I'm officially a skier! Got a few questions

**hitek79** · 03-03-2010, 10:44 PM

So I picked up some gear off Tramdock and I've been skiing the last few weeks. Going good so far, but I have a few basic questions.

First off, I got a pair of boots that fit great, but need an insole for sure. Am I ok with just pulling the insole out of my snowboard boots and throwing it in there as long as it fits well? It's a pretty nice insole with plenty of support for snowboarding, but I wasn't sure if there would be something more specific for skiing.

Any general rule for poles? I have some I bought for snowshoeing that I've been using. Seem to be working fine so far.

**neck beard** · 03-03-2010, 11:05 PM

I used my inner soles from SB boots in intuition liners from Scarpa's in my Garmont shells. No probs at all, though perhaps I don't know any better and would think differently if I did.

I started out using collapsible three piece BD poles from my splitboard days. They work fine, but expect to break some as they get far more usage and also have a habit of being landed on when you crash. Get non-adjustable normal poles if you can – the flick lock is just one extra thing that can fail.

My only advice: continue to see terrain like a snowboarder: surf shape rather than ski snow, and at the same time enjoy the freedom and finesse that skis gives you. Snowboarder’s mind + fat RC skis = a lot of fun.

Enjoy your journey into the incredibly well refined yet still always cutting-edge progressive world of technical tools for moving on snow. It doesn’t suck one little bit, ever.

**telestoner** · 03-03-2010, 11:14 PM

Insoles are insoles so long as they fit. I'd just not try to spend much $$$ on poles, so it sounds like you're doing ok there. Some of the hiking-specific poles have really blunt tips that won't plant well in firm snow. A lot of ski-specific poles have tiny baskets that don't plant well in soft snow. I'm real happy with my dumpster poles that I added powder baskets to.

**hitek79** · 03-03-2010, 11:34 PM

Good deal on the insoles. I'll give them a go.

I have some adjustable poles, but don't want to use them because they were fairly pricey. The poles I've been taking are just some basic ski poles. $20 swix's I believe. Small basket on them that seem to be working fine so far. I'm sure they'll work for awhile since I'm just now on super easy groomed blues.

The actual skiing part isn't too hard so far. It took me a few hours on the bunny slope to get the hang of it, but I turn left and right equally well and stop/check my speed equally well on each side too. It's amazing how sore I am the next day though. 3 days of powder on the snowboard is no problem, but 3hrs on a green run has my legs burning the next day.

**Sinecure** · 03-03-2010, 11:43 PM

Stand up taller and you won't get so tired. Take a lesson or two if you can afford it. Go mid-week when you're more likely to get a private or semi-private for the cost of a group lesson. And/or ski with some maggots who actually know how to teach.

**neck beard** · 03-03-2010, 11:47 PM

I still have not had a lesson, but I’ve had a few good skiers help me out. They warned me that learning early to keep the body pointed downhill, hands forward and shins weighted is important. They are right as every time I lose it, it was because of one of these didn’t happen. And they really come into play when terrain or snow difficulty increases. So get someone to drum this into your head and focus on it. Worked for me, even though getting backseat happens far too often.

The other bit of gold I was told was to learn stem turns. They can solve almost every problem when you are learning, and beyond. Others mock me for this, but man, it is a useful tool, especially if you get your ass out of resort asap. You won’t use them often, but you will blitz others who can’t do them when they are needed.

Come back and check this thread after 97 more days on skis. You will be amazed at the progress you made, and how much more there is to make.

My wife is currently learning to ski from snowboarding. It is amazing to watch: if you follow the basic rules of technique, skiing works. If you don’t, it sucks.

**Ivan Oder** · 03-03-2010, 11:54 PM

Originally Posted by hitek79

Good deal on the insoles. I'll give them a go.

I have some adjustable poles, but don't want to use them because they were fairly pricey. The poles I've been taking are just some basic ski poles. $20 swix's I believe. Small basket on them that seem to be working fine so far. I'm sure they'll work for awhile since I'm just now on super easy groomed blues.

The actual skiing part isn't too hard so far. It took me a few hours on the bunny slope to get the hang of it, but I turn left and right equally well and stop/check my speed equally well on each side too. It's amazing how sore I am the next day though. 3 days of powder on the snowboard is no problem, but 3hrs on a green run has my legs burning the next day.

Tools not jewels man, go ahead and use those adjustable poles.
You should look into getting a lesson and see if they can teach
you how to carve on those groomers, ie, let the ski do the work.

**hitek79** · 03-04-2010, 12:02 AM

I'm not sure if it's available every year, but Breckenridge had an unlimited mid week lesson pass for $225 if you buy it along with a season pass, so I'll probably do that next year if they sell it again. I only have about 2 weeks left before my work schedule gets busy, so I'll probably only ski once more before then, and I don't want to spend the money on a lesson now and then have all summer to forget everything I was taught.