The Presidential Skier

ESPN.com reminds us that the late Gerald Ford was not only a president of the United States, but an outstanding athlete unafraid to try new sports as an adult:

Though Ford first began skiing in 1939 in New England [26 years old is a fairly late age for a never-ever], his first taste of the slopes of the Rockies came in a 1968 vacation. Among his contributions to Colorado skiing was his role in bringing two World Alpine Ski Championships to the state, providing a unique opportunity for Colorado to showcase its world-class venue.

In 1982, Ford established the Ford Cup in Vail, which is now called the American Ski Classic.

Whether Ford ever thought of trying snowboarding, I don't know. He was 70 years old in 1983, after all, around the time that riding was still in its infancy. But if snowboarding had developed sooner than it did, we just might have had a snowboarding president, and perhaps an end to the tired "shredder dude" image.

In Praise of Flow Bindings.

(Bindings: One of those perpetual debating points among riders. Here's my view.)

I have an 3-year old pair of Flow bindings and I love 'em. One reason is that straps are too complicated for me. I know that sounds like I am an idiot, but there you go. The fact that I was a novice rider when I tried them may have had something to do with it.

The switch to Flows came when, at the end of one run, I spent 5 minutes, without success, trying to unlatch a pair of (cheap, used) strap bindings. I then found a way to pull my feet out of my boots, with straps still buckled in. I walked, in stocking feet, to my car and then drove to my favorite ski shop, where I bought both a pair of Flow FR-11 bindings and some Ride boots.

What do I like about Flows? Obviously, no messing with the tiny notches on the strap bindings. Plus, getting into the binding is quick: slide in foot, push lever from its open position to a closed one, and go. It's like putting on a pair of loafers compared with lacing up tennis shoes. While other riders are messing with their straps at the top of the hill, I'm already sliding away. Sometimes I even start sliding before I put the lever into place. It's that easy.

A bonus is that you don't have as much bending or crouching--good for the aging body.

Some people have praised Flows for eliminating pressure points that they got from straps. As I never stayed on straps long enough for this to be an issue, I can't speak to it.

There are several raps against Flows. Some of it is style prejudice--the "you're not a REAL snowboarder unless you do this" nonsense. I've read some complaints that they are somehow less secure than straps. I doubt that; the Flow professional team regularly medals at freestyle events, suggesting that the binding style is quite suitable for jumping in the air, if that's your thing.

The most legitimate knock on Flows is that they tend to be heavier than a strap binding. This is probably true of the older versions such as the ones that I have. But I have also read that the Flow NXT (newer models) are much lighter than the old ones.

I think that Flows would be good for a beginner (and many other riders), since it simplifies time on the snow at a point when so many things are new and different, if not difficult.

During a clinic last week, we pretended to be new students. We took a tow rope (one foot out) halfway up the bunny hill and sat down for a few minutes. Then we had to get the free feet into a binding.

At that point, the lever that slips into the highback can get in the way. If for some reason I have a foot out and the ground isn't flat, I often find it easier to do a flip (we call it a "turtle roll") so that I am facing uphill. Then I dig my foot into the binding, slap the lever into place, and stand up toeside. (Obviously if I want to start out heelside, then I have to roll again.) Rolling may not be an easy task for a beginner.

As for the k2 cinch, I tried them one day and wasn't impressed. It felt awkward getting in, for one thing. In my Flow bindings, my foot goes in flat. In the Cinch, the toes go in, followed by the heel, followed by the heel pushing down an elevator of some sort. That's an extra step that I found rather weird and inexplicable.

The word I've read is that it's not quite ready for prime time; Flow has their model going for a while now, but the Cinch is still new and the first year presented some problems. I think this may be the third year for the Cinch.

One guy whose judgment I normally trust on snowboarding thinks that both the Flow and the Cinch have too many moving parts, which means that they are susceptible to breaking down. He prefers straps. Obviously, I don't share his conclusion.

You can find a lot of discussion about bindings at either http://snowboard.colonies.com/forums/forum/21/ or at http://www.graysontrays.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=9

By the way, I wouldn't recommend driving in snowboard boots, at least based on my one experience. There wasn't enough give in my boot to make me feel comfortable controlling the pedal(s). Then again, I was using a clutch, too.

Spirituality and Sport

Given the season (Christmas), it's appropriate to think about the intersection of sport and spirituality. The latest issue of SkiPress World offers a short blurb on

West of Jesus: Surfing, Science, and the Origin of Belief.

The magazine says that the book is "just your average mix of surfing, searching, science, myth," and so forth, but says "the boy can write."

What's Snowboard Culture?

Too many people get caught up in "snowboard culture," being "real" instead of a "poser," and so forth. Fortunately for us Grays on Trays, we've left high school a while ago.

Here's what I recently wrote in a forum (not on graysontrays.com) in which someone (a youngster, I believed) had asked about identifying "real" snowboarders.

Snowboard culture? What's that?

Seriously, I pay no attention to it. I just go out and ride whatever suits me at the time--gentle cruising, bombing it down the hill, experimenting with the pipe, watching some people do freestyle tricks that I will never attempt, let alone master. As long as I treat people with respect, I figure that life it too short to worry about social status, pecking orders, whether or not somebody is a "real" snowboarder, or what anyone else thinks of my riding gear, clothing, skills, etc.

Resort Review: Spirit Mountain

Over the weekend I paid a visit to Spirit Mountain, in Duluth, Minnesota. It's as good a time as any to offer an introduction to this place.

Small but steep (for the Midwest) describes this place. But let's start with the most obvious feature of Spirit: it looks onto Lake Superior, the largest body of fresh water in the world. Actually, St. Louis Bay is much easier to see than Lake Superior, but if you work at it, you can sometimes see glimpses of the greatest of the great lakes.

Its 700 feet of vertical drop is, if I recall correctly, the third highest in the region, after Lutsen and Mt. Bohemia (both are somewhere in the 900 to 1,000 foot range). But it has a fairly small footprint, at only 125-150 acres. My understanding is that there's a lot more terrain that could be used for snow sliding, but isn't currently.

Spirit may have the best and largest terrain park in the Midwest. Understandably, most members of the Grays on Trays community have little interest in the park, but Spirit's standing should be noted.

Mason Aguirre, member of the U.S. Olympic team in 2006, now lives out west, but learned to ride at Spirit. That legacy continues on the mountain, which is home to the best freestyle riding I have seen in the Midwest. (The slope that normally hosts the pipe has not yet opened for the season).

By using a reasonable amount of caution, even a cruiser can enjoy the park, whether it's by watching (a lift that spans the length of the park is a good place to start), or maneuvering around the features.

If you want to give the pipe a try, it's a good one, with a wide transition area (the "floor"). If nothing else, you might want to ride straight down the middle and see how tall the walls are. Last season I rode up the walls a few times and made turns along the way. For what it's worth, that was enough to impress the 20-year old who was companion for a few trips through the park.

The marketing department touts the mile-long "Four Pipe," but this green run is wide open and therefore not as interesting as "Timber Cruiser," which is a few runs to the right as you face downhill.

Early beginners may find its turns and tighter width a worthy challenge, or perhaps a bit intimidating. But once you can confidently link turns, Timber Cruiser is good for, well, cruising with the trees in a bit closer. It's open enough to not feel like a glade, but tight enough to give the feeling of, if you use a bit of imagination, a real mountain.

Five chairlifts serve the area, not all may be operating at once. On a day I was there late last season, locals complained that the "Spirit Express" (the lift that serves Four Pipe and Timber Cruiser, among others) is the slowest express chair around. The base machinery on this quad is unbearably loud.

Until this season, that chair came with a bubble, which was useful on windy days. But citing "maintenance issues," management decided to do away with the bubbles this year.

Spirit Express draws more traffic than any other lift, but during heavy times, employees did a good job of matching up singles with doubles or triples to maximize the traffic flow. Over this weekend the longest wait I had was 7 chairs deep. If that's too much for you, the other lifts are sometimes wide open.

Gandy Dancer (a diamond) has got natural rollers that are more up and down than side to side. Be careful to pick your line as you approach lift tower 5; it had a nasty "well" on the uphill side. I also like Binder Stick and Sky Hook. A friend of mine reminds me that many of the trail names reflect the logging heritage of the Minnesota northwoods.

Spirit also has a beginner's area at the very top, near the lodge. Late last season, it was fenced off (not so this weekend), which keeps schussers at bay. But it's pretty small, and adults will outgrow it pretty quickly. It's probably fine for the very basics, such as stepping onto the board, getting familiar with heelside and toeside, skating, and simple J-turns. But once you start falling leafs, you will probably head over to Four Pipe.

Spirit's season pass of $169 (tax not included) is likely the best deal in the Midwest, and it carries a teaser rate of $119 for the first year. The lower prices come in part because Spirit is owned by the City of Duluth. On the one hand, skiers and riders will appreciate the lower price. But since the city has competing demands for its money, the area is likely to remain underdeveloped for a long time, and its non-profit status is a sore point for resorts with private ownership, who must compete against government.

When to Call it a Day?

You know it's time to leave for the day when . . . your the screws in your bindings start to work themselves loose, and it's already 4pm.

I had already had a full day, and was ready to go down a new trail when I shook my front foot. The board wiggled. Oops. I didn't have a screwdriver with me.

What to do? Make it to the base, and call it a day.

Do as I Say--and as I Do

One unexpected pleasure that snowboarding has given me is teaching. Last season I taught at a small hill near home, and I look forward to doing the same this season.

In its December 7 issue, the Worcester Telegram offers an article that might be dubbed "Hey, winter sports are fun, go try some!" (The real title: "There is no better time to learn than now.") It discusses the shaped ski revolution, so the topic extends beyond snowboards.

But what caught my eye was a comment about teaching. The article focuses on Don Booth, the ski school manager at Wachusett Mountain Ski Area.

"Booth prefers to hire instructors such as himself -- those who are patient, can transmit their own enthusiasm to their students, and really get satisfaction from seeing their charges improve.

'I'’m not looking for guys who can bang through the moguls or jump off a cliff,' he says. 'To be a good instructor, you have to be a good people person.'"

This is entirely consistent with experience with ski school directors. Obviously, to teach you need to be able to ride. For one thing, how are you going to give a demonstration? But there's so much more to teaching a sport than physical ability, including observing and diagnosing what a student is doing wrong (and right), providing a positive mental environment, and making sure that the student doesn't go in over his head.

Our Space on MySpace

Grays on Trays.com has entered Myspace.com. Yes, the web site that makes it safe for the parents of young snowboarders to take up snowboarding themselves has entered the web site dominated by youngsters.

Why?

I'm still working on that one.

Actually, there are several reasons. Not everyone on MySpace is 16 years old; at least if the profiles are to believed. In addition, even those who are a mere 16 might know people over 30--their parents, perhaps--who could be interested in snowboarding.

MySpace has an odd assortment of pages. Some are from individuals--the typical 17-year old wanting to talk about her favorite movies or bands. Others are tribute pages to individuals clearly dead. A few weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal noted that several candidates for Congress made use of the web site. And I've noticed some organizations as well.

MySpace is all about collecting "friends," or members linking to each other. We're not all about all that; it smells a lot like a high school popularity contest. That being said, if you are over 30, have a MySpace profile, and are a shredder, feel free to send a friend request to the Grays on Trays profile. You never know how these networking things play out, but it might mean that a solitary "old" snowboarder finds a lift buddy.

By the way, some ski areas have MySpace profiles. These include Afton Alps (Minnesota); Aspen Snowmass (Colorado); Sunday River (Maine) Swiss Valley (Michigan), and Mountain Creek (New York).

Some ski areas have not created a profile, so they have fallen victim to "black" profiles. These putative profiles are meant to disparage the ski area in question. One example is Spring Mountain (Pennsylvania). Its profile reads, in part, "I have no potential. my snow will put black tar on the bottom of your board."