toe lifts?

Its most likely your boots or bindings being pressed down too hard on your instep which results in flattening out/putting a lot of stress on your sole and can eventually make you cramp up.

I've had this problem before with a pair of boots that would loosen up over time as I wore them so I would crank down on the bindings to compensate. Eventually I would cramp up in the same spot you describe and be forced to fix the problem by taking a break and tying my boots again.

Do your best to get your boots fitting well and see if this helps, also check to see if your re adjusting your ankle strap to a different position would help.

and there are always custom footbeds.

toe lift won't do anything, just for fixing toe drag.

I just went skiing for the first time in my life (excluding x-country) at Blue Mountain in PA yesterday. I can't believe it took me this long to discover skiing because I loved it. It came naturally to me; I think playing ice hockey helped the the carving technique. My third time down the hill I was skiing black diamonds although from what I heard black diamonds in the Poconos are easier than in Vermont or out west. I am intrigued by this sport and hopefully someone doesn't mind answer my newbie questions.

-Are there any good slopes near where I live in Washington DC that I should check out?
-From what I observed, snowboarding looks more difficult but a majority of people were doing it, particularly young people. What is the appeal for snowboarding?
-How high is the risk for serious injury (assume wearing helmet)?

I skied when I was in middle school and then switched to boarding in high school. Boarding is def tougher imo. I don't think one is better than the other, but just a different experience. Def worth a try.

As for injury, it would depend on what you're doing. If you're just cruising then I don't personally see the need for a helmet, but if you're planning on shredding in the park and doin sick air's etc, then helmet fo sho.

Tx. I'll try loosing/adjusting things a bit and hope for the best.

Been awhile since I lived out east, but I did go to high school close to DC and spent as much time as possible trying to go riding.

Whitetail and Liberty are the closest, they are both pretty bad though. Short runs, small resorts, man made snow, crowded. But both are under an hour away iirc, so they are good if you just want to get to the slopes quickly.

Roundtop is about 2 hours away, and would usually be my top pick for ~close skiing. a small step up from whitetail and liberty.

Blue knob is roughly 3 hours away and is ok, runs should feel long there when you are first starting out.

Seven Springs was my favorite, about 4 hours away and close to pittsburgh. More of a resort feel, I'd try to spend weekends there whenever possible.

wisp is about 4 hours west of dc, a bit too far to be worth it.

snowshoe, wv is about 5 hours away. i remember them getting a decent amount of snow for an east coast resort and having some decent runs.

Any skiing ny and above is a fairly big step up compared to the dc slopes.

Snowboarding is only more difficult the first 1-3 days or so which will include a lot of time on your ass and catching edges. Once you get past that its fairly easy and you can be pretty competent in 8-10 days. Its easier to have fun on a snowboard on flat runs than it is on skis. Skiing is a much more gradual learning curve. Getting legit good takes a lot of time on skis.

For recreational skiing your risk of injury isn't too high. Serious skiers(meaning min of 50 days a season) are pretty much a lock to blow out their knees multiple times, among other injuries.

fwiw ive snowboarded since high school, and I've lived at crested butte and squaw valley. Most of that time has been spent with skiers so I've mostly ridden steeps. Used to frequently get in 100+ day seasons. Not so much anymore since poker has turned me lazy. I do currently live in squaw.

Dude, wear a helmet. Trust me, shet goes down that you don't expect on the mountain.

Even if you're solid and don't fall on your own, people will run into you. It happens. You can also take a wrong turn and end up way over your head on a tight tree run, or something.

I ski over 20 days a season and I still have some freak falls where I catch an edge in softer than expected snow or cross my tips in a mogul field etc. I've been concussed while wearing a helmet. Snow can be harder than you think. Better safe than sorry, imo.

wear a helmet. just do it haha. it's the easiest way to prevent the worst injury.

anyway, here's a movie i made of myself riding around northstar the other day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX8Ehb5fYqo

sweet vid & skillz. I wanna ride today, but I'm so beat after shoveling this ****.

where's northstar? where do you live/ski normally?

great vid. way better than the helmet attachment perspective.

do you know any mogul skiers in the ny/ct/vt area? i'd love to get better and ski w/ sick good guys.

tyty

It's in the Tahoe area, where I also live - about 2.5-3 hrs from SF depending on traffic.

I can't say that I know any good mogul skiers in that area though, sorry....been awhile since I lived on the east coast.

Thanks for the info shadylane, very helpful.

I'm going to Whitetail in a couple weeks and then Breckenridge shortly after that. I'll need some equipment such as pants, helmet, goggles, etc. I know most slopes will have a shop nearby but not without premium prices. Does anyone have a favorite online store (or in DC area) they can recommend me?

I don't know about the best deals but:

The-House.com
Moosejaw.com
evo.com

me notontilt speedle and blaabar are all here if u wanna get out at n star heav or wahtev

anybody here on the east coast mogul skiers ? or just ingeneral interested in getting together in ny/ct or whatev?

trying to find some great folks to ski w/ and get better.

nice video mikekelley.

going to SLC Feb 9th-15th. got snowbird, alta, brighton, plus a few others on the agenda.

hopefully i'll get some good video/pics to post when i get back.

Mike I'm always happy when you post a vid or pics in this thread. Not only do you rip, you are damn good with a camera.

Thanks dude! I'll keep them coming

Just thought I'd check in, finally getting some snow on the east. Lol. Just alittle something from the backyard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhGjX-bmTT0

Holy ****! At first I thought that was gonna be a joke, but that was pretty slick.

Sick house btw.

Just boarded for the first time this weekend. Been a skiier forever, but my 9yo just started on a board so i started with him. Totally get the toe-side, heel-side basics, leafdrops(?), j-turns, c-turns, and linking turns.

It finally clicked that my hips turning left and right lifted and dropped my toes accordingly, as opposed to originally thinking i needed to lift and drop my toes in a gas-pedal fashion. Way different concepts.

Can't wait to get back up there now. Didn't really hurt anything wrist-wise or other common stuff, but i really, really slammed on my ass hard on my last run trying to open up my game a little.

Any pointers from sickos would be appreciated.

From my personal learning experience the biggest revelation was making sure I had the majority of my weight on my front foot as I was initiating a turn. Without consciously doing this I would almost always catch an edge and get mad.

Once I started doing this I could turn, but it was also kind of uncomfortable. I admittedly have poor form and have been working to improve it so this advice might not be good, but it could start a discussion.

Also, I know you have a little guy with you, but for others willing to learn I recommend skipping the bunny hill as you aren't actually on the hill for a long time before you need to take a lift. Find a long, easy run on the main hill and practice on that, as long as it isn't dangerously busy.

was this you? if so rad

cool thanks

kirkwood was awsome yesterday btw and paid 76 for a lift tix then end of day guy said i could count it towards pass so 150 more for pass = shipt it obv