 Poster: A snowHead
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OK, I still don't have much luck when it comes to video. At CF you have to stand up on the balcony, and we didn't appreciate that under full zoom the light drops out - so does the focus when the zoom backs off in places. So the footage is not brilliant quality wise. However, maybe I can ask you to stick with it please? There is only 2-3 mins worth and some of it does get better and I think it might give a look at a little of what I got up to. It starts with earlier runs and I think the skiing improves towards the later runs in places. There are some short turns and some wide ones - on the 3rd or 4th run I come down the LH side between the jump and the lift on purpose to keep the turns narrow. I am keen to know if you agree with my own opinions:
1. On the whole it looks faster, more fluid and better turn shapes.
2. Shoulders seem better (with some exceptions), but I still need to watch them - the odd gorilla tendency on the turn does creep in from time to time, but not as much as it used to.
3. The stem seems vanquished 
4. The upper body still looks a tad stiff, but the whole effect seems a little more relaxed - hence Bagpuss rather than Woodentop
Rob, I did try the drill you set, but I think it needs more work as I concentrated so much on it that when I did so the turn shape vanished.
Overall, I'd be happy to know how it looks to a more informed eye please. NB. There should be some pole planting going on.
I'm wearing a red jacket, black trousers and a white helmet and I think once you spot me my lack of style will draw the eye next time. It starts with the blue peril (blue top/bottom and black helmet) that is my son and then I come from the top a few seconds into it, vanish off of the RH side and then come back into shot.
https://vimeo.com/75698240
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sun 29-09-13 19:36; 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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Megamum, I'm not remotely qualified to comment on your technique, but you do look confident and relaxed on your skis - and I think you should stop fretting about "lack of style". Chase the S-word right out of your ski vocabulary.
I've had similar problems (but outdoors) trying to do videos - it makes you realise how clever the instructors are at it
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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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I actually thought that looked really nice!
Yes there are technical things to change to 'up' performance, but (as pam w says) you look at ease and in control of things. Definite improvement from the last video. Well done 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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That looks like a totally different skier. Hopefully Rob has driven round the bend - sorry, helped you to turn the corner 
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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 know how it's easy to form an opinion of someone, from their internet forum posts, that actually have no basis in fact? Well I thought you were a crap skier...
Stop beating yourself up, there's a lot of people who are not nearly as good as you are (I'm one of them).
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Awwww......schucks! I'm sure you're all too kind  , but Thanks Folks
Def. better video would help, but there is enough there for me to see what I needed to. Those were mainly later runs, a number of earlier ones were suffering from shoulder issues. I really still have to think about not swinging the shoulders around to try and make the turn happen - I was starting to be more effective in those later runs, but it was consistently effective (mostly - I can see odd misses when I forget) as those are 'one after the other' runs down, however, clearly I still need to concentrate on that.
That improvement was just with hints and tips from Rob on one of their social evenings - I am going to try and have a proper session or two with him before I go on holiday in February - if a few well places hints and tips can do that much - some full sessions will surely be useful . He made me aware that a number of issues were stemming from a lack of control of the inside edge of the outer ski on the turn. I can now actually 'feel' this bite early and feel that edge go round the turn actually staying on its edge - I like the feeling! and now I'm trying to make it happen and I now know what I have to do in order to get it to happen (sounds daft, I know, that I've got this far without that revelation, but I've never been quite as aware that it needed to happen before). Once I know its happening consistently I'll try and stop leaning into the hill and start to work on this projection 'up, out and over' thing as the turn happens.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Mon 30-09-13 8:39; edited 1 time in total
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That's looking much stronger, and you are beginning to develop more efficient movements and getting more performance from your skis. Well done.
| Megamum wrote: |
| Rob, I did try the drill you set, but I think it needs more work as I concentrated so much on it that when I did so the turn shape vanished. |
That's pretty common, and I never worry about it. When you introduce something new it usually means shift of focus and you lose an element of your skiing (simply because you are not focusing on it any more). The aspect which has disappeared, in this case turn shape, will return when you no longer have to work so hard on the new thing. Skiing is not a purely linear journey where we get something 'right' and then move on to the next thing until we have ticked off the entire list. We will often need to revisit the core aspects of our skiing to make sure they are as strong as we want them to be. That applies at all levels of skiing, from newbie to racer.
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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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pam w, one or two Inside Out clinics are what I'm going to try and sort out before next February. I need ones dealing with the right areas on a Saturday that I'm around and, ideally, though I'm sure I'd get on well with Scott, I'd like them with Rob, who I've currently got a lot of trust in.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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It might sound daft, but I've even realised that when that outside ski is on its edge its almost 'springy' and I can actually 'push' against it and it makes me go faster when I do so!
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Mon 30-09-13 8:38; edited 1 time in total
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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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Megamum, it's great using pressure along that edge to control turn shape (but much nicer on a big wide blue slope rather than Hemel!). Something I've been practicing.
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You know what I've just looked again, that outside shoulder does what it shouldn't when I lean into the hill - makes sense. Of course it wouldn't be physically possible to lean into the hill unless I did pull that shoulder around. If I stop leaning into the hill the shoulder ought to fix itself, which is why its looks so much better when I don't do it!! Serendipity is a wonderful thing! 
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You know it makes sense.
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Megamum, when you lean in to the hill or drop your inside shoulder you are no longer well balanced on the outside ski. As there is less pressure on that ski it doesn't steer you as effectively as it could, so subconsciously you will do something else to help the ski come around the turn. That something else is often driving the ski by twisting your upper body. Stay well balanced on the ski all the way around the turn, from beginning to end, and it will do the work for you. So the question is, how do we stay well balanced on the ski all the way around the turn, from beginning to end...
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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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| Quote: |
Of course it wouldn't be physically possible to lean into the hill unless I did pull that shoulder around.
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When I did a course with one of the trainers working with Phil Smith (is that right? I get confused with all those ski outfits) we had video feedback every evening and we saw "below the waist" only. The idea being that we had to get the skis right and PS's instructions were that videos must not show "the whole skier" or we'd just all be faffing about "how we looked".
That was a bit extreme - especially as we practically all wore black trousers. The trainer had no problem telling us apart, even so. But it got us looking at what the skis were doing on the snow, which is the important thing.
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Poster: A snowHead
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pam w, that's a useful thing to do. When doing video feedback I often stick my hand over the screen to obscure the top half or the bottom half of the skier to look in more detail at what is going on, and how rotary separation (or a lack of it) affects the skiing. When analysing your own skiing or other skiers always start with the skis and then look upwards. Too often, IMO, people focus on what the arms are doing (I suppose because they are so obvious) when the problem or solution is located lower down the body.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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rob@rar, we do what I hope I've started to do, we shift our weight so the focus is over that ski early in the turn, and we think about standing on the edge of that ski through the turn. When I do that the shoulders seem much better - though at the moment it is still consciously competent (I hope!) - the unconscious habit is still waiting to pounce if I let my guard down!
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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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Well, I got another 2 hours at CFe yesterday. Did some one ski skiing, managed to nail the short ski pole drill that rob@rar, had set for me - rob@rar, I did 5 full runs down with short ski poles and think I really nailed it. I'm sure I've increased my speed and again I found that pick up speed out of corners when I needed to by pressuring the edge. I think I'm also finding this 'open the door and go through it concept' (can't remember exactly how it was described). I was also pleased that I am sure I wasn't leaning into the slope - I could feel the knees in and the upper body out. In short I actually enjoyed myself, I had fun and I am sure I was smiling!!
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Megamum, sounds good! "Open the door and DIVE through" is what I tell myself on steep slopes.
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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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Megamum, good work
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Brava!!!
Do they do monthly unlimited passes? It's nice to go whenever you get the urge.
No Camdroid? 
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| Quote: |
It's nice to go whenever you get the urge
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As I get older I find that's essential.
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franzClammer, No camdroid, still having problems with the camera - I think its linked to the read/write speed of the SD card, but even getting a quality class 10 one card it's still playing up. The new card worked the first time, but won't function repeatedly - I'm going to try flashing the firmware upgrade to the camera. It's on the to do when I get a spare hour (what's one of those  ) list. A monthly unlimited pass wouldn't work for CFe - I only get to Manchester infrequently - though more recently this year as my son has a season ticket that is requiring at least a trip every 4-6 weeks to make some use of it. So this year it won't be a full year between just holiday skiing, but the sessions will only be for a couple of hours as daughter likes a chance to go shopping in the Trafford Centre and we have to fit in both during the boy's football time
At the slope yesterday every run seemed better than the one previously, I still suffer a little from 'do I really want to go this fast/any faster', but I am sure I def. have more speed than I had. I must have hit the odd turn fully carved and seemed to go round them like a rocket! On some occasions it even felt like the skis were leaving the ground as I flicked them from edge to edge (I'm sure that can't have really been doing so, but it was just a sensation that I had) It will take rob@rar, to say for certain when he next sees me, but I think I have finally moved off of the plateau that I was on and am now improving again.
pam w, pelvic floor exercises are where it's at, eh...........?
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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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I also like your skiing though I think you tend to take too long between turns. There were a few sections where you linked turns together quite quickly (eg ~2:12), I thought they looked quite stylish.
I'm would guess your camera is underexposing with all the white snow in the scene. If that's the case, see if there's a snow mode on your camera.
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