J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Dave Mac

Trencher,

I hadn't noticed that Pav had slipped half a star. That's a bummer, and totally wrong. In the main, I don't take notice of the star rating, and confess to never having made a rating. Perhaps that should change.

I value the views of folk that contribute to the site, for the knowledge, humour and enrichment to skiing. It is an opportunity to put something back into our sport, and to learn something new every week. It is also interesting to guess what people would be like to ski with, and talk to. Whether you are a one year skier, or a forty year skier, (cough, cough), this is August, and here we all are like it's mid Feb. Crazy.

Coming back to Pav, we all know how big a contribution he makes to us, through J2Ski. Not just knowledge and experience, but his sideways thinking about subjects. His commitment to us, such as the competitions.

Now that you have pointed this slippage out Trencher, there is a small thing that we can each occasionally do to mark our respect and gratitude to Pav.

Ironically, Pav would be the first person to protest at such a thought.

Was in Niederau week before last. Snowed in Kitsbuhleralps above 2000m.

On the new Niederau chairlift, cement mixers drove up a mountain road, dumped into a can, which was then hoisted up, and run down an airial runway to the column foundation bases.

Mixer lorries then had to reverse down a skinny track with big drop off to one side.

Lived in Australia for 15 months. Most nights, on Manly beach, on an ancient, borrowed glass fire board, I tried to grasp surfing. This board was very old, and had jaggy bits of glass fibre, so that every night, I would get back to the apartment, covered in scratches.

Then came the night. I got to stand, fully balanced, on a fast moving wave. Absolutely, the same exhilaration as skiing, well nearly. Of course, I didn't know how to turn, but was going like a bullet, in a straight line, half way up a curl.

From the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of a young lad, on a gleaming glossy board, on the same wave, heading in my direction. He shouts ~~ "Hey" I don't change a thing. The boards crash, I kept going. My borrowed tank-like board had taken a big chunk out of the front of his smart new glossy.

And did I care? Course I did.

Bandit wrote

BTW I'm also very, very old

Older than 102 Bandit???

Have just emailed TK MAXX and asked them the date of Ski Wear intro into their stores. Will post their response.

Pavel,

The only reason that the discussion sometimes stops, lies in the prosaic quality of your answers.

I am in a happy equilibrium with my two sons. They both think they can now ski ,more quickly than me. However, I know I still have the edge, should I choose to take the tight line. Most times, I am very happy to ski just behind, smiling quietly, and a little proud-fatherly. Maybe, just once during our run, I will whip past them, just to leave them guessing a little.

I guess this will change soon, but that is OK. This year, they both took a lot of squash lessons, and now they can beat me.

This winter, I want to learn to ski the mamba. You know, Turn L,R,LL, then R, L, RR. Then I want to find someone else to ski it with. It is something new ~ so why not?

Pav, When you write your epistle, this is quite often the end of a topic, because nobody dares to follow. However, this is too good a topic, so I want to try and develop your themes.

Your first point is that we compare with others. I feel a strong certainty that this applies to 99.998 of J2Skiers. The other 0.002% take the whacky backy and ski off into the sunset. We all race our counterparts, sometimes in different ways. My ski buddy Mel & I have a philosophy that it is the guy who is just behind who is really setting pace. ie, if he chooses, he can take the short line, take the chance.

Interestingly, this only applies to speed. Do any of us compare our technique against our contemparies? And is it even reasonable to try to do that? I previously described the differences in technique between Jan and myself. But Mel and I are of the same era. Well, similar, anyway, he is 5 years older than I, (107 years old, Bandit?) Although Mel & I have a similar ski style, Mel is a lightweight, and his skiing technique reflects this. (He describes this as "ski light")

Pav, your second comparion is by standards institutions. But most J2ski people do not encounter this type of comparison. So I believe it has a lower relevance.

By far the most interesting suggestions from you is the personal goal. I don't see any point in rating oneself at 40% or 60 percentile for the level. For one thing, none of us can accurately describe our level. And secondly, how would you measure 40%, 50%, 60%. Even if you could, what happens when you get to 95%?

The real value in your idea is the premise ~ I know that I can keep improving, what can I do next? And then, after that? And then....

Moving on to the physical bit, I haven't thought much about apres ski exercise, although a couple of the Colorado accomodations did have swimming pools in the basement, and man, that felt good at the end of the day. One of the Lancashire hotshots that skis in Niederau says every year, "You don't ski to get fit, you get fit to ski" Although at the end of each season, I end up half a stone lighter than at the start, I do believe that to get the best out of the forthcoming winter, you have to put the work in beforehand, with strength and mobility work. Between a half hour and one hour a day, all year.

I do not do an emotional reconstruction each day, but if that works for you, that is great. But I did have one day last year where every turn was just right, every line was as planned, all was neat and tidy, everything as perfect as I could achieve. I will live forever on that day. Until the next time.

Also, just to put this into context, there are more than a dozen 12 year old local girls, that ski in Niederau, that can out-ski most of the people that I have ever skiied with, on or off piste. And this includes myself.