Coach Z: Improving your Short Radius Turns

Good skiers know that the best snow late in the day on groomed trails is always right along the edge; however you need some short radius turn chops to hang there. If you want to ski in the woods or bumps, same deal, you need those short turns again. We don’t live in the land of the large open bowl, so if you want to be a good skier in the northeast, you need rock solid short turns.

Do this “corridor drill” in the morning when the groomer tracks are still fresh. Find a nice moderate pitch and make short turns staying inside the track of one groomer width. Work on keeping your belly button pointed downhill with your legs turning under a stable upper body accompanied by rhythmic pole touches.

Go West (Mountain), Young Man!

by ml242

I've wanted to ski West Mountain for a long time. When I was a kid, every time we drove to Vermont my dad would look over from the highway and say "we should stop there sometime." On my most recent trip north, I saw the lights from the highway, and remembered those childhood car rides. On the return trip, I decided to stop, and what I found surprised me.

For me, showing up at a ski area in the late afternoon was unique and memorable. When we arrived, we were greeted on the triple side by a couple of friendly snowmobilers who gave us directions to the proper base area. The young lady at the ticket counter could have been the owner's niece judging by the way she carefully sharpied the expiration time on our lift tickets.

The mountain has two lifts servicing the ridge: a double and a triple chair. Both look as if they've given years of devoted service to the mountain. On the other hand, ownership seems to have recently spent significant money on snowmaking, and high-tech cannons were blasting on almost every trail.

Mount Peter, NY: 1/21/12

by Jamesdeluxe

Everyone knows that being a skier based in the tri-state area is not for the weak of heart. To get to any high-profile mountain — either in New York or in New England — you're looking at a lot of time on the interstates. But on the plus side, if you're the parent of a young skier who doesn't need thousands of uninterrupted vertical feet, there are quite a few ski areas that fit the bill and are only a short drive away.

This morning, the first measurable snow to hit our region since the day before Halloween got me motivated to check out a classic downstate family ski hill: Mount Peter in Warwick, NY. Mount Peter has three chairlifts to cover its 400 vertical feet, so even though there was a good crowd today, we never waited in a lift line.

Is the Subaru Outback the Ultimate Ski Car?

We've been thinking about replacing our 2006 Honda CRV. While I have always been a "drive it into the ground" kind of guy, our last two mountain cars, both CRVs, have shown more rust than I'd like after six years. Both cars looked fine, but upon close inspection, it was evident that to get value on the trade-in, it was time to sell.

2012 Subaru Outback 2.5i

After owning six consecutive Hondas, we've been considering switching to a Subaru Outback. While I'm not a fan of the styling, the Outback would fit our need for a high-mileage highway car, with the traction to negotiate our steep driveway, and a state-of-the-art automatic transmission to make Sunday night traffic more tolerable.