Compression turns. Help please.

A snowHead

A couple of weeks ago I did the 'mogul skills' clinic run by Inside Out at Hemel.

Central to the clinic was absorption of the bumps by using down umweighted compression turns. I found this very hard, I've been skiing (on and off) for 20 years using only up unweighted turns.

I was back at Hemel yesterday to practise for a couple of hours. although I think I occasionally got the weighting correct I found I was having all sorts of timing problems. The main one being the timing of the pole plant. What I feel I'm doing at the moment ( doing a compression turn on a flat piste) is everything happening simultaneously, pulling my heels up under me, transferring weight to the new outside ski and pole planting. I suspect this is wrong!!

I've tried to find video links showing compression turns on a flat piste but haven't found much apart from this short one

http://www.j2ski.com/ski_technique/Moguls/4_Compression_Turns.html

Can anyone please give me some tips for getting the timing of these turns worked out, or link me to more video clips?

P.S. I don't really want clips of people doing these turns in bumps (too much going on) I want to see them in ordinary terrain.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.
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Edit. Grammer.

A snowHead

Spud9, pole plant wants to be at the same time as edge change, with the compression/absorption reaching the maximum amount of flex at the same time. So as you approach the end of the turn start to flex in a progressive movement until you are as fully flexed as you can be then make the pole plant/edge change. As you start the next turn progressively stretch the legs out. That clip by Warren is a good one and shows the timing well, I don't know if there are any others you need to see. Just keep playing with it and you will feel when you get it right. You were getting it on some of the turns you made last month at Hemel, so you're just looking to make everything work a bit smoother (no sudden retraction or extension movements) and work on consistency so you can link compression turns without letting the timing get screwy.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Spud9, go to the following link and have a look at the "CROSS THROUGH" entry. It shows the retraction/compression transition you're looking for, in slow motion, pole plant included. Also, for contrast, have a look at the "CROSS OVER" entry. It's an example of the up move transition you're used to doing.

http://www.yourskicoach.com/YourSkiCoach/C.html

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Thanks Rob and Fastman. I'll follow your advice Rob and keep practising.

Thanks for the video links Fastman. At the moment I can't get the embedded videos to play, I'll devote some time to the problem (the IT problem) this evening. I was vaguely aware of the terms 'cross over, under, through' from browsing this forum, but hadn't realised that they were basically the modern terms for up unweighted and down unweighted turns.

Thinking about it, the cross over/ through naming is possibly a more appropriate naming system as it focuses on what is being achieved (edge transition) rather than part of the means of achieving it.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Spud9, one of the things I found useful is to do the absorption bit in a straight line - so you only have one thing to worry about. In Tignes when I had lessons in October a couple of years ago there was quite a big ridge down the side of the piste we were using (a blue piste) and the instructor had us going over that one day - over it, then turn on the flat the other side then back over the ridge in the other direction, and so on. It was a big booger, and irregular in shape and size, so if you got it wrong you were likely to fly off the top. You had to be quick, and get the legs up under you decisively, but not have to turn at the same time. In LDA there is a succession of big "rollers" which we did with Fastman - same kind of idea, but they're more regular and gentle and not so scary. I also try to look for little bumps to turn on, on regular pistes - my performance in proper bumps is doleful but very slowly improving. Those little pathways through trees, over the tree roots, that kids love so much are also useful - though I find them scary. My legs do one or two ups and downs OK, then forget where they are!

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pam w,

Yes, the absorption thing in a straight line is probably a good idea.

I've been doing the 'turn on a single lump or across a ridge' thing for years, but now know I've been doing it all wrong. What I've always done is a standard up unweight on the top of the lump/ridge then turn the skies when I'm pretty much airborne and head off in the new direction as I land. It works fine on easy terrain but it's a disaster in mogul fields. I now know why.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Bumps...oh how I wish I could ski them well!!!! "I have to learn to love the bumps" is what I say to myself daily and I ski bumps daily!!!!

After all it is free

SamM,

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

snow reports

bumps are for chumps is one of my favourite skiing mottos wink

skimottaret, I reckon it was the same for the piste-basher drivers at most of the resorts I visited last year Laughing

You know it makes sense.

This is someone's sig on another forum - "It's not that you can't ski the bumps. You can't ski and the bumps prove it." Love it! Twisted Evil

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Spud9, you will need the latest quicktime plug in/update and you should be right... They are just Quicktime movies

Help!!

Compression turns. Help please.

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