 Poster: A snowHead
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I think this is something Shane McConkey talked about. What's the moment in skiing for you?
For me it's the bottom of a fast wide powder turn when you realise that you're coming out without ever having hit anything harder.
Doesn't happen that often but it feels great when it does.
The anti-moment is when you realise the nice line you'd been eyeing and are committed to is in fact breakable crust or dust on windpolish.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Completing a series of turns on a steep pitch and knowing that everything you've been taught clicked into place, for me, that means commitment and projecting into the next turn and getting on that top ski nice and early. Doesn't matter what the now is like for me, as long as I know that I've skied it to the best of my ability and with the inherent smile on my face. That's the moment.
My anti-moment is when I ski like a doofus on a blue slope 5 minutes later - lack of effort maybe.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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The point at which you realise you're not seriously hurt after an almighty wipeout. 
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Being well enough balanced at the end of a turn in choppy powder that I'm able to retract my feet underneath me to initiate effortlessly the next turn.
The anti-moment is knowing that I've hacked my shoulders around to start a turn in a desperate attempt to control my speed or line when I've been completely out of balance.
The former promotes spiritual well-being, the latter makes me despise myself.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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When the snow sprays up and slams into your face, covering your goggles and hitting the back of your throat.
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The miniscule moment between the kick out of one turn (preferably in powder) as you almost hover before dropping into the next and repeated all the way down. It's accompanied by a supreme relaxed confidence in that you also know you just cannot and will not fall and so accordingly everything just goes into slow motion. Let's get pretentious and call it zen.
Only ever managed it about three times in my whole skiing life. I thought it's what we all keep chasing year in year out - no?
It's my completley unscientific theory that all sports have this in some way (I've never been good enough at any others to experience it) and top level sportspeople have the ability to hit this zone in their chosen activity time and time again ...lucky bishtards!
My anti-moment would be the rest of my skiing life.
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I've always liked this from Andrew McLean
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| In the right conditions, one of the coolest things about steep skiing is that it can almost be effortless as you hardly need to unweight at all to send yourself flying into space on a 50-degree slope. Once you unweight, there is a brief moment when you are suspended above the snow, facing straight down the hill and completely airborne. This is the stuff that causes people to become terminal ski bums. |
(although it's a bit more like 45 degrees for me
anti-moment is when it's just a bit too steep/exposed for me and i cak my pants and sideslip 
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It's undoubtedly because I'm a less proficient skier than the majority here (and, er, slightly less good than Shane) but I'm probably in a minority in saying that my moment involves other people, when you have the place competely to yourselves but you're in a group of friends or with your OH, you're skiing like a goddess*, so are your friends, the conditions and surroundings are amazing, and it would just be totally pointless to even try to say anything to each other because it's just so obvious that you're all feeling, "wow, this is just... wow".
* "the moment" being about your feelings and perceptions rather than actual reality obviously.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Going over a crest without hesitation and without breaking your turning rhythm.
The combined feeling of turning while letting your legs follow the terrain is what does it for me. Even better if you can time it so you're looking down the fall-line just before the crest. (Plus of course, safer if visibility is at all dodgy, because you'll be in the perfect position to do a hockey stop if someone/something's lurking just the other side...)
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For me it's the zen feeling after the initial nerves you get standing looking into a line when you actually commit. The anti-moment is when this doesn't happen and you spent the entire descent over-analysing everything. I get the same with climbing as well the performance difference between the two is pretty noticeable as well.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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b]Arno[/b], "This is the stuff that causes people to become terminal ski bums."  O yes!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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miranda, that's definitely what I'm talking about.
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You know it makes sense.
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Hitting early morning fresh overnight powder on piste and skiing it at a decent speed with a lovely rhythm.
Anti - At the end of the above when your mate says that skiing behind you was like following a fooking snow plough.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Quote: |
Being well enough balanced at the end of a turn in choppy powder that I'm able to retract my feet underneath me to initiate effortlessly the next turn.
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That would indeed be a great moment but not one I've ever experienced. 
For me, "the moment" is sometimes on a lift, looking round and taking in spectacularly beautiful surroundings and thinking "actually, it's just about being here, not how good/bad/indifferent I am at skiing".
Forget all those anxious, egotistical, moments of feeling like a god, or despising yourselves!! Lose the self, just savour the mountain moment.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| pam w wrote: |
Forget all those anxious, egotistical, moments of feeling like a god, or despising yourselves!! |
I think for many people "the moment" is about successfully meeting a challenge that you are completely and utterly immersed in, and the sense of well-being - the lack of anxiety or conscious effort - that comes with that.
I think some moments of frustration when you can't recapture that is fairly normal. Got to feel the lows to appreciate the highs and all that...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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miranda, the mountains just help me keep it in proportion "I lift up mine eyes to the hills"
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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pam w, you know, if Buddha got out on a powder day and glided down the very steep and very deep effortlessly on a perfect bluebird day, I reckon even he might have a brief moment of thinking "hey, maybe I am a god after all"...
TBH, I don't think anyone here actually thinks they're a god or really does despise themselves.
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| miranda wrote: |
TBH, I don't think anyone here actually thinks they're a god. |
Yea right 
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pam w has it spot on. One more sleep to go YAY!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| pam w wrote: |
| Forget all those anxious, egotistical, moments of feeling like a god, or despising yourselves!! Lose the self, just savour the mountain moment. |
I savour the mountains as well, but for me it pales compared to the actual skiing. I enjoy being in the mountains, being with friends, enjoying the scenery and all the other aspects of skiing holidays, but none of that makes my heart soar like the skiing does 
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queen bodecia, Enjoy it... sounds as if the snow will be fantastic.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| fatbob wrote: |
| What's the moment in skiing for you? |
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Samerberg Sue, yay, maybe the weather gods like me after all. See ya there hun! 
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Effortless carving turns down a freshly groomed run as you race the sunrise shadow back down to the village. I'll never see another run like it and still die happy.
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You know it makes sense.
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I have two, wanring [proud dad moment coming in a minute]
1, Carving a whole set of turns down Fang in St Anton first run of the morning last March, just after it had been pisted and was a smooth carpet of corn- slush.
2, Same day following my son down Fang at about 4.30 and thinking S#1t, he can now ski properly as he skied down like a demon on massive slushy moguls; about 4 or 5 people stood by and watched as he romped down. I had to stop I was giggling so much....
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Frosty the Snowman,
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Hitting early morning fresh overnight powder on piste and skiing it at a decent speed with a lovely rhythm.
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Yesss! I remember doing that twice on Creux in Courchevel - magic. Luckily there was nobody around to tell me I was skiing like a snowplough.
Anti-moment(s) - reverting, as I do quite frequently, to every single bad habit I've worked so hard to eradicate.
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Poster: A snowHead
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There are lots of 'moments' for me when skiing, which is why I love it so much. Everything from the early morning walk out to the lift with a foot of freshly fallen powder under foot, the feeling of utter freedom only mountains seem to inspire, looking back at the fresh tracks just laid down on your favourite line, to a well earned coffee and pain-au-choc. It's all good until you have to go back home, which is most definitely the anti-moment
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FAQ
sun is coming out for Thursday and Friday too! 