 Poster: A snowHead
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Back in the day, skiing attractively was something to aspire to. Skiing elegantly was noticed. How important is it today?
It seems to me there are now plenty of technically competent skiers, but many seem to lack distinctiveness and style ? Some care about what they wear but seem to care less about how their skiing looks ?
Does technique now triumph over style ? Is elegant skiing still respectable ? Should we aspire to ski more distinctively ? What does an attractive style look like these days ?
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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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@Alastair Pink, 
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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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@Peter S, I think it's still important. It's just a slightly different form of elegance from legs together wedelling. An excellent skier will almost always be elegant due to grace, efficiency and balance.
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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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There are a whole bunch of styles that work, even a park rat making minimum effort coasting in the back seat back to the lift can be elegant if you define elegance as a distinct style and maximum control for minimum effort. To me elegance is probably what BASI etc call flow - moving effortlessly and efficiently. That probably means gate skiing can't be elegant as the skier is forcing into turns. Technically admirable - sure. I too don't equate elegance with bum clenched Arlberg technique - too forced and artificial looking.
Can't find it but there was quite a good interski video showing individual country styles. I remember the Japanese and Koreans looked too overly stylised to be elegant and the Austrians too perfectly drilled I.e. they just looked like they were trying too hard.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I'd love to be an 'elegant' skier - I think I'm still a fair way off it though unfortunately 
I think it depends on the type of skiing you are doing too. On an easy/more relaxed day I think it's easier to appear elegant to observers, compared to a time you might be 'attacking' the slope more or working a bit harder, as @Dave of the Marmottes said:
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That probably means gate skiing can't be elegant as the skier is forcing into turns.
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I know my stance changes when I move from relaxed skiing to a faster and more aggressive (hopefully more dynamic) approach - I go forward and lower. I know I feel more elegant when I'm more upright and naturally stacked, and just gently moving with gravity. That could just be years of horse-riding though...
I do love watching really good telemarkers though - there are quite a few around Chamonix, and watching the really good guys, including off piste, is just beautiful - definitely what I would call elegant!
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^ first vid is the one I was thinking of -I think the Swiss and Canadian are the most elegant because they are in the words of the guy, the loosest. YMMV.
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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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what's the name of the Canadian guy? JF Beaulieu? Just watch his videos. The definition of modern skiing elegance.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The Canadian guy looks good. His feet are tidy with not too much gap. He looks elegant, stylish and yes modern to me . 
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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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| fixx wrote: |
| I do love watching really good telemarkers |
Having myself complete made dogs dinners of the scrappy moguls at Hemel last weekend, I was amazed to watch a woman elegantly telemarking her way through them! 
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@motyl, It's rare for a woman not to be elegant, at anything us lumpen males profess to be proficient at, but I have to say that they do make it look so easy. . . I don't know . . . muscle ratios, lever lengths, gender posture . . . I wonder if it may just be that when Tele began us blokes were a dam sight lighter than most of us tend to be now and whilst we have more mass we have not the control of it. Whereas our life companions have not gained the same amount of handicap and are simply better at controlling their body movement.
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You know it makes sense.
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It's rare for a woman not to be elegant, at anything us lumpen males profess to be proficient at
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Would that that were true, @Masque. 
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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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| motyl wrote: |
| fixx wrote: |
| I do love watching really good telemarkers |
Having myself complete made dogs dinners of the scrappy moguls at Hemel last weekend, I was amazed to watch a woman elegantly telemarking her way through them! |
If only you'd been there yesterday afternoon you could have put your moguls skills to good use elegantly picking your way between all of the fallen over telemarkers on the slope.
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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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@motyl, No, not me, I was there later on and enjoyed their afternoon tea break.
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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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