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Critique my skiing

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi everybody,

A bit of background: started skiing last season, got about 15 days of skiing in. Hoping to up that to around 30 this season. Have a bit of background in hockey and xc so not entirely unfamiliar with moving with things attached to my feet. Consider myself as a past-beginner stage, nearing intermediate. Can do an occasional GS-type turn but struggle with short fast turns carving, and coming down blacks is like skidding, doing hockey stops one after another instead of nice flow preserving speed and control.

Have a rubbish video shot in the end of last season and would very much appreciate your pointers on where to focus on next. There’s a few things I think I see but would like all you willing to comment to confirm/oppose those before I go in to them myself (note: the separation of the inside ski from the tracks in the very last turn in the video is not one of those things, that seldom happens but I think I was scared to hit the kids waiting down so something in me wanted to make the turn leading to steering the inside ski).

So… let the comments & pointers begin! (Hopefully…)


http://youtube.com/v/vlPVdViEPa4]


Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Wed 1-12-21 12:59; edited 1 time in total
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Hmm… the video doesn’t seem to want to embed right, let’s see if I can fix that…
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@Ravensburger, remove the tags, just pst the YouTube URL.
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Thanks, got it!
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@Ravensburger, that's pretty good for 15 days. First impressions after a quick look is that you could stand on your outside ski a bit more effectively. At the moment you are a bit too far to the inside and a bit back on your heels. This limits the grip the ski will give you. The first part of the turn is also rushed a little, so you're not setting up each turn as well as you should.
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Not bad at all for 15 days .. time to put away the training heels and invest in some Telemark kit. Toofy Grin
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@rob@rar, as someone that's much earlier in their instructor days, I do find it encouraging that I watch the video, go to comment and see you've talked about exactly what I was going to talk about!

@Ravensburger, what he said.....

Some drills that might help, to practise standing on the outside ski, start off by trying to lift the inside ski at the heel, you'll only be able to do this if you've got most of your weight on the outside ski. As you get more and more confident with that, start trying to turn with the inside heel lifted.

This video is an example of a drill, but a bit more advanced.


http://youtube.com/v/AqY3njpOnmw
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rob@rar wrote:
@Ravensburger, that's pretty good for 15 days. First impressions after a quick look is that you could stand on your outside ski a bit more effectively. At the moment you are a bit too far to the inside and a bit back on your heels. This limits the grip the ski will give you. The first part of the turn is also rushed a little, so you're not setting up each turn as well as you should.


Thank you for the feedback! Much appreciated.

Re: weight distribution - that must certainly be it. Think I was working on feeling a crunch on my side, which might lead to putting weight on the inside ski and losing pressure (not all of it, but some) on the outside ski. Maybe I should try to feel as if it's just the outside ski that I'm pivoting from, laterally, and let the slope and the speed dictate how far inside I'll lean from that contact point.

Good point about weight forward/back. I can't recall how I felt that day but make sure to do some drills that gives that sensation of active stance weight balanced/forward.

What would you recommend regarding rushing the turn?


--
What I'm noticing as well is that my upper body is pretty much rigidly facing the line of travel i.e. direction of my skis' tips, not the fall line. Should I strive to keep my shoulders and head more towards the fall line at all times?

Also I lack the pole plant, my hands are just hanging there without actually doing anything.
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@swskier, nice drill, gotta try that one!
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Ravensburger wrote:
What I'm noticing as well is that my upper body is pretty much rigidly facing the line of travel i.e. direction of my skis' tips, not the fall line. Should I strive to keep my shoulders and head more towards the fall line at all times?.


I’m not an instructor or even an expert just a punter. But I recall with the old straight skis being taught to face the fall line thus keep the line of the shoulders parallel to the contour of the slope, more latterly on the curved skis I was told to face the line of travel with shoulders parallel to the fall of the slope.
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Depends, short turns I would usually have my upper body in the fall line at all times. I'm looking for a lot separation between what the legs are doing (moving - potentially facing in a totally different direction to the upper body) and what the upper body is doing (not moving). Not necessarily achieved but that's the aim.

Longer turns, the upper body can face the direction the skis are going in a lot more.

Nice skiing with horrendous music showing short turns with upper body down the hill.


http://youtube.com/v/5dhEZXnn5JQ

Similarly nice skiing with equally horrendous music showing longer turns. Upper body follows the skis more.


http://youtube.com/v/kxnH485Vngk

I don't ski anywhere near that well and am not an instructor.
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@Ravensburger, below is a picture taken from a video when I was on my Level 1 instructor course. I'm not saying I have the most perfect technique, but hopefully you can see my chest and upper body is a bit more down the slope than my skis are.



You don't want to have your upper body pointing too far down the slope, and Tom Gellie discusses why in this video, if you skip to 20 minutes.


http://youtube.com/v/uPADBhjTPVg

In general, that whole video will probably have some useful points to consider though.

EDIT

This video has just come up re body separation and that'll give you an idea as well


http://youtube.com/v/0DQAt7M6aZM
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^ Thank you both ster and gorilla. The first video there is what I envision doing in the end of this season (yeah I wish…) but am not able to do much at all ATM. Speed and precision of the roll, upper body separation and balance in short carving turns… lots to learn.

But that kind of reinforces my thoughts re. upper body direction. Maybe OK on those kind of turns I did on the video but have to learn separation in order to be quick&smooth in shorter ones.

Edit: and swskier too! I had to pause writing my reply for a while and you replied whilst I was occupied with other stuff. I’ll take a look!
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 You know it makes sense.
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Please take into account that I am not an Instructor....but here is what I see:

The Good

- I actually see a lot that is good, especially given how long you have skied.
- I think you have a lot of natural talent and decent balance.
- Unusually for your experience - you are taking your time with the turn and not being tempted to twist your feet, causing Z-Shaped turns.

Where to improve

- You are a little upright and static.
- You need to stand on your outside ski earlier, fully commit to it - and then allow the edge of the turning ski to gradually tip over increasingly throughout the turn.
- Try to avoid any A Frame - so mirror the unweighted (U/Hill) ski to the Turning ski, so the 2 skis tip at the same time and by the same amount.
- Think of driving the turning ski through the whole turn.
- Arm carriage possibly a little low and narrow...and will need to be pushed more forward, if speed if is increased.

Suggestions/Thoughts

- I think the body should only remain facing downhill for short turns. For Long turns, the body should remain "stacked" and follow the skis round....though the hips should face towards the outside of the turn.
- IMV. One of the very best exercises for where you are at - is lifting the tail of the U/Hill ski prior to turning. This, if done when going reasonably slowly, forces you to really commit early to the Turning Ski and forces you to come forward and across your skis to change edges. If you continue to keep the tail lifted through the turn, you have to balance against the Turning Ski.
- Flex from the ankles - which gives the power to drive the ski.
- Allow edge angle to gradually increase through the turn.

Overall - Good Job and well done.
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Good point from Rob, don't rush the start of the turn, get into it gradually and let the grip from the edges build! If you try and initiate the turn too fast, you'll end up skidding the entire turn.......
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Tried to have my center of gravity a bit more forward so that I could have the weight inside the turn and enable me to “push” with my outside leg more.

I tried a drill in the loo. That just happens to be a small enough room so I have a wall about 2 ft on each side of me. Standing there in a skiing stance I gently pushed my hips to the other side and forward (“inside”) maintaining the same height and keeping them level when simultaneously rolling my tibias and tried to put most if not all my weight to the opposing “outside” leg. This led me to gently falling against the wall so that my shoulder leaning against the wall and opposing leg carries most of the weight. Standing/resting in that position my hips feel like they’re a bit more forward than where they used to be when skiing.

Is this a sensation we would be looking for? Certainly feels like it would be impossible to be “on the back seat” in quicker turns if I do it like that.

Oh, and thanks Old Fartbag for the kind words and sound advice!
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KenX wrote:
Good point from Rob, don't rush the start of the turn, get into it gradually and let the grip from the edges build! If you try and initiate the turn too fast, you'll end up skidding the entire turn.......
Yes, that seems to be the priority. There’s a list of “nice to work on and get right” issues in this thread, but until you can dial in the setup phase of the turn not much else matters, mainly because all that stuff needs to build on the foundation of what happens in the setup phase of the turn.
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rob@rar wrote:
…because all that stuff needs to build on the foundation of what happens in the setup phase of the turn.


I think I get it, it’s like the backswing in golf, right? You load yourself, get into position and the rest is just letting it rip and enjoying the ride.
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Ravensburger wrote:
rob@rar wrote:
…because all that stuff needs to build on the foundation of what happens in the setup phase of the turn.


I think I get it, it’s like the backswing in golf, right? You load yourself, get into position and the rest is just letting it rip and enjoying the ride.
I think there a lot of similarities between golf and skiing, although it’s been a very long time since I had any coaching in golf. But they are both technical sports which require strong foundation skills which can’t be glossed over if you want to progress to higher performance levels. Trying to run before you can walk, to add another sporting metaphor, can lock in some bad habits which are tricky to remove later on.
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Ravensburger wrote:
Tried to have my center of gravity a bit more forward so that I could have the weight inside the turn and enable me to “push” with my outside leg more.

I tried a drill in the loo. That just happens to be a small enough room so I have a wall about 2 ft on each side of me. Standing there in a skiing stance I gently pushed my hips to the other side and forward (“inside”) maintaining the same height and keeping them level when simultaneously rolling my tibias and tried to put most if not all my weight to the opposing “outside” leg. This led me to gently falling against the wall so that my shoulder leaning against the wall and opposing leg carries most of the weight. Standing/resting in that position my hips feel like they’re a bit more forward than where they used to be when skiing.

Is this a sensation we would be looking for? Certainly feels like it would be impossible to be “on the back seat” in quicker turns if I do it like that.

Oh, and thanks Old Fartbag for the kind words and sound advice!

If I understand you correctly, this Video might help....there is a dry land exercise @ 2:38, where you let the hips drop inside the turn:


http://youtube.com/v/jCiIzxLXPeE

"Hip and Rib" exercise is also an excellent thought to help hip angle:


http://youtube.com/v/sHXmn8O26Bg
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Old Fartbag wrote:

If I understand you correctly, this Video might help....there is a dry land exercise @ 2:38, where you let the hips drop inside the turn:


Yeah it was precisely that kind of an exercise only that I didn’t push my hips quite as far to the side and a I went just a little bit forward. Maybe not even an inch, just barely visibly but it felt like my weight went forward a little. Had I had ski boots on I suspect I would have put pressure on the tonque of the boots.
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Perhaps too gentle/easy a slope to assess your technique.
Looks good to me, hands are nicely ahead, flex in the knees, upper body is largely pointing where you need to go. Maybe sitting on your heels a little. For 15 days that looks like excellent progress. Gold star Laughing
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For forward/back position and balance get hold of a pair of snow blades. First time I used them I hated them, because I had my weight on my heels and you can’t lever yourself upright on the tails. After a few sessions we were off-piste and in moguls. Only one aspect of overall technique, but one I personally found enormously helpful.
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rob@rar wrote:
KenX wrote:
Good point from Rob, don't rush the start of the turn, get into it gradually and let the grip from the edges build! If you try and initiate the turn too fast, you'll end up skidding the entire turn.......
Yes, that seems to be the priority. There’s a list of “nice to work on and get right” issues in this thread, but until you can dial in the setup phase of the turn not much else matters, mainly because all that stuff needs to build on the foundation of what happens in the setup phase of the turn.



As a non-instructor, one of the hardest things about being asked for advice is I now have some idea of what people are doing wrong, but not necessarily knowing what order to fix it in.

Certainly my experience of going back to using instructors (rather than going I can survive almost everything a piste can throw at me so just need more practice) is that good instructors can make small changes that make a massive difference and these changes have knock on effects. So an average instructor (or more skilled friend) might try to fix Z (with the appropriate drills etc), ignoring that Z is a result of Y is a result of X. Fixing X might not fix Y or Z, but not fixing X makes fixing Y and Z almost impossible.


(Note: While I haven't skied with them, @rob@rar has a very good reputation and from what I have seen makes insightful posts when people ask for advice. Usually on foundational skills (i.e. X) that I suspect are root causes of issues)
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qwerty360 wrote:
rob@rar wrote:
KenX wrote:
Good point from Rob, don't rush the start of the turn, get into it gradually and let the grip from the edges build! If you try and initiate the turn too fast, you'll end up skidding the entire turn.......
Yes, that seems to be the priority. There’s a list of “nice to work on and get right” issues in this thread, but until you can dial in the setup phase of the turn not much else matters, mainly because all that stuff needs to build on the foundation of what happens in the setup phase of the turn.



As a non-instructor, one of the hardest things about being asked for advice is I now have some idea of what people are doing wrong, but not necessarily knowing what order to fix it in.

Certainly my experience of going back to using instructors (rather than going I can survive almost everything a piste can throw at me so just need more practice) is that good instructors can make small changes that make a massive difference and these changes have knock on effects. So an average instructor (or more skilled friend) might try to fix Z (with the appropriate drills etc), ignoring that Z is a result of Y is a result of X. Fixing X might not fix Y or Z, but not fixing X makes fixing Y and Z almost impossible.


(Note: While I haven't skied with them, @rob@rar has a very good reputation and from what I have seen makes insightful posts when people ask for advice. Usually on foundational skills (i.e. X) that I suspect are root causes of issues)

An excellent observation imv.

A decent advanced skier often needs a subtle tweak or two, which can bring a substantial improvement.

Understanding what the subtle fault is - that is causing further problems up the chain, is difficult and requires skill/experience. It is all too easy to treat symptoms without getting to the route cause of an issue. Explaining how to put the problem right, in a way that is easily understood, is another skill. People learn/understand differently and a good Instructor tunes into that, in a given student.


Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads on Sat 8-01-22 12:30; edited 1 time in total
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It’s been a while since my last post but that’s purely due to a slower start to the season than I hoped for. Only been to the hill for 3 times so far, hopefully that’ll change and I get the chance to ski for about 2 times a week plus 2x5 days in a row during the next 3 months.

Started working on what I described earlier as my weakest point, shorter C-shaped turns where it’s me steering the skis, not just riding the arch that it says printed on them.

Did some “pivot slip” drills first to get that sensation of separation and pivoting. Still, it’s still surprisingly hard to combine a pivot, tilt (edging) and pressure on the outside ski when maintaining good fore-aft balance while simultaneously doing what one should with his arms and hands. However, my short turns never felt this good last season - even though they don’t look pretty - so I guess this could be described as progress…


http://youtube.com/v/SAARwk8aH0E

And no, I didn’t hit my daughter in the end Very Happy

Thoughts, ideas? Do you guys still see the same mistakes as in the first video?
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rob@rar wrote:
@Ravensburger, that's pretty good for 15 days. First impressions after a quick look is that you could stand on your outside ski a bit more effectively. At the moment you are a bit too far to the inside and a bit back on your heels. This limits the grip the ski will give you. The first part of the turn is also rushed a little, so you're not setting up each turn as well as you should.


Looking back at yesterday’s video again I think most of this advice still stands.

Other things I think I see is that my knee separation is not consistent - they seem to move closer and further apart all the time. And my outside leg seems to be bent from the knee whereas it could straighten more, but that might be due to me sitting on my heel, not pushing the gas pedal with the ball of my foot.
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A useful drill that would help you is stork turns.


http://youtube.com/v/RSfK6s74mjk


They would help you with posture, balance, getting the weight on the outside ski and turn shape. Find an easy blue and give them a go.
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Once again, I would say that you are doing well, for the length of time you have been skiing.

The problem I have, not being an Instructor, is knowing what level of guidance is appropriate. Anyway, saying that, this is what I think about Short Turns and what I see in your skiing:

- Upper Body should be facing down the hill, with arms in front, at all times. If you play your last video, pausing it every few frames, you will see your arms are moving about, going up and down as you turn and your Upper Body is not always facing down the hill.

- One thing to do, is pick a point, and ski directly towards it, turning your skis but keeping your upper body facing it. Here is a good drill with ski poles to help with ingraining good form:


http://youtube.com/v/LRPI-TJjLig

- Also, what I see, is the skis not always tracking around together, so not remaining parallel at times. I think what would help, would be:

a) The stork drill mentioned above, which gets early weight transfer; forces you to commit and then balance against the outside ski.

b) The Unweighted ski must actively turn alongside the weighted one ie. Even though it has less weight on it, you should feel it working - so it changes edges at the same time and by the same amount. I even find it helpful to tilt the Unweighted ski d/hill slightly before the Weighted one, to stop any A Frame. When I get it right, it feels like a kind of "4 Wheel Drive", with both skis doing the turning, albeit with more weight on the turning ski.

c) Finish the turns by completing the C-Shape, using the end of the turn to "ping" the skis into the next one. If you keep facing downhill, use rhythm and finish your turns, you should feel the ski doing a lot of the work for you.

d) Don't forget to drive the skis through ankle flexion and to gradually keep increasing the edge angle through the turn.


Last edited by You know it makes sense. on Sat 8-01-22 12:32; edited 1 time in total
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@Ray Zorro, Thanks, will do!

@Old Fartbag, That’s a very good analysis and it’s easy for me to agree!

I remember reading a while ago about keeping an imaginary ball between one’s knees. Haven’t tried that thought on the slope yet, but if I manage to hold that thought while actively starting the turn slightly with my inside knee AND keeping my hips square to the skis, maybe that’ll lead to both losing the A-frame and having the skis parallel. We’ll see, gotta work that thought next time.

Regarding hands: you’re absolutely right. It looks like I’m doing some silly Nordic walking / trekking with my pole plants.

I did have a run or two after that video was shot when, maybe for the first time, I leaned forward on a red slope so that I felt almost weightless and the skis were doing the work almost “free”, without any user input, under and slightly “behind” me. They just went under the body from one side to the other. Was a different sensation than usually and not in a bad way. Maybe that was something a bit like you describe above under paragraph c). I’ll see if I can duplicate that feeling next time out.

So the focus areas next time out could be:

Warm up:
- stork/javelin turns

Free skiing, with focus on:
- weight distribution fore/aft (“feel the weightlessness”)
- parallel shins (“let the edge angle build on both skis”, “initiate the turn with inside knee”, “magic ball between the knees”)
- hand and arm placement (“you’re skiing, not walking”)
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 Poster: A snowHead
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@Ravensburger, I think you are probably focusing on the right things.

When I am rusty, when doing Short Turns, I use too much input and impatience. In my case, the secret is letting the skis do their work and allow them to turn. The more accurately I work my Inside ski, the better I ski in short turns. It means they are working as a synchronised team, rather than my inside ski A-Framing and tripping me up.

Re Fore/aft weight distribution - I like to do it with sliding my feet underneath me ie. Pulling your feet back will pressure your tips at the start of the turn, or keep ski/snow contact if you drop over a lip or down the back of a bump. Pushing your feet forward as you hit the back of a bump, will offset the breaking effect and stop you bending at the waist.

As I understand it, by holding onto your turn longer (sometimes known as a J-Turn) you are torsionally twisting the ski along its length.....and it's that release of energy (as the ski untwists) that gives extra power to the turn. It can give you that feeling of floating between the turns.

Just prior to turning, when all your weight is on the U/hill ski, think of leading the turn by tilting the knee of your unweighted D/hill ski into the turn. This action can stop the unweighted ski from A-Framing and keep it active.
As an exercise, I have also seen it suggested, that instead of gently pushing the U/hill Knee outwards with your hand to keep it parallel; gently apply a little pressure inwards, which causes you to use press against the force, thus mimicking the action needed to tip it on edge.

Any pole planting should be done with a simple cocking of the wrist ie. Not like you are flushing a Victorian Toilet. Toofy Grin If the pole plant is causing your arms to move up and down, it is doing more harm than good.
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@Ravensburger,

Usually best to try to sort out issues from the snow up!
I would put top of your list to focus on getting more pressure and edge on the outside ski as you initiate the turn.
There is a lot of foot rotation in your turns, you need to learn to steer your skis by developing pressure and edge control.

Spend time on shallower slopes and get the feel of turning purely by getting more of an edge, learn to trust that feeling - that your skis will turn without you having to rotate your feet.
Similarly, on shallower slopes, experiment with getting more pressure on the outer ski and again try to reduce the amount of rotation.
One way to get pressure on the outer ski is to release pressure on the inner ski. Not lifting it off the snow, but consciously reducing the weight that you are putting through it.

I would recommend you getting a one to one private lesson at this point.
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Ray Zorro wrote:
@Ravensburger,

Usually best to try to sort out issues from the snow up!
I would put top of your list to focus on getting more pressure and edge on the outside ski as you initiate the turn.

There is a lot of foot rotation in your turns, you need to learn to steer your skis by developing pressure and edge control.


Thank you for your comments!

Funny thing is, I was consciously trying to do just that, add foot rotation to be able to make a tighter turn. But seeing the video it didn’t work out that well and I fully agree that there’s way too little edge pressure and grip. Too little, too late - in most of the turns the edges start to grip after the fall line, not before. I’ll stop doing that pivot and focus on establishing the edge prior to the turn.

Ray Zorro wrote:
@Ravensburger,
I would recommend you getting a one to one private lesson at this point.


Now I’m taking this way off-topic but…

This might be a cultural thing, but where I come from people hardly ever take lessons. There are some ski instructors & coaches but they do mostly kids’ group lessons or coach junior racers. Adults? They’re just supposed to know how to ski. Some are naturally better and do it easily after previously spending a quarter of their lives doing snow and ice related stuff or attending a ski school as a kid, some are worse. But nearly every adult in their own mind thinks they can, just coming down the hill each in their own style. Why pay for lessons then?

I see some of that general-cultural thinking in myself, minus the false belief of “I know this s**t”. I know I can’t. Again using an unrelated golf-analogy I just pulled off my back bottom, if I’m currently about a 30-handicapper in skiing trying to get to somewhere between bogey-level and a single handicapper (meaning that one can navigate through the course/slope in a manner that at times resembles the way the sport should be played/done and occasionally offers a gratifying moment off success but which still is light years away from a scratch-level expert let alone a touring pro), maybe a lesson or two IS needed to get better. Just got to find me an instructor…
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Ravensburger wrote:
... off-topic but…... This might be a cultural thing, but where I come from people hardly ever take lessons. ...
Yeah when I lived in Finland an English guy I worked with couldn't ski, not even cross country.
Initially he was surprised because the usually polite local kids would laugh at him when he fell over... until he worked out that as he was an adult, if he fell over.... they assumed he had to be a drunk.

I think it's also partly an "internet person" thing. The internet isn't a great place for nuance.
And this is a UK forum, so the attitude, experience and even ability level of many is a little different from other cultures because of that.

If you want someone to critique what you're doing then paying a suitably qualified individual
to do that may help and has the advantage that you at least know they can ski .
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Ravensburger wrote:


Funny thing is, I was consciously trying to do just that, add foot rotation to be able to make a tighter turn.

In case it's helpful, these are my thoughts on tighter turns:

- It depends on the Sidecut of your skis
- It depends on the style of turn you are doing
- It depends on the reason for doing it....very often it's for reasons of control.

How do you tighten the radius?

- Increase edge angle
- Increase pressure
- Increase foot rotation....if using more foot rotation, more forward knee pressure will tighten the radius

How do you keep control?

1. Turn Shape: If you are bending the ski to turn - so less, or no pivoting - then you use Turn Shape and the Release Point to control speed.

2. Skidding: The more you skid, the more speed you will wipe out. This is where the "Short Swing" turn comes in ie. Lots of foot rotation with an edge check to spring you into the next turn. It's a bit like linked Hockey Stops

Instruction

- I don't believe you can successfully teach yourself to a decent level.

- Above, I have mentioned some techniques....but they can be blended together. It takes a good Instructor, who is assessing your skiing on the hill, to take you through this maze in a way that is right for you....and at a pace that is sensible.

Conclusion

A ski is a turning machine. Gravity is constantly trying to fcuk you up. Your mind and its need for self preservation, generally has you doing all the wrong things. So an understanding of how to tap into the ski design to get it to turn; as well as how to offset the effect of Gravity and remain in balance - help to make sense of the movements you are being taught.


Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Sat 8-01-22 12:38; edited 3 times in total
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You'll need to Register first of course.
philwig wrote:
Ravensburger wrote:
... off-topic but…... This might be a cultural thing, but where I come from people hardly ever take lessons. ...
Yeah when I lived in Finland an English guy I worked with couldn't ski, not even cross country.
Initially he was surprised because the usually polite local kids would laugh at him when he fell over... until he worked out that as he was an adult, if he fell over.... they assumed he had to be a drunk.


Very Happy I can believe that. A drunk or a foreigner, but if he didn’t curse in English when he fell so they could tell which, the natural first assumption would be a drunk.


Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Fri 7-01-22 17:42; edited 1 time in total
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@Old Fartbag, I do find your input interesting and valuable. Read that piece thrice to really let it sink in.

And yes, I do agree that an instructor pointing the way would be ideal. But what fun would these forums be if we all just got instructors and didn’t share our thoughts and expertise (or in my case lack of it)? Twisted Evil

I’ll do so that I’ll book myself an instructor for a couple of lessons, with homework done in between and after. Might as well humour you all with a video in a few weeks after the lessons - now that I think of it, I kind of like the thought of having a video diary with a commentary track by those much more proficient than I someplace where I can come back and revisit where I’ve been to and heading. If it’s of any value or interest to anyone else, even better!
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Ravensburger wrote:
@Old Fartbag, I do find your input interesting and valuable.

Well, that's the main thing.

Here is a good video talking about how to control your speed with turn shape:


http://youtube.com/v/RVk80rwXB6E&t=2s

Nb. Check out other BASS videos in the series:

Ski Priority 3 - Pivot based steering
Ski Priority 4 - Pressure based steering


These discuss some of what I have already been talking about in this thread.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Quote:

Might as well humour you all with a video in a few weeks after the lessons - now that I think of it, I kind of like the thought of having a video diary with a commentary track by those much more proficient than I someplace where I can come back and revisit where I’ve been to and heading. If it’s of any value or interest to anyone else, even better!


We’ve had a few of these video diary things and it’s a good (but not the best) learning tool. Some of us enjoy watching others progress.

We had one chap who went on to become a ski instructor (I think) and he was absolute sh@t to begin with. So there’s hope for you yet Madeye-Smiley
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
@Ravensburger, you got any vids skiing on tougher terrain? The slope your skiing on let's faults escape punishment.
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