Nevertheless, I'm always amazed at how much skating applies to what I can do on the slopes. My first year on inlines didn't seem to improve my skiing, probably because I hadn't learned how to carve parallel turns on skates, although I'd been doing it for years on skis. That was the breakthrough that resulted in a more upright stance and the centered balance that has made it so easy to manipulate the boards. The first several days of skiing over the next five years were glorious, too. Each year I was amazed at how easy it felt to ski well in even the most demanding situations.
Most people know what it feels like to run swiftly down a full flight of stairs.
In order to move your feet quickly, you can't plant your full body weight on each step. For 1999, Salomon outfitted all Zephyr Tour guides with a pair of brakeless TR Racers. I've long practiced alternative stopping methods, but skating brakeless presented a major psychological hurdle for me. I really wanted to perform well during a Zephyr Customer Reunion weekend in Minnesota where Duluth's annual Northshore Marathon was the main event. Better yet, what I ended up learning last summer applies directly to effortless skiing on almost any condition, not to mention better confidence and technique on asphalt slopes.