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September, 2024

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Ski racing team

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21CABBAGE
Posts: 234 - Karma: 1,402
My high school shut down "freeride team" (not legitimately shut down, just switched to snowboarders only) and now my only choice is the ski racing team. I mean... I love carving and id be insane at it but I'm not sure if I'm ready to sell my soul to the dark side. What are your guys thoughts on this?? In the end it's really just a ride to the mountain, and I could pretty much bring any of my skis to practice, id only have to use slalom skis for races (unless I was really feeling like ripping groomers)
Sep 21 2023 7:31PM
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21CABBAGE
Posts: 234 - Karma: 1,402
Also Its only $350 for the season (not including passes), with two rides up per week!
Sep 21 2023 7:34PM
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steez_apprentice
Posts: 819 - Karma: 5,605
I mean you kinda summed it up... sounds like a good deal but racing just isn't my thing but it DOES help you improve too if you're okay dressing in a spandex bodysuit and chin guard helmet.
Sep 21 2023 8:25PM
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jompcock
Posts: 1508 - Karma: 11,095
In high school I signed up for race team and showed up with my dull ass BDogs and just skipped the race course to hike rails.
Sep 21 2023 8:48PM
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Slugger66
Posts: 113 - Karma: 740
Highly doubt you'll be insane at it without any fundamental racing skills.

In fact, I'd recommend you join the team for that exact reason. It'll be pretty humbling to get smoked by some kid who can squat twice your weight.

Ski racers are the best all around skiers on the hill, period. The only exceptions are kids who started skiing big mountain at age 10 in Tahoe, Jackson, etc.
Sep 21 2023 9:32PM
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21CABBAGE
Posts: 234 - Karma: 1,402
Damn...cuz honestly I got no skills after 10 years of 30+ days on the hill 😂
Sep 21 2023 9:50PM
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Calvin8200
Posts: 39 - Karma: 138
You’d probably be decent at it off the bat. The only thing that’ll kick you ass if you’ve never raced before is the quick edge to edge movement, it’s harder than it looks to get right. Highly recommend it tho for cheaper skiing and improving your skiing
Sep 21 2023 11:57PM
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officechair
Posts: 223 - Karma: 1,773
Worst case is you hate it and quit. Best case is you gain the skills to pick up any aspect of skiing. Every former racer I know is casually capable of stuff 99% of people can't do.
Sep 22 2023 12:21AM
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21CABBAGE
Posts: 234 - Karma: 1,402
I'm doin it! plus I have really been wanting some true slalom skis for carving, this is the perfect excuse
Sep 22 2023 1:04AM
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vissi
Posts: 89 - Karma: 1,126
officechairWorst case is you hate it and quit. Best case is you gain the skills to pick up any aspect of skiing. Every former racer I know is casually capable of stuff 99% of people can't do.


This
Sep 22 2023 4:26AM
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oldmanski
Posts: 3262 - Karma: 23,325
Join the team and go ride with the boarders. If they make you have to be on the race team, like others said, it will be good to learn some new skills.
Sep 22 2023 5:14AM
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skiP.E.I.
Posts: 7757 - Karma: 21,388
Slugger66Ski racers are the best all around skiers on the hill, period. The only exceptions are kids who started skiing big mountain at age 10 in Tahoe, Jackson, etc.

Lmao racing certainly develops good technical skills but this is a ridiculous take. Most racers I've seen aren't able to ski anything but hard groomed snow. Best they can do in the park is overshoot jumps to their back.
Sep 22 2023 10:33AM
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ModMommy
Posts: 10799 - Karma: 56,872
Honestly, I raced in high school. I even raced on our high school team. It was an absolute blast to skip class and hit the slopes. We usually had free time to ski around after practice and racing. Most of my team was split between doing it for fun and doing it because we were seriously racing. I recommend it.
Sep 22 2023 12:57PM
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vissi
Posts: 89 - Karma: 1,126
ModMommyHonestly, I raced in high school. I even raced on our high school team. It was an absolute blast to skip class and hit the slopes. We usually had free time to ski around after practice and racing. Most of my team was split between doing it for fun and doing it because we were seriously racing. I recommend it.


We had training camps in northern Finland so between morning and evening practice we had 10h hours to go ski park and all around the mountain for the whole week. We always took our park skis with us, later few of us quit racing and changed to park and freeride.



Now over ten years later after we quit racing we still go to Norway and do some touring there almost every year.

**This post was edited on Sep 22nd 2023 at 9:21:58pm
Sep 22 2023 9:18PM
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Paul.
Posts: 1585 - Karma: 10,935
Definitely do it. Racing will help you dial in your technique and make you an all around better skier. Also any ride to the mtn is great. When I raced in highschool we would bus up to the hill every wednesday night for training which was tight. Race days kinda suck cause youll be standing around all day waiting for your two runs. But just take some free laps in the park when you can or hang out and talk to racer honeys. Also dont train on pow days thats just dumb
Sep 23 2023 2:13AM
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mikem
Posts: 884 - Karma: 7,874
Cheap laps to the hill are vibes
Sep 23 2023 2:23AM
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Slugger66
Posts: 113 - Karma: 740
skiP.E.I.Lmao racing certainly develops good technical skills but this is a ridiculous take. Most racers I've seen aren't able to ski anything but hard groomed snow. Best they can do in the park is overshoot jumps to their back.


That might be true, but most racers build a skillset that could take them into the park or the backcountry. Park skiers generally don't have that type of foundation or versatility. There are always exceptions, but I don't know how this is even a debate lol.

Go look at any local hill across the Northeast. Try to tell me the kids hiking rails all day have comparable skillsets to those training gates.
Sep 23 2023 11:31AM
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skiP.E.I.
Posts: 7757 - Karma: 21,388
Slugger66That might be true, but most racers build a skillset that could take them into the park or the backcountry. Park skiers generally don't have that type of foundation or versatility. There are always exceptions, but I don't know how this is even a debate lol.

Go look at any local hill across the Northeast. Try to tell me the kids hiking rails all day have comparable skillsets to those training gates.

People always bash kids hiking rails, but it does improve skiing competencies.

Technical rail tricks require a more centered stance and use of all the small muscles in your feet, even more than racing with the possible exception of high level drills most race kids will never get to.

When you're skiing fast it's easier to compensate for errors than when you're moving at a lower speed.

Further, the park skiing mentality is very progression centered and fosters an attitude of being able to quickly adapt to new techniques, so if you put park skiers in performance skiing drills they generally take on whatever technique is required quickly.

Technique aside, someone who's self motivated, such as a kid hiking rails is just going to have a better and quicker time learning than someone who's being hauled up to the mountain and put in race drills all day.

I've coached a lot of kids over the years and the ones who come from a free skiing or park background almost always progress more quickly and are able to improve bad habits than kids from a race background.

At my tiny local hill in the northeast, there's one guy out of the hundreds of kids in the race program who was into park skiing from the start and is now one of the better local park skiers. He was also consistently the fastest in the region when he was racing. The main perceivable difference between him and the hundreds of other race kids was his experience in the park.

I'm not saying racing doesn't provide a good technical background, but people tend to diminish the role park skiing plays in making a good skier.
Sep 23 2023 12:42PM
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Walleye
Posts: 36 - Karma: 185
https://www.facebook.com/reel/5641360925973549
Sep 23 2023 4:46PM
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BallClapper
Posts: 2116 - Karma: 6,822
It's defiantly a great way to get some mad skills as far a technique goes.
Sep 23 2023 9:34PM
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KilaTsunami
Posts: 2851 - Karma: 26,867
Depends on how serious your coach is about the team. I did Race team all 4 years of HS and by junior year I wasn't racing Varsity anymore, specifically so I could just do the lil' bullshit JV races and get back to lapping the park. Our coach just loved to see us skiing/happy and wasn't bothered by the fact that we didn't care for racing anymore.

You'll definitely level up as a skier on the race team by learning edge control, and proper form so I'd say race if you gotta just for the sake of skiing. You can always lap park after/between races and on the weekend with friends.
Sep 25 2023 3:30PM
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WunhungL0
Posts: 278 - Karma: 1,578
Slugger66Highly doubt you'll be insane at it without any fundamental racing skills.

In fact, I'd recommend you join the team for that exact reason. It'll be pretty humbling to get smoked by some kid who can squat twice your weight.

Ski racers are the best all around skiers on the hill, period. The only exceptions are kids who started skiing big mountain at age 10 in Tahoe, Jackson, etc.


I was so proud to see my local hill's team just tearing it up after a sweet storm rolled through, lads were boostin
Sep 25 2023 3:36PM
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Michigan_Sucks
Posts: 473 - Karma: 6,887
I mean, do it to meet girls your age that also love to ski
Sep 25 2023 7:36PM
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bogust
Posts: 677 - Karma: 7,012
I ski raced all 4 years in high school and it was a ton of fun. I always brought park skis and I was beating kids in speed suits with my detuned v's and 2xl Harlauts. It also looks good if you want to go to college especially if your captain of the team your senior year like I was. Also you can get away without spending money on any new gear, I borrowed slalom and GS skis and made by own pole guard's.

**This post was edited on Sep 26th 2023 at 1:33:00pm
Sep 26 2023 1:32PM
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raviolii
Posts: 1 - Karma: 15
Walleyehttps://www.facebook.com/reel/5641360925973549


on the heros is absolutley bonkers
Sep 28 2023 2:58PM
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21CABBAGE
Posts: 234 - Karma: 1,402
Update:
Quit that shit and sold all my gear. Least I gave it a shot, Racing is damn retarded! although did learn how to properly rip a groomer and lay hip. Idk tho, I may or may not be restricted from ever racing in the Oregon highschool race league do to a little conflict with a race officer...
Mar 1 2024 2:10AM
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