When asked what type of skier he is, Ira Riklis will tell you that he’s a mountain cruiser. He loves to strap on a pair of long, stiff racing skis, find a steep, groomed slope and head downhill. When conditions are right, he can reach speeds of up to 45 miles per hour and make the run down Vail Mountain in 15 minutes. Once he reaches the bottom, he’s ready to head back up and do it again.
Others may prefer bumpy runs, with moguls and lots of tight turns. But it takes mogul skis, designed for carving sharp turns, not for straight-on speed. That style of skiing also places a lot of strain on a skier’s legs and feet, something that can quickly become unpleasant. And Ira Riklis knows that maneuvering through all the twists and turns can tire skiers out, which would leave him with less energy to head back up and make that next run.
Get ready Ira Riklis, ski season is almost here! The snow is starting to fall in many parts of the country. It’s time to look forward to hitting the slopes. Tune your skis, get your gear out.
Here are things that you can do to get ready for ski season.
1. PURCHASE YOUR SEASON SKI PASS
Get your season ski pass early (as in October) to save money. Most resorts offer discount season passes right now.
3. BUY SKI GEAR ON SALE
Visit your favorite ski shops now to get the best deals on ski gear. Retailers are getting rid of all last year’s models before they stock up with new gear, and the dream ski gear may be waiting for you up to 75% off the retail price.
4. BUY YOUR GEAR AT SKI SWAPS
October-November is the time for ski swaps. Some ski shops also host ski swaps in their store or local organizations hold them. Ski swaps are skiers gold mines so ask your local ski shops about them. Other great ways to save money on gear is looking for ski equipment on eBay or Craig’s List. Sometimes you can also find deals at ski rental places. Start now.
5. SHOP FOR NEW GEAR
If having the latest and greatest is important to you, Winter 2010 gear has already arrived to stores. Be sure to check out new gear for the latest styles.
6. GET IN SHAPE
Time to exercise so you’ll be ready when the resorts open. Work on cardio and strength building exercises for your legs. Slopes usually open next month so you have some time.
In talking about his love of skiing, Ira Riklis says, “Skiing is one of the great passions of my life. It may seem strange, as I’m a fat, middle aged, non-athletic, New York Jew, but there it is.” What’s even more surprising, at least to those who don’t know him, is how good he is and how elegantly he handles himself on skis. He takes great pride in his technique.
He learned that technique over time from ski instructor, Mike Bartasuis. Mike and Ira Riklis have been friends, skiing partners and business associates for more than twenty years now. One of only five people in the world who hold the dual record of skiing faster than 100 miles and hour and jumping more than 200 feet, Mike used to wear long, heavily weighted skis and a skin-tight Teflon suit. When asked what would happen if he fell, Mike was fond of saying that they’d find him in pieces two or three counties away. His simple plan to keep that from happening? Don’t fall. Ira’s grateful for the techniques he learned from Mike, and happy that his friend now enjoys a “safer” sport: hang-gliding off mountain cliffs!
Here’s another tip that is Ira Riklis worthy: improve your balance. Again, this not only applies to your skiing, but to life generally. By balance I don’t mean finding time to do everything. I mean making time for what works and is important to you.
I’ve found the best thing to improve your balance in advance of ski season (which is coming soon) is to practice balance. That means not putting too much weight on the front or back of your ski. I found a guide to improving balance and guess what it had? An ad for the Wii.
Keep your weight centered, your torso facing your direction you’re going, your knees slightly flexed.
If you have a Wii get Wii Fit and it will gauge how you distribute your weight. It’s a good way to get in shape when there’s no snow. They have ski racing, jumping and even snowboarding and you get rated at the end of the excercise.
You see, on each run, you’re competing against yourself. It ranks your performances and there are various levels. This seems an apt comparison to real life, doesn’t it? When it comes to balance it’s all about you and making improvements in your skill.
Since 1977, the Tel Aviv Foundation inspires donors to be strategic partners in meeting the evolving needs of the Tel Aviv community. Ira Riklis has been one of those donors through the American Friends of the Tel Aviv Foundation for well over 20 years now. The Foundations works by creating projects designed raise quality of life in areas ranging from education, culture and arts, sports to the environment and social services.
Ira Riklis and his family aren’t the largest donors, but no donor has taken on as many projects as they have. To make their donations efficient and effective, they’ve concentrated their projects in a single neighborhood, Schoonat Exra. Over the years, they’ve helped create numerous parks and playgrounds, science centers, kindergartens, anda combination school with Arts, Science and Library facilities.
With November almost at hand, and the aspen leaves long since scattered on the high-country winds, skiing season in the Rockies is right around the corner. Like all avid skiers, Ira Riklis wonders what this year will bring at Vail, his favorite ski resort. How can you measure optimal skiing conditions? You could keep track of the total snowfall, but having lots of snow doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve got good powder for downhill runs. And even then, the weather has to be just right and the trails well groomed.
Like most things in life, you need persistence and more than a little luck to find those rare moments when everything comes together in one perfect afternoon, one thrilling run. Ira Riklis knows that for any sport, it takes enthusiasm and persistence to keep getting out there, risking life, limb and frostbite to find those really great rides that may happen just a few times each season.
The Torah is the most holy of Judaism’s sacred writings. Jewish values spring from this founding religious document. That’s why Ira Riklis has been a steadfast supporter of Aish HaTorah, an educational organization that offers teaching and guidance about the Torah and traditional Jewish beliefs. The reach hundreds of thousands each year through their website and through programs offered at more than one hundred cities around the world.
At its core, the group is more strictly orthodox than Ira Riklis, who considers himself as Conservadox—somewhere between Conservative and Orthodox. But what appeals to him about Aish HaTorah is both the simplicity of their outreach efforts and their philosophy is that Judaism is not all or nothing. They view Mitzvot (commandments) not as rituals, but as opportunities for personal growth. They offer their teachings in the spirit of guiding others on their life journeys, journeys to traveled by each person at their own pace and interest.
Ask Ira Riklis about his favorite place to ski, and he’ll tell you about Vail, Colorado. He’ll tell you about how, unlike other ski resorts such as Aspen, Steamboat Springs or Breckenridge which formed around existing towns, the town of Vail sprang up around the ski resort there. And he’ll point out that as the largest single mountain ski resort in the United States Vail offers a vast amount of terrain to traverse.
“Even more important to me,” Ira Riklis might continue, “Vail is famous for the quality and extent of the grooming of the terrain. Every day there will be numerous slopes, many of them black diamond “Expert” slopes, which have been groomed overnight. This dedication to grooming is part of the “secret sauce” that has propelled Vail from a brand new mountain and village 47 years ago into one of the premier ski venues in the world.”
We’ve talked a lot about the importance of having a good coach, when it comes to skiing or anything you want to master. You can tell that Ira Riklis values his skiing coach Mike Bartasuis. He’s the coach that Ira spent 20 years looking for. He’s the one who took Ira from intermediate or advanced to an expert level skiier.
Here’s a photo of Ira Riklis with Mike (it’s rare to find photos of Ira Riklis online). This was taken at Ira’s birthday party. The two have become good friends.
There are a few people who’s influence literally changes our lives and takes us on an elevated course. We feel that without them we could never reach our potential. Mike is obviously one of those coaches who has made an impact and who is a master at teaching. His skills are rare.
What people have made an impact on your life?
Speed is important to good skiing but so is learning to control it. The Counter Turn helps you control your speed when you’re skiing steep terrain and moguls.
This turn is also known as a ‘J’ turn or ‘S’ turn, since the track in the snow resembles either a ‘J’ or ‘S’. To make this turn you use your feet and ankles to turn your skis up the hill just before making a downhill turn.
We talked about sidestepping but this is a turn that allows you not to have to break your rhythm. Instead you twist and untwist your skis. When on a mogul you can control your speed by doing ‘counter-turns’ around the bumps. You will lose speed on the plateau of the mogul and turn in the trough around the bump.
‘Counter-turns’ can be made with the weight over the outside ski or over both feet. Practice this move until you’re good at it. Or, get a coach and have them help you master the technique.