jonbass Posted February 14, 2010 Report Share Posted February 14, 2010 My wife woke me up to go to the hill this morning. I have to admit that I wasn't as excited as I normally am because i knew the conditions were pretty lousy. We've had some warm weather and there is a lot of ice and bare spot on our local hill. I decided to rent skis just for fun. The last time I skied was when I was 14 or 15 and I traded my snowboard with a friend for a half day so he could try it. That was over 20 years ago. before that I would ski 2-3 times a year. I had a lot of fun. I have to say that I am a better skier now than I ever was. My wife was annoyed with me because she said I skied better than she did and looked like I had been doing it for years. I didn't really tackle any hard runs. I have to say that snowboarding has given me a fairly good understanding and feeling for skiing. I could feel how the edges were working and I was trying to transfer the skills I had on a board to the skis. The things I that i found worked for me were; -makng sure my shins were pressuring the front of my ski boots by bending at the knees and not the waist. (as i got tired, i think that i started hunching over and I had less control) -putting pressure on the inside ball of my outside foot to keep the edge in contact. -later I started to roll my ankles to go from edge to edge more quickly. -I like skiing on steeper sections of the hill. I found that you could break up your movement from edge to edge and it was almost easier to control yourself and turn than on a snowboard where you really have work to transfer your weight over to the other edge (I find going form heelside to toeside challenging sometimes on steep). I would say that I was carving my edges about 10% of the time. It was a fun way to spend a day on the hill with lousy conditions. I will do it again. i might even pick up a pair of skis this spring when they go on sale...:D I know there are some other people that have crossed over to the OTHER darkside. Any hints? Do you find that snowboarding has improve your feel for skiing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted February 14, 2010 Report Share Posted February 14, 2010 I had skied for 30 years before I started with alpine. After I learned to carve well and stepped back onto skis, I realised that before, I had JUST THOUGHT I carved the skis well. Modern skis are a blast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveInOregon Posted February 14, 2010 Report Share Posted February 14, 2010 ( Said in a stuffy British accent ) > " I say ol chap, one mite as well tell the wife that you discovered the women down the street is just as sporty in the sheets as she.:p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowboardworm Posted February 14, 2010 Report Share Posted February 14, 2010 i skied off and on for about 3-4 times a year since the late 70's. never really did anything for me and i just went downhill fast. in 1999 i broke my bindings on my used 20 year old skis and my son talked me into trying snowboarding. i loved it and bought some equipment. took some lessons from a lvl 4 casi instructor and progressed quickly. the hill was open to me!!! got bored of boarding and tried skis again as skiing well had escaped me. it felt good enough for a couple runs that i found some used skis and bought some new bindings and ski boots. took some high end lessons and within 2 hrs was carving gs turns at high speed. Snowboarding definitely assisted in the progression of skiing well, as boarding taught me about pressure, edging, steering and timing. i'm still learning but skiing has become fun and it hasn't mastered me anymore. i'm now up to 4 pairs of skis in my quiver within 1 year. only 1 more pair to go and i will be happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMU Alpine Boarder Posted February 14, 2010 Report Share Posted February 14, 2010 One of the key things that I was able to take from snowboarding into skiing was the concept of angulation. From the very start, I was not afraid to commit to my turns and allow myself to "get low" and inclinate the skis. Instead of starting with small movements and slowly increasing the angulation, I went right over and found out what too much angulation/inclination was and worked back from there. This allowed me to be carving basic (parallel ski) turns from the very beginning. It was kinda funny... I was excelling at carved turns and some pretty advanced concepts, but had to learn about kicking the skis sideways and stopping from scratch, lol... It also took some time to feel balanced when I was making "relaxed" turns where I could stay upright... I too am looking into getting a pair of skis to play around on when they go on sale at the end of the season or next year... What is everyone else riding on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowboardworm Posted February 14, 2010 Report Share Posted February 14, 2010 my daily ride when i choose to ski due to crappy conditions 2006 175 Solomon GUN t- 122 w-90 t- 115 scr 18.0 my ride when i have good groomers 2010 180 Volkl Racetiger Titanal t- 114 w-68 t- 98 scr 18.1 my occasional ride 2008 165 Dyna-star D-Stinct carbons t- 122 w-75 t- 112 scr 15 my powder skis are to be replaced w something new if and whenever we get snow. they are 1995 190 Atomic Powder Cruizers old school powder skis that i picked up for 125$ cdn but have yet to ride as there ISN'T ANY POWDER this year!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonbass Posted February 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2010 Any suggestions for all around skis for ice and crud and everyday cruising. I'm about 6' 230lbs. I think i would like to be able to turn pretty tight. I don't think skiing will be about speed for me. Forgiveness would probably be good too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapster Posted February 15, 2010 Report Share Posted February 15, 2010 Don't feel bad. I picked up a pair of skis too after about 20 years of being on a board. (One of my colleagues was similarly angry when I blew past her after just a few runs . The new skis are a hoot.) I still very much prefer snowboarding, but I found the skis are a good option when I'm having a frustrating day carving. Its also nice to be proficient on multiple pieces of equipment. The only downsides I've found are--with limited time, I don't want to cut into my carving sessions on the hill, and my skiing family is giving me the prodigal son treatment--which is mildly annoying. Lots of skis to choose from. The Epic Ski website is a good place for reviews. The only skis I've heard BAD things about lately (and they may only be out of favor/fashion) are Rossi's and Salomons, and maybe K2. The choices in good skis can be overwhelming. I also suggest shopping around online (Level Nine Sports, O2 Gear Shop, fleabay). The sticker shock with skis and boots can be fierce. But there is so much stock, good deals abound. I picked up my Volkl Tigershark 10's for $340 new with bindings. My boots were a ridiculous closeout at $109. Good luck. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeW Posted February 15, 2010 Report Share Posted February 15, 2010 Oh absolutely yes to hardbooting transferring to skiing. I ski ALOT more than I do snowboarding and hardbooting. My racing/freeride hardbooting gave me alot of reference to skiing. Plus I use my UPZ hardboots for skiing exclusively. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skatha Posted February 15, 2010 Report Share Posted February 15, 2010 Any suggestions for all around skis for ice and crud and everyday cruising. I'm about 6' 230lbs. I think i would like to be able to turn pretty tight. I don't think skiing will be about speed for me. Forgiveness would probably be good too. My husband upgraded his Atomic C:8-18's to K2 Apache Outlaws recently.... I think going from boarding to skiing was easier because I already understood the concepts of edging and weight transfer. My ski lessons consisted of 1 private lesson where I started with parallel turns. My instructor was stunned I was carving within the morning. I still have my Deeluxe boots and Donek Incline. I spent the weekend talking about snowboarding with a friend who readily admitting being unable to turn. Maybe I'll follow the advice of a gastroenterologist I know-he rides when there's over 4 inches of freshies and skis when the conditions are anything but.... I had a convo with another skier at Kirkwood. Her husband had gotten back on the board that day. I asked where he was and she replied-already too pooped.....riding is much more energy consuming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickythecat Posted February 17, 2010 Report Share Posted February 17, 2010 Maybe because of the Olympics, went to Keystone() with my wife (CAT) to ski some bumps. Have not been on skis since I switched to snowboarding last year, then to hardboots and carveboards this year. Not to sound too pretentious or smug, but skiing today felt very remedial and archaic clumsy equipment. Carved turns just feel so-so on the skiis. Was fun to get in the bumps again, but wished I was on my bx snowboard instead. I am seeing a number of you feel your skiing has improved after carvingboard experience. Reverse for me. On skis, I was always working on carved turns and edging - no powder for me. I think this definitely helped me get a quick grasp on carving boards. Now, I tried skis again, and what I previously thought was a good carve or edge just feels kind of ho-hum. I hope this doesn't sound too elitist. That's not my intention. I have a long way to go as far as my carving goes. On another note, FYI, those of you that like to carve "Starfire" at Keystone (Fin) - Starfire has been upgraded to a BlackDiamond now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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