SEE AND SKI THE SPACES, NOT THE TREES BY KEVIN JORDAN T
o me, gladed terrain represents exploration and creativity; and hidden stashes of untracked powder. Tree runs are the “last
frontier,” the last places to get skied out… maybe because people shy away from them for fear of getting lost or running smack-dab into the hardwood. It doesn’t have to be that way. You can help students learn to
love the trees by assessing their skills, preparing outside of the woods, and serving as a guide once they get in the glades. Of course, as a guide you need to know the terrain. One
danger of tree skiing is that the snow may look good, but end up leading into a drainage with a tough exit. If you’re new to the terrain, fi nd a colleague who knows the trees well and is willing to show you the routes (except, maybe, for a few secret stashes).
4 MUST-HAVES FOR TREE SKIING My typical tree-skiing students are advanced intermediate skiers, and before we head into the trees I make sure they can: 1. Listen. It’s easy to become separated in the trees, so communication is critical. I stress the need to listen to my directions and agree upon a regrouping call (i.e., a yodel or whistle to get them to a designated meeting point).
2. Make short turns. Spacing between trees varies, so I make sure my students can make quick, short turns in case the trees get tight.
3. Be versatile. Specifi cally, students need to know how to perform kick turns and hop turns. If they get stuck (i.e., above a small cliff band or an uprooted tree), these utility turns will help them get out of trouble.
4. Have vision. Are the students able to look where they are going? Or, do they fi xate on an object and head right toward it? “Ski the spaces, not the trees,” is an old adage but I use it often. And if students can drive, I say “How many times have you been driving, looked at the passenger, and noticed the car veer to the right? We go where we are looking.
FIRST WORK OUTSIDE THE FOREST Next, we warm up with – you guessed it – a lot of short turns, kick turns, and hop turns. I have students ski with their pole straps off their wrists because if the pole hits a tree or snags on a branch there’s less risk of injury if the arm is not “connected” to the pole. We also ski in pairs, a wise safety strategy to instill because it means there’s someone there to help if one skier “hugs” a tree or falls into a tree well – the space, often several feet deep, around the base of a tree. A skier struggling to get out of a tree well risks getting buried by snow falling from the branches above so they’re best avoided. Drill-wise, I often set up a tree-skiing scenario by taking
everyone’s poles “trees” and spacing them at random distances across and down part of a groomed, blue run. Students ski around and through the poles, with minimal consequences if they run into one. In another exercise, students pair up in small moguls, with the “following” partner turning in sync with the lead skier. T is
GUIDE, DON’T TEACH IN THE TREES T e choice of tree run depends on the conditions of the day: air temperature, snow temperature, and the slope aspect. For example, if it’s a powder day, I might opt for a slightly steeper tree run because the powder will slow students down. If it’s a bluebird day in the spring, I know the snow will be fi rm and fast in the shadows but slushy and slow in the sun. Treating tree runs as an adventure, I off er positive feedback on successfully navigating the trees as a group. And while I might touch on some technical skills a student may be working on, I hold back on providing too much input. All too often, instructors continue teaching in the trees. If this is your students’ fi rst time in this environment, they’ll have a lot on their mind and adding instruction can muddy the waters. Instead, teach outside the trees and then guide them through a successful experience of safely skiing the spaces.
Kevin Jordan is a children’s program coordinator for Colorado’s Snowmass Mountain. He is an alpine, children’s, and freestyle examiner for PSIA-AASI’s Rocky Mountain Division and writes for
Examiner.com. As a member of the Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month leadership team, he off ers daily tips throughout January on the “Kevin Jordan Tip of the Day” Facebook page. Email:
rockymtnskiingexaminer@gmail.com
THESNOWPROS.ORG | 25
On ONE CONDITION
mimics how trees dictate where you can and cannot turn. In all pre-tree drills, students work on where they are looking and strive for continuous rhythm of movement.
SCOTT D.W. SMITH
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