@phil_w, I very much agree with your above post - and is also how I felt at the time. I suppose - to use your wording - the reason Ali Ross was a pioneer, is he broke out of typical Ski School "orthodoxy" and made it "look a bit silly".
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Like I said I probably did four courses with him, a couple with the OH and then the others were his advanced courses, so I got to know him pretty well, and he was definitely not orthodox in the slightest, relishing in his rebelliousness and anti-ski establishment, which was a tad ironic the fact that we were in Wengen the home to the Downhill Only Ski Club.
I also vaguely recall a very long stagger/ski back with him from Mary's Cafe in Wengen back to Wengen, maybe again stopping off elsewhere, it was all a bit of a haze, but after a few drinks he dropped his client-facing diplomacy and did let rip, true Scott
Harry Evans was editor of the Sunday Times and he loved his skiing - hence the We Learned to Ski book (circa 1979), which I'm not too sure how much Ross contributed to, as there are different results on Google, some (Ross's website) say Ross and others people listed below. Though I do remember the Harry Evans quote "if there's a better ski teacher I've yet to meet him".
We learned to ski / Harold Evans, Brian Jackman and Mark Ottaway Produced by a team of writers and artists on The Sunday times. Jackman, Brian. joint author | Ottaway, Mark. joint author
I just love the description of the book still on Hary Evans (deceased website)
We Learned to Ski: (19--) ISBN: 0000
There has never been a ski book like this. It is produced by a team of writers and artists on The Sunday Times. Nothing has passed into this book unless they – the writers learning to ski – found it really helpful. They have cut out the jargon. They have crystallized all they have learned into ideas that will help every skier – beginner, intermediate or advanced; man or woman; dainty, fat or fifty; boy or girl.
And I see the dude is still teaching, chapeau.
And just going through the website and I see that his beloved Moira died last November only a year or two older than my OH
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?
Old Fartbag - Chaletbeauroc - too true!
davidof - speed masks technique - too true! Now that would be a good book title - haha!
I think there is SOOO many things that make up a skilful performance and we all need to keep our minds open to how thats achieved. Having done courses in skiing with the ESC / BASI / NZSIA / CSIA and on the boarding side of things SBINZ and CASI I have seen LOTS of great stuff and lots of not so great stuff out there. You won't find the EDICT model or PAT (Pause, Ask, Tell) in the BASI manuals but I use those principles a lot. The TIDE model (all about presenting Task orientated learning and then let the student Interpret before Developing the skill) that has come in more recently - well thats not really my cuppa tea.
@beeryletcher, yep, being adroit in switching between every technique depending on context is absolutely where to be …
I love ‘monoski’ with fats but goodness you have to be careful - I had a hilarious ‘off’ last Easter with the Grom - approaching a lip, cattrack, locked my rear tips together by error in a narrow stance and so suddenly was a passenger…shot off to the left, over a small cliffette, down onto a track maybe 4 metres below…landed safely but big shout from Grom ‘where the hell are you going?….’
Walk of shame back up to him…
I have done this. Wearing fat skis off and on piste was what, many years ago, started to forcibly sort out my knees together stance.
Before the Preachers arrived, I looked very old school...
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Weathercam wrote:
@greengriff, as a few on here know this is a subject that I've been trying to get to grips with over the past couple of months on the slopes, changing from the old-school pole flicking/mincing and aspiring to try to mimic the God of Carving Ted Ligerty, who some say practically invented the new way or skiing.
And there's loads more out there if you Google Ted Ligety Carving
Only yesterday someone commented on why I'm not pole planting when I posted a video on FB recently, and that's a major difference in the new style vs old on easier gradients, in that there is only an ever so slight use of the pole to initiate the turn, it's actually more to do with balance and setting yourself up for the turn.
Ligety explains more here in this video and the system he advocates, which I have been using and it has helped immensely!
There's a good few instructors on here who I'm sure will offer their take on it all and how best to get to grips with the new style, plus loads of videos out there, but as ever, how many intermediate + skiers on their holiday will want to almost start again as it were and take valuable times out of their break to learn a new technique?
That's actually why Carv is very good, but even then it involves a degree of discipline and concentration that might not go down too well with others in your group, that's why I'm fortunate in that the OH also uses it.
I often have a look at Ted Ligety videos before and during ski trips. Carving poetry in motion.
I went on a couple of Ali Ross clinics in the early 2000’s. A game changer. He’d been promoting the wider stance, angulating skiing for literally decades.
back in the day, I was "guiding" a couple of very solid skiers around the PdS and after a couple of runs one of them comes out with "you learned with the Scottish-Norwegian ski school, didn't you?"
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I haven't read through all 5 pages of this but a thought or maybe an observation to make and discuss is:
1) the big angles and large carves that Ligety, among others do and have been refereed to as the new-school style is harder to achieve in practice for us "punters" as:
a) often done on well prepped slopes
b) empty slopes - very hard to negotiate on busy slopes that we ski on
c) requires full commitment to the turn - allowing speed to buildup and to build speed into the fall line in the transition (hope this makes sense)
2) the old school style of shorter turns and taking a more vertical line is often a style which sticks out as is easier to perform on:
a) slopes that are rougher/have bumps
b) steeper slopes where speed/control appears to be more controlled/at least it may give the skier that sensation
c)busier slopes - when taking a more direct fall line is easier to navigate vs large turns across/ past other skiers
3) I would argue I see very few people execute carve turns on steeper slopes - which is really what shows the skill level of someone and is a beauty to watch when you see someone tearing up a steep face and cutting beautiful lines into the slope
All that being said - there is also a new wizard on the block - If you haven't seen Odermatt's DH run today have a look at how clean he skied the run - and the hip angle and upper body separation on the early turns
extremerob - yes was a great run but re your comment "I would argue I see very few people execute carve turns on steeper slopes". Ill propose, second and third that statement.... anyone I hear say things like 'I carved down that black run' or in particular here in Val d... La Face... I usually ask them to give me a lesson - they might have edge contact but they DONT carve down it... only on my BASI L4 tech a handful of times were we asked to attempt a few carved turns down there for short distances.... hairy to say the least!
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.
extremerob - yes was a great run but re your comment "I would argue I see very few people execute carve turns on steeper slopes". Ill propose, second and third that statement.... anyone I hear say things like 'I carved down that black run' or in particular here in Val d... La Face... I usually ask them to give me a lesson - they might have edge contact but they DONT carve down it... only on my BASI L4 tech a handful of times were we asked to attempt a few carved turns down there for short distances.... hairy to say the least!
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
