What are the best areas for intermediate skiers?
There are so many excellent resorts that caters to intermediates that it's hard not to find one. Still, although ski area marketing people might have it otherwise, not every area is right for everybody, and there are a few areas intended mostly for more experienced and daring skiers. If you're an intermediate who values his or her health and vacation dollars, it's best to avoid them in favor gentler mountains. In general, look for areas with a high ratio of greens and blues to blacks, long blue "cruisers," and extensive grooming. Unfortunately it's not always easy to judge the difficulty of a mountain by looking at a trail map. In fact, terrain ratings of green, blue or black are assigned by area management without reference to their difficulty relative to other ski areas. Hence, for example, some of Squaw Valley's blues are more difficult than say, nearby Northstar-at-Tahoe's. To sort through it, magazine and online reviews are a good resource, as are friends of similar skiing ability. Call the ski area before booking if you're still uncertain; marketing aside, most should provide an honest appraisal over the phone. Remember that difficult snow conditions such as ice or heavy new snow can transform run-of-the-mill intermediate runs into expert challenges. Always check the current ski patrol report when you arrive to ski, and if you're in doubt err on the conservative side.
Why do my thighs "burn" when I ski?
One of the most common complaints among skiers, aching legs are more often the result of inefficient technique than poor conditioning. The cause is imbalance, or what instructors call imperfect "alignment." Simply, the vast majority of skiers lean or "sit back" against their ski boots--as a water skier leans back against the tow rope. Since there's no rope in snow skiing, the skier sitting back braces the powerful quadracep muscles of the upper legs to keep from falling backwards. Although sitting back is a natural reaction to uncomfortable terrain or speed, it's highly counter-productive, and even a very strong skier can't take a whole day of it. There is also evidence that sitting back is a factor in some knee injuries. The technique fix is simple, but requires patient relearning on gentle terrain. Relaxing and flexing your ankles, work to bring your center of balance roughly over your boots, so when viewed from the side a line drawn from your hips to your feet runs roughly perpendicular to the slope of the mountain. Strive to keep your shins in gentle contact with the fronts of your boots, especially at the turn entry. This new position may feel precarious at first, but will become second-nature with practice. Confused? Take a lesson! Any experienced instructor has seen enough of this problem to spot and help correct it. Your ultimate success will depend upon your developing a keen self-awareness of your alignment, and your willingness to ski terrain easy enough to allow learning to occur.
How can I get the most from an intermediate lesson?
By the time you become an intermediate skier you should have a pretty good idea of your skiing goals and be able to articulate them to your instructor. Start with an honest self assessment. For instance, if you haven't improved in a season or two and are "stuck," it's probably time for the individual attention of a private lesson. If you simply need a tune-up or don't know where you stand, get with a group. In either situation, early on your instructor should solicit your goals and concerns. If not, volunteer them. Typical (and perfectly appropriate) intermediate goals are learning or improving the parallel turn, exploring new terrain, or even developing "style." The lesson should be based upon your individual or group goals, not a prepackaged presentation out of a book. Place emphasis on demonstration, observation and repetition; lectures on technique are rarely helpful by themselves, and you can always talk on the chairlift (or read a book later). By the end of any lesson, every student is entitled to an individual technique assessment that (a) points out strengths and weaknesses, (b) explains how those strengths and weaknesses affect performance, and (c) provides an individualized plan of action for improvement. If the lesson ends without it, ask the instructor afterwards (offering to do it over beer never hurts). Remember, the ski instructor is working for you; as the customer, politely insist on quality service, and speak with the ski school supervisor if you don't receive it.
What should I look for when I'm ready to buy my own equipment?
Generally, buy boots first. Comfort is the most important criterion, so at the outset ignore "performance" issues and find a model that fits. Indeed, when speaking of modern ski boots, fit and performance are virtually synonymous. So plan on spending at least a couple of hours trying on various brands and models (over several days if necessary), and never buy any boot before you've spent at least a half-hour or more wearing it around the shop. Start by fitting the shell: your boot fitter should remove the boot's liner, have you insert your feet and stand in the boots, and check the amount of space around your feet. If the boot fitter doesn't know how to perform this step, look elsewhere. Contrary to what your mother told you when buying shoes, a properly fitted ski boot should feel quite snug, especially when it's new. All boots liners "pack" or compress in the first few days of skiing. For a recreational fit, your goal is to find a boot in which, standing erect with your heel firmly back in the boot, the tips of your toes lightly touch the inside of the liner. Your toes should lose contact with the liner only as you slightly flex your knees into a skiing stance. (Performance or racing fits are even tighter than this, but are probably inappropriate unless you ski full time.) Caveat: most skiers seem to buy boots too large, which (because movement causes abrasion) can create as much pain as a boot too small. In fact, it's actually easier to make a slightly small boot comfortable than to "pad-out" a large one with extra socks or the like. The first few days on your new boots, expect to experience a "hot-spot" or two in sensitive, hard to fit areas such as the ankles as your boots adapt to your feet. Your shop's boot fitter can adjust the boot by heating and bending the shell or grinding out material, and this is a normal part of the boot-fitting process. (Tip: if you only take one vacation or so a year, buy your new boots at the resort. You'll save money and hassle, because the shop will be able to perform additional boot fitting at no additional cost and the boot fitter will be familiar with your situation.) Unless you're a racer, avoid expensive racing models, which are designed for skiing gates on very hard-packed snow and are usually too stiff and punishing for the variable terrain (e.g., bumps, powder, crud) that sport skiers encounter. Rear-entry boots used to be popular for their ease of entry, but they rarely fit as well as traditional overlapping designs, and are waning in popularity except in rental shops. Although lots of adjustment features are neat, they are prone to malfunction, aren't necessary for good fit or performance, and in any event some adjustments (such as canting) are better done under or inside the boot. No boot-fitting is complete without a good arch support or "orthotic." The best and most expensive are fitted by your podiatrist, but if you've got no special problems like flat feet, an over-the-counter or custom orthotic from your ski shop should work well. Finally, if you've tried and tried but just can't find a boot that fits--or if you're a skier who demands the optimum in performance--consider one of the custom-foam fit systems offered by most manufacturers.
