 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi All
As per the title, I am off to Whistler in a couple of weeks and would love to use the opportunity to brush up on my technique. Over the past couple of weeks, I have spent a fair bit of time looking at PMTS, Warren Smith and other tuition videos that are floating around on the web; my skiing has gone backwards over the past 3 years from a combination of poor fitness and learning to snowboard with my partner, so I would like to use some time I have in Whistler to rediscover my old form.
Can anyone offer experience about what tuition programs are particularly good in Whistler? I quite like the look of The Camp...
Many thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We have done the Dave Murray ski camp twice and are doing it again first week of March. A lot of GS gate training on the Dave Murray downhill. Video analysis. They combine it thus year with Ski Espirit which was sort of instructional guiding , but I emailed them and they said it would be very similar to the old Dave Murray camp.
We have also done Warren. Miller and Snoworks, I think the Camp may be more carving focused but still with some other variety around the gate training.
In our experience they are very good about talking you through it when you are there but you need to make sure you speak to one of the instructors who actually coach on that program as they are specific to it and are separate to the general instructors.
PM me if you want any more info. Every thing we have done at Whistler has been absolutely great, but it was 2007 when we were there last so we are just going to sign up and see what it's like this time. Fingers crossed!
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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How good are/were you? Personally I'd go Extremely Canadian but I think they're all pretty much addressing the same levels and will have the same standard of handpicked coaches - just what format floats your boat more. No experience of the gap year type interlopers .
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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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I think you'd like The Camp since you get the same instructor each day and they can plan a good progression over a number of days (up to 4 days). The instruction uses tools like video analysis which is really useful to see yourself how you are skiing and where to make improvements. It's also nice that you get the apres in the evening making it a good overall social experience where you ski and drink with the same people each day. That means you should also be able to find some new friends who you can ski with after you finish the program.
If you're into the steeps then fatbob's suggestion of Extremely Canadian is also a good idea with the same video analysis/apres etc but just a bit gnarlier  , but I think they only do 2 day courses.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks for the the replies folks, they have certainly given me something to think about.
I used to be quite happy arcing (is that the correct term for turning and leaving railway lines?) empty pistes (which I can still do), but otherwise I would ski fairly smoothly trying to work the skis and not skid during turns using a combination of flex and edging. I did all of this on short slalom carvers (Supersport 6*s)
I got injured and lost a lot of fitness. On the three holidays since then I have struggled to find my rhythm, control and speed when not arcing. I also switched to skiing some Sir Francis Bacon skis which I am struggling to adapt to (I used to drive the front of my volkls a lot but believe you need to be more centred on these skis?).
I want to get some high quality tuition that can start helping me find fast short turns on steep slopes. At the moment I just pivot the skis round old school style.
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SFBs are a completely different style of ski from a Supersport so it's not surprising. Take both on hol - use the SS on piste and SFBs off.
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The thing that is really confusing me is the advice concerning the SFBs not being appropriate for piste. I find it difficult to accept that they are purely off piste skis as most reviews point to them being quite accomplished on piste. All this leads me to believe it is definitely driver error.
Having an expert explain how to adapt to a centre mounted position, where my technique is pants (over the past week I realised one problem is that my release has reverted to an extension) and also how these skis are meant to behave at any one point in time (does tail rocker always cause the tails to wash out? and if so how do you manage this so that you arent just sliding down the fall line perpendicular to it?). To top all of this off, I am about 240lbs with all my gear on atm which I suspect is overloading the skis.
Comments appreciated! 
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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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People reviewing SFBs are probably experienced in skiing fat rockered skis so their review doesn't translate directly to someone who is out if practice and used to trad piste based skis. They'll be perfectly skiable on piste provided you can adapt your stance to the right balance point but don't expect them to be as locked in as a piste performance ski. Do you play around with fore/aft movement etc? Are you freaked out by the powerslide or do you enjoy it? Are you getting enough edge angle on the new skis to give them a chance of performing?
My comment was if you're getting back into skiing - why not ski what you're used to rather than trying to adapt to a new style of ski at the same time?
Also if they are true centre mounts then they might just be a bitch to ski - I certainly find that it just deadens the ski for me. Not that the ski is bad just that the mount is bad for you. Where are they relative to the mounting lines?
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The SFBs are mounted 2cm back from centre. The powerslide scares the crap out of me, probably because I am doing it wrong. It was exacerbated by the fact that the snow conditions were very hard (not ice). They were the conditions I used to love because they are so predictable on carvers but on the SFBs I couldnt find any grip at all and was working my pants off trying to unweight the skis to get them to grip and run and all that was happening was about 5m of downwards drift. I felt like a total beginner; I suspect that many of my technical weaknesses were hidden by short, 68mm slalom skis helping so much in the turn.
Later, when the snow conditions were softer I actually found that I was putting my weight too far back on the skis in an effort to not overload the front; I started getting some better results by getting my weight further forward. I was playing around with fore/aft balance during the turn as well.
Most of these problems stem from the centre mounting being a totally new area for me, the skis being weaker on hard pistes and my technique being out of dial. I absolutely accept that I should get back on my carvers, and they will be in the bag for whistler but I really want to learn how to ski a wider, rockered, centre mounted ski and also what I should expect from them.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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feef, a second for these guys , my sons out with them at the moment and is have the time of his life 
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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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I'd guess that SFBs will never be great on very hard packed snow because they aren't designed for it. Once you can get reasonable penetration with an edge the performance disadvantage of a wider ski starts to lessen which is where technique comes in. Lessons will sort you out.
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I will report back on my progress, I am still super excited.
The PMTS videos and forum seem to have some useful drills to practise; the users are a little zealous in their attitude but a lot of the theory sounds like it could help me.
Unfortunately that programme listed by Feef doesn't match up with my dates.
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