Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Advice from the Purple Chair: Private Lessons

Beginner children skiers should always have a private lesson. The first and biggest reason is safety. The instructor will ride with the student every time, and until a child can get on and off by themselves they should never ride alone. Some resorts have young students in group lessons using rope tows or a "magic carpet." That would be great if the only place you wanted your child to ski was the beginner area. Students are also safer coming down the hill in a private lesson. The instructor can concentrate on the one student, watch for obstacles, and help, encourage, and congratulate when necessary. The lesson is geared to that student alone, and isn't controlled by the skill level or bladder of another student.

Private lessons are also best for adults, but the Winter Sports School does do group beginner lessons for ages seven and up. Why seven? Most seven year olds are tall enough to get on and off the purple beginner chair by themselves.

This picture was from an article in The Graphic several years ago. The article talked about the great ski lessons you can sign your child up for at area resorts in Northern Michigan. I wish I still had the picture from the Nub's Nob private lesson. It showed an instructor and child just after loading the purple chairlift and both were grinning ear to ear. Which beginner do you think improved the most by the end of their lesson: the one on the purple chair, or any of the kids in this picture?

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Dressed for Success: Boots

I am not an expert on boots, but I can pass on advice from others:
  1. If you are debating between two sizes, pick the smaller. Boots do not shrink, but they can become packed down.
  2. If you are a woman, buy women's boots. Men's boots are higher and women's calves attach to the leg lower.
  3. Whether you buy, rent, or get a pair from a swap, listen to the people there. They know what they are doing and are there for a reason.
  4. Lastly, wear your boots around the house before the season starts.
For years, a family fall ritual has been my dad wearing his boots around the house (actually, I mostly remember him wearing them in the armchair watching football). He has always advised this, and for years I ignored him. Until last year, I did fine. My previous pair was over 10 years old, and except for them bruising my calves (men's boots!), I had no problems at the beginning of the season. Thanks to Jeff Obeshaw and the Bahnhof I was brave enough to get new boots last year! I wore them around the house a few times and I think it really helped get my feet ready for the transition. After a long dark summer in my locker, here they are ready for another fall around the house! Dad has even suggested raking leaves with them on, but I live on a busy street and I am not that brave. Also, Fred Bingman will tell you that I don't rake leaves!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Hill Names: Sno Pro

Sometimes skiers wonder why the "w" was left off of the name Sno Pro. It wasn't because it looked good, it was a tribute to former Nub's Nob general manager Jim Dilworth.

In 1977 the Fisher family purchased Nubs from Dorie Sarns and wisely brought in Dilworth to run the hill. Not only was Dilworth a great manager, he was a genius at making snow. Before Dilworth, snowmaking basically consisted of a hose mounted on a tripod. He developed and patented the first snow gun with a fan. His prowess was so well known, that he was brought in as a snowmaking consultant for the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. Three days into the Olympics, the region was hit with a blizzard and Dilworth got to hang out and go to events for the rest of the time. Unfortunately Dilworth passed away a few years later. In 1987 Northwest Passage and Mr. Charlie were reworked and combined into one hill. Dilworth's second in command and successor Jim Bartlett and his crew named the new slope Sno Pro after Dilworth's license plate.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Signs of the Season: Open House!

Saturday is the Nub's Nob Open House! It is a chance to go in and pay for your season passes and locker before the 10% discount ends. The discount always ends on October 10, but this year it feels special since it will be 10/10/10! I almost feel like putting my order in at 10:10:10 that Sunday morning, but I worry that I may forget and miss the discount entirely!

The Open House is always a great chance to run into your skiing friends that you haven't seen since spring. Sometimes I think talking about the upcoming season is why I like fall so much. Of course another reason to like fall is the color, and there are great views from the top of Nubs when you take a ride on the chairlift that day. By this time of year I am really missing the amazing food from the cafeteria chefs Ralph and John, and if you are willing to wait in a long line, you can get some (it is worth it)! The Harbor Springs High School Ski Team has a ski swap, and it is a good time to take your equipment in to the tune center.

Hopefully I will see you there and we can talk skiing!

Friday, October 1, 2010

Why We Ski: Family

One of the great things about skiing is the entire family can do it together. Not many sports can boast that. Taller and bigger family members have a decided advantage when playing most sports like soccer, basketball, and football. Smaller members can't keep up or cover the same distances as adults while biking or running. Family members from 4 to 84 can ski together.

Not only is it a sport where you can all play together, many families also work together. My family is a great example. My maternal grandparents would take their daughters and son "Up North" each weekend to the Otsego Ski Club. There they met my dad, who was a full time ski instructor. Eventually my parents married and moved to Petoskey where dad began working for the ski school at Nub's Nob. After high school I began instructing part time and my brother was a lift operator for several years. Mom has been working in the General Store for nine winters now, my aunt had a stint in the ticket office, and both of her kids taught skiing. This picture shows my cousin and I well before her instructing days, and that someone who is 18 can have fun skiing with a two year old!