What did you learn this season so far (2022-2023)?

[ShortcutToMoncton]

I’ll go one further and say to check your equipment every week while putting it away. It’s after your ride, you’ve already got it right in your hands, and that leaves you a few days to plan for discovering an actual failure.
 

Last year I discovered a 95% snapped boot wire cable the night before heading on a weekend trip, but a cable replacement ended up taking a few days. I ended up running to Home Depot to get a pack of the beefiest cable ties I could find and literally strapped myself into the boots for a couple hours at a time all weekend.  

[Toast]

Carving is a perishable skill.  I shouldn't have taken so much time off.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

I completely disagree. It is not much different than riding a bike. You can get right back on after years away and still be pretty good. 

Just like any skill, yeah, you will need to practice to be really good again….

[Aracan]

I learned that climate crisis hits a lot faster and harder than I had suspected (or hoped) a few years ago. This was a pretty shitty season, and it looks like it's over already. Didn't even scrape the storage wax off the Coiler, I rode only the old Bastard.

[softbootsurfer]

After 38 seasons, just yesterday riding up the chair, I was thinking how at the top of every run, that moment I start down, is the same moment on a wave when you jump up and take that first action….and how that has and Is, such a Wonderful Opportunity

[lafcadio]

Carving my downhill edge... on heelside turns.

Yesterday, while looking at my tracks from the lift, I couldn't help notice the significant asymmetry. Toeside turns were even and round, but heelside turns were abrupt and rushed, immediately hooking upon transiting from toeside to heelside. Tracks left from heelside turns were much shorter compared to toeside. 

On my next run, while thinking what about what could be different about heelside vs toeside it came to me. On toeside turns I started carving immediately on my downhill edge all the way around until the nose of board started pointing downhill. On heelside, I was not doing this. Instead, I immediately threw my weight into the turn, causing the board to hook sharply and by the time the edge was set and carving, it was already pointed downhill. On heelside turns there was virtually no point where I was carving the downhill edge. 

Once I realized this started focusing on correcting it, heelside turns were much smoother and my tracks more even and rounded on both sides. 

Carving your downhill edge is an important milestone in your carving journey, but don't neglect carving your downhill edge on both sides. It makes a huge difference. 

 

 

 

 

[1xsculler]

What I learned today is that if you have zero strength in your left arm because you had shoulder surgery 3 months ago you have no business getting back on the mountain. BECAUSE you need that left arm strength to get back up off of a heel side fall. I was lucky to get back to my car without injuring myself. Next run will be no sooner than next season BUT Bdays (79 of them) and a combination of 30 minutes under general anesthesia and four weeks on 10mg of Oxycodone about every six hours may have permanently altered my balance to the point that having both feet locked onto one skinny board may no longer be feasible. I really, really hate to even think this but I did not feel nearly as confident on my XC today as I did in December before my surgery. I think I would have been just fine on skis, though. 
I’ll row my brains out for Boston next October which will be my total rehab and, hopefully, by then my strength AND my balance will come back. 
I am doubting that my 80s will be as good as my 70s which has been, by far, the best decade of my life for myriad reasons. 
This freakin’ shoulder surgery has taught me that I can feel very sorry for myself although I am also well aware that most 79 year olds are much worse off than I am. 

[SunSurfer]

@1xscullero You may have some post operative cognitive dysfunction, due to the natural inflammation process of healing in your shoulder being concentrated in your shoulder, but there being a degree of spread to other organs, including your brain. 

POCD is more common as people get older, and is a significant risk from about age 70 onwards. Younger brains are more able to cope with the inflammation caused by wounds/illness elsewhere in the body. Recovery time is variable, weeks to up to 12 months before the sufferer gets to their new best function level, which often is not as good as they were. No specific treatments at present, just take good general care of yourself.

If you are still using the Oxycodone, get off it as soon as you can. It has serious dependence potential. It will certainly also fog your brain while you use it.

Hope you get your mojo back!

[1xsculler]

Thank you for weighing in. I loved/hated Oxy even while I felt the need for it but have been off of it for about 8 weeks. 

I’m working hard to get my mojo back and my first trip to Crystal next season will tell the tale. 
I tried to talk my shoulder surgeon into doing my surgery without general anesthesia but he said shoulders aren’t done without it and my CRNA son in law confirmed that so it is what it is!

[SunSurfer]

It's not the general anaesthetic that does it. The inflammatory response is a consequence of having the operation. Talk to your son in law about post operative cognitive dysfunction POCD. He should know quite a bit about it if he's been keeping up with advances in Anesthesia.

[1xsculler]

Very interesting. I’ll talk to him about that. 

[Carvin' Marvin]

2 hours ago, SunSurfer said:

It's not the general anaesthetic that does it. The in

Sounds suspiciously like something an anesthesiologist would say!

[1xsculler]

I’ll get to the bottom of it. My surgeon and my anesthesiologist warned me that,  at age 79,  I might have some cognitive impairment. 

[SunSurfer]

7 hours ago, Carvin' Marvin said:

Sounds suspiciously like something an anesthesiologist would say!

It does.

But the science now has evidence of the cells and substances driving the inflammation. The problem is recognised to occur even after procedures where no general anaesthesia is given, and the effects can last long after any anaesthesia drugs are cleared from the body.

Glad that Scully's surgeon and anesthesiologist warned him about it as a possible consequence. That is appropriate given what we currently know about the problem.

[philw]

Interesting. Inflammation seems to be generally a bad thing. Got any links to stuff to read on that?

[SunSurfer]

2 hours ago, philw said:

Interesting. Inflammation seems to be generally a bad thing. Got any links to stuff to read on that?

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7810820/

Link will take you to a relatively recent review of the clinical care implications of what was currently known at time of writing. The area is one of ongoing active research.

The article was published by the British Journal of Anaesthesia. This is a major journal with robust peer review and reliable source of information.

Edited April 6, 2023 by SunSurfer

[jimcheen]

Thanks to a tip from ktv and lots of practicing it, I have learned to actually have a somewhat effective heelside turn. I even got complimented by a softboot carver about it!

[NateW]

On 3/5/2023 at 9:25 PM, NateW said:

4. Backside 180s. I've been doing them for years, but I tend to slide 180 shortly after I land. [...] It's been a gap in my skill-set, and I'm finally closing it. Going to try to scale that up to bigger jumps over the next few weeks.

5. Upper buckles not tight enough -> shin pain. I rubbed my shin raw on the first day of the season. I didn't realize how bad it was until I got home and removed my socks. Yikes. 

I managed some backside 180s on a proper jump last Wednesday, without over-rotating / immediately reverting. My landings are still too shaky to hit the next jump in the series, but it's progress, and it's satisfying.

My right shin still has a pink spot from that first day in early January.

[Odd Job]

Round robin. Everything works unfortunately. FML

[NateW]

On 3/5/2023 at 9:25 PM, NateW said:

4. Backside 180s. [...] I've been doing frontside 180 slides and airs forever and continuing riding in reverse, but for some reason I almost always follow backside 180s (slide or air) with another 180 slide to get forward again. It's been a gap in my skill-set, and I'm finally closing it. Going to try to scale that up to bigger jumps over the next few weeks.

5. Insta360 cameras are really fun, but one should really ready the owners manual before using one for the first time.

 

[SunSurfer]

2 hours ago, NateW said:

...... one should really ready the owners manual before using one for the first time.

 

So true for so many things in life.

[Kurt Swanson]

At the end of this season I wrote down some notes as reminders for next year. What I have so far is shown below. It would interesting to have a more detailed step-by-step account of the techniques involved in carving. My notes are far from complete and may not even apply to everyone. Anyone up for adding more details?

 

Heelside

1.      Start riding perpendicular to the fall line

2.      Move weight slightly towards the front of the board, with shoulders facing the front of board

3.      Shift board uphill

4.      Apply pressure to the front heel while pulling the rear knee towards the inside of the turn

5.      Angulate the upper body away from the turn

6.      As the turn progresses shift weight slightly towards the rear of the board

Toeside

7.      Start riding perpendicular to the fall line again

8.      Move weight slightly towards the front of the board, with shoulders facing the front of board

9.      Shift board uphill

10.   Apply pressure to the rear toe while pulling the front knee towards the inside of the turn

11.   Angulate the upper body away from the turn

12.   As the turn progresses shift weight slightly towards the rear of the board

[NateW]

Heelside turns: reach forward with your rear arm. Not because your arm actually matters, but just because that helps pull the rest of your body to where it should be.

I don't consciously move my weight forward or backward in carved turns, but now you have me wondering whether I'm doing it subconsciously. I do however put the center of my stance as close to the center of the board as I can get it. With production boards that usually means putting the bindings somewhat forward relative to where the inserts are. With custom boards I just ask for the inserts to be centered, to keep things simple.

[SunSurfer]

Maybe try some smaller ski areas near you, you might find a hidden gem. I did!
Found good grooming, Green through Dark Blue slope gradients, minimal slope traffic so that I can carve all day with minimal fear of being collided with, reasonable season pass prices especially as I qualify for their Seniors discount next year, and all in one place. Good enough slopes for the USA ski team to train there over the Northern summer.

 

[barryj]

Well last season I learned it's pretty difficult to turn/carve right/toe side with only 1 hamstring attached in your left quad!     Normal anatomy has 3 hamstrings/conjoined tendons per quad/leg.

It's possible...as I not knowingly did it/attempted it all season long!   .... but kept wondering why my riding/carving still sucks (after being airlifted unconscious off Squaw with concussion in Jan. 22 season) as I was having difficulty and actually not being able to turn right at times on my wider boards....Moss 26cm waist and Swoard Dual 2, 26cm waist......all boards in hard boots and TD3 SW Si's.   And I was/had been thinking all along it was my concussed head making me suck/still holding me back!  

I also learned with only 1 hamstring in left quad your left ankle is going to take a beating having to majorly compensate for your left quad with only 1 hamstring!  Enough that I popped 2 tendons in my ankle and will probably need  surgery to fix that problem also.................

How did Docs not catch this you say????   Workers Comp just takes FOREVER!                                I must have strong quads??  because I passed every torn hamstring test they gave me and  It took 5 months to convince them that I needed an MRI because it's not getting any better from the PT and massage they prescribed.

I'm 3 weeks out from hamstring surgery and sidelined until..... April if all the planets align and surgery and PT work!

Time will tell.................