I'm okay in my own limited way, and I do really enjoy it, but on anything half steep I'll turn and then do a 50 yard side slip!
Any ideas? I've been skiing this way since I was a lad and I'm 36 now
Many thanks
Owen
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
owen4220, welcome to snowheads.
Good lessons.
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?
owen4220, welcome to Snowheads. Like Frosty the Snowman says. You will find that many of us are a bit obsessed with lessons, on this forum, having discovered that (for all except a lucky few "naturals") they are the only way of improving your skiing.
but on anything half steep I'll turn and then do a 50 yard side slip!
Any ideas? I've been skiing this way since I was a lad and I'm 36 now
As Pam says, lessons are the way - but for my two cents I think you're using your shoulders to initiate the turn - definitely not the worst case I've seen (not by a long shot!) but it means that because you're not using a subtle shift in weight to get on edge to turn, you end up pushing your skis around the turn in a "slippy-slidey" way. I also think your upper body looks quite stiff and whilst you are making an effort to keep your hands away from your sides #(at least in the first 3 shoots) it looks quite rigid.
Plenty of experts will be along shortly to offer their critique - all the best!
Welcome to snowheads!
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
owen4220, welcome to snowheads.
When was the last time you had a good lesson? (recurring theme here!)
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Thanks to all. I can see from the vids (and also thanks Alexandra) what's wrong.
That video of me was my first ski trip after 12 years off. I did have lessons as a teenager, but this was on 190 atomic arcs and the focus was all on unweighting.
I'm going again Jan 2nd so perhaps a one on one lesson would be worth it.
After all it is free
After all it is free
owen4220,
A building block you can definitely work on is to loosen off your ankles, this can be one of those miracle cures that break down the barriers between intermediate and advanced. Three exercises for you:
1. first loosen off your top buckles a little to give you some freedom, then run down the slope GS'ish type turns while shuffling your feet back and forth in a running type motion.
2. same turns, same boot settings and squirting both feet forward and back (be sure to move your feet not your hips like a horny bunny)
3. do you boots up and do a few "extreme runs" meaning leaning as far forward and then as far back as you salefy can while doing your turns.
Repeat these steps for the first runs every morning and once your ankles are loose you will be amazed how much the rest of your body loosens up and your skiing will become more dynamic rapidly. Its an easy exercise with massive benifits.
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.
I know! I know! I know! but Alexandra got there first.
Mind you the only reason I know is that I used to do the same thing. Instructor got me to do the "hold your poles in outstretched arms perpendicular to the fall line as you go down" exercise. If you do it right your torso must be pointing down the slope and you have to use your waist to twist.
This virtual ski instructor lark isn't too hard after all. Mind you real lessons on real snow are probably better
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
AndrewBailey,
Quote:
If you do it right your torso must be pointing down the slope and you have to use your waist to twist.
Really? II think rotation should come from the hip joint (where leg joins the torso), not the waist. It's very easy to do this drill incorrectly - I prefer the alternative which is poles pressed against the top of the hips.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
I'm a bit wooden when doing GS gates. I think, like you it's because I'm going too slow for the course that is set.
When doing slalom gates however, I definitely need to have a more athletic approach and I'm much better at those.
I find some people just go fast and I don't. Perhaps I need to carve more and throw my body down the slope. I've had a billion lessons. I think the only thing that will help me now is a pair of skis made of depleted uranium (instead of my light skippy Rossignol B3s).
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.
Snowy, B3s probably not the best for any sort of gates!
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
owen4220, I think your main problem is the lack of vertical movement in your body. You're pretty much standing dead upright throughout the turn whereas you should only really be fully extended at the midpoint of the turn when your skis are pointing directly down the fall line, you should then try to 'suck' your knees and feet up towards your body as you leave the turn ready to extend into the next one and so on till you get a nice rythm going.
The next best thing to getting a lesson is watching people who are much better than you, tv/youtube/on the piste, and try to work out what they're doing differently. Following someone and trying to mimick their every move thoughout the turn.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Quote:
The next best thing to getting a lesson is watching people who are much better than you, tv/youtube/on the piste, and try to work out what they're doing differently. Following someone and trying to mimick their every move thoughout the turn.
some people can do that - I've seen someone learn to ski really well doing that (and looking at a lot of stuff on the internet too). But most people can't. Have you ever seen a class with an instructor who asks them - say - to exagerate their up and down movements, stretching up REALLY tall and curling up REALLY small? They all think they're doing it, but they're hardly moving. Most of us lack the ability to feel exactly what we're doing and need instructors to tell us. Have a friend videoing the model, then you, would work better. But most video camera operators also lack the relevant skills. A series of lessons should make a difference.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
rambotion, 'teaching to a look' can easily turn disastrous. 'Teaching to a skill' much safer.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
pam w, it also helps, if no cam handy, to actually talk someone through how low they really are (not) when trying to mimic you. And then getting them to bend until they really are as low as you want them.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
comprex, pam w, I agree with you, but I didn't get the impression the OP wanted lessons, didn't actually read his second post, and surely following someone is better than taking advice off an internet forum?
I pretty much learnt to carve by following my friend who was much better than me and trying to stay in his tracks and make my body do what his was doing
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?
You look a lot like i did until several years ago. It all came down to carving teh first half of the turn but then slipping the 2nd half (even though i "thought" i was carving!) .
And Alexandra is right - when you initiate the turn with your shoulders there is so much rotational torque being applied to the lower part of your body that it is almost inevitable that the skis will slip the latter part of the turn.
That explained why i was always ok in good snow, but when it got steep and icy i was always out of control. When i truly learned to carve (i.e. teh 2nd part of the turn as well) it was a revelation - what it took was exactly what dulcamara says - those exercises exactly ! - and learning to shift the turning foot forward underneath me halfway through the turn, to get wight onto the back part of the ski without sitting backwards.
I taught my wife to use/say "toe and heel; toe and heel, toe and heel ..." to get her carving the latter part of the turn -it works but watch out : you only need tiny tiny weight shifts under your feet for this, otherwise you start leaning too far forward and then sitting too far back.
Alternatively, because you look a little "rigid/upright", think about initiating your turn just by (almost aggressively) turning your knee inwards to get the ski onto its edge (no shoulder or hip turns at all) - it should then start turning on its own and start building up the resistance underneath you and this will automatically put you in a countering position which shoudl help to keep weight on the edge all teh way through the turn; that's what those exercises with Ski poles horizontal in front of you are all about generating.
And when you start really carving teh whole turn, you will open up a truly different joy from skiing - especially in poor conditions and visibility. Persevere - it will be worth it
Owen
You are not as bad as you think you are.
When you turn, next time try to let your ski guide you on its edge so that you can feel it carve better, its difficult to explain (and I'm sure you already know) but until you truly feel the skis carve (rather than just think you are carving) its difficult to grasp what people mean.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Well now, Owen, I'm sure it's clear to you what to do now.
Best to get some lessons as has been said. I'd reckon on a significant difference to your turning within an hour.
The focus for you should be developing a strong support on the outer leg to initiate and progress the turn. At the moment you are very static (ie no sign of "stretch and bend" in your legs) and achieving a turn on rather flat skis by flicking your heels round and with a bit of a stem. It works to an extent but you have already found that it is less than effective on steeper terrain. You are ready to progress to a more dynamic approach by developing the transfer of your weight from one ski to the other. The video linked earlier shows you the development of this.
A simple exercise to get the feel of how to use the outer leg is to go across a slope and stand up on your uphill ski - take your whole weight on it- and then back on to your downhill ski. Do that as often as you can on the traverse. Turn round and do the same the opposite way. Develop that into lifting your uphill ski and stamping on it as you traverse. The important thing is to feel your weight shifting from one ski to the other. Then try doing two of these and on the third keep that pressure on the outer ski and turn. Stay tall into the fall line, then start absorbing the increased pressure on your outer leg by flexing your ankle ie "bending ze knee" much more than you do at the moment
There would be more to do than that, but that's a good start that you can make on your own.
Enjoy!
After all it is free
After all it is free
Once again thanks for all the input. I'm off again on 2nd Jan. I'll try and work on the suggestions given here and I'll more than likely get a day's private lesson.
Whatever happens, I'lll still love it
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.
Alexandra, is right
lessons
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Alexandra is right indeed about lessons and she is right about the static nature of Owne's skiing but less so about his shoulders which I wouldn't consider an issue in comparison to his lack of leg action. And we are not talking about developing a "subtle shift of weight" but a dynamic and significant shift so that there is major support on the outer ski.
Anyway it is good to see you are likely to get a lesson, Owen. May I suggest you do that early on so that you are subsequently building what you learn from your instructor into your skiing rather than spending a few days trying to work on a variety of potentially confusing suggestions (mine excepted of course . ) in a forum.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
ccl, In my case, it's a "subtle shift of weight" - either I am a more "subtle" skiier or um... I have more weight and so the amount of weight required to shift is smaller.
Personally I can live with seeing people not absorbing contours through their legs - but if I have to see another Brit swing their shoulders from side-to-side I will start sharpening the ends of my poles and will begin firing them from chairlifts. I hope this will get the point across!
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.
I'm far too much of a gentleman to discuss the amount of weight a lady has to shift.
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
Hi Owen,
Just had a quick look at you and would agree with Fifespud about the A-frame. This leads to you being on your inner edges a lot so kind of snow-ploughing a bit without realising.You need to get "flat skis" for a start.A simple exersise is when your on a button lift widen the stance and dont grip with your inner thighs/ass as this leads to bad muscle memory- try to really concentrate on keeping the skis flat on the lift , sit on the edges of the "button".Especially before you set off on the run- rem flat skis,flex in ankle,knees and hips- upper body inclined at least as much as lower leg- hands forward,palms down-eyes level and looking ahead. This sounds like a lot to take in but its the basic ground position and if you get this and flat skis it will make you much more solid- you wont get it straight away but if you concentrate on it every time, you will ,and a lot of problems can be solved.Try practising the ground position at home-its cheaper.You seem a bit stiff in the upper body-a more solid position should help- you seem to have good rotation and if you try to slow down the rotation in the turn you should start to make rounded C-shaped turns instead of Z-turns. Rem- zzzzz are dead!!! It takes a bit of bottle to slow down the rotation but when you start to get it it feels great then its time to move onto carving but not before you've nailed the above.
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Poster: A snowHead
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