Skiing Myth squabbling

A snowHead

title edited - was proposed skiing myth #4

A snowHead

Hmm. I was told to face downhill (not tooo pronounced but enough) back in January, bottom half turning independently to some degree. I'm interested to read this work in progress.

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

Maybe I'm wrong, but I've always thought face down the hill is a good principle for a) beginners, with a view to preventing or correcting b) a habit of rotating the upper body into the hill. Puzzled

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eng_ch, I think look where you're going is the first principle; but I'm sure veeeight will reveal all!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

eddyr, where were you told this, and for what situation (bumps? long radius on piste turns? off-piste?)? For as long as I can remember I've been told to be square on the skis unless skiing very short radius turns.

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rob@rar, got to agree there. seems to work in practise too.

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

rob@rar, In my beginners lessons back in January, where pretty much all of what we did was understandably relatively tame piste - in no particular situation

After all it is free

eddyr, OK, which resort was that?

Ellmau - Austria

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rob@rar, Got enough? How about switching the spot lamp off now.

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rich,

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veeeight, both wrong and both correct Puzzled

A myth of sorts......

I think it's another one of these ones that is "Sometimes".

One of the things I've been looking at is looking (i.e. facing) the next pole plant (or centre of the next arc, roughly). For short turns, the centre of each successive arc will be a line straight down the hill, so yes, I might be facing down the hill. For longer turns, I'll be looking more across the hill, as the point where I plant my pole will be over there somewhere.

How does that sound V8?

You know it makes sense.

...wait for it.......

(This one is slightly more techhy, I have to expain things like line of momentum, and counter rotation)

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

veeeight, Will you be using English or delving into your Disney Dictionary? wink

A snowHead

veeeight, Have you been talking to John Kindree? rolling eyes

A snowHead

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

DB, I see these threads as veeeight's way of debunking some of the gross generalisations that get taught to intermediate skiers. these, I think, are probably used with the best intentions and just to illustrate a point but then require considerable un-learning at some point.

I'm interested in this one actually - I expect the answer is that it depends on exactly what you are doing but let's see

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Arno,

I've no doubt veeeight's intentions are good but unless you should never face down the hill or be square to the skis then believe it should be qualified. It was the same when he said unless you pole plant then you don't look dynamic. In my humble weekend warrior opinion, skiing is best learnt by doing with someone who can see you and give feedback/tips to improve - something which I suspect even veeeight will agree with.

Some people seem to think there is one way to ski and because someone is a ski instructor their word is gospel. If veeeight wants to debunk any myths taught by other ski instructors it would be fairer to do it in an environment with other ski instructors (e.g. Epicski.com). What veeight says is myth breaking might just be his opinion and not true in all situations. In the world of the blind the one-eyed man is king Wink

. People are often taught things which are refined/modified later (how many of use learnt to wedge turn and then went parrallel later?) Trying to refine someones skills over the internet before they have developed enough might cause more problems than it solves, especially if it breeds distrust in their ski instructor. Some instructors avoid getting into deep technical ski technique disscussions on the internet for good reason. For the learner skier it's too technical and no more accurate than a doctor diagnosing via the web.

Tips over the internet often help but there's no substitute for a real-life teacher/coach. Afterall, is there a top level skier who has never had some form of coaching?

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

DB, maybe we should give him the chance to qualify it as I am sure he will when he actually makes his post at the top of the thread. There are plenty of instructors and decent skiers on here who will argue if he writes something which is not right

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Arno,

Nobody is stopping him from posting and he's had two chances already but hasn't come up with anything other than a tease. If V8's got something groundbreaking then he is very generous in sharing it here on snowheads. Before I'm convinced it is groundbreaking I'd rather it be put up against other experts before I believe it. IMHO the acid test is the Epicski Ski Techique section. Anything else just clouds the picture and I'm trying to produce something I can maybe frame oneday. wink

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

Personally I never care much about things like this and only think they have relevence in the situation the skier is in.
But I do agree that a learning skier might be told to concentrate on a certain thing and when all hell is breaking loose, its hard to grasp that one matra, let alone the many nuances you'll eventually need. So keeping it simple and not contraditory gets my vote. One you accumulate a bit of snow-time, you can cherry pick which works for you..and if you can't do that, go back and get a refresher.

That said, I am kind of interested in where this is going, the terminolgy of all this type of stuff cracks me up...!!!

After all it is free

Don't think, relax, feel the wind in your hair and wait for the sonic boom! Toofy Grin

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Wear The Fox Hat, Mate, that rhum is excellent, thanks! Toofy Grin

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Fox,
I think he is telling us to ski backwards and wait for the boom.

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DB,

None of my articles promise to be groundbreaking. As for not posting it yet, it does say work in progress, I have got other things in my life to do as well.

Why not wait until the post is made before passing judgement and/or arguing about it?

Alternatively if the concept of these articles upset you then simply don't click on them.

As for not posting them on Epic, any of my articles will hold up to technical scrutiny, but unfortunately Epic is populated by many like yourself.

veeeight, Do you ski with that handbag? wink

You know it makes sense.

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

As an aside, when I learnt to ski I was definitely taught (rightly or wrongly) to have my body facing down the mountain.

I now believe that this is useful if skiing short turns down the fall line (how else COULD you ski down the fall line???) but not necessarily at other times.

That said, when I learnt it was a good way (personally) to get my weight forward. Perhaps not the intention but it was the outcome. Have you ever done the 'make a picture frame with your hands' exercise?

A snowHead

For those of you who like to analyse the technicalities of skiing on the web ....

http://forums.epicski.com/forumdisplay.php?f=9

I've read pages and pages of technical analysis, much has helped but sometimes I've ended up even more confused. It's often the simple one liners from experienced teachers that give the real breakthroughs.

Help!!

Skiing Myth squabbling

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