|
This site is not associated with any ski area. Use of any page
means you accept the SkiMyBest Site Use
Agreement or
EXIT NOW.
"SKIING
IS A SLIDING SPORT":
Tactics for Terrains and Snow Textures--
Skiing Gates/Racing
by Bill Jones, Ski Instructor
Certified Professional Ski Instructor (Registration #110478)
Toni
Sailer, winner of 7 World Championships, likened his racing to throwing a stone:
"The stone flies by itself and it lands by itself. I get the prize because the
stone flew well. Why did it fly well? Because I threw it the right way."
--Ski, February 2008, page 27.
Gates are thin poles or squat stubs set on ski slopes through which skiers
pass (if set in pairs) or turn around (if set singly) They are used to produce
standard routes or courses for skiers to practice consistent turns, isolating
some of the variables of a ski slope. "Turn here, Now!" the gate requires, a
discipline that is important for skiers to acquire rather than shopping the
slope for a better place to turn, which may not be found and at least will
interrupt the rhythm of the skiing.
Of course, gates are also used for racing, with elapsed times down the course
being recorded and compared for the racers.
Skiers should be at level 6 (parallel skiing) to fully enjoy running gates or racing.
Gates are set down a ski hill in various configurations to produce different
kinds of turns and challenges. Sometimes they are closely spaced; other times
far apart so that it is not readily apparent that they describe a linked set. In
either case, gates are set by a trained person so the desired skier turns are
required. And as each skier passes down the course, the track is grooved into a
developing rut. The more skiers, the deeper and rougher the rut becomes. Thus
the course is not available to those who are not part of the invited group. If
in doubt about an invitation, find the course setter and ask whether the course may be
run.
Persons running gates are focused on their task and to do it well they cannot
be distracted by slope traffic. Often the ski hill where the gates are placed is
closed to the public, with signs stating that. To ski such a closed area, or
even near a course, risks a collision with a racer or training skier who does
not expect you to be there. And, one never crosses the line of a ski course
without at least first checking upslope to be sure the path is clear, and
sometimes it is necessary to ask permission to cross and then wait until it is
granted..
"O.K., so running gates is good for skiing. But why race through them?", many
skiers ask. They demur they are not competitive. Many of those who so state do not know
themselves well. It often happens that once a skier runs a course and gets a
timed result, the fires light and the course is run again and again, with
requests for coaching to run it faster and beat ...(whomever). Many ski areas
provide posted areas where gates can be run and times obtained, often for a fee.
Many ski areas provide courses set daily with automatic timers. Usually thee
is a small charge by the resort to run these, but some allow ski school patrons
to race free.
There are also National Standard Races or NASTAR (www.nastar.com)
in which a skier can get a time on a course that is calibrated
daily against top skiers in the country. Here's how this works: After the course
is set, a top local racer at the skier ru ns the course and gets a time. That
skier is already ranked against the best by an elaborate point system. Then when
your time is recorded it is compared against the time of the top local racer,
and therefore the best in the country. Standards are set for percentages within
the top local racer's time, by gender and with handicaps for age; and medals
given out for bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. The best
citizen racers are then invited to ski in national championships.
Because race courses are often set on hard snow areas, also see
Skiing Hard Snow/Ice. But during snowy times, race
courses may be softer, too, and then a soft touch is necessary to avoid pressing
into the snow, causing more friction and a loss of speed.
A final word: Eventually, after selecting the tactic to apply,
you must "Point the skis down the
hill; let them buck; the mountain will teach you!"
Contents of "TACTICS FOR TERRAINS and SNOW
TEXTURES":
Overview
Skiing Groomed Snow
Skiing Hard Snow/Ice
Skiing Gates/Racing--you are here
Skiing Among Trees
Skiing Narrow trails
Skiing Moguls
Skiing Powder Snow
Skiing Cold Snow-Warm Snow/New Snow-Old Snow
Skiing "Spring" Snow
Skiing Steeps
"SKIING
IS A SLIDING SPORT"--a skiing web manual: Skiing
Web
Manual Contents Why Read
This Skiing Web Manual That
First Lesson A
Little Skiing History
A Little Skiing History Motion
in Skiing
Conventional Skiing Wisdoms
Skier Excuses Fear
in Skiing
Conditioning for Skiing How Skis
Work
Equipment and Technique
Skiing Equipment
How
to Develop Balance on Skis
A Skiing
Turn Simplified TACTICS FOR TERRAINS and SNOW
TEXTURES
Skiing Tips and Tales--a potpourri
Children
and Skiing
Age and Skiing
Gender & Skiing
Culture & Skiing
Skiing Ethics and Slope Survival
Slope Safety Skiing
Environment Glossary
Acknowledgements
SkiMyBest Website Contents
This "Skiing Gates" page last modified
01/02/2009: \SkiMyBest\skigates.htm.
Copyright © 2010 William R Jones.
| 
How
To Reserve a Private Ski Lesson with Bill Jones
Ski
Slope Ratings Skier Skill Levels 1-9 Skiing
as a Career Lnks to Skiing Websites
Skiing Discussion Forum
BOOKS and VIDEOS
Skiing Humor A dedication...
"SKIING IS A SLIDING SPORT"--a skiing
web manual:
contents
Go to
Search Form on SkiMyBest Contents page
www.skimybest.com (for weather, mountain cams)
