 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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Lessons!@viciousvulture,
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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’m afraid that’s not a carved turn, instead you’re skidding and pivoting your skis to turn them. Don’t worry though, that’s something we all do.
In a true carved turn there is absolutely no sideways movement of the ski whatsoever and the ski feels like it is cornering on rails. Once you’ve felt it, there’s no doubt about it. In short if you only “think” that you’re carving, you’re not.
It’s actually quite hard to carve turns on an indoor slope as there isn’t a great deal of space, and they tend to be crowded.
Two tips for you to improve:
Concentrate on pressing your shins into the front of your boots to flex your ankles and pressurise the shovel of the ski so that it cuts into the snow.
Keep your arms up so that they’re prominent in your field of vision, and work on your pole planting.
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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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Hey! Thanks for the feedback.
Perhaps it wasn't clear from the video and I didn't explain it so well. There was only one carved turn in there, the right hand turn at 0:08. The video quality is bad on the upload, but on the original I can see two clear, clean tracks. It was definitely that "cornering on rails" feeling and radically different and faster feel to a skidded turn.
As you said, because it's so short and narrow indoors it's hard to get in the rhythm to try and learn something which requires a bit more space and speed.
Thanks for the tips, I'll be keeping these in mind. I've just got some fitted boots so I think that should help with better pressure on the shins. I'm quite thin so with the rental boots this wasn't so easy. With the pole plant, I think I was concentrating so hard on carving that I forgot!
I've just done 1 week of skiing before and will be heading out for my second week next week! I'll try and get some video footage to see if I've improved following your tips.
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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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| viciousvulture wrote: |
Hey! Thanks for the feedback.
Perhaps it wasn't clear from the video and I didn't explain it so well. There was only one carved turn in there, the right hand turn at 0:08. The video quality is bad on the upload, but on the original I can see two clear, clean tracks. It was definitely that "cornering on rails" feeling and radically different and faster feel to a skidded turn. |
I think that the turn at 0:08 was carving in the middle, but I'm not so sure about the initiation and end point of it?
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| As you said, because it's so short and narrow indoors it's hard to get in the rhythm to try and learn something which requires a bit more space and speed. |
Yes. Wide motorway blues are generally needed to learn carving IMO.
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| Thanks for the tips, I'll be keeping these in mind. I've just got some fitted boots so I think that should help with better pressure on the shins. I'm quite thin so with the rental boots this wasn't so easy. With the pole plant, I think I was concentrating so hard on carving that I forgot! |
Fitted boots will make a massive difference. And again, we all find that as we concentrate on one thing, we forget about others.
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| I've just done 1 week of skiing before and will be heading out for my second week next week! I'll try and get some video footage to see if I've improved following your tips. |
In that case you're doing really well for one week of skiing.
Bear in mind that carving is a pretty advanced skill to learn, and it certainly has taken/is taking me years of practice to do it. I'd say about one in fifty skiers that you see on the slope, maybe less, can actually carve turns.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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More ankle flex (knees ahead of toes).
Really commit/stand on that outside ski.
Alternatively, try pushing your left heel straight back and down into the snow for a right hand turn and vice versa.
Should be transformative (I hope  ).
Let us know how you get on.
(N.B. I’m NOT a ski instructor, so get lessons)
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I think it's a good idea to look at what one's doing now and then. If you're starting to get the feeling of how skis works, that's great.
Maybe ask the camera person to rotate the camera 90 degrees, and learn about "exposure compensation", which you need for snow or it'll look grey like that.
Learning to ski is more like learning to play the piano than learning to drive a car.
You may be impressed with how good you are after a week, but anyone with any athletic ability will do well initially, and yet it's going to take 100 days or more to learn. Sure, the ski will carve if you put it on edge, which is simple to do. There's rather more to skiing than that, though ... that's the stuff which you'll be learning for the remaining 93 days 
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A couple of things to be aware when trying to carve is that
1. Minimum radius is set by the turn radius of your ski when locked on edge
2. When done properly with minimal slippage you can potentially accelerate rather than slow down when you turn!
Hence you need a LOT of space around you, both for the turn itself and to be able to slow yourself down by extending the turn up the hill or having the skiing ability and experience to quickly take yourself out of the carve to brake or adjust for other skiers around you.
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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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| Dr. Will wrote: |
A couple of things to be aware when trying to carve is that
1. Minimum radius is set by the turn radius of your ski when locked on edge
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I'll be renting ski's next week, is there anything in particular I should ask for?
And what about ski length? I'm 5ft 11.
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| viciousvulture wrote: |
| Dr. Will wrote: |
A couple of things to be aware when trying to carve is that
1. Minimum radius is set by the turn radius of your ski when locked on edge
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I'll be renting ski's next week, is there anything in particular I should ask for?
And what about ski length? I'm 5ft 11. |
What is your weight?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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65kg
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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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| viciousvulture wrote: |
| Dr. Will wrote: |
A couple of things to be aware when trying to carve is that
1. Minimum radius is set by the turn radius of your ski when locked on edge
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I'll be renting ski's next week, is there anything in particular I should ask for?
And what about ski length? I'm 5ft 11. |
At your stage, you’ll benefit from skis that are on the shorter side (easier to turn), with a tighter turn radius (easier to turn), and that are on the narrower side under foot (easier to get on edge and will have a tighter turn radius). You’ll also want them not to be too stiff so that they don’t spit you out of turns, and so that they’re easier to keep on edge.
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| viciousvulture wrote: |
| 65kg |
I think you want an Intermediate Ski, with a waist of around 70-74, a length of 165 - 170 and a turning radius of around 14m.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Old Fartbag wrote: |
| viciousvulture wrote: |
| 65kg |
I think you want an Intermediate Ski, with a waist of around 70-74, a length of 165 - 170 and a turning radius of around 14m. |
Earlier this year in Austria, I was given a Völkl Deacon 7.2 165cm. I've specified an "intermediate" ski for next week. It probably doesn't make so much difference at my level anyway.
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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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| viciousvulture wrote: |
| It probably doesn't make so much difference at my level anyway. |
It probably matters more. If the skis is too stiff, unforgiving and hard to manage, you will struggle, lose confidence and probably get worse. Confidence is massively important when skiing. When you lose it, everything falls apart.
The correct skis for your level will be forgiving but with headroom - and will allow confidence to build.
An Expert skier can manage on an Intermediate ski in a way that a Intermediate will likely struggle with an expert ski.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| viciousvulture wrote: |
| Old Fartbag wrote: |
| viciousvulture wrote: |
| 65kg |
I think you want an Intermediate Ski, with a waist of around 70-74, a length of 165 - 170 and a turning radius of around 14m. |
Earlier this year in Austria, I was given a Völkl Deacon 7.2 165cm. I've specified an "intermediate" ski for next week. It probably doesn't make so much difference at my level anyway. |
They'll ask you in the ski shop anyway. I'd tell them that you're a very early intermediate if I were you. Be absolutely honest about your experience. You can always take them back and upgrade if they're not working for you, and you're more likely to get the right ski for you, rather than one that you might struggle with.
BTW "Gold", "Silver" and "Bronze" level when hiring only applies to the age of the skis, and thus the cosmetic appearance.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Old Fartbag wrote: |
| An Expert skier can manage on an Intermediate ski in a way that a Intermediate will likely struggle with an expert ski. |
Agreed, I'd always choose a more forgiving ski over a less forgiving one, unless I need the performance, which as a recreational skier, I rarely do.
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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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@viciousvulture, the Völkl Deacon 7.2 that you rented before would have been ideal for you, I reckon. At this stage, I wouldn't go longer than 165 with a ski like this - it'll only make your life more difficult. As your skills progress, you will probably go longer for an all mountain ski, but right now I doubt you'll need the extra stability that a longer ski would provide.
The thing to avoid is getting a ski that is too stiff for your current skill level. Like me, you are on the lightweight end of the spectrum and until your technique is solid, you'll struggle to properly flex a stiff ski. The risk with hiring an expert ski is that you end up on a stiff piste charger, and because you can't bend it, you can't control the ski properly.
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FAQ
