333skis

Make your own powder ski and choose the design

Choose more than the design of your next powder skis. What about a ski which is all tailored to you, from A to Z.

Michael Lish in perfect harmony with the environment had recycles materials built a trailer where he makes skis on measure and with your own design. He uses a minimum of energy and always in respect with the nature. Michael offers to share his knowledge too with students from early age to university during his tour. The message is clear, ‘’ recycle is good ‘’.

His 20 years of experiences will help you get your ski perfectly like you want them. A reverse camber ski with more flex on the tips or a ski stiffer with addition of material on the top sheet, a radius of your choice, the possibilities are infinite. If you are a park rat and like rail you can reinforce yours skis with Kevlar and stay light. The videos on his website will help you understand every ski terminology to consider in your choice of fabric, shape, length, flexibility and design.

You can order a pair of ski without to be there to make it. A test drive is a great idea before to get your final product. You can order a demo pair of the skis you want to get. From there you will be able to decide what you want to change and improve in your ski and get your real dream ski with your own design. The design can be in wood veneers, hand crafted papers or the standard industrial finished graphic. If you want the industrial design you have to order the sheet by another company who will send it to 333 skis for few extra dollars. The demo skis are only 222 US$ and not refundable. At that price it is an excellent deal. The real dream skis are 333 US$. The 333 guarantee is direct from the hands of the man who make them. They are guarantee one year, no contract, no paper, you have a problem with your skis, call Michael and he will listen your ‘’skis’’ problem and try his best to fix the problem. Don’t mix up guarantee and insurance, skiing over a rock is not a ski problem but a skier problem, it’s important to make the difference.

If you feel that your design is awesome and all the ski specification will be a big seller, you can start your own line of skis and order a bigger quantity. In this case you have to order during the summer time during the low season.

Why is so cheap? The material use to make the skis are excellent, the price is low because Michael doesn’t rent a big expensive building, save on energy and pay himself a decent salary. You will not see big publicity. The mouth to ear is the only way used, let’s say that internet help too.

There will be five on the team for the winter 2010 to fabric skis. They will be able to make between 20 and 30 pairs per week on their second year on business. The team will probably expend quickly and few satellites will be created in the future.

You can fill up a form to order your own ski by the following link 333skis. Look all the website and video to help your choices and ask questions if you need more details. You can choose from some designs already made but the best is to get your own. What else is more unique than you create your own pair of skis? Don’t forget to answer all the questions and be fair in your descriptions. Your weight and your ski level are really important. If you over esteem yourself you will get a ski without forgiveness and will be quick out of your binding before to know what happen. 333skis will be happy to make the right ski for the right person. If you are impatient and don’t get the right attitude, Michael might probably suggest you just to go to get a cheap factory pair in the shop.

The best guide for Whistler

You plan to go to Whistler- Blackcomb and you want to discover the hidden spot. If you are an advance skier who know Whistler and want to discover new unnamed run on the map you will like this little guide Advance /Expert guide to Whistler Blackcomb .

In that book you will find the access for nice triple black like Bushrat, where to go in Spanky's Ladder, Hidden Chutes and 100 hundreds more of this unmarked runs.

So if you thing you had been everywhere in Whistler and still don't know where is Fraggle Rock, Bonsai, Elevator and more.

This little guide can fit in your pocket and believe me you will watch it for hour at the après to show to your friends where you have been. If you are not sure about where are the entrance for some of them or need help to be sure to not end at the wrong place I will recommend you to get a guide from the mountain.

Train your balance at home

It is great to arrive in th slope and feel 100% strong and confident. How to do it? Train before at home with different exercises. Muscles, cardiovascular fitness and balance skills should be part of your training.

The muscles
Any training at gym will be helpful to develop your endurance and strength. At home too you can practice exercises like squad. You put your back flat on the wall, your feet at approximate 2 feets from the wall and move don't keeping your lower legs vertical and your back flat. Do up and own move slowly. To develop more endurance stay at the position who ask you more effort to keep. Hold it for few seconds.

Cardiovascular Fitness
Your fitness is one of the most important part of your training. Running, swimming and biking are really popular and easy of access. Remember that when you will arrive in the slope you will have to ski for several hours, so a 15 minutes running a day will not be enough to make a big different. If you practice sport and activities like tennis, soccer, racquetball, etc... which ask a lot of movement and physical activities it will be good advantages to improve your cardiovascular fitness

Balance skill improvement
You have many way to train yourself from home here is a tool that you improve and develop your balance skills. The Fitter First® Bongo Board is simple and doesn't take space. You can practice at home in a limited space. This board hold on a wheel will request you a lot of balance to handle. Handle the toy like a pro, get the balance of a pro.

Get great result out of slope to improve your ski fitness !

You can check on you tube for bongo board like this video.Click here.

Ski conseil - Exercices pour débutant

Voici quelques exercices que vous pouvez pratiquer lors de votre première visite a la montagne entant que skieur. Tout d'abord pratiqué c'est quelques mouvement au pieds des pistes sur le plat ou petites pentes ou il est facile de marcher avec les skis.

Avec un seul ski
- glisser en lessant le ski en contact sur la neige comme sil s'agissait d'une trottinette. Vous pouvez vous servir de vos batons pour garder votre équilibre.
- Un autre exercice est de garder le devant du ski en place et pousser l'arrière du ski en utilisant votre jambe, pied et genou sans vous servir de votre haut du corp.
- Vous pouver ensuite lier les deux exercices ensemble.
- Glisser sur une pente de quelques metres en gardant votre équilibre le plus longtemps possible sans mettre votre deuxième pied sur la neige.

Ensuite avec les deux skis
- faites des ronds (360) sur place. Développer votre mobilité, amuser vous a marché avec les skis et glisser.
- Pratiquer a garder le devant de vos skis ensemble et former un V avec vos skis. Cette position est appelé chasse-neige.
- Sur une pente de quelques metres essayer de garder votre équilibre et glisser en ligne droite. Garder une position athlétique avec les mains devant.
- Pratiquer a glisser en position chasse-neige pour ralentir.
- Passer de la position chasse-neige a parallèle en ligne droite vous permet de gérer votre vitesse.
- Par la suite tenter de diriger la pointe de votre chasse-neige dans la direction souhaité pour effectuer des virages.

Pour un meilleur résultat et progresser plus rapidement je vous conseil de prendre des lessons avec un moniteur de ski. Choisissez votre moniteur en advance en visitant SkiProConnect le répertoire de moniteur de ski et planche a neige.

Visualisation and Anticipation - The Keys For Success on Ski

At any level of skiing you have to anticipate and visualize before you go on the slope. When you facing a challenging slope you have to imagine yourself doing it. You're mind need to be focus. To get a positive result you have to thinking positive. The anticipation is to be aware of the element around you, equipments, trees, snow condition and others skiers.
You will get a better result if you are able to imagine yourself conquering the challenge. Let's think about skiing a narrow steeps slope. Look the slope, analyse your trajectory, anticipate the elements around , imagine yourself doing it and do it. Think positive, stay 100% on a constructive way to reach the result. Breath and go, link the turns to keep your rhythm and your state of mind alert. Confidence is good but stay aware.
Before and on your way down expect change and do the adjustment. Listen the signs that your skis give to you, feel the moment and adjust yourself to the situation. Look for other alternative in your way down. You feel that you are too back on your ski and gaining speed, bring your hands forward, your knees and shoulder over your feet and retake control of your position. Be the driver and not the passenger.
Most of the time that people felt down is because they don't commit themselves to the turn, they let their skis going first and try to follow them. Which result to sitting on the back seat and loosing control. The fear of failing and falling is the cause of it. You have already on mind the apprehension, a negative anticipation. Erase that from your mind. After few little fall some people take confidence because the snow doesn't hurt and is soft. You can do it too.
To help you visualize, look what the better skiers do in this situation. From the simple idea to watch video of good skiers on bumps and keeping in mind their position and movement. For a better result on slope you can take a ski lessons and have your instructor giving you the model of what you want to copy. Your guide line in your visualisation.

Improve your turn - balance on your edges

On the video you will see the skier skiing down on the first part of Dave murray World cup run ( Olympic Whistler 2010). It take practice and patience to be able to turn your skis without to skid them. You want to use the shape of your skis to make clean turn.

First of all start pointing your ski down the hill to get speed. When you go enough fast start to roll slowly your ankles to get your balance on the edges of the skis. You want to have your balance on the ski which is in the outside of the curve. keep your body quiet and facing toward the base of your turn. Steering with your feet and be one with your skis.

The upper body is always quiet and your shoulders stay parallel with the slope. At the end of the turn when your skis pass under you and your legs bending you should feel the little pinch on your oblique ( side of the abs). It is where is important to let your body low and not standing up between your turn.

Look the video to help yourself visualize.

Drills for bump skiing

It is hard to go in the moguls field without experience or plan. Most of the ski instructor will make you practice these exercises before to put you on the real deal. Practice few time these drills before you go in the bumps and you will get better result. The main idea is to get the right movement and habit on groom slope where you feel comfortable. Once you handle these manoeuvres you can apply them on the bumpy slope.
The most common is the hockey stop. Fix a point toward the bottom of the hill and keep your upper body toward that target. Your upper body stay all together with your hands forward pointing down your target. Keep your stomach hard and only with your legs turn your feet across the hill to stop. Pass from one stop to the other one by keeping your upper body toward the bottom. Slide slipping from one side to the other side is pretty similar and make you work on your pivoting too.
Your rhythm is really important in the bumps, the pole plan is the key of this skill. Practice to pole plan using only your wrist. It is like giving a punch, your arms stay at your waist level. Your pole tip pass from the front to the back using your wrist only. Your up hill hand should point toward the bottom and be at your waist high.
When you ski in the moguls, your legs need to be dynamic and not static. On a turn your legs bend and extend. In the bump this motion is really important. Exaggerate this motion on your turn with your lower body only.
This few exercises are simple and basic. Practice them and apply them when you skiing in the bump. If you want to be sure to do the drill properly you can take a ski lessons with an instructor from the mountain.