Old Man Park Skiing

[GoldMember]

Hmmm, let’s see: when I’m in the park, I wear MTB pads under my Arcteryx shell, my boots have tech fittings and a walk mode, and I smell like Icy Hot with a whiff of desperation mixed in. So I guess that’s closer to relaxed fit jeans and golf shirts than Tall Ts?

Swap out the Arcteryx shell for a Members Only jacket and you'll have it dialed. Beyond that, I have nothing to add other than Trix are for Kids. Good luck with the knee and with the switch 360. (For what it's worth, I could never land a straight 360 but was on fire with straight 270's...ask my shoulders...)

[auvgeek]

I'm 30 so not old yet, but this thread has me stoked. Used to ski park a bit in middle/high school and I need to get back into things slowly first, but I always wanted to learn how to sw cork 5, and now I want to learn butter spins, too, which weren't really a thing back when I was into the park scene.

[DGamms]

Shedd- yeah, that T set 360 will help you stay on axis. Gotta make sure your eyes/head stay up too when setting the spin, it’s so easy to look down in the direction of the spin on takeoff.

Auvgeek- thanks for the feedback. Honestly, this was the first year I tried switch 360s, and I only got a handful of attempts because my knee still isn’t 100%. All my attempts were switch blender 3s: skiing in switch looking over the right shoulder, then turning head and body to the left at the lip to spin a left switch 360. Haven’t been able to land it cleanly yet.
Switch 180s, natural and unnatural, are fine on small jumps. I did a lot of zero spins this year (in part because 360s felt weird on my knee), which was a pretty new trick for me too. Like you, I spin left naturally on jumps but ride rails/boxes left foot forward. I need more practice at unnaturals on both.

GM- thanks for the apparel advice and the well wishes

[SumJongGuy]

How about old man park SKATING for the summer months? Gotta knock more rust off these trucks LOL!

[DGamms]

Hells yeah SJG! Get some on that skateboard this summer!

Auvgeek - I realized just now that I had misread what you said above. You are right handed, you spin naturally left off jumps, but you ride rails right foot forward (goofy)?

Lastly: Windells Adult park camp still has spots open for the week of July 6-13. I’m 99% committed to going, hopefully recruiting a few local old men too. If anyone else from the TGR community wants to come, please
do. The open spots will not appear on their website. Call 503-206-8520 if you’re interested.

[gregorys]

@DGamms

You bastard. I'll be 52 before the next ski season rolls around, and now you've made me really consider trying to get a 360 - my first ever - this next year.

I'm sure I'm not the oldest guy to try to toss a 360, but I'm not looking forward to the slam-fest either.
Suggestions?
[I'm in PDX, so Windells is not far away - but not sure I'm up for that. What's the cost, approx? I'm cheap, so that's probably not happening. ]

And BTW, sweet video. Really liked 'em. Awesome work!

[Jacques Strap]

I was just shown this old thread (thanks ill-advised strategy); it seems tangentially related, and the featured Mag is still active here, so:

https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...99#post4974999

[DGamms]

@DGamms

You bastard. I'll be 52 before the next ski season rolls around, and now you've made me really consider trying to get a 360 - my first ever - this next year.

I'm sure I'm not the oldest guy to try to toss a 360, but I'm not looking forward to the slam-fest either.
Suggestions?
[I'm in PDX, so Windells is not far away - but not sure I'm up for that. What's the cost, approx? I'm cheap, so that's probably not happening. ]

And BTW, sweet video. Really liked 'em. Awesome work!

Thanks gregorys!

You aren’t too old to learn a 360, promise. My old man park partner was 44yo when he did his first 360 ever in my back yard, and 1.5 seasons later he is doing them consistently off 35-40 ft table tops.

But you will be subject to rule #1 of Old Man Park Skiing from the first post in this thread: acknowledge the risk, know that you will get hurt at some point to some degree, and make sure the risk/reward balance makes sense for you.

As for Windells, yeah it is pricey. Short of an on snow coach, I still think the best way to work up to your 360 is do your YouTube homework (Stomp It Tutorials, Empire Tutorials, Ski Addiction) and practice slow floaty 360s on a trampoline. Spin both ways, try not to wind up, and keep your eyes/head up on the horizon line as you spin.

It’s the off season so your on snow options are limited anyway

[DGamms]

Resurrection of a dead thread... I want my two dollars!!

Having blown my thumb on the bike this summer, I’m going to repeat what’s been said already. If you are an old man trying to progress in the park and you are using poles, get something like Pollard’s Paint Brush or the TW pole from Line. You can reverse the BMX grip and have the grab tab facing forward, and then position your hand with your thumb on top of it. That way, your thumb is never in harms way (i.e. never on the inside of the grip) when you short that 360/540/rail slide you’ve been working on. Seems trivial but I promise you this matters.

Pad up! I never go to the park without using my old man mountain bike hip and elbow pads. One crash on a rail and you will feel the difference.

Do your online homework. The stuff from Stomp It and Ski Addiction on YouTube has gotten really good in the past two years!!! Whatever trick you are working on, they’ve got an online tutorial made for you, both trampoline and snow.

Ski switch whenever you are bored! Getting comfortable looking over both shoulders at speed is key to taking off and landing backwards on jumps.

If you want to butter, get a dedicated noodle ski. An Armada El Dollo or Line Blend will change your perspective on what is possible when trying to nose butter on a pair of skis.

Last, and most important still: find a friend! Old man park partners are invaluable. If you can find a fellow old guy to challenge you in the park, you’ll progress much faster than trying to do it on your own.

[DGamms]

I know many are bored from COVID inertia...

Lord knows I am.

Here's another repost. If you are terminally bored, give it a spin.

The skiing and videography is still as amateur as ever. But the message rings true, maybe now more so than ever before. There are no guarantees in life. Go get some while you still can, regardless of how old you are

https://vimeo.com/331146090

[detrusor]

Always appreciate the stoke! Sorry to have missed you yesterday!


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[dmcd]

Thanks for bumping this thread. Got my first pair of park skis last summer just after my 30th birthday which I know isn't that old, but feels old in the park. Spent this abbreviated season hitting bigger jumps in the park, starting to ski switch and trying to jump off everything I could every run. My season goal was to land a 3, which definitely didn't happen, so I guess I'll just be one year older when I do...

[DGamms]

Thanks for bumping this thread. Got my first pair of park skis last summer just after my 30th birthday which I know isn't that old, but feels old in the park. Spent this abbreviated season hitting bigger jumps in the park, starting to ski switch and trying to jump off everything I could every run. My season goal was to land a 3, which definitely didn't happen, so I guess I'll just be one year older when I do...

Yeah dmcd!! I bet you get that 360 next year.

And I love the Warren Miller reference above.

[eskido]

I know many are bored from COVID inertia...

Lord knows I am.

Here's another repost. If you are terminally bored, give it a spin.

The skiing and videography is still as amateur as ever. But the message rings true, maybe now more so than ever before. There are no guarantees in life. Go get some while you still can, regardless of how old you are

https://vimeo.com/331146090

This was great, thanks for sharing!!! Dig this thread, spent a little time on the tramp yesterday working on some stuff I can’t do on skis yet, goals...

[DGamms]

Thanks eskido!

Glad to hear you are on the tramp. It is a great tool for air awareness. Not all the tricks translate well to on skis/on snow, but lots do.

So bored I was looking through the little footage I got this inbounds season today. I had a second knee surgery in Dec 2019 so I didn’t get as much on snow time as I was hoping for.

But I got one new trick at least: Switch Blender 360 on the smallest jump in the entire resort . Size be damned, I’m still claiming that shit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6wN...ature=youtu.be

Lastly, an example of how NOT to hit a bigger table. This was the third jump in the Three Kings lower line at PC. I tried to Beaver Shooter it and failed badly. Oh well. Live to fight another day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33xh10KgqSQ

[DGamms]

Alright, it’s the heart of the off season for skiing. And most of us have had enough boredom and bad news in the past several months to more than fill our quotas for the entire 2020 calendar year.

So here’s a little diversion: another crappy home video of some old guys crashing on skis. I still find Tech Talk to be a valuable resource for me, so I threw it in the credits as always.

Enjoy, be well, and stay safe and healthy out there!

(Seems like you have to click the video title to get the link to work)

https://vimeo.com/438732922

[AZskibum]

This thread is great. I'm starting to learn at 30 and it has been tough. Improvement solo is slow, and now i'm terrified of boxes after a few slip outs. They got into my head

A big thing that is helping me with jumps is just lapping the small ones. I noticed i'm putting my arms up in the air when I pop which is throwing my weight back. I'm gonna really try to keep the hands in sight the whole time next year.

I'd love to find a place in driving distance (day or two) of AZ to spend time with a pit.


I think what is really holding me back from trying spins is a deep fear of tearing an ACL. I love skiing so much, and it feels like starting late has me on a timer, so i'm terrified i'll miss days doing spins.

[Dee Hubbs]

This thread is great. I'm starting to learn at 30 and it has been tough. Improvement solo is slow, and now i'm terrified of boxes after a few slip outs. They got into my head

A big thing that is helping me with jumps is just lapping the small ones. I noticed i'm putting my arms up in the air when I pop which is throwing my weight back. I'm gonna really try to keep the hands in sight the whole time next year.

I'd love to find a place in driving distance (day or two) of AZ to spend time with a pit.


I think what is really holding me back from trying spins is a deep fear of tearing an ACL. I love skiing so much, and it feels like starting late has me on a timer, so i'm terrified i'll miss days doing spins.

Depending on where you are in AZ, Park City is reasonable drive. The Woodward facility there is amazing.

[SupreChicken]

So glad this thread is back. Didn’t get much of it on film, but made a lot of progress in the park. Landed a few more 3s (shout out to dgamms showing the chill upper body in the air) and put together some tail garden laps I was truly proud of. This thread helps a lot

Az - I feel you. Stomped my first rail at 29. Been glad I kept at it.

Risk mgmt is easier with good prehab, a strong core and body armor.

[DGamms]

So glad this thread is back. Didn’t get much of it on film, but made a lot of progress in the park. Landed a few more 3s (shout out to dgamms showing the chill upper body in the air) and put together some tail garden laps I was truly proud of. This thread helps a lot

Az - I feel you. Stomped my first rail at 29. Been glad I kept at it.

Chicken, congrats on the 3s!!! It’s a great feeling to land that trick a few times in a row.

For those trying to learn spins or slide rails while using poles, I want to encourage you again to think about buying some poles with BMX grips and grab tabs. Pictures are worth many words... an example of such a pole from Line.



By being able to place your thumb on top of the tab instead of on the inside of the grip, you are much less likely to suffer a skier’s thumb (UCL rupture) when you crash. Park poles and some elbow/hip pads are considered must have items for this old man park skier.

And AZ: come on up to Woodward PC anytime, I would try to join you there if that sounds fun. The first day of ramping to foam pits is kind of annoying because you have to get checked off on a bunch of safety requirements. But after that, it’s pretty much a free-for-all 2hr session of roller skis to foam pit for each subsequent day. Full disclosure: I haven’t been back since they shut down for COVID in April but word is the ramps and pits are open again.

[DGamms]

Shit for snow in UT, but the park at PC has one big table top and 10-12 boxes and rails.

If any of you aspiring old man park skiers want to get some laps in here with company, let me know!

Also building the driveway rail this week for the low tide months, almost operational.

Open to all old man park mags of course

[DGamms]

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?sto...31&ref=m_notif

Gotta post this just because... life is short, complicated, and hard.

It’s been a terrible snow year for UT thus far, but that doesn’t stop old men from park skiing. Honestly, I’m grateful we get to ride lifts at all this year.

As always, offer stands: if anyone wants to join us in PC for old man park laps, you have an open invitation.

[stealurface831]

hell yeah. i'm still working up the balls to try to turn one. props for getting after it.

what are you park rat kids skiing on nowadays?

[SupreChicken]

I may post a review in its own thread, but seems like a relevant thing here.

I sprang for Johnny Collinson’s 8 week workout - skierfit. I specifically wanted it to improve my balance and agility. I suspect it will help with park performance and safety.

[DGamms]

hell yeah. i'm still working up the balls to try to turn one. props for getting after it.

what are you park rat kids skiing on nowadays?

Your question deserves a thousand word answer...
But for the sake of brevity:

I’m on the J Skis Vacation 186cm this year. I love it. I’ve owned the Rossi Scimitar, Line Blend, Line Tom Wallisch, and a few handmade skis for PC riding over the last few seasons.

The Vacation is a nice mix of the above skis. It’s stiffer and provides more rebound pop than the Blends, it’s longer/wider/heavier than the Wallisch (which maxes out at 178cm long and 90mm underfoot), and it’s more tapered/rockered/softer in the tips/tails than the Scimitar. For PC low tide skiing with a park emphasis, it is great.

That being said: most kids skiing just park at PC are on the Armada ARV 96. The Line TW and Faction 1.0 and 2.0 probably follow after that. Some Head Caddys and Armada EDollos and K2 Poachers/Reckoners and Vishnus too.