 Poster: A snowHead
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| Ghost wrote: |
The thrill in going straight is the sensation of speed, and a sense of power in that you can do it.
The thrill soon wains out, and you have to find bigger steeper hills and maybe backcountry and more suitable skis, which works for a while. However on these hills you soon discover that evil piste-designers muck things up for you by putting obstacles in the way and making the trails turn. Mother nature is also not so kind, eventually causing growth to sprout up on the old slide paths. Sometimes the fall-line turns. You have to follow the fall line when it turns, so you need to turn.
Further more, the more speed you can carry around that turn near the top, above the steep portion of the trail, the faster you will be going at the bottom of that steep. You discover that power is nothing without control. Mastering the turn gives you that control. Power is good, power with control is better. Soon the the focus becomes not how fast you can go, but how fast you can go around that corner next to that rock out-crop. Eventually it becomes how fast you can make any turn, and how much speed you can carry. Before you know it you are getting a charge out of skiing the fast line slow. A memory has just popped into my head, of me skiing back and forth using the whole 20 yards of trail behind a novice who was straight-lining a run with me a yard behind his tails at every pass. That was sweet.
Eventually the acceleration of a turn becomes more of a draw than the pull of gravity. |
| Katski of Andorra wrote: |
Kramer, The problem is - people get in the way. Screaming blue murder at them sometimes gets them to move but that means at least someone needs to know how to turn to clear the way for you inconsiderate bas***d.
By all means go as straight as you can for your own fun, but better to be prepared to turn for someone else's benefit. Unless you like to be sued the poo-poo out of, of course when you mangle some kid. Actually, you go straight because you can't ski - right? Or do they only have straight mountains where you come from? Do you have to do that fancy turn where you lift your leg up and make your foot face backwards like a ballet dancer in order to get to the lift? |
 nerd alert!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Don't worry you'll be welcome in my head injuries unit anytime! 
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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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Helen Beaumont, this is a philosophy that I've come to after much contemplation.
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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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Katski of Andorra, as long as you wear bright colours, and make enough noise, everyone can see you coming in plenty of time, and get out of your way.
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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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Krammer,
I'm warming to this "just go straight" method of skiing and thank you for breaking the myth of "turning" while skiing. Should my feet be equally weighted, should I be square to the skis or do you propose a countered position? Just so that I can picture it correctly please provide a diagram with different coloured lines showing the paths of the skis & body mass, along with tangental/cetrifugal forces, etc. I trust your book and DVD on this new method will be in most good bookshops by Christmas. I do thing it's worth aprroaching the FIS to see if this could be added to the winter Olmypic events. We already have a "Downhill event" so was thinking of calling it "Straight Downhill" or "Whohoaaaa" - what do you think?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Kramer, not sure my kids have though about it quite so much though!! 
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AxsMan, No, really? You think? 
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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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DB, keeping the knees flexed, with a prone position of the upper body, and the ankle neutral, brings your weight nicely over the tails of your skis, thus lifting the shovels from contact with the snow, thus increasing your speed, and by removing the ability to turn, also removing any temptation to do so.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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Kramer, I find a flailing motion with the arms also helps
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Arno, that's the other school of going straight! That's not how we do it!
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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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I like going straight and fast, when I know where I am and there's a decent run out.
Never tried it backwards though. 
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FAQ
