my umpteen years as an instructor going in and out of exile . . . and
getting stepped on by PSIA ass-kissers and hoop-jumpers and lad-
der-climbers . . . are what have made me take the time to iron
things out and write this down. It's going turn the ski industry on
its ear, just like what needs to happen all across the board in our
modern misguided culture that rewards incompetence and bad
behavior. PSIA Examiners & Clinicians haven't taken the time to
sit-down and perfect what I know---they are immune from even
caring about Comfort Zone, because they are pretty much exempt
from skiing with the General Public, especially at the lower levels,--
-and Fully-Certified PSIA Instructors are "in like Flynn," so they
don't care either; and Intro-Level and Associate-Level PSIA In-
structors don't dare question anything, because they are more in-
terested in getting the canned-answers right, and they are too
whimpy and scared to question anything or have an original
thought as they try to climb the prestigious PSIA ladder.) . . . Let's
take our time looking at each variable, as there is a lot to talk about;
and plan on taking a ten-minute break after each variable.
The slope steepness is the most abused of the three variables,
with young and innocent skiers going too steep too soon and scar-
ing the crap out of themselves, not to mention all the well-meaning
friends and family coaxing them too steep too soon. I was guilty of
this myself in my own skiing, scaring myself by going too steep too
soon---in fact, my Mom had to join a support group, MASS, Moth-
ers Against Steep Slopes,---but, to my knowledge, one valley floor
can kill more people than all the steep slopes combined. All too
often, it is well-meaning friends taking friends too steep too soon---
it's not just what-n-how, it's who . . . and when-n-where-n-why.
And egotistical ski instructors are not immune to making this
98 --- Heinsian DOWNHILL SKIING
mistake of going too steep too soon with their students. There's a
little bit of pressure to get back to the locker room at the end of the
day and brag, "I got my class down WidowMaker!" implying "that's
how great a teacher I am." It can be awkward, after the classes are
divvied out, to be giving a decent lesson on an appropriate slope,
and the class you are addressing suddenly notices the class-level
below them . . . up on the next steepest slope "having more fun and
glory"---it can be tricky, not only defending your own stance on
being cautious, but also trying not to point out that one of your
fellow comrades may be blatantly in the wrong. It can take a confi-
dent and experienced instructor sometimes . . . to keep a whole
class from not contemplating a mutiny, especially at the upper-lev-
els of instruction.
But slope difficulty is not only abused, it is also misunder-
stood. If I had a dollar for every time I've heard someone repeat
the ignorant cliche, "How you gonna learn anything if you don't go
to steeper slopes?" I'd be rich. . . . Then, steepness alone isn't the
only variable affecting slope difficulty: some slopes that look cozy
and inviting can be much more difficult than students think; and
some scary looking runs can be much easier than they look, if the
student is willing to see it. Gullies or concave slopes may be com-
forting psychologically, where the mountain seems to shelter you,
but they can be difficult physically, because your tips-n-tails are
constantly digging in for high-skilled high-speed carving rather
than letting it be easy for you to steer and slip or skid. Knobs or
convex surfaces often tend to be easier physically, because they're
conducive to steering and edging right under the boot easier,
though they can be disconcerting psychologically, as the mountain
seems to offer infinity and drop-offs all around. Again, it takes a
pretty good instructor to sort all this out, and to help the students
see and feel it for themselves.
And so the easy slopes are often way too neglected, especially
by intermediate and advanced skiers who have stagnated in their
learning. They don't realize how much more they can do and learn
on the flat; they mistakenly think they always have to go steeper to
learn anything. The flat may be less romantic, but in a way it is just
as extreme as the steep. For instance, it's a pretty good skier who
can ski slow rhythmic parallel turns on the flat, with "not enough
mountain to work with." For the beginners and intermediates who
aren't ready for such a difficult task, I might flatter them by saying
"we need more mountain," which builds their confidence.
(It is interesting to note that most snow-boarders, self-shackled
Our Bottomless Topic: "How to Turn"---A Preview --- 99
as they are, don't like it too flat, and they don't like it too steep---
their self-imposed handicap is most comfortable on intermediate
terrain. This is why they make up seventy-percent of the clientele
at intermediate mountains but only a measly ten-percent at expert
mountains like Jackson Hole. It is also interesting that they can't be
happy with just natural terrain---oh, they like green or light-blue
gullies, but they can't find enough of them in nature, so they have
to have resort to long expensive high-maintenance Half-Pipes and
Terrain Parks.)
. . . While taking about slope difficulty, we need to share a
quick word about American Ski-Slope Classifications. Keep in
mind there can be some subjectivity involved, as some slopes with
differing widths and steepnesses can be tricky to put your finger
on, and some ski areas lean toward babying skiers, while other ski
areas have more frontier justice and don't coddle anyone.
Green Circle designates Beginner terrain, usually no more
than ten degrees in steepness, similar to a two-lane mountain
highway. The bunny-hill is usually the first thing packed-n-
groomed by the snow-cats after a storm, not only because the be-
ginning skiers need the easier snow, but also so that all the other
skiers passing through won't get bogged down---most of the easiest
terrain is usually found at the bottom of the mountain, leading to
any base lodges, as it should be. I like the idea that green designate
beginner terrain, because the beginning skiers themselves are
green, just like young green horses. Blue Square marks Intermedi-
ate slopes, anywhere from about ten to twenty-five degrees in
steepness---and these are generally wide enough but can be gully
shaped or knob-shaped. Groomed intermediate runs are usually
where the most regular skiing traffic is, because most skiers end up
as terminal intermediates---and advanced and expert skiers can
enjoy intermediate terrain also. Some bigger-n-steeper mountains
add an in-between sign here, Double-Blue Square, that doesn't
sugar-coat anything and could indeed be classified as advanced
anywhere else. Black Diamond designates Advanced-skier terrain,
usually twenty-five to forty degrees---and these slopes can be nar-
row with lots of trees and big rocks lying around, but traffic is usu-
ally not a problem. Black-diamond terrain may be impossible to
groom because of the steepness---and I know one female snow-cat
operator who crashed on a run like this and broke her back. . . .
One more sign: Double-Black Diamond designates Expert-only
ski slopes, probably forty-five or fifty degrees---these are steep, as
you feel like you can fall off the mountain more than falling onto it.
100 --- Heinsian DOWNHILL SKIING
In the old days, before double-black diamonds became more offi-
cial, one red-diamond was used to mark an expert slope---kind of
like antique yellow stop-signs on old gravel roads, relaxed com-
pared to real read stop-signs and a precursor to yellow yield-signs.
Speaking of yield signs, as long as there's snow on it, it will attract
the attention of expert skiers---and often there are "DANGER CLIFF
AREA" signs, in the form of a Yellow Triangle, lurking close by,
meaning "be ready to stop."
These are generally safe to go by, as most skiers can grab a
mountain map from the base lodge and find their way around the
mountain, meaning what lifts to go up or stay away from, and
what runs to come down. A lot of times you can stand at the bot-
tom of a lift, or look out the lodge window, to see what you might
be in for. Beware that some ski areas have been known to put a
Green Circle sign out-of-context up high on a lift and on the trail-
map for actual intermediate steepness: they mean well, by saying
that the intermediate slope is the "easiest" slope available up there,
but they don't realize it can bait novices who think it won't be any
more than ten-degrees in steepness.
If you make a mistake hovering over something you don't
think you can ski down, most of the time there is a 'safety valve' in
the way of a packed 'cat-walk' or traverse with signs to get you
over to easier terrain. Even if you have to traverse through tough
snow conditions, it's important to stay proactive and not to panic or
play the victim any more than necessary---a percentage of people
lately have learned to play the victim too often no matter what, and
that's not the route to freedom. If you run out of room and need to
traverse back the other way, even if you don't know how to do a
stand-still kick turn, which we'll teach the intermediates when they
are more receptive, it's not that difficult to lay up the hill, flip your
skis over to switch them to the other direction---then standing back
up on this steeper slope will be easy compared to doing it on the
bunny-hill. Be careful with this traversing plan though, because a
lot of low intermediates, without seeing the big picture of all their
options, will traverse out to the highest scariest knob and get stuck
on a pinnacle, like a kitten getting stuck up high in a tree---so you
might have to consider side-stepping or side-slipping down some
tough spots, to avoid traversing out to an even steeper area. For
what it's worth, even extreme skiers have to do this from time to
time. The worst thing that can happen is . . . a skier might have to
side-step up to an easier traverse, but the beginners and low-inter-
mediates aren't likely to find themselves in this situation. Once you
Our Bottomless Topic: "How to Turn"---A Preview --- 101
have a few skills under your belt, especially basic side-stepping,
which beginners should start learning within their first fifteen min-
utes, it's almost always better to keep your skis on and work things
out, because skis off give you nothing to stand on, as you can easily
start sliding on hard snow . . . or sink up to your waist in soft snow
(---this is why snow-boarders are sitting ducks in the back-country
without a pair of snow-shoes or a helicopter chasing after them).
Most ski areas have a network of catwalks zig-zag-traversing
across the mountain to help keep less-skilled skiers out of trouble---
these are usually snow-packed logging roads that snow-cats use in
the winter and maintenance vehicles use in the summer. They can
be treacherous scary-looking, but they are usually wide enough for
a snow-cat, and a straight wedge is usually manageable if you can
keep your wits about you and not focus too much on the steep
drop-off on one side. These catwalks may only be about twelve-
feet wide sometimes, so scared skiers should stay smack dab in the
middle, and advanced skiers should show tons of compassion and
courtesy when whizzing by. Every once in a while, an advanced or
expert skier might have to 'piggy-back' down a scared skier by
wedging strong enough for themselves and the passenger---this
may not be necessary, because ski-patrolmen with snowmobiles are
usually available if you only send a skier down to the next lift ter-
minal to call them.
As I've said elsewhere, too many black-diamond runs have an
accompanying sign that says "EXPERTS ONLY," but I don't quite
agree with this, because aggressive advanced skiers disobey this
sign all day long anyway, and demand that their ski instructor take
them there---they're fine, especially if they insist on it. But there is
such a thing as expert-only terrain a notch above the black-dia-
monds---this is double-black-diamond terrain, around forty-five or
fifty-degrees in steepness, like you can find at the tougher ski areas
like Jackson Hole, Wyoming, or Snowbird and Alta, Utah, Aspen,
Colorado, or Taos, New Mexico. In the old days, instead of a dou-
ble-black-diamond sign, expert terrain might have been marked
with a red diamond, kind of like an obsolete yellow stop-sign im-
plying you might not have to stop completely, which would be an
antique now. I went flying off a red-diamond run at Bridger Bowl
one time about 1980, ass over tea-kettle---I heard a guy yell from
the chair-lift . . . affectionately: "He ain't no pussy!"
(Take a five-minute break)
102 --- Heinsian DOWNHILL SKIING
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Green Circle
Blue Square
Black Diamond
"Easy"
"More Difficult"
"Most Difficult"
These three above are the most common signs,
but some ski areas have an in-between Double-Blue-Square,
Expert
DANGER---CLIFF AREA!
Double Black Diamond
Yellow Triangle
"Extremely Difficult"
"KEEP OUT!"
A rare Red Diamond is likely equal to a Double-Black Diamond.
---American Ski-Slope Classifications---
---But never forget:
intermediates can do more on beginner slopes,
advanced skiers do more on intermediate and beginner slopes,
experts do more on advanced, intermediate, and beginner slopes.
The snow condition is an equally important variable as the
slope itself, but it is much more subliminal to the untrained eye,
and it includes all weather conditions such as fog or flat light, . . .
maybe even dim lights, thick smoke, and loud loud music. ---
Whereas the slope is maybe the meat of skiing, the snow is the po-
tatoes and gravy. To name a few classic snow conditions: groomed
hard-pack, icy hard-pack, powder, crud, bumps. Obviously there
are more snow conditions, but these are the classic conditions you
would find especially in the Rocky Mountain and Intermountain
West, and I'll explain them more in a minute. The snow condition
is ironically the most neglected variable of the three: many millions
of skiers get spoiled with groomed hard-pack and quickly learn to
not try anything else, for a number of dysfunctional reasons. Obvi-
ously, machine-packed powder is softer than regroomed hard-
Our Bottomless Topic: "How to Turn"---A Preview --- 103
pack, but both are handy, especially for those who need to be pam-
pered when they aren't ready for powder, crud, or bumps. As a ski
instructor, I love untracked groomed runs and untracked powder,
because these two classic conditions are like having a clean chalk-
board to teach my lessons on.
When I say "hard-pack," this includes nice groomed hard-pack,
which is the case most mornings at most ski areas' main-thorough-
fare beginner and intermediate slopes, but it won't stay freshly
groomed forever: with traffic throughout the day, the hard-pack
becomes harder or icy, . . . then the snow-cats operate on these most
nights, just like mowing the fairways of a golf-course. You hear
people talk about "corduroy," which is groomed hard-pack not
tainted with tracks on it yet, and it is nice. When we say "ice," we
don't mean hard ice like figure skaters and hockey players would
be happy with; we just mean icy hard-pack snow, which can de-
velop because of humidity and traffic, especially the longer you go
without fresh snow or grooming. The term "powder" can mean
different depths and thicknesses in different parts of the country:
Utah truly does have "The Greatest Snow On Earth" because of how
light and deep and dry it gets; but the rest of the West from Alberta
and Montana to Arizona and New Mexico isn't far behind; Califor-
nia, Oregon, and Washington on the West Coast have thicker-
heavier powder, with more moisture content and affectionate
names like "Sierra Cement." It's been said that no two snowflakes
are alike, in nature anyway; but, with man-made snow, I say tril-
lions of those snowflakes are identical to each other, and it resem-
bles slippery sand or immediate hard-pack rather than powder.
"Crud" is nothing more than a term for tracked-up left-over pow-
der, and it's the next best thing to fresh powder in most recreational
experts minds, like left-over ThanksGiving turkey. "Bumps" is an-
other word for "moguls," which develop throughout the day natu-
rally from all the skiers turning and compacting the soft snow.
Then there are still other less-common or down-right rare condi-
tions that we'll touch on later, but we don't need to go out of our
way looking for them or worry about them for awhile.
It doesn't hurt novices or intermediates to stick their big-toe in
a few inches of powder on beginner terrain---in fact, this probably
doesn't get taught enough. Who better to help skiers have a plan
for new snow than a good ski instructor?---this is where my young-
horse experience really comes in handy, getting ski students used-
to foreign snow the same as you would get young horses used to
cattle or the rodeo atmosphere or ATVs whizzing by or whatever.
104 --- Heinsian DOWNHILL SKIING
Unfortunately, most bad ski lessons are probably due to instructors
not having a decent plan for their students learning new snow con-
ditions, even more of a problem than going too steep too soon---but
it's a subliminal problem, and no one has ever addressed it like
yours truly (and, if they do in the future, they probably got the idea
from me). There are droves of advanced skiers in this country who,
because of excessive snow grooming, good food, and inefficient ski
instructors, will fall down at the mention of powder or crud----too
much easy hard-pack without powder or mogul-oriented home-
work is the sign of a finicky skier---but they must learn it from
somebody. To me and many other experts in the business, on a big
powder morning, you groom just enough beginner and intermedi-
ate terrain to accommodate the lower-level skiers; but there's
nothing worse then impervious packing of powder---it's worse than
the indiscriminate cutting down of rain forests.
(One day about 2004 when I was teaching in Montana, we had
a big powder morning. The mountain management of this local ski
area left the main intermediate run ungroomed, much to my de-
light and anyone else who appreciates powder. But I saw a group
of a half-dozen advanced locals at the bottom looking up com-
plaining that the snow-cats were doing nothing about packing that
run. "What's wrong those snow-cats?" they said. "Why don't the
get up there and groom that for us?" They looked like locals who
had been skiing on-n-off for thirty years. I tried to tell them that I
could probably help them master the deep stuff, but they wouldn't
have anything to do with it. I took it as a stern comment on the
local dysfunctional lessons that had been available to them for the
last thirty years.)
A couple of snow conditions most people can stay away from
until they want it are: tricky wind-packed powder, icy moguls,
"mashed potatoes," "coral-reef," "railroad-track crud," "cattle-guard
crud," "sun-baked junk," "bullet-proof powder" that's been rained
on and frozen, "boiler plate," and the occasional chunks of ava-
lanche debris---I'm sure there are more,---but try not to hold it
against your instructor if you find yourself in it or on it by accident,
especially you intermediate and advanced skiers. You can usually
traverse carefully out of a bad snow condition without trying to be
a hero. The tricky wind-packed powder might be something ex-
perts go looking for on purpose, because of the challenge, when
there's not something more fun to go to---an expert might find it
interesting, and the advanced skiers on the chair-lift might be in
awe watching him ski it like they could never imagine. Icy moguls
Our Bottomless Topic: "How to Turn"---A Preview --- 105
are something almost no one enjoys, but they can be skied with
caution---even a smart expert will take them extra slow. Spring-
time slush, or "mashed potatoes," can make it hard to go on the flat
about the last week of the season, but it is nice for making moguls
soften-up; . . . however, the next cold morning, that slush in the
ungroomed moguls, might be dangerous frozen coral reef for
awhile---for no extra charge. Avalanche debris, hard big chunks of
snow that may have been triggered by the ski patrol at dawn, could
even be found on beginner terrain if the snow-cats haven't mowed
it over yet---but no need to panic: there are times when taking off
your skis and walking a little ways may be warranted.
Again, I'm just being fairly thorough here; but, most of the