Season Ending: The Last Perfect Turn
Make It A Good One.
The last turn of the last run on any ski day is a bittersweet moment. If it’s the last day of the trip, it is sad if not melancholic. On one hand, I’ve spent the day or days enjoying my favorite sport and on the other, there’s no more skiing until the next trip that could be days, weeks, or months in the future.
As I come down the mountain on what will be my last run of the day, I go through the same routine. Partly because I am tired, partly because the beginner runs are easy skiing and take me to the bottom, and partly because I want to be able to remember perfect turns I made to carry me over to the next trip.
Feet close together, tap the pole, unweight, and roll your knees.
It is also about muscle memory. I want my body to remember how it felt to have the skis carve through the snow in a perfect turn.
As the skis come through the fall line, press the knees forward and into the hill to get the skis on edge.
It is also about knowing that life is short and we never know what tomorrow brings. As a senior skier, I am closer to the end of my skiing life than the beginning. Its depressing but true that makes the desire to carve the perfect turn even more intense.
Feel the edges bite into the snow and keep the turn coming across the fall line to control your speed.
At the end of every ski day, I want my mind and body to remember the turns, not just one, but a series of linked, perfect round ones.
Body square over the skis, or maybe angled down the fall line and hold the turn long enough to control your speed.
It has to be close to perfect so that even an instructor examiner would smile in approval.
Hands out in front held mid-chest high, feet less than shoulder width apart, ready for the turn.
The last turn was nice and round with the skis on edge that left a little tossed snow. Now time for the next turn, hopefully as good as if not better than he last one to add to the string.
Stay in rhythm and reach out, tap the snow, unweight, and roll the knees.
The process goes on until I reach the bottom, trying to make each turn better than the one before it in an attempt to end a day on the snow with a perfect turn. It may be a never-ending search, but the quest is a reason to head back to the slopes as soon as I can. Why? Because at age 73, this could be my last day on the slopes, and I want to remember that I did all I could do to make the perfect turn.
Mystery Glimpse: Up, Up And Giddy-Up
Horses And Skiing Have A History.
Yes, skijoring. But where, who, when? Anyone ever skijor? What’s it like?
Credit: Alf Engen Museum
Many thanks to the Alf Engen Museum, Park City, UT, for contributing this spirited photo of skijoring in (hint, hint) the West.
The Alf Engen Ski Museum Foundation was established in 1989 with a mission to preserve the rich history of skiing in the Intermountain Region. It strives to provide a world-class facility which highlights the many contributions made in ski area development, athletic competition, snow safety, ski innovation and ski teaching methods.
Last Week
Yes, indeed. This is the venerable Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway. The following was adapted from the Journal of the New England Ski Museum (Winter, 2019).:
The Aerial Tramway was the first such conveyance in North America and opened for business in Summer 1938. In its first summer and fall, it carried 100,000 passengers up Cannon Mt.
That year, Hannes Schneider also arrived in North Conway to begin his stellar career as a ski instructor and innovator. Between the new tramway, the advent of Schneider, and the robust support of Harvey Dow Gibson, a North Conway-born New York financier, New Hampshire was poised to become a mecca for skiing.
Thanks again to the wonderful New England Ski Museum, now with two locations, a new gallery and archive in North Conway, and at the base of this aerial tramway at Cannon.
E-Bike: Makes Sense and Here To Stay
First Fat Bikes, Now E-Bikes. The Cycling World Is Spinning Up Innovation.
An interesting phenomena has started to surface in the cycling industry. From July of 2016 to July of 2017, there was a 95% jump in sales of E-Bikes in what industry regulars say is currently a $65 million segment of the cycling business. Sales have been booming and currently all of the major manufacturers have jumped on board with offerings of pedal assist bicycles in both road and off road models.
Along with increased sales especially among the senior set, there has been increased controversy with opponents concerned about the safety of the bikes as well as the safety of other users on our nation’s trail systems. Purists have been vocal about how e-bikes should not be allowed on multi-use trails because they are in the category of motorized vehicles which are currently banned. However, the one thing most people do not understand or admit when criticizing the e-bikes is that one still has to pedal them. Each pedal stroke starts the electric motor which can be used in econo mode (slower and energy savings on hills), and turbo (governed to no more than 20 mph). There are no throttles on the majority of e-bikes. But make no mistake about it, e-bikes are here to stay, and there is even a category for e-bike racing in the 2019 World Mountain Bike Championships coming up this fall. A rainbow jersey will be awarded. Who would have ever thought?
Bringing it closer to home, I have two friends who are now in their 70s. Really fit guys who have ridden mountain bikes for a long time. One guy is slowing down a little bit. So, when the e-bikes came out, he was one of the first to jump on board because it allowed him to keep up with our younger friends and continue to be part of the group rides. In fact, I kid him when following him up hills. I tell him he is the “A” Team now being the fastest up the hills. He smiles and consequently is still part of the rides that he always loved.
The other guy is a very fit 70 year old who told me, “ Pat, I really got the e-bike for my mountain bike trips out West where I am faced with many miles of uphill fire roads.” He can cover a lot more ground and can see a lot more on these scenic Western rides with the pedal assist on long hills. He also says he can ride more days in a row because the pedal assist reduces the daily fatigue on his legs as he ages. He rides more days and enjoys the trips even more.
Finally, the picture you see above is my friend Farah. Her husband is a riding friend of mine, and he is trying to get her to ride a little more. He bought her this Specialized e-bike for use on the many rails to trails around our region. He says she loves it and it allows her to ride many more miles than she would on a regular bike. In fact, she is anxious to ride more because the fatigue factor has been eliminated with the e-bike and she has a lot more fun riding than with a regular bicycle. This is common place now with 94 percent of non-cyclists who purchased an e-bike, reporting that they are riding more daily or weekly because of their new purchase.
As the population ages, e-bikes make sense for those of us who want to still enjoy the trails and roads. There is a learning curve on how to use the econo mode and the turbo mode and braking is a bit different with pedal assist. But it is something that is learned with continual use. Respect on the trails is still required and even the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) is re-writing a lot of trail etiquette to address the protocol for riding multi-use trails with e-bikes.
With the current popularity of cycling as a means of transportation, the e-bike makes sense for road riding as well as commuting. Even UBER is investigating utilizing e-bikes as a viable means of transportation in their urban transportation platforms. Backroads Cycling and other adventure cycling organizations are now offering e-bikes to their clients on European cycling journeys with rave reviews.
So, the bottom line is this: Try one. See if it is something that will encourage you as a senior rider to perhaps ride to the store instead of driving. Maybe try the trails that you have never ridden before or enjoy your current trail system with a little assist as you age. We all try to stay fit as seniors but with e-bikes, we can get a little help. I know one is in my future.
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