Throwing Out the Book

Among the many subjects that ski and snowboard instructors study as part of our professional development, to say nothing about the certification process, is the nature and stages of childhood development – both physical and intellectual. Piaget’s Stages of Development, Maslow’s Pyramid, the CAP Model and other scientific theories form an important part of these studies and of our understanding of what we do and the people with whom we do it. It’s interesting stuff, if not a bit dry and occasionally as effective as an Ambien. On the ground in the day-to-day work of an instructor, there are more basic and obvious concepts that play a more immediate role. Simply put, there are some well-known truisms about teaching kids and about childhood development that we encounter frequently. On Saturday, I ran smack dab into one of these.

Girls generally develop certain fine motor skills earlier than boys. As instructors, it is widely accepted that girls who participate in certain specified activities - gymnastics, martial arts and dance in particular, more so than common sports - take to skiing and riding faster than their peers. While we hate to classify kids and try our best to assess each child on their on merits as athletes and students, sometimes we just can’t help ourselves when we find one of these rare children whose rapid progress through our sports can be bewildering to even the most seasoned teacher.

At Saturday morning’s group ski lesson line-up, I was assigned to teach a 12-year-old girl on her first ever morning on skis. A family friend had taken her up our Magic Carpet beginner’s lift for a few runs before the lesson started and informed me that the girl – we’ll refer to her as “RockStar” – had successfully made linked wedge turns down from the top of the carpet with virtually no instruction. Bear in mind that it is not uncommon for a beginner’s lesson to end with successful completion of a run from the top of the carpet with linked wedge turns. My first question of RockStar was, naturally, what other activities she likes to do, anticipating the gymno-taekwon-dance-alete response. I was not disappointed. The next noise was that of me tearing up the level 1 lesson plan and moving into the accelerated “when are the next Olympics” mode for RockStar.

RockStar and I had a ball skiing together for two hours that morning. We skied a ton, explored terrain and saw some views of the surrounding countryside rarely seen by novice skiers. By the end of the lesson, she was skiing parallel on some of our more challenging green trails, using her super short rental skis in what quickly became shin deep slush as the day warmed up to near 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Honestly, making slow parallel turns in shin deep slush is hard enough on the long, wide skis and perfectly fitted boots I was using, so RockStar’s rental equipment, perfect for a true beginner, quickly became a handicap which, amazingly, did not seem to hinder her progress much. You try skiing in slush on a pair of 120’s!

There are two things that I try hard to bear in mind when teaching kids like RockStar. The first is to get the heck out of the way – if kids like this are going to succeed, a lockstep, technical ski lesson with drills and exercises thinly veiled as kids games is the very last thing they need. The second is to be patient and not get overly ambitious or exuberant - RockStar may have been a rock star, but she was still a nervous kid experiencing a lot of new stuff in a strange environment with a strange and scary-looking man as her guide. A little tweak here and there, some fun, conversation on the lift about what we’re doing and how it relates to something with which they are familiar, checking out the view, giving a tour of the ski mountain (no, the half-pipe is not a “ditch”), and enjoying our time outside in the mountains is what they really need to do once they get rolling. That, some mileage and strident avoidance of the Siren-like smells coming from the Waffle Cabin, and we can successfully welcome great kids to our sport and prepare them for a lifetime of sliding on snow. The sky is the limit.

Roots Rock

Having been a collegiate ski racer, race coach, and ski professional here in New England, many of my colleagues frequently throughout the years have teased me for being from New York. Though New York has not been home for me in a very long time, I grew up in the Hudson Valley and, most obviously, my sports team loyalties fall squarely West of the line dividing the New England states from their neighbor.

For some reason, New Englanders seem to be oblivious to the immensity of New York State and its incredible diversity of landscape, economy, spoken English, and culture. There's so much more to it than New York City and the surrounding suburbs, and I have often felt the need to remind my friends of this fact. My favorite thing to do in this respect is to ask New Englanders "How many Winter Olympic Games have been held in New England exactly?" New York, of course, has had two.

For the uninitiated, the Adirondack Mountains in New York are immense, craggy peaks. The Adirondack Park is massive, encompassing many towns, a large population, and substantial industry based upon its numerous natural resources. For centuries, it has been an interesting study of the relationship between conservation and development, residents and tourists, and public and private interests on a scale that dwarfs that of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

I spent a few days this past week skiing at Whiteface Mountain near Lake Placid, site of the ski events from the 1980 and the 1932 Winter Olympics. Whiteface has the longest vertical drop of any ski area in the Eastern U.S., and has some pretty exceptional steeps. It's a great place to ski. Lake Placid itself is the original winter destination resort in the U.S. and is full of some wonderful things to see and do, going well beyond the Olympic site activities (it was the home of the recently completed 2009 Bobsled World Championships).

Regrettably, I was too busy while skiing to tend to any tourist activities or to take many photos of the area. The few posted here are, literally and figuratively, the simplest of snapshots of the area. I hope to return to Lake Placid in warmer weather, on foot (not clad in ski boots), and slow down long enough to really experience all of it. In the meantime, it was enough to ski elsewhere, in big mountains, and be reminded that deep down in my being, I am a New Yorker. Knickerbockers, Rangers, Giants, Cosmos, and yes, proudly, the Yankees.

The Joys of Spring

Sometimes, as the expression goes, Spring comes roaring in like a lion. Sometimes it comes in like a lamb. Apparently this year it's neither. This year, Spring is coming in like an early-season New England beach-goer, dipping one toe in the water at a time, pulling it out, then trying it again, hoping the water will somehow get warmer.

I took the photo on the left at about 7:15AM on Tuesday, March 3rd. I took the photo on the right at about the same time on Thursday, March 5th. Yes, the photos are of the same thermometer and yes, it was located in the same spot when I took both photos. Since the time of the second photo, the weather has continued its roller-coaster though it has remained generally warmer. Naturally, we received about seven inches of snow during the day yesterday, it was sunny and in the mid-30's Fahrenheit today, it's going to rain a bit tomorrow, and we're expecting a big freeze-up tomorrow night. Are you following this?

Thankfully, as has been widely reported, Okemo has already surpassed last year's snow accumulation total so the skiing and riding continues to be outstanding - bearing in mind that last year we had a banner season by any measure. March is always the snowiest month of the year here in Vermont, so we should enjoy great conditions for some time to come. The questions to ask, therefore, are at what point Mother Nature will decide to go beyond merely dipping a toe in the warmer weather and how fast will we become immersed fully in the joys of Spring?

When It Rains ...

The past ten days have been remarkable. We had two very large snow storms – one in the heart of Presidents Week – which dumped some incredibly light, dry snow on our mountain. The second storm, which hit us hard for the entire day on Sunday, February 22nd and into the early morning hours of the 23rd, made for the best single day of skiing I’ve had in the Eastern U.S. in a very, very long time. Seriously. Last Monday was definitely “pinch me” time, and I was fortunate to be able to spend the day teaming up with some great instructors to ski with a family that are some of my favorite guests. We giggled like school kids all day, had some great crashes in deep powder up to our knees, skied the double diamond woods and bumps in good form, and got to see some terrific children make a lot of progress while grinning from ear to ear.

That was last weekend. This weekend was a different story.

On Thursday, the weather warmed to above freezing. On Friday, the heavens opened and it poured rain on us. Late Friday night, everything froze solid. On Saturday, I’m fairly certain that Okemo set a world record for the largest vertical drop of any ice skating rink in the world. It was scary out there, as in granite countertops scary. Overnight Saturday and into this morning, Sunday, our snowmaking and grooming crews showed why they are the best on the planet, and today our guests had reasonably good conditions on a pretty nice day, all things considered.

Naturally, there’s another big storm on the way tomorrow. There’s nothing like “dust on crust” to keep us honest on the hill. What will come our way after that is anyone’s guess, but it is Vermont and March tends to be our snowiest month, so we’ll just have to take it one day at a time. After all, when it rains, it freezes.

Asteroid Belts, Family Values, and Recession

This past Saturday morning, I stood with a student of mine on the side of Heaven’s Gate, a wide, rolling intermediate run typical for Okemo Mountain Resort. We spoke quietly and calmly, having the run all to ourselves for a moment. A brief moment. Shortly after our conversation began, we each glanced up the trail and saw a veritable wall of humanity coming at us. Seriously. Heaven’s Gate went from a tranquil ribbon of white to the Santa Monica Freeway in a span of a minute or two. The throngs of people continued unabated for several minutes while we stood there, incredulous and unable to move. Then, as quickly as the crowd had appeared, it vanished and we were left alone once again. It was as though an asteroid belt had passed through, a metaphor that has proven apt for the continuing madness of Presidents Week. I now wear a helmet while teaching skiing and, when the asteroids fly by, I wonder if I’d be better off sitting in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon instead. Fasten your seat belts, Chewy, it’s going to be bumpy. And in a down economy, the asteroid belt phenomenon is a good thing.

Generally speaking, in the snowsports business there are three periods of time which can make or break a season. They are the holiday period in December and the beginning of the new year, the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend in mid-January, and Presidents Week in mid-February. By way of example, if the weather doesn’t cooperate during one of these stretches when the vast majority of schools are on break, it can have a major effect on our business. This winter, MLK weekend coincided with the Presidential inauguration, two major football games, and Northeastern weathermen predicting doomsday cold. So, despite the fact that conditions here in Vermont were absolutely superb, business was down considerably relative to last year and it’ll have a big effect on our seasonal bottom line.

Needless to say, we do all have a sense that the resort is going to have a down season on the whole relative to last year (bearing in mind that the 07/08 season was exceptionally good). I am not privy to the numbers, but Okemo certainly feels a bit less busy. Those of us who work at the resort typically gird ourselves for an onslaught of humanity during Presidents Week and, while we are busy, we’re certainly not overwhelmed, asteroids or not.

I remain optimistic that ski trips to mountains close to home represent precisely the type of activities families will continue to do even though the economy has turned sour. Extravagance may be out, but fun, active, outdoor activities which kids and adults of varying ages and abilities can enjoy together are wonderful remedies for the ills of every day life. Certainly, our chosen sports and the environment where we participate in them represent the kind of values people look for in difficult times. Whether they represent enough dollar value remains to be seen. For me and for all of us who teach skiing and snowboarding for a living, making our guests feel that their money has been well-spent, recession or not, remains a welcome challenge and a worthwhile endeavor.

Otherworldly

Last week, we had the most recent of the many snow storms to have blanketed Vermont this winter. While many of us here in Vermont have experienced a few winters with more snowfall than we've had this season, we've never experienced this much snow that has been this good. It has remained quite cold since the end of 2008, so each storm has dropped very dry, light legitimate powder of the type not normally seen in such quantities here in New England. Last week's dump was no exception. Between the early hours of Wednesday morning and the lifts opening at 9:00AM on Thursday, we had somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 inches of snow ... and then the clouds cleared and the day turn sunny. I was lucky enough to get to ski during and after the snowfall and to get to make turns in some pretty awesome conditions, including in some very tight woods at Okemo that we rarely get to ski.

The photos here don't do justice to the day, but I was a bit busy skiing to focus on providing appropriately jaw-dropping media for the blog. Sorry, but you'll just have to come skiing and experience it for yourselves. There's another storm on the way this week, so it'll only get better out there.

P.S.: Contents of the Sub-Zero Sandwich

It’s over, for now at least. We’ve just come through the other, warmer side of a weather cycle that was at times pretty frigid. The season has been pretty cold on the whole so far, but last week was downright brutal. To put it in context, today it never really got above 20 degrees Fahrenheit and it felt positively balmy.

Writing my last post about some of the stranger and funnier issues relating to dressing in severely cold weather here in Vermont brought into stark relief some of the common misconceptions people have about dressing when the temperatures really drop. I thought it might be helpful, therefore, to take a few moments to explain exactly how to, and how not to, dress.

First things first: the sheer number of layers one wears when the temperatures make Vermont feel like Siberia are of absolutely no consequence. If I had a dime for everyone who froze while expressing disbelief that their sixteen layers were not keeping them warm, I’d have enough money for a really good cup of herbal tea (more on that later). When I point this out to people, a common response is something to the effect of “but I’m wearing two Under Armour shirts.” Congratulations on your brand choice. Every major sporting goods company and outdoor gear manufacturer sells some sort of high quality first layer which is intended to sit next to the skin and wick moisture away from the body. Wicking is a good thing, we like wicking, but wicking layers covered by yet more wicking layers leaves us dry, very dry, and cold.

Another prime example of a high tech, gee-wiz material that is both expensive and fashionable but is a terrible insulator is “soft shell fleece”. Soft shells are great pieces of clothing, but they are a barrier with very little loft. Wearing a soft shell and hoping it keeps you warm would be like foregoing fiberglass insulation in the rafters of your house because you think the Tyvek will be enough.

The key element in dressing for severely cold weather is loft. No, not “The Loft”, as in our classic ski town watering hole here at Okemo, but “loft” as in insulation. Think puffy, as in old-school, quilted down jackets. The puffier, the better. The more loft there is in a piece of clothing, the more air is trapped inside that garment and the better its insulating properties. If we’re dry because we’re wearing a good first layer, we have layers that add loft on top of that, and it’s all topped off with some sort of barrier against wind and the elements, we stand a good chance of staying warm. In addition, the most important factor for keeping hands and feet warm is to keep the body’s core warm. So, since we can’t exactly ski or snowboard in down booties, focus on the important organs in the core and the feet are less likely to start looking cadaverous. Be aware that just because your new Spyder, Burton or Arcteryx jacket was expensive and is made from a super-double-top-secret multi-membrane shell material and is insulated does not mean it’ll keep you warm enough. Go big, go fat, get puffy, then put your stylish jacket on top. Just in case you have trouble getting the picture, I've included one above.

The photo shows my personal system for what we call "The Nuclear Option" for use only when the temperatures on the hill reach well below zero Fahrenheit. In the top row, from left to right, are a long sleeve first layer made of gee-wiz wicking material, a thick zip-neck second layer, and a fleece cardigan third layer (containing no barriers, just thick, fluffy fleece). In the bottom row are a no-frills down sweater for layer number four and a quilted, insulated vest for layer number five. On top of all of this goes my shell uniform jacket for the sixth and final layer.

Once you’re dressed properly (done correctly, you should look and feel like the Michelin tire man), there are a few other important issues to consider. Seriously. First, when the temperatures drop into single digits Fahrenheit and below, it’s important to not have any exposed skin. It takes very little time for exposed skin to become frostbitten in certain conditions, so do yourself a favor and cover up your face. Frostbite hurts a ton, it renders you susceptible to recurrences far more easily, and leaves you looking like a leper for some time. I’ve done my nose, cheeks and chin, and I know from personal experience that it’s not worth it to be a tough guy. Second, eat. Staying warm when it’s arctic outside takes a lot of energy - we burn a lot of calories just standing around, so eat plenty. Third, stay away from caffeine. Physiologically, it impedes your body’s ability to stay warm and can lend a false sense of how warm one is staying out there.

My last piece of advice is to anticipate getting cold, don’t wait for it to come to you. In other words: go inside, frequently.

If all else fails, go cross country skiing. As long as one has no exposed skin, one can cross country ski in severely cold weather and break a nice sweat, stay warm, get some exercise, not wait in lift lines, and still enjoy a day outdoors in the middle of winter in some beautiful surrounds. You might even enjoy it.