Vertigo on the ski slopes and a nifty senior clinic

I've noted earlier here the new Mt. Rose Seniors Ski Clinic when it reopened the first week of January. As before, it is headed by Rusty Crook, last year's Western ski instructor of the year. Rusty has been involved in skiing since he raced on the pro circuit and back in 1960 when he helped set up the alternate venue for the Squaw Olympics in case there wasn't enough snow there.

I joined Rusty and a small group for the Seniors clinic (those 50 and older) Monday during a morning of dense clouds, falling snow, cold temperatures and flat light. The clinic was small because of the weather; they've been having groups of 50 or more; it's so much more popular now than when it was free last year. Now it's $10 for a continental breakfast and the two-hour clinic Monday,s Wednesdays and Fridays. The popularity of the clinic has Mt. Rose furnishing four more instructors to join Rusty and Linda Good (she's taught in Europe at Kitz and other famed resorts) with the instruction.

Rusty and Linda met our group amid falling snow and winds. We took the six-pack to the mountain top, where the visibility was near zero.

We headed for the Kit Carson Bowl, a nice pitch with plenty of room. But at once I found it difficult if not impossible to ski down the moderate slope to the bowl. I was puzzled; I'd skied this a hundred times without pausing and here I was sideslipping down a moderate slope. The problem persisted; I couldn't make a turn, fell a couple of times and only with the help of a considerate couple and a caring snowboarder did I make it down the bowl to the relative flat runs. Many thanks to all of them who tried to help me.

Back at the lodge I was told that Rusty had aborted the clinic as he was suffering from vertigo " which was, I decided, what happened to me. This was the first time I had suffered the problem in all my years of skiing, and I found out quickly why.

At the mountain top there were no trees or other visible sights, and since I had for the first time tried to ski without my regular glasses I became disoriented quickly. It seems vertigo can be triggered when the brain has no fixed reference point as in the near whiteout conditions. You're never too old to find some new way of getting into trouble.

Later Rusty filled me in on how the new clinic was working.

"Our program is better than ever this year. We are charging a low fee of $10 for a continental breakfast and a two-hour clinic. Mt.Rose is giving us four instructors to deal with the increasing group of skiers. We meet every Monday,Wednesday, and Friday at the Timbers Bar in the Mt. Rose lodge 8:30-9:30 a.m. for breakfast and 9:30-11:30 a.m. is the clinic.

"We also have three-day Silver Lining seminars February and March 10-12. This is a program that includes video analysis and an audio tape for each participant," said Rusty. Details at 775-849-0704.

The other great deal is Mt Rose is offering Clinics for Women every Thursday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. These are free and headed by Linda Good.

As far as the vertigo is concerned, Rusty says that as we age we lose some of our mental and physical skills, no matter how hard we work to avoid it.

"Just recognize that you're not 18 any more, I tell me seniors classes," says Rusty.

He, incidentally, wears the new medallion of the Professions Ski Instructors of America certifying that he has had special training in teaching seniors.

Rusty has a DVD titled "New Body Movements for Shaped Skis" which he sells at Mt. Rose Ski School for $10. It's an excellent introduction to contemporary ski techniques and particularly suitable for seniors wanting to improve their skiing.

DIAMOND PEAK RESKED

Intermediate/advanced freestyle skiers and snowboarders are invited to participate in a one-of-a-kind event, the Stallar Jiblet. This has been rescheduled. The Stallar Jiblet will take place on special features in front of the base lodge deck. The Saturday-Sunday event is open to skiers and snowboarders of intermediate/advanced abilities and the divisions are as follows:

Special features will be made just for the Stallar Jiblet. It'll be a jam-style format with a winner-take-all cash prize for each of the Open divisions. The price of the event is $10 or $5 if participants wear a costume (per day). All of the registration money goes into a winner-take-all pot. The awards ceremony will be held on Sunday after the event and prizes include two Stallar snowboards, Diamond Peak swag, and more.

For more information regarding this event, contact Kayla Anderson at 775-832-1120.

HIKING IN THE CITY

If you're ever stuck in Palo Alto or Mountain View, Calif., and are itching for an easy hike to shake off city blues, try the Outdoor Sculpture at Stanford University in Palo Alto ("tall tree" if you've ever wondered about the translation). It's easy and offers fine outdoor art. You start at The Oval on campus at Josef Albers "Standford Wall" and pick up a map. Some of the more famous works on display include Auguste Rodin's "Burghers of Calais," and his "Gates of Hell." George Segal's "Gay Liberation" and Jacques Lipchitz' "Song of the Vowels" are also there. So is Alexander Calder's, "The Falcon." This is a free exhibit and takes one about the very upscale campus. Lots of other fine works and the hike is not very demanding. A fine way to break a day at the Bay area. And not much snow.

TIPS TO AVOID THE ACL

The ACL knee injury in recent years has become more common as leg and ankle breaks in skiing have declined, largely because of the wide use of the German DIN system for adjusting ski bindings. The ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) is crucial to keeping the knee aligned and is a major injury. A research firm in New England filmed hundreds of ski accidents, searching for common situations that caused ACLs. They found that in almost all cases the skier's hands were behind the body, the body was behind the center of the skis, weight was mostly on the downhill ski allowing the other ski to go off in a split that wrenched the knee.

So, if you're going to fall, make sure you fall forward and that your hands stay out front. Try to keep the skis together to prevent the split. This will help avoid ACLs but not prevent them completely. Of course, most will recognize that the precautions are basically just good skiing positions. Keeping the hands out front alone will do a lot of good, both for the skiing and for falling.

- Contact Sam Bauman at 775-841-7818 or at sambauman@att.net.