 Poster: A snowHead
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Been to snowdome today & felt a bit unbalanced/uncoordinated (nothing new there then!) when trying to practice narrowing the s/plough in my turns and to persuade the skis into that elusive parallel position whilst traversing. On knocking the snow off them when I'd done, I noticed the skis were 150s, whereas I have always been given 160s before. Would that 10cm make any difference to me, or was it just me having an off day 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Too many factors to be of any help, do you boots fit right?
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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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Normally, shorter skis would be easier to turn and as a beginner, 150 skis should be absolutely plenty. However, not sure what you mean by traversing in a snowplough position - can't envisage that. When you traverse, the skis are generally quite close together, parallel, with your weight on the lower ski. Traversing is a useful skill out on the mountain, but instructors generally encourage you to make nice S shape curves, so there's no traverse involved. Are you zig-zagging instead of doing nice round curves? Maybe you should forget about that "elusive parallel position" - what matters is how efficiently you are turning. Maybe some more lessons?
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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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NewSkier, sounds to me like you were too tense and thinking too hard about trying to balance....
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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petemillis, You're right there - tension is an issue for me!
pam w, So I wouldn't be too heavy for 150s? I assumed I'd always been given longer ones than friends were for that reason and that maybe my weight was too much for the 150s? When I tried to research I found charts on the internet that seemed to suggest that for my weight I should be on something like 180s! It all rather makes me feel like I am just too heavy and too old (almost 50) to learn to ski to an acceptable standard and I get very frustrated that it is not all happening easily for me.
By "traversing" I really just mean the travel across between turns, whether that's horizontal or a bit downwards. I was told to try to bend my knees more and do a snowplough turn, then on coming out of the turn to try to bring the skis parallel and stand more upright until going down again into the next turn, heading more horizontally to go slower and more vertically to go faster. However the indoor slope (real snow) isn't that wide, and I find myself building up more speed than I want having been unable to get the skis parallel and the travel direction more horizontal and so I stay in the plough desperately trying to put the brakes on all the way down doing a series of rather skidded snowplough turns. That is NOT good because it means I am not happy on the upper steeper section - coming down that there is no thinking about technique, I am just focused on getting down to the middle safely! Two friends are doing beautiful parallel turns having passed level 4 after only 3 lessons and I am still struggling! Yes I'd like more lessons, but there are none suitable and affordable. I passed the level 4 which gives me permission to use the slope unsupervised and was told I need to become comfortable with the whole slope before going on to the level 5 and private 1:1 lessons are hugely expensive.
I've been about 4 times since the level 4. On Weds this week I felt I was really starting to get somewhere. The turns on the lower half of the slope seemed more controlled, the speed was comfortable and controlled, and my skis were closer together in the plough, becoming nearly parallel between turns, and I came down the upper section a number of times ok. But on the following day (had an extra afternoon off work - what else was there to do?!) I couldn't seem to do the same thing at all and my one attempt at the upper slope was awful, don't know how I survived it! This is why I wondered if it was the change of skis and if I was just too big for them? I had really hoped I was going to build on the previous day's experience and that the upper slope was going to feel OK for once, but it was worse than ever - I do so want to conquer this!
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As you will know, shorter skis are easier to control and manouver but less stable at speed. So all of us need to try and find the compromise that suits us. I personally wouldn't get too carried away at this stage and give the 150s another try. However, if you feel better on the 160s, there is no reason to doubt that theyu are better for you. Even if it is just in your head - you will probably ski better. Sorry not to hasve any sound reccommendations but I think either length wopuld work fine in that environment.
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NewSkier, there is no way in the entire world you should be on 180 skis, so just forget that. I have a pair of 140cm Rossignol Saphir skis which I bought second hand and lend to lots of visitors to our chalet, and ski on myself too. I wouldn't want to go super fast on them, and I do weigh a bit less than you (140 lbs) but am a lot older. It sounds to me that you are giving yourself a very hard time, measuring yourself up against others who might learn faster, and I suppose you have to accept that your weight isn't helping you, though being fairly fit and flexible is much more important than being thin! When and where are you thinking of going skiing next? It might be an idea to give the artificial slope a miss, and focus on going to the right resort and getting really good instruction. What about one of easiski's over 50s sessions? Can't imagine anything better. But there are other good alternatives too. My own amateur thought is that you should stop worrying about what your skis are doing in between the turns and focus more on the turns themselves and in being in a good basic positions, ankles well flexed and your backside/centre of gravity balanced over your bindings. Your weight is probably too far back, and therefore not enough pressure on the front of your downhill ski when you turn, so the turn takes a lot longer than it should and speed builds up. When people rabbit on about "parallel skiing" they really mean DURING the turn, rather than in between them, but until you can do a really good controlled snowplough turn, and link them together efficiently, just forget the parallel bit. Go back to basics. And go on a nice holiday rather than to that horrible indoor slope! Last minute late season deals can be really cheap!
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pam w, Thanks. We are working on arranging a 3-day break in Tignes that a friend's been offered cheaply for end April/beg May - I have found flights from EMids to Geneva for about £60 - she just has to wangle the time off work now! The indoor slope's not horrible when it is all there is LOL - it is actually pretty good really (Xscape, Castleford)! What I feel I need though is a slope the same kind of gradient as its lower end (the notice says it's 10 degrees, and the top's 15), but far longer and wider so I can get going without fear of steepness and get in more than 3 or 4 turns before reaching the bottom.
Yes, I know the weight is not helping but there is now 50lbs less of me than there used to be, and I am far fitter now than I have ever been in my adult life so that is a real bonus - my GP was quite suprised my BP is normal and I have a resting pulse of about 60 - not bad for someone my age - but all my life I have been used to blaming my size for everything and 'beating myself up' for not being thin and fit; I know I need to get out of that habit and just get on with living the active life I have now discovered, really for the first time as my parents were fairly old and we never did active stuff beyond gentle swimming.
You're probably right that my weight's too far back, as I do keep realising I am not leaning on the fronts of the boots and I am tense and keep reminding myself to loosen up and push my arms more forward too. I didn't realise that lack of pressure on the front of the downhill ski during the turn could be part of the problem, but that does make sense thinking about it.
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FAQ
. Other factors - female, nearly 50, height 5'6", weight about 200lbs 
