 Poster: A snowHead
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Any tips?
I can ski all on piste in most conditions. I'm happiest on reds and blues but I'm really slow. More lessons are helping but it's worth asking here as one person might just put in a way that clicks.
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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no magic words of wisdom are going to make you go faster other than get more practice and get better at skiing!
you could of course get pi$$ed out of your face and just point and shot, but that's frowned upon generally 
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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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get more lessons, get better and you will become faster. Do it in this order or at least tell me where you're skiing so i can keep out of your way.
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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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haha, I'm not a bad skier and I'm always in control. I just seem to have a mental issue with going faster. Instructor just said all I really need to do is 'accept the speed' in his French way and mixed up learning to carve with fast runs ending going up uphill.
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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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Join a ski club in the UK and do some race training over the summer?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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what happens at race training? where? No idea how it works.
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| andybomb1 wrote: |
| what happens at race training? where? No idea how it works. |
You learn to ski fast through slalom gates 
It's been years since i did it and I never bother with dry slopes or indoor snow slopes nowadays, but I'm sure if you ask around there'll be clubs that do this if you can get to a slope.
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@andybomb1, seriously, there's nothing wrong with skiing slowly, i'm no speed freak. I probably ski mainly at 30mph. Ski Tracks had me at 50mph in LP this year, but i'm sure a bit of poo came out
Not being on the ragged edge and skiing with good form is much more enjoyable than hooning around everywhere IMO.
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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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@andybomb1, just turn the gravity dial up to 11
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You mean you're scared of going fast?
Someone on here last week mentioned practicing hockey stops, first from starting near the bottom of the slope, then from higher and higher so your final velocity increases each time. As you realize you can still stop from higher speed, so your confidence increases.
Or did I misunderstand?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| sah wrote: |
| Join a ski club in the UK and do some race training over the summer? |
That's normally solution for everything. If you are comfortable slow skiing blues and reds, then getting between the gates is perfect solution, as skiing between the gates is really easy, and normally exactly right thing for beginners 
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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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The thing is, to put in the context of a motorway, I feel like I'm trundling along with the HGV's when I'd rather be with the cars but I don't need to be trying for 100mph but I'd like to have the confidence to do it if I felt like it.
It's strange because I drive fast and ride bikes reasonably fast but I ski slowly.
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wear a helmet. seems to work for lots of other folk on piste...
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You know it makes sense.
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practice, practice and practice some more!
and then go and do some more practicing!!
To build on your analogy; when you learnt to drive I suspect you thought those HGVs in lane 1 were absolute nutters for going at that ludicrous speed, then once you passed your test and spent more time driving you increased your speed to 50mph, then 60 and then 70 became the norm.
so once you've done all that practice then go back up and do some more!!
The problem is possibly that you ski for 1 week and then have 51 weeks off so unless you find another way to top up your practice or really ingrane your learning every year you will see a dip back before and consolidation of previous learning before you can move on.
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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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One thing about increasing speed is being able to pick the right "line", the right size/type of turns - and in particular finishing the turns off, which means you can always kill a bit of speed, going uphill a bit as necessary, rather than having to just skid to scrub off speed by skidding.
The best way to learn this, really, is skiing behind an instructor who knows your capability and will pick the right speed and line for you. Then stay close on her heels - just a few metres behind.
So yes, get a lesson, perhaps a private lesson! And tell the instructor what you want to do.
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Poster: A snowHead
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From the sounds of it you don't feel like the issue is with technique as much as it is a confidence thing. If that's the case then I'd have thought that practice is all that will help.
I ski quite quickly (possibly too quickly some would say) but it was something that came with time. It also helps that I'm not afraid of giving it a go and not clever enough to think about falling over.
It's mostly needless though, if you're enjoying skiing then it shouldn't matter how fast others are going.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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+1 for skiing behind an instructor or someone else good.
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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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Get some mates that ski fast, then keep up with them. Try and do this somewhere quiet.
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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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| andybomb1 wrote: |
| I can ski all on piste in most conditions. I'm happiest on reds and blues but I'm really slow. |
Is this a problem for you? From a technical problem is very easy to ski faster, but if this means that you won't enjoy your skiing is it really worth going outside of your comfort zone?
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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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Find a steeper hill.
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@andybomb1, what's your level of experience? How many weeks on snow over how many years? Your feelings may be completely normal for your level or they may not - I really don't see how anyone can offer appropriate advice on how to progress without some more background info.
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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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Don't turn.
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Up the weight and go long. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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How slow is "really slow"? If you're one of the slower skiers on a busy piste it can be unpleasant as you're constantly being passed. If this is where you're at then it's worth trying to get faster. Lessons will help, but ultimately it's about getting comfortable with higher speeds. My advice would be to get out your bed early and get the first lift up in the morning to a reasonably easy blue. You want a nice wide piste, freshly piste-bashed and with no big bumps/crests. Just pointing your skis straight down the hill would seem the obvious way to go fast, but I think you're better going for long carved turns. Your skis are faster on their edges and as soon as you feel you're going too fast you just tighten the turn and turn back up the hill to stop. In a quiet resort you'll get a few runs before other people start appearing, so just keep repeating the run and varying your speed. Once the piste is busy then you'll slow down to normal cruising speed, but hopefully you'll find yourself skiing comfortably a little faster than before.
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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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Going to a very quiet resort with open piste can be a big help, gives confidence when you are not always expecting to either run into someone or somebody skis into you.. Try skiing in january..
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+1
This works!
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You know it makes sense.
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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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On a serious note the key to going faster and feeling safe and in control is to improve your turns.
learn to be more dynamic, but have good upper lower body separation, race training will really help with this even on a dryslope.
This will give you the confidence that you can safely go faster.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Buy red boots. Everyone knows they are the fastest.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Someone on here used to have "every turn is an admission of fear" or similar on their signature. I always liked that.
The advice to try and up the speed on flatter/ quieter slopes is a good one. Long, carved turns where you are just moderating your speed rather than 'braking' will help you to feel in control at higher speeds. But there is, however, a lot to be said for the old instructors' maxim of "accept ze speed".
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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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If you have your own skis do you ever get them edged and waxed? I once borrowed a pair of skis from an older relative at the end of a season and they were so grippy that I literally felt like I was being held back when I otherwise would have been flying. I've always found rental skis are fine if they're well maintained by the shop though.
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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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The start of the turn is an acceleration phase.
Accept that you will accelerate as soon as you steer/pivot both skis into the steepest part of the mountain - the fall line.
Use that acceleration as an opportunity to steer/pivot and carve both skis through to completion of the turn - this is where you will decelerate.
If you do that you will ski faster and differentiate yourself from the vast majority of people on the slopes who try to get their skis sideways as soon as possible thereby killing all momentum and working against gravity.
Hope that makes sense.
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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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@Mike Pow, That is a really useful description of a turn. You have pointed that out before and as snowboarders we often remind ourselves of your description. Thanks.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| cad99uk wrote: |
| @Mike Pow, That is a really useful description of a turn. You have pointed that out before and as snowboarders we often remind ourselves of your description. Thanks. |
My pleasure. Glad it resonated.
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Thanks guys, I have got some good ideas and a few laughs, in particular @halfhand. I think the most obvious thing, that I was missing was to ski behind somebody who's decent and doing a speed I can work to keep up with. It's pretty much how I learnt to ride a bike downhill. I guess I'm usually thinking more about where I am than how I'm doing it.
@Raceplate, 13 weeks over 10 years - my biggest issue was giving up the lessons way too quickly at the start. I've taken a few private lessons on the last few trips and the instructors are generally happy with my position and how I ski but it's definitely back of the crowd for any given piste whereas I want to progress to the middle order
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One of the best pieces of advice I was given was to look much further ahead than just your next turning (pole plant) point. This was advice also given when I had car track driving instructor sessions and Kart racing tuition and it works a treat.
If you look further ahead you become smoother, more prepared and more accurate because you end up being at the place where you are looking and not having to make sudden changes that upset the balance of smooth controlled turns. This enables you to build your confidence levels higher in much the same way as why everyone skis better when following close in the tracks of a ski instructor.
You will be surprised what a difference this makes - especially on moguls too! Anyone can practice the habit of looking further ahead by doing so when driving your car - position your car so you aren't just looking at the car directly in front and in corners look for what is known as the 'clipping point' of a corner and when you see it, you will naturally steer toward it, but immediately you see the clip point and way before you get to that point, look way beyond to the point where you can see the turn will finish and you will smoothly drive thru the corner to that point. It's easy to spot people who don't do this as they will saw the steering wheel and make adjustments to the line of the corner mid turn - sawing at the steering wheel upsets the balance of the car and the same applies to a ski turn.
Some of the following pointers are mainly common sense, so the only other advice I can think of is:
1. (This one applies to all ski speeds but more so when going faster)... keep well flexed and lower so you can absorb any bumps at higher speed or you will get thrown off balance if you are too rigid - even when skidding sideways to stop, keep your downhill leg slightly flexed to absorb bumps - let the edges of your ski do the stopping, if your leg is too straight, you loose the finite control of your edge angle.
2. Practice skiing faster where you can see a run that flattens out so you have an opportunity to scrub off speed more safely whilst gaining exposure to higher speeds.
3. Watch other fast skiers when on lifts to see what they do different - quite often faster skiers ski a line down the side of the piste to avoid those going slower in the middle, but also its as much about reading ahead the condition of the piste - it is quite often noticeable that there is a maybe 30 ft wide track near the side of a piste that is much less bumpy than the middle of a piste due to nature of snow being pushed into bumps on the slower and busier central area.
4. Only ski fast at points where you know the piste well and when it is safe to do so - i.e. not too bumpy and when few people around. Check out your next run from the chair lift to see areas where you can potentially have some fast fun.
5. Always be comfortable knowing you are skiing at a speed where you know you'll be able to stop safely/avoid others - as we all know it is always the uphill skiers responsibility to be able to stop and avoid collisions.
6. Always scrub off a lot of your speed before the top of a ridge - you don't want big air on a piste you share with others - and people have a habit of stopping below a ridge.
7. Look for the gaps between people you are passing rather than looking at the people you are aiming to avoid - this is the secret to being good at overtaking when racing because as I mentioned above, you ski/drive to where you look and it often happens that someone actually hits the person they are trying to avoid because of this. Also, if you've been looking further ahead, you will have more time to try anticipate where their next turns will place them by the time you will be passing them.
One of the advantages of skiing a bit faster is you relieve yourself of a lot of the fear of knowing there are people coming up fast behind you.
Having said all that, when I ski, I know I can ski faster if I wish, but usually ski at a comfortable nippy pace at a controlled speed well within my comfort zone.
Hope that helps. 
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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 find an attack of IBS is a great way of quickly getting over the fear of going fast, especially when the nearest toilet is at the bottom of a fairly long blue run. Its the only time I've ever overtaken both of my fellow ski buddies 
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I would start by saying "you can't improve what you can't measure".
1. Set you self a goal. (somthing simple might be booking into a race, or time or you self over a set distance, and make a bet with a friend to say you will get x time x date.
2. Improve skiing technique either by having lessions, join a club, watch videos, etc
3. Improve fitness If you are not fit / strong enough you will not be able to work your skis hard enough to get the speed you desire. try weight traing, cardio etc ( you should be able to find specific ski training online
4. Ski tech. keep your edges sharp and bur free, keep your bases smooth and well maintained, use the correct wax for the snow conditions. If you would like more info on this I have written a short book on the topic. http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Ski-Maintenance-Book-Waxing/dp/1515145379/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&tag=amz07b-21
Hope this helps
Peter
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FAQ
(I still got the lift though. Just. 
