5 Great Reasons to Learn to Ski

I submit that sliding downhill on snow with a couple of planks strapped to your feet is just the right sport for you. Perhaps, I should keep the slopes to myself. I do find tension in crowds. But skiing brings me such joy I just have to share it! Here then, are my five reasons why skiing is for “everyone”.

1) Sheer Exhilaration

Pointing a pair of skis down a slope is an experience unmatched. The very first time you make a proper ski turn across snow-covered terrain, your heart jumps and exclaims, “I can do this!” From there, the chances at exhilaration as you improve and graduate to tougher pitches continue. Skiing is a world of excitement!

2) Available with or without Frills

There is skiing for every person. Some people need pampering, and some can do entirely without it. If you want a destination ski resort developed with the concept of a first class hotel, get thee to Deer Valley – where you will even find employees to carry your skis from your car for you. On the other hand, if you just want to ski without spending too much money, a basic, regional ski area like Berkshire East would serve you better. (Berkshire East is in Massachusetts. You may have a similar, no frills ski area in your region. Inquire at your local ski shop.)

3) High-Tech Clothes

You do not have to freeze to ski. Your warmth on the slopes usually depends upon properly using the right clothing for the day’s conditions. In the last 15 or so years, you may have heard the term waterproof/breathable – and you have surely heard of GoreTex! Well, today’s waterproof yet breathable fabrics are also flexible and stretchy for your comfort. Apparel manufacturers like The North Face make the apparel that keeps skiers on the slopes longer.

4) Unmatched Views

You have probably seen mountains before your own eyes. Have you seen them from a ski lift? You may have driven a mountain road and stolen a gaze of a titan peak. Have you glanced at mountain views as you rush down snowy slopes? Try it on a sunny day and you will see a big reason skiers cannot get enough of their favorite recreational sport.

5) Today’s Equipment Negates Yesterday’s Attitudes

The old perception that skiing is difficult has changed over the last decade. As equipment has evolved – especially shaped skis, which make turning a cinch for any skier who can put a ski on its edge – learning to ski has become an easier proposition than ever before. With the right gear and lessons, anyone with a heart can learn to ski – and with aplomb!

See your local shop about gear, your local hill about lessons, and your local farm stand about plumbs.

What are you waiting for? I want to run into you (not literally) on the mountain! Now, go forth and make turns!

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Backcountry Skiing: Getting there can be Half the Fun
 
by: Lachlan Brown

Western Canada is a land of mountains, lakes and rivers. There are also deserts (yes, Walter, small deserts), huge forested plateaus and lush farmland, but mountains are a predominant feature. From the Coast Range in the west to the Rockies in the east, from the Cascades in the south, to the Cassiar Range in the north, there is one range after another; the Cariboos, the Monashees, and the Selkirks, to name just a few.

The mountains of British Columbia offer untold opportunities for every kind of skiing, including backcountry touring, snowcat skiing and heli-skiing. There are many ski resorts and many backcountry lodges, mostly located near small interior towns, away from the large population centers and international airports.

Getting to a backcountry skiing holiday can involve travel on roads that traverse narrow valleys and high passes. After heavy snowfalls, roads can sometimes be closed while crews clear away debris from slides.

At the end of January 2004, a heavy snowfall caused overnight closures on some BC highways. Two days later, a second storm closed other roads, including the Trans Canada highway. This is a tale of getting from Vancouver to Golden BC in the midst of these storms.

The weather in Vancouver was mild. There had been a recent gaggle of small disturbances, but no big storms. The freezing level was too high. We prayed for snow. We watched the forecasts, but things looked “iffy”.

After months of anticipation, our trip to Chatter Creek was nearing. In two days our annual powder-bash would begin. Four days of cat skiing in Rocky Mountain powder!

This year, we had a group of 24 old friends and regular ski buddies. Many had been to Chatter Creek before and knew what to expect. We were all anxiously counting down the days.

Most of us live in Vancouver, Squamish and Whistler. Individually, we had made our arrangements for getting to Golden. Some would fly to Calgary, rent a car and drive together to Golden, a four-hour trip through Banff, Lake Louise and the Kicking Horse Pass. They would arrive in Golden just in time for our 3:00 PM helicopter flight into the lodge.

Others would drive from Vancouver or Whistler, at best a long nine-hour trip. With an early start on flight day, and with hard steady driving, they should easily reach Golden in time. I would leave a day early, stay with one of the group in Kamloops, and have a leisurely drive to Golden the next day.

Missing the helicopter flight to the lodge was to be avoided. No one’s budget covered an extra night in Golden and a private helicopter flight.

The flights don’t wait. They have to go on time. They would deliver us to the lodge and bring out departing guests. The transfer starts in mid-afternoon (time varies as the winter progresses) and has to be to be completed in daylight.

Two days to go and the telephone rang. “Hi, it’s Merle.”

My heart sank. A call this late from Merle McKnight, Chatter Creek’s marvelous manager, could only mean trouble. What was wrong?

“We’ve had a 'dump'! The passes are closed in both directions. No one is getting though. Crews will work all night and the roads should open sometime tomorrow. However, there is talk of yet more snow. Get here a day early. Come tomorrow!"

Good news and bad news! Lots of fresh snow at Chatter Creek, but getting there would be a challenge.

One always heeds Merle’s advice! As my group’s organizer, it was time to start phoning.

Hours later, everyone had been alerted. Most were changing their plans but some could not or decided to chance it. Not a good plan! Weather in the Interior can be unpredictable.

I called Al in Kamloops. “We’ll be there by 10:00 AM tomorrow, let’s go right through. We can ski Kicking Horse in the morning, before our flight”. “Fine”! Al would be ready.

A few hours later, a mate and I were on the road. After days of drizzle, the day dawned sunny and mild. It was like spring!

The first mountain road is the Coquihalla. It was bare and the sky was clear. There was no hint of a storm. The roads ahead were reported open.

I thought to myself, “I’m never going to hear the end of this! After getting all those people to change their plans, I’m going to get some rockets.”

We were in Kamloops in less than four hours. We picked up Al and six hours later we were in Golden. There had been a delay at Three Valley Gap, where road crews were cleaning up a slide. However, there had been no real problem and the driving had been easy. False alarm! Oh well, we would get a morning at Kicking Horse Resort before our afternoon flight to Chatter Creek.

Morning dawned, and I arose to look outside. My car had become a huge white mound. Not even the tires were visible! It had dumped overnight and it was still dumping! On went the “telly”. The road to the east was closed again. The road to the west could close at any time.

Some of the lads were leaving the coast in the “wee” hours, much earlier than usual to give themselves extra time. Would they make it? Would they get through Three Valley Gap and then the high Rogers Pass before things shut down? The road was bound to close, it was just a matter of time.

At 2:00PM, shaking off the Kicking Horse powder, we headed for the airport. The radio advised that all the passes were now closed. Had our friends made it?

As we drove up to the hanger, we saw all sorts of activity. There was Owen, and Jim was there too. The others from the coast had arrived, the last cars allowed through. Great relief!

However, as we assembled to count heads; 17,18,19,20….?? We were missing the four who were flying to Calgary. They were not to be seen.

A cell phone rang. Chris and Kevin were stopped on the Radium road. The Kicking Horse Pass was closed, so they had tried the alternate route. No luck, it was closed too. They were there for the night. Disaster!

Guests fly to the lodge in three flights, one flight of 12 and two flights of 6. If all 20 of us were to fly to the lodge that night, the stragglers would have an expensive private flight the next day.

Merle and her husband Mike came to the rescue. A radio call was made to the lodge.

“Were there six departing clients willing to stay over and fly out in the morning?” Affirmative! No problem! There were many volunteers.

Merle then asked, “Now, are any two people willing to stay tonight in Golden? Then the last flight of 6 will fly in the morning”

Silence. Glum faces. Hands in pockets. No volunteers!

There was more discussion. “Was anyone willing to snowmobile to the lodge tonight?”

Hesitation, then Tony, good old Tony, raised his hand. He would do it. A ninety-km trip on a snowmobile, following a leader at high speed on a cold night with fresh snow on an unplowed road was not anyone’s idea of fun! Tony would have a 90-km blizzard.

Merle explained, “If we sled the luggage to the lodge tonight, and one person sleds too, then we’ll put an extra person in the large ‘bird’ and the last flight will go in the morning. There will be no extra charges and everyone that’s here will get in tonight.

Perfect! Relief! We would have warm drinks and a meal waiting for Tony.

The flight to Chatter Creek was spectacular, with shafts of late afternoon sunlight striking the surrounding peaks. In 20 minutes, back on the ground, we stumbling though the fresh “powder” to the welcoming door of Vertebrae Lodge. Eighteen glum-faced skiers and boarders passed us on the way. After a great tour, no one wanted to leave. Six smiling faces greeted us at the door. They would get another great meal and an extra night at Vertebrae Lodge, an unexpected bonus.

Two hours later, Tony arrived, a frozen “Michelin Man”. It took a while to thaw him out. Next morning, not long after breakfast, we heard the familiar sound of an approaching helicopter. The last four were arriving.

Our group was complete, the weather was clear, there was lots of fresh snow and our Chatter Creek tour was launched. It turned out to be the best tour yet!

Travel to Golden is not usually difficult. This was an infrequent, but very possible case. The roads from the east and the west both go over high passes, and can pose a problem. The road from the south ( Spokane WA) follows valleys and is rarely closed.

For more information on getting to Golden for your cat skiing adventure, look at the “Getting to Golden” page on the Chatter Creek Web site, at http://www.backcountrywintervacations.com/golden-bc.html . A photo journal on Chatter Creek is located at http://powder-skiing.blogspot.com/

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First Season?

You got the job. You are now looking at five months of mountain mayhem - as well as a liberal smattering of hard work of course - so what do you need to take?

At Natives we've got more combined winter seasons than a medium length ice-age. So here are our suggestions.

Eye Windows:
Some form of eye protection is absolutely vital. You either need a pair of good quality shades or some goggles; in all honesty it is much better to have both.

Sunglasses will restrict you to fair weather skiing: they don't work well in fog and are next to useless if it's actually snowing. Goggles look pretty dumb when reclining in a deck chair or walking round town.

Make sure sunglasses are 100% UVA and UVB protective. Shades which aren't are worse than none at all - they trick your eye into thinking it is darker than it is expanding your pupils and making them more vulnerable to damage.

Goggles should be fully protective as well but you also need to think about lens tint. Dark lenses won't help you see definition in flat light, but the oranges and yellows that work best in poor visibility are often unbearable if it's really sunny.

Some goggles have interchangeable lenses for different conditions. As a one-off lens for any snow the Oakley Fire Iridium is pretty hot. But bear in mind you could buy two perfectly suited pairs of many other brands for the same price.

Clothing :
Generally it is best to buy clothing in the UK. You might find think that competition would drive prices down in ski resorts. In North America this can often be the case, but in Europe there is more of a captive market in the isolated stations and clothes are generally either comparable or slightly more expensive than in the UK.

You will also have very little time in those first few weeks to go shopping - what time you do have you'll want to spend up the mountain. When the sales start after Easter is the time to get gear on the continent.

Both skiers and boarders tend to wear clothes a bit baggier to allow freedom of movement these days. But girls (and guys?) with nice bums should think about other people and stick with a more figure-hugging pant. ;-)

Jackets:
Probably you'll have a company ski jacket provided. Unfortunately you will still almost certainly need one of your own.

Very few workers tend to wear uniform outside of work hours. Partially because this is because it has a slightly 'geeky' feel about it, like wearing school shoes on a Saturday. Also because it invites unwanted attention from guests: questions; services; and sometimes heckles (like hyenas, punters can be dangerous in packs).

If you don't have much money to spend, you might want to think about ex-rental clothing, which is a fraction of the price.

Trousers:
You need something good quality here. You'll be wearing these almost everyday. Waterproof, breathable and with taped seams, otherwise you'll be putting on damp pants in the morning.

Salopettes - ski pants with braces - are very out of vogue these days. They do stay up better but they make going to the toilet and lift-nookie a bit of a chore. You can also accidentally perform a 'self-melvin' if you do the straps too tight.

Again, ex-rental trousers can be a real saving if you're on a tight budget.

Layering:
Staying warm is all about layering, here are a few tips:

- Ladies tights with the feet cut off make excellent thermal leggings. Go for a high denier (the thickness) for more warmth and better durability, fishnets are notoriously ineffective.

- Get a decent quality fleece for your upper body - cheap ones really don't work very well and come to bits, good ones are virtually indestructible. A good wool jumper is probably superior to a bad fleece.

- Cotton next to the skin traps moisture, man-made fibres work much better. If you really suffer from the cold it is well worth investing in a micro-fleece top and a couple of thermal T-shirts.

- Gloves or mittens are really important and shouldn't be scrimped on. If you don't have much cash or get cold hands easily go for mittens; they are much warmer, so a cheaper pair will be adequate, a good pair really good.

Equipment:

Boots:
The first thing you want to get are your boots. The difference between a rental set and your own specifically fitted pair is incomparable. Go to a good boot fitter that carries a lot of different brands, otherwise they might try and put you into a shape which isn't really the best for your foot.

For ski boots it is probably best to buy in resort, a good quality shop will be able to make adjustments if you find areas that are rubbing when you ski or your heels are lifting. You may also be able to pay in instalments if you hand over your passport.

Snowboard boots don't tend to have as many inherent problems, if you get a decent pair it really doesn't matter where you buy them. You do need to consider whether they will be compatible with the binding system of board you'll get though.

Skis and Boards:
Most companies will have a deal with one or more local shops that provide their staff with free equipment in exchange for custom. With skis you will probably be able to get a set for the season, though unless you personally bring in a lot of trade or make good friends with the ski-techs you are unlikely to get a particularly good pair.

Boarders often find that they are allowed boards for a more limited period and might be asked to give them back over peak weeks, which is obviously infuriating. Rental boards are also generally step in systems, much easier for the shop but not the preferred setup of most good riders.

You might well be content with what you end up with, but if you've got the funds and you are going to be out for the whole season then your own kit is definitely the way forward.

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Ski Mountaineering - An Introduction

Not so long ago, skiing was something mountaineers, British ones anyway, regarded with suspicion. Like eating quiche, real climbers didn't ski. If they did, it was as a separate sport, a winter holiday with the family using lifts, not to be confused with serious mountaineering. When they went climbing in the Alps in winter, they would stolidly plug lines of holes two feet deep up the glaciers and take days to reach their route; or they would hire snow shoes in Chamonix and take almost as long. Of course there were exceptions who proved the rule; Dougal Haston, for one, and there has always been a small band of devotees in the Eagle Ski Club and the Alpine Ski Club. But on the whole, skis, whether as a means to an end or as an end in themselves, were not part of the average mountaineer's equipment.

Now, all that has changed. Skiing is seen as a useful skill to acquire and as enjoyable a form of mountaineering as rock-climbing or ice climbing. Almost everybody is doing it. And with good reason, for it is the only sensible way to travel in deep winter snow: easier than walking on the uphill and as exciting or scary as you care to make it on the descent.

Improved equipment
One reason for the growth of interest has been the improvement in equipment. When I first went touring in 1970, I was using wooden skis which were far too long for me, (and snapped, halfway through the holiday). They were fitted with cable bindings which had no lateral release, and I wore lace-up leather boots that were a pleasure to walk in but only a slight advance on flip-flops to ski in. Consequently I used to enjoy the uphill and survive the downhill!

Gear has come a long way since then. Boots like the Scarpa Denali or the Nordica TR10 are almost as good as downhill boots to ski in and nothing like as uncomfortable to walk in as they appear. Modern broad skis like the Salomon X-Mountain, Dynastar 4x4, Rossignol Bandit or Atomic Beta-Ride have made the off-piste accessible to far more people.

Bindings have altered radically, with Fritschi and Silvretta dominating the market at present. Most are now of the step-in type, with sensitive forward and lateral release for downhill skiing and a climbing aid to raise the heel on steep ascents. Harscheisen (ski crampons) are standard on most models. Ski-brakes are becoming more common as an optional alternative to safety straps, but you do have to choose between the possibility of losing a ski in deep snow (which does happen) and slicing yourself open with a tip or an edge in a bad tumble (which also happens).

Skins for going uphill, which have a pile allowing the ski to slide forward but not backwards, have improved too. They used to be made of seal fur and were attached to the ski with straps. Now they are made of nylon or mohair and almost universally use a sticky backing rather than straps, a system which works well so long as the bottom of the ski is dry.

Telemark equipment
An increasingly popular alternative is telemark equipment. Bindings are very light and boots are fastened only at the toe, with either a three pin or a cable system. Boots need to be solid and warm but bendy so that you can 'kick' with each stride on the flat and crouch down to execute a telemark turn. Using this sort of gear, the High Level Route from Chamonix to Zermatt has been skied in twenty-four hours instead of the usual week, but you need to be a very good telemark skier to handle that type of terrain.

Where to ski
Many people confine their ski touring to the Alps where there are plenty of huts, good maps and guide books, reliable snow and plenty of people around in Spring to reduce the seriousness of it all. However, there is no lack of possibilities in Scotland, Wales and the Lakes when the snow is right, which is admittedly less often than it used to be. A few years ago a group from the Eagle Ski Club even skied the length of the South Downs Way over New Year. In fact, once you have the gear you can ski anywhere there is snow which, in winter, is a sizeable chunk of the northern hemisphere, including some less obvious destinations like Morocco, Corsica, Lebanon and Greece.

Starting out
To enjoy ski mountaineering, however, you do need to be fairly fit and you need to be able to ski. Skiing with a pack in deep crud calls for a certain amount of both strength and skill, and the more you have of each the more you can enjoy it. You can get by with one or the other. If you are very fit you can put up with frequent head-plants and the protracted performance of putting self and skis together again afterwards. If you are a good off-piste skier but unfit you may be able to hang on uphill and still cope with the downhill. But you will have the most fun if you are both, and if you are neither, your holiday could be a disaster, not only for you, but also for the rest of the party who have to wait for you.

For climbers learning to ski, it is tempting to head off into the untracked snow straightaway, but it is well worth having some lessons and waiting until you feel confident that you can handle most pisted slopes, one way or another, and have had a go at some off-piste. Looking good matters not a jot, but knowing when not to fall over and being able to traverse, side-slip and kick-turn are important skills for getting out of trouble. It is wise to adopt a conservative approach to your skiing, too. The back of beyond is a bad place to break a leg.

Getting instruction
If you wish to start under tuition or to try out the gear at someone else's expense, the national centres, Glenmore Lodge and Plas y Brenin, run introductory courses, as do a number of British Mountain Guides. The Eagle Ski Club has an extensive programme of guided and unguided tours for all levels of experience in different parts of the Alps and welcomes new members. The Ski Club of Great Britain also has a touring programme along with ski-safaris and off-piste holidays.

If you prefer to do your own thing, remember that avalanches are a very real hazard for the skier. Learn all you can about snow, and carry a transceiver and a shovel, just in case. The one is no use without the other. If you don't believe me, see how long it takes to dig a hole in the snow a metre deep with your hands. That said, there is no finer feeling than skiing untracked powder that you have reached on your own two feet. Go for it!

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Snow Types - Different Types of Snow
   from Powder to Ice

In this section we are going to look at the Different Kinds of Snow you might encounter in your Snowboarding or Skiing experiences. Below is the description of the different Types of Snow, how they will affect The Way you Ride your Snowboard, and how to handle those surfaces. But first, let's have a glance on "what snow is" in general.

What is Snow?

Most people perceive snow simply as frozen water. Delving in a little deeper, snow is actually a form of precipitation in the form of ice crystals. These ice crystals are hexagonal prisms that form when snow freezes up. Prisms are formed due to the molecular structure of water. As these ice crystals are formed, they come down in one of the following forms:

• Snow crystals -- Individual, single ice crystals, often with six-fold symmetrical shapes. These grow directly from condensing water vapor in the air, usually around a nucleus of dust or some other foreign material. Typical sizes range from microscopic to at most a few millimeters in diameter.
• Snowflakes -- Collections of snow crystals, loosely bound together into a puff-ball. These can grow to large sizes (up to about 10 cm across in some cases) when the snow is especially wet and sticky. A snowflake consists of up to 100 snow crystals clumped together.
• Rime -- Super cooled tiny water droplets (typically in a fog), that quickly freeze onto whatever they hit. An example of this is the small droplets of rime on large snow crystals.
• Graupel -- Loose collections of frozen water droplets, sometimes called "soft hail."
• Hail -- Large, solid chunks of ice.

For more information about Snow and Ice Crystals visit Snowcrystals.net

Time and again, you will find many Types of Snow on a mountain depending on the altitude, temperature, and the number of people who have tracked the snow. In Snowboarding, to become a good rider, you will need to get used to all of them. After learning some facts about what snow is, we can now proceed with knowing how surface snow forms various kinds of snowboarding and skiing surfaces.

Powder

Powder is freshly fallen, untouched, soft snow. Powder, tiny flakes and crystals form the smooth and soft surface in mountains. It forms a soft smooth surface that will give you the feeling that you are floating in a weightless environment. Powder is often packed in thick layers that form a natural pillow for any crashes.

Most snowboarders and skiers find powder the ultimate surface especially since it is the best snow to land on because it does not hurt as much as hard, compact snow. Thick powder is the best surface for trying new tricks and increasing your speed record. It is also easier to carve turns, to control your speed, and to hold your edge when the snow is like powder.

Still, powder surfaces can be an obstacle for those who are not familiar with it. When riding on this type of surface, it is important that you maintain speed. If you slow down too much, you will sink in the powder and get stuck, leaving you with the job of digging yourself out. Maintaining speed will also keep you planing on the powder surface. To avoid your Snowboard from digging into the powder, make sure to keep a slightly backward stance and your tip pointing upwards.

Due to its thick, soft layer, people tend to ride harder than they would normally do and become more reckless. Powder can however cover rocks, ice, tree stumps and even crevasses with a thin layer forming a trap. Thus, it is important that you keep your eyes wide open especially when you are off piste and do not get carried away with your ride.

Crud

Crud could be considered as the next phase from powder. As more and more people ride through the powder, the snow gets piled at certain places and packed down at others. Fresh powder snow soon becomes "tracked out" and results in an uneven surface with lumps of soft powder-like snow and slippery patches. With this, the amount of resistance that your board encounters is always changing.

Snowboarding on crud is more challenging than riding on powder, but it does not necessarily mean it is less fun. The key to traversing crud is to ride more aggressively. When riding, keep your knees bent to absorb the impact that come from riding bumps and the uneven terrain. Also, keep your eyes on where you are going and choose your lines well as you go down. Riding crud and learning its tricks will improve your overall control of your snowboard.

Crust

As the name implies, this type of snow has a harder crust on top of softer powder snow. Crust is formed when the sun's rays and the wind melt the top layer of powder, and then the cold air temperature makes it freeze into solid again. If the crust is hard, you will remain riding on top of the harder, icy surface. If the crust is soft you will most likely punch through it, thus breaking the crust with your ankles as you ride through it. Something that is less fun is an intermediate crust where you are riding on top of the crust, punch through it and then bump against a harder part again.

Similar with crud, you will need a more aggressive riding style. Keep your eyes open for better lines. In making turns, be sure to keep your snowboard out of the crust by either jump turning or at least by pulling your knees up in turns.

Slush

When the air temperature becomes warmer than the freezing point, the snow starts to melt and its water content becomes very high. With this, the delicate snow crystals change into large grains of ice and slush is formed. Slush is basically snow that is starting to melt and thus becomes further wet. People who have had slush puppies (an icy snack) have a better understanding on what the word slush means.

Wet snow is heavier to traverse on than light slow so you will notice how the turns in slush are harder than on softer snow. Similar with crust and crud, more aggressive moves are needed to perform your usual techniques. Smooth carving turns are the way to go in slush if you want to keep it easy and not wear yourself out.

Ice

Ice is hated by snowboarders with the same intensity as they love powder. This type of snow is the exact opposite of powder - hard, slippery, and most of the time considered hell. Actually, you'll never find real ice on the slopes. What you do encounter is snow that has been melted and frozen again for a number of times. This forms a solid surface of icy compact snow that is often referred to as "ice".

With ice as the surface, it will be certainly hard to keep an edge. When anticipating an icy condition, consider having the Edges of your Snowboard Sharpened. A snowboard with sharp edges will help you in turns and will improve your general grip and edge control in the snow.

The key to riding ice is to keep your movements smooth and subtle. If you brake too hard or put too much pressure on an edge you will probably slip and suffer a painful landing. Then again, finding a slope made of pure ice is rare. But if you do encounter one, try to find lines that are still covered with snow. Watch your moves as you traverse from ice into snow and visa versa. Remember, ice rides fast, snow will slow you down.

Snow conditions do not only affect the way you ride your board, it affect Injury Patterns as well. Hard pack snow generally capitulate high-speed and impact injuries. Powder and heavy snow on the other hand is associated with more twisting injuries.

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