 Poster: A snowHead
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| SMALLZOOKEEPER wrote: |
Wear The Fox Hat, Really you last year?  |
SZK, really me. In Snowbird. In January (or was it February) 2006.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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There's a lot of good things in that clip. Your control is superb, and your knees are nicely bent, your turns look nice and smooth.
Points to improve on-
You're in the back seat (aren't we all?), and need to be flexing your ankles more in your boots to get your weight forward, perhaps a softer boot is in order?
Similarly (and contrary to what Phillip Stanton, sorry) I think that your arms are not forward enough or high enough, and this is contributing to your weight being in the back seat.
Thirdly your shoulders and upper body seem very stiff over your hips, and your inside shoulder seems to be dropping into the turn with very little angulation of upper and lower body.
This problems are probably shared to a greater or lesser extent by almost every skier, myself included. I really would suggest that you go to L2A and have a few private lessons with easiski like I did last season, as her drills really sorted me out from making very similar mistakes.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| cathy wrote: |
| My, you are very brave Wear The Fox Hat! |
Cathy, brave or stupid, I decided that I'd put my money where my mouth is. I'm not an expert skier, and I'm happy to admit that.
We can learn from each other, as long as we want to learn.
I want to learn.
I am pleased that the responses so far have been done in a positive light, i.e. seeing good points and bad points, suggesting ways of building on the good, and improving bad points.
It's another reason why I like video footage - I can go back to it, and share it with others, and people who weren't there at the time can give tips and advice.
If people are enjoying this (or maybe even benefitting from it), let me know, and I might dig up video footage from previous years. (although I will not be providing Pampers for those who might p!ss themselves laughing at me  )
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| Kramer wrote: |
| Similarly (and contrary to what Phillip Stanton, sorry) I think that your arms are not forward enough or high enough, and this is contributing to your weight being in the back seat. |
Don't be sorry Kramer - I agree. Arms further forward is definitely going to help the posture.
The "higher" / "lower" bit is more difficult though and is definitely something that would benefit from seeing in the flesh. I'd agree with slightly higher relative to the waist, but not to the snow - i.e. WTFH needs to flex more at the ankles and
I agree with Kramer on the good points and also on the shoulder drop.
The shoulder is a bit of a chicken and egg thing - is the shoulder dropping or is the lifting of the opposite hand causing the shoulder drop? I'm not good enough at this to know the answer to that one.
It is something that's easy to fix for yourself though because it's obvious on video.
| Quote: |
| If people are enjoying this (or maybe even benefitting from it), let me know, and I might dig up video footage from previous years. (although I will not be providing Pampers for those who might p!ss themselves laughing at me |
How could we refuse an offer like that?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| PhillipStanton wrote: |
I agree with Kramer on the good points and also on the shoulder drop.
The shoulder is a bit of a chicken and egg thing - is the shoulder dropping or is the lifting of the opposite hand causing the shoulder drop? I'm not good enough at this to know the answer to that one. |
Well, the answer could be that one of the things I was trying to remember to was to lift the other hand, this MAY be the cause.
(You'll be glad to hear that a lot of the comments here tie in with what is being said on Epic...)
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Wear The Fox Hat - how long are those poles? And what height are you from the tip of your bent elbow to the floor?
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PhillipStanton, the poles are 125cm. (possibly in my defence I would say that there was a couple of inches of powder on the piste - it hadn't been bashed in an hour or more - so to make sure I wasn't dragging the poles, they do need to be lifted higher.
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Wear The Fox Hat, it's not so much the need to lift them highter - it's more that when your arm is bent at 90 degrees the poles look too long - even allowing for the lack of pole plant.
Next time you hit MK then it would be worth doing a couple of runs with 115cm poles and then 120cm poles to see how you do.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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It's quite nice to see that other more experienced skiers see it in a similar way, including the good points. I definitely see the lack of ankle flex as the main problem, sort that and the rest will fall into place, although it may take a little bit of window dressing. I would say that is the single thing that you need to concentrate on in the coming season. I wouldn't write off softer flexing boots if I were you, they may take a bit of getting used to, but I think that they would pay dividends.
My point about easiski also still stands, I think that she's quite a lot more aggressive in getting people to get their weight forward, both in terms of technique, and teaching style! It really made a huge difference for me.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Wear The Fox Hat,
Personal opinion and not to be taken to seriously as I know nothing about the technical points of skiing and certainly cannot put any of this into action.
When I see a really good skier skiing they look dynamic and eager to get down the hill their body moves over their skis and if they tried to keep a position without movement they would fall without the speed of what they are doing keeping them up.You look like you are standing on your skis with little forward movement and all the grip seems to be coming from the back.
What to do differently? I have no idea, lessons I guess.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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T Bar, One good example here.
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rjs, I can just watch that time and again. 
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Ayy I was thinner back in those days 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Frosty the Snowman, we were all thinner back in those days.
Tell that to kids today...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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interesting vid rjs, and shows my main problem, in that I bring my hands together just like that racer, when one of the tips I've been given is to always keep them wide for balance.
Top idea though, will try and dig one of mine out from last year....
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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There are several other good videos on that site as well as really good descriptions of current race technique.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Wear The Fox Hat, am I missing something? For over 2 years I've read reports on your reviews of skis and you've argued technical points with other skiing experts. I imagined that you were some sort of ski god. Please keep your ski test results to yourself as you are not really qualified or experienced enough to be a ski tester. Sorry to sound negative but I do feel duped.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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chris, your post is more of a reflection of your bad attitude, than WTFH's ability to ski and/or test skis.
Wear The Fox Hat, You keep smiling on the snow and reviewing equipment and I'll keep reading your posts.
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chris, If FOXY's ability were to be described here, for sake of arguement as, 5 out of 10. How would you rate your ability? 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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SMALLZOOKEEPER, around 7-8. What about you?
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The views of everyone are important IMHO
Parlour e.g. would not want to review a ski that would interest me. He want something like a water ski that will be ok for jumps and thats not for me.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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chris, Any given day i could be a 1 or a 10. 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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chris,
| Quote: |
you are not really qualified or experienced enough to be a ski tester
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and what qualifies you to be one either. on every ski test i have been involved in (plenty since about 1989) we are looking for a cross section of skiers to test product, its not about qualification or expereince it is about feelings and thoughts. foxy is what i would describe as better than the average skier that you see sliding around the mountain, he is not an instructor, not is he professing to be (i have seen several instructors skiing who are not as good however, great teachers but cr@p skiers)
if the only people allowed to express an opinion about skis was a high grade instructor or a racer then
1 there would be no skis tested for the masses
2 there would be no ski tests as these people would all want paying vast sums of money for their opinions
3the whole ski industry would disappear up its own butt
if you don't want to accept anything he says then that is up to you, but wind your neck in and keep opinions like that to yourself.
if it makes you happy, i am not likely to listen to your views on skis either
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I was testing skis yesterday, I'm not 'qualified' either, but that doesn't mean I can't express an opinion on the skis I tried.
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You know it makes sense.
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chris, what a meanie. Go and test your own bleedin' skis then.
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brian
brian
Guest
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| maggi wrote: |
Look, chris, this is a fun site and no-one pretends to be experts. |
That's how it should be, but in fairness to chris, I have to say that's exactly what WTFH has been pretending for a long time on here. Ok, obviously his mates are going to have known how he skis and maybe the expert stuff was more tongue in cheek, but this thread is the first I was aware he was back in the mortal category with most of us on here ...
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=17428
I fully agree with everyone above that it's interesting to get a range of opinions from a range of abilities on skis and that everyone has as much right to say what they think but they should at least be a bit upfront about the type of skiing so we know where they're coming from.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| brian wrote: |
| I fully agree with everyone above that it's interesting to get a range of opinions from a range of abilities on skis and that everyone has as much right to say what they think but they should at least be a bit upfront about the type of skiing so we know where they're coming from. |
I couldn't agree more.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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brian, shame I hadn't seen that thread before but its reassuring to know I wasn't the only one to think that Wear The Fox Hat, was an expert skier.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I've always supported anyone who wants to post a review should do so. It will be relavant to someone and everyone is entitled to an opinion and they could/should qualify it. But if you paint yourself as this and that then you should be able to back it up. At least now the situation is clearer and you can take the advice offered or not.
Some stuff you can read out of a book or trawl the internet, some stuff you know.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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A couple of points I essentially agree with Brian and Kramer. I dont think Chris was trying to say the WTFH should not test skis or post comments but that in the past some of his comments have appeared to be very authoratitive. I don't manage links very well but here are a couple of relatively recent quotes
| Quote: |
SMALLZOOKEEPER, take your head out of your back bottom and go find some powder. I'm getting tired of your barbed comments at anyone who skis on less than an 85mm ski, perhaps you're not capable of skiing a shorter, narrower, stiffer ski, or is it just that your shop doesn't sell them?
Or better yet, put your money where your mouth is, and come ski some real powder with me in January. I'll be at the indoor slope in Alta/Snowbird. |
| Quote: |
beeryletcher, my beef with them is that over the last 5 years or more of testing skis, I've only found one of their skis to be anything other than a hero ski (i.e. one that makes you feel you are a far better skier than you really are), and that was the 2001 Equipe 3V race ski.
If they produce a good ski, I'll judge that ski on its merit, but recently I haven't felt that they have. |
As Brian says probably tongue in cheek but there was no accompanying smiley and I think WTFH may have been slightly disingenuous 
Another minor point I am no equipment maven and know very little at all about ski testing and the only way that I could compare my skiing with Parlors is in my dreams or possibly nightmares as I would end up in hospital looking at that stuff.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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SnowHot, I think that you're missing the point, which isn't that less than expert skiers shouldn't post reviews, rather that people should qualify their standards first.
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Don't most people rate their ski ability higher than it really is? Few people realise what they look like when they're skiing, most of them looking like complete groms, very few looking smooth and elegant.
chris, post a video of your skiing, mate.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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On my first visit to Castleford, while waiting in the very small lift queue, I saw a man skiing down the slope. He was very smooth and elegant, or rather his skiing was. They do exist, and yes, he was a
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Helen Beaumont, that was quite obviously me, then. I can't think of anyone else in the whole wide world that it could possibly have been.
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FAQ
