Why We Ski: Sunshine!

Powder skiing is great, but the next best thing is sunshine on corduroy. This weekend had it all: blue skies, sunshine, and a dusting of new snow over perfectly groomed slopes. Also, today was the first day I noticed sunshine on Smokey. During the beginning of the season the sun sits so low in the sky that the front hills are always in shadow. With the days getting longer and the northern hemisphere beginning to tip back toward the sun, we now have sunshine on the front!

Back to Nature: Fog

Skiing in fog can be an eerie experience. It can make a familiar hill seem foreign and give you a feeling of skiing at a new place. In the fog if you don't feel like you have the slope to yourself, you at least feel more anonymous. If you are really lucky, you can ski in an inversion: where the bottom of the mountain is in the fog, but the top is above the clouds. You end up standing in the sunshine looking down on the tops of the clouds. Unfortunately this doesn't happen often in Michigan at 400 ft!

Dressed for Success: Rent

Are you about to try skiing for the first time? Don't borrow equipment, rent! I know it can be very tempting to save a few bucks by borrowing those straight skis and those boots that almost fit, but it is worth the money to rent. Ill fitting or outdated equipment can ruin a ski experience. The rental center at Nub's Nob turns over the inventory every other year, so you get the latest technology and equipment. Joyce Moore and her team are experts at finding you the right boot size and will even help you put them on. They know what ski length is right for your size and ability and your bindings will be perfectly adjusted. They even have a quick way to measure what size poles you will need. Renting elsewhere is better than borrowing, but I recommend to rent where you are skiing. That way if you need to adjust or trade anything you can. Also, less hauling equipment around. If you rent at Nub's Nob, you can use the day and overnight ski check for free.

Advice From the Purple Chair: No Sherpas

When a child is just about to learn to ski, carry their skis for them. At this point you don't want them tiring out. Once they have learned how and love it, it is time to stop being their Sherpa. Schlepping your own equipment around is part of skiing. When you go in to warm up, offer to pick up one ski. They can get the other. When walking to the lift, have them carry one end of the skis. If they are big enough to have poles, offer to carry them. Kids usually like to help out, and carrying something while wearing ski boots builds their strength and coordination.

In Your Pockets: Tip Tie

Whether you call it Mr. Wiggly, Edgie Wedgie, or Tip Tie, don't try to teach skiing without one in your pocket. Before the tip tie came along, I used to feel that a child had to be at least five before they could ski unaided. With a tip tie, now most four and some three year olds can control their speed down the hill. It attaches to the inside tips (not the very tip!) of the skis and keeps them from separating. To make a "pizza," all the student needs to do is move his feet apart. The tip tie helps older students learn this motion, too. I have used it as part of my learning progression on skiers as old as nine. Edgie Wedgies can be purchased in the General Store and are worth every penny.

Advice From the Purple Chair: The Blue Chair

The Blue Chair is Nub's Nob's oldest chairlift. It is a two-seater, and if you want to get a lot of runs in, Blue is your chair. It is shorter than the other chairs around it and rarely has a line. My advice though is don't ride the Blue Chair unless you (and the person you are skiing with) are an intermediate skier or better. The blue chair has two speeds: moving and not moving. It does not slow down. Also, from the top you can only access blue square and black diamond hills. So have fun, gets lots of runs in, but think about who you take on the Blue Chair.

Back to Nature: Frost

I have labeled some posts "Nature" but I decided I needed an actual heading for it. There is so much all around when skiing. Yesterday was a perfect example: frost. The day before I cleared six inches of snow off my car after work in Charlevoix, then drove 25 mph through near zero visibility lake-effect snow to the county line. By the time I reached Petoskey the sky was blue! Later I found out Charlevoix got 18 inches while Nub's Nob only got a trace. I headed to the hill very disappointed, but then the sun came out. Every tree was coated in white crystals! It was truly a winter wonderland. It even helped me through my first lesson: the five year old girl wanted nothing to do with me until we went up the chair and saw the trees. She then told me about pixie dust and Tinkerbell. We had a great time for the rest of the lesson, so thank you to Mother Nature and Walt Disney!

Dressed for Success: Mittens

It is no fun skiing when you are cold, especially when it is your hands that are chilled. Don't skimp when it comes to protecting your precious fingers. I recommend buying your gloves or mittens at a ski shop. You do not want to go with something from a big box discount retail store. When shopping for kids, I suggest getting mittens instead of gloves. They are warmer and are easier to put on. Whatever you decide on, don't choose knit pieces. Snow tends to stick to them, and when you go inside the snow melts making them even colder for your second trip out. On cold days your hands can get numb in even the best gloves. On days like that, I would recommend purchasing hand warmers.

Signs of the Season: Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone who made this a great week: Our new Winter Sports School director Rebecca Behm, her great desk staff, her right hand man on the hill, JP, and all of the wonderful instructors I feel honored to line up next to; Jim Bartlett and his amazing crew of snowmakers, groomers, and lift ops; Ralph, John, and the great kitchen staff (loved those breakfasts and Rice Krispy Treats!); Bob, Bob, Dick, Phil, Dad and the rest of the Breakfast Clubbers; Mom, Patty and all the shop girls; and especially all the people who trusted me with their children (or themselves) in a lesson. Thank you all! I am taking a couple days off to regroup before school starts at Charlevoix Elementary. I will be back Saturday, January 8, and every Saturday for the rest of the season. Ski ya' later!