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January, 2025

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Classification of a "good" Skier/Snowboarder

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Panchuk
Posts: 1610 - Karma: 357
I really dont understand. In my opinion, if you can 360 or grind, your good enouph, but thats probobly because i'm on  a freestyle skiing website. My Parents always say things like, "wow look at him go, hes a really good skier" and yet I still dont understand. He looks like hes carving down a hill just like any other. As for snowboarders, the classifcation is usually completely different. You ask a snowboarder if there decent, they'll usually say something like "yeah, im ok". Instict is to ask "what can you do?"

So really, the question is, how would you define a "good" skier or snowboarder:
Carving down a hill?
Being able to ski Pow well?
Or hitting shit in the Park?

Im not really trying to compare skiing and snowboarding, im just trying to figure out how to define "good" for each one.


Feb 2 2009 8:02AM
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JacheOReally
Posts: 3597 - Karma: 253
you can rip in pow, trees, any groomer, bumbs, and be able to slay any park feature with hefty amounts of style and immense amounts of ease, you my friend are a good skier
Feb 2 2009 8:48PM
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landonn
Posts: 2913 - Karma: 385
i would say that its just steezier and easier to go down straight upright. unless its like the steepest run at your mountain with tons of pow theres not need to take turns with "form". i would say skiing with style watever your doin is wat makes a good skier.
Feb 2 2009 8:50PM
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AlexMartini
Posts: 2990 - Karma: 1,942
a good skier or snowboarder is a person who is never uncomfortable or out of control and is ALWAYS having fun
Feb 2 2009 8:54PM
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LIL_WAT
Posts: 1900 - Karma: 475

"decent" park skier probably 3's dialled and all boxes, some rails. "good" is just so relative to where you are at. i remember right before i learned 180s i saw a guy do a basic 540 and was rediculously impressed but am now so used to doing them myself (claim).

Feb 2 2009 8:55PM
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IceCreamer
Posts: 1587 - Karma: 27
this is a mountain your supposed to be skiin, whats this ticket for
Feb 2 2009 9:05PM
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mcweapon
Posts: 175 - Karma: 247
lolol....
Feb 2 2009 11:24PM
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B.G
Posts: 156 - Karma: 14
you gotta be able to do carve, have solid balance, and have good ski sense and pathfinding, you also gotta be able to do 3 of these decenly well; park, pow, moguls, racing, and groomers. and no distance jumping and ariels and snowblading dont count.
Feb 2 2009 11:56PM
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mozzy
Posts: 1034 - Karma: 60
On the snowboarding end of things, I'd say that all-around ability is more important, with good form and style.

So I'd rate higher a floaty, slow rotation 180 than a ridiculous-looking 1080.

Rails- don't particularly care whether you do that stuff or not. It looks better on skis than on a snowboard.

Steeps / trees etc.: Gotta do it with confidence, for me watching someone that means continuous flowing turns and not a stop - start - stop set of motions.

I guess my point is that the grace and smoothness of someone's skiing and riding say more than the difficulty of the tricks that one can do.





Feb 3 2009 4:24AM
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Justin.B
Posts: 2257 - Karma: 721
wow easy there dick
neg karma coming your way
Feb 5 2009 11:09PM
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Whifazoo
Posts: 737 - Karma: 132

for me a good skier can slay anywhere but i dont classify any park skiers as good skiers until i have seen them in other terrian (mougles groomers backside ect.)

i dont think that someones ability to ski park matters in the overall decision if they are good skiers or not. i love to ski the paark but it pains me to see the skiers who can only hit big lines in the park but couldnt make it down a mougle run or even a black dimon if their life depended on it

Feb 5 2009 11:18PM
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m_damianos
Posts: 113 - Karma: 8
In my opinion you should be dope all over the mountain to be the king of the mountain......
Feb 6 2009 12:44PM
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toominator
Posts: 4792 - Karma: 120
most legit reply so far.

besides, everyone knows that if you're actually any good you never say you're good. asking if you're good and saying that you're good are questions and statements reserved for use by gapers.
Feb 6 2009 7:33PM
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McTwist83
Posts: 282 - Karma: 11

That pretty much sums it up.

Feb 6 2009 9:12PM
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martin.
Posts: 2115 - Karma: 34
moguls and trees.
Feb 6 2009 9:25PM
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JstHuckIt
Posts: 422 - Karma: 16

I dnt know if anyone will still read this but whatev...What pisses me off with new "park" skiiers is how they ski...legs together, swishing with their tails, hands holding up their pants...this is one step above a pizza...Learn how to ski...same thing with snowboarders, rarely do I see snowboarders who fully use their edges and carve...If you want to know if u are a good dynamic skiier have one friend stand up top of the run, ski down initiating ur edges early and carve...If ur friend can't read the bottom of ur skis, ur not there yet...its about edge pressure,rotary,turn shape,body placement....same with snowboards...powder is about turn shape...and park is progressing so fast I'm not sure if anyone really knows, kindof dependent upon where u are from...

Feb 7 2009 3:50AM
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NW_Rider
Posts: 2580 - Karma: 314

Agreed, rarley do I see anyone carve anywhere anymore. I cannot remember the last time I saw anyone carve anywhere near a park. If you are truely carving, then the only mark that should be left in the snow is a half inch thick, if your lines are wider than that then you are just turning. Laying down an actual good carve is more difficult than a lot of people here think I suspect.

Anyways back to the topic, here is my 2 cents:

Must be able to carve

Hit decent sized jumps (40 feet or so)

180's both ways, 3's and maybe a 5

ability to hit most rails, maybe a 2sev off some

the big ones:

Riding deep pow, finding and commiting to a good line (double black)

Using all the terrain around you... natural hits (cliffs, wind lips, natural hips, tree bonks, coloiurs, finding the angle's to drop stuff etc...)

Riding switch in pow

Landing and riding away in deep pow off a dece cliff (15 feet or so)

and maybe landing switch in pow of smaller drops (5 feet or so)

Thats what makes a good skier/snowboarder to me, and landing a 180 off a 6 foot ledge into deep pow is much harder than landing a 5 off a 25 footer in the park IMO.

Feb 7 2009 2:00PM
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badtang
Posts: 2 - Karma: 10
i'm an instructor in ny, and contrary to "form is just a term instructors and old men throw around to enrich their self esteem." , if you have good form, you can ski just as good as someone w/ shitty form, but with half the effort. everything depends on where you ski...i live and ski in upstate ny, and ski on garbage snow 90% of the time, so when i see guys struggling on these conditions and their excuse is "i'm used to better snow, i live in aspen", i just laugh, and carve the rest of the icy hill switch...
Feb 11 2009 7:18PM
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ax_murderer
Posts: 3322 - Karma: 30
if you were a good skier you could tell the difference between a bunch of guys 'carving down the hill like any other'. technique.
Feb 11 2009 7:52PM
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Crack.
Posts: 6020 - Karma: 84
does it really matter?
Feb 11 2009 7:56PM
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Panchuk
Posts: 1610 - Karma: 357
k thx
Feb 11 2009 8:03PM
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.AR6rider
Posts: 444 - Karma: -106
 no smiling  and inverts make you good
Feb 11 2009 8:18PM
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jibmaster3000
Posts: 36 - Karma: 11
just dont be gay.
Feb 11 2009 9:18PM
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Aaaron.
Posts: 11817 - Karma: 903
wear all technine and don't smile.
Feb 11 2009 9:22PM
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.AR6rider
Posts: 444 - Karma: -106
real skiers never smile
Feb 11 2009 9:29PM
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ASkierNamedJaymz
Posts: 1209 - Karma: 341

this man knows^

but really who cares about "good" i say if having fun, your good enough to ski

Feb 11 2009 9:37PM
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NESblowjob
Posts: 1174 - Karma: 41
style
Feb 11 2009 10:04PM
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salomonskiier12
Posts: 2862 - Karma: 19

i'm not gay...

but the person who's the best skiier on the mountain is the one that's having the most fun

Feb 11 2009 10:10PM
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Peter.
Posts: 23796 - Karma: 13,017
basically if you see someone with full tilts, crowbars, and sagged pants with a tall tee, they are good

all you need to know
Feb 11 2009 10:12PM
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MasterDebater
Posts: 992 - Karma: 27
if you ski mostly groomers, nice carves=good
if you ski mostly park, 360, basic grind=good
if you ski alot of pow, for me its making it look easy=good.
or even being able to do it.
Feb 11 2009 10:46PM
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ct_steeze
Posts: 1175 - Karma: 153
this
Feb 11 2009 11:17PM
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Smilemon
Posts: 421 - Karma: 43
I would put park and pipe in two completely different categories. I have friends who were born in the park, they can't cut a GS for shit. But I have friends who started on race skis, can fly down double blacks, but can't hit a rail or jump for shit. They are both good skiers.

Remember the Class 1, class 2, and class 3 skier rating? If your bindings are cranked down past 7 or 8 your probably a good skier, or maybe just really fat...
Feb 11 2009 11:35PM
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