What do you see?

A snowHead

So, here are some photos of me taken yesterday. I like some of what I see, don't like some of what I see. I'd be interested in what you see good and bad in these and hear your thoughts...

Note: this was my 2nd or 3rd run of the season after about 5 months off, I'm skiing on new boots that had not been fit to me at all (plug boots; by the time I took them off, most of each foot was pretty numb) and on skis that are unfamiliar (demo Nordicas that I review over in the Review forum).

A snowHead

Ok good things first-

Great position of arms, nice and forward along with the rest of your body.
Feet maybe a little too close together in the first two pictures (may be the angle of picture), but great stance in the last two.

The only slight thing I may criticise is the perennial first day of the season problem, not quite enought flexibility at the waist, leading to dropping the inside shoulder slightly on the turns.

But basically fantastic.

Please no more pictures to rub in the fact that you're skiing and we're not.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Mainly I see a lucky b*****d with that much snow in October Laughing

Turn 2 is definitely in a different style to the others, I'm not big on the arm position 3 but may be transient & inside arm looks low in 1 & 4. All are nice "sponsor turns" flashing plenty of base so you are getting plenty of equal edging. 1 looks most powerful, 2 most eurostyle.

Snow looks really nice!

Obviously my turns next weekend will be a total shambles by comparison rolling eyes

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I can't see a smile.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I should probably have said: these are sequence shots, taken in that order, of sequential turns. The second one is the top part of the turn following the one that's ending in the first frame. The third one is the end of that turn, the fourth one the end of the following turn. (Hope this makes sense!)

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Sorry I get it now 1 & 4 are at similar parts of the turn 2 & 3 totally different phases which sort of shows how misleading snapshots can be.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

fatbob, exactly right. Well said. Thanks for your thoughts.

FenlandSkier, I like to think that was the boots. Someone asked me part way through the day how I liked my new boots. My reply was, "I'll let you know when I can feel my feet again..." Shocked

After all it is free

maybe photoshop in a wince then wink

BTW, I'll post my thoughts after a number of you have had a chance to comment...

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FenlandSkier, Laughing

that's great!

I think, too, I was concentrating on the skis and boots so that I could do the reviews. I did have fun, tho, I promise! Wink

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It was fun on the inside?

snow reports

First impressions without a thought to cause & effect relationships, looking from #1 through to #4

#1
Nice parallel shins.
Nice tipping of the skis.
#2
Interesting apparent change in stance width, let's call that camera angle.
(if it isn't camera angle my first guess would be that you're on looser surface and not quite trusting the inside edge of your outside ski)
Interesting head & shoulder gesture. Hmm. Trying to get a bit more steering from that outside ski tip?
#3
Good upper body motion through transition but a bit rushed, old outside ski slow to relax.
#4
Nice symmetry of lower body but maybe too much weight on inside unless surface is much looser than it looks in which case a narrower stance and taller inside hip maybe better choice.
On that taller inside hip, though, the outside leg flex looks very similar in almost all phases of the turns shown. Too similar, perhaps.

Trousers look a bit short in 2 & 3, but apart from that it looks great. Lovely snow.
Looks like a gentle run out until I noticed how much of the sk base can be seen. Nice tilt.

You know it makes sense.

I think that #1, 3, and 4 are in very similar phases of the turns, fwiw, comprex. But, I think your observations are very interesting...

Frosty the Snowman, Laughing

. It's a relatively easy blue slope (top of Richard's Run just below Spillway at Loveland).

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

ssh, I agree but can't convince myself that you're taller on the outside leg in #2. More angulated, sure, and it looks durn good. Wish I had that level of presence in the moment on new gear, or at all really.

A snowHead

ssh, I'm not a good one to judge your skiing, but you look kinda stiff. Almost like you're concentrating a bit too much and should forget about the technique and just "be one with the snow"

And another thing, how do you get faisasy to take pics of you all the time? I wish I had a personal photographer like you have.

A snowHead

comprex, interesting. I look longer in that frame to me, but I might just be wanting to see it!

SnowHot, I am stiff. Some of that is from all the new gear, some from the first day on-snow, some from having a couple of recommendations from cgeib rattling around in my head, some from knowing I was being shot. It is awesome to be able to ski with faisasy!

I have a hint for some of you. Look at my hands and arms. Notice anything? (Even if you're relatively new to this process of analysis, I think you might be able to learn something from this...)

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

ssh, since no one has spotted the glaring mistake in the first pic - Chris is trailing his outside pole. Wink

The guy in blue is skiing well.

Now that I look at his hands, his right hand is also falling back a bit - in frame 3 it is level, but the others, it is a bit lazy.

Where are you looking in frame 2?

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ssh, if I had to criticise, I'd say you were a little banked on your right hand turns.

But what do I know? - I'd love to be able to publish pictures like that! Very Happy

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Ever so slightly off-topic, but I honestly didn't realise that some mountains opened up for skiing so early on.

A little more on-topic, I have noticed that in a lot of pictures/videos of people skiing on this and Epicski, the skier looks a little stiff. This must be just the fact that they are on camera and too conscious of being watched?

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conor, I agree about people looking stiff - it could be for the camera, or it could just be because we are looking at stills, not seeing the whole video.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

ssh, One thing that comes to mind for me is this.........
When I learned to ski, it was drilled into me to keep my hands forward. Because of that, I hate looking at pictures of myself skiing because I always look like I'm hugging something, with my hands out front.

Although you don't have the same appearance that I have when I see myself, you seem to be concentrating on keeping your hands forward, and steering with them(for lack of a better term)

After all it is free

OK: I think your outside hand/arm is coming round too much at the end of the turn (particularly finishing to the right). I like Pic 2, but think your inside knee could be a little more open to the inside. However in pic 3 the rotation of the outside shoulder appears to have resulted in a hip rotation at the crossover point (plume of snow?) It is difficult to tell from still pics cos everyone looks stiff as previously mentioned. However, pretty nice on the whole and I'm just being picky. Little Angel

ssh, I think pics look good and its how I imagine I look when skiing (rose tinted goggles anyone?). Now I'm no expert but... you look just as good as the lady pictured on pages 44 and 45 of this months Ski + Board Little Angel

easiski,

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ssh, I don't feel clever enough to comment about much except:
1. Lucky you to be on snow already and
2. In picture 4 there are lovely set of carved/curved tramlines extending out behind you - so I guess that you used your edges properly beforehand and no "sliding", and
3. Lucky you to be on snow already.

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When I dreamed last night of skiing in L2A later this week, that's exactly how I was skiing Blush

Looks lovely to me ssh.

snow reports

ssh, Really good . Pic 2 - maybe feet a little close. Pic 3.. uneven edging of skis....and all pics ... lots of flex on the outside ankle ...t the inside ski (2 and 3) doesn't seem to be doing much. Do your skis stay the same distance apart throughout the turn ?

Nick L, You know I was thinking sort of the same thing as your #1 and #3.
I think, that if we are going to complete a real analysis of ssh's skiing, we really need him to fly us to Colorado and let us see his skiing first hand.

You know it makes sense.

SnowHot, yes I agree that that would be a thoroughly acceptable and indeed completely necessary way to make a truly informed ananlysis.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

halfhand, If he was not a pro or semi-pro skier, I probably wouldn't have been so critical!

A snowHead

ssh, glad to see you finally made it up to Loveland! (pity you weren't there on thursday snowHead

)

I'm not going to add my 2 cents worth, because I know easiski knows far more than I do! And I'm hopeless at MA.

Are you going for cert III this year?

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

ssh, as you know, I'm no expert skier, and most on here know far more than me, so please take the following thoughts based on what you know about me as a person, skier, "classroom assistant" Wink

and friend...

Your hands are an undisciplined mess. More than anything else, they throw off everything that you’re trying to do smoothly.

You should be very pleased with the early edge angles shown in the second frame. This is very early in the turn, and if your hands weren't doing all the moving in-and-out and up-and-down stuff, I don't think your head would be doing what it is... and your shoulders would likely be more steady, as well. And, perhaps, the issues in transition would go away, too.

It looks like you are uncomfortable with your balance with that set-up, and I guess that made you feel less sure of yourself than usual. Have faith that the boots will provide you with more confidence next time, but think more about my hands and less about my legs and feet for a while. If you can get those kind of angles that early in the turn with the kind of equipment challenges you were having, then you don't need to focus there right now.

It's always good to finish on a positive note (something which I have learned and experinenced in the US, but not from Euro instructors Sad

) so:
I really like the looks of the tracks visible just above your head in the fourth frame. Two nicely etched lines. Keep that up, and work on the smile a bit more.

... and the funny thing is, I suspect you were thinking exactly the same thing. Wink

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ssh, I've been taught to keep my arms equi-distant from my body at all times. In picture 1 you have swung your outside arm into your body which will bring your shoulder around. My husband does this - but of course the rest of him isn't as smart as you wink

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Your first picture and your last one, you look to be in the EXACT same position, it almost looks photoshopped.

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Darn, the lucky bar steward joke has already been made Sad

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

In picture 2, are those Bob Barnes' tracks just in front of you?

After all it is free

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