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Backwards

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi folks,

Anybody got any top tips on skiing backwards? I'm quite at ease merrily ploughing away, but I don't seem to be able to start making any 'proper' turns...

Ta.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Look over your outside shoulder.
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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?
twin tips
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beanie1 wrote:
twin tips


Really necessary?
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
rob@rar wrote:
Look over your outside shoulder.


Will that just make it happen? Wow! wink
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Stop @rsing about and go forwards like normal people?
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
acute_angina wrote:
rob@rar wrote:
Look over your outside shoulder.


Will that just make it happen? Wow! wink


It helps a lot, in my very limited experience of skiing switch. Try it next time you're on snow.
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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!
Start by just having one ski facing backwards (i.e. do half a kick turn and then set off) until you get the feel for it Toofy Grin

(I have actually seen this done by one of our boarding instructors on Dendix using quite short skis Shocked Laughing )
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acute_angina, depends how fast / extreme you want to go!

As an instructor i quite often ski backwards in snowplough / basic parallel, but i wouldn't want to start carving at speed without twin tips!
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Skiing backwards is great fun! I love gliding the skis from a foward position to a backwards. It looks proper smooth when properly done.

I can only do it on a relatively easy blue or green.

If i want to make small turns pressure the outside ski like in a parralel turn, it seems to work for me.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Twin tips not nesecarry but a much easier way of doing things

Reverse your stance Do the opposite to going forward to load up the back of the skis (LEAN BACK A TAD

Watch where you are going Very Important!
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 brian
brian
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Keep your weight centred, especially if not on twins !

The outside shoulder thing does tend to move your body the right way.
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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
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
Yoda wrote:
Start by just having one ski facing backwards (i.e. do half a kick turn and then set off) until you get the feel for it Toofy Grin

(I have actually seen this done by one of our boarding instructors on Dendix using quite short skis Shocked Laughing )


Wouldn't you have to have a dislocated hip to do that??
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
homphomp, why? I'm getting more inflexible now but I can still almost get one foot at 180 deg to the other. No problem for youngsters Confused
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Easiski taught me how to ski backwards in the summer - she told me to look over my outside shoulder too. I think it's easier to start skiing backwards from a pirouette turn than just starting from scratch. The problem with race skis is that they can plough into the snow behind you while twin tips ride over it. I am hiring twin tips when I go skiing at half term.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Stay tall (ish), weight slightly heel (ish). As you start the turn look straight up the hill, then over the outside shoulder (for a skiddy turn). If you want to carve pick a shoulder to look over and stick with it (yes you will get a crick in the neck). Its all a confidence thing really. Be really aware of your blind spot (makes people sympathise with boarders when they try skiing backwards...!).
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Yoda, almost is the operative word there.....I can get one foot round easily but I don't think I could ski like that!!
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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?
acute_angina, get used to doing 360s on snow, both ways. if you ever get in trouble going backwards, you can get back to normal. the other thing to do is just use the outside ski for turning and the inside ski as a glorified stabiliser.
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Thanks everybody

- even yoda.... Wink I used to be able to rollerskate like that, but to ski? Surely that's a whole world of more difficult than plain old backwards?
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
One thing I was told... don't look over your shoulder, tuck your neck a little and look round it.
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Skiing backwards is easy peasy, doing it to order is quite something else Laughing Laughing Laughing
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I spent Tuesday's 'interesting' weather in Les Arcs cruising around some blues (mainly Charmettoger) perfecting my switch technique. For me it was mainly getting the confidence to go backwards and know that I was fully in control and if things got messy I could snowplough and control myself. From there I just tried to emulate what I was doing normally, while going switch. After some experimentation it eventually all came together. Although I seem to have great difficulty turning right, but I can turn left without even thinking about it Confused

Still haven't found the bottle to jump switch yet, but that'll be my next aim in Val Thorens rolling eyes
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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!
Disclaimer: I'm a crap skier at heart, so that might not be the best advice ever rolling eyes
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 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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With all that advice on board (well, on skis), I went off to Bardonecchia last week - had a 2hour freestyle session with a chap by the name of Chicho - he pretty much echoed the sum of knowledge given here (apart from Yoda's sideways suggestion!). We hung on to our twin-tips that we'd been given for the lesson and spent a lot of the second half of the week going backwards. Leaning backwards is a funny old thing, isn't it. Goes against everything we're ever taught. Anyhoooo, for what it's worth I found that sliding my uphill ski backwards (i.e. in the direction of travel) really helped to initiate the turn when combined with looking over the outside shoulder. Just as soon as I get round to popping the video of me looking OK for a bit before nearly falling over up on to youtube, I'll post a link here.
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Beware. My son did a whole long (blue) run backwards in front of me, last season. Next day his neck was so stiff he was like an old man.
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