SkiBlog-SkiBlog - Ski Blog for Instruction, Equipment, and Travel Tips

Day 1 - SkiBlog-SkiBlog Heliskiing Video Blog Series

2012-01-09T01:37:00.000-05:00

After arriving at the Crescent Spur lodge on Saturday evening, we were greeted with an incredibly friendly and welcoming staff and treated to a delicious dinner. The lodge, with all of the fixtures, doorframes, and woodwork homecrafted with British Columbian wood, provides a remarkably warm and amicable atmosphere to relax and enjoy the time here. I knew I was in for a luxury ski holiday. Sunday

SkiBlog-SkiBlog Heliskiing Video Blog Series - Intro

2012-01-08T09:50:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I started a seven day journey to Crescent Spur, British Columbia for a trip with Crescent Spur Heliskiing. This video is the first of a multi-part video blog series where I will bring you tips live from the mountains of British Columbia. I welcome your comments on the videos and format!

The Doc's Tips: 3 Tips to Help Recover After a Day of Skiing

2011-12-31T19:27:00.001-05:00

I recently got a chance to sit down with Dr. Julie Herman, M.D., an internal medicine physician at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. After a lengthy and exhausting day on the slopes, I was curious about what modern medicine says are the best strategies to recover. Here is her advice: 1. Have a beer You've worked hard today. You deserve a beer. I knew I liked this doctor. But make

How To: Recover Gracefully From a Ski Crash

2011-12-24T00:37:00.000-05:00

Want to know how to get back up (gracefully) from falling while skiing? Check out this instructional video made specially for SkiBlog-SkiBlog by Ryan and John of RAWfootyfilms.

Ski Training - Functional Style

2011-12-17T05:12:00.000-05:00

by Lauren Bunney Ski season is just around the corner if not already in full swing depending on where in the world you are living. But, the majority of the season is still ahead so it is not too late to get into shape in order to get the most out of your season. Whether you are a skier or snowboarder or even a snow "Bunney" (pun intended), everyone can stand to get into better physical

Ski Egypt - Creating Slopes Other Than the Pyramids

2011-10-16T21:05:00.006-04:00

Have you ever wanted to spend the holidays in Egypt, see the pyramids, bathe in political crises, and bake in the exhaustive sun? Me too, except the lack of skiing has always deterred me. However, this may soon be a possibility in a few years time...The Majid Al Futtaim group, resposible for the creation of the revolutionary Ski Dubai, announced earlier this spring that it is looking to take it's

Avalanche Awareness and Kits

2011-05-14T18:53:00.005-04:00

by White Blancmange - Alpine ExperiencesA properly prepared avalanche kit could be the difference between life and death (and the life you save may well be your own). If you are thinking of heading off-piste, you need to know that you and everyone in your party are as safe as you can possibly be. This means hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. When taking the road less travelled you

Equipment Review - Columbia's Omni-Heat Powder Bowl Parka

2011-01-10T21:10:00.014-05:00

Columbia Sportswear recently asked me to field test its newest line of technology - the Omni-Heat "silver dot" jacket. At first, I was critical. This highly advertised line of skiwear had interrupted my viewings of House time after time during my Hulu commercial breaks. While popular among the masses, Columbia products have never been seen flying in the high circles of skiwear that include The

3 Top Tips to Improve Your Off Piste Skiing

2010-12-02T14:56:00.006-05:00

by Heli Ski Guide RokoNote: This article was originally published by Pure Powder - the off piste and heli skiing specialists - on www.PurePowder.com in June 2010. Permission to reprint this article was obtained from Pure Powder.You wake up, look out of the window, and there's a pristine blanket of fresh white snow covering everything in sight. To make the most of those unforgettable powder days,

How to Adapt to Skiing Moguls

2010-10-10T16:05:00.004-04:00

by Robert StewartMoguls are one of those challenges in skiing that can strike fear into all but the most expert of skiers. The thing is, moguls can be our friends. Yes really, they can!If you are comfortable skiing down groomed slopes at varying gradients then you will have the ability to ski a mogul field. I’m not necessarily talking about high speed ‘ripping’ directly down the fall-line or

Skiing the Glades - Trees

2010-03-08T22:46:00.012-05:00

So here you are, trying to feel like a young maverick skier going off the trails and into the trees - just hoping that someone passing overhead on the charlift will spot you and give out a loud "WHOOT" of approval and impressiveness (is that a word?). And then, just before you are about to follow your all too expert friend off the side of a cliff with thick forests of trees that look like they

Winter Olympics 2010 - Team USA

2010-02-16T17:34:00.002-05:00

As a brief interjection into the magical ski world, let me recommend a site to keep updated on the conquering of the Winter Olympics 2010 by the US Ski Team (I apologize to my French readers. But if it's any consolation, I am rooting for you to come in second place).http://teamUSAnews.orgThere are some great causes that you can support on this site as well. Don't be afraid to give! (On that note,

Stay Perpendicular to the Fall Line to Maintain Balance on the Steeps

2009-12-23T23:01:00.000-05:00

Have I told you, lately, that I love you...uhh...err...excuse my inner Rod Stewart lyrical self. What I really meant to say is: Have I told you... why is it harder to ski down steeper slopes, and why our own time-tested movements seem to do even worse on the more challenging terrain we tackle? Yes, that was the question. Anyways, just as there is a difference in the slope itself, there is a

Skiing the Bumps - PSIA Video

2009-11-15T12:46:00.005-05:00

I found an awesome video about skiing bumps and moguls that is done by Dave Lundberg of the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) Alpine Team. Dave is one of best alpine skiers in the world and skis with incredible style and grace (reminds me of myself). He is also an expert at describing and teaching skiing. He talks about some great tips, and the video provides great material for all

How to Win a Season in the Canadian Rockies and Become a Ski Instructor

2009-11-11T11:40:00.009-05:00

I was asked to post this opportunity contest on the blog. I almost hesitated because I was going to enter hundred times myself, and figured the more people that read this, the less chance I have to win. But in the end, I folded to the pressures of authorship and sharing the mountain with others. Sometimes I kick myself in the gluteus maximus for being such a nice guy. But then again, that

Stopping Power and Technique in Skiing

2009-10-07T11:27:00.010-04:00

I received a question/comment (awesome in itself) from someone "over the water" (also awesome in itself) about stopping on the "How to Feel Less Fatigued When Skiing" post:Very interesting, Skiblog. Let me pose a question from over the water. I am an ice skater who discovered skiing. In skating being able to stop is a high priority and learnt early in lessons. In skiing it seems to be well down

How to Feel Less Fatigued When Skiing

2009-08-02T15:28:00.003-04:00

I came across the following question while reading online on Wellsphere:I just returned from skiing with some buds who never train physically. We would walk up stairs and they would be winded while I could just keep going. Why then, do they just fly down the hills and I struggle??? I have been skiing for 10 years and have taken many a private lesson. I have completed 2 iron-man triathlons, train

A Balance Tip That Is Slightly More Than "Lean Forward" (plus a Boot Adjustment Trick)

2009-07-21T22:07:00.010-04:00

Chances are that if you have spent five minutes on a ski slope before, you have heard the amazingly overused and almost meaningless word in the skiing dictionary - the most given piece of unsought advice that exists in space and time - the ... oh, let's just cut to the chase ... LEAN FORWARD.Lean forward. A simple term that seems to be your skiing buddy's answer for everything. It has come down

"How It's Made" - Dynastar Skis

2009-06-18T18:11:00.004-04:00

For all of those television experts out there, the Science Channel will be airing an television episode of "How It's Made" - "Dynastar Skis" on Friday, June 19th at 9:00 p.m. EST.UPDATE:This video is now available online at http://science.discovery.com/videos/how-its-made-alpine-skis.html.This will be a first of its kind special where a manufacturer is revealing how indeed they make skis. This

Ski Towards the Corner to Improve Directional Movement

2009-05-20T18:31:00.011-04:00

Here is a crazy cool little trick to help yourself gain more control over your directional movement in your skiing. But first, what do I mean by directional movement?Directional MovementThe key to the sliding glass door of modern skiing is consistent and correct directional movement. You always want to move each part of your body towards the direction you want to go. This is extremely

Skating - It's More Important in Skiing Than You Think

2009-05-01T15:21:00.011-04:00

Typically, the last thing you want to do after arriving at one of those fancy Zermatt chalets and first getting on your skis is skating. However, this is something that is severely underrated by all levels of skiers. Some of you may not even know what skating is (if so, go request a lesson on skating right away and tip your instructor lots of cash, preferably me). To this end, it is important

Freestyle Skiing and the ATML Method

2009-04-20T17:25:00.011-04:00

Many crazy people are always trying to bust the biggest move in the trauma park...I mean, the terrain park. However, few skiers really know how to approach new terrain features or how to grow comfortable and properly learn how to ski them. What's the real way to learn so that you don't tackle your tips and tails? Magic.Actually, magic is not nearly cool enough for skiing. So instead we use the

The Bend and Extend Concept: Leg Retraction and Leg Extension

2009-04-13T11:10:00.013-04:00

The bend and extend concept is one of my favorite things to perform myself as well as to teach. For one thing, the words rhyme (so cool - this does not happen a whole lot in the skiing world). But what exactly is the bend and extend concept? Oh the suspense... This is commonly known as leg retraction and leg extension. It applies mostly to more advanced, dynamic skiers at moderate to fast

Skiing Those Things Called Moguls

2009-04-06T18:20:00.006-04:00

Although bumps are a much different terrain than typical downhill skiing, there is a secret. You actually will use the same movements as normal skiing, just in a different fashion and using different tactics.There are several different strategies to tackling moguls (metaphorically, not literally). You may want to vary yours depending on conditions, ability level, comfort level, etc.Generally,

Are Your Skis Keeping Up With You?

2009-03-24T16:40:00.014-04:00

In my last post, I went over some of the basics of ski design and engineering and how these characteristics affect your skiing. Now, I am going to brag a little about my latest ski purchase, a set of Rossignol Radical RX 9's. I bought them from Mike Stewart, one H-E-double hockey sticks of a skier - a Level III PSIA at Wisp Resort and a Rossignol sales rep.Why did I get these skis? A few reasons