This column is dedicated to celebrating outdoor recreation in the Seymour area.
Whether you are an adrenaline junkie or a Sunday afternoon ambler, there’s a slice of nature waiting for you to discover in Deep Cove. Every month we ask an outdoor recreation enthusiast east of Seymour to give us some advice on how to navigate nature in our backyard.
For February, we asked David Whiteside, a Mt. Seymour ski instructor, to give us some tips on how to make the most of the prime snow conditions our local hill has been boasting as of late. Here’s what he had to say:
Whether you’re sliding on snow for the first time or looking for the steepest pitch on a powder day, every skier has something they can improve on. Here are some tips and some of my favorite spots on the mountain for skiers of all abilities. Folks coming up to ski for the first time can be nervous as anything, or ready as ever to start speeding down the slopes. Whatever the case is, safety is absolutely paramount, and there’s no better place to do that than in Mt. Seymour’s learning area, right next to the Alpine Activity Centre.
You’ll often see us instructors out there in our bright green jackets guiding beginners, but it’s a fantastic spot for the general public to get going too. It has a gentle grade and a gradually sloping bank and the bottom to prevent anyone who loses control from sliding too far and hurting themselves, and some mats for skis to grip to aid with getting back to the top. Once you’re sliding in control, head over to the Goldie Magic Carpet for a bigger hill to try your turns out, as well as an easy lift to the top!
When starting out, balance is vital. Before you start sliding, bend your ankles, knees and hips, and try to feel even pressure across the whole length of your foot. If you think of a basketball player about to make a shot, that’s a good idea of what you should look like: a sturdy “ready position.” Try making a “wedge” shape with your skis to control your speed and stop by turning your feet so that your toes point in and your heels point out, but make sure your skis don’t cross. When you feel comfortable with the wedge, use your feet to turn that wedge left and right.
You’ll feel some pressure building up on the downhill side of your turn, but that’s OK.
Some of my favourite runs to ski at the intermediate level are Rookies, which runs right underneath the Lodge chairlift, Seymour 16’s, and Manning, which comes down from the Mystery chairlift. While fairly straightforward for the most part, these runs each have a steep pitch on them which challenges intermediate skiers and gets them thinking about how they're turning the skis, and how they're managing their balance.
If you’re having trouble starting your turns on the steeper parts without moving your whole body around, try straightening your knees, ankles, and hips to release some of the pressure on your skis at the start of the turn. This should make it easier for your feet to do the work – just make sure to get low in your stance again when you finish the turn.
For advanced skiing, my favorite place to be is on the Brockton chairlift, especially when fresh snow has fallen. Some of the steeper pitches on runs like Stern’s Stairway and Cliff House provide awesome terrain to practise shorter turns and really test out your mobility as a skier.
Unicorn, off of Northlands via the Mystery Chairlift, is a close second for me. If you’re tackling these steeps, make sure you steer your feet hard across the hill at the end of your turn, and keep your shoulders and hips facing downhill. This forces your knees up the hill more and gets way more performance out of your edges, allowing you some much needed grip.
See you on the slopes!
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