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A snowHead

Or you could buy an adjustable webbing strap (or even an adjustable elastic strap, gosh) for less than a fiver. I'll stick with the borrowing a ski pole idea though.

A snowHead

Mac22 if you are having problems controlling your speed and turns, it's probably because you're not balancing in the centre of your foot, but leaning forwards or backwards. Balancing on your 'sweetspot' - the centre of the underside of your foot - is essential for good balance and easy turning. If you want to private message me I can give you a link to a site which talks about this more, and which sells a trainer product called the SkiA Sweetspot Trainer. Private messaging: top right of site ‘send/read messages’, click ‘new post’ on left, click ‘find username’ and post message. Cheers.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

A couple of ideas that may help. I had something of a eureka moment when I was told to focus on the position of my hands - keeping them visible in the bottom corners of my goggles (ok, they aren't square, but you get the idea) almost as if you were holding the handlebars of a bike has really helped me to get my weight forward. It doesn't solve the problem, but it definitely helps.

The other advice is the Warren Smith Academy (http://www.warrensmith-skiacademy.com/). I can't praise these people enough, I have been on one of their courses in Saas Fee and am off to Verbier in February for another. The courses aren't that expensive (obviously you have flights and accommodation to think about though) but they are worth every penny. What I particularly liked was there attention to 'biomechanics' and posture - as someone who tries to follow The Alexander Technique I was really impressed, and my confidence really went up a notch afterwards. I an going there on my own, they are a friendly bunch and you meet nice people attending the course too.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

I am pretty much in the same position - maybe one number ahead ... in addition to all the good advice about finding your center, two pieces of advice have really helped me recently:

1. bend at the waist and lean down hill on the traverse - it seemed counterintuitive to me, but it keeps the weight on the down hill ski which really makes a difference on a steep slope - you end up in that "z" position which looks so cool on really good skiiers, and for a reason!

2. you will pick up speed on the turn on a steep slope - don't try to fight it or turn too quickly - slowing down at that point will not help ... use the "C" turn finish to control speed, but accept that you need to control the turn part at speed and really be up and "light" during the part on the fall line - that also help keep you forward (kind of lean forward as you come up on the turn - I always think of a jumper, even though it's Eddie the Eagle who comes to mind)

I don't know if I explained it well, but both points have recently moved me from "intermediate light," like you, into solid intermediate in the last couple of weeks!

PS: I also echo the value of good ski instruction - well worth the cost

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I'm not an instructor but it seems like your weight is back is the main problem. Once you start to turn you have no weight on the front of the skis leaving you the only option of turning feet, and everything else probably, to finish the turn in fear of going down the hill. Then you get an edge but you can't control it because your weight is back and into the hill and commence the traverse of death to the edge of the slope - been there, done that.

What worked for me was:

Go down the hill with the skis - a bit like a kid imitating a dive bomber (as someone said above)

Push the ski out the to side of the turn - this will help to stop you accelerating down the hill - imagine stopping yourself falling down a chimney - you would push sideways.

Be patient - let the ski turn you - this is hard as the panic of racing off down the hill sets in. To help you past that one, find a suitable pitch and go straight down it for a while, then turn.

Keep your legs flexed/soft - this allows you to control the lower ski and skid down the hill if you need to. Again, fear of the speed tends to make you push your downhill leg away and the rest of you into the hill

Braquage - where you side-slip then turn and side-slip on the other side while staying within a narrow corridor - is a really tricky but good exercise to help you get your weight centred, teach you edge control and body position. Great too for going down nasty steep stuff when your mojo goes!!

Hope that helps snowHead

You'll need to Register first of course.

If only I'd seen this before Christmas - I could have asked for a €30 piece of string for Chrimble!!

Actually - rob@rar's post really should have been the last in this thread wink

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Can I summarize the above? No mockery intended, honestly.
Bend at the waist and lean down the hill in the traverse.
Stand more upright.
Adopt a Z-shaped posture.
Stand on the balls of your feet.
Steer with your feet. Turn with your feet and ankles first, then your knees.
Dive down the hill.
Pull your toes back under your knees.
Raise your hands.
Keep your hands an exact distance apart.
Keep your hands visible at the bottom corners of your goggles.
Get your ski out beyond your outside shoulder.
Push your forehead forward, and push your hips forward too.
Don't fight the speed in the fall line.
Complete your turns.

I'll go out and try that this afternoon, and let you know how I get on. Where am I going to write all this down?
Laughing

After all it is free

I recognise this problem. In fact I think it is the universal problem - the only problem in skiing. I spend the whole season at a small ski resort, and ski nearly every day. I watch my daughters and other guests skiing, and I see them having this problem. They are not beginners, and once they have got their legs they ski quite well. But I see them "snatching" their turns. Girls seem to be able to do that thing where they flick the skis around with the ankles onto the opposite traverse. But they unbalance themselves while doing it, and on a steeper slope they are then going too fast.

And guess what? I have the same problem. Only with me it doesn't manifest on the red slopes. On those I can ride the skis down the hill and complete the turn without skidding and without accelerating. But it starts to happen on the steeper slopes, and I know it is happening. So I focus on some of the things you lot have talked about above. The ones I have tried are 'Dive down the hill' - this has an interesting effect: as I ski down the fall line I am going instantaneously faster than usual, but as I complete the turn I actually decelerate and have more control. My turns take more vertical space, and I get to the bottom of the slope quicker, but with less effort. It does work, but it sometimes means I can't ski every mogul, because I am looking for a longer radius. 'Pull your toes back under your knees.' Not sure about this one. It seems to conflict with something on another thread suggesting you should push the outside ski forward in the turn. I have tried the latter and it seems to tighten the turn. Actually, that didn't always seem to be desirable. Then 'push forward' with the forehead, hips, hands? The mind (and the body) boggles! . 'Get your ski out beyond your outside shoulder.' Hmm. I can see where this is coming from, but on steep icy slopes that sometimes results in the ski sliding away from under you. The 'hands' thing. I haven't thought much about that. I'll give it a whirl this afternoon if it stops snowing, and get back to you.

Cheers. Now to look for a thread where I can discuss my off-piste problems.

I'm not an instructor either .....

Imagine you are stood on the back of a pickup truck and the driver accelerates. If you are too tall with your hands by your sides you go over backwards. If you get down a bit lower with your hands in front of you (like a goal keeper ready to make a save) and go with the flow you don't.

Help!!

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