 Poster: A snowHead
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Any tips what I can do during the summer to improve my skiing?
Apart from the obvious like working on fitness and hitting the snowdomes are there anything else? Surely there must be some exercises to improve balance and other skills needed in skiing.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Cycling seems to be regarded as quite a good workout for many of your ski muscles and of course it will help with balance
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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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Some people say that Rollerblading is quite good exercise for skiing. I would try it myself if it didn't look quite so gay.
Other than that, fitness, fitness, fitness.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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Mountain biking and core strength exercises. Forget bench pressing and cable curling huge weights, get some guidance on proper core training.
Kramer's right about rollerblading. It will also make you buy lycra men-o-tards with pink and black stripes.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Another useful excercise is the Alpine Squat, squat down as if sitting in a chair with your back resting against the wall or a door. I do this sometimes on the train if I go into town, if I can find the space on South West trains! also possible on certain tubes if its quiet. Sometimes get the odd funny look and have been offered a chair before now.
Slightly more barmy is to keep an old pair of ski boots and wear them on the way back and to work, and go for a walk in them at lunch time. If you drive to work, keep them in the car and have a go round the car park.
I'll be keeping an eye out for Snowheads standing in funny positions and practising jump turns on stairs.
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Louis, Swimming works for me . And dry-slope ski racing. At least I think it does, after so many years of no noticeable improvement, perhaps I'm completely wrong ! 
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Thanks, was thinking of skateboarding to work and back myself!!
Any views on the wobble/balance boards they tried to flog at the ski show last year?
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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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At the risk of offering a "girlie" option....Yoga! Great for balance - try the Palm Tree for ankle strength, the Tree or Holy Fig Leaf for general balance and stability. The flexibility it gives you will reduce your risk of injury too. Some of the Austrian Ski Team swear by it and they're pretty good skiers!
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And yoga classes are a great place to meet really fit women.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Kramer, yoga's also made with fresh milk, so it's healthy, too.
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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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Read instruction books, watch videos, visit snowHeads, get into another sport where "instinct" is required rather than control so you learn to trust your own abilities.
And, yes, get fit.
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You know it makes sense.
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As ski said - why not skiing (or at least what passes for it on dry slopes)? I started race training a couple of months ago and have been going once or twice a week since. Check out whether there's a race club at your local slope. It's doing me a power of good - and running the gates provides quite a bit of interest in your otherwise quite boring <100m run. It remains to be seen whether it's going to screw up my off-piste skiing (my main interest), but the microsope it puts your technique under has to be good. Still not really up to any actual racing mind!
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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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Increase your alcohol tolerance - that way getting p!ssed evey night in resort won't effect your skiing too much in the mornings. 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Louis, watch lots of ski videos. My belief is (and there is some scientific evidence for this) that watching others fires the same bits of your brain that you need to do it yourself. I'm not personally a big fan of instructional videos but don't let that stop you. Also, it helps with envisioning what you want to be doing.
However, if you want more fun, it's hard to beat:
"Blizzard of Aaaahs"
"Licence to Thrill"
Both great Scott Schmidt, Mike Hattrup and Glen Plake romps (although you will have to forgive long straight skis and rather an old skool style - no carvers but plenty of carving)
and
"Global Storming".
Also most things from Teton Gravoty Research
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Fri 1-07-05 17:21; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Kramer, Mate. I assure you, skate the way I do and there is no mistaking it for a MAN's sport. (Village people outfits all round).
Louis, roller-blading is IMHO a great thing to do to. Similar muscle groups for fitness, good for dynamic balance (minimal fore/aft support) and you can, although it's not correct technique, "carve" them in a similar way to skis.
I've even telemarked on them 
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Fri 1-07-05 17:19; edited 1 time in total
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I'm with homphomp, - yoga! my skiing improved massively when I first took it up - core stability and flexibility benefits. It doesnt have to be girly - the ashtanga class I go to is taught by a climber for climbers and attended by lots of extremely fit men! But it is very very hard - entire rugby teams have begged for mercy!
And asGrahamN, said, dry ski race training - my son goes every week and his technique's coming on in leaps and bounds, along with his confidence and team spirit.
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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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Rowing. Same muscles as skiing (thighs, hams, calves). Same emphasis on repetition of action in order to produce flowing movement. Same need to concentrate on good technique in order to maintain a steady state for long periods. Same massive requirement and development of core stability and balance. Same "non-impact" -ness (unless you hit something )
But, as with skiing, it only really works if you recieve proper technique instruction. You'll need to pop down to your local amateur rowing club - even if you want to just use rowing machines and never intend to go out on the water or race - and any club will be happy to let you use it's rowing machines and show you correct technique. Mine, for example, doesn't charge fees until you've decided you're definately going to compete.
In September, once my rowing racing season is over for the year, I'll be swapping oars for planks down't my local dryslope where I'm planning to join the racing club.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Anyone tried off-road roller-blading?
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slikedges, Yes. Where's that pic of me and Doug when we did the C&O canal? Ah, there it is. Doug's pointing to the guilty party.  180 miles of gravel/grass /rock/tunnel fun.= 3 days of exhaustion.
Tkes about 5 weeks of training to be as fast as a runner on the same terrain. With 16 weeks were were able to get 11 mph without ski poles and 17-19mph with them.
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comprex, which ones did you buy? Are those Coyotes? How did you choose them?
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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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slikedges, Coyotes, yes; any longer of a frame (those are 14 inches) and you really can't skate on the flats using regular stride. We needed something a little bit bigger than the Roces ~90mm wheels Eddy Matzger skated Kilimanjaro with (Dan Burger used Coyotes on the same trip) because we were skating on really sharp dynamited rock that would wedge in between the 2nd and 3rd wheel, and there was also considerable mud of a peanut butter consistency during the train-up.
That R'blade was closing down the line and the rep basically gave us all the spare parts we needed for free was icing on the cake.
Anyway, Doug swore he'd never, ever put his on again, but then, after we talked to Gates about their Trail Skate and I demo'ed the Crosskate, we concluded that there really isn't anything better (read: lighter) on the market yet that doesn't rely on XC rollerski parts and stride. So the offroad Pittsburgh-to-DC trip has been on indefinite hold for three years now. (Waiting for Doug's 60th birthday, I guess: he's exactly 50 in that photo).
If you're just looking for downhill skates, its a different story entirely, and I probably would not pick the Coyote.
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Oh, and Doug is wearing Salomon Sliders in that photo: those ripped off his wrist in one fall on the second day. You'll want something with more strap area.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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comprex, do you know of anything on the market now which will allow a normal skate stride?
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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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slikedges, not I, was hoping you or someone might. My criteria are 14inch frame or shorter, 100-120mm wheels, and less than 6lbs per skate in size 42.  THe Coyotes weigh in at 9lbs per.
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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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Masque, I am not wearing black in 41C and I certainly am not wearing white or red, for the reason you mention.
Salsa, huh? You and the lady at my shoulder seem to think so, but I certainly don't want to aspire to your score, being 0:1 already.
Did you say you needed to work on core strength? Here you go: Allunaariaqattaarneq
PG, can you update the links to mfgs on your grass ski site?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Masque, Sno Sno, Qck Qck Sno or is that the Waltz
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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IncogSkiSno, well, at least you've got rhythm
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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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IncogSkiSno, Not according to my kids 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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comprex, No. The UK is much worse than the US for this sort of thing and I don't think Europe is much better either.
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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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Can anyone recommend a beginners' video to buy - preferably in dvd format? Couldn't see anything obvious on Amazon.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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noggy, try Ski Club of Great Britain, there use to be a fair selection of DVD's and videos to buy although as i'm not a member anymore not sure if they still sell them.
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I revert back to the sea for the summer. Used to do a fair bit of sailing, but now into surfing.
Certainly keeps you fit and builds stamina. You have to work a lot harder when surfing to paddle out through the surf for the next wave. I wish they'd invent a chairlift to do the work for you 
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Anything that promotes a sense of balance....so keep active..!!
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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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slikedges, take a look at Landroller. No brakes tho.
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comprex, Hard to see in the pictures and diags but from the FAQs :-
15.
How do you brake with LandRollers?
All LandRollers have a heel brake arm and replaceable brake pad attached to the right skate. It can also be fastened onto the left skate, if so desired. This braking system works in the same manner as those on inline skates. Place the braking skate leg forward and lift the toe then press the heel brake pad firmly onto the ground surface until coming to a full stop. Experienced skaters may prefer to employ "hockey" stops, tight turning stops, and "T" style braking maneuvers. In the future LandRoller will introduce hand-activated disc braking systems.
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FAQ
. . . but it’s improving. 
