 Poster: A snowHead
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| gra wrote: |
| I'm no racer but have just read hermann maiers autobiography. When asked how he could dominate the race world by so much (as he did pre-bike accident), he said he thought the reason was his ability to get his weight forward onto the front of the skis quicker than anyone else, to start each turn. Not sure if this contradicts any of the above, or is consistent with it...?? |
Nope, completely consistent.
| FastMan wrote: |
| Sure, go ahead and move aft a bit as you exit the turn if you want, to experience the fun of feeling your skis squirt forward as you exit the turn, but you'd better be able to recover fore by the start of the new turn. |
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Imagine you've got a melon seed. Press down on the back of it, and the seed squirts forward and up. A similar thing happens with skis. If you can control it, it can give you a boost out of your turn exit, but you need to have the core strength to both hold the rear position without stacking it, and to get forward again for your next turn.
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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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| Quote: |
Ex 3) One very distinctive feature of the skiing of the highest ranked JN1 girl this year has been her extreme balance changes coming into verticales - she crouches down and essentially surfs them. Our top girl, looking at this gave it a go at an early race and came back staggered at how much faster it was compared to the stand-up approach. The downside, and extremely high-risk aspect, of this though is that you have to be back up and forward in time for the exit gate, or you'll carry on supremely fast through a course of entirely your own making . She's sufficiently strong and agile that she can make it work - most of us aren't . On snow you're probably going sufficiently fast that you won't have time to recentre for that exit (it's certainly something I have trouble with on snow courses).
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well spotted , true and highlights one of the bad habits that skiing loads on dry slopes creates in junior racers.
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| skimottaret wrote: |
I think but could be wrong that skiing with your weight back and on the tails gets you going faster than if you are on the front of the ski.
if true why is that? |
In short. No its not faster!
You can generate energy from rocking onto your tails and briefly, a lot of racers do it as they approach the finish line.
An argument could be that you momentarily reduce friction on the front part of the ski too, but for cntrol it is certainly not a position that should be maintined.
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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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| cdmogulski wrote: |
| In short. No its not faster! |
As an unqualified statement that disagrees with the consensus in this thread, that - yes, it is faster...in a straight line. There are several examples in this thread showing that, and many more could be produced.
If you want to turn though, agreed that you need to be further forward...far enough to get the tips to work enough for the line you need to take.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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cdmogulski, do you mean its not faster throughout a race or that the ski does not run faster?
obviously for control purposes its not good, but running speed should increase
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GrahamN, I think I agree with cdm-ski. Consensus of anecdote does not equal evidence. (ha ha ha ha, DM's trolling, lol).
Sorry.
But srsly, I reckon we need a nice steep icy course, timing gates and pressure sensors. I'm up for it.
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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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GrahamN, hmmm, that's an argument from authority, not necessarily the truth though.
OK, you find the timing gates, I'll find the slushy blue. Where do we get a pressure monitor from though?
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Even though moving from fore to aft as you go through a turn can help you exit the turn with a bit more flow and speed, I'd be disappointed if this thread resulted in people heading for the mountain with the intension of riding them tails for all they're worth, using aft as a vehicle to obtain a speed rush.
Even with my racers, the first order of business is to make center balance their default balance state, and fore balance a means to start a turn. Only then, when they're rock solid in those balance applications, will I even begin to think of tweaking their performance by adding a touch of aft at the end of ther turn.
The slopes are dangerous enough, with many people carrying more speed than they're able to handle. We just had a 14 year old girl die at Breckenridge yesterday, on an intermediate run, going faster than her skills could handle. She lost control and hit a tree. Getting in the back seat, without the skills to perform there, just magnifies the lack of control, and the danger.
Skiers should eventually learn to ski aft, gradually, in a controled and safe setting. Knowing how to ski aft reduces the danger in those times when you unexpectedly end up there. It allows you to exploit the entire spectrum of performance potential your skis possess. But center balanced should be the go-to stance. It's the most efficient stance to ski in, and it provides the most control.
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FAQ
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.... and cdmski hasn't come back to elaborate on whether he was implying different context to his comment. We probably also need comments from Marc Poncin or someone of his ilk - as that's the only discipline where turns don't complicate the argument.