After having one full day of tuition 3 years ago at Cas I have had 3 wonderfull
trips to Zell, Tignes and earlyer this year Les Houches.
Please have a look at the videos and let me know how you think im doing.
1st day of my 3rd week on the snow. (first skier down)
Renry, lots of people who know their skiing on here - I'm they'll offer a few nuggets of wisdom. I'm not too much further on than you despite skiing for 20 years, so I'll keep my gob shut
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Renry, cool outfit too, also important.
sorry I'm also not really qualified to comment on your skiing really but you look quite good and I expect you don't fall much anymore and can handle most pistes, have you skied off piste much ?
One thing, are your ski boots magnetic ? Mine certainly are and I can't find the off button either
Ive dabbled with a little 'off piste' but only between runs and a little on marked off piste runs.
I have never really been equiped with the correct gear (skis and safety gear) to want to venture too far
Plus the groups I have previously gone away with have not wanted to.
I would love to give it a proper go with an experienced off piste skiier.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Renry, quite exceptional progress if achieved in only 3 weeks. keep it up.
Personally I wouldn't bother with snowdome lessons at your standard, but would take a couple of private lessons each time you go away. You must have had a good teacher at Cas !
After all it is free
After all it is free
You're making very good progress for such little experience. A few things to think about:
You seem to be turning your body as a single unit (no separation of upper and lower body at the waist) which is great for long radius turns, but not so good for short radius turns. You also have a tendency to throw your skis around by rotating your whole body when you're on steeper terrain, and doing so too quickly. You also have your weight too far back. Taken together this explains why you "over turn" on the steeper section of the Les Houches Kandahar piste and why you're skidding your turns on the gentler terrain when it would be possible to carve arc to arc turns. These are all common faults exhibited by skiers far more experienced than you (me included), but given the progress you've made already I'm sure you can work on these with great success. Your next stage of skiing is to develop a wider range of control with your skiing (eg learn to separate upper and lower body; steering by leg rotation or by control edge angles; better control of fore/aft position; making turns more progressive; etc). A decent instructor will be able to help a lot with these things, speeding up your progress in skiing. This could take place in a snowdome if you find the right person to teach you and can afford the money that it seems to cost for lessons indoors.
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.
Hi, Renry. I'll concur with the others in saying you've made very good progress in a short period of time. rob@rar was on target in his notice of a tendency to throw your tails sideways at the start of your turns,,, especially on the steeper sections, but to a degree in all your turns. Eliminating that, and learning refined steering technique would be a good place to start your next step forward in your learning.
Take a look at this video I put together. Little Tiger is the skier, and she demonstrates a progression of skill development that begins from the tail tossing (also called pivoting) you are doing now. It should give you a good idea of where you want to go with your skiing, and what it will look like when you get there.
Renry, Very good progress for the time skiing. You want to push on now and get out of the lazy position..which isn't a real fault considering the amount you have skied, IMV, but you'll want the body to be more dynamic and proactive. Maybe, just a crammer or two, as skiing with your mates is very important, I think... although you have left them behind already and might need to bring them onboard as well... should make the private lesson cheaper.
Go and see Charlotte, if poss, or someone who is recomended, if you can't see the way forward. And for this, you'll need to know what you should be looking to do, and trying to do it. It needs a lot of good feedback, which is the hardest to get.
There may be instructors and instructors....just like in any other walk of life and need one you can relate to
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
FastMan, very informative video. Just out of interest, why is the skier pole planting? Is that element still seen as important for on-piste carving?
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.
Renry, Looks good to me, especially given your time on snow. As with the other posters, I'd suggest working on your posture and balance - you are skiing on your heals - and I'd also suggest not trying too hard at this stage with the pole plant - try and keep you arms / hands nice and still - let your feet and legs do the work.
As JT says, finding someone to work with will help a lot.
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
Arms and hands too close to body and waist.
Stand more like a coathanger.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
PJSki,
I'm pole planting for the practice at pole planting
Seriously I could pretty easily have done all the turns in that video without pole plants...The first turns (heel push/pivot) would be the hardest for me I feel....
I am pretty confident I can do the turns without pole plants, because I have spent so much time skiing without the damn things.... Many of my instructors over the years have been of the belief that you ski with feet and legs not arms... Fastman even had me ski with arms in weird positions - and Easiski had me do some stuff with hands in odd positions too...
You will notice I drop the pole plant when I carve... Again just a habit I have - I need to work on learning to use the poles when I carve at some point I suppose - just so I can... but that is low down the priority list...
Having said that I will add that even a pole touch provides a valuable third point of reference for the body to use as data to input to balance/position information... and a pole swing can be a valuable timing aid.... and a well positioned and timed pole plant is very helpful in short turns (I know because I plant badly and an Italian team coach had me working on this - I ski better short turns for him especially after that)
Anyway - that was my thought on it all...
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
little tiger, ?????
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
rayscoops, ?????
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
PJSki wrote:
FastMan, very informative video. Just out of interest, why is the skier pole planting? Is that element still seen as important for on-piste carving?
Pole plants have purpose, such as a timing mechanism for launch of the movements that will produce the coming turn,,, as a means of re-centering fore/aft,,, as a way to create some rotary force when making pivoted turn initiations,,, and to serve as a balance supplement. They come in most useful when doing pivoted turns, thus Little Tiger's comment about needing them more in the first skiing example in the video.
In carved turns on moderate terrain they are actually very optional. If you are balanced well, and using the proper movements and transition, there really is not a need. When I free ski I often don't pole plant, as I do a lot of arc to arc skiing. When I do demos for students or video, I concentrate to include it,,, just so students know how and when it should be done if one is used.
It's good training to shed the poles occasionally. It forces good balance and movement patterns be used, as there are no poles to compensate for shortcoming in those skill areas. As the skills improve, it's surprising how easy it is to ski poleless.
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?
FastMan, one thing I've noticed on this board is often the opposite: people who find it difficult to ski -with- poles.
Seeing as how their usual solution is to switch to miniskis and skiboards, one is tempted to think they have no pivoted turn entry/steering ...
comprex, there was one guy banging on about blades and the liberation of having no poles a while back. He's a known twit, by all accounts. But not noticed anyone else switching styles to avoid poles.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
little tiger, quit a progressions there. Has the off-piste progression been of a similar magnitude.
PJSki, Yes I'd say it is... The skills I have already learnt and am still learning on-piste cary through to my off-piste skiing. Easiski may give an assessment of how she thinks I'm doing....
I'm still far more comfy skiing sastrugi and mud and grass and corn and slush and windblown snow etc in Oz than skiing powder... I've simply had more practice and so have more feel for it (especially the mud,grass, slush).... I guess corn is still my version of most folks powder days - love spring and the lure of corn will always get me to put skins on and hike...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
little tiger, if you're skiing all that stuff with style, then powder should hold no problems for you.
After all it is free
After all it is free
PJSki, It doesn't ... but it does... It offers a big challenge to my method of compensating with my disability... The feedback from my feet is more subtle and so it is like "severe whiteout" to me in that I feel I have lost a sense... In fact the feedback is more subtle and requires more attention. In reality if I ignore my angst at the apparent loss of feedback my body does know what to do pretty well.... I just need to trust it to perform... unfortunately I have 40 odd years of experience of body just not working right for me(eg as a child my legs would often just give way underneath me for no reason at all)... and less than 10 years of experience of my body doing what I ask(skiing)
With a little more experience in powder I'm sure I'll be fine...
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
