Drift and lock is the way to be fast..... back on your tails as far as you dare and hopefully you dont blow an ACL, the girls in Soelden showed it once again... Bode spoke the truth all these years and is definately the man to beat in the Olympics IMO. Who fancies a wager that he wont take a podium finish body permitting?
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I think he is so close to the edge, wouldn't rule him out of a win but wouldn't bet on him taking it
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?
I think he is so close to the edge, wouldn't rule him out of a win but wouldn't bet on him taking it
I thought the really quick girls were drifting less and getting on their edges earlier on the turns (except for the really steep pitches, where they had no choice but to drift).
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Yep, it's fast alright,,, but I'll take your bet. How do you propose we make the wager interesting? How about the loser has to post a youtube of himself doing Whitepass leans, Schlopys, and helicopters in a skirt? (as you can see, I'm quite confident I'll win)
FastMan, i shouldnt posted after coming home from the pub dont think he will win or come close but he still is my favourite to watch and i hope he is fit enough to get in the start gate. Dont think i will take up your wager as Im not sure i could do a helicopter in or out of a skirt
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
skimottaret, FastMan, Who ever has to ski in the skirt, make sure you've clean underwear
After all it is free
After all it is free
you lot were looking at the girls' ski techniques???
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
barry wrote:
you lot were looking at the girls' ski techniques???
Of course, what else was there to look at
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
I so don't care what style they have. As long as a fellow Finn keeps getting to the top of the podium, she can come the hill down on her bum if someone asks me.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Stop encouraging mortals to try silly things!!! Last time i tried leaning back I coughed up blood for the next 2 hours!
Bode won't take the gold, it'll be some uber-consistent boring skier.... I'm tipping Raich this year (I feel I should try and back an Austrian for once)
But honestly who wants to watch that? Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative!!!!
p.s. what are Whitepass leans?
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.
skimottaret wrote:
FastMan, i shouldnt posted after coming home from the pub
And I shouldn't propose the terms of bets when I'm sleep deprived!
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
dulcamara wrote:
p.s. what are Whitepass leans?
dulcamara, I demonstrate it in this video between 4:35 and 4:51
Drill description:
Balance on the outside ski through the bottom half of the turn. Transition into new turn by rolling the old outside (downhill) ski from its uphill to downhill edge, never putting any weight on the old inside (uphill) ski. This requires you to begin the new turn on the new inside ski. Change to the outside ski half way through the turn (at the turn's apex). Repeat, repeat, repeat.....
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
FastMan wrote:
Yep, it's fast alright,,, but I'll take your bet. How do you propose we make the wager interesting? How about the loser has to post a youtube of himself doing Whitepass leans, Schlopys, and helicopters in a skirt? (as you can see, I'm quite confident I'll win)
I found that video both inspiring (as 'I need to get my skis on again very soon') and somewhat depressing (as in 'why will I never be able to do any of that except the rubbish at the beginning?')
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Red Leon, the man can do a pretty fine demo cant he.... (and i recon from those clips he can free ski nicely as well )
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
skimottaret,
To my untrained eye, lots of people look great on skis but FastMan does appear to be a bit special. But can he teach???
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?
I just watched FastMan's youtube....I think he has got the hang of this skiing lark
FastMan, Great video - very inspiring, and some nice drills as food for thought! Thanks.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
FastMan, great video and now I know why my son is a far better skier than me , his race coach has all the kids doing knee bends, hop drills , 1000 steps and one ski carving to improve balance and some others i cant remember that involve doing two different movements at once, being a typical middle aged man , doing more than one thing at once is impossible so will leave these alone but do plan to practice your drills next time im on the snow
Yes he is pretty good, but i would suggest, FastMan, that I and a few other ex-plastic spastics could still teach you a thing or two when it comes to the Great British Racing Snowplough, send me £10 and a plane ticket to Salzburg and i will make you a short film
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Thanks for the thumbs-up comments on the video, folks. It's just an assortment of clips from the DVDs. Kind of a look into the future of where the training is designed to take you in terms of balance and edging skills. Of course, it skips the bulk of the easier drills in the progression that gradually lead students up to that point.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Red Leon wrote:
I found that video both inspiring (as 'I need to get my skis on again very soon') and somewhat depressing (as in 'why will I never be able to do any of that except the rubbish at the beginning?')
Hi Red Leon. I'm glad you found it inspirational, it's suppose to be. But don't despair, the plight of mediocrity you define for yourself is not necessarily a given. The base skills that cumulate into what you saw in that video are available to everybody. I've coached hundreds and hundreds of people, of all different ages and natural athletic abilities, and I can honestly tell you that I've yet to work with anyone who was completely incapable of learning the base skills and using those skills to dramatically enhance their fun on the mountain.
Little Tiger here at Snowheads is a prime example. When she started skiing at the age of 36 she was told that as a disabled skier with no proprioception she should not even attempt to learn, that she couldn't do it, that she would get hurt. But she ignored the warnings, got good coaching and guidance, and today she's an exceptionally skilled skier who can do many of the drills in that youtube video, and is on the cusp of winning a platinum NASTAR race ranking.
At the Building Blocks camps this summer at Les Deux Alps Easiski and I worked with many of our Snowheads friends, and the progress in skill building they made in their mere week on snow was quite impressive. The biggest obstacle most people have to improving their skiing, and in doing so escalating their enjoyment of the sport, is not so much a factor of age or lacking natural athletic endowment. It's more that people simply lack a road map for how to take their skiing where they'd like it to be.
Last edited by After all it is free on Thu 29-10-09 7:08; edited 2 times in total
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.
dulcamara wrote:
A lovely video,
Yes he is pretty good, but i would suggest, FastMan, that I and a few other ex-plastic spastics could still teach you a thing or two when it comes to the Great British Racing Snowplough, send me £10 and a plane ticket to Salzburg and i will make you a short film
dulcamara, is that the one where the poles are placed in that strategic aerodynamic TV antenna postition? I'll be including that in my soon to come introduction to racing DVD.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
FastMan, yep, but the poles must be in a vertical position to qualify
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
FastMan, Yes that's it.... it also involves attempting to carve round poles in the televisional stance while simultaneously scrubbing speed with the inside edge of the inside ski, so it doent get too scary sounds easy but its a real challenge to do well....
Other than that, very impressive would love to have that sort of balance and edge control, tempted have to have a look at some of your advanced dvds, though unfortunatly as a struggling british ski instructor I have a list of things I would like to learn from as long as my arm and a bank balance as small as skimottaret's chance of winning that bet.
Maybe if i can fool the austrians into giving me lots of money to teach their kids to ski like they're on plastic i'll take the whole box set off your hands
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.
david@mediacopy wrote:
FastMan, yep, but the poles must be in a vertical position to qualify
Yes even Rainer hasn't quite got it mastered yet .....
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
The new catsuits really don't leave much to the imagination do they?
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
FastMan wrote:
Hi Red Leon. .... don't despair, the plight of mediocrity you define for yourself is not necessarily a given. The base skills that cumulate into what you saw in that video are available to everybody.....
Little Tiger here at Snowheads is a prime example.........The biggest obstacle most people have to improving their skiing...is not so much a factor of age or lacking natural athletic endowment. It's more that people simply lack a road map for how to take their skiing where they'd like it to be.
I agree upto a point. I'm sure Little Tiger will forgive me for using her as an example (as you did) but my own 'biggest obstacle, etc' is a lack of time on skis - and I'm sure I'm representative of a great many skiiers. If I were as fanatically committed to learning to ski as LT is (and I mean that in a nice way ) and organised my entire life around spending 30 weeks a year on snow, I don't doubt I could aspire to a much higher skill level than I will, in reality, ever reach. But, I guess, that's my choice - not that it feels much like a choice
Ah, well. Back to work
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Red Leon, I don't think the obstacle is necessarily 'a lack of time on skis' but as FastMan, said, 'people lack a road map to take their skiing where they'd like it to be'. Like you, there's no way I could spend 30 weeks a year on snow, but I have chosen to regularly attend the very focussed coaching clinics given by rob@rar, and skimottaret, at Hemel as the best way I can find to improve my skiing within my financial and time contraints. I've got a long way to go, but now have an awareness of what I need to work on and can definitely feel an improvement in my skiing.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Quick question:
How long have you guys held the same goal for? is it a long term thing you work towards every year? do you have many? or like me does it change more often than the weather?
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
FastMan, really enjoyed the video and the web site, brings back many memories of my late 70's ski teaching, still trying to find the exercise I was forced to do on long skis, thats, "short swing turns quick enough to go backwards up a steep slope, whilst still facing downhill" can still remember the thigh burn!!
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?
dulcamara wrote:
Quick question:
How long have you guys held the same goal for?
For my own part, if I haven't achieved a skiing goal in 3 months or less, then I probably have other issues and the immediate goal needs to be redefined.
dulcamara, These days I don't tend to have a specific 'goal' as such, rather area's I work on depending on the weather & conditions. Last year was a bit special with the amount of snow, so I ended up spending a lot of time tree skiing.
Now I think about it, that's not a bad goal in it's self
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
dulcamara, I wouldn't say I have a goal as such. I started skiing in February last year and it's become something I want to enjoy, explore and improve at on an ongoing basis for as long as possible. So it's more of a mindset and the strategies that go with it than a goal, as I don't have anything in mind that I would regard as an end point.
dulcamara, my goal is to ski like FastMan! I was one of the snowHeads on his Building Blocks camp this year and watching him ski and let rip was poetry in motion. Learning some of these building blocks has made a big difference to my skiing, and I've since been on four of rob@rar and skimottaret's coaching clinics, where pretty much exactly the same skills are taught, but in a more affordable way than a week in the Alps.
I've got some video of before and after, and I'm quite chuffed with my improvement. Still a million miles to go though!
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Iski, IMO you need to set the small intermediary goals that define your progress... otherwise you wander aimlessly rather than progressing in the direction you ultimately wish to head... Eg your first goal as a beginner may be to be able to stop, then to turn,then turn the other way, then to link 2 turns, then to make 5 linked turns, then to ski the beginner slope, then do the slope without stopping, etc etc etc...
If you do not set goals then you tend not to get there as readily, the goals keep you focused... I come from a country where the effective ski season is only about 8 weeks long... that means a lot of the year spent working on things to get to skiing... without small goals to focus on you rapidly get lost... I had maybe 6 weeks of skiiing weekends on puddles of flat snow about the size of a lounge room floor, or small ribbons again on flat terrain... and a cuple of weekends at the end of season skiing mud and slop... Skiing 1-5 turns on a <3 degree slope requires a focus or you stop very quickly... especially when you hike to the "top" all the time...
Red Leon, I wish I could ever get 30 weeks a year on snow... sadly the most I ever got was 4 weeks - although I did that yearly for 10 years... skied 30 days straight most of those years... but when you realise how long it took me to learn to do simple things you all take for granted you realise that it was the equivalent of a 'normal' person skiing their 1-2 week trip each year... The difference is I was focused both during the time spent on snow and during my very long off season...
IF you had ever seen me trying to learn to rollerblade you would realise this was no mean feat. Similarly I rode a bike for 3 years or more as requested by my ski instructor - despite the fact I could not stop! (Ask Fastman it is true) My legs bore the marks of those exercises all the off season... and sometimes other bits of me too... (the staff that helped me dress the rollerblade wounds were not enticed to try it)
After all it is free
After all it is free
little tiger Congratulations on everything you have achieved, especially as it has cost an enormous amount of effort.
Although I don't have specific goals I don't lose focus as I spend a lot of time when not actually skiing thinking about and reflecting on what I have been doing! Living in England means that I don't see natural snow that often but I go twice a month to an indoor snow slope (one of these is a whole day session) where the coaching I receive does have a specific focus and that is what I work on. I also choose to have instruction when I go on a skiing holiday. That is the 'road map' if you like that I have chosen to progress and enjoy my skiing on a continuing basis.
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.
Iski, You make my point re the time on snow... The ability to ski twice a month in the off season is an amazingly good opportunity... I could never have dreamed to have that ability... hence I took up rollerblading in the summer...
You should learn a lot if you go regularly every 2 weeks... that will give you great improvement especially with the coaching to guide you
I was a 'helper' in a free clinic Fastman ran... the girls in his group improved so much in 2 days it was not funny... better still they developed clear pictures of where they were wanting to head... now they have things to work on in their skiing and concrete goals to achieve... I know at least one is still thinking how she will go when next on snow... and these were nervous middle aged women who came to a clinic because it was focused on nervous people that were not gung ho...
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
RachelQ wrote:
....I'm quite chuffed with my improvement. Still a million miles to go though!
Well done you & keep up the good work - but I thought the general concensus was that you already skiied like a goddess
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
(as you can see, I'm quite confident I'll win) 
dont think he will win or come close but he still is my favourite to watch and i hope he is fit enough to get in the start gate. Dont think i will take up your wager as Im not sure i could do a helicopter in or out of a skirt 
sounds easy but its a real challenge to do well....
) and organised my entire life around spending 30 weeks a year on snow, I don't doubt I could aspire to a much higher skill level than I will, in reality, ever reach. But, I guess, that's my choice - not that it feels much like a choice 
I was one of the snowHeads on his Building Blocks camp this year and watching him ski and let rip was poetry in motion. Learning some of these building blocks has made a big difference to my skiing, and I've since been on four of 