First time skier tips brought to you by Whitetaillodgesnowshoe.com

Skiing is not a sport for everyone, there are many who simply won’t enjoy it. However, many people who try skiing once and then never again were not given a fair chance, because they were brought by a “friend” who probably made no serious effort to give them the basic information they needed to avoid being miserable.

Here then is a list of advice for a new skier. It can also be used by would-be instructors to help you give a novice the best possible skiing experience.
Expectations
As a beginner, you should have reasonable expectations about your first day out. Hopefully, many of the things below will give you a better idea of what to expect. But there are some important basics to be prepared for.

You will fall down. A lot.
It is hard to get up, and this can be embarrassing.
There will be six-year-olds skiing circles around you, and this is infuriating.
You will be alternately bored and terrified, and not very often in between. Too slow and too fast are right next to each other for beginners.

The good news is that after the first day or two, most of these problems go away. And even on the first couple of days, you can still find a lot of space for enjoyment, but that depends on a host of other important details. How good or bad your first day is depends on understanding and following the advice below.
Boots
The biggest complaint of the complete novice is cold feet. Or sore feet. Or cut off circulation. This is because the boots you are using don’t fit. It is very important to get boots that fit, and not easy to do.

Boots should allow you to wiggle your toes. If you can’t wiggle your toes, then your feet will be cold. But, boots should not allow you to turn your foot side-to-side within the boot. If you can turn your foot inside the boot, you won’t have a chance to control your skis.

Of course, getting exactly between those two parameters generally requires your own boots, and a custom fit, so as a compromise, maybe you can wiggle your toes, but with effort. Or maybe your foot moves side-to-side, but only slightly. Try several pairs of boots your first time – not every boot marked the same size is actually the same size (even if they are the same brand and model). This extra effort will be annoying, but worth it.

Better yet, rent your equipment from a ski shop a day in advance of your first ski experience. You won’t feel rushed, and they should have a wider variety of boots to let you try, as well as much better advice about fit.
Socks
Properly fitting ski boots are warm. Very warm. Completely warm. Do NOT wear very thick socks, or more than one pair of socks inside your boots. If you are too stuffed with socks, you’ll lose circulation and your feet will be cold (again, make sure you can wiggle your toes).

If you didn’t rent your boots in advance, finding a good fit will be a problem. Socks can help here. Bring two pairs of socks for your first outing, a thin pair, and a medium-thick pair. Then choose the socks based on how the boots seem to be fitting. You may even find you wear a thin sock on one foot and a thicker sock on the other, because the boots won’t match exactly.
Clothing
Do NOT wear jeans, or sweatpants. You will be falling down in snow, and even if it is cold enough to be dry snow, some of it will stick to you and melt. If you get wet, it’s over. There’s no chance to stay warm.

At least wear shells (nylon waterproof pants with no padding or insulation). But I recommend thick ski pants for beginners. This is for the padding more than for the cold. A beginner will fall enough that even if the snow is soft, they may get bruised without padding. The ski pants will also help keep your butt warm on the lift.

Similarly, your jacket should also be waterproof. It doesn’t matter how heavy it is. Just wear layers. That way you can add or remove layers as needed. I also recommend a zippered jacket, not a pullover. If you can open the jacket when you’re hot, then you won’t sweat too much (if you sweat too much, and then get cold, you’ll never be warm again).

Gloves must also be waterproof. If they are lightweight gloves, you’ll probably want a liner. If gloves are too tight, it will reduce circulation and your hands will be cold. Some heavier gloves may start tight, and then open up as the insulation stretches. I’ve found that using liners for a few minutes to start, and then removing them can stretch gloves open so that they are warmer.
Helmet
When I originally wrote this, helmets were not very common on the ski slopes. I’d generally only see the racers wearing them. We never wore helmets, even after I witnessed a friend having seizures on the slopes after falling and hitting is head on some ice. Even after Sonny Bono died on the slopes. And more recently, Natasha Richardson died of a head injury sustained during a fall which did not seem unusually hard.

Now (in 2012), things have changed. Helmets are becoming standard equipment. A helmet will protect your head, protect you from seizures, protect you from death, keep your head warm, and because they’re much more common, you won’t look like a dork. So wear one.
Keeping Warm
Keeping warm isn’t hard. Make sure you read the sections on boots, socks, and clothes above. Aside from this, to keep warm you have to wear the right amount of clothing, and keep moving.

First, start out warm. When you go out into the cold, you should be a little too warm, not quite sweating but close. Then the cold will feel good to you for the first minute or two. As you start to feel cooler, start moving. The colder you are, the more you should move. When I get particularly cold, I just push myself around the flat areas at the top or bottom of the slope with my poles. Just a minute or two of this should be enough to get you very warm, if you are dressed properly.

You may be warm in general but cold in spots. For the toes, wiggle them while you are waiting in line. Do the same for the fingers, and also flex your wrists. For neck, chin, nose, and especially ears, the rule is to simply keep them covered. If your body is warm but these parts are cold it is almost always because you left them completely bare.

Getting too hot can be a problem too. If you are sweating a tiny bit that’s fine. If you are sweating a lot, you are too hot. Your sweat will make parts of you very cold, even while other parts are still too hot. To deal with this, don’t be afraid of opening your coat, or removing your hat or gloves, for just a minute, or for the day. If your parent worried too much about this, you might find it tough to do, but trust your body — if it is hot, you need to cool it. (This kind of exposure will NOT cause you to catch a cold. It will aggravate an existing condition, but if you have a cold, what are you doing on the ski slopes?).

How much clothing is a tough call, and you have to learn from experience, because everyone’s body deals with heat differently. It will depend on how hard you are working, how windy it is, whether it is sunny or cloudy, wet or dry. Still, I’ll try to give you a rough starting point for a few different temperature ranges.

35-40 and sunny
You’ll be very warm as long as you keep moving. light sweatshirt or heavy long-sleeve tee-shirt may be all you need under your jacket. Just shorts or light sweats under your ski pants. The heavy ski pants will be too hot, but your first day you’ll want the padding. Lightweight gloves. Probably no head covering needed.

25 and sunny/30 and cloudy/35 and cloudy and very windy
Thermal shirt, medium sweatshirt, zipper jacket on top. sweats and ski pants on bottom. Cover your ears with a headband. Medium gloves.

10-15 and cloudy
Thermal shirt, warm sweater, jacket on top (or, three thin layers under the jacket). Thermal underwear, light sweats, ski pants on bottom. Cover your ears, neck, and chin.

10 below zero and windy
Thermal shirt, light sweatshirt, medium sweater, jacket on top. Thermal underpants, cotton shorts, warm sweats, ski pants on bottom. Thickest good quality gloves. Ski goggles. Ears, neck, chin must be covered. Must have something you can pull up over your nose. Head should be covered, but with something that you can remove and still have your ears covered.
Friends
This is the most important decision you’ll make for your first skiing experience. Find someone who is willing to go to the ski slopes and blow off a day of their own skiing enjoyment in favor of helping you out. This is hard to do. Find someone with inexhaustible patience. This is also hard to do. If you are comfortable with the notion, maybe you can just go by yourself. Better yet, go with someone else who has never skied (and share the information here with them). They should be someone with similar patience and temperament, as well as similar fitness and athletic ability. Misery loves company.
Instruction
If you happen to find that friend who will stick by your side all day and has inexhaustible patience, you’re off to a good start. They also have to be able to teach you how to ski. Some very good skiers are completely intuitive, and have no conscious idea of how it works. You can find this out in advance by asking them for a dry skiing lesson, in your living room. If they seem confused or unsure, find someone else. (You will benefit greatly from a good dry lesson in advance. I’ll also try to explain a little bit of how to ski later on, so you can think it through.)

If your friend is not perfect, I’d recommend paying for a lesson. Group lessons are fine if you are naturally athletic, otherwise get a private instructor so you can go at your own pace.
Falling (and getting up)
As I said before, you will fall. If you happen to have any control over your fall, try to fall uphill. Try to land on your butt. Try to make your fall like a feet-first baseball slide.

The hard part is getting up. Now the irony here is that the steeper the hill is, the easier it is to get up (because you have less far to go). The problem is that the boots keep you from flexing your ankles, so you can’t get your legs under you very well.

Get your feet downhill from you, and tuck them as close to your butt as you can. Then push yourself up onto your feet in a squatting position (use the poles if you have to) and then stand up. If you have a few frustrating failures, let your friend or instructor help you up — you’ll get plenty more opportunities to get up later, and the frustration can be the biggest enemy.
Terrain
It is important to choose a ski resort with a good beginner’s area. The best thing to do is ask ski shops. You can’t call the resorts and expect honest answers. You want wide, not very steep slopes. And more than just one “bunny hill”, so you can work your way up gradually.
Conditions
Check ahead for the snow conditions. If they are icy, don’t even waste your time. Ice is hard packed snow that has melted somewhat on top and then refrozen, and will make a beginner fall every time. More importantly, when you fall, it will hurt because the ice is hard. A high of 25 the day after a snow storm should produce wonderful skiing conditions. A high of 25 the day after a rain storm should be avoided at all costs.
The Snowplow
The snowplow is the basic technique taught to beginning skiers. Unfortunately it is also a cruel joke, because it’s easy to do incorrectly. You’ll be told to point your skis towards each other. Predictably, the first thing that happens next is that the skis move towards each other, and cross each other, and you get tangled up and fall down.

What is often not explained very well, and is hard to do regardless, is to tilt your skis inwards towards each other. To do this, you have to pull your knees together, and continually push your feet apart. If that doesn’t make sense, think of the bow of a boat: the sides are angled in towards each other (i.e. towards the bottom of the boat), and they push the water apart. Of course, you can’t possible tilt your skis nearly as much the sides of a boat, but without some tilt, you won’t have any control over your speed, or your direction — you’ll skid sideways, do the splits, and cross your skis. My suggestion is that you work with someone that knows what they’re doing before you hit the slopes, so you can at least have a basic notion of how to proceed once you’re on snow.
Stopping
You should also know the reason why you have to snowplow. It controls your speed. As your skis become more parallel, you go faster. The more you snowplow, the more you are pushing your skis sideways across the snow. This makes you slow down. In order to stop, just snowplow more widely and with more tilt. How well this works depends on how steep the slope is, how icy, wet, or dry the snow is, and how strong and flexible you are.
Turning
Turning is particularly hard to explain, because so many skiers (myself included) do it intuitively — you just turn your body. But I think I can explain the basics.

First you will always turn with more weight on the outside foot (e.g. on a left turn, your weight is on your right foot). So shift your weight to the outside foot – one way to do this is to slightly lift your other foot (not off the ground, just put less weight on it).

Second, turn your body in the direction of the turn. Huh? But how you say. Try this experiment. Stand up, on one foot, and twist your body. (If on your right foot, turn your body to face left). You can probably do this intuitively. If you pay attention, what you do is lift the heel, and turn on the ball of the foot. On skis, you should also have the weight on the ball of the foot to turn, although the rear of the ski won’t actually lift off of the ground. Because of the skis, you’ll have to do the twisting motion a little more aggressively than when standing on one foot, but it is the same basic motion.
Improvement
How fast you improve will depend on your fitness, and natural ability. But for most people, the first two days (three to five hours per day) will be rough, but after that you’ll really start to feel you’re getting the hang of it. One important factor is that you’ll ski worse when you’re tired. So if you start out on the second day feeling like you’re improving, but then by the end of the day you’re falling more than ever, it is because you are tired, not because you’re not learning.
Summary
It’s important to have good conditions your first day. And take things at your own pace. You may at the end of the day still find that you don’t care for skiing. But if you follow all of the advice above, you’ll at least know you’ve given it a fair shake.

http://www.tomsarazac.com/tom/opinions/firsttimeski.html

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Driving in Snow and Ice

The best advice for driving in bad winter weather is not to drive at all, if you can avoid it.

Don’t go out until the snow plows and sanding trucks have had a chance to do their work, and allow yourself extra time to reach your destination.

If you must drive in snowy conditions, make sure your car is prepared (TIPS), and that you know how to handle road conditions.

It’s helpful to practice winter driving techniques in a snowy, open parking lot, so you’re familiar with how your car handles. Consult your owner’s manual for tips specific to your vehicle.

Driving safely on icy roads

1. Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
2. Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake.
3. Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.
4. Keep your lights and windshield clean.
5. Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills.
6. Don’t use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.
7. Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses and infrequently traveled roads, which will freeze first. Even at temperatures above freezing, if the conditions are wet, you might encounter ice in shady areas or on exposed roadways like bridges.
8. Don’t pass snow plows and sanding trucks. The drivers have limited visibility, and you’re likely to find the road in front of them worse than the road behind.
9. Don’t assume your vehicle can handle all conditions. Even four-wheel and front-wheel drive vehicles can encounter trouble on winter roads.

If your rear wheels skid…

1. Take your foot off the accelerator.
2. Steer in the direction you want the front wheels to go. If your rear wheels are sliding left, steer left. If they’re sliding right, steer right.
3. If your rear wheels start sliding the other way as you recover, ease the steering wheel toward that side. You might have to steer left and right a few times to get your vehicle completely under control.
4. If you have standard brakes, pump them gently.
5. If you have anti-lock brakes (ABS), do not pump the brakes. Apply steady pressure to the brakes. You will feel the brakes pulse — this is normal.

If your front wheels skid…

1. Take your foot off the gas and shift to neutral, but don’t try to steer immediately.
2. As the wheels skid sideways, they will slow the vehicle and traction will return. As it does, steer in the direction you want to go. Then put the transmission in “drive” or release the clutch, and accelerate gently.

If you get stuck…

1. Do not spin your wheels. This will only dig you in deeper.
2. Turn your wheels from side to side a few times to push snow out of the way.
3. Use a light touch on the gas, to ease your car out.
4. Use a shovel to clear snow away from the wheels and the underside of the car.
5. Pour sand, kitty litter, gravel or salt in the path of the wheels, to help get traction.
6. Try rocking the vehicle. (Check your owner’s manual first — it can damage the transmission on some vehicles.) Shift from forward to reverse, and back again. Each time you’re in gear, give a light touch on the gas until the vehicle gets going.
7. More Tips

Sources: National Safety Council, New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Washington State Government Information & Services

http://www.weather.com/activities/driving/drivingsafety/drivingsafetytips/snow.html

http://whitetaillodgesnowshoe.com/

Click here to rent Whitetail Lodge, one of the premier snowshoe vacation rentals:  http://www.vrbo.com/378461

Location: Snowshoe, West Virginia, USA

Accommodations:  Chalet, 4 Bedrooms + Loft, 3 Baths (Sleeps 11-13)

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• Amenities
  • Air Conditioning
  • Linens Provided
  • Washer
  • Dryer
  • Off Street Parking
  • Gas Fireplace
• Beds
  • Queen Bed (4) : Each of the 4 bedrooms have a queen sized bed.
  • Double Bed : Double size futon in loft area
  • Twin/Single Bed : Single bed in loft area
  • Convertible Bed : Sleeper sofa in home theater room.
• Entertainment
  • Jetted Tub in Bath
  • Private Hot Tub
  • Cable/Satellite TV
  • DVD
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  • Video Library : VHS movies
  • CD Player
  • Stereo System
  • Foosball
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  • Full Kitchen
  • Cooking Utensils Provided
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  • Charcoal BBQ Grill
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  • Mountain View
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  • No Pets Allowed
  • Minimum Age Limit for Renters : Must be 24 years or older.
  • Smoking Not Allowed
• Activities
  • Golf
  • Kayaking
  • Biking
  • Mountain Biking
  • Cross Country Skiing
  • Downhill/Alpine Skiing
  • Snowboarding
  • Snowmobiling
  • Wildlife Viewing
  • Fishing
  • Hunting
  • Horseback Riding
  • Rafting
  • Sledding/Tubing
  • Hiking
  • Rock Climbing
  • Restaurants

Keywords:  One of the premier private snowshoe vacation rentals  near Snowshoe Mountain Ski Resort. A year round snowshoe vacation spot offering hiking, biking (Greenbriar River Trail), fishing, golf at the Raven Golf Club (one of the truly great golf courses in America, designed by Gary Player), and hunting (in the National Forest directly across the road). The Greenbank Radio Observatory and the Cass historic scenic railroad are nearby. Whitewater rafting is available (March & April) or you can just sit in the hot tub or on the wrap around porch and stargaze in the peace and quiet of the mountains.

The Whitetail Lodge is a year round snowshoe vacation rental spot, located just one mile from the new entrance to the Snowshoe Mountain Ski Resort, which is one of the premier slopes on the East Coast. There are 750 acres of National Forest across the road, where one can freely roam on the old logging trails and explore or hunt in an unspoiled mountain setting. The Cass Railroad is only five miles away, a historic railroad town replete with running trains, an old general store, and many original homes. The Green Bank observatory has the world’s largest moveable telescope / radio dish, is only minutes away, and is open to the public. Other area offerings are the Greenbrier Trail for hikers and mountain bikers, the Raven Golf Club course (ranked in the top twenty in 2007 by the Golf Week Magazine), the Greenbrier River for fishing and rafting, and miles and miles of open roads for motorcycle rides and scenic viewing. After a day spent enjoying the colors of the fall foliage, or vacationing hard while enjoying more physical activities, escape back to the tranquility of the Whitetail; have a drink while you cookout on the deck, followed by relaxing in the bubbling hot tub under a canopy of stars…often appearing to be so close you feel that you can almost touch the Milky Way. You can then retire to the home theater (55” cable TV and surround sound) to enjoy your favorite DVD or CD, drop down to the first level to play foosball with friends and family, or find quite solitude on the back deck or another part of this spacious and well appointed snowshoe vacation rental home.

This lovely snowshoe vacation rental lodge is conveniently located on Route 66 in the Eagles Nest development, located between The Cass Railroad (which is approx. 5 miles to the east) and the new upper Snowshoe Mountain Resort access road (one mile to the east). This luxurious 4 bedroom, 3 bath snowshoe vacation rental home boasts a master bedroom on every level (each with an en suite bathroom), wrap around deck on the front, a small deck on the back, and a balcony off the loft bedroom. The first floor master bedroom has a jetted tub and separate walk-in shower. The main floor has a master and a second bedroom. The upper level has a master bedroom and a loft area…all told there are beds for 11 plus a sleeper sofa, 13 in all, and plenty of room for adults and children to enjoy separate activities. There are TVs and fireplaces in the main sitting rooms, a large, rustic dining table, and a well appointed kitchen for your enjoyment.
Whether you relax in the hot tub, snuggle in front of a fireplace, or stargaze from a deck, we are sure you will have a grand experience.

The driveway off Route 66 is packed gravel and easily accessible; however, four wheel drive is highly recommended (if not a necessity) during the winter months and chains are recommended for REALLY heavy snowstorms. Remember, we live in the mountains!!

Click here to rent Whitetail Lodge, one of the premier snowshoe vacation rentals:  http://www.vrbo.com/378461

http://whitetaillodgesnowshoe.com/rent

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December 30, 2011

Snowshoe, WV — The Travel Channel recently selected Snowshoe Mountain as one of the ‘Best Family Ski Resort’s in the Country’.

According to The Travel Channel, “Skiers in the mid-Atlantic and Southern states don’t need to fly out west or drive to New England for first-rate skiing. Snowshoe Mountain in West Virginia is a great option for a long weekend of family winter fun with ski school, terrain parks for practicing tricks, tubing hills and snowy adventures on snowcats.  At night, head to the Big Top for carnival food, arcade games, inflatable fun and a towering rock wall.”

“We’re proud to receive this recognition from the Travel Channel.  Snowshoe is a great ski and year-round destination for families to have fun with their kids, both on and off the slopes.  We’re always adding new and fresh activities for families to enjoy together,” said Mark Glickman, Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Snowshoe Mountain.

http://articles.dailyamerican.com/2011-12-30/travel/30575220_1_snowshoe-mountain-travel-channel-new-ski

http://www.travelchannel.com/interests/family-travel/articles/best-family-ski-resorts

Snowshoe Kids programs:

http://www.snowshoemtn.com/rentals-and-lessons/kidsprograms/index.htmm

Rent Family Friendly Whitetail Lodge:

http://whitetaillodgesnowshoe.com/rent

Private mountain retreat near Snowshoe Ski Resort. A year round vacation spot offering hiking, biking (Greenbriar River Trail), fishing, golf at the Raven Golf Club (one of the truly great golf courses in America, designed by Gary Player), and hunting (in the National Forest directly across the road). The Greenbank Radio Observatory and the Cass historic scenic railroad are nearby. Whitewater rafting is available (March & April) or you can just sit in the hot tub or on the wrap around porch and stargaze in the peace and quiet of the mountains.  One of the best Snowshoe rentals.

The Whitetail Lodge is a year round vacation spot, located just one mile from the new entrance to the Snowshoe Ski Resort, which is one of the premier slopes on the East Coast. There are 750 acres of National Forest across the road, where one can freely roam on the old logging trails and explore or hunt in an unspoiled mountain setting. The Cass Railroad is only five miles away, a historic railroad town replete with running trains, an old general store, and many original homes. The Green Bank observatory has the world’s largest moveable telescope / radio dish, is only minutes away, and is open to the public. Other area offerings are the Greenbrier Trail for hikers and mountain bikers, the Raven Golf Club course (ranked in the top twenty in 2007 by the Golf Week Magazine), the Greenbrier River for fishing and rafting, and miles and miles of open roads for motorcycle rides and scenic viewing. After a day spent enjoying the colors of the fall foliage, or vacationing hard while enjoying more physical activities, escape back to the tranquility of the Whitetail; have a drink while you cookout on the deck, followed by relaxing in the bubbling hot tub under a canopy of stars…often appearing to be so close you feel that you can almost touch the Milky Way. You can then retire to the home theater (55” cable TV and surround sound) to enjoy your favorite DVD or CD, drop down to the first level to play foosball with friends and family, or find quite solitude on the back deck or another part of this spacious and well appointed home.

This lovely home is conveniently located on Route 66 in the Eagles Nest development, located between The Cass Railroad (which is approx. 5 miles to the east) and the new upper Snowshoe Resort access road (one mile to the east). This luxurious 4 bedroom, 3 bath home boasts a master bedroom on every level (each with an en suite bathroom), wrap around deck on the front, a small deck on the back, and a balcony off the loft bedroom. The first floor master bedroom has a jetted tub and separate walk-in shower. The main floor has a master and a second bedroom. The upper level has a master bedroom and a loft area…all told there are beds for 11 plus a sleeper sofa, 13 in all, and plenty of room for adults and children to enjoy separate activities. There are TVs and fireplaces in the main sitting rooms, a large, rustic dining table, and a well appointed kitchen for your enjoyment.
Whether you relax in the hot tub, snuggle in front of a fireplace, or stargaze from a deck, we are sure you will have a grand experience.

The driveway off Route 66 is packed gravel and easily accessible; however, four wheel drive is highly recommended (if not a necessity) during the winter months and chains are recommended for REALLY heavy snowstorms. Remember, we live in the mountains!!

http://www.vrbo.com/378461