Thursday, December 30, 2010

Nearly Perfect

Nearly Perfect


Today's weather at Smuggs' was just that: nearly perfect.  Today's lessons weren't too bad either.  My morning lesson was with 4 level 4s.  It was crowded so we had to pick our spots carefully where we stopped to talk.  It's good to remember to stop where you will be visible to oncoming skiers.

We worked on developing our sideslipping skills which are so valuable when you get to to the advanced trails.   It's difficult at first but most people get better with practice as did everyone in my class and we soon advanced to the 'falling leaf' drill.  Everyone skiing got better by the end of lesson.  Then Kevin from Ontario decided to take a bonus run with me after class so I gave him an impromptu bump lesson.   Well, he's a quick study and had a great run down a black diamond bump run!    Great job.  Keep practicing.   

The weather was so fine I decided to forgo my lunch and made another run down the bumps.  Hey we have only 3 months of skiing left for it's all over!

The afternoon class was with 3 beginning level 4s so we spent some time developing edge and pressure control and by the time we finished the turns were much nicer.  Good job!  Get some mileage in and it'll get even better. 

Between the skiing in the sunshine all day and the 90 minutes on my stationary bike this morning I'm tired tonight.   I should be regretting the missed lunch but I ate an apple, an orange and a little trail mix on the ride home so I'm hungry but surviving as I await my evening repast.   Besides the skiing was worth it.   We'd like some more snow though.  Please!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Wait A Minute


It seems like that's all you need to wait for a change in the weather around here.  Every day this week has been different and tomorrow is predicted to follow suit.

There isn't much to complain about so far.  The snow at Smuggs' has been good to us this season.  Those folks who are staying at the resort this week have been fortunate with good weather and good skiing this week.

I've been fortunate, as well, with great classes everyday.  My morning group today was with 4 strong level 4 skiers so we started right at the top of Morse Mountain.  We had some AHA! moments as well as some steady improvement.  Looks like we'll be moving to blue squares very soon.   

During one of my rides up the Village LIft, I got to ride with Sanjay from New Jersey who was struggling with trying to improve on his own.  I gave him a discount card for a private lesson and he took advantage by booking me for an hour in the afternoon.  Good investment!  In an hour we made a lot of progress and Sanjay is making nice round turns now and just about ready for a trip to the top.  Great work.   

Warmer weather is on tap for the rest of the week and maybe even some sunshine.   Call me greedy but more snow please.   One bonus this week has been the opening of Upper Village Lift Line a short but sweet run that doesn't see much activity and was really nice today.  As long as I am being greedy, how about opening up Snow Snake tomorrow so I can get some fresh tracks early.   I need something interesting during my 'tween time' while I'm working in the Village.

Monday, December 27, 2010

The Hits Just Keep On Coming!

The Hits Just Keep On Coming!

The Nor'easter brought some chilly winds but along with it came about 10" of fresh powder to Smuggs'.  This is the best December in recent memory. 

Deep powder presents problems for beginning and intermediate skier who haven't learned how to deal with it.   I saw it as an opportunity for my level 4 skiers today.  We learned to stay over our feet and be patient with our turns because all that snow means slower turns that require a little more effort.  The "Pow" is slow but really great to play in and we had 90 minutes of real fun despite the cool breeze.   We're all looking forward to tomorrow and some sunshine.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Consistency

One of the things I like about teaching at Smuggs' is how they strive to keep students with the same instructor all week.  This week was a great example.  Several students were with me for 3 days or more.  Followers of this blog will know that this week was all about bumps.  It's very common for even high level skiers to be averse to skiing the bumps.  This week was exactly like that.  

My level 6 & 7 students were good skiers but reluctant to go into the moguls.  Everyone who spent at least 3 days with me this week is now confident and proficient in the bumps.  Oleg from NYC is the perfect illustration.  On day one, he was anxious and tentative in the Blue Square bumps on Friday for his final run with me we skied Black Diamond bumps & steeps and he did it very well.  

What a nice payoff.  

I took Christmas off but the opportunity to ski with my brother & my younger nephew made for a beautiful day on the mountain today.  The outlook was for cold but there was no wind and it was partly sunny, but it wasn't awfully cold (by our standards) and we stayed warm by skiing aggressively.  I have some tune-up work to do and I have sore thumb from skiing right out of my left ski but it was really a great day.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Thank You Santa

The snow just keeps on falling at Smuggs'.  The skiing just keeps on getting better.  Nothing is really groomed!  =)    Thank you Santa.  LOL

Great lessons today.  We took advantage of the conditions and learned to ski on ungroomed.  My 10:00 class of Jill, David, Oleg, & Arun spent the morning getting better and better in the deep snow and especially in the bumps.  We had so much fun that even though the lesson had only about 2 minutes left we went back up to the top for one more quick trip through the moguls. You guys Rock!  

Showing up for afternoon lessons is a bonus.  I had Song for what ended up being a private lesson.  We worked on turning in the steeps and negotiating the bumps (see a trend here?) and finished with run over the cliff on Hangman's and then down Treasure.  

A little shoveling when I got home after picking up grandma's xmas gift and I'm pooped (I pedaled my bike for 90 minutes before skiing this morning).  But, tomorrow's looking really promising AND my brother's going with me!!  

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Bumps Day

After a great workout this morning it was bumps day at the mountain! The snow keeps accumulating, a little each day.  About mid-day it really picked-up.  It looks like Smuggs' will get 3 to 6 inches of new by tomorrow morning.  Yay!  That means the bumps are growing.  I had a class of 5 at 10:00 and we skied bumps all morning.  David, Haley, Jill, Oleg, & Marcus all  built skill & confidence and got better in the moguls.  I'm betting they'll be back tomorrow for the bigger bumps!!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Winter is here.

90 minutes on the stationary bike early this morning. Then, on my way to skiing I saw someone out running!  I was jealous.  I don't much like running in the winter but I was jealous of their fortitude!

Well, I had a great day teaching skiing and a good workout.  Winter is no excuse for not exercising; it just takes a bit more willpower. Get on with it!

Monday, December 20, 2010

The Last Day of Autumn

The Last Day of Autumn

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brought great skiing to Smuggs' !  It was a tad chilly but my new down sweater kept me pretty snug.  My feet were cold to start because someone neglected to turn the heater on and my boots were cold. Yikes!   Good thing I had a great workout this morning and was all warmed up.

 I skied Sunday with my brother and found the trails somewhat skied off and getting icy.  Thanks to our fantastic groomers and a few inches of fresh powder conditions were very nice this morning when I did my 9:15 a.m. trail check down Rum Runner.  Great carving snow all the way down was quite enjoyable.

Susan from Toronto was my 10 O'clock student for a Max 5 class.  What a bargain!  Max 5 means a maximum of 5 students in the class.  So while the other level 5 students went out for 90 minutes in a group in 6 with their instructor, Susan went out alone with me for 2.5 hours.  

Susan, like lots of students, was really interested in speed control.  So we spent our time together learning to shape turns to maintain a comfortable speed.  We also spent some time working on proper side-slipping techniques, a skill very useful for getting down trails that are uncomfortably steep.  

When we were finished, Susan was not only skiing better but she had some tips and drills to practice on her own so she'll get even better quickly with a little practice .

More snow is expected tonight and it's going to be slightly warmer tomorrow!  

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Private Lessons -- Sort of

Here's a little know fact. It's almost a secret.   The best time to book group lessons (at Smuggs' anyway) is early in the season and/or in the afternoon.


I gave a lesson this morning and this afternoon.  Both lessons were one-on-one.  Here's the kicker:  Both students bought group lessons.  Group lessons are for 90 minutes.  Had they bought a private lesson, it would have lasted only an hour and it would have cost much more!    Of course, there is no guarantee you'll get a one-on-one lesson.  To ensure that, you'll have to pony up the private lesson fee.  But if you take early season lessons you'll almost always get into smaller classes.  If you take your lesson at 1:00 instead of at 10:00, you almost always get into a smaller class.  Another bonus to afternoon lessons is that the slopes are usually less crowded. 

Such was the case today.  My morning lesson, with Justin from Nashville, was a 'private' group lesson.  In 90 minutes, Justin went from pretty shaky, barely-able-to-stop, skiing to making beautiful round turns, skiing backwards & doing 360s on the snow. And we had a lot of fun.  Great job today Justin!!   You're well on your way to hitting the blue squares.

My afternoon lesson was with Tiki from Papua New Guinea.  A never-ever skier, Tiki made good progress and is now riding the lift on Sir Henry's and skiing to the bottom in very nice control.   

It was pretty cold today but making that kind of progress provides a warmth all its own! 

I'm tired tonight, though.  After a slow start, I had a great workout this morning.  That and the cold has worn me out.  8 hours of Zs and I'll be ready to go in the morning.  Early!

Private Lessons - Sort Of


Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Change Is In The Air & On Piste

Who would have imagined?  When I got up yesterday morning my immediate ski future looked pretty bleak.  If only I could have foreseen today's conditions I would have beside myself with excitement.

The temperature was in the low teens so the snow was light and fluffy.  I got some fresh tracks right away doing a trail check with my friend Frank.  So sweet, my (semi) fat Pocket Rockets floated nicely as we made whisper-quiet turns through the 6" deep pow at Smuggs'.  

My students loved it too.  Fresh powder is slow and fun to turn in.   Bob & Keith made nice progress as they improved their stances and rounded out their turns.  I hope they come back tomorrow because they are right on the cusp of a breakout.   

Here's the kicker.... more snow is on the way!  What a great start to the season.  

Friday, December 10, 2010

Skiing on Whales at Smuggs'

What a great day.  I've been waiting for this day since it turned too cold for golf.  My enthusiasm was undiminished even at 4:45 am when I had to get up for my workout.

It was almost too cold to ski but relatively calm and I was well dressed in my new down jacket. Add to that my boot covers, too warmers, & hand warmers and I was pretty cozy.  I think the excitement helped too.

As expected, no students in the morning (check-in day) so we got some great skiing in on Sterling Mtn.   Head up tomorrow if you want to experience some unique skiing.  There are whales on several trails including Black Snake, The Alley, and the Practice Slope. They're like moguls the size of a small house!  They won't last long and they're not for the faint of heart but boy are they fun!

I had my 1st student of the year at the afternoon line-up.   She made huge progress and we both had a great time.  It's going to be a fun winter.

Monday, December 6, 2010

1st Day

Winter has arrived!! I ran on Saturday on slippy winter roads which isn't much fun.  However, it's a wondrous trade-off to be able to ski again.   Smuggs' is open including The Alley which is bumped and has a big whale in the middle.   Snow is expected most of the week so it's getting better by the minute!  Yay.