One for the instructors on here, looking for feedback.
Don't have huge amount of footage to go off but every-time i watch it i see something else to improve. I also shared it with an instructor the last lesson i had and she pointed out things i hadn't even thought about. So in the interest of continuous improvement, what's your view?
The videos were all taken in Zermatt this year in March, right before they closed everything down!.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Wed 25-11-20 9:25; edited 1 time in total
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I think some of the minor faults on piste are what are currently holding you back off piste.
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?
Given I'm unlikely to be going skiing this season and picking holes in my own technique - I might as well try and pick holes in yours.
I will qualify any comment by the fact that I'm not qualified.
I see a lot going right in that clip - but I do think you are skiing a bit self consciously, knowing you are being filmed.
The possible faults I see would be as follows (On the Piste Skiing clip):
1. Your uphill hand can get a bit left behind through the turn
2. Your weight can get a touch too far back, without enough knee flex through the turn
3. You are a bit upright, with too much skid. It's a little too static.
4. I think your transition is a bit quick ie. More weight needed on the uphill ski at the start of the turn. Drive forward and across rather than up. Progressively and continuously ease the turning ski over on its edge, all the way through the turn.
5. Make the turns slightly more C-shaped and use the end of the turn to help "ping" you into the next one.
6. Your pole plants are a little haphazard. I think the pole swing should happen progressively through the turn (rather than a quick swing at the last minute). On longer turns, just as you did, it's more of a "pole touch".
Ps. I'm very happy to be told I'm mistaken by those who teach for a living.
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Wed 25-11-20 13:44; edited 7 times in total
I think some of the minor faults on piste are what are currently holding you back off piste.
my thoughts as well.
I'm not instructor so I aint gona give advice and there will be peeps far better qualified than coming a long to give it you.
I do know that nothing great happens on skis when you're only using the tails though.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
My non instructor view - Ignore if you wish.
Piste technique is ok but the upper body is too busy, not facing downhill enough, it is running with your travel direction ahead of turns. Keeping the upper body pointing down the fall line makes turn initiation much easier. You are doing no pole planting to speak of, arms lagging back. That is part of the reason you're leaning back a little, maybe a stiffer boot with a more aggressive forward cant may help too. Work on the hand position, pole planting and upper body direction. Also seeing lots of skid turns rather than edge holding carves too but the snow conditions and style of ski could be contributory there.
Bit more aggression in the off piste chop needed, you're leaning back and swinging turns across the slope. Taking the fall line, skiing with tips alternating 11 oclock 1 oclock (limiting direction change) with your weight further forward (so balanced) and knees more bent and hands further in front would allow a better technique to evolve. Trying to unweight for the turns off piste is very tiring with your style and in deep snow will chew you up and spit you out.
For really steep learning to unweight fully in the turns (jump turns see vid link below) is essential as doing wide swing turns on steep ground you can get way too fast very quickly and lose control in the turn. The steepness actually lends itself to fully unweighting for turns more easily (gravity physics etc) so skiing more aggressively with more turns for speed control and on the fall line would improve you.
Caveat that with the fact the off piste looks a bit rotten there.
In the piste video you are twisting your skis sideways very quickly at the start go the turn, the consequence of which is that they never really find much grip so you're not able to follow much of a curved path, instead skidding sideways more than you want. You leave a 'zig-zag' track down the piste, rather than a series of linked, rounded turns. One of the things which contributes to this sudden change of direction at the start of the turn is that your hips are too far back, so you're sitting back and twisting your feet. From this position at the start of the turn it's very difficult to achieve good fore/aft balance. Notice how much the fronts of your skis are flapping around because they are not loaded. That's not going to help steer the skis around a curved path if the front half of your ski isn't engaging with the snow as well as you'd like.
Making turns like that is incredibly difficult off-piste so your turn shape is much better in the two off-piste clips. The tendency to have your hips too far back is apparent in the off-piste clips as well.
To fix this focus on what movements you're making at the start of the turn when you're skiing on piste:
1. Stand more effectively on the outside ski to create the turn, and feel for the ski gripping the snow.
2. Be patient with the skis, so they turn you rather than you quickly turning them.
If you can do those two things it will make a big difference.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Of course I was gonna say all that but @rob@rar beat me to it again.
I was seriously going to suggest one legged skiing on blue terrain.
Edge, pressure then steer rather than turn, pressure then scrape.
After all it is free
After all it is free
@DB,
There's lots going in with the skiing in those clips, plenty of which is good and some that needs tweaking. But rather than list everything which is going on I focused on the one thing which if it can be changed it will make the biggest difference, and will undoubtedly fix some of the things which need tweaking as a consequence of getting strnnger fundamentals.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@rob@rar, how much in your opinion ofthe bad stuff would dissappear if OP dude was to stand up and ride in the middle of his skis?
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Mother hucker wrote:
@rob@rar, how much in your opinion ofthe bad stuff would dissappear if OP dude was to stand up and ride in the middle of his skis?
A lot. In my experience it often does if the fundamental skills are performed well. It's much easier to have better stance and dynamic balance; all of the body management cleans up because you don't need to fight with the skis to get them to do things.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@Russeh, See yourself side-on in vid1. Get out the back seat!
But not too bad and to be expected on a black run.
At your level, you need face-to-face instruction with real-time feedback.
Most importantly, yellow pants is sooo 90s. So treat yourself coz everyone automatically improves with new kit.
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.
I thought I'd give examples of how to (potentially) correct the problems that I highlighted:
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Tue 24-11-20 22:02; edited 3 times in total
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
@Old Fartbag, I find one can watch as many videos as one likes but its no real help.
I was a back seat driver for a long while until a coach pulled me by the waist pushed me by the bum and stood me in the reset position. I needed to feel where the reset position(middle of the ski)was. Once I found how to ski the middle of the ski and return to the middle after being moved away it opened up a whole new skiing experience.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@Russeh, out of interest, what skis are you on? Same in all 3 videos?
Also you'll get absolutely flooded with advice, some good, some bad, one of the guys giving you good simple advice is a ski instructor. As in a lot of things the KISS principle helps here.....
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Mother hucker wrote:
@Old Fartbag, I find one can watch as many videos as one likes but its no real help.
I was a back seat driver for a long while until a coach pulled me by the waist pushed me by the bum and stood me in the reset position. I needed to feel where the reset position(middle of the ski)was. Once I found how to ski the middle of the ski and return to the middle after being moved away it opened up a whole new skiing experience.
I simply posted the videos, as a picture paints a thousand words. I was not meaning to suggest that one should learn from videos alone.
Generally speaking, all the points I made, are links in a chain, in the sense of achieving, and then keeping "Dynamic Balance" over the skis, by getting the OP out of the back seat....while removing Z shaped skids.
Last edited by Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name: on Wed 25-11-20 12:51; edited 1 time in total
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
If you took that photo of Darren in the Pole Swing Vid above side on then it would like he's in the back seat
My only comment is one that I used to hear and try and and instil in others when skiing off-piste is that "Speed is your friend".
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@AL9000,
Quote:
Most importantly, yellow pants is sooo 90s
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?
I kind of agree, oddly.... Just put things in your pockets, or get other people to carry them!
I suspect that the op's skis are not very pistey and they might not have the kind of radius that inspires the confidence to wait for the turn down a black run. Hence the skid.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Whitegold wrote:
.....Ditch the backpack......
Klamm Franzer wrote:
I kind of agree, oddly.... Just put things in your pockets, or get people to carry them!
.......
Really feckin sensible when it comes to skiing off-piste
(Loving the automatic translation of the website above. )
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:
I suspect that the op's skis are not very pistey and they might not have the kind of radius that inspires the confidence to wait for the turn down a black run
@Klamm Franzer, uhhh, they don’t look like they are longer than 200cms
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
AL9000 wrote:
Most importantly, yellow pants is sooo 90s. So treat yourself coz everyone automatically improves with new kit.
Yes matching pants and jacket is the key (not yellow though) .
Here in Austria many of the best piste skiers are in red, this bloke in blue is not too shabby though.
he looks like a Boston Dynamics skiing robot, I fell asleep after the 2nd turn
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
davidof wrote:
he looks like a Boston Dynamics skiing robot, I fell asleep after the 2nd turn
Slowly, slowly, man.
That's just the foreplay, gets interesting from around 1:30.
Last edited by 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 on Tue 24-11-20 9:47; edited 1 time in total
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
DB wrote:
One reason I used to spend so much time in the backseat was a lack of ankle flex
For those of us with touring bindings I suspect we should be sticking something under the heel of the boot to simmulate the higher binding delta while doing the boot flexing exercises.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
he loves his Braquage does Warren! quite like the hopping around as a warmup/ankle flexy thing if waiting for others, and calf stretching is something I try and do when brushing my teeth to keep it up!!
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Weathercam wrote:
If you took that photo of Darren in the Pole Swing Vid above side on then it would like he's in the back seat
His cog is over his knees, which is good, but he does seem to have difficulty flexing his ankles.
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?
davidof wrote:
Weathercam wrote:
If you took that photo of Darren in the Pole Swing Vid above side on then it would like he's in the back seat
His cog is over his knees, which is good, but he does seem to have difficulty flexing his ankles.
Was wondering if that's because it's difficult to flex a ski boot (esp a stiff one) against soft snow. The ruck sack will also be affecting his cog so he gets his upper body forward, helped by the pole plant.
If you took that photo of Darren in the Pole Swing Vid above side on then it would like he's in the back seat
His cog is over his knees, which is good, but he does seem to have difficulty flexing his ankles.
Was wondering if that's because it's difficult to flex a ski boot (esp a stiff one) against soft snow. The ruck sack will also be affecting his cog so he gets his upper body forward, helped by the pole plant.
It "may" be to do with the angle of the skis - Either due to uneven ground, or the tails being sunk further into the snow than the tips - giving the impression that he's too far back......but if his balance was wrong, he wouldn't look so comfortable skiing that terrain.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Guys don't be so serious, I was only joking about DT
At anyone time it will look like we're all in the back seat if grabbing stills off vids etc especially in demanding terrain and snowpack.
It "may" be to do with the angle of the skis - Either due to uneven ground, or the tails being sunk further into the snow than the tips - giving the impression that he's too far back......but if his balance was wrong, he wouldn't look so comfortable skiing that terrain.
Yes looks like it happens at around the 45 sec mark in that clip and it's mainly down to the uneven terrain.
@Weathercam yes skiing offpiste in uneven terrain is often one continous recovery.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Old Fartbag wrote:
I see a lot going right in that clip - but I do think you are skiing a bit self consciously, knowing you are being filmed.
Definitely true, I had a rare chance to get some footage and wanted to make it look good! Ruined my skiing trying too hard I think.
Old Fartbag wrote:
4. I think your transition is a bit quick ie. More weight needed on the uphill ski at the start of the turn. Drive forward and across rather than up. Progressively and continuously ease the turning ski over on its edge, all the way through the turn.
5. Make the turns slightly more C-shaped and use the end of the turn to help "ping" you into the next one.
So these two points were the things the instructor I showed said, I’ve got some drills I can do at xscape to work on this, particularly the transition bit and getting the wight on the uphill ski earlier.
@Klammertime – thanks for the feedback, will checkout jump turns. That’s a technique I’ve yet to have a go at.
rob@rar wrote:
One of the things which contributes to this sudden change of direction at the start of the turn is that your hips are too far back, so you're sitting back and twisting your feet.
Thanks Rob, with the hips being too far back are you saying I should be more stood up right at the start of the turn?
The beginning of the turn thing I’ve been working on that. Got some drills, I find it times well with a pole plant, so at the same time should have weight on the uphill ski.
AL9000 wrote:
@Russeh
Most importantly, yellow pants is sooo 90s. So treat yourself coz everyone automatically improves with new kit.
Well due to losing 4 stone during lock down none of my gear fits anymore so will take the advise on board for next time.
kitenski wrote:
@Russeh, out of interest, what skis are you on? Same in all 3 videos?
Thanks yeah I’m familiar with the regular snow heads who are instructors
Yeah it’s the same ski on all vids, I’m on big fat powder skis Rossignol Soul 7’s. So probably not best for carving but I don’t think that changes a lot of the feedback here.
spyderjon wrote:
@Russeh, well your skilling is better than your spelling
That is a fact - worryingly i read back what i posted and don't see the mistake
The one thing i thought when i first watched the on piste clip was that i thought my body positioning was a little wooden and not very dynamic. I think the other things are more important though, truth be told i don't think my turn shape is generally as poor as on the videos but was probably trying a bit too hard to make it look good. It also wasn't that steep for a black run.
After all it is free
After all it is free
@Russeh, 4 stone?!!
Did you chop your todger off?
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.
@AL9000 done a lot running, but its easier to eat clean when all the bars pubs and restaurants are closed
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
@Russeh, Very well done. Blimmin take-aways still open down here, so it might take me a bit longer
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Poster: A snowHead
Ignore if you wish.
