 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi everyone
just got back from Pas in Adorra, thia is my 3rd week skking in total and was in the top ski school group for intermediates, practising on blues and reds, with the occasional black thrown in.
First couple of afternoons were great, then on 3rd day he attempted to teach us to ski backwards down a red, first snowplough, then parrell.
On another afternoon in poor visability he got us to cover our eyes with our neck/face masks and ski fowards parrell blind, so we could feel the slope.
Is this normal or was he just trying to make us all fall over for his own amusment.
As you might guess we were all over the place skiing backwards, and as for skiing bline, we took each other out after about 5 turns and ended up as a heap of 9 people in the middle of the main red run?
advice appreciated
thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I've done a bit of skiing backwards on lessons but not blindfolded!! Seems a bit dangerous and unnecessary to me but i'm not an instructor!!
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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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I can see whathe was trying to do. not necessarily both at once, but being able to ski by feel is a really good skill - you can just let your body act as a shock absorber, compressing and extedning to keep your skis in contact with the snow
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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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Skiing blindfolded is a great exercise, although I would prefer to do it on an empty run rather than with people around me (even if they're from my group, and ESPECIALLY if they're also skiing blindfolded). I tried it this winter on an empty red run and I managed 12-15 turns until I was about to veer off the piste. (a friend said "it's like somebody connected you to a style-o-meter and dialled down the skiing quality by 30% - it's still recognizably you, but clearly worse-looking skiing").
Skiing backwards - maybe less of an exercise that you can use directly in normal skiing, but it must improve balance, the feeling of the snow, etc - and of course as you progress you'll look cool laying train tracks backwards!
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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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I've noticed instructors with really little kids getting them skiing backwards - only on the nursery slope though, not reds. As for skiing blindfold, it's pretty much like skiing in a whiteout. Very good for you - but it's hard not to cheat - and better to have an empty slope in front of you! And a gentle one...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Yoda, no instances of motion sickness yet? 
There was this one teenager in a night class once... apparently he'd had chili after his roller coaster rides that morning.
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Skiing with eyes shut (rather than blindfolded) is better (safer certainly), but does give you good feedback as to what the ski's and your body are doing when changes in terrain occur. We have done this on the dry slope, by straight lining the last two moguls, either full on, or just of to one side (so one leg goes over the mogul, one stays on the slope) You really get a feel if your flexing correctly.
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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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In a similar vein to skiing with your eyes closed, skiing with your boots completely undone is also good for working on feedback and balance. And perhaps a bit safer too.
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rob@rar, Really? That's interesting, I never thought of that.. be interesting to try it.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Charli939, yes, great way to find out if your boots are too big also.
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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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rob@rar, Yep, that also works well, until you hit the slight incline at the bottom of the dry slope, and stop suddenly with loose boots
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srobbo, ah, the joys of plastic!
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You know it makes sense.
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Charli939, watch out for frost bite on your toes when the snow gets in 
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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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What do you teach a quickly improving group in bad visibility? I think that skiing backwards with with your eyes closed is totally appropriate for that sort of group and weather, assuming that the piste is fairly empty. The point of this exercise is that if he was intending teaching you something faster and more challenging the next day and the visibility was still poor (or worse) then there was the risk that you would end up skiing backwards totally accidentally, still without being able to see - hence the original exercise under controlled conditions, so when it happened for real you knew how to get out of it.
I teach kids on dry slope, mainly 4-6 yr olds. We include skiing backwards early on with a similar aim, it's really frightening watching your little one hurtling backwards down a ski slope, so we make sure that they know how to control the skis backwards and slow down safely. We also teach them about skiing in bad visibility with their arm over their eyes, this is a wet weather activity when it's too quick on the dry slope to do much technique work and there aren't many kids out.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Also, I met some little kids who had been skiing backwards with their instructor, on their third day on skis, and they were just so thrilled to show off to their mum and dad what they could do. It gave them bags of confidence.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Also, I met some little kids who had been skiing backwards with their instructor, on their third day on skis, and they were just so thrilled to show off to their mum and dad what they could do. It gave them bags of confidence.
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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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Skiing backwards is usded to teach students about balance and position on the skis if you are sking backwards you wont be standing on the same place on the skis
Blindfold skiing is exactly what it says on the tin learning to ski using the force makes skiing in a white out easy but would only ask people to do it on a wide blue or easy red and you should be talking to them to let them know where they are.
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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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Skiing backwards, easy with twin tips.
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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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Also, I met some little kids who had been skiing backwards with their instructor, on their third day on skis, and they were just so thrilled to show off to their mum and dad what they could do. It gave them bags of confidence.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
Skiing backwards, easy with twin tips.
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Everything is easier on twin tips  Currently scouting Ebay to add a pair to my ski bag
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Ordhan, I have a pair of Salomon 1080's that I might be persuaded to part with......
can be seen in this pic 
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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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jeez guys, its fakie or switch....
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pam w, how many times did you meet those kids? They obviously got around, despite being made to ski backwards.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I may have missed something but I think 2 totally separate exercises were done both of which I'd have thought were very good for building skills on the right sort of slope with appropriate spacing.
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FAQ
Eyes closed should be fine on a gentle slope if you're certain there are no obstacles, cliffs or other skiers to worry about.
I think I'm more worried about frost bite of the neck from where the snow gets in, if I try that... 
