Originally edited as a digital extra, for WSLS Insiders.
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Stand up: Today we are going to go skiing uphill. Let’s go outdoors.
(Outdoors open)
Carlin stand up: “Hi everybody, John Carlin here. We are at Snowshoe Mountain Resort in Pocahontas County West Virginia, and the newest thing in skiing, at least as far as I know, is skiing uphill. And today I’m going to learn how to do that.”
(nats walking up hill in a group…)
‘Uphilling’ may be the newest thing in skiing...
Or maybe the oldest.
You have to believe that long before there were chair lifts, people had to get to the top of the mountain on foot in order to ski down.
But now, a growing number of people are bypassing the lift, and skiing up the mountain…
(nats skiing down)
…before they shoosh back down.
Mikey Valach/Uphiller: “Your active cyclist, runner that’s who it appeals to for sure.”
Mikey Valach is the outdoor adventure manager at Snowshoe Mountain Resort. A cyclist in warmer months, he says uphilling keeps him in shape more than simply skiing or snowboarding.
(nats begin demonstration)
He showed me the lengths uphillers to through, so the skis don’t slip down while pointed up.
Mikey: “It’s sticky. You put it on the tip here and then you just…”
Carlin: “It looks like Velcro or something.”
Mikey: “Yes.”
Special skins made of synthetic material are added to the base of the ski for the uphill trek.
(nats Mikey shows the bindings)
Unique bindings allow the skier’s foot to lift at the heel, making the motion more natural.
Once at the top they are easily converted to conventional bindings.
(nats breaking snowboard apart)
Not to be left out, snowboarders have split boards – A conventional board which breaks in half to simulate skis.
The bindings snap into a new position, so split boarders can ascend just like skiers.
(nats walking up the path through the pine trees at the base)
Though the equipment is somewhat complicated – the hardest part is still to come.
Carlin: “Here we go.”
Walking up the side of a mountain…
On skis…
(nats skiing up)
Carlin: “So do you do this a lot?”
Uphill skier: “Yes.”
Carlin: “How many times to you go up the mountain?”
Uphill skier: “On a day off anywhere from 3 to half a dozen laps.”
We set off up the slope, and I was no match for the mountain regulars who left me in their dust.
Carlin: “Ok this is getting a little steeper. I’m feeling it.”
They graciously waited for me a couple times.
Carlin: “Are you guys enjoying this?”
Group: “Yeah. Yeah!”
Carlin: “Really?”
Group: (laughter)
Upward we trekked. I used the advice to save some energy by sliding the skis instead of lifting them.
(nats skis clumping)
That helped.
(nats ‘clump clump’)
Some.
Carlin stand up: “All right, I'm at the top and I'm asking myself why in the world, anybody does this. And fortunately, I have some people with me. And I can ask them that question. That was hard. It was fun, type two fun. But it was hard.”
Lacy Burdette, uphill snowboarder: “I'm an avid snowboarder, and this was just another way that I could enjoy the mountain scenery, get a little bit of cardio and then get to the top enjoy view and then rip the mountain down.”
Carlin: “There’s a chairlift right there. That doesn’t appeal to you?”
Lacy: “I get so cold on that thing. I would rather work up here, work up a sweat, get my heart rate up and earn it.”
Carlin: “So earn your turns?”
Lacy: “Yes. Earn my turns.”
Sterling Snyder, uphill skier: “Like most everything practice makes better. You know, and with fitness like the more you get out there and the more you do it, the easier it gets over time.”
Sterling Snyder skis uphill regularly.
Carlin: “So what's your favorite part uphill or downhill?”
Sterling: “That's a hard one. I'm gonna say that. I'll try to enjoy them equally.”
(nats sequence stripping off skins and clicking board together)
With our turns, “earned,” we now had to strip off the skins and click the split board back together.
Seth Burdette, uphill skier (stripping skins): “This is the kinda tricky part. You’ve got sticky skins. They want to stick together so… it’s a little challenging.”
(nats more downhill prep)
It’s a bit of a process, but all part of a different way of thinking.
A different way to approach the mountain.
(nats slow at the top, not ripping yet!): “Here we go!”
(nats begin skiing down)
Sterling “I try to enjoy the, you know, a little bit of a mental break going up hill, put some music and listen to a podcast and just kind of you know, relax. And get away from everything.”
(nats,skiing fast everybody swooshing and turning)
There is no doubt that going downhill is better than up.
It’s the reward for the effort.
But those turns are just a bit sweeter… when you’ve really earned them.
Outdoors, John Carlin, Working for You.
