Newbie looking to rip

[Switterz314]

Hey guys!

My name is Alec and I am new to alpine SB but am fascinated with the sport. I grew up ski racing so I'm familiar with setting an edge but when I came across two guys out ripping at Kirkwood on Friday, I had to redefine what that meant. The lean! The centripetal force generated! And the whole time, these guys were grinning ear to ear. I stopped them to ask a few questions and they pointed me to this forum so I'm here to introduce myself and learn. 

First off, where does one start with trying out gear? I tried calling around to the local rental shops and resorts but did not have any luck. One woman mentioned that the gear is so specialized that most riders hoard their gear - if that is the case, would anyone be willing to let me try out an old setup? I may have to borrow my dad's neon ski gear from the 80's to complete the look but anything would be much appreciated.  

I live in Sacramento and split time between Kirkwood, Heavenly or Northstar depending on conditions/popularity. If anyone is headed that way, drop me a line! I would be happy to carpool. I work off-hours too so I can usually swing a Friday trip. 

Cheers!

Alec Slungaard

715-781-0517

[Stainless]

See if you can get boots with an Intec heel Alec, just because the Volant you saw me riding has step-in TD2 bindings.

I can't make it up there this Friday but I'll bring it with me and it's yours to use.

Maybe the Tahoe Carvers have more spare gear.

Cheers, Alan.

[Dan]

Welcome to the dark side Alec! 

There _used_ to be a Tahoecarvers Facebook group - it might be worth checking out. I don't know if it's still active or not (you have to log in to see it and I'm not on FB), but it was here: http://www.facebook.com/groups/tahoecarvers/?ref=ts

People do tend to have a lot of old gear around, so I expect you will be able to buy or borrow a board and bindings pretty readily. Boots will be the challenge - you might want to post in the Wanting to Buy section with your boot size. As an ex ski racer, I think you will enjoy carving - best of luck getting a setup together!

 

[gawdzira]

I am similar that I raced in high school and taught skiing for a few years. Once you get comfy with the forward stance, it will become just like racing.

I am headed up for a Boy Scouts trip Feb 20 and 21 and will (most likely) be at Sugar Bowl. I don't have a lot of gear but I have a 161 SL board you can try out. This is my main board and it probably a bit easier for learning due to it being small and nimble. I have another board that is larger and ancient if you want to feel the longer board (173 Alps).  What size boots do you wear?

 

Of those 3 resorts, Kirkwood is really best for carving. Northstar is a dog due to the flat run outs. Heavenly is pretty good on a day that is not too crowded and you get the early grooming. On that trip in Feb. I may do an extra day or two at Kirkwood. Feel free to email or call

alan@lehmandesignstudio.com

831-747-4718

[Dw3]

Hi there, So I had a similar insight after watching the Olympics last year. I knew this was something I had to get into. Anyway, I do not live near you but I wanted to tell you my story as it is a "know nothing about it" type thing. I wanted to try it so I dug around on here and found somebody that teaches at a resort I was going to be near. My guy was Boris (he's on here all the time) at Cypress up in Vancouver Canada. He is one of the few instructors who A. knows how to teach alpine, and B. had some extra gear I could borrow. I hit him up and scheduled a 2 hour lesson just to try it out. I was hooked quick. Next I found a group of guys getting together near me for a carve session. With a group, somebody always has some gear to borrow. I ended up buying some older used boots (Rachle ?)and then found a race board (Kessler 162) that I bought. I always thought boarding was fun but nothing compares to laying down a fat carve. Hope you can figure it out, it's not easy to get into.