Double Black: A Ski Diva Mystery

Friday, June 29, 2007

Staying in shape for ski season.

The summer solstice has come and gone, the days are getting shorter.

Yes, I know it's not even the Fourth of July, but ski season will be here before you know it. So if you want to be ready to tackle the slopes without doing yourself damage, it makes good sense to stay in shape during the off season.

Some suggestions:

Do something you enjoy: Whether it's cycling or swimming, running or roller blading, staying in shape is easier if it's something you like to do.

Set realistic goals: Don't try a 10k run first crack out of the box. Start small and move up in small increments, whether it's the weight you're using or the time you spend on a bike.

Make fitness a priority: One of the toughest things about staying in shape is finding time to exercise. So make an appointment with yourself to work out. If you set aside the time, it's harder to duck.

Get advice from the experts: A personal trainer, a fitness guru, someone who knows how you can make the most out of your workouts and teach you how to do them properly, without injury.

Workout with friend: More fun for you, better for you both.

Register at TheSkiDiva.com, an internet forum especially for women skiers: This is a great place to talk about skiing and fitness all year round. A great way to stay motivated!

Friday, June 22, 2007

Coming to a TV near you.

The Ski Channel, a video-on-demand channel brought you to by Time Warner and Steve Bellamy, founder and former president of The Tennis Channel.

Launching the first quarter of 2008, the Ski Channel will focus on year-round mountain activities: skiing (of course), boarding, climbing, orienteering, hiking, biking, camping, kayaking, caving, and the always indeterminate "and more."

According to Bellamy, "We’re going to create an incredible network that everyone sitting in every living room in America can watch. Serving skiers and mountain enthusiasts is going to be 100 percent of our focus – we’re going to understand their every want and need, whether it’s in our coverage of competition, destination travel, equipment insight and instruction, or those off-season, ancillary sports like hiking and mountain biking, to which we’ll also devote a significant amount of instruction. By understanding them and integrating with them at every turn, we will build a great media vehicle that will help to grow the snowsports industry."

Sounds good. Wonder if they'll have anything related to women's skiing.....

Be sure to visit TheSkiDiva.com, an internet forum especially for women skiers, where women skiers can connect with one another to talk about everything and anything ski-related.

Monday, June 18, 2007

Something you can do in the off season.

You can do what a friend of mine, Steve Kendra, is doing:

Cycle across America.

Steve is part of a team called "Ari's Angels" that's participating in the Race Across America. The charge of his team: to raise money for The Children's Tumor Foundation, an organization whose mission is to end Neurofibromatosis (NF) through research.

NF is a progressive and debilitating genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow randomly throughout the body, along the nerves and nerve endings. It can cause brain tumors, blindness, deafness, bone abnormalities, learning disabilities, and more. NF occurs in more than one in 3,000 births and is more common than Cystic Fibrosis, hereditary Muscular Dystrophy, and Huntington’s Disease combined. Currently, there are no effective treatments and NO CURE for NF.

Steve and his team began their journey in Oceanside, CA, on June 12, and expect to complete it in Atlantic City, NJ, on Friday, June 22. They've seen it all: From the mountains to the prairies indeed. And they've persevered with humor, strength, and dedication that are lessons to us all.

Those of us who are not along for the ride can follow Steve's journey at Ari's Angels' Blog. And you can make a donation to his team by visiting Active Giving.com.

Be sure to visit TheSkiDiva.com, an internet forum especially for women skiers, where women skiers can connect with one another to talk about everything and anything ski-related.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Match Game.

Do you care if your skis/boots/jacket/pants are color coordinated?

To be honest, I really don't. Not much, anyway. I'd like my pants and jacket to match. And this is pretty easy to do; my pants are black, so they go with everything.

But as far as equipment goes, I couldn't give a rat. I go for function and fit rather than color. Years ago, however, I had a pair of purple boots, which I absolutely HATED -- then again, they were just crappy boots. Though the color didn't help any.

Despite all of this, my new boots and skis actually match -- but that's merely a happy coincidence. My skis (Fischer Vision 73's) are orange. And my boots (Nordica Speed Machines) are blue, white and orange.

Is it too girlie of me to be glad they do??????

Be sure to visit TheSkiDiva.com, an internet forum especially for women skiers, where women skiers can connect with one another to talk about everything and anything ski-related.

Saturday, June 09, 2007

The non-skiing partner.

What do you do if you have a passion for skiing -- and it isn't shared by the one you have a passion for?

That's a tough one.

For me, it meant years of not skiing, until my sweetie decided to give it a try. Now he's as hooked (well, almost as hooked) as I am.

But I think it'd be difficult to balance a relationship between someone who skis and someone who doesn't. I know some women who do. Their husbands don't ski, so they just go out and do it themselves. Hey, a lot of men do that without their wives, so why not?

Trouble is, most women feel guilty about doing things that are only for them. In the interest of being the perfect wife or mother, they seem to discard the things that bring them joy -- like skiing. Call it socal conditioning, call it responsible thinking, it's hard to shake.

Finding a supportive group of like-minded women certainly helps (shameless plug for TheSkiDiva.com, the internet discussion forum for women skiers). So give us a try.

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Map Quest.

Wouldn't life be easier if you could look at a trail map and actually see if a run is right for you? I mean, it isn't always apparent; something you think is a downhill trail may actually go across the mountain. Or it could be much too steep for your ability. Wouldn't it'd be nice to know before you commit?

Face it; the usual blue and black symbols just don't always tell the story.

Here are two sites that can help:

Ski.com's interactive 3D trail maps. and 3D Ski Maps.

Both can give you a better sense for the terrain than a flat, one-dimensional map, so you'll have a better idea about what you're getting in to, before you even get there.

Check 'em out.

Be sure to visit TheSkiDiva.com, an internet forum especially for women skiers, where women skiers can connect with one another to talk about everything and anything ski-related.