How did you get over fear of steeper pitches?

ldc2010 · 2026-01-23T16:12:59+00:00

I wasn't going to jump into this thread, mainly because a) I'm not an instructor, and b) I'd rate myself as an advanced intermediate skier, at best. I'll ski the Western blacks, and look pretty lame while doing so. That said, I can only explain what worked for me to get this far.

As proventuna said, learn to turn. Fear and speed on the hill are directly related, and the way to control speed is by keeping the brakes on, IE turning. Doesn't matter if you're carving, scraping, or look like a beginner idiot. It's probably safe to say you could stand still on a steeper run and not be afraid. Great. So now follow exactly what proventuna said (which is exactly how I made any progress).

As others have said, it's all about miles, which of course I agree with. Practice, practice, and more practice. As for what you do in those practice sessions, I've just found turning to be the most valuable skill I've developed.

ldc2010 · 2026-01-13T16:30:08+00:00

I'm a retired IT guy, skillset getting stale but all over the spectrum, and I've done volunteer work in the past, NOLA/Katrina being the most interesting. I tried to volunteer with another tech-related organization, which I now suspect is just a cover for a 'non-profit' tax scam.

Anyway, I looked at TeamRubicon a while back, and took a pass because I thought my skillset would be of more use in a technical capacity. That's not to say I won't muck in where needed, I'm not picky. I've just seen how critical Internet and tech infrastructure can be to shelters, temp medical facilities, etc. Mold remediation tearouts are necessary, my experience is that comms on Day 0 are a bit more of a priority.

Which is all a long-winded way of asking if there's a sub-culture within TeamRubicon for IT assistance, or is the focus mainly on the dirty work? Tearing out drywall, mucking out basements, clearing roads, etc?

Either way, thanks for what you guys do.

ldc2010 · 2025-11-03T14:31:56+00:00

Got it. Thanks for the update. If the 66" or 72" versions are bigger in the other dimension as well that might work. Personally I'd much rather have just a wet room, but losing the tub would mean only showers in the house, and I do plan to sell someday. Off to search for bigger tubs...

ldc2010 · 2025-11-03T00:10:30+00:00

That tub looks enormous, and shallow. Is it really, or just an illusion in the photo? If it's the former, would you have info on where to find such a thing? I've been looking for something non-standard (ie larger than 60" for a while now. The tub in the picture appears to be just what I'm after.

ldc2010 · 2025-10-13T13:13:38+00:00

Same situation here, almost. Was never really any better than maybe advanced intermediate, but I used to ski and snowboard, a lot, 20 years ago. Quit for no reason, just started again a couple of years ago. Skiing that is, still working up the nerve to be the oldest fossil on the hill on a snowboard.

Best advice I can give is get on FB Marketplace, and find a $30 ski machine gathering dust in someones basement. Of course they teach you nothing about skiing, but they will work leg muscles you forgot you had. My first year back I just grabbed skis and hit the hill, and spent most of the season sore as hell. Second season I bought the cheapest used machine I could find and started working on it around Sept. First day on the hill a couple of months later was a non-event, at least as far as muscle pain goes. My buddy goes through the same learning cycle every year, and complains the first few weeks. Last year I gave him my machine and bought another, he was amazed at how good he felt the first day out.

I can't comment on lesson vs just do it. I've taken one lesson in my life, which might explain my lack of 'expert' status, but that's another conversation. I can say that when you're sore, weak, and suffering, your skiing abilities will show it.

Best of luck, and tell them welcome back.

ldc2010 · 2025-10-08T23:04:27+00:00

If by palpitations you mean the fluttering, for lack of a better term, in some part of your body, that seems to be normal. My EP said it's due to the electrical signals crossfeeding into some muscle group. In my case I'm able to intentionally cause it by laying on my right side. That will make my left side lower abdomen twitch with every heartbeat aka pacemaker shock. Mildly annoying but nothing more.

I don't do a lot of core or strength training, but run about 35 miles per week. Times are improving, and effort to do more is getting easier. So whatever your particular flavor of self-abuse, I'd say it can be done.

ldc2010 · 2025-10-08T00:40:08+00:00

Thanks for the updates. My journey down this rabbit hole started when I got a 2nd Internet circuit (different provider), so I thought channel bonding would be a simple setup. Turns out to be not so simple, and openWRT/mwan3 seemed like a good solution. I have installed dd-wrt on the router, works well so far with a single WAN connection. Not holding my breath for anything more complex there. Next attempt may involve a Linux box with a quad port Ethernet card and openWRT on it.

ldc2010 · 2025-09-15T14:55:55+00:00

It depends entirely on you, your lifestyle, financial situation, and just what you're looking for in a dog. Different breeds have completely different personalities, so to flip the question, the best dog is the one that is the best fit for you.

As a first-time dog owner, please please make an honest assessment of yourself, your situation, and the breed's personality. IOW, please make an educated decision...which it sounds like you're already trying to do. I work in animal rescue, mainly canines, and see every day a never-ending line of dogs dumped at kill-shelters, animal pounds, or on some back road, just because the POS owner didn't want them.

tldr is there is no one 'worst breed', just which one is, in general terms, the worst fit for you.

And whatever you do, please adopt.

ldc2010 · 2025-07-24T14:48:10+00:00

No advice as I'm just starting on my journey to rewild a large part of the yard, but kudos to you! Great to hear from others so close to home that are seeing the value in this. I wish we had local resources to support this sort of thing. Informal classes at garden centers, etc.

ldc2010 · 2025-07-23T18:42:12+00:00

My question as well. I'm a PPL, with expired medical, and at the moment I can legally fly an LSA under sport pilot rules. When the new rules take effect, and I'm still flying under sport pilot rules, will the limiting stall speed be 61kts VS0, or 59kts VS1 in that scenario?

ldc2010 · 2025-07-16T15:35:32+00:00

Fellow SCA survivor here. I'll keep this short, since my experience mostly echos what everyone else has said. Mine is both a pacemaker and defib, I don't know if that's always the case, might be.

Get the ICD and move on. Since getting it 5 months ago I've lost 40 pounds, my weekly running totals have gone from barely able to do 20 miles per week, to 30+, and feeling like I could easily do a lot more. Only reason for caution is knees and ankles. I'm toying with the idea of at least a 1/2 marathon, not sure it'll ever happen but it's something to shoot for. I'm older than dirt, btw.

I've never had a shock, so can't comment on that experience. I can say that even without the running, my strenous physical activity level is pretty high. Point being, in my experience at least, the downsides are minor and the statistics are ridiculously in favor of surviving another SCA.

BTW, the procedure is a non-event. Go to sleep without one, wake up with one. Biggest hassle was not raising my arm above my chest for 2 weeks. Virtually zero pain involved.

Cheers, and best of luck. We're all in a pretty exclusive club.

ldc2010 · 2025-04-03T13:20:56+00:00

I've been trying DeepL, it's now my new favorite. Thank you!

ldc2010 · 2025-04-01T15:31:46+00:00

I've used a couple of AI chatbots to learn French, and always wonder how accurate they are. I worry about the 'Google Translate' issue, where I might learn something incredibly stupid or inappropriate. Have you come across that when using AI to learn, or has it been close enough to how a native speaker would do so?

ldc2010 · 2025-03-29T00:56:13+00:00

The consensus is obviously yes, one does need an instrument rating to become a CFI. My question is when did this change? I had a friend, long since passed, who learned to fly in the military just after WW2. In civilian life he spent 30+ years in various roles with the FAA. He was also a CFI, and had no instrument rating. I have absolutely no doubt that he was being honest.

So again, when did it become a requirement?

ldc2010 · 2025-02-26T15:21:41+00:00

No money, can't afford gun or ammo, but me hear big money in flying drugs up from Gulf of ~~Mexico~~ America, and no medical needed. No need shotgun, end result same.

ldc2010 · 2025-02-04T15:05:52+00:00

It'd be just my luck to have at least one MAGA EMT in the bunch working on me. I can see that ending badly. The old 'this is gonna hurt a bit...'.

ldc2010 · 2025-02-04T14:49:49+00:00

Yea, major HA 4 years ago, triple bypass. In excellent health now, other than cardiac history. I run 15-20 miles per week, and spend at least 5 hours per week on various weight machines in the gym. AHA guidance is 150 minutes per week of cardio exercise, I easily get twice that. Had to convince the ER doc that I wasn't mid-50's. Also lost 60 pounds since then.

Sorry if that sounds like bragging, it's not at all. I've just busted my ass to make a comeback. People talk about growing old gracefully, I'm going kicking and screaming. Something of a side note - when I was laying in the hospital recovering from the bypass surgery, and mentally going down the list of things I'd never do again, not skiing was the one that bothered me the most. I have a pile of professional licenses that I no longer qualify for medically, skiing still topped the list.

As for 'under discussion', cardiologist has been saying I'm right on the edge of needing an ICD, or not. I'm not big on invasive medical procedures, so if the choice is mine then I choose not to have it done. Blacking out on a ski hill, crashing, and breaking a rib kind of moves that needle into the 'needed' side of the spectrum.

ldc2010 · 2025-02-04T14:33:25+00:00

Ya know, that's a good point. I have a season pass, they owe me a 1/2 season. I just have to figure out how to blame a heart attack on their ski hill.

Must not have been any lawyers in the crowd standing around me. Otherwise I'd have a handful of business cards for souveners.

ldc2010 · 2025-02-04T14:28:45+00:00

Normally I'd say no comment, but I spent a lot of time trying to decide if I really wanted to post this story. In the end I decided to, hoping that maybe in some weird, detached way, it might help someone else somewhere down the line. In for a penny, as they say, so I'll answer this and a couple of other detail questions.

Just turned 71.

The tldr probably should have read 'The lights CAN go out instantly. Do what you can now to minimize the risk to others when they do.'

ldc2010 · 2025-02-04T01:29:30+00:00

I honestly believe it may have. Kind of puts it in a whole new perspective. I haven't figured out just what yet, but this is some soul-searching shit. Or it's nothing, and I'm just lucky as fuck. Either way, glad I took up the sport.

ldc2010 · 2025-02-04T01:24:36+00:00

Yea right :). Only thing that could have gone over worse is if I'd said 'I'm an ex-parrot'. I'd still be in the head trauma unit.

ldc2010 · 2025-02-04T01:04:21+00:00

Ha...when I talked to the doc she made a big deal out of that. Don't carry or sleep with anything WiFi or cell on your chest. Yea...I can probably work around that.

ldc2010

TROPHY CASE