Advice From the Purple Chair: Ski Tracks

I had a lot of fun today with a new app: Ski Tracks. It is great! It kept track of where I skied, my speed, vertical feet and many other things. I highly recommend it. Have fun!

Dressed for Success: Goggles

Goggles are very important for skiing. They protect your eyes from snow, wind, and sun. They help keep your face warm, too. Goggles have a special coating inside to help prevent fogging. If you goggles get wet inside, don't wipe them out! The coating will become smeared and there is no way to fix it. Your only choice is to let them air dry. One of the best things about goggles occurs in the spring: goggle tan! I can't wait to get out in that sun and have a goggle tan line!

Hill Names: Cat Track

This student asked me why this hill is called Cat Track. I thought it would make a good post. Cat Track is a shortcut that leads to Pleasantview and Sno Pro. It is easy to access from the Orange, Green and Red chairlifts. It is about the width of a groomer, or snowcat, hence the name Cat Track. One of my favorite memories of Cat Track is skiing it at night back before there were lights on the back hills. We would have wax races in the half light. I know this is crazy, but at one point I thought the trail was called Cat Walk. Does anyone else remember that?

Signs of the Season: President Weekend

President Weekend is this weekend and it is going to be great! Most years I only work Saturdays after the New Year, but this weekend I will be working Sunday as well. If you are planning to take a lesson, remember to call ahead and make a reservation. President Weekend can be as busy as Christmas time, but there are usually less instructors. Ski you later!

Dressed for Success: Snowpants

I had debated about doing this topic earlier in the year, but I thought, "Everyone knows to wear snowpants when skiing!" Not long after I saw a kid in the lodge with sweatpants on and soon after that I saw an adult wearing jeans and snowboard boots! Whatever fun you are going to have out in the snow, you need a pair of pants that the snow won't stick to. They will keep you warmer, but the most important thing is they will keep you drier. At first any pants may seem dry, but sooner or later you will fall down, especially if you are snowboarding. Snow will then stick to your pants. When you go inside, the snow will melt and soak your pants. So, stay dry, stay warm, and accomplish this by wearing snowpants!

ChairTalk: I Spy

One of my favorite things to do on the purple chair is play the game I Spy. I have yet to have a student who doesn't know colors, and most already know how to play. There are plenty of options for colors as you ride up the chairlift. On other lifts people are going by to fast or not allowed to ski under it. On Big Time people take their time and there are plenty of snowboarders resting. Besides being fun, I Spy is also a great distraction for kids who are nervous or don't really want to be there. So remember: "I spy with my little eye something purple!"

Advice From the Purple Chair: Semi-Private Lessons

Beginner skiers and small children should always have private lessons. I talk about this in another post here. Does that mean kids shouldn't ever have a lesson with another student? No. It can be a lot of fun to have a lesson with a friend or relative, and it can be a big motivator to take a lesson. Yesterday I had a very successful semi-private lesson with two six year old friends that are in school together. What made this lesson work was both boys skied at about the same level and both were able to successfully load a slowed chair without any help. At least one student in a semi-private lesson should be able to load the big chairlifts without assistance. We practiced a few things on some greens, challenged them with a couple blues, and had fun in the half pipe. After that we took a few runs on the bumps and the boys practiced riding the purple chair all by themselves. If you do sign your child up for a semi-private, remember that the lesson will end up geared toward the weaker skier.

Signs of the Season: Frozen Bay

Sunday morning's cold temperatures left Little Traverse Bay frozen and made an interesting view from the top of Pintail Peak. Growing up in Petoskey and living for a bit in Harbor Springs you really get to know the bay, and it becomes a topic of conversation, especially in winter. It wasn't until I started teaching in Charlevoix that I found out not everyone cares about the frozen, or unfrozen, state of Little Traverse Bay. For those of you that care, the ice has broken up again and just the edges of the bay remain frozen.

Besides the view, I tried to think of other effects the ice covered bay would have on skiing. I decided that it means less lake effect snow, but mostly in Petoskey as opposed to the ski hill. It does follow, though, that there will be less shoveling and more time for skiing!