Supporting the beast.
- phoenix
- Posts: 825
- Joined: Mon Jan 02, 2017 5:44 pm
- Location: Northern VT
- Ski style: My own
- Favorite Skis: Varies,I've had many favorites
- Favorite boots: Excursions, T1's
- Occupation: I'm occupied
Re: Supporting the beast.
It's pretty neat you mention Stenmark... when I saw her ski, I immediately thought of him as the most precise skier I recall, and how she's embodying that.
- Woodserson
- Posts: 2969
- Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2015 10:25 am
- Location: New Hampshire
- Ski style: Bumps, trees, steeps and long woodsy XC tours
- Occupation: Confused Turn Farmer
Re: Supporting the beast.
How about 2:55 CHRISTHarris wrote:I guess she is known for training harder than anyone on the circuit. Totally focused on improvement. Bode Miller says she is the best skier he's ever seen. If she continues to podium every SL race she will break Ingemar Stenmark's record. Unless she gets injured, she likely will. Check out this training vid. At the 1:05 and 3:09 minute marks particularly. What an animal.
Re: Supporting the beast.
Yeah, that was the one I thought was at 3:09. That is some serious shit. The one with the one legged forward leaps is pretty spectacular too.Woodserson wrote: How about 2:55 CHRIST
Re: Supporting the beast.
I've read where she is studying Ted Ligety's technique and implementing it. If she gets that nailed she'll rule GS as well.
Re: Supporting the beast.
My first real GF in high school was a sponsored regular JO medalist in SL and GS. She was amazing, and worked here ass on, but she never made the US ski team. People have no idea just how special someone has to be to be in Mikaela's caliber.
Re: Supporting the beast.
Do it in leathers, in plastics, on fats, on skinnies, nnn, three pin or NTN, hell, do it on bear traps and old woodies, or on barrel stays, down big hills or small, steep or not, into the backcountry, up a big mountain, or off a lift, make it as "special" as you want to make it, that is certainly the privilege.greatgt wrote:oooops I kinda think Telemark is something SPECIAL....It gives one the access to the world of Nature where insights abound....Unfortunately skiing on all that downhill "stuff" isn't going get you very far on a journey into the unknown...And Schifferin is a wonder....Totally fantastic...TM
- lowangle al
- Posts: 2741
- Joined: Sat Jan 11, 2014 3:36 pm
- Location: Pocono Mts / Chugach Mts
- Ski style: BC with focus on downhill perfection
- Favorite Skis: powder skis
- Favorite boots: Scarpa T4
- Occupation: Retired cement mason. Current job is to take my recreation as serious as I did my past employment.
Re: Supporting the beast.
If telemark turns are your goal why wouldn't you call it telemark skiing? I guess someone koming from an alpine bakround that possibly never earned a turn in their life would have a different perspektiwe. Why does it bother you what others kall it?Harris wrote:Well, we all have our special go to enlightenment activities. But I think you are mixing terms here because what you are describing is cross country skiing. You say, "on all that downhill "stuff,"" forgetting that the word telemark is defined as a downhill technique. Do it in leathers, in plastics, on fats, on skinnies, nnn, three pin or NTN, hell, do it on bear traps and old woodies, or on barrel stays, make it as "special" as you can, whatever, but do know that telemark is a downhill turn and not a hike, or a trek, or in itself a "journey." There is nothing wrong with being an XC skier, but know what the difference is, own it and don't hijack the term telemark in order to confine it to your "special" XC taste.greatgt wrote:oooops I kinda think Telemark is something SPECIAL....It gives one the access to the world of Nature where insights abound....Unfortunately skiing on all that downhill "stuff" isn't going get you very far on a journey into the unknown...And Schifferin is a wonder....Totally fantastic...TM
Re: Supporting the beast.
As I've said before....Thinking it was Powder Mag...Bard in a tent...."You know, it is a Nordic turn"....Something like that and way back then it made me laugh as the sport even from the start always was reaching for easier downhill equipment...Hell with this crust the last several days I got some Alpine type tele skis from the shed and once in the shed there is usually no come back....But those Noodles from Dostie sure work better than anything in my stash...The crust you understand and chuckle laugh....Teleking skied the same place on a different day on Rossi BC 90's....At least 3-5 inches of his bottom peeled away from his ski and he couldn't figure out why the skis were not responding....Tip down....Scored a bunch of snow yesterday so thinking the crust is history. Back to skinnies and NORDIC TELEMARK.. Heh.... TM
Re: Supporting the beast.
I sent this as a private message to someone, edited a few times, but I feel the need to share it on this posting. It is something I firmly believe. It might stir some shit, but I'm okay with that.
"Since you brought it up, here are the facts: I started skiing when I was 7 and instantly was in love with it. At 11 I had the privilege to go to mountain oriented private schools boarding in Colorado. In HS we got out every day by noon to ski. In junior high I skied 4 days a week; two days a week at a shit ice sheet called Broadmore and then on weekends all over CO.
A number of top competitive skiers went to my HS school via scholarships; alpine and nordic, including jumpers. XC medalist Johnny Spilane, world champion nordic combined and three time olympic medalist was a teacher's tot at the time. A dorm parent was an ex-USA Nordic ski teamer; Peer Kling. I XC skied in the mountains as a pre-season PE activity intermittently through junior high on beat-up military surplus wooden skis with bear traps and at least twice a week through HS on fish-scaled super skinnies with low-top NNNs, at least before I became a telemark-focused skier and bought burly gear, and we were always looking to ski down things. I've also ski mountaineered free heel, survived an avalanche sporting a 60 lb pack on a mountainside with no-one to help dig me out, as well as skinning side country more times than I can count. I've earned many turns, and I think I have had pretty good exposure to all things nordic. By preference I Norpine, aka Telemark. But yes, by far I mainly ski resort and resort side-country and love it. That said, I personally feel there is a difference between tromping around the woods XC skiing and "telemarking." I see nothing less worthy with XC backcountry, but to me there is a difference in focus. An XC skier who breaks trail and occasionally utilizes a telemark is a XC BC skier. A Telemarker is a downhill focussed skier who might do BC or ski mountaineering on telemark gear, but their focus is on going down things free heel. A telemarker XC skiing is XC skiing. An XC skier out for a day of free-heel downhill is telemarking. In my mind you wouldn't be telemarking if the hike is your focus. In my mind you wouldn't be XC skiing if downhill free heel is your focus. Admittedly it is a matter of semantics, which is why I edited my post before I thought anyone had read it, but ultimately I seek to define terminology rather than denigrate a particular. I see one no less than the other, but I do see them as having different intents and needs.
Way back there was a big squabble between traditional XC focused BC skiers and downhill focussed "telemarkers": the XC BC only crowd hated downhill-centered free heelers pushing the boundaries as well as our push for better, more downhill-oriented gear. I mean they really fucking hated telemarking as it's own sport. Specifically they hated seeing telemarking via lifts. Even up into the early 1990s the sway the XC Trad guys held over the sport was so severe you couldn't race on anything fatter than 75mm. You couldn't buy +75mm telemarking skis. The stuff was shit to ski on. And even when they ventured out on the lift served, before plastics, many XC BC guys would rip on anyone using home-built plastic cuffed leather boots. They demanded everyone ski handicapped. Begrudgingly the sport advanced. I personally saw it as a bunch of folks jealous that others were ripping runs and turns they couldn't. It was like dealing with a bunch of narrow-minded Nazis purposely and selfishly holding the sport back to protect their fragile world views. I found that as irritating then as I do now. Further, yes, I skied alpine, and as a telemarker mostly with buds who were alpiners, and I still occasionally ski alpine. My GOD! THE SIN! You know what? I've skied literally thousands of days on telemark skis, and I've learned that there are some days and scenarios when being on alpine is a joy whereas being on tele would be a misery. There are certain conditions I've never seen a telemarker ski with pleasure. I feel fortunate I have the skill set to transition at will and do what pleases me when and how. I also AT some. I may even some day snowboard. But telemarking is my main thing. I was also heavily into short-line slalom skiing (water) and wake-boarding. I love trying to turn well anything strapped to my feet. Getting particular about what is viable to ski and what isn't is an absurdity. It is so small-minded. So limiting. And for what? No one really cares what you ski, unless you can't keep up within reason. In fact people who try to make their thing into a production are largely seen as tools. A lot of folks are turned off by free heel simply because our sport has been historically populated by some serious tools. Myself, I've never told anyone that what they ski or ski on is an inferior activity, but I sure hear a lot of XC folks rip on others because they are not doing exactly what they do. I hate that shit. It is fucking dumb. So that is my perspective, and you can disagree, and that's fine. It is a big world."
"Since you brought it up, here are the facts: I started skiing when I was 7 and instantly was in love with it. At 11 I had the privilege to go to mountain oriented private schools boarding in Colorado. In HS we got out every day by noon to ski. In junior high I skied 4 days a week; two days a week at a shit ice sheet called Broadmore and then on weekends all over CO.
A number of top competitive skiers went to my HS school via scholarships; alpine and nordic, including jumpers. XC medalist Johnny Spilane, world champion nordic combined and three time olympic medalist was a teacher's tot at the time. A dorm parent was an ex-USA Nordic ski teamer; Peer Kling. I XC skied in the mountains as a pre-season PE activity intermittently through junior high on beat-up military surplus wooden skis with bear traps and at least twice a week through HS on fish-scaled super skinnies with low-top NNNs, at least before I became a telemark-focused skier and bought burly gear, and we were always looking to ski down things. I've also ski mountaineered free heel, survived an avalanche sporting a 60 lb pack on a mountainside with no-one to help dig me out, as well as skinning side country more times than I can count. I've earned many turns, and I think I have had pretty good exposure to all things nordic. By preference I Norpine, aka Telemark. But yes, by far I mainly ski resort and resort side-country and love it. That said, I personally feel there is a difference between tromping around the woods XC skiing and "telemarking." I see nothing less worthy with XC backcountry, but to me there is a difference in focus. An XC skier who breaks trail and occasionally utilizes a telemark is a XC BC skier. A Telemarker is a downhill focussed skier who might do BC or ski mountaineering on telemark gear, but their focus is on going down things free heel. A telemarker XC skiing is XC skiing. An XC skier out for a day of free-heel downhill is telemarking. In my mind you wouldn't be telemarking if the hike is your focus. In my mind you wouldn't be XC skiing if downhill free heel is your focus. Admittedly it is a matter of semantics, which is why I edited my post before I thought anyone had read it, but ultimately I seek to define terminology rather than denigrate a particular. I see one no less than the other, but I do see them as having different intents and needs.
Way back there was a big squabble between traditional XC focused BC skiers and downhill focussed "telemarkers": the XC BC only crowd hated downhill-centered free heelers pushing the boundaries as well as our push for better, more downhill-oriented gear. I mean they really fucking hated telemarking as it's own sport. Specifically they hated seeing telemarking via lifts. Even up into the early 1990s the sway the XC Trad guys held over the sport was so severe you couldn't race on anything fatter than 75mm. You couldn't buy +75mm telemarking skis. The stuff was shit to ski on. And even when they ventured out on the lift served, before plastics, many XC BC guys would rip on anyone using home-built plastic cuffed leather boots. They demanded everyone ski handicapped. Begrudgingly the sport advanced. I personally saw it as a bunch of folks jealous that others were ripping runs and turns they couldn't. It was like dealing with a bunch of narrow-minded Nazis purposely and selfishly holding the sport back to protect their fragile world views. I found that as irritating then as I do now. Further, yes, I skied alpine, and as a telemarker mostly with buds who were alpiners, and I still occasionally ski alpine. My GOD! THE SIN! You know what? I've skied literally thousands of days on telemark skis, and I've learned that there are some days and scenarios when being on alpine is a joy whereas being on tele would be a misery. There are certain conditions I've never seen a telemarker ski with pleasure. I feel fortunate I have the skill set to transition at will and do what pleases me when and how. I also AT some. I may even some day snowboard. But telemarking is my main thing. I was also heavily into short-line slalom skiing (water) and wake-boarding. I love trying to turn well anything strapped to my feet. Getting particular about what is viable to ski and what isn't is an absurdity. It is so small-minded. So limiting. And for what? No one really cares what you ski, unless you can't keep up within reason. In fact people who try to make their thing into a production are largely seen as tools. A lot of folks are turned off by free heel simply because our sport has been historically populated by some serious tools. Myself, I've never told anyone that what they ski or ski on is an inferior activity, but I sure hear a lot of XC folks rip on others because they are not doing exactly what they do. I hate that shit. It is fucking dumb. So that is my perspective, and you can disagree, and that's fine. It is a big world."
- lowangle al
- Posts: 2741
- Joined: Sat Jan 11, 2014 3:36 pm
- Location: Pocono Mts / Chugach Mts
- Ski style: BC with focus on downhill perfection
- Favorite Skis: powder skis
- Favorite boots: Scarpa T4
- Occupation: Retired cement mason. Current job is to take my recreation as serious as I did my past employment.
Re: Supporting the beast.
That is an impressive resume Harris I never even saw a ski resort until after high school. I was never a " light is right" guy, being an early adapter to heay gear.