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Ask Bert, the Expert!

For Expert Skiers

As an EXPERT Skier, you are often if not always pushing the limits. Risk is your middle name and diamond and double-diamond trails are your passion. You seek the steep and deep, and pretty much know what you're doing, so these questions are few. But keep writing and Bert will always give you his take on the matter.
Here are his latest FAQ's for Expert skiers like you!

Here are his latest FAQ's from expert skiers like you!

FAQ's:

What age to start for ski racing?
What is the purpose of poles in Ski Racing?
How about backcountry skiing, can you do it safely?
How do I get more Speed... ?
How should I maintain my skis...?
How about those moguls...?
What conditioning exercises are best...?
What is extreme skiing...?

Q. I have a question that's been buggin me for a while; In order to be a
good racer (talented racer) do you have to start skiing at an early
age like 6 or can you take up skiing at 19 or 20 and still develop the
skills necessary to be an expert? Is it even possible?
Bert's Answer:
According to Nancy Greene, Canadian Olympic World Champion, the best
way to prepare for a ski racing career is to start as early as
possible:

Greene writes: "Many skiers ask me, what is the best age to start
their children skiing. I usually tell them, 'The sooner the better.'
Actually, any time between age three and five is ideal, as they will
learn instinctively and will develop a natural balanced stance on
their skis. I started skiing when I was three and I really can't
remember learning." Nancy Greene, Olympic World Champion, Canada

However, if you have played a lot of sports when you were younger and
developed the skills of balance and stamina and muscle strength
through other activities, you should be able to master the techniques
of ski racing at almost any age. But you must understand that aging
does affect muscle mass and stamina and there are many body changes
that make it harder to train as you get older. Psychologically, there
are many more "distractions" as you age as you gain more
responsibility in the world. As a youngster, you are relatively free
of responsibility, so that you can concentrate on racing.

So it IS possible to start later, and ski racing programs at the local
level are organized into age groups, so that you can compete on a
level with your peers.

One reality check though: If you are hoping for Olympic Gold, know
that most Olympic champions compete while in their early 20's--that
means learning and training much earlier to reach that level.

But some age-related facts:
According to Ski Racing Magazine, Hannes Trinkl, the Austrian veteran
and 2001 downhill world champion, retires on July 9th at age 36!!

According to NBCOlympics.com Profile: "Ted Ligety (21) is the youngest
member of the U.S. men's squad and says he sometimes gives his
teammates a hard time about their ages -- especially 33-year-old Erik
Schlopy . Schlopy made his Olympic debut at the 1994 Lillehammer Games
when Ligety was 9 years old....."

US Ski Team Champion, Bode Miller first put on skis at age 3 and
started competing at age 11.

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Q. In downhill and super G racing, other than getting out of the
starting gate quicker, what is the purpose of poles? I've never used
poles and quite frankly find that they get in the way when at speed,
whether straight down or through the gates.

A. Alpine skiers use poles primarily for speed and balance. Although they
also help with the timing of the more advanced ski turns in regular
Alpine skiing by making contact with the ground between each turn in a
process known as "pole planting", in SKI RACING, however, poles are
used to provide greater stability as racers move their mass down the
hill, creating more acceleration and a tighter turning radius.
Giant Slalom, Super Giant Slalom, downhill, and speed skiing racers
use curved poles that are bent to shape around their bodies while they
are in a tuck position, in order to minimize wind resistance and drag,
making them more aerodynamic.

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Q. It started with "Open Gate" policies at some resorts, and now skiing the backcountry in many states is allowed and even encouraged. What do skiers have to know to take advantage of this freedom safely?
A: You can probably handle some serious climbs and drops, but master your uphill traverse skills, kick turns and downhill first. Icy conditions may make climbing impossible or you'll need crampons, so check your equipment and go prepared. Shop for equipment at only the best ski shops where they have trained people and the latest backcountry gear marries the best of alpine telemark with crosscountry touring. Either one is inadequate for what you'll be facing out there in backcountry. Best to go with an experienced friend or guide because backcountry is seldom mapped. It's ungroomed snow, so always check the avalanche report: goto: www.csac.org, the Avalanche Center for current conditions.

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Q. How do I get more speed out of my skis? I'm too often the last guy down the mountain.

A. When you figure that you get speed from the pull of gravity, your own strength AND the action of your skis, it's not just the fault of your equipment if you aren't getting the speed you want. Choosing a steeper line will also keep you ahead of the pack. As far as the skis are concerned, bending them to a high degree of tension produces a spring effect for acceleration, and setting your base bevel and keeping your skis cleaned and waxed and properly tuned is also important. Then there's the mental part: Bode Miler (in an interview by Yankee Magazine, Dec. 2002, Vol. 66 Issue 10 p20) points out the mental part of racing: "I take calculated risks to be faster, to reach my goals. I'm not afraid to take the risks I'm willing to take..." Attitude has a lot to do with it.

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Q. How should I maintain by skis after a hard day of hitting the bumps?

A. It's most important to glide your hand over the bottom of each ski to feel for burrs on the edges. These should be filed daily until smooth. Then file the edges until sharp and smooth. More filing with fine stone is necessary if you race. Wax the P-Tex base and keep the ski bottoms flat. Apply your wax with warm iron but be careful not to bond the P-Tex and wax with too hot an iron. Scrape the wax smooth and clear the groove and you are ready to rock and roll on the slopes again. In the November issue of Ski Racing Magazine, there's a great article, "Tuned in to Speed," by Dave Peszek. It includes step by step instructions for tuning your skis with photos and is written in installments. The message this issue: "Extremely small changes in the base bevel can make a dramatic difference in the skis' on-snow feel, performance and ski-ability."

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Q. How about those moguls? I'm fast on ice, but hesitant on moguls; how can I improve my bump quotient?

A. Linking your turns and shortening the radius of your turns for quickness is key to mastering the moguls. Use your poles to help keep your body in line with your skis and anticipate, anticipate, anticipate. Know where you are going and plan your attack ahead of time.

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Q. What conditioning exercises are best for experts?

A. In Ski Racing Magazine's article on peak fitness: "The Core Connection" by Sarah Tuff,she points out that conditioning the "core," defined in this article as your external obliques, the internal oblique, the transversus abdominis and rectus abominis, plus your hips and back, will ensure not only strength and endurance, but will make your arms and legs more efficient as well. A combination of weight training, strength endurance exercises and balance moves seems to be the ticket. Ski Racing trainers often recommend doing medicine ball routines to strengthen the core and Swiss ball for balance.

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Q. What is extreme skiing?

A. Extreme skiing begins at 45-degrees of steepness. Powder Magazine defines "extreme skiing" as the practice of skiing anywhere that the combined conditions approach the limits of what is physically possible to ski while the penalty for any mistake is potentially so great that there is no longer any measurable margin for error." Bill Wilson, "Jonathan Livingston Skier."

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