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October, 2024

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Contender
Posts: 3318 - Karma: 233
Hey,

so this year is my high school's second year of having a ski and board race team.  Last year i didnt join because i had just started skiing but a few of my boarder friends did and they said it was a blast. 

Its not serious racing, i would prob say its the lowest level but the cool thing is that the team gets to skip school to go to sick mountains around ontario.  Do one or two races then shred the rest of the mountain for the rest of the day.  I never thought much of racing but i thought hey maybe il join it for fun and maybe get more comfortable at high speeds.

According to my friends the skiers are a medley of twin tippers, regular carving skis and then there are a few kids with serious racing skis and the whole outfit/setp.

Two questions:

One, i ride a full symetrical twin tip center mounted..will i suck? (i to do well because the more you do well, the better mountains we get to visit).

two. last year they didnt really care what helmets you wore as long as they had the regular soft earpads like every other helmet.  But apparently this year, they might put in just for skiers a requirement that you need a hardear helmet.  Is this typical for all levels of racing, even the lowest most ameteur where everyone joins just to have a day off of school to ride?  I dont want to buy another helmet :(
Aug 12 2009 1:22PM
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treebeard
Posts: 3663 - Karma: 1,972
if you arent a good skier (non-park) then you will probably suck trying to race on a center mount.if you are a good skier and are used to high speeds it shouldnt be too much of a problem.
with the rest, i cant help you
Aug 12 2009 1:27PM
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charmander
Posts: 10636 - Karma: 370
thats typical for the helmet.

and if you started skiing last year, honestly i wouldnt bother trying to race.
no offense.
Aug 12 2009 1:31PM
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Contender
Posts: 3318 - Karma: 233
my friend learned to board last year and he joined.  He did pretty dam well.  Made it to the last competition where he lost.  Apparently for our level, our standards arent high.
Aug 12 2009 1:35PM
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Sklar
Posts: 8864 - Karma: 31,612
i disagree, racing is how i got good at skiing, as long as you challenge yourself you will improve
Aug 12 2009 1:36PM
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Balto
Posts: 25985 - Karma: 4,404
same here, 9 years of racing helped soooooooo much
Aug 12 2009 1:46PM
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Mr.Huck
Posts: 6096 - Karma: 14,896
Nothing wrong with racing.  Some of the best freeriders on the planet raced when they were younger and some still do.  It can only increase your skills and make you a better all around skier.

Center mounted twins for racing.  Yes, you will suck.  Carving will be effected and you will have a tough time staying on line.

Helmets used to have to be SNELL approved.  I would think that's still the case.  I checked my helmet and it does not have a SNELL approved sticker on it.   I would ask the coaches.  They should know the rules. 
Aug 12 2009 1:47PM
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thelizards
Posts: 4042 - Karma: 43
I did racing 2 years ago and never skied before and it helps sooooo much. last year I seriously did park and it was the bomb. When you have friends on the ski team its really fun.
Aug 12 2009 1:50PM
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ski_DC
Posts: 1347 - Karma: 58
i have to second the fire loving pokemon. racing is serious business. people live for it and for some people its all they do. you might think its a good way to miss school, but i think thats a terrible reason to join. its like the kid who plays football for the sweatshirt. if you race in park gear, you will be laughed at just like a racer would get laughed at in the park. its just not a good idea. if you want to get into racing, do it. but be sure not to half ass it just to skip school
Aug 12 2009 1:57PM
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JstHuckIt
Posts: 422 - Karma: 16
I disagree, but not in a hating way...IMO Racing is a great way to learn how to ski well, do to the fact that it requires technical skill, and you're coaches will be really knowledgeable...he'll just be likely racing JV...go for it! But they'll make you buy different skis most likely...What you will definitely learn is edge control which is essential in becoming a good pipe skier...Beware tho, just like how football players and skaters get along in high school, is often like how racers and park skiers get along; very different vibe...
Aug 12 2009 2:06PM
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Mogul-Jibber
Posts: 137 - Karma: -90
I raced for a couple years... It can get very competative. A lot more than freestyle competitions will. The thing is though, if you just started skiing and you need to work on your form still, racing will definitly help you with that. Thats pretty much all they focus on in training, proper form. Ski wise, i would recommend you get a long slalom ski because they are a good all around ski for a beggining racer who cant afford to own 5 different pairs of racing skis. (But trust me, a racing ski will help improve your turning performance, with a centermounted park ski you will be late on all the turns and it will be hard to stay ahead on a steep icy coarse.... If it is a racing thingy then the hard eared helmets make sence since they are racing helmets... hoped this helped, and good luck
Aug 12 2009 2:06PM
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*TURBONERD*
Posts: 15081 - Karma: 9,158
i would just get some old race skis cheap, just slalom ones because you can use them for gs as well. i do that sort of thing
Aug 12 2009 2:11PM
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Funnel
Posts: 7815 - Karma: 1,531
Do it, racing makes you a way better skier, granted I never raced, but I could have and I could have done very well.  I used to go out and rip groomers and it has helped me so much, it is one of the reasons I am a pretty good powder skier.  Join the team, skip school to go skiing, and get better at skiing.  Going fast is SUPER fun too.  Now I have Hellbents and Invaders and wish I could get a race ski and just go out and tear up groomers, it is super fun.
Aug 12 2009 2:17PM
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BestDamnSkier
Posts: 275 - Karma: 14
Make sure you wear a tall tee for aerodynamics. If you actually are a bad skier then it will help slow you down to give you a chance to be more on time with park skis. If you are an awesome skier, then you can laugh at people in speed suits when you place higher.
Aug 12 2009 2:20PM
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thegreyarea
Posts: 3265 - Karma: 34
Absolutely do it. If you just started skiing, it's better to learn how to make a proper turn early and knock out bad habits. My life was built around racing for 13 years and I can ski anything that you can mount a binding to.

As for a helmet, keep your eyes peeled on Tramdock.com, whiskeymilitia.com, and steepandcheap.com. Helmets pop up there all the time.

While SNELL is a common certification for motorcycle and car helmets, the certification is not readily sought in ski racing. Do your own research on helmets, call and talk to racing specialty retailers (like reliable racing), and watch what professional racers wear.
Aug 12 2009 2:24PM
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GGreene
Posts: 993 - Karma: 42
racing is proven to help your skiing. do it. it might not be the coolest thing out there but hey as long as you are having fun who gives a fuck what everyone else thinks.

if you do decide to join the team i would invest in either an older pair of all around race/shaped skis that are not center mounted so they can hold an edge. or just go to a shop and rent some skis for each race. thats what i did when i raced for my highschool.
Aug 12 2009 2:51PM
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Mr.Huck
Posts: 6096 - Karma: 14,896
Haha.  Yeah this + bandanna.  That would be sick.  Thug gate training.  I'm going to have to do that next season. 
Aug 12 2009 3:09PM
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Contender
Posts: 3318 - Karma: 233
haha alright, thanks for the input.  I'll definitly join the team if it comes up this year.  Any kind of skiing is better then school anyway.  Should be fun.
Aug 12 2009 4:14PM
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DG.3
Posts: 794 - Karma: 288
from my experiance, the high school team (especially training), was a joke. fun, but a joke. at least in my school it was. maybe try to borrow differant skis from a local shop. the teams are still alot of fun.
Aug 12 2009 4:26PM
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Snowgoner
Posts: 5047 - Karma: 964
Yeah for sure dude. I've been racing for 6 years, and it helps soooooooooooooo much. You don't necessarily have to be a good racer to become a good skier through it. You'll learn the technique to carv a proper turn, how to control your speed so you can still make good turns, so many things that you would never really think about working on, that help your skiing so drastically.

You should do it, you won't regret it.
Aug 12 2009 4:42PM
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Snowgoner
Posts: 5047 - Karma: 964
Oh yeah and don't worry about it being too competitive. If you're only doing high school racing, I know plenty of park rats that do HS racing. It's not competitive at all, it's more for fun, and to become a better ski. But still try hard in the races. The real stuff is like USSA, that's where they have all the really good racers, and where they have nationals and such. High School is just pretty chill.
Aug 12 2009 4:44PM
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smooticus
Posts: 1798 - Karma: 27
Yea most highschool leagues require hard ear helmets. Mostly because they try and follow the rules of bigger leagues and shit like FIS and junior olympics.  And racing with your twins could kinda blow, dont expect to keep up with the rest of them. If you have the money to spare you could just buy a pair of decent used race skis, there are tons of rich racers that buy new skis like every other year, or even every year
Aug 12 2009 4:53PM
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Paul.Marik
Posts: 1120 - Karma: 1,869

What i did last season was rent race skis for the season, didn't cost much. Oh, and do a nollie out of the starting gate to get the hard core racers to look at you funny.

Aug 12 2009 4:57PM
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charmander
Posts: 10636 - Karma: 370
ok, maybe this was a little harsh,
what i was getting at is don't expect super solid results.

go ahead and try it though, it will make you ski better
Aug 12 2009 6:20PM
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J-Evs
Posts: 6387 - Karma: 1,615
i raced for for 6 years doin USSA races and now i race high school and was 14th in the County, and i dont have a hard ear helmet, i wouldnt bother unless you really need it. Racing on Center mounted skis is gunna be a bitch if your knew, id say get some cheap race skis or at least all mountain skis.But if it wasnt fr racing i definately would not be the skier that i am today.
Aug 12 2009 7:01PM
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HamFaceGirl
Posts: 5242 - Karma: 2,676
i raced for the first 3 years of skiing. now with my 3rd year of park coming up i look back and see how much racing helped me in the park
Aug 12 2009 7:10PM
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*Nickdel*
Posts: 2264 - Karma: 956
same here but only 4 years of racing
Aug 12 2009 8:04PM
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Newschool_Pope
Posts: 2473 - Karma: 267
JON OLSSON what is there more to say.
Aug 12 2009 8:27PM
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