Ski World Cup Finals

Like many other viewers, I enjoyed the last Aspen ski races and while I don't know who set the thermostat so high, the quality of the show under the Colorado sun made the series one to remember...

What was my take-away? Not just one, in fact, but very many: 

I like the fact that they were a lot of upsets and I'll never forget the tremendous performance of the Italian women's team, the continued strength of the Austrian men, the ascent of Slovenian and Slovak athletes, the strength of the Swedish technical guys, some promising Swiss newcomers, and the winners of the various globes winners.

I can just lament about the feeble American team (Shiffrin excepted) and the French women's as well (Worley excepted)... Well, many athletes have their work cut out for them this summer!

Another miracle...

On December 26 of last year, the MCL in my left knee began to hurt significantly while I began to ski with my daughter who came home for the Holidays.

What caused this, I don't know, but after some quick research on the net, Dr. Go11 determined that it was a ligament inflammation that required some rest in order to heal. No doctor visit, no orthopedic clinic, no rehab.

I just thought that patience, moderation and time would be the answer to the problem, so back in January when our new snow was so great and so fluffy I missed 17 days of fun.

 I resumed skiing in February, wore a brace religiously, gradually returned to my favorite kind of snow and terrain, and little by little the pain went away; finally, as of yesterday, I could hardly feel it at all.

That's must be right, self-healing still exist!

Seventy ski-days and still counting...

Saturday marked my 70th ski day of the season. By my own personal standards this is a letdown that is fully attributable to a bad knee.

This, in all likelihood, will prevent me to reach the century mark when our winter is over, but I will at least have been able to ski more than my age and exceed the million feet vertical. How long will I be able to play that game?

Hopefully into my eighties, but no one knows and each passing year, the nineties looks more like a major reach, but I won't give up!

No longer a fan of dual slalom event...

Yesterday, as I watched the ski team event in Aspen, I became less enamored with that attempt of making ski racing visually enticing.

It's hard for me to explain why I'm not getting enthused by this race format, yet I'll attempt to explain why. 

• Too easy: Compared to other alpine events, this one seems too easy because of its limited length, regular gate setting and slope uniformity; it's a huge letdown from the level of challenge ski world cup races are known for.

• Too short: This “sprint” form of ski racing doesn't simply last long enough to allow for a full appreciation of a skier's technique and potential.

• Luck plays a big role: Under direct peer pressure, racers are more likely to DNF or miss their start.

• Afterthought event: Since it remains a marginal discipline to fill holes, few or perhaps no athletes seriously trains for it and it shows...

• Poor TV coverage: Filming angles need to be reworked, with for instance overhead shots that would show a better view of skiers' differences. Profile and close up shots don't work well.

• Conclusion: After several decades of “trying” the World Pro Tour failed using this very format and perhaps there's a lesson for FIS to consider...

How “cap” skis have evolved...

Some 27 ago, Salomon took the world ski market by storm when it introduced the first “cap” ski. Fundamentally, the change was purely cosmetic, but marketed masterfully; in fact, it was nothing much than a ski with a seamless one-piece plastic top to replace the traditional “square” sidewalls and top.

At the same time, as if it were in cue with the new French ski manufacturer, Elan launched its own cap ski called the MBX “Monobloc” (Salomon's skis were called “Monocoque”, like the race car chassis...)

Among the rest of the manufacturers, more fortunes were lost than made as they rushed to concoct a “cap” version of their skis, so they wouldn't lose the market share they held to the new craze... 

These days, when I look at ski racing, all Salomon and Rossignol skis, a few Atomic and many others have reverted to the basic rectangular cross section and even the current top of the line Salomon are back to pre-1990 sections, which goes to show that the more things change, the more they stay the same...

The advantage of lightweight skis

It took me more than sixty seasons on skis to finally discover the benefits of using lightweight skis.

I love to ski crud, cut powder tracks and wander into trees, so I must have something both very quick, responsive and nimble under foot.

For too long, I have used heavy metal skis, or a mixture of metal and fiberglass skis, and all the extra work they have imposed on me have aged me prematurely as a skier.

So, now I'm going light and won't care if my boards become a bit flighty and out of control when I happen ski fast.

I know from experience that extreme speed always come to a screeching halt!

All lifts in one day

For some weird reasons, I have managed to put inside my head the idea of skiing all the lifts that are part of Park City Mountain.

The resort claims to have 41 lifts and this must include half a dozen surface lifts and kids' magic carpets, but I could only count 32 chairlifts, 3 gondolas, 1 rope-tow and with one chair stopped today (Eaglet) I only had 35 lifts to sink my teeth into.

I first looked at the map and devised an itinerary that enabled me to wrap up the entire feat within opening hours (9 am to 4 pm) and I ended up with one half hour to spare.

I managed to to log 37,697 vertical feet, didn't get hurt, used two lifts I had never experienced before and had a wonderful day.

Try it at home!