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Carving Fat Skis

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
is possible, but hard work Laughing




Video sequence (1.2MB):

Clicky to download

(awaits MA from ssh, easiski and others NehNeh )
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Very nice, veeeight! I can't tell what the skis are, but they are a bit on the chubby side. Cool Nice corduroy, too!

Excellent balance, great angles, you're moving with the skis (I'm assuming it's you, I guess!). The only two areas that jumped out at me as possible areas for improvement were your pole touches (a bit on the rapid side; I'd like to see them be a little more progressive so that they don't pull on your shoulders and tempt you to rotate) and a bit of redirection at the top of the turn that may be a result of your concern that the skis aren't going to arc as you'd like them to do at the top of the turn. It's part of impatience, I think (not wanting to allow them to engage and pull you into the fall line rather than just redirecting them a bit and getting to the fall line (and the power in the turn) faster). That latter only applies if you were trying to ski clean arc-to-arc turns, of course.

All that said, these are clearly nits. The skiing is exceptionally good, and worth visualizing for anyone who aspires to high-level skiing. Well done! snowHead Cool
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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?
veeeight, I am not a ski instructor and a pretty useless skier, but I do note one serious flaw in your whole style.
You are not smiling! snowHead
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veeeight, I thought it looked pretty good - deffo pretty fat skis, and it's a hell of a long way from one edge to the other isn't it? Very Happy I dont' really have a prblem with the pole plant, as if you waited any longer you'd have a dead phase int he middle, as it was I thought you got from one edge to the other as quickly and cleanly as was reasonable, How fat are they?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Not having an instructor's eye I couldn't find anything to even nitpick about, it just looked smooth all round to me. It did make me reflect, somewhat ruefully, on a photo of me and the differences in performance in my attempts to carve on fatish (90mm) skis compared to a good skier. These photos sum it up I think:



Despite superficially similar angulation, I seem to have rotated my outside knee outwards loosing edge angle, compared to veeeight who has dropped his knee inwards increasing edge angle. The same can be said for my inside knee, so although my shins, like veeeight's, are roughly parallel, my angles just aren't giving me the turning radius that I should be getting. I think this might be caused by the fact that I've dropped and rotated my hips into the turn slightly (compare with veeeight who is square to his skis), perhaps blocking my inside leg from easily flexing any further. I think I'm probably riding the tails a bit more as well. Sigh...

Maybe one day I'll get there.
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rob@rar, While I may notice the difference bewteen the two photos ( when you point them out) , I'd be damn proud to look like your photo.

To provide a 'Spot the Difference' between any photo of my 'skiing' and the above photos would need several volumes - just shows how far some of us 'have to go' rolling eyes
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
rob@rar, to be fair, veeeight appears to be on perfect cordoruy whereas you appear to be on chopped up day-old powder, plus looking at the shadows, your slope is a lot steeper.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Head skis. Maybe Mojo's or monsters?

rob@rar,

I'm no instructor and probably wouldn't look any better than you in that pic but it looks to me like ....

You are sitting down towards the hill. Look at where your back bottom is in comparison to Veight's (I assume it's him but don't know).
Veight is extending his outside leg more and retracting his inside leg more to get the right angles (not forcefully but to match the terrain). I suspect your inside leg is too far forward creating a twisting of the hips. The inside leg is getting bunched up and twisting outside, try leading your inside knee through the turn and retract it a bit more to match the terrain. I can't see your outside ski but it appears to be avoiding your inside one which is twisted outwards.

It's also only far to point out that Veight is on smooth piste whereas your terrain is more varried so it's not a fair comparison. Us mere mortals can't compete with these ski instructors but looks to me like you are def. getting there.
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All look good to me.... I wouldn't worry about any of it
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They look like Head iM88's to me. wink
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Thanks for the comments, all!

Mosha Marc, top of the class, Head iM88's they are!

rob@rar, don't give up. It took me a whole season to stop doing what you're doing (edging with the hip, dropping back and to the inside) and start edging with the ankles, knees, then finally hip. And it's still work in progress. Try and keep your hips above your heels, then move laterally to the inside with your ankles and knees. Whilst you're in slightly trickier terrain (and therefore your mental state is taking over) - the mechanics should be the same.

Video is deceiving, isn't it NehNeh Steep slope, 0750 in the morning, bulletproof hardpack. The only snow spray is coming off the tops of the corduroy! (If you play the vid with the sound on, the metallic noise at the end of the clip if my pole tip dragging on the surface)

easiski, 88mm Laughing Thanks for the observations.

ssh, Thanks for the nits. I agree the pole touch could be a litle more progressive, it's a smooth throughout the turn until the last bit where it appears to be slightly rushed. I was trying to go for as little rotary element as possible (not eliminate) - play the sequence frame by frame at the transitions - it looks like I'm getting very early edges above the fall line, and just increasing the edge angle throughout the turn to tighten radius, as opposed to any rotary element. Please look again and tell me if I'm deluding myself wink

For the newly qualified instructors in here - there's plenty to go at, even some quite basic stance issues! Laughing


Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Thu 29-03-07 13:24; edited 1 time in total
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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.
veeeight, The thread title suggests you were on Fat Skis. wink
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So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
SZK, Laughing Fat enough for some of us wink
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
veeeight wrote:
rob@rar, don't give up. It took me a whole season to stop doing what you're doing (edging with the hip, dropping back and to the inside) and start edging with the ankles, knees, then finally hip. And it's still work in progress. Try and keep your hips above your heels, then move laterally to the inside with your ankles and knees. Whilst you're in slightly trickier terrain (and therefore your mental state is taking over) - the mechanics should be the same.

Thanks for those comments, I'll try and use the "edging with ankles, knees and finally hips" as a mental trigger. Do you focus focus on inside leg, outside leg or think of both moving at the same time?
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
I think of trying to *lift* both the outside edges off the snow by rolling both my ankles in towards the centre of the turn. Then trying to tip my inside knee into the snow. Confused
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Poster: A snowHead
veeeight wrote:
I think of trying to *lift* both the outside edges off the snow by rolling both my ankles in towards the centre of the turn. Then trying to tip my inside knee into the snow. Confused


Focusing on lifting the outside edges? That's an interesting trigger that I've not thought of. Something to play with!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
veeeight, Just watched your video, "Are you CEM in disguise?" Toofy Grin
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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?
Shocked Oh puh-leeze! rolling eyes

Laughing

PS: I normally ski 66 underfoot wink I had a ski of the SuperMojo 105 the other day, I had time to make a cup of tea in between going from edge to edge Laughing

rob@rar, I'm giving away all my tricks here wink Time you came for a ski wink Focussing on lifting outside edges normally stops people from "pushing" or "digging in" or "applying pressure" (I so hate that phrase) or displacing or something equally non-constructive.
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veeeight, I presume that the ankle/knee/hip progression advocated takes place pretty quickly, in fact nearly at the same time?
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veeeight wrote:
rob@rar, I'm giving away all my tricks here wink Time you came for a ski wink

I'd love to, but if I told my other half that I was going to Canada for a couple of week's skiing I don't think I'd have any knees left to roll into the hill!
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Definitely in that order, the ankles roll until there is no more movement, at which point the knee starts to take over increasing the edge angles. Don't even think of moving the hip, this will happen as a result of the two aforementioned joints movin in first.

But yes, it happens in pretty quick succession. This is *the* way WC racers think about edging, one of the giveaways is a healthy amount of knee angulation in the outside leg.

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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Are you going to give those lateral malleoli more room?
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
veeeight wrote:
ssh, Thanks for the nits. I agree the pole touch could be a litle more progressive, it's a smooth throughout the turn until the last bit where it appears to be slightly rushed. I was trying to go for as little rotary element as possible (not eliminate) - play the sequence frame by frame at the transitions - it looks like I'm getting very early edges above the fall line, and just increasing the edge angle throughout the turn to tighten radius, as opposed to any rotary element. Please look again and tell me if I'm deluding myself wink
I noticed that movement in the left turn in the video. It seems to me that right after the touch you rush your skis into the fall line. I don't see that movement in the right turns in the video. I agree that the right turns are progressive and edge-driven. Take a closer look at the top of that left turn and tell me what you think.

Your observation of the pole movement matches mine.

...and, to be clear, these are all definitely nits.

(But 88mm is hardly "fat" wink Cool )
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rob@rar wrote:
veeeight wrote:
I think of trying to *lift* both the outside edges off the snow by rolling both my ankles in towards the centre of the turn. Then trying to tip my inside knee into the snow. Confused


Focusing on lifting the outside edges? That's an interesting trigger that I've not thought of. Something to play with!


Just last night I read a similar tip in a mag, looking forward to trying it soon on the snow Very Happy

veeeight, do you have a riser under the bindings? I'm about to mount bindings on the 84mm skis I've had for a while but never used, probably with no riser. 62-66mm underfoot and ~15mm riser being what I'm used to.
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Agenterre, but you did look like that especially on the race day Very Happy
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rob@rar, one of the bigger differences that I see is in the direction your torso is facing as compared to veeeight's. Can you see that difference? If you were facing a bit more to the outside of the turn ("countered"), a number of those angles from your hips down would be managed with less effort (and less blocking from the joints). Getting that inside leg shorter and tipping more would be a good focus, I think.

BTW, I'm very focused on those things since they are areas of my own skiing that has needed the most work! Embarassed
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
ssh, I see what you're talking about more at the hip than shoulder (white); could this be a symptom of (over)angulation at a given speed?
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So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
comprex, it's usual a cause of a change in angulation, actually, not an effect. It is more easily seen at the shoulder, I think, but the real impact is the hip, I agree.

If you get the counter right, you move your hips so that they can clear the legs and allow them to move as they need to for getting those angles that you'd like.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
veeeight, Can we have this tread sponsored by DISNEY? Toofy Grin
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
ssh wrote:
rob@rar, one of the bigger differences that I see is in the direction your torso is facing as compared to veeeight's. Can you see that difference? If you were facing a bit more to the outside of the turn ("countered"), a number of those angles from your hips down would be managed with less effort (and less blocking from the joints). Getting that inside leg shorter and tipping more would be a good focus, I think.

BTW, I'm very focused on those things since they are areas of my own skiing that has needed the most work! Embarassed

I think sometimes I do get a bit countered (my instructor on a GS course I did at the start of the season pointed it out to me a couple of times while reviewing video) but it's not something that I'm aware of; some turns it happens, other turns it doesn't. I'm not entirely sure how it would help with my hip position - I thought the whole point was to have greater separation of movement of torso from legs?
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SMALLZOOKEEPER, I'm sure it will be a DISNEY EPIC...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Can anyone join in Smile This is 2nd day on my Scott Missions.........


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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?
rob@rar, as I understand it, it would open up the inside hip joint just a bit more and allow the inside knee to come up further, closing the joint up again to the same extent but with the knee instead of the ribs on that side. If anything it is an emphasis of upper/lower separation.
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I think the point about starting the edging with the ankle is very important. In the bad old days it all came from the hip, but it now starts at the bottom and works it's way up as veeeight, has noted. rob@rar, I reckon more of the one leg stuff will deffo help - particularly on steeper hills where you will have to use your ankle to stay nicely edged. Very Happy Your photo is pretty good (after all you're comparing yourself to a CSIA level 3 nearly 4), you should not be discouraged at all. Most recreational skiers never get that much angle. Shocked Shocked Very Happy
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Snowbird wrote:
Agenterre, but you did look like that especially on the race day Very Happy


Yeah !!! You must have been locked in a the start-hut with STAB wink
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Quote:

Are you going to give those lateral malleoli more room?


Yes. I'm still feeling pretty locked up in the ankles. Interestingly, chatting to a WC coach today, he mentioned that more and more racers are moving away from hard posted footbeds.

Quote:

veeeight, do you have a riser under the bindings?


Not that particular pair. I do have a 5mm riser under my boot soles though Cool and my iSuperShape & Mojo90's have a 13mm Tyrolia plate.
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veeeight, I see that with the Juniors, footbeds used increasingly. Many current WC racers made there first tracks without footbeds and so creating new sensations for them is difficult.

Imagine if an aspiring WC skier, met with a top three guy? "A bootfitter recommended i use a footbed, what do you think?"
Top 3 guy."I tried them once, didn't work for me."

What would the Aspiring WC guy do? Trust his judgement or follow his Idol?
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After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
kitenski, do you scratch yer nads to initiate every turn? wink
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kitenski, Are your right turns rubbish? Puzzled
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Veeeight...top skiing (by any mere mortal standars at least)....but NO WAY can those ne described as "fat" skis.

I refer you to the thread about "Delaminating B2" (no surprise to me....I loathe those skis!) thread in "Equiptment" with the Kingswood Skis stuff...their Skinny ski is 86, their Mega Fat is 146mm!
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