to ski!
Do not avoid it,,,let it in your "skiing experience"

Just never try to dominate it ! It will always win !

A friend of ice,
Pavel

Last try!

Thinking of this "flapping" issue!

Then it came to me!

A great way to improve and avoid this "flapping" !


Think of the skis like a play ground SEE SAW ! You know the kind you and I sat on when we were young!

A plank with a steel bar in center. Two seats at each end!

The two seats are the tips and tails of the skis!

You must at all times keep that see saw ON THE TIP SIDE !!!! So you must keep pressure on big toes!
So you must pressure the front of the boots!


For you technical purists, yes later you will play with this pressure so that you will get maximum ski performance by putting tail pressure at the end of a turn. That will be later!

For now,,,you "flapper" skiers think see/saw. Think tip down at all times!

Hope this helps some of you!

Pavel

Second try on placing picture of homeless skier!

Homeless skier circa 1960s.