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Saturday, December 29, 2007
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Friends Don't Let Friends Teach Friends
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I know the title sounds a little weird-ass. This is what I saw on fliers at the Shawnee Mountain Ski Resort tickets sale counters. At first glance, I had no clue what the hell that meant. Then I slowly realized it made complete sense. Being a novice to skiing I took one, approximately 30 minute, lesson in which I learned the basics. That was good for the bunny and to come down the greens without falling. But there I hit the barrier. Though I could manage myself from the top to the bottom of the slope without breaking someone's nose, throwing others off the cliff or hit anyone like a canon ball, I was not having much fun as I lacked the right technique to ski. Some friend's of mine did try to teach me but for no avail. This experience did suggest that one needs some professional guidance and hence a proper trainer and not really friends trying to teach friends. After all, the signs did make a valid statement. But it turned out not to be 100% accurate by the end of our stay at Shawnee.
Among the three of us - a colleague, a friend and myself - my colleague was an experienced and seasonal skier and obviously didn't need someone to tell him what to do. So my friend and I decided to get a private lesson. The instructor was to spend one hour with us. Now, my friend and I being at different levels, the instructor had to design a custom package so that both of us could benefit from that one hour. Well, it was not a complete waste and both of us did make some progress but unfortunately for me, the progress was not enough to break the bunny-to-blue barrier. Lucky for me though, there were my two buddies constantly trying to give feedback and suggestions. I totally knew what mistakes I was making but the solution was not that clear. My friend's suggestions made complete sense but putting them into action was not easy. The simple reason being, I admit, I'm scared of death. For the rest of the first day I did my clumsy sliding, slipping and falling maneuvers.
The second day was warm and the slopes became icy and very unpleasant to ski. Also, a million other enthusiasts joined us to make the mountain look more like Times Square. I was totally pissed off with the existing conditions but could not give up. Once again my friends assisted me with all the patience in the world. Finally I broke the barrier and was all of a sudden very comfortable. Forget the greens, I was fine on the blue as well. What the instructor could not do, my buddies did. Nothing against the instructor though. He had only one hour in which he had to train two dudes of different levels of expertise. At the end, while leaving Shawnee, I once again glanced at the signs and said to myself "friends don't let friends teach friends unless there exists a great instructor in those friends".Labels: blue slopes, green slopes, icy slopes, parallel, pennsylvania, poconos, shawnee mountain, ski instructor, ski lessons, ski slopes, skiing, wedging |
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posted by bachi
18:36
 
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Gostei muito desse post e seu blog é muito interessante, vou passar por aqui sempre =) Depois dá uma passada lá no meu site, que é sobre o CresceNet, espero que goste. O endereço dele é http://www.provedorcrescenet.com . Um abraço.
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Are you saying, there was a great instructor in your friends?
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Friday, November 30, 2007
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Skiing Breaks Your Bones
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"One of the most important things you will learn in the first lesson is how to get up when you fall down"
"I fell down two hundred and fifty one times on the bunny slope"
"Bob broke his bones while skiing and now he has two steel rods, some nuts and bolts taking refuge in his arms and legs"
These are the comments I have always heard about skiing. What kept me from skiing for so long? This very conception (or misconception as it turned out to be) that one inevitably ends up losing a limb or two and half the skull. I finally decided to use my brain in the decision making process and gave in last year.
Thirteen of us from work went skiing in the Poconos last winter. Most of us were first timers. We took one 20 minute lesson and headed for the bunny. By the end of the day we were the kings and queens of the bunny slope. We skied till the lifts stopped. The next day, we were the first ones on the slopes and once again skied till Sunset. We went onto the beginner slopes as well. Though we were bumping our asses against icy slopes, it was a blast. All of us returned home after having kick-ass fun out of two full days of skiing, all limbs in place.
So what about the stories of broken bones? I know these people weren't lying as it is true that injuries are common and pretty damn bad. Finally I came to know the cause, but how? To be continued...Labels: beginner slopes, broken bones, bunny slope, camelback, pennsylvania, poconos, ski injuries, ski lessons, ski slopes, skiing |
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posted by bachi
16:56
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Gostei muito desse post e seu blog é muito interessante, vou passar por aqui sempre =) Depois dá uma passada lá no meu site, que é sobre o CresceNet, espero que goste. O endereço dele é http://www.provedorcrescenet.com . Um abraço.