Why We Ski: The Picker-Uppers

It is an Olympic year and with it come the commercials. Here is a great one honoring Moms and all they do to pick us up.

We owe a lot to our moms, dads, and teachers for helping us to get up and keep going, especially in our winter sports where there is a lot of falling down! I have always loved the thought that the person who wins gold in the Winter Olympics is the one who doesn't fall. Whether you end up an Olympian or not, and whether your parents teach you or sign you up for a lesson, thanks to them you have the skills for a sport that will last a lifetime! Falling makes us stronger!

Signs of the Season: Mardi Gras

After last year's had to be cancelled due to lack of snow, this year's Mardi Gras was going to be twice as great! I spent most of the day on Big Time helping with the Silly Slalom and Crazy Couples races. It was a lot of fun! Every kid racer received a prize and my friends Eric and Ali won the couples race. Many thanks to J. P. Adams, Chief of Course (of course)! My one suggestion for next year? Less inflatables! I think it took us two hours to pack everything up!

ChairTalk: Off-Hill Jobs

I am constantly amazed at the talent of my fellow instructors. They are all wonderful skiing and snowboarding ambassadors, but they have many other talents, too. This spectacular picture of my goggles and the front hills of Nub's Nob was taken by photographer/winter sports instructor Josh Angel. When you ask an instructor about their off-hill careers, don't make the mistake of saying "What is your real job?" Instructing is a real job and a tough one at that! We just make it look easy :) Instead, try asking if they have another career or what they do in the off-season. You might find out some interesting things.

Why We Ski: Togetherness

Last weekend the Winter Sports School celebrated Bob "Papa Panda" Mogford's 69th birthday. Bob runs the children's Panda program and came up with the idea for the new run PandaLand. The event reminded me of how visitors and employees become a family out at the ski hill celebrating, working, and playing together. For three or four months we see each other on a regular basis and know each other's ups and downs. When the season ends I don't see many of my skiing friends until the lifts start up again. The great thing is it is like we haven't missed a day!

Back to Nature: Panda Land

This year Nub's Nob has a new hill: Panda Land! It is a green circle hill just off of Pleasantview after the orange chair. Panda Land is named after our Winter Sports School children's program, but you won't find pandas. Instead, there are five life-size statues of Michigan wildlife: a moose, a cougar, an eagle, a deer, and my favorite, a bear! The hill was the idea of our resident Papa Panda, Bob Mogford. It is a fun detour and now part of my teaching repertoire. It is a great way to practice turning and learn about nature.

Signs of the Season: A Chance to Say Goodbye

Probably the hardest part of the sudden end of last ski season was missing out on the chance to say goodbye. Goodbye to that last grilled cheese sandwich, goodbye to that last run down Smokey, and goodbye to friends. Unfortunately it took away a chance to say a final goodbye to Frank Couzens. My earliest memory of Frank is feeling disappointed to find out we weren't related. At that young age I seemed to be related to most of Grosse Pointe, and with a name like that, Frank had to be a relative, right? I don't know what his official title at Nub's Nob was, but the closest I can think of was Frank was our Skiing Ambassador. When I think of Frank I don't see him skiing: I see him shaking hands and talking skiing in the locker room, shaking hands and talking skiing in the lodge, and shaking hands and talking skiing at the bottom of the Nastar hill. Also, he was a master at stacking chairs. He kept the lines moving fairly, filled every chair, and made everyone feel privileged to be there. Thanks Frank.

We also missed the chance to say goodbye to master ski patroller Dan Somalski and former ski instructor and ski school director David "Zetti" Kondziela. I would have let Dan take me on a sled anywhere (even down Twilight!), and Zetti was an instructor and boss with an amazing sense of humor that fit into any situation. These three men gave back to the sport in levels I can only hope for and they will all be terribly missed.

Saturday is the annual Open House at Nub's Nob. Don't go for the discounted season pass, the lift rides, the ski swap, or even the free food (which are all great). Go to say hello to friends you haven't seen for seven months. You never know when you may miss the chance to say goodbye.

Advice from the Purple Chair: Black Diamonds

At ski resorts, hills with a green circle on their signs are the easier hills, blue squares are more difficult, and black diamonds denote the hardest hills. Here is a six-year-old student I had yesterday just before skiing her first black diamond. She did great! Before we skied Smokey, I had her follow me on one of Nub's Nob's hardest blues, Southern Comfort. Although not as steep as Smokey, it is narrower and therefore a good test hill. If you can make it down Southern Comfort in control, you should be able to ski Smokey. On both hills we made turns that took us back and forth across the hill. On black diamonds, falling is okay, but losing control is not. My final advice for skiing black diamonds for the first time is to do it in the morning. Legs will be stronger, snow will be softer, and the hill will be less busy. Have fun!

ChairTalk: Pintail Peak Warming Hut

In 1995 Nub's Nob swapped land with the State of Michigan and in 1997 Pintail Peak opened. It wasn't until the warming hut was built in 2003 that I started taking lessons out there. I never wanted to risk a lesson out there in case they got cold or had to use the restroom. With the warming hut, it is now the perfect place for intermediate lessons. Most of the slopes are wide blue hills serviced by quick chairlifts that usually have shorter lines. The warming hut has a fireplace, restrooms, a view of Little Traverse Bay, and a cafeteria that serves soup and sandwiches. On weekends and holiday the vintage Sno-Cat above brings up the food and supplies. The building's official name is The Pintail Peak Warming House, but I like to call it The Outback Jack Shack! By the way, that makes the wooden item to the left the Outback Jack Shack Rack!

ChairTalk: Where Are You From?

Yesterday Nub's Nob opened for the season, and today was my first day back out there. There were five runs open as well as the beginner hill. I rode with a lot of people and talked to most of them. I realized after I never asked my standard chairlift question: "Where are you from?" On the opening weekend most skiers are from the area, so we mostly talked about how great it was to be skiing again and how amazing the snow was. On other weekends it is interesting to find out how many different places Nub's Nob skiers come from. Most are from the Detroit, Grand Rapids, or Chicago areas, but there are also people from all over the country and the world! Some people are actually surprised to learn I am only from Petoskey. This picture shows me with a lesson I had last year. She was visiting her sister and had come all the way from South Africa! When my brother and I were kids we would take the singles entrance so we wouldn't have to wait in line as long. It became a game to see who could ride up with the person from furthest away. "I got one from Ohio." "Well I got someone from Texas!"

Today's post is dedicated to long time Nub's Nob ski patroller Bob Smith who passed away this morning. Upon his retirement he turned his friendliness on the hill and the chairlift into a job helping people find their way around Beaver Creek resort in Colorado. Thanks Bob! You will be missed!

Advice From the Purple Chair: Tips

Tipping an instructor is not expected, but always appreciated. This person just spent the last 90 minutes of making you or your child a better skier in a safe and hopefully fun way. If you feel there has been an improvement in ability and/or attitude, a $10 tip is a nice way to thank your instructor. If he has gone above and beyond, make it $20. If you are not sure or unable to give a tip at the end of a lesson, there are envelopes available at the ski school desk where you can leave something. The best "tip" though is to sign up for another lesson and request that instructor.

Signs of the Season: Contract

More preseason events keep happening! At the end of October the Winter Sports School had an instructor meeting, Tuesday was the start of snowmaking season (come on cold temperatures!), and I have handed in my contract for the year! You can now officially book lessons with me through ski school, and if you need a particular day or time it would be a good idea to do it right away. After thirteen years at my former "day job" of teaching elementary computers, I have been switched to teaching fourth grade. I love it, but it leaves me with a little less time. Until I see how things go, I had to cut a few days off of my usual ski teaching schedule. I hope this won't inconvenience people too much. I will be available December 23, 27-30, January 14, 21, and 28, February 4, 11, 18, and 25, and March 3 and 24. Ski you out there!

ChairTalk: Three Resorts

Did you know you can see three ski resorts in one place? By just looking around you can easily see Nub's Nob, and across the Pleasantview Valley you have a good view of The Highlands. This is the perfect time of the year to also spot The Mountain. While standing on the flat part at the top of Southern Comfort, look directly south. You should see some white well beyond Little Traverse Bay. Since most of the natural snow in the area has melted, you are looking at a ski hill with man-made snow: The Mountain!

In Your Pockets: Scraper

At the most I only use my scraper half a dozen days a year, but when I need it, I really need it. Usually I get it out to scrape the bottom of kids' boots on a day when there is new snow. Nothing gets that built up snow off their boots faster or easier. This weekend I had to use it for something else. Temperatures were above freezing, but luckily it kept snowing. Unfortunately for me, that snow was extremely wet and sticky. Any time I stopped moving, a mass of snow would accumulate on my bases. Sometimes I could get it off by sliding my ski back and forth. Sometimes the only thing that would work was to scrape the snow off. At times the snow would be over two inches thick! You can by plastic wax scrappers at the tune center or any ski shop. Instructors should ask JP if he has any more laminate samples to give away. They work just as well!

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?

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: 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.

Hill Names: Easy Mile

Easy Mile: don't be fooled by the name. It is not easy, and it is not a mile. Easy Mile is the hardest "Green Circle" hill at Nub's Nob. Also, it is not a mile long. Ramblewood is our longest hill at about 9/10 of a mile. Why then is it called Easy Mile? Back when Nubby and Dorie Sarns had the hill cut, it became the easiest slope after the beginner rope tow area that was in front of the lodge. It was also the longest hill by the time you followed the trail back down to the lodge. Hence the name, Easy Mile.

Advice From the Purple Chair: The Bumps

When you are riding the Purple Chair at Nub's Nob, you will notice a beginner terrain park to your left. This is new in the last few years and has been great fun for kids. There is a box and a few rails, but my favorite part is the "bumps." They aren't moguls, but a series of mounds of snow that are lots of fun to ski over. Kids of all abilities love it, but I like to wait until kids are off of the "tip ties" that attach to the end of their skis. I find it is a great motivator.