FAMILY
Keep Those Tips Up and Prepare
to Unload By Heather Burke Utilize these ten tips and you will get the most out of your 2000-2001 winter ski season. Tip #1: Get in shape. Start a "dry land" training program before things turn white in snow country. You will enjoy your skiing more, and be less prone to injury. Tip #2: Have your gear checked and properly tuned in advance of your first ski day. Your buddies may not value your friendship enough to wait patiently while you stand in line at the base lodge ski shop to have your bindings adjusted. Tip #3: Check the local forecast, dress appropriately - in New England this means be ready for anything Mother Nature has in store. Fortunately, modern fabrics have reduced the need for layering like the Michelin man. Protect your eyes with goggles or glasses, and your skin with sunscreen. Tip #4: Remember the ancient ski proverb: The early bird gets the prime parking spot, a chair in the base lodge and most importantly, the untracked goods. The "crack of noon" club members get the leftovers and a lengthy hoof from Parking Lot F. Tip #5: Stay on trails within your ability level. You will have more fun, and your ego will thank you. If you do find yourself over your head - keep your skis on and side step down. If it is too steep to ski, it is surely too precipitous to hike in ski boots while carrying 20-pounds of metal-edged gear. Tip #6: Remain fluid at all times, drink lots of water. Alternative adult beverages are tempting but will actually dehydrate you and impair performance and good judgment. Save the toddy for apres ski. Tip #7: Stay awake in the lift line, double or quad up to save everyone time, and be prepared to load when your turn comes. Being whacked on the side by a 400-pound chair will not enhance your ski day. Tip #8: Take advantage of ski area ski checks or lock your skis when they are not attached to your boots; unless you enjoy spending the day filling out police reports and confessing that you never really recorded the serial numbers to your most prized possession. Score one for the complimentary ski checks at some exceptional resorts. Tip #9: Be courteous to your fellow skiers and riders. Snowboarding is not a flash in the pan trend. No snow sport method is superior. We are all in this together. On a similar note - ski patrol are our friends. Treat them as such. After all, a true friend is there when you need them most. Tip #10: Know when to say when. Most accidents and injuries
occur at the end of the day, after countless high speed detachable
lift rides. Muscles are fatigued and reaction times are retarded or
non-existent. Fold it up before your knees do. Then head for the prime
seat on the sun deck. |
