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Parallel Turns - Am I Ready?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I'm quite a newbie to skiing but I am loving it!

What stage are you generally at immediately prior to being taught parallel turns?

I am desperate to have a go, but wondered if I am still some way off?

I haven't got another ski lesson for a while so have being watching instructional videos on Youtube. I have tried to put it all into practice at the dry slope but it's not working.

Realistically I probably just need to be patient and ask my instructor when I next have a lesson.

Thanks.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Hi @ilovegreece, welcome to the inner sanctum! if you're now comfortably turning in snow plough with the start of a stem turn you are just a step away form going parallel. there's no substitute for lessons. Get yourself to resort and book a individual lesson or two. This will seem expensive, but it will be the best money you will spend. Your progression with be exponential.

where have you booked for this season?
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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?
When you are ready my son, it will happen.
As a beginner, when you go to make your turn and start pointing straight down the hill, the natural instinct is to lean back, unfortunately this is like a farmer putting a one tonne bale on the tailgate of his pickup and wondering why it still goes straight on when he turns the steering wheel. As your confidence builds and your weight comes forward and is balanced over the skis, they will naturally start to turn together.
If you have only been on dry slopes which are less slippy than snow and hence have to be steeper, then this takes a bit more "bottle" to get your weight forward.
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You'll be doing plough-parallel turns (narrower version of the snow plough), starting to steer the inside ski as well, and matching the skis (to parallel) at a mid/later stage in the turn - competently and consistently (ish) - your instructor will get you there with regular lessons.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Thanks. I've been doing plough parallel turns, learning to lean into my boots, flex and extend on turns, side slipping, skiing the waves, trying (and failing) to ski backwards. I keep practising transferring my weight from one ski to the other when turning, so hopefully parallel turns are not too far off. Off to Aosta Valley. Can't wait!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
@ilovegreece, sounds like you're ready to go. Don't over think it. It's mostly about the pressure which you're already playing with. A modern ski when tipped over can't help but turn. If you feel blocked get some good instruction. One to one, a good instructor will have you there in no time.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Thanks. Got a few private lessons before we go away so hopefully I will be able to get the basics of it before then!
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@ilovegreece, you're doing all the right things. My advice would be to ignore whether your skis are parallel or not, instead focus on being really well balanced on your outside ski (as you are doing when you transfer your balance from one ski to another). The key movement you need to make is at the start of the turn - you need to make sure you stand on the outside ski so your weight is (mostly) on it as soon as you start the turn. If you push the outside ski sideways (away from you) as you start the turn this will create a small snowplough, and your skis will not become parallel until some point later in the turn. If you stand effectively (by using a good extension movement) on your outside ski at the start of the turn and you are well balanced (laterally) your snowplough will disappear without you having to think too much about it.
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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.
Quote:

My advice would be to ignore whether your skis are parallel or not, instead focus on being really well balanced on your outside ski

this was the advice which really helped me (and has had to be repeated by several instructors, including @rob@rar as it's all too easy to get sloppy. Whenever things are going badly - poor vis, nasty snow, hangover...... that's where I go. Positively up onto that uphill ski before starting the turn.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
My €1ct. If you do alternate snow plough turns straight down the fall line of a flat blue run and let the speed build up, your legs will naturally stop doing alternate snow plough turns and do parallel turns as it is more efficient. Make sure when you start you are using the inside edges well/strongly in the alternate snow plough turns and continue using some pressure. Then if you ease the pressure in each turn you will gain momentum, and if building up too much speed, just exert more pressure on the edge and revert to alternate snow ploughs to move more snow and slow down. Feeling and analysing the feedback from your feet is what it is all about and that will take some ski miles to achieve. Won't just happen in a day. Also think cycle pedalling - alternate pressure along the inside edge of your boot. It is better to start firmly and exaggerate everything, then with experience relax everything as your touch improves.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Ditto to what both @pam w &@rob@rar have said. I remember over-thinking the tranistion from slow-plough to parallel which delayed my progress. Getting the balance right is key.

I had too much weight on the inside ski, which was locked in the snow plough position, so the edge just caught. Once I took the weight off, opened up the knee of my inside leg, and suddenly the inside ski naturally followed the other ski.
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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.
You've probably seen lots of videos but these clicked with me https://www.youtube.com/user/elatemedia
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
I remember many years ago skiiing with my daughter who had only just learnt to ski. She had some lessons and was competent with snow plough turns. As I was following her down a blue slope (a bit steeper than she was used to) I noticed that although her skis were quite far apart they were parallel during the turns. I think for kids it comes naturally because they aren't thinking about it. As adults we do tend to over-analyse .
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
ilovegreece enjoy the time you are a beginner, it wont last forever.
Go to lessons and enjoy learning,its a good social thing to do.
Also, apart from putting the effort into getting those skis to come around together in a stylish manor,
stop and look around at the scenery enjoy the view from the top of the world.

One thing I like to do is stop at about 10 in the morning and think of all my colleagues back working at home, who if they are lucky enough will be enjoying a tea break.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@DrLawn, All very true!
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
It was about day 3 for me, out of necessity, snow ploughing was killing my hips to the point of extreme pain, a good instructor spotted that and got me onto parallel turns.

As someone said above, getting your weight onto the downhill ski is key.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
t44tomo wrote:
It was about day 3 for me, out of necessity, snow ploughing was killing my hips to the point of extreme pain, a good instructor spotted that and got me onto parallel turns.

As someone said above, getting your weight onto the downhill ski is key.


Interesting thought, any instructors have a view on this?? (Always struggled with the logic of the transition from plough to parallel. My thoughts are though is that you naturally neutralise the downhill (inside) ski as you get more confident. This extends to focussing weight on the outside ski early, as in before the fall line. This focus allows the inside ski to follow around, hence parallel! Trying to positively weight the inside ski is I *think* is likely to get you into a heap of trouble) Really think you should not take notice of me though when there are a bunch if experts that post here
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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?
Try not to get hung up on it. I spent a long time trying to move from plough parallel to parallel, no matter what I couldn't seem to get the inside leg to do what I wanted. Finally some good instruction cleared it up by focusing on things other than the inside ski (which was only a symptom of the real balance/ confidence issue). It might also be significant that this breakthrough occurred in resort on snow rather than the less forgiving Skiplex slope I'd been learning on.
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PeterGee wrote:
t44tomo wrote:
...As someone said above, getting your weight onto the downhill ski is key.


Interesting thought, any instructors have a view on this?? ... My thoughts are though is that you naturally neutralise the downhill (inside) ski as you get more confident.
I think this is an example of why you should never use the terms uphill ski and downhill ski*. It's just a recipe for confusion. I think in this case the reference made by t44tomo was to the outside ski, not the inside ski as assumed by PeterGee (who is right to say that excessively weighting the inside ski is likely to cause problems).

Inside Ski and Outside sSki are much better terms, not least because they don't change identity half way through every single turn we make.


* Some people I've taught will have heard me use these terms, but only when doing traverse drills wink
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I stopped doing snowplow turns pretty much as soon as I was taught how to hockey stop (mastered would be too strong a word). But this was perhaps a bit too soon.

I was so chuffed with my newfound ability to stop at will (and spray snow about) that I basically did that at every single opportunity, treating sections of each run as an excuse to build up just enough speed to stop again. I then had to be coaxed back to doing a semblance of the snowplow anyway by my instructor in order to give a bit more finesse and structure to my turns at a much slower speed so I could get the pressure / weight transition right.

Whilst it is really uncomfortable and tiring to do for long periods, being able to do really solid snowplow turns is a great skill. Something approaching a snowplough still feels very useful on slopes much too steep to feel comfortable getting it wrong at speed.
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