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Helpful skiing tips that you may not know...

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Triple_Strum
Posts: 6384 - Karma: 953

I read this article in Powder (I think) a few years ago and it was actually pretty informative with facts I didn't know.  Anyone know what I am talking about?  In any case, I thought I'd start an NS one that everyone could add to.  I thought of this when a kid was asking about cold hands in a different thread.  So here goes, just add good tips about staying warm, saving money, helpful stretches/exercises, energy foods before you go, etc.

Tip #1: The veins that carry to your fingers are in the back of your hand, not near your palm.  So to effectively prevent numb fingers, you want to put hand warmers on the back of your hand.  I recommend picking up some surgical tape (type that sticks to skin well) from CVS/Walgreens and just taping one of those little handwarmers on the back of each hand in the morning and voile! you are good for the rest of the day.

Again, don't just put down "good advice", but maybe something people don't realize.

Jan 1 2010 9:44AM
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factory81
Posts: 3967 - Karma: 63
cheesesticks and beef jerky are the best lift line food items. although you can fall on them and it doesn't matter.
Jan 10 2010 3:47PM
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Apresbang
Posts: 618 - Karma: 276
Show off!

Haha!
Jan 10 2010 4:14PM
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Klutch
Posts: 241 - Karma: 18

Beef jerky and sunflower seeds are great snacks, they provide alot of energy and are relatively healthy compared to other options.

Jan 10 2010 4:28PM
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Jacobsen
Posts: 112 - Karma: 18
I like this thread.
Jan 10 2010 4:36PM
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I_Am_Mod
Posts: 13214 - Karma: 3,753
In dutch there is no other word for "multi purpose" besides polyvalent ...
There was no "showing off" intended it was just the first word that came to my mind
;)


Jan 10 2010 4:42PM
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luc
Posts: 1000 - Karma: 607
my threads
Jan 10 2010 5:01PM
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Fischer-Addicted
Posts: 1064 - Karma: 30
this isnt 100% true. . . one way your feet could be cold is because of lack of circulation. the other could be because its fucking cold outside and if your not using a boot glove the plastic boot will freeze and make your feet cold.
Jan 10 2010 5:19PM
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Triple_Strum
Posts: 6384 - Karma: 953
boot glove?
Jan 10 2010 6:00PM
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philcote4
Posts: 225 - Karma: 10

alot of people are posting how to properly buckle your ski boots, but everything they are saying is different than the way I learned to properly buckle my boots, so im just gonna throw my technique out there. i dont know which way is actually the best way to do it, but whatever.

First of all, i heard that you should NOT bang the heel of your boot on the ground after you put them on. Apparently, that might actually push your foot closer to the toe of the boot rather than the heel. cant remember why that might happen exactly, but i remember it making sense when i heard it.

Second of all, i learned that you should buckle the top buckles first (the ones on your shins) as well as the strap. Then, you flex forward, applying the same stress as you would when you're carving, and hold this position. This lets your foot move to the back of the boot. While still flexing, you then buckle the remaining buckles (the ones on top of the foot). This kinda locks your feet in the position they should be in when you are skiing.

thats how i learned to buckle my boots, works nice for me

Jan 10 2010 6:04PM
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Jimmy.
Posts: 2888 - Karma: 27
buy suspenders.
Jan 10 2010 6:30PM
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Meh42
Posts: 2431 - Karma: 14
The e-brake tip is actually a really bad idea if you drive a AWD car, it will wreck the differential eventually.  AWD cars don't like it when you lock up one axle, same reason you can't tow them with only two wheels on the road.  Just FYI.


Great thread though
Jan 10 2010 6:57PM
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Samckoy
Posts: 381 - Karma: 66
Who said to learn to drive with ski boots? You fucking stupid? No. 1. It's dangerous, quite. 2. It's illegal. 3. If your driving you should have room to carry your boots in the trunk and wear shoes while you drive.
Jan 10 2010 7:25PM
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stokedelic
Posts: 1525 - Karma: 3,989
i love the sharpie one. best idea ive ever heard. and the skis socks SO true. plus kindness can get you far anyways.
Jan 10 2010 7:34PM
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hellomynameisjef
Posts: 5794 - Karma: 167
i dont have that kind of time!
Jan 10 2010 7:53PM
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rj.
Posts: 3323 - Karma: 28
lol
Jan 10 2010 7:57PM
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@koby
Posts: 223 - Karma: 11
i just read this entire thread. this is the longest string of constructive activity i have ever seen on NS. good work and great advice.
Jan 10 2010 8:19PM
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Supafresh
Posts: 85 - Karma: 55
when your hands get cold swing them back and forth and it with force blood to your finger tips and warm them up.
Jan 10 2010 10:22PM
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Samckoy
Posts: 381 - Karma: 66
This isn't always the best thing. Yes the centripetal forces sends blood all the way to your fingertips but it also prevents it from recirculating back to your heart and warming at your core. Your sending more warm blood to your fingertips, but your also allowing it to cool in your fingertips.
Jan 10 2010 10:43PM
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A.0.spin
Posts: 472 - Karma: 186
Prob has already been said but: if you are storing your skis for a long period or road tripping with them on top melt some wax on top but dont scrape/brush till the night before you ski on them. Wax will protect them and the bases will last longer.

wear a seperate pair of socks in the car to the mountain, take them off let your feet dry in the sun or against the air vents in your car and put on a dry set of thin wicking ski socks. This will keep your feet comfy all day.

whoever said cotton is bad is retarted. A wicking base layer is all that is required but layered cotton is great and keeps you warm even in sub zero temps.

shortening your own poles can be done with a heat gun, a vice and a pipe cutter available at any hardware store. Im pretty sure the process is self explanatory.

Its been said but be nice to people on the lifts even if you look like a park rat. Its what seperates us from douchebag snowboarders who ride twice a year.
Jan 10 2010 10:50PM
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Samckoy
Posts: 381 - Karma: 66
I said that cotton is bad. And I think I know what I'm talking about. Cotton is for summer. It soaks up water and doesn't dry fast at all. Wet clothes are definitely dangerous on a cold day. Why not use fleece or polyester? Trust me. Cotton is bad, when I ski, the only cotton I wear are my boxers. My dad (a great: skier, snowboarder and tele skier) taught me that and I know countless other experienced skiers, mountaineers, etc agree. There are always stories of people at my resort who didn't dress appropriately and went into the backcountry and died overnight before people could rescue them because hypothermia got them. Moral of that story<
Jan 10 2010 10:59PM
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sklermang
Posts: 2981 - Karma: 1,954
if you want to keep a good pair of goggles from fogging:

always keep them dry (store them in a dry place)

make sure the vents aren't blocked

don't hike with them on if you sweat

dont wipe the inside of the lens (most new goggles now come with an anti-fog seal on the inside)
Jan 10 2010 11:10PM
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huge-go
Posts: 1451 - Karma: 33
Don't know if its been mentioned, but just to clarify, the don't wipe the inside of your goggles thing only applies when they get wet ie snow inside, fog, etc. Wiping when dry is fine.
Jan 10 2010 11:16PM
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A.0.spin
Posts: 472 - Karma: 186
skiingforlife: you are correct in that only cotton is bad. what I meant is a dry fit shirt or wicking base layer and layered cotton over it is great and that i have had no problems with this setup in any temperature. I cannot speak of spending the night in the backcountry with it on but I have slept in my car in a 0 degree sleeping bag with a dry fit shirt and pants on and a cotton layer on top and i was comfortable throughout the night with the windows cracked. it was -3 F that night.

but you are correct in that when cotton gets wet it is bad for buisness


Jan 10 2010 11:17PM
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d3lushious
Posts: 5 - Karma: 10
this was said earlier, but it's vitally important: drink LOTS of water. invest in a camel back... they're not much of a hassle when you find yourself sucking down water every lift ride. staying hydrated will do more for your energy levels than eating a bunch of calories... most people aren't hydrated enough BEFORE doing activities, let alone while doing them.

if you don't or can't invest in a camelback, just carry a 12 oz bottle of water or make 3-4 stops at a water fountain over the course of a full ski day. even the smallest amount of water digested will give you exponentially more energy
Jan 11 2010 12:04AM
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Samckoy
Posts: 381 - Karma: 66
Oh, I'm not saying that it's not warm and comfortable... For sure. When I go out on a cold winter night I wear cotton. But when it comes to skiing. Never. Not even in layers.... Not for me. Unless you know its going to stay dry. I recommend to stay clear of it altogether. You can find a lot of cool shirts and ski clothes like hoodies that have all synthetic fabric or wool.
Jan 11 2010 12:58AM
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B-runge
Posts: 16558 - Karma: 361
my threads
Jan 11 2010 1:01AM
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Barmski
Posts: 4342 - Karma: 811
I got this advice from Andreas Hatveit and its been working out for me very well:

In your first run through a park that you are familiar with,  try something unnatural or something simple that you know you can do, but would not normally do on the first run. Only do this if you know the park though and are confident with it. For example, if you have 3 jumps in a round, go for unnatural 3s on all of them. If you land them, you will have accomplished two things: 1) success 2) effort that you went for the trick. If you do not land them, you will be proud that you tried. This gets your day going quicker and progressing faster. I was able to finally get switch unnatty 7s using this method.
Jan 11 2010 3:06AM
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Corben
Posts: 710 - Karma: 49
Like the sharpie mentioned earlier: if you want to mess with a buddy, you can write on their bases (silver or black or whatever shows) then wax, scrape and brush over them. The sharpie gets stuck into the pores of the base and the was covers it... It stays for a decent amount of time too.

You could also do that as a way of identifying your skis I guess.

Remember to write down the serial number of your skis

if your skis' top sheet starts peeling up even just a little bit, trim it with a sharp razor blade or something so it stops.

Instead of a metal hip flask, fill up a used regular plastic water bottle for a disposable, high capacity container that you don't have to lug around or fall on when your done with it.

Racers do this, kinda stupid looking as well but.... if you have no place to hook your lift ticket to you can fold it around your goggle strap if your mtn still uses those shitty sticky passes.

Don't be a prick and go through the singles line with three buddies behind you then sneak through and group up together. It puts a bad name to the ns lookin people and others will hate us.

Kinco's work gloves are the best/warmest/most inexpensive gloves ever. http://www.kinco.com . . I prefer the Lined Grain Pigskin w/ Knit Wrist. they're under the lined leather palms icon. $12 for a pair.

If you can keep your ipod closer to your body heat it will last longer. Battery + cold = insufficient joosage.

Your boots are probably to big.

If you drink, do so wisely and use a smidgen of moderation.

TGR tip:
If you go skinning in the backcountry, and own the marker dukes... marker makes an longer/extended metal support deal for your heal so you can go up steeper terrain more comfortably




at home/more race tuning:

when you sand your bases before waxing you can wrap the sand paper around a round but level tube and roll the paper as you drag it down the bases.

if you tune your edges, you can write over where your filing with a sharpie in order to see that your getting all of the material off and not fuckin it up.


alright, i'm done for now.


Jan 11 2010 4:16AM
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Corben
Posts: 710 - Karma: 49
Like the sharpie mentioned earlier: if you want to mess with a buddy, you can write on their bases (silver or black or whatever shows) then wax, scrape and brush over them. The sharpie gets stuck into the pores of the base and the was covers it... It stays for a decent amount of time too.

You could also do that as a way of identifying your skis I guess.

Remember to write down the serial number of your skis

if your skis' top sheet starts peeling up even just a little bit, trim it with a sharp razor blade or something so it stops.

Instead of a metal hip flask, fill up a used regular plastic water bottle for a disposable, high capacity container that you don't have to lug around or fall on when your done with it.

Racers do this, kinda stupid looking as well but.... if you have no place to hook your lift ticket to you can fold it around your goggle strap if your mtn still uses those shitty sticky passes.

Don't be a prick and go through the singles line with three buddies behind you then sneak through and group up together. It puts a bad name to the ns lookin people and others will hate us.

Kinco's work gloves are the best/warmest/most inexpensive gloves ever. http://www.kinco.com . . I prefer the Lined Grain Pigskin w/ Knit Wrist. they're under the lined leather palms icon. $12 for a pair.

If you can keep your ipod closer to your body heat it will last longer. Battery + cold = insufficient joosage.

Your boots are probably to big.

If you drink, do so wisely and use a smidgen of moderation.

TGR tip:
If you go skinning in the backcountry, and own the marker dukes... marker makes an longer/extended metal support deal for your heal so you can go up steeper terrain more comfortably




at home/more race tuning:

when you sand your bases before waxing you can wrap the sand paper around a round but level tube and roll the paper as you drag it down the bases.

if you tune your edges, you can write over where your filing with a sharpie in order to see that your getting all of the material off and not fuckin it up.


alright, i'm done for now.


Jan 11 2010 4:18AM
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ballerman
Posts: 414 - Karma: 15
best thread ive seen on newschoolers for a long time
Jan 11 2010 4:58AM
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Jgombasy
Posts: 180 - Karma: 62
This may be common sense but when buying outerwear always look at the waterproofing first.  I bought a jacket and didnt and its useless for the northwest.  A nice dry jacket worth the extra money and will make the day much more enjoyable
Jan 12 2010 12:36AM
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enick
Posts: 2468 - Karma: 26
^^also make sure you have a separate city jacket and ski jacket
the rain and air thats in the city is waayy more dirty and will ruin the waterproofing on your coat
invest in a skiing-only coat and the waterproofing will last way longer
Jan 12 2010 3:17AM
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Solipsism
Posts: 67 - Karma: 15
clever thread idea, umm not much of a useful tip but i find a bit of mind over matter works a wonder when it's super cold, often other people chat about how cold it is or chatter their teeth / shiver etc , i find feigning nonchalance and pretending it's a heatwave helps me feel warmer....sounds like total bullshit but it actually does help!
Jan 12 2010 5:10AM
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wh@t
Posts: 6204 - Karma: 51
MIND OVER MATTER


Jan 12 2010 5:19AM
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wh@t
Posts: 6204 - Karma: 51
your boots are most likely too big for you. also, when you go to a boot fitter, go at the END OF THE DAY not in the morning. your feet expand from the pressure they are subject too after walking around all day and will do the same when youre skiing, dont want something too small/constricting when your feet want to expand.

LAYERS ARE NOT WARM, YOU MAKE THEM WARM. dont go outside of the lodge and put your jacket on on cold as witch tits days. put all your gear on, including your gloves to keep the warm air inside your layers. dont listen to people who tell you not to bunch your fingers in your gloves, do it. your fingers will warm up, allowing the glove to insulate the heat from your fingers.

pole straps are meant to be put on in such a manner:

1. hand through strap
2. let pole hang from wrist from strap
3. grab OVER the strap and grab pole

this allows for more pushing leverage and keeps your poles on your wrist when you fall.

hydrate, when youre pee is green/yellow and it smells, you are dehydrated. drink more, feel better.



last but not least FUNCTION OVER FASHION

take that NS.
Jan 12 2010 5:53AM
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I_Am_Mod
Posts: 13214 - Karma: 3,753
I dunno if it's just me but if you have a gore-tex jacket and its wet on the outside when you take it off;
put it somewhere where it can dry; above a (not too hot) radiator or somewhere in the vicinity of a fireplace or keep it on.
if you take off the jacket while its still wet and hang it away in a place where the water cannot evaporate properly it will permeate back into your jacket and if its an unlined jacket you'll be skiing/hiking in a cold and moist jacket for the rest of the day ....
Jan 12 2010 6:12AM
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jcjs
Posts: 136 - Karma: 64
repost? not sure BUT if you are in the BC or somewhere where an avvy is possible DO NOT put your straps on. if you are caught in one 1. its harder to ditch them and most important; 2. they're like anchors for your arms they will pull them down with the snow and make things worse then what your already in.
 
perfect example is the extras in such is life (forget who it was my bad) when he is being dug out you see his arms but still cant move them why? he's got his straps on and his poles are burried even deeper. another tip that i hope no one should have to use in an avvy ditch your skis if you can and keep your pack on it could offer some protection for your back
Jan 12 2010 12:34PM
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ShaggyD
Posts: 166 - Karma: 16
fantastic thread!
cant wait to get out and try some of the tips on here

my advice is go to bed early (or get up late lol)
skiing while your tired makes everything harder


Jan 12 2010 4:20PM
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geet
Posts: 2436 - Karma: 6
when you go in the lodge. take off your jacket/anything else warm. if you dont your body will adjust to the temp inside with all your stuff on. when you go back outside youll be much colder than before
Jan 12 2010 4:29PM
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Pinguu
Posts: 1581 - Karma: 49
If you have too pee on the hill, pee. If you hold it for some reason because you dont want to go in the lodge or go into the trees, you will get colder faster. When your bladder is full of water it has to be warmed, and that warmth takes away from your body.
Jan 12 2010 11:08PM
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henrytargett
Posts: 903 - Karma: 35
i dont quite agree, i was out one day and my feat got cold so next day i doubled up on socks and they were warmer.
Jan 12 2010 11:20PM
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blong131
Posts: 2193 - Karma: 59
stfu noob thats blatantly untrue

sorry for the harshness, but NEVER double socks. ever. even if there was a fire.
Jan 12 2010 11:42PM
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snakepirate
Posts: 165 - Karma: 93
Also give you the runs too.  That will keep your legs warm
Jan 13 2010 12:11AM
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bstuck1
Posts: 426 - Karma: 46
Bring a second pair of gloves. They're good to have when taking your gear off in the parking lot and help with cold steering wheels too.
Jan 13 2010 12:37AM
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dbotski
Posts: 61 - Karma: 60
boot up in the car. its annoying to go into lodges
Jan 13 2010 2:45AM
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Apresbang
Posts: 618 - Karma: 276
Bahahahaha!!!
Jan 13 2010 7:17PM
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PaleCelery
Posts: 7228 - Karma: 609
Fuck that. Boot up outside where its cold as balls... great idea. Your boots will be that much harder to get on beause the plastic is stiffer. And if you are talking about IN your car... IDK what kind of car you drive but unless you're driving a hummer or truck your car is gonna constrict you and its gonna be hard to get on with no room. A lot of my friends do this and I dont get it. Not to mention you'll have to walk around  through the parking lot to get to the mountain wearing out your boots. Walk in them as little as possible.

There are so many more reasons to put them on in teh lodge than in your car. Next time you post a suggestion use common sense. Just because you do it that way doesnt mean its the best way of doing things
Jan 13 2010 7:30PM
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SkierX
Posts: 16253 - Karma: 538
Straight wrong. Proper tech layers are so much better than cotton in EVERY regard for skiing.

Cotton while skiing is for fashion-istas who don't care about performance, but worry about how they look.
Jan 13 2010 7:31PM
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No_Dub
Posts: 3357 - Karma: 294
so true. the one run i took my helmet off i fell and hit my head on a dfd.
Jan 13 2010 7:42PM
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PaleCelery
Posts: 7228 - Karma: 609
You obviously dont know what you are talking about. Cotton keeps the water next to your skin rather than wicking it away when you ski. Causing you o be cold as balls. Not only that but teh warmth/weight ratio sucks... wool of fleece is way better. It actually has loft to it. Keeping warm is about trapping air, not layering 50 tall T's. When cotton gets wet it also weighs a shit ton and takes forever to dry, and doesnt insulate anymore. Wool or fleece will still insulate at least. It will suck wearing a wet wool sweater but at elast you willbe warm. Get learned fool. Cotton can kill you.

The only good time to wear it is in the summer because it keeps your sweat next to your skin and helps you stay cool.




Jan 13 2010 7:47PM
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