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WELCOME TO OUR LADIES LOUNGE. This is your place to read about common sense solutions for all things about women and skiing. You will find no deep rational discourse here, just fun and sensible talk about the sport we love. To facilitate the chatter, we have started a forum also called ladies lounge. To share your thoughts simply click here.

SKI TALK IN THE LOUNGE

Fun Trivia    Ski Fitness for Women    Facts About the Femme    Women's Ski Gear

Women's Ski Gear Rocks On Despite.............

EXCERPT FROM THE LADIES FORUM: Even after years of progress, revolutionary designs and solid products, a lot of women aren't yet sold on the idea of women specific ski gear. True, in the beginning it wasn't all that, but it really has evolved; today's models are credible and have numerous choices for skill level and preference. Sadly, there is still some remaining stigma like "I ski with the boys, so I don't want a girl's ski". Too bad, because for most of us it's the best solution. Some points to consider:

- Skis are lighter and more maneuverable by finesse versus power.
- The waist is farther forward to match a woman's lower center of gravity.
- Boots are lighter, warmer, more flexible & have a wider cuff to accommodate a calf muscle which is   typically lower and larger than a man's.

Fun trivia about women's gear:

- Forty percent of all skiers are women.
- Women specific skis account for 36 percent of the market
- The first female specific skis were built for Susie Chaffee.
- In 1986 Blizzard introduced the Fame, the first women's skis to come with forward mounted bindings.
- In 2005 Roxy became the first company to produce only women's skis.

Check out this article for more options http://www.skinet.com/ski/gear/2009/07/ ... men-s-gear

The September issues of Ski and Skiing magazines have info and gear guides for women's gear.

Women's Ski Forum      Site Map       Top      Ski Tips     Free On-Line Ski Lessons   


SKI FITNESS FOR WOMEN AND ER, THE SECURE MAN

This DVD will get you fit to hit the slopes! (Start now & leave 'em in a cloud of cold smoke next season!)        

               

Two-Time Olympic Mogul Skier, Anja Bolbjerg Joins Our Team!

Anja knows that having fun on the slopes is directly related to your fitness level and who better to train with than this two-time Olympian, while in the privacy of your own home. Her fantastic body sculpting and get-ready-to-ski Fitness DVD is available right here in our store. With this unique learning tool you will most likely become the best skier in your posse. Get fit, then school the "boys" in the bumps and all over the mountain.

Below, Anja tells you exactly why training with her Ski Fitness DVD will make you a better skier quickly:

Ski-specific Training Will Make You a Better Skier....

When you train specifically for skiing you will attack the slopes - on or off piste – with lots of advantages: 

·        You will be stronger

·        You will have a better balance for skiing.

·        You will stand way stronger from the beginning of the season, than if you just ski yourself in shape. 

·        You will be better at saving those situations where you get out of balance

·        You will reduce the risk of injury 

Skiing is different from other sports in many ways. One way is that the physical effort is mostly about keeping your balance and resisting to external forces.  These forces get bigger the harder you ski.

If Old Injuries are Haunting you....

If you have to deal with sore knees or an aching back every time you are out there – then ski-specific training is definitely what you need in order to change that.  With an efficient ski training program you will 

·     Improve the stability around the spine and the knee and hip joints to help you avoid getting into those painful end-of-range positions and

·     Improve the strength in your legs, hips and core to effectively help you against overexertion and fatigue injuries on your precious ski days.

The sooner the better – but even if you didn’t get started in fall, remember that some training for skiing is better than none.  The most important is that you train consistently once you start.  Follow a program that works the muscles around your hips, knees and spine and that incorporates elements of balance.  You can improve your balance a lot in just one month with the right exercises. 

The easy way to get fit for skiing is by following the program in her Ski Fitness DVD>

Anja Bolbjerg: Freeride and Mogul Skiing at Val Thoren GO>

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WOMEN'S SKIER-CROSS NEWS

Update 12/2008: Tine, from right here in the ladies lounge, will wear the U.S. Team Suit this season - stay tuned!

Update 03/14/08:  Tine places 7th at Sun Valley in International Skier-Cross Event! See the bottom of this page for all the details.

Update 02/04/08:  Tine places 17th in World Cup Skier Cross and 2nd among U.S. women.

Christine Cordeau was one of the top two U.S. skiers in the World Cup Ski Cross event held at Deer Valley, UT this week (02/04/08). It was Tine's first World Cup event and she placed 17th just behind Langley McNeal, who also skis for the U.S. This was a remarkable accomplishment for Tine and we will all stay tuned for more great finishes as she gets her groove on in this dangerous, high speed sport that will debut in the 2010 Olympics at Whistler, Canada. Christine is a graduate of both SITS and SVMM. SEE TINE SKI


SKI TALK CONTINUED......

More women than men try skiing every year, yet men outnumber women on
the slopes two-to-one. Why?

          We can certainly enjoy skiing at least as much as our male counterparts, just remember that we are different, and have a few challenges to overcome. Jeannie Thoren, one of the pioneers of women specific ski gear sums it up as “women are not just little men”. Now is a great time to be a woman skier because of Jeannie and others like her, who have challenged equipment manufacturers to make gear specifically for our anatomy.

Facts about the Femme

  • Women have a different center of gravity, with more weight distributed in the bottom half of the body(a bit more junk in the trunk).

  • Women have wider calves and narrower heels.

  • Even athletic, powerful women are not as strong as men of comparable size. 

This all makes it more difficult to get on the front of your skis, and if you are not on the front of your skis, you will not have fun! 

It’s not your imagination ladies; you really do get cold more easily than guys. Here’s why:

  • Men have more muscle mass which generates heat.

  • Women have a higher ratio of surface to volume, so we lose heat faster.

  • Women have a higher vasoconstriction threshold temperature, which means that as external temperature falls, blood flow to the skin is restricted in order to divert blood to internal organs.  This is a mechanism Mother Nature gave us to protect unborn babies. 

In coming weeks we will delve into different women-specific ski equipment and also explore solutions that will help us overcome “Facts about the Femme” differences that hold us back from being every bit as good as those man-skiers  

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How gear can help – basic differences between men and women’s equipment

 Women specific boots:

  • Are lower volume, have narrower heel pockets, more adjustable cuffs, and softer forward flex.  Adding heel lifts and rear spoilers (plastic reinforcements in the back of the cuffs) can help you get and stay forward. Custom insoles are also a necessary investment.

  • Are designed to sit at the proper place on the calves to allow for maximum comfort and flex, and to fit the foot without pinching and cutting off circulation.

  • Have plush liners that are standard in modern good quality women’s boots and along with the proper fit add up to warm and cozy. 

Women specific skis:
  • Are lighter and easier to flex.  

  • The mounting point of the binding is farther forward than on men’s skis. 

  • The waist of the ski is farther forward. 

  • The sidecut of the ski is designed to work with the forward binding position. 

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Find the right stuff 

Do your gear homework – read reviews, and go out and visit specialty ski shops.  A good ski shop can provide a wealth of information, just make sure to express your expectations and be honest about your abilities.  Seek out women who work in the shop and ask their opinions.

The cardinal rules of purchasing are:                                   

1)     Demo skis before you buy, being sure to try the different skis in exactly the same snow conditions so your comparisons are valid. There is a helpful guide to ski testing in the September 2006 issue of Ski Magazine. Your can get this back issue by calling Time4Media Customer Service at: 1 (800) 464-2819.                                                      

2)     Buy boots from a shop with a professional boot fitter who is willing to make infinite adjustments until you are happy. You should both agree that you will need to ski in your boots, then return to the shop for final adjustments at no additional charge to you. When you first ski in your boots, you may experience “hot spots”. These are the areas where you foot hurts inside the boot. Alleviate these spots immediately by returning to your boot fitter for an adjustment. This is very important because your foot may quickly respond to pain by growing bone spurs, etc. Never ski in pain, but don’t buy boots just because they are so-very-comfortable right out of the box. You need to spend time customizing the inside of your boots to the exact shape of your foot. Make the boot fit snug everywhere around your foot, except in the toe box. The front of your boot needs to have some room to flex your toes a bit. For the rest of your boot, be sure to achieve a snug fit without pressure points.  

3)     If you are an all-mountain skier or a once-in-while recreational skier, always buy boots that have a free-floating upper cuff. This mean the upper cuff is not attached to the lower cuff at the rear spine of the boot. This type of boot allows you to more effectively and more easily flex your ankle forward, a necessity if you want to be a better skier. 

4)     Late each summer the major ski publications come out with gear guides for the upcoming season. Use them to help you decide what equipment best suites your needs.   

 

Tine Makes Top Ten at Sun Valley Skier Cross Event

Sun Valley was alive with world class ski competition and music during the 48STRAIGHT Jeep King of the Mountain stop. There was exciting skiing, street parties, bonfires, and plenty of loud music at the main tent in downtown Ketchum. Yet, through all the excitement one Weekend Warrior Skier stayed focused and got the job done. It was Tine Cordeau, from right here in the Ladies Lounge.

Skiing for the U.S., she placed a very respectable 7th in the International Skier-Cross event at Sun Valley this March 15th, 2008. The steep, fast course garnered the respect of every competitor, and still, there were a number of serious crashes. Fortunately no life-threatening injuries resulted.

Through it all, Tine persevered and came away with a nice cash prize and plenty of respect from the other competitors and the crowd. It was certainly the high point of her first season on the ski cross circuit and her best finish of the three events she entered. Look out next year, Tine is coming on strong!

For those of you that have never attended a Skier Cross event, this is a must-see. It is extremely exciting and like no other event on skis, as four competitors simultaneously race through a course laden with big jumps, steps, rollers, and fast fall-away turns. It will make a world debut on the big stage of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

 

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