skiing 3/6/2010
Took N up for her first ever ski trip, and my first since high school. The lovely 
ula1066 gave me rental & lift for xmas, and got a beginner package for herself, but due to ankle injury she transferred that to N.
Left Scappoose 6:20 am, headed up to Hood River, then up Hwy 35 to Mt Hood Meadows. This is much faster and simpler than going up Hwy 26. Arrived 8:30 or so, got a decent parking spot, paid $4 for a one day Sno-Park pass ($22 for all season, but I'll probably only be up one or two more times this year...). Got our equipment rented, no hassles beyond the usual standing in line, filling out forms, &c. Paid for a locker in the rental area, $6 for all day, open it as much as you want. Paid for ski check ($3 per person), as the only thing worse than stolen skis is stolen rental skis.
Weather - we were dressed for freezing rain, and it was sunny and 40 maybe? Perfect bluebird day if it had been 20 out.
Showed N where her 10 AM lesson would start, snapped my skis on, and skated around a bit. Turns out it's at least as easy to remember as riding a bike. Within four runs I was skiing at least as well as when I was 17. There were boot adjustment issues; I'm going to have to buy my own boots and get them properly fitted. The rentals were painfully tight around my calf, and I couldn't get them adjusted so that my heel was as far back/down as I want it.
I was on rented 165 cm skis, which was a pretty workable length. They felt short - my last set were 185 - but they carved great and turned easily. I didn't feel like I had enough edge for fast stops, or when I really wanted to give up speed in a skidding turn, but the going down the hill thing, they were great at that.
I made it over the ridge to the Shooting Star lift, where shade keeps the snow better on days like that, and had some great runs. Get my weight out over my tips, set both edges hard, and commit, and things just worked beautifully. Cascade Express had good snow also, at least in the morning, on account of it being up so high, but I only got a couple runs in up there.
In the afternoon, N had her second lesson, and I started to feel the effect of poorly fitting boots. About 2:30 I just said screw it, returned my gear, had a beer. N was clearly done at the end of that lesson, fatigued, overheated, hungry, so we headed on home.
N would like to do more of this; as she says, once you learn to stop and turn it's fun! She'll be happier still once she can reliably turn in both directions, and stand herself up after a fall.
I will need to get my own boots, and I will probably go to the demo center rather than the rental center next time for my own skis. Basic beginner skis were OK for this week, but I want to find out if I would benefit from longer / stiffer / different gear.
ula1066 gave me rental & lift for xmas, and got a beginner package for herself, but due to ankle injury she transferred that to N. Left Scappoose 6:20 am, headed up to Hood River, then up Hwy 35 to Mt Hood Meadows. This is much faster and simpler than going up Hwy 26. Arrived 8:30 or so, got a decent parking spot, paid $4 for a one day Sno-Park pass ($22 for all season, but I'll probably only be up one or two more times this year...). Got our equipment rented, no hassles beyond the usual standing in line, filling out forms, &c. Paid for a locker in the rental area, $6 for all day, open it as much as you want. Paid for ski check ($3 per person), as the only thing worse than stolen skis is stolen rental skis.
Weather - we were dressed for freezing rain, and it was sunny and 40 maybe? Perfect bluebird day if it had been 20 out.
Showed N where her 10 AM lesson would start, snapped my skis on, and skated around a bit. Turns out it's at least as easy to remember as riding a bike. Within four runs I was skiing at least as well as when I was 17. There were boot adjustment issues; I'm going to have to buy my own boots and get them properly fitted. The rentals were painfully tight around my calf, and I couldn't get them adjusted so that my heel was as far back/down as I want it.
I was on rented 165 cm skis, which was a pretty workable length. They felt short - my last set were 185 - but they carved great and turned easily. I didn't feel like I had enough edge for fast stops, or when I really wanted to give up speed in a skidding turn, but the going down the hill thing, they were great at that.
I made it over the ridge to the Shooting Star lift, where shade keeps the snow better on days like that, and had some great runs. Get my weight out over my tips, set both edges hard, and commit, and things just worked beautifully. Cascade Express had good snow also, at least in the morning, on account of it being up so high, but I only got a couple runs in up there.
In the afternoon, N had her second lesson, and I started to feel the effect of poorly fitting boots. About 2:30 I just said screw it, returned my gear, had a beer. N was clearly done at the end of that lesson, fatigued, overheated, hungry, so we headed on home.
N would like to do more of this; as she says, once you learn to stop and turn it's fun! She'll be happier still once she can reliably turn in both directions, and stand herself up after a fall.
I will need to get my own boots, and I will probably go to the demo center rather than the rental center next time for my own skis. Basic beginner skis were OK for this week, but I want to find out if I would benefit from longer / stiffer / different gear.