 Poster: A snowHead
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red 27,
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But run the bit about the squash ball and your bum cheeks past me again... So, you're in goal, trying and failing to not to look pretty, but meanwhile robrar gives you a Harry met Sally moment?
That's it, I am defo on the Insipid to Ski beano next year!
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I normally go   to your jokes red 27 but I must admit this one made me chuckle very much indeed  Very good, and it hadn't occured to me quite how the "yes yes yes!" might have looked. Hilarious. 
Seriously though, you appear to have got yourself muddled, it is the French geezers on the vid who look like they have the squash ball thing going on. Me, I is goalie off piste.
Stop calling it Insipid. 
rob@rar, well there you go...I did practically swoon when I read your comments though I must admit. 
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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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Okay, so we're having a go at the slightly effeminate skiing style of the 80's. I've had "up/down" lessons in the last few years from instuctors, young and old, from the ESF and the ESI. So on a more positive note what SHOULD they be teaching nowadays? I know there is a greater emphasis on carving nowadays but this isn't ideal for all scenarios. I personally find the old up/down (albeit less convoluted) quite useful in certain situations.
So in practical terms - say for a 2 week skier - what is "Nu Skool"? 
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| Hywel wrote: |
| So on a more positive note what SHOULD they be teaching nowadays? |
That there are three ways to steer your skis: twisting them to change direction, putting them on edge to change direction, and pressing them into an arc to change direction. All skiing is a blend of those fundamental steering methods. I think a good instructor should make sure that skiers are able to use all three means of steering in a skillful way. Underpinnng all that is the need to develop good, dynamic balance. My issue with the videos posted by Yoda was that the demos mainly used one way of steering (twisting) with progression through some sort of contrived, stylistic approach to skiing. Admittedly the skis at that time didn't lend themselves easily to using edges to make a curve, so my criticism is really aimed at instructors who are teaching those skills on today's kit. Focusing on one way of steering skis does the client a disservice, making it much more difficult to ski in all conditions and any terrain.
| Hywel wrote: |
| I personally find the old up/down (albeit less convoluted) quite useful in certain situations. |
Yes, indispensable in certain situations so it should be taught. But other situations require more side-to-side, or down/up, or inclined, or angulated. Making sure your clients are brilliant at up/down and ignoring other means of staying in dynamic balance when you change edges limits their skiing to those situations when up/down is the thing to do.
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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.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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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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Definitely definitely not. There are thousands of instructors (including some on here) who firmly believe that steering = a pivot or rotary motion. End of.
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Steilhang, that did indeed look like lots of fun. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Yoda wrote: |
| I'll try to post the "instructional" bits and then the esf guys free skiing. Watching one on a monoski made me wonder if a few goes on one would help lower level intermediates get the feel of using both legs/feet to direct their skis - I've noticed that many at that level struggle with powering through bumps and slush for example because they can't seem to keep both skis going the same way. Never tried a mono myself, anyone who has have any thoughts on the matter? |
Monoskiing requires a different technique to traditional skiing and at a trad lower intermediate level might well set back your 2 plank learning curve.
I ski both disciplines at an advanced intermediate level and enjoy both styles.
Developing more 'tools in the bag' skills in both styles will come with good tuition and experience.
Modern 2 plank tuition is the way to go and for good reason as you are more stable / in control.
Mono skiing tuition is only available to my knowledge in some French resorts but most people are self taught (warts & all).
when done well it is Gracefull and Fun but like all snow sliding disciplines done badly it looks difficult and awfull.
The hardest bit is riding a draglift.
One of the bonuses of Monoskiing is that of the shared lateral pressures on the leg joints which for many is a blessing who have dodgy knees.
Rob
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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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You know it makes sense.
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| Lizzard wrote: |
| Steilhang, that did indeed look like lots of fun. |
Yup. And just at my back door here in Bavaria as well!
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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Steilhang, whereabouts was it? What resort?
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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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Steilhang, oooh. Very tasty looking it is too!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I remember a couple of years ago they gave a younger "expert" who was testing the new season's skis for review, some racing skis from the time of Stenmark. He was comletely unable to ski on them and couldn't carve them even a little. Those guys could ski!
When I learned, only a few of the best skiers could carve at all - it was mostly skid. Now that we have better equipment it is possible to develope the technique.
By the early 80s skis had developed a lot from the time I learned, even though they were not what we would now call carving skis, but the teaching had not caught up yet with the possibilities they opened up. You couldn't call early technique wrong, though, it was just that the skis didn't allow technique to progress.
By the way, I obviously learned "feet together" in the late 50s and 60s and still think it looks more elegant - but I don't do it any more (even off piste where some people claim you should).
I wonder if there are any similar films around from the 60s
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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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For me, the early Greg Stump films had some great skiers... Scott Schmidt takes some beating stylistically, IMV, and also for what he could do.. I like Morrison, and a few others from today's DVD's and I like Stenmark ..who is still some benchmark.... and Raich.
And altho some guys are great in the air...and they can still great lines, I am not sure you'd rush to copy their style..even if you could
I also don't think you can be oblivious to one thing or another ... and shut yourself off either
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| Quote: |
By the way, I obviously learned "feet together" in the late 50s and 60s and still think it looks more elegant - but I don't do it any more (even off piste where some people claim you should).
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It'll come back around again, most elegant ideas usually do. Once the fad for flat out carving across the slope dies a death and all the cool people are skiing the fall line feet together, it'll be fashionable again 
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putting them on edge to change direction, and pressing them into an arc to change direction
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Rob,
how are these different - putting your skis on edge also presses them into an arc
J
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| jedster wrote: |
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putting them on edge to change direction, and pressing them into an arc to change direction
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Rob,
how are these different - putting your skis on edge also presses them into an arc
J |
They are linked, but I like to think of being able to control two independent actions (which are closely linked). If you are skiing in deep snow and you use a lot of pressure to force the ski into a tight arc it is the whole ski that takes you around the curve not just the edge. You can also increase the edge angle without deliberately applying extra pressure to the ski.
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FAQ
Wow, never knew it was so complicated. 
Still, mono looks like skiing on the uphill edge of the uphill ski to me - would that be anything like the feeling of it?