Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 24, 1991 TAG: 9102250315
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Su Clauson
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
That old sled or flying saucer you used in grade school would careen down here at 80, 90, 100 mph, you think. And here you are at the top with what feels like cement boots and boards strapped to your feet.
And the friends who said, "Just plunge in and do it; you'll love it" - well, you're wondering if they took out an insurance policy on your life.
Mark Rotellini, a ski school supervisor at Snowshoe, agrees that part of the thrill of skiing is the feeling of risk-taking. But, he says, for real enjoyment, those risks should be moderate and controlled. Take lessons, he advises, and the enjoyment will last longer.
Rotellini, who has been instructing skiers at West Virginia's largest ski resort for five years, says everyone, not just novices, can benefit from lessons. "You learn to move more efficiently," he says. "You get more reward for less work. You have a sense of flow."
Like most resorts, Snowshoe offers lessons of a variety of levels and lengths. The novice learns to choose the proper ski boots - important so you can distinguish tight-boot numbness from frostbite - walk in skis, turn, stop, rise after a fall and board a chairlift.
Advanced lessons cover advanced turns. You graduate from the snowplow wedge to the parallel turn and high-speed stem christie.
To prepare instructors to understand the rookies' problems, Snowshoe puts them in rookies' shoes - literally.
"We make them ski in rental equipment and ask them to do high-level maneuvers," Rotellini says. "They can re-experience awkwardness that way. The more advanced equipment they usually ski with gives more response to their movements. The difference between that and rentals is like power and manual steering."
Snowshoe also boosts instructor empathy by lining them up on the top of a steep slope and asking them to ski straight down without any maneuvers until the trainer yells "stop."
"That can be intense," Rotellini says. "We re-create the same fear and apprehension rookies feel."
Before you hit the slopes, Rotellini says, you can strengthen your legs by jogging, biking or skating. On your first day out, he advises taking it easy. Too much too soon can strain muscles and put you out of commission for a whole vacation.
"Too many people think you should ski until you've got a good burn in the thighs and a pain in your lower back," he says. "When you start to feel tired, it's time to head for happy hour or the hot tub."
by CNB