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Newsflash |
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Mogul Mike is dedicated to providing National Capital area skiers and snowboarders with the most up-to-date and accurate ski conditions available. Our snow conditions are harvested from a variety of sources but our primary local conditons are provided by Magma and Tim Hern, who's site can be seen here.. Ski N' Ride Snow Guide |
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Ottawa Masters Tips and Tricks |
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Introduction to Ski Racing
So you want to be Ski Racer, Eh? Ski Racing is probably one of the most technically demanding and physically challenging sports there is. It takes years of practice, dedication, and a few bucket fulls of money to get even halfway decent. The reasons to race are as varied as the people who do it. I started racing to get over the boredom of going up and down. I still go up and down, only now I do it faster.Introduction to Ski Racing
So you want to be Ski Racer, Eh? Ski Racing is probably one of the most technically demanding and physically challenging sports there is. It takes years of practice, dedication, and a few bucket fulls of money to get even halfway decent. The reasons to race are as varied as the people who do it. I started racing to get over the boredom of going up and down. I still go up and down, only now I do it faster.
These tips are designed to help the beginning Ski Racer get started.
There are four basic elements that you can focus on developing. These probably apply to just about any sport, but they seem to work well for us:
* Physical Fitness. Skiing is a sport; therefore we are athletes.
* Knowledge. You should have a clue about the rules, etiquette and theories.
* Train. Just do it! Nobody ever got better thinking about it, you gotta put the mileage on the boards.
* Gear. If you want to go to war, bring the best weapons you can afford.
Physical Fitness
Couch Potatoes Arise! It's time to get fit. If you go to Amazon.com and type in fitness, you will get about 6,000 hits. I don't want to go into all the doo dah about how to shape up those flabby abs. There are plenty of infomercials on that. If you want to race, you need to be fit, it's that simple. In a nutshell, you need to Stretch, Strengthen, and Lift. Go on the famous Eat Less, Exercise More diet. Strengthen your legs, butt, gut, workout on the cardio machine like a horse. Ride your bike. Do sit ups until you feel like puking. Run a mile. Run ten. Run downhill. Run Uphill. Run.
The main objective here is to get your lazy fat ass off the sofa, your hand outta the chip bowl and get out there and shape up! Twenty minutes a day is all it takes.
And don't forget to stretch.
References:
* Fitskiing: Your Guide for Peak Skiing Fitness ISBN: 0974513806
* Ski Flex: Flexibility, Fitness, and Conditioning for Better Skiing ISBN: 1578260582
* The Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Skiing ISBN: 1932549226
Knowledge
Knowledge is always the key to solving just about any problem. If you don't know, find out, right? Fortunately in ski racing, unlike just about every other sport, it is possible to just show up and play with out the slightest clue of what you are doing. Start. Ski down around the poles. Finish. Try that in hockey. If you don't know what an offside is, you'll spend the evening holding down the bench.
Learn how to inspect a course. Know the differences between a hair pin, a delay, and a flush. I know it's hard to believe at times, but gates aren't just placed randomly on the hill. The course setter carefully places the gates in strategic locations to test the racers mettle. Count the gates. Memorize the course. Run through the course in your mind while waiting for your start.
Take the time to learn about ski theory. How and why do skis carve. How and when are you supposed to pressure on, release your weight, transfer. How much edge do you apply?
Read and understand. Become a student of the sport, but remember, there is no substitute for doing it.
References:
* Ski Faster: Lisa Feinberg Densmore's Guide to High Performance Skiing and Racing ISBN: 0071343814
* The Skier's Edge ISBN: 0880119829
* The Athletic Skier ISBN: 1555661173
* Race Skills for Alpine Skiing ISBN: 0964739011
Training
Now that you are a hard body, you've read the lit, and have the gear, its time to get out and use it. I can't say this enough: The best way to get to be a better skier is to ski. And Ski And Ski some more! Nobody ever read themselves into being a better skier, or was talked into being a better skier. To be a better skier, there is only one path. SHUT UP AND SKI DAMMIT!
Get mileage onthe hill. Get mileage in the gates. Sign up for Masters training. There are a variety of training opportunities, take advantage of them. Hire a Coach.
Actively pursue feedback and correction. Ski fast and with purpose. Always be conscious of what you are doing and work on some fault or some ski improvement.
Go free skiing with of the hot shots and follow in his tracks all the way down. Match him turn for turn. He is giving you a PhD in technique without saying a word and with out even knowing it.
Ask one of the pros in the club to take a run with you, or watch your and give you a tip. Be sure to say thanks and buy him or her a pint in the bar afterwards.
Gear
A friend once told me, "tis not the boot, but the foot that goes in it." This is so true, people too get caught up in the gear and they forget often how important the skill set is. Nevertheless, this section is about gear, and if you want to race, you gotta have it. Buy your skis from our sponsors. They are experts in Ski Racing and can guide you in the right direction.
* Slalom Ski. This is a super side cut ski designed for carving short radius turns. Usually has a side cut radius of about 12m. These skis are short: FIS rules restrict Ladies to a Minimum length of 155cm and Men to a minimum length of 165cm. There are no radius restrictions. The Ottawa Masters do not enforce the FIS restrictions, but they are a factor if you want to race in FIS international masters race championships. I use a 165cm ski with a 12m radius.
* GS ski. This ski is designed for carving long big ass turns at high speed. FIS rules enforce Ladies GS 180cm with -5cm tolerance with a min radius of 21 meters and Men GS 185cm with -5cm tolerance at a min radius 21 meters. The Ottawa Masters do not enforce these restrictions either. I much prefer a slightly smaller radius ski. I use a GS ski 180 cm with an 18 m radius sidecut.
* Bindings. Equip your skis with high performance binding with din rating 4-12, or 6-14. Crazy guys can go higher, but I won't.
* Helmet and goggles. Get some clear goggles for night skiing.
* Helmet mouth guard. This will protect your teeth. Take a frozen slalom gate and smash it into your face as hard as you can. Then you will appreciate this bar.
* Shin Pads. These protect your shins against gates in Slalom.
* Slalom poles. Equip a pair of poles with hand guards to protect the knuckles.
* GS poles. You can get a pair of contoured GS poles, but I just use regular poles. You don't want to race GS with poles equipped with slalom pole guards, they can get caught in the snow.
* Padded gloves.
* Padded top. You can buy lycra tops with padding in them. Saves your shoulders and forearms against bruises.
* Forearm pads. Matt showed me an innovative fore arm pad. He used a pair of kids soccer pads on his forearms. Works great.
* GS or Downhill hill suit. (optional) I think you can race two or three years before investing in a suit. But when you do, get a padded one.
* warmup pants. You'll a pair of warmup pants to zip over your GS suit.
* Boots. Racing boots tend to be stiffer, colder, and much more performance oriented than recreational boots. You pay for performance, not comfort.
* Tools. You'll want to get some tuning and scraping tools. Files, brushes, waxing iron, bench vice, etc.
* Wax. Get wax. lots and lots and lots of wax!
References:
o Alpine Ski Maintenance and Repair ISBN: 0809247186
o Waxing and Care of Skis and Snowboards ISBN: 0899973035
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