 Poster: A snowHead
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@under a new name, I know, just playing the other side as no one else seems inclined 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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My no 2 son, by far the best skier in the family (and a good one by any standards - when I spent a day with him on one of his seasonal postings in the 3 Valleys I didn't see anybody obviously better) has had practically no lessons since a week in Austria as an 8 year old. However, he was athletic and brave (he has had far more crashes than the rest of us put together) and in his first season, in Val d'Isere, when he was already good, he shared a tiny flat with a top BASI instructor and sometimes went out with the instructors on their days off. He felt like an utter beginner but learnt very fast and had huge respect for their skills.
However, most self-taught skiers - or those of us who had lessons years ago, then stopped for a long time) have some bad habits which it's very hard to get rid of.
Riding a bike might not be exactly "intuitive" but when you start to learn the feedback is fast and effective. You soon know if you are doing it wrong. Which, if you look round any mountain at the people skiing around you, is evidently not the case with skiing.
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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 do see where the 'i can teach myself' comes from. I taught myself up to a certain level. I had one hour private instruction in MK after my first week, and rather than learning anything I just felt like I'd donated a college dropout £50 to tell me I could already ski (which I could safely enough and 90% parallel on the easy gradient in the dome), vowed never to have a lesson again. Problem was I hit a point where I couldn't improve without making some changes. I had a recommendation for Rob and Scott at Inside Out and booked a session with them end of last season and am going on another next week. It's been a revolution.
I do think it depends on where the person wants to take their skiing. If I went on maximum one week a year, some of that spent in the bar/sledging/dog sledding etc I'd never bother shelling out for lessons. I can navigate the mountain from cafe to cafe. I've got 3 weeks already booked this year and need to keep up with the boyfriend and his family who have skied all their lives. I want to ski off piste, touring with them etc and the only way I'm going to get to that level is through structured coaching.
Pam W was right earlier on about get a recommendation and then take a lesson, don't just take the nearest and cheapest lesson to you as it may well have the opposite effect on your continued improvement and you never know, you may actually enjoy the drills and challenges.
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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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@Taurig,
Not sure if you are still reading this thread or not but it is very hard for an instructor even on here to give you advice without at least seeing you ski ( better in person but sometimes doable from a video ). Bad or worse wrong advice or even the right advice for the problem you mention but not seeing another problem you do not realise you have is potentially dangerous for you and others.
The members here are very helpful but nobody is all knowing we want you to enjoy your skiing and improve safely.
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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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Not sure if you are still reading this thread or not but it is very hard for an instructor even on here to give you advice without at least seeing you ski ( better in person but sometimes doable from a video ).
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To be honest, this is the main point. Not to disagree with the advice to get lessons at all but clearly Taurig doesn't yet know enough technique to have a base to build off through general advice.
Taurig if you are still reading then we simply can't know what you should be focusing on from your brief description. IMO at minimum you need to be skiing with an experienced and proficient friend who can watch you and give a few pointers. This would not be as good as lessons of course but trying to work it out yourself without some real time feedback is very tough.
Like UANN I haven't had that much formal instruction (2 weeks of ski-school in my teens and probably 6 private lessons) but I've been lucky to ski with some good skiers who can explain what they are doing and I appear to be unusually good at learning by copying. But I don't think I would have managed to learn so much without that early base of instruction.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| under a new name wrote: |
FWIW, I'm mostly self taught...
... after 5-6 weeks of daily lessons as a bairn, about a week a year of race training until adulthood and then intermittent lessons thereafter to address limitations or recognised failings plus lots and lots and lots of skiing with skiers who really did know what they were doing.
Taurig didn't seem to want to listen...  |
Not sure this qualifies as self taught - It's more than most people who learn as adults will ever take and add the exponential effect of all that instruction as a kid.
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Not sure this qualifies as self taught - It's more than most people who learn as adults will ever take and add the exponential effect of all that instruction as a kid.
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I think that depends what standard he has reached. I don't know UANN but reading between the lines I suspect that he skis at a much higher level than you would expect someone with that amount of instruction to have achieved - i.e. most of his technique has been developed without instruction, i.e., mainly self-taught.
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I am afraid that the most recent vid I have of myself dates from 2006...I think I've got better since.
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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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That'll be cos you bought some fatter skis
(Don't suppose living in the Alps hurts either)
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Biggest difference @Dave of the Marmottes beginning to bring technique up to date courtesy of the gents at Impulse Racing.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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That certainly wouldn't hurt (other than me as I bashed into assorted gates)
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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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Couldn't agree more with the lessons suggestion.
After "skiing" for 6 years, I put myself in a 3 hour, 1 on 1 session in Montafon 2 years ago with a hardy 60 year old Austrian....It was a relevation. I could actually feel myself carving effortlessly at the end of the second hour. Before this, I was basically muscling through my turns in jerky movements...after that one session, I was carving smoothly, on the piste, and through 30 cms of powder at the end of the session 
Was it cheap? No, it cost €180, but I just BADLY wish now I took some lessons 5 years ago.
Each season now, I take one 3 hour session to improve on things.
Well worth the investment.
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You need to keep your feet under your bum at all times to prevent skis running away from you and turn not by moving your feet but by transferring your weight. A lesson will help, it's a good investment.
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You know it makes sense.
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Hi I've been reading the comments and each one has its own merits. The main thing for me is, as already said is about of control skier. But all said, are you doing full turns and your skis are sliding / falling away from you on the turns, lack of control, not the end of the world. The down hill ski needs to bite more. Are you facing correctly, down hill know as the fall line and forcing your self into your boots and please plant your ski poles this does help. Or is it a slow braking turn?. With each idea/opinion you still need to pop down to your local ski slope. Why? As with every sport, practice and you can enjoy the main slopes much much more....
I am 60 this coming year and have been skiing on and off from my early 20's. I still pop down to my ski centre to practice something new or old. Ski instructor are value for money, just like education ( school), we all need a little help..abouth all just have fun...
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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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| Taurig wrote: |
When I read that you cannot teach yourself to ski, the uninformed idiot in me just asks 'why?', and is more determined not to take lessons.
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Well , you're half right at least.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Taurig wrote: |
Wondering if anyone has tips to help me with a problem I'm having in turns? As an intro, just started ski-ing last winter using Youtube videos, had one lesson in a fridge that didn't teach me a huge amount. I know, get a lesson; would rather spend the money on lift passes and petrol if I'm honest, quite enjoying figuring it out as I go.
Anyway, in turns either direction, my skis feel like they are running away from me. I think what is happening is when my legs compress slightly in the turn, they just bend at the knee and my weight goes back. I have tried the trick of getting the hands up and forward, but it seems like I just bend more at the waist; this does centre my weight in some sense, but it takes me out of a tall stance and doesn't make me put any pressure on the shins.
Does anyone have any little hints (apart from book a lesson!), to get me bending my ankles and opening up the torso/thigh angle in the turns? Bend ze knees doesn't seem to work for me as a mantra. I've vaguely heard of pulling your toes up, clenching your back bottom cheeks, thrusting your crotch etc., any of these work? |
You are leaning back in your skis. Guaranteed
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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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@peanuthead, but allegedly not watching here...
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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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I understand why a lot of people don't want to get lessons and agree with the person above who said if all you are doing is skiing once a year as part of a holiday, and you can navigate around the hill safely then you are doing ok. However if you do want to improve, in my experience most people, unless they have had a lot of instruction and watched videos of themselves skiing, are much less self aware than they think. Anyone who thinks they can't benefit from a lesson should probably get a friend to video them the next time they are skiing, preferably slowly, as a lot of people cover up technical errors with speed and natural agility. Skiing slow, controlled turns will show faults in your technique more easily than straight lining a blue/red/black run.
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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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Just read this as well, I know the OP is probably not still reading but
| Taurig wrote: |
I think this probably comes from my main hobby being downhill mountain biking, where until maybe 5 years ago there was no formal instruction; we just watched the pros in videos, talked to mates and better riders, and figured it out ourselves whilst having a lot of fun.
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I do DH mtbing as well, I would be really surprised if your biking skills didn't massively improve after a day with a decent coach as well
The trick is finding a decent coach though, I have had skiing and biking classes with a variety of people, they ranged from pretty much useless to pretty amazing.
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FAQ
