SKIING TIPS – SAFETY CHECKS
By: Jack McGurin

Puritan Ski and Tennis Shop will be offering you “Ski and Snowboard Tips” bi-monthly on our web site during the current 2007-2008 snow sports season. Information will relate to safety, equipment and how to advise as the season progresses.

These points of information are presented to you by one of our new staff members, Jack McGurin who joins us after his move to Cape Cod from 35 years in Franconia NH. Jack taught skiing at Cannon Mt. from 1972-2005. He achieved PSIA-E Level III Certification (Professional Ski Instructors of America).

We hope you find these tips both enjoyable and helpful. Stop into our Hyannis Store and talk skiing and snow boarding with Scott, Jack, Christen, Ed and the rest of our talented crew. Our shop has a new street floor location. Come on in… check it out and visit our web site every week. Puritan is your headquarters for the best in ski and snowboard equipment and apparel.

Week 1 - Before you go ...Safety Should Procede the Fun .

It’s a good idea to have your equipment checked out for safety purposes prior to starting the season. This is especially true if have neglected to do so in recent years.

Why? Because bindings are adjusted to standards of release tension settings based upon the individual skiers personal information. This is called a DIN setting and is the number you see in the toe and heel windows of your bindings.

The bindings are set to a release point based upon boot sole length, skier weight, height, age and ability level. Therefore, it is possible that a skier may need to adjust DIN settings either up or down based on a variety of factors. Advancing age, weight change or a new boot could all produce a change in the DIN setting.

Be safe, have your bindings checked out BEFORE you hit the slopes and enjoy a great day on the mountain. Remember, along with your skis, make sure you bring in both boots to the shop for the safety check

*NOTES OF CAUTION*
1) Don’t borrow someone else’s equipment and expect the bindings are set to release properly. The bindings are set for them…not for you!

2) Worn out toe and heel areas on your boot sole can affect the accuracy of the release point. These areas will be inspected during the safety check.

Week 2 - Ski and Snowboard Performance.

In order to experience the kind of performance your equipment is capable of providing you, it must be maintained.

The bottom surface needs to be smooth and the edges sharp. The bottoms can dry out and get rough from use and abuse. If the ski or snowboard surface appears white and rough… it is like your skin after a day on the beach. The base needs some care. Riding on equipment in this condition is like driving a car while your emergency brake is on…it drags.

The bases should be filled in if they have gouges. Base material is applied and any excess material is precisely removed by a combination of a grinding process and hand tool work. A texture is put back into the base of the surface by a stone grinder and the skis or snowboard edges are sharpened and beveled. Next a hot wax is applied, scrapped to remove excess and polished to harden the surface. The hot wax both fills the pores of the textured base and the polishing gives you that nice glide. Racers spend a great deal of time and expense in the preparation of their running surfaces. The cost of the equipment used and the wax itself is extremely expensive. You don’t have to be a racer to appreciate what a well maintained surface feels like on the snow.

Your edges, both bottom and sides, should be free of nicks and burrs, beveled to provide the angle needed to cut into the snow surface, and tuned to give you the sharpness you need to carve turns and grip you need to hold on hard surfaces and or steep slopes.

Remember, an expensive kitchen knife will not carve a nice roast if it is not sharp. Would you let a nice kitchen knife get rusty and dull then expect it to do a good job on the holiday turkey? Your skis cost a lot more than a good knife. Your lift ticket costs as much as a good prime rib roast. Equipment must be maintained in order to perform up to its potential and the individual’s ability carve some nice turns (or roast beef).

Week 3 - Tip Go for LITTLE VICTORIES the first day back on snow for the year.

Early season conditions often involve a limited number of open trails on primarily man made snow surfaces. So areas are anxious to get open and skiers and riders are anxious to get on the hill. It is pent up demand on the part of the snowshoe enthusiasts and short supply on the part of the ski areas.

Think of the first day on snow as a pre-season sporting event. Professional athletes go to practice camps and have training. Don't expect to jump on the snow and go from zero to sixty in no time flat. Rather, get a feel for the snow by dialing in on easier terrain and at slower speeds. A good golfing clinic I attended was about how to practice putting. Go to the practice green and drop 3 balls down just a foot from the cup. Get the stroke down and hear the sound of the ball dropping into the cup. You will be successful on these short strokes which develop confidence and success by achieving "Little Victories''. Now you can move back another foot and repeat the procedure and enjoy success. Continue moving away from the hole. You will develop your stroke and get a feel for the condition of the greens that day.

Try this approach with your skiing and riding. SLY with the basics. Your stance and balance are the first things to concentrate on. Some easy turns on easy trails will help you develop feeling for stance and balance. Experience gliding on the snow surface. Dial in the amount of pressure and edging required to perform the task. It will not require much on the easier terrain. On gentle slopes your rotary movements should be slight. Think of guiding your skis or snowbound ; no hard steering is required yet. Have success and thistle Victories''.

When you are ready, dial it up a little by increasing your speed and or the frequency of your turns. This is like moving from one foot away from the golf cup to two feet away. The additional demand will be slight and as such easier for you to be successful. Another "Little Victory'' on your first day back on snow. As your confidence develops, dial it up to higher terrain.

This is not only a good tactic for the first day, but also for the first part of any day. It works great anytime you feel that you are not performing up to the usual standards which you are capable. Perhaps you did not bring you're "A'' game that day. "A Little Victory'' can get you back on track.

Week 4 - Equipment - BOOTS

When we talk equipment we will begin with boots. Skis may generate more conversation and excitement; however the fact remains that without a good boot and proper fitting, the skis can’t perform well on their own. If you own just part of your equipment, own your boots. That is where the smart money should go first. If you own your gear and need to replace or upgrade, replace you boots. Rent your skis if necessary. It will be a lot quicker to do it that way as well.

When you go to a shop to be fitted for new boots, it may take a while and it may take trying on a few pair to find the right boot and proper fit. Many people have boots that are TOO BIG for them. A misconception is that a boot is too small when “my feet hurt”. Often the foot moves around in the boot and the individual can’t maintain a balanced stance. Two indications of boots that are TOO BIG are shin bang and black toes. In the first case, the whole foot and lower leg move forward and the shin bangs against the tongue of the boot. An analogy that I use is to imagine driving your car with a bowling ball in the trunk that is not secured. You put on the brakes and BANG; you start up and BANG. This is an exaggeration but the analogy is easily understood. In the second example the lower leg levers against the rear cuff of the boot and the foot thrusts forward jamming the big toe against the front of the boot. This malady known as black toe can result because the boot is TOO BIG. If a person levers off the rear cuff off the boot, their weight is shifted to the “back seat”. Is this because their stance is incorrect or is it a case of they can’t maintain their stance while in motion because their boots are TOO BIG? It could be a combo platter, however it is difficult to maintain good stance if boots don’t fit properly.

Proper fitting takes place after choosing an appropriate boot for a person’s foot size, type of skiing and ability level. Manufacturers make boots of different widths, known as last to accommodate the wider foot. Therefore, length is only one consideration. In addition women’s specific boots are an option that did not exist too long ago. Women’s boots are now cut lower at the calf height to better accommodate a women’s calf muscle which begins lower on her leg than that of a man. Ladies, you were right, your old boots were uncomfortable and they hurt.

I might get some argument on this point. A comfortable boot does not fit like a slipper and you would not expect much performance out of your slippers. You are supposed to have a degree of balance between comfort and performance that depends on your individual goals. Come in to see me and we will talk; bring your current boots. I look forward to seeing you. If you want bowling shoes, sorry, I can not help you on that one.

Week 5 - Shape Skis ARE Different.

If you don’t think shape skis are different then you are not using them correctly. They are not intended to be skied with yester years “unweighting” techniques.

You have probably heard someone say that shape skis cut into the snow and leave railroad tracks in the snow. Yes they do, or at least they can. The do is up to the operator. Open your stance, tip those suckers over, let them engage the snow surface after you roll your ankles and enjoy the carving from tip to tail. Here is how to do it.

Think of railroad tracks and how continuous they are. Take a set of electric train tracks and put aside all the straight pieces and assemble what you have left. You can imagine this easy enough. These tracks resemble the marks you can leave in the snow with shape skis. Beautiful, continuous, seamless tracks are achievable. They just require the correct movements. You can achieve these goals in a cause/effect manner.

Imagine you put one ski on each track of an imaginary set of tracks on the snow. Now ride those tracks and tip your skis up on their edges. Keep the ski on the imaginary track in front of you and you will leave the real tracks in the snow behind you. If you lift a ski off the imaginary track or skid across the imaginary tracks, you will derail (in theory). Carving tracks in the snow is not so difficult to achieve. Keep your hands out in front of you, forget you have poles or get rid of them for now and make the required adjustments with your feet, ankles, knees and hips. Make sure you are flexing and extending from your feet. You will be moving across or laterally rather than vertically. Be careful not to max out in either a low or high stance and KEEP MOVING. How much you need to tip your skis on edge is a function of where you want to go, how steep it is, how fast you are going and the snow texture.  

Don’t be overwhelmed with this information. Practice on easy places first: little victories. Get the performance out of your equipment that it is capable of giving you. Before long you will be smiling like those skiers in the magazines… lots of teeth and a big smile.

(Note: The learning process can be accelerated by a good coach…take a lesson

Week 6 - Boot FITTING Issues

Once the season has begun, those new boots you purchased may have begun to "pack out " a bit. This will be a bigger issue if you did not get a snug fit when you bought your boots. Boots that already have some previous experience on them most assuredly have packed out. tightening the buckles can help to some extent but isn't always a solution. What can you do about it ?

An easy fix is to try an aftermarket foot bed. These trim to fit foot beds, such as Superfeet, will will take up some of the slack space in a boot. Boot shells vary by volume, some are narrower as a ski racer would choose and some are wider to accommodate the casual skier with a wider foot. A foot bed can help fill in the void. They also provide a better cradle of support than the thin foot beds that come stock in a new boot.

If you have the type of job where you are on your feet a lot, you can easily understand the value of foot beds Those with arch problems, which is common with advancing age or increasing weight, would do well to use foot beds Anyone who has experienced knee pain will also appreciate the stability of a better foot bed

For about $35.00 foot beds are money well spent and can save the larger cost if someone can't stand their boots and think they need to buy new boots. If you are in the market for new boots, put foot beds in when you get the boot you like. You will like the fit even better right there in the ski shop at the time of the purchase. Not everyone needs to have custom orthotics that will set you back a couple of hundred dollars. Everyone should have a good foot bed in their boots. They will help improve your skiing by improving you boot fit.

Week 7 - Ski AND Snowboard TIP

What is the best snowboard or ski to buy?

There are lots of great skis and snowboards on the market for the buyer to choose from. The consumer can dial into a ski or snowboard choice based on the type of terrain that best defines his or her likings and how the individual prefers to ski or ride. For example some products are specifically designed to be best on groomed trails while others may be best on powder or best on hard pack surfaces. Some skis and snowboards are designed with specific use in mind and others are intended to be versatile. The choice of length of the ski or snowboard is first determined by the individual’s height and weight. The next step in zeroing in is the users’ ability. The size of the turn (turn radius) and speed are other considerations that round out a choice.

Burton brand Snowboards put a wealth of information right into the packaging on their new boards to help riders choose the right piece of equipment as well as the correct length. The descriptions of intended use, and parameters for height and weight eliminate a lot of the guess work. This information helps one choose both model and length.

Most skis now come with dimensions right on the graphics. The width of the ski at the tip, waist and tail of the ski, as well as length of the turn radius are usually displayed. Skis are designed to fit skier profiles. For instance, does the individual ski groomed trails all the time or does the skier spend a % of the time in the half pipe and terrain park? Does the skier choose to ski powder and or crud snow maybe 40% of the time and groomed trails the great majority of the time? When presented with this information the shop personnel can easily help select the proper length as well as helping with models and brand names.

Skis can be specific or they can be very versatile all mountain skis. Skis began getting shorter as the parabolic skis, now referred shape skis, began their introduction. This technology was actually driven by snowboards which are wider and have a more exaggerated side cut than so called straight skis formerly offered. Racers saw the advantage to the carving ability that a shorter more exaggerated side cut offered. Prior to these events, ski technology was by and large driven by ski racing. Greater side cut and greater width for floating on the surface have caused skis to get shorter than when shape skis were originally introduced. We are probably looking at the third generation of shape skis in 2007/08.

What about bindings you might ask. Most snowboard bindings are set into the board based on individual stance preferences. A “regular” stance has the left foot forward and a “goofy” stance has the right foot forward. Individual preferences determine the angles of the boot binding interface in relation to what extent the boot is perpendicular to the side edges of the snowboard. Boards come predrilled and the binding has a circular plate with grooved sides that allow the binding to be screwed into the snowboard based on the width of the individual’s stance and how many degrees “open” the individual chooses for each foot. Stance is very personal with regards to snowboarding as opposed to a skier’s stance.

Things have changed dramatically with regard to ski bindings and choice. Most conventional skis come integrated with a particular binding as a “system”. The skis come with a platform or a rail which is predrilled or integral to the ski itself in order to accommodate the bindings. A few skis come “flat” with no platform and no binding system. Most notably, twin tip skis, race skis and children’s skis fall into this group. The majority of recreational skis fall into the former category and are a system. This has made “ski packages” somewhat obsolete because it has been taken out of the hands of the retailer. Only the later group has choices of bindings.

A word of caution to those buying twin tips skis. Twin tips are great. However, these skis are generally wider and require a ski brake on the rear binding which must be wide enough to pass along the side of the ski in order to function properly. A good shop will let you know what binding will work on your wider, flat ski and then install your bindings for you.  If you get a so called “deal”,  perhaps on line or a tent sale,  you might end up buying what is called a hop up kit in order to have a wide enough brake ( figure around $40) and then pay to have your bindings installed and calibrated for proper release. The extra expense and aggravation can be avoided by dealing with a reputable ski shop at the outset and the end result will make you happier.

I hope you find this information helpful. It can be overwhelming to the occasional skier or rider. Your shop personnel will be glad to help you make good choices. There is a lot of pride in owning your equipment and there is a plethora of good equipment to choose from.

Week 8 - What age can I start my child skiing or snowboarding?

There are several variables that are significant in this choice; family background, age of the child and physical maturity are a few. Here are some guidelines based on my experiences of being associated with snowsports instruction for 33 years.

For skiing, four years of age is a good time for many children to start. Most ski schools offer group lessons for children at age four. A half day group lesson is a good way to start if it is available. Youngsters identify with a “camp” environment and are comfortable amongst their peers.  This is generally a better alternative than a parent trying to teach their own child. A good ski school trains extensively on how to teach children. Coaching children is often the biggest portion of a ski school’s business. A significant investment is made by the ski area to provide a separate facility or location to house children. Special surface lifts, such as Magic Carpets, are use to convey youngsters up a gentle portion of a slope so that the child can experience going down hill sliding on skis. Teaching youngsters is very labor intensive for a ski school staff and the student teacher ratio is low in order to maximize the learning process. Young instructors become very adept at coaching children. Both the child and the instructor are comfortable in this scenario. The young instructors are more fun for the children to be with than someone of grandparent’s age. Fun is what skiing is all about.

If a family is very involved in snowsports and a child is exposed frequently to snow, mountains and winter climate, the age of 2 ½ to 3 years is possible. I recommend a private lesson for these early age starters. The one on one relationship can be well worth the initial added expense. A child often identifies the fun and initial experience with a certain instructor and the parent may request that instructor on the subsequent visit to the ski area. Explore to see if the area offers day care with a private lesson included. This is a great way to introduce the child to skiing because the child does not feel abandoned or thrust into the skiing part of the day’s experience. The staff will pick an appropriate opportunity for the lesson.

Some ski areas offer snowboarding lessons to young children as well as ski lessons. Please be aware that the musculature involved in snowboarding is more demanding than skiing. Two years additional development is a guideline. Some people and some ski schools may not agree with this and the child may express a preference to try snowboarding instead of skiing. The proof will be in how much is demanded and how much is accomplished. Yes, some areas might offer snowboarding lessons for 4-5 year olds, but be aware of how much coaching on snow is actually involved. The main thing is that you want your youngster to have fun, be safe and have a successful learning experience so that he/she wants to return. Again, private instruction for the youngest riders attempting for the first time or two may be the best alternative. After the initial introduction to skiing and riding, the main ingredient is more time on snow.

The children are the future of the snowsports industry and the ski areas are well aware of catering to families. Find a good ski school that offers a scenario that works for your children. KIDS RULE!

WEEK 9 SKI AND SNOWBOARD TIP

So, you have tried snowboarding a few times and want to buy a board and boots. Well…

Snowboards , like skis, come in a variety of lengths, widths and styles. The length of your snowboard is determined by your height, but also by your weight. Snowboarding companies such as Burton, have specs attached to the various models which can help you determine the model which is best suited for your intended use. Factored into selection are categories such as use on groomed trails, in powder, rails, half pipe and terrain park use. Armed with this information a new rider, as well as a somewhat experienced rider, should be able to make a good choice of an appropriate snowboard for the intended type of riding.

Stance on a snowboard is very much an individual issue. This is very different than with skis (except twin tips). With regards to skiing, binding placement is a function of boot sole length in relation to the midpoint length of the ski. On a snowboard one can stand directional with the left foot forward (regular stance) or right foot forward (goofy stance). From this point each individual can choose stance width from foot to foot and how open (more than 90 degrees) each foot is in relation to the snowboard. These factors are also decided by how the individual rides. For instance, a person who frequently rides switch, (backwards) will choose a stance which favors that technique.

The interface between the snowboard bindings and the pre-drilled holes on the board are accounted for by the plate of the binding and its’ ability to be rotated and locked into the various stance positions. These positions can be easily changed by a knowledgeable rider who carries a few simple pocket tools or shop personnel at the mountain. A new rider may begin using a suggested stance and then change the position as his/her style develops and changes.

Bindings vary by style and manufacturer. As riders gain experience they determine which attributes of a binding they prefer. Boot fitting is significantly easier than it is with skiing because of softer boot materials, however it still very important. As a rule, snowboard boots have removable liners, with outer boots that vary in stiffness and lacing systems. Some inner boot liners also lace up. The old adage, “you only get what you pay for” holds up with regards to snowboard equipment and apparel. However, newer riders need not buy the top if the line to get good quality, serviceable boots and bindings that will last for several years. Let the expert riders buy the top price equipment because they can understand and appreciate that level of performance.

How popular is snowboarding in relation to skiing? About 23% of all lift tickets are sold to snowboarders. That number leveled off at that figure several years ago. It does vary from east to west and mountain to mountain. A ski area needs to cultivate the half pipe and snow park enthusiasts if it wants a significant piece of the more youthful snowboarding market. Snowboarding has been around for quite awhile now. One very nice aspect of the addition of snowboarding on the slopes is that it contributes to keeping a family together in winter activities. Parents and children may ski or snowboard, but the main point is that the can go to the mountain together and do things as a family. Not a lot of sports and activities can provide this quality time together

Ski smart, ski safe and have fun!