Well, I'm not much of a bc skier

[skifishbum]

well dude dont think my hard partying questionable lifestyle choices ass enjoyed following my tele bros on snowshoes wallowing thru powder overdressed and worked to ski down on 198 volkel g4's thru tight trees crushed anything but myself
and daywreckers werent much better
shits an addiction most junkies adapt pretty fast
lay off the shit
and or sadly die or lose friends

[mooseknuckles]

OP posting and Jerry Of The Days timing are on point. Coincidence? https://instagram.com/p/BT7hq6xjGTw/

[pfluffenmeister]

^^^ "I'm not gonna fall, I'm not gonna fall ...".
If you're saying this to yourself before you drop, you're not gonna have a good time.

That rock in the middle of the couloir was all "don't worry man, I got you ... THUD!!!".

[GeezerSteve]

stick-legged Randocommando dweebs

bwaaaaaaaahahahaha

[TahoeJ]

Here's a perspective: at least you have many miles of experience in downhill mode and can link turns and handle poor conditions, unlike most of the stick-legged Randocommando dweebs that never ride chairlifts.

So so true. When I first got into BC I would get smoked by those guys on the way up and they'd pass by with a bit of a smirk... when I finally got to see them ski down I felt a hell of a lot better about my prospects.

[SKIP IN7RO]

^Definitely better to be a hack on the way up. Being a beater on the descent is dangerous for the whole group.

[XXX-er]

Some of them holier than tho BC skiers never get much down time so they go up hill ok but suck on the down, the good news is you can train and go up faster but they will still suck

It's like the old adage " yes I am fat but I can lose weight while you on the other hand will always be ugly"

[spindrift]

I am the best at being a crappy skinner. The very best. If you want to feel good about your prospects, just drag me out for an afternoon.

As others have said - it is an acquired skill. So easy to look like a fool the first few times out.

BTW - if you want any cred as a hopeless BC type, please post a shot of you standing at the top dripping with sweat with a light breeze wrapping you up in your skins - preferably with nice fresh sticky glue on the skins.... That's about par for the course for me....

[Mofro261]

There is no "you suck at BC skiing."
There is only "you suck at skiing."

Walking uphill is stupid easy for anyone with fitness. Without fitness, you suck at skiing.

[grinch]

The people that rip on the way up then rip on the way down piss me off. The older I get the more people piss me off. It's science

[spindrift]

The people that rip on the way up then rip on the way down piss me off. The older I get the more people piss me off. It's science

QFT

[spindrift]

There is no "you suck at BC skiing."
There is only "you suck at skiing."

Walking uphill is stupid easy for anyone with fitness. Without fitness, you suck at skiing.

LOL I suck. I admit it.

Nonetheless, this is one of those things where everything is easy once you learn to make it easy. It is physically demanding compared to most activities. But on top of that, there are a million little things that take a bit to burn in. Everything from how to move your skis to hydration management to layer management. All trivial. But the details are all kind of unique to skinning. And of course there is exact timing of snow and sun. And making sure you let your legs recover enough to have the down be fun. I mean who has not gotten tangled in skins or gotten crap stuck on them or whatever their first time or two out? Or timed the ascent or descent poorly?

I know there are some folks for whom it is just a walk in the park. Not so much for the average hack or new player. Folks should expect a learning curve. Me - I skin just infrequently enough to be in a perpetual state of suckage and forgetfulness. It is my BC super power as it were.

[ACH]

The people that rip on the way up then rip on the way down piss me off. The older I get the more people piss me off. It's science

Don't ski with Mofro or Norse then...
They'll piss you off, then piss you off again as they lap you on the up.

[grinch]

Don't ski with Mofro or Norse then...
They'll piss you off, then piss you off again as they lap you on the up.

No doubt. Sounds like you can empathize

[XXX-er]

You can train to be fast, Greg Hill told me to do intervals 1 hr fast as you can

[ACH]

No doubt. Sounds like you can empathize

In a way I suppose, but it doesn't piss me off though...
If anything it provides inspiration to get out more, and in general take better care of myself so my fitness is up for more.

Thing is, touring has never been a "speed" activity for me, I enjoy whatever pace my body is up to.
That, and I like to make sure that I have something left in the tank for the down, which IMO is what it's all about in the first place.

[grinch]

In a way I suppose, but it doesn't piss me off though...
If anything it provides inspiration to get out more, and in general take better care of myself so my fitness is up for more.

Thing is, touring has never been a "speed" activity for me, I enjoy whatever pace my body is up to.
That, and I like to make sure that I have something left in the tank for the down, which IMO is what it's all about in the first place.

I was joking. It is nice to look around. Not a race and slow is fast when it comes to touring(steady without stopping and good effective route finding and traction)at the same time speed and fitness get big things done

You can train to be fast, Greg Hill told me to do intervals 1 hr fast as you can

Intervals definitively develop speed. If you're consistently fit it's easier to stick intervals in on a regular basis. Oldageitis has me more concerned with base fitness these days

[XXX-er]

I was doing speed work at least once a week looking for long range endurance and the by product was speed, I got pretty fast keeping up to much younger guys

I was 56 and that was 3 years ago, I haven't kept up the speed work and I'm noticably slower/normal

[Angle Parking]

Here's a couple options for you;

[grinch]

I was doing speed work at least once a week looking for long range endurance and the by product was speed, I got pretty fast keeping up to much younger guys

I was 56 and that was 3 years ago, I haven't kept up the speed work and I'm noticably slower/normal

Note taken. It'd be nice to find that next gear I've been missing for a while

[raisingarizona13]

There is no "you suck at BC skiing."
There is only "you suck at skiing."

Walking uphill is stupid easy for anyone with fitness. Without fitness, you suck at skiing.

Maybe, but there is a lot more to it other than walking uphill to being a good back country skier.

Also, skinning may be easy on perfect tracks up beautiful slopes of open powder but here, our mountain gets raped by wind. Try skinning on rime and ice all day, often on fairly steep slopes and above exposure. I call that shit crampon-ing. Throw in some sporty crux moves going up through narrow slots in between 6 foot tall near vertical wind drifts, rock outcroppings, etc. and it's not so easy.

[GoldMember]

^^ That actually sounds closer to mountaineering than back country skiing. When the up starts getting technical (and threatening), I don't consider that normal bc.

[PNWbrit]

Try skinning on rime and ice all day, often on fairly steep slopes and above exposure. I call that shit crampon-ing. Throw in some sporty crux moves going up through narrow slots in between 6 foot tall near vertical wind drifts, rock outcroppings, etc. and it's not so easy.

Pretty much everyone who knows mofro is laughing at you.

[raisingarizona13]

Pretty much everyone who knows mofro is laughing at you.

That would just brake my fucking heart.

[XXX-er]

Note taken. It'd be nice to find that next gear I've been missing for a while

I got to where I could hang with Angle Parking, he is 20 yrs younger and was in some pretty serious shape