First time was great.

My last conversation here had me convinced I'd be better off the slopes, but I'm glad I gave it a shot, all the same. I found a useable pair of skis at a thrift store, and fit my boots to them. After a lot of reading, I found my DIN and set up the bindings.

As a side note, I'd like to thank Lilywhite for some of the points she made. I read about how bindings are checked with a torque wrench, and set mine up a second time in the snow when they failed to release. Instead of the 3.5 I'm recommended, they're currently set at 2, and they release only when I hit the ground.

I took the missus out with a small propane heater and found a place in the Nat'l Forest where I could coast a slight grade for about fifty feet, and it was there I got hooked. It was also there where I broke a boot. The whole front of it exploded while I was climbing back up the grade.

We made a short run into town, where I found another pair of boots for a whopping $6.50. The local ski shop loaned me a #3 phillips, and I put the front bindings back in the original holes to hold the new boots. They fit like a glove, even if a bit difficult to get on and off, much better than the previous pair.

So off into the forest we went. Ended up in a gravel pit with plenty of grades of various difficulty, and spent the rest of the day there. After much coasting I jumped down a short, steep slope, and learned my lesson there. Fortunately, all I got was a minor thumb injury. I fell a few more times, barely scraping my pride and nothing else. Had an absolute blast. I can turn, although not sharp, but I can't stop until I run out of grade.

I watched several instructional videos online, they were but suggestions, as they were all on packed snow, and all I could find was powder. Either way, I'll be out on the snow again tomorrow. With my bindings adjusted more towards easy release, an open mind, and a lot of patience, I'll be ready to enjoy the local resorts in no time.

Have progressed to the local public snow play area. I can run about 600 yards just fine at moderate speed, and even cross the bottom of the canyon without trouble. Of course, I have to hike the canyon and the trail to return to the top, so I've only made about ten runs there so far. Regardless, I'm ready for the local commercial slope. Ski Cloudcroft is only $35/day for lift tickets, and by the time I'm back, they should be open.

Oh yes, and I can now plow to a complete stop. It took practice on packed snow before I could make it work on powder. At first I had assumed that the ankles are fixed and all the control was in the knees, but now I know that the heel and toe have a lot more to do with it.

I can't complain about hiking back to the top, other than cutting into time I could be going down hill. Really, it's helping to bring me back into shape, and gives me an opportunity to sit beneath the bare aspens as I rest, and appreciate the forest in winter. It all passes so fast going the other way.

Glad to hear you've not killed yourself!!!

You have a great time !!! 8)

Hi El-Taco

You seem quite committed to "teach yourself" skiing. Thus may I tactfully suggest using youtube and typing in Skiing or learning to ski or similar. There are some really useful short on line lessons that would benefit you and will give you the shortcut of how to do things properly as opposed to trial and error.

But enjoy! -)

lilywhite wrote:Glad to hear you've not killed yourself!!!

Low speed, keepin' it on the ground. No sense in jumping into things too fast, and USDA maintains a great practice slope.

Otherwise, yeah. I've watched several videos, and spent hours reading posts here. It's a lot of fun, but there's more to it than jumping on the slope.