 Poster: A snowHead
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I was going to comment on the carving and teapots exercise thread, but its probably more appropriate to add my own comments and experience separately here.
I'm going from snowploughs to learning parallel turns.
Turning to the right is going easier than turning to the left. My instructor and my Swiss friends observe that I only seem to use one shoulder - I can get the left shoulder to swing forwards when I turn right, but the other side is harder work.
My instructor tried getting me to swing the ski sticks from back over shoulder on the outside edge of the turn fast across the front of me to the other side and downwards like a tennis racket - I couldn't do this quickly and it wasn't overly successful. We also tried planting the ski pole and turning around it - he made this look so simple, but I didn't have the control.
The best solution seemed to be what the kids were trying - aeroplane wings with my arms - the one on the ouside edge of the turn held higher the one on the inside lower (like an aeroplane making a banked turn) - that was the most successful exercise in getting the outside shoulder round, particularly on the awkward side.
However, what I can't understand is although I couldn't turn left as easily - that was actually the side I could make the best parallel stop on. Very weird!
I'll post the video when DH sorts it for me and maybe you will be able to help me more, but on watching it myself I don't think the top half of my body is working separately from my hips downwards. I presume it will all come in the finish.....?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Megamum, there's a whole lot in that post! There's lots I'd like to comment on, but would be best left to the pros. Just one thing from me: all carved turns are parallel, but not all parallel turns are carved (at least not purely carved). I'm sure there'll be lots of other observations to follow!
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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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Megamum, I recommend you change your instructor. Best to keep your upper body as quiet as possible. You don't want to be thinking about swinging your shoulders anywhere.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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Megamum, really? Honestly? I find it hard to believe that an instructor would do that at all these days.
There are much better focuses for you to have in order to achieve your goals, but they are better shown than described. The primary key is learning to release your ski edges first. Then allow your skis to find the fall line on their own. Paaaaaaaaaatience! The vast majority of skiers rush through the top of their turns instead of enjoying the rush of the skis accelerating into the slope and then out again.
Lots there.
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Sounds very Swiss to me and as a drill I can see the point.
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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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I will hold comment until I have seen the video but it sound like a series of drills, which has leftMegamum, with the impression in her mind that shoulder rotation is the key to turning her skis.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Megamum, I'm way too inexperienced and early in my own learning to comment on the individual drills but it does seem to be perfectly normal for folks to turn better on one side than the other. I've been told it on just about every lesson I've had! According to the instructor community everyone has the same problem to some degree although it becomes less pronounced with experience and practice which is obvious if you think about it as the difference is much less between the 2)
Others will no doubt comment on the drill itself. A few weeks aho it was pointed out to me that I was doing TOTALLY the wrong thing with my arms ( as in diametrically opposite to what I should be doing) and that after 2 seasons of learning so don't 'unduly worry' about it !
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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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Heidi's grandad on 225 "straight" skis used to employ a sort of "swimming crawl" shoulder motion when teaching powder skiing. Perhaps he's still working at resort X? 
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Hywel, I think you've only to look at that video I posted before to see that I am that same naiive novice I claim to be. Sorry to blow a hole in the theory.
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You know it makes sense.
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| laundryman wrote: |
| Just one thing from me: all carved turns are parallel, but not all parallel turns are carved (at least not purely carved). |
[pedant] not always - Javelin turns are carved but not parallel  [/pedant]
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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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Megamum, I have to admit that I have thought the same thing!
Either...
...you must be an instructor's joy to teach as you clearly demonstrate motivation, willingness, a lack of pre-judice and an open mind....
or
...you are in fact a journalist with the Sunday Times, re-writing "We learned to ski" and you're viciously and unashamedly exploiting our collective's knowledge.
I am going to believe you are the former and will say again that I think your questions are beautifully framed. In fact, if you're not a journalist (etc.) I think you should collect your questions and selected responses and publish them!
[Oh, I'll probably get in trouble now over SHs IP ownership...]
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Poster: A snowHead
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stuarth, how dare you upstage me in pedantry?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Megamum wrote: |
| Hywel, I think you've only to look at that video I posted before to see that I am that same naiive novice I claim to be. Sorry to blow a hole in the theory. |
No need to apologise, but your first post about a Killy jacket for £7 in a charity shop set the tone, and your angling talents have gone from strenth to strength from there.
I wouldn't expect you to blow your cover so quickly anyway
Don't take this as an insult - you definitely kick off some interesting threads here which is no bad thing.
MegaDad
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Hywel, this is his/her fifth skiing trip. 
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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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Hywel, it flitted across my mind too. However aj has well established credentials, and clearly believes Megamum exists.
This from equipment
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:... I think skeetex (chelmsford way) seemed good. Myself and megamum both went there and are happy with the boots...
aj xx
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David
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Maybe Megamum is aj's mum.
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bh1, 4th actually, Yes, but the first two were 10 years+ ago and I had no lessons on planks of a huge length and I got no-where!
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So I don't exist.............Mmmm, could get away with tonnes now..........however, I'm an honest sort, I have mentioned the goat keeping before as well haven't I? Why shouldn't the rest be true? Try the following:
http://homepages.tesco.net/ajaosborne/
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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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Megamum, mmmmmm nubile goats eh?
Sorry, getting confused from the 'other' thread
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Megamum, you've convinced me, "Mid-Essex Goat Club" couldn't be made up! 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Megamum,don't worry , I think some of us may be gently 'winding you up'? 
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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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You know it makes sense.
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David Murdoch,
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...you must be an instructor's joy to teach as you clearly demonstrate motivation, willingness, a lack of pre-judice and an open mind....
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That's a lovely set of thoughts.....but, wouldn't anyone new into a sport and who wanted to do their best at it (and personally I can't stand not doing something to the best of my ability) approach things from a similar perspective? I am always prepared to act like a sponge and absorb any tips anyones prepared to take the time to give me. The problem comes when you are new at something that, until someone tells you that the advice you have been given is wrong for a good reason, you have no other basis for not believing and not doing what you are told to.
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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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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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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Megamum, the reason why rhythm is important is that the end of one turn normally sets you up into a good position for the beginning of the next turn. If you complete one turn, then pause a little as you traverse across the hill it's actually harder to initiate the next turn. It is much easier to 'flow' from one turn to another than it is to pausing between turns.
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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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rob@rar, that was more or less how it felt - by thinking about the next turn straight away I was almost doing it - the momentum generated from one turn almost rolled you into the next. (I bet DH hasn't got a video of me doing it though to show you - I haven't seen all he took yet). One will appear when I've got the couple of hours to sort it out.
I've spent the last few hours considering they way many people skied on holiday and also those video clips. I keep looking at the confidence angle from the perspective of being able to fling myself down the fall line like my 7 yr old kid and the 7yr old of my Swiss friends do, but is it absolutely necessary to be able to do that? If I could master this shooshing to and fro in little (or larger) turns (which I would imagine I could in time) would that be sufficient to ski most areas or are there some situations where you need to be able to go down hill in a straight line?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Megamum wrote: |
| I keep looking at the confidence angle from the perspective of being able to fling myself down the fall line like my 7 yr old kid and the 7yr old of my Swiss friends do, but is it absolutely necessary to be able to do that? If I could master this shooshing to and fro in little (or larger) turns (which I would imagine I could in time) would that be sufficient to ski most areas or are there some situations where you need to be able to go down hill in a straight line? |
You very rarely need to go straight down the fall line for any length of time. The only skiing which demands this is the Flying K speed skiing. However, just about every turn you do will involve your skis pointing down the fall line, for no matter how brief a time. You will also need to be able to project your upper body down the hill so you fully commit to changing from one set of edges to another as you start the next turn. This, obviously, can be intimidating on steeper slopes. But you should be assured that your confidence will build as you gain experience, and in the meantime you should concentrate on your core technique which is the bedrock of all your skiing. Rather than trying to understand situations (like 7 year olds bombing down the fall line) I think you should focus more on technique (what technique for steering your skis is best for different contexts). Once you can put your theoretical understanding of technique into practice you will find that the 'situations' look after themselves.
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Megamum, if we compare ourselves to 7 year olds on skis that way madness lies. The ability and fearlessness of children on skis is a little joke on us adults by the Snow Gods
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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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Megamum,
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FAQ
), I have to comment that a lot of 
