Stuck in a rut

[JohnE]

I think this was discussed some years ago but I'd like to revisit this. 

I think many of us go to the same area over and over and ride the same runs over and over. 

If so, do you find that you start the run at the same location and on the same edge and with the same turn cadence and turn radius over and over? Or do you deliberately vary runs and how you ride those runs? 

I think arguments could be made for both cases.

There may be a "best" way to ride a run and there may be a "best way for me" to ride that run.

Alternatively the argument could be made to ride a run differently so you find new terrain, and improve your ability to adapt to varying conditions. 

Last season I used the "Ski Tracker" app that overlays all runs throughout the day. I was surprised at how many times I took almost the exact same track down a given run over and over again.  

[Carvin' Marvin]

No that’s kinda boring to me. I’ll session a run a few times and move on but try to spice it up differently each time. Whatever makes you happy, man. Don’t overthink it. Some like to explore, some like to session. 
 

I did ride the same lift 16 times yesterday but that was for powder. I’d gouge my eyes out before running the same groomer 16 times. 

[ShortcutToMoncton]

I’m a sessioner on the groomers, at least until I think I’ve absolutely nailed the run perfectly. I’ll do the same hardboot run all morning until there’s not even one heelside slip. I’m the same way with mountain biking, I’ll just keep hitting one trail over and over until I don’t think there’s any way I could do it faster before moving onto the next. 
 

I must have ridden Lake Louise’s full World Cup Downhill run over 200 times just in the 2006 season alone!  

Edited December 8, 2022 by ShortcutToMoncton

[pow4ever]

might be related:

On the years that i ride really well; i like to explore the mountain/different trails.
since those days are long gone.
One thing i enjoyed about Alpine/carving is that i can ride the same trail over and over and still challenge myself.  Last year - few of us rider Gun barrel in Highland almost non stop for the whole day.  it's that good.
Sometime i almost pity those super skillful rider that they had to find more difficult trail to do what i can "flow" in them more gentler slope.

[Odd Job]

I session but I'm usually trying to work on stuff because I'm wired that way.

You will inevitably be stuck if you don't push yourself (it should feel like work if you aren't wired a certain way).

If there was no improvement; I'd just go snowshoeing in a low cost of living area with snow and just call it a day and retire.

[rjnakata]

"Look out there.  Out there is the perfect lap"

 

[SunSurfer]

19 hours ago, rjnakata said:

"Look out there.  Out there is the perfect lap"

 

where the board is perfectly "stuck in a rut" the whole way down.

[Corey]

I hate it when I turn in the same spot! I purposefully change it up if I see myself heading over my previous tracks. 

Weird condition for my area: Most people that ride the runs I love just do them in a high-speed snowplow down the middle, so my turns  on the edges stay visible for multiple hours. 

[pow4ever]

On 12/8/2022 at 8:56 PM, rjnakata said:

"Look out there.  Out there is the perfect lap"

Love it; that sum it up nicely for me.

meme - internet hieroglyphs.  it can convey so much

[bigwavedave]

 

[softbootsurfer]

Oh yea, now you get it… our daughter started ballet at two as a mouse in the Nutcracker, as a High School Senior she was Clara she averaged around 2 hours a day of stretching and Forms for near twenty years, then ends up a Childrens Therapist, so what’s the point? Practice… every turn is Practice, you can’t escape that Reality, years ago at Milkland there was a Snowboard competition, two disciplines Slalom on Main and Downhill over on Tiehack where the annual  “Town Downhill” is run I remember watching the Slalom from the bottom, looking straight uphill, I remember thinking, somebody should film this, incredible!! as Some would say that is like a Thousand turn run The next day was the Downhill, typically the speeds reach over 70 mph, well I parked myself at the bottom of the compression and watched those same Slalom dancers totally Blown Away, with many Sticks around 200 cm. I had watched many WC races and never seen such carnage, I believe it was this race where they All said “never again…I have years of Run after Run, the Slope and Undulation are used to Help the Snowboard Carve, I try to keep my Ruts more like Pencil lines, of course this is done by a constant pressure in and out of the Turn, I think of each run as One Turn…finally I would say  doing the same run over and Over leads to greater anticipation, and for me personally Good Anticipation is one of the main keys for a fun day out there