 Poster: A snowHead
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There are some videos and discussions on Layne's thread about drills and turns. That made me do some musing and led to some questions.
1. The folks that can ski and turn on one ski and make it look so easy - what precise thing have they accomplished that us mere mortals find so hard. Those that can do it make it look the easiest thing on the planet - and when I look at them it doesn't look any more difficult than skateboarding (I'll use that example as I've never snowboarded). They are controlling themselves around a bend on a single plank. Why is it such a difficult thing to do when it doesn't look as though it should be? I've often been asked to do the exercise, yet I don't think I understand what is needed to do it successfully (I can't do it a little bit, but those that can do it seem able to do it for ages!)
2. Many folks for whatever bad reasons have turned with one ski off the ground or nipped it around off the ground to get it line up. Why can we do that almost without thinking yet, ask us to ski or turn with one ski off the ground and it's far harder. Why?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Megamum, Because most skiers you see on the mountain aren't balanced.
They can stand on 2 skis and move on 2 skis but that is not balancing. that's just standing.
No balance is really required as you have 2 points of support.
The good news is that balance can be improved very quickly with practice.
Try skiing across the slope on the outside edge of the uphill ski for twenty minutes or so and watch the results.
I think PamW mentioned drills from a video a while back that helped with this.
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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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Try skiing across the slope on the outside edge of the uphill ski for twenty minutes or so and watch the results.
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Yes, that's a very good place to start. Do a "traverse", then get up on that uphill ski. When you get good at it, and can stand on the uphill ski without wobbling too much, turn on it (left if you're up on your right leg and vice versa) continue to turn on it (it'll be the outside ski at the turn, then the downhill ski, so doesn't pose any problems).
This also helps you to get used to transferring your weight earlier in the turn, even if you continue to have both feet firmly on the snow throughout. I can assure you that "mere mortals" can learn to ski on one ski. There's a series of exercises on Fastman's video which helps you to lead up to it in gradual steps.
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| pam w wrote: |
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Try skiing across the slope on the outside edge of the uphill ski for twenty minutes or so and watch the results.
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Yes, that's a very good place to start. Do a "traverse", then get up on that uphill ski. When you get good at it, and can stand on the uphill ski without wobbling too much, turn on it (left if you're up on your right leg and vice versa) continue to turn on it (it'll be the outside ski at the turn, then the downhill ski, so doesn't pose any problems).
This also helps you to get used to transferring your weight earlier in the turn, even if you continue to have both feet firmly on the snow throughout. I can assure you that "mere mortals" can learn to ski on one ski. There's a series of exercises on Fastman's video which helps you to lead up to it in gradual steps. |
Great drill for learning to ski in more control on steeper slopes as you'll be in more control, earlier in the turn.
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| Do a "traverse", then get up on that uphill ski. When you get good at it, and can stand on the uphill ski without wobbling too much, turn on it (left if you're up on your right leg and vice versa) continue to turn on it (it'll be the outside ski at the turn, then the downhill ski, so doesn't pose any problems). |
Ahh, the Up 'n Over Drill! It's a really good one, we use it at Hemel from time to time if it's not too bumpy.
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When I started trying to get the weight up onto the uphill ski it did feel very strange. I was accompanying two young child on very easy slopes at the time - they had ESF lessons in the morning, then I kept an eye on them in the afternoons. It was an ideal time to start practising, I was always behind them keeping an eye on them, and after a couple of days it started to feel OK.
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It's all about your ability to balance, and when skiing this is more than just standing on one leg as you're trying to react to terrain that is constantly moving underneath you and throwing you off balance; i.e. it's a dynamic rather than static balance.
As well as the excellent exercises above I would add:
- when skiing down quiet flat pistes that would otherwise be unchallenging, just lift one of your skis and try and glide on the other. You don't have to lift it far or for long at first so you can touch the other one back down if you have to.
- do the exercises on very easy terrain so you can build up your confidence as for a lot of people it is the sensation of feeling unbalanced that is the hard part to deal with, not the actual balancing. This is where children generally excel because feeling unbalanced often doesn't bother them.
- don't look down at your skis (which is always tempting) but keep looking at something in the middle distance where you're heading, it will improve your ability to balance no end. You can prove this to yourself by trying to balance on one leg (no skis needed) with your eyes closed, or looking at the floor. If that's too easy, get someone to gently push you around so you've got something to react to.
- get a wobble cushion or something like that and balance on it while doing mundane stuff around the house (brushing teeth, washing up, watching tv, whatever). If you do this often enough you will really improve the muscles that are needed to maintain your position when balancing.
This is one aspect of skiing where you can probably do as much to improve it off the slope as on.
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Megamum, in a simple one word answer, balance
Get your posture and balance spot on and you'll find it alot easier to ski on one leg...
another one to practise (on a nice wide empty green or blue) is to traverse on downhill leg, then repeat, but when comfortable point the ski further and further down the fall line at the starting point, so by the end you start off on one leg, pointing straight down the fall line and make a nice gentle turn on one leg...obviously the final step is alot harder than the first step!!
Or as someone said on another thread, take one ski off at the top of a green run 
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| Quote: |
in a simple one word answer, balance
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Exactly. It's not just skiing on one leg that's difficult. Unless you've practised it a bit, it's quite difficult just to stand on one leg with your eyes shut.
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get a wobble cushion or something like that and balance on it while doing mundane stuff around the house (brushing teeth, washing up, watching tv, whatever).
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there's at least one SH who does the ironing on a BOSU. I used to stand on one leg waiting for my train to London - you only have to lift one half an inch off the floor, not stand there like a Masai warrior with a spear.  Not recommended right on the edge of the platform.
I have some new cross country skis and am having some private lessons next week. Now that's a whole new raft of balance issues - and I find it really very difficult, with free heels and little or no ankle support. Being able to ski on one leg on downhill skis with hefty great boots on doesn't seem to help me at all!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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pam w, I've often stood on one leg during trans atlantic flights, the other passengers must think I'm mad!!!
It's fore/aft balance that I found made the biggest difference when skiing on one ski, bending a fraction more at my wasit during a drill made a huge difference.....
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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.
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pam w,
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there's at least one SH who does the ironing on a BOSU
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I also clean my teeth standing on one leg with my eyes shut, possibly slightly risky, particularly since I use an electric toothbrush, but not as risky as standing on the edge of a station platform! I think I've posted this before, but my physio gets the young fencers whom she trains to go round and round the Circle Line without holding on to a handrail. At least she says she does - this could be apocryphal.
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Why would I want to ski on one leg - I have never found the need to hop along the high street
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You know it makes sense.
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| Megamum wrote: |
1. The folks that can ski and turn on one ski and make it look so easy - what precise thing have they accomplished that us mere mortals find so hard? |
1. Practice - repeating action to improve; and
2. Persistence - not giving up because you cannot do something well immediately.
I have shown my parents a few single leg drills. Mum will practice them a little bit every day. Dad will do the exercises once or maybe twice and then he will ski off and never try them again. Mum is better skiing on one leg than dad.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Megamum, I'm by no means an expert skiier and still very much learning, but I've been spending a LOT of time skiing on one ski at Hemel in the last month. This is mainly to get comfortable on my inside toe as I am trying to work on my short/long radius turns, and dropping my inside knee sooner. As already mentioned balance is hugely important but (someone feel free to correct me or add to what I say), when you break it down weight distribution, ankle flex, and thigh steering are key. Mix with some confidence, and stir.
Try traversing with both skis on, but lift your outside ski up throughout. I did that quite a bit to the point I was confident enough to try it on with one ski, and I survived! Feels weird, and gets the heart going as well!
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Poster: A snowHead
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Haha, talk about late to the party, when I was writing the above there was only one other post present!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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c0Ka|Ne, I would add core (tummy) strength to the mix. And I have no idea what thigh steering is. 
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| there's at least one SH who does the ironing on a BOSU. |
I'd always recommend an ironing board - I bet their shirts are a right mess.
As for skis, I've bought two, I'm going to ski on 'em both - anyway think of the uneven wear of just skiing on one. Can you have them waxed alternately ?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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You can also do this drill without lifting the whole ski up. I was taught to do it keeping the tip of the bottom ski on the ground. Makes it a bit easier to find that balance point and also encourages weight to move forward rather than back the way, which is a good thing. First place I did this drill was on Pylones at Courchevel. 5 minutes later we were doing the same drill on Vizelle... my eyes were well and truly opened!
I was also trying to practice this drill at the weekend at Cairngorm but the "breeze" made it quite difficult!
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TBH the skiing on one ski is the easier bit. It getting back up on a T bar that is the difficult bit 
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If you really want to be able to ski well on one ski, take the other off and leave it at the top of the slope. Leave your poles too. Now ski the run (blue or red, your choice) on one ski. Then take the draglift (yes, drag), back up. Do this 5 times on the same leg.
Then do it 5 times on the other leg.
And do this every day
Really... the guys who ski well on one ski... really well... that's what they are made to do by their coaches
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Really... the guys who ski well on one ski... really well... that's what they are made to do by their coaches
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Patch, yes but, yes but..... not really terribly helpful advice for a relative beginner. We're not all up for race training. My point is that it's OK to do gentle, progressive and non-scary exercises and that these - whilst not enabling you to ski like a 12 year old Croatian racer, will serve to greatly improve the balance skills of holiday skiers.
another time when it's good to practice is going up draglifts (not the most difficult ones, maybe...). Lift the back of one ski, put it back down, lift the back of the other one. Repeat till you get to the top.
or fall off.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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pam w, My point is, that skiing on one ski and "making look easy" is not something that is going to be achieved by a relative beginner, and those who can do it well have probably spent more time practising it than said relative beginner has spent on skis full stop.
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Patch, hats off to them if that's what they've done. I just think they make it look simple, and when you watch it done well there seems nothing to it and I tend to think 'well I know it's not easy so what aspect of skiing have they perfected to make it look that good'. It seems so, er.... tangible might be the word, you can see visually what they are doing, but it's soo hard to copy, and I just wondered what they had that mere mortals don't. From the comments above I reckon it is probably Balance!
Would snow boarders or those on mono-skis find one legged conventional skiing easier than those of us used to two planks?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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It is down to balance but this in turn is due to the strength of your glutes. It's about practicing balnce exercises without skis and exercises for activating your bottom muscles.
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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.
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| Megamum wrote: |
Patch, hats off to them if that's what they've done. I just think they make it look simple, and when you watch it done well there seems nothing to it and I tend to think 'well I know it's not easy so what aspect of skiing have they perfected to make it look that good'. It seems so, er.... tangible might be the word, you can see visually what they are doing, but it's soo hard to copy, and I just wondered what they had that mere mortals don't. From the comments above I reckon it is probably Balance!
Would snow boarders or those on mono-skis find one legged conventional skiing easier than those of us used to two planks? |
Don't ever forget that when you are watching someone ski it is a snapshot of a moment in time. You cannot tell how much hard work and practice they have put in to achieve what they are demonstrating.
At the end of the day it is all about choosing progressive exercises and practicing them.
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My point is, that skiing on one ski and "making look easy" is not something that is going to be achieved by a relative beginner, and those who can do it well have probably spent more time practising it than said relative beginner has spent on skis full stop.
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and my point is that someone like me (or megamum) is just not going to do those hardcore racing drills but that it's perfectly possible to improve balance dramatically without doing them. Sure, it takes perserverance, and effort, but doesn't have to be scary or dangerous. I can't ski on one leg like proper skiers can, but I can do reasonable javelin turns and I can ski down a nice easy blue piste on just one leg (at least, I can on the left leg - not so good on the right, but practising).
You can look at an expert in any discipline, conclude that they are not "ordinary mortals" and just give up. And if ordinary holiday skiers are told the only way they can do it is by circuiting runs and T-bars on one ski, they will give up. Really not too helpful. Megamum could hugely improve her balance skills - as I have - by doing straightforward drills as suggested, things as simple as picking up one ski, then the other, on a drag lift, or when gently schussing down a gentle green slope, or standing on one leg cleaning her teeth.
Most people just CBA - it depends on a certain amount of self-discipline. No different from learning anything else. Only a very few are going to have the combination of talent and personality/motivation to get brilliant at it. But we can all improve if we want to and make the effort.
The best can too easily be the enemy of the good.
I have no idea what the state of my glutes is. Good enough to ski on one leg down a gentle slope, any road. I think core muscles might also need to be in moderately good nick. But I'm nothing special in the muscles department - and I'm 65 next week.
However, I would say to megamum that unless she continues to take ski lessons - and good ones - she won't improve much. Most people give up lessons far too soon. A few natural athletes get very good without much tuition, but it's beyond most of us to do so.
I take your point about the amount of practice required, though, Patch. Just sort of pootling round the pistes won't achieve much, if you want to improve you do need to do focussed drills, and be prepared to keep at it when progress seems discouragingly slow.
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You know it makes sense.
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I'd also point out that to be a good skier does not require religious practice of this drill. Pam has been pretty good throughout pointing out alternatives.
To give an analogy, front levers aren't the be all and end all of training for climbing.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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pam w, I have a 2 hr private lesson booked on holiday this year, and depending on funds and instructor availability may yet book another. We also have at least one session practising what we learn after the lessons last year we found a suitable bit of slow and spent a whole afternoon trying out our drills and balance - I must admit I was most put out to find that everyone was better than me, but I am getting there - I can just about get in a turn on a single leg.
I remain completely in awe of folks like Fastman and the others - you guys are brilliant at his sort of thing it's a true treat just to watch the videos of you all - you all make it look sooo easy, but I know it isn't!
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Poster: A snowHead
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I remain completely in awe of folks like Fastman and the others
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People who have become truly great at what they do are indeed impressive, and it's terrific to see the videos etc. But what's so good about Fastman's videos is that he offers a progression that just goes step by step - so even though most of us will never get to the most difficult exercises, the early stages are genuinely approachable and well worth doing. What's more, he does say quite frequently when something is difficult - so it reassures you that you're not daft, if you find it hard.
I try to think of one thing, when I go out skiing in the morning, and just kind of keep my mind on it, when I think of it, throughout the day. No good trying to do too much at once. If you find the balance things specially difficult, it's well worth doing stuff like the standing on one leg cleaning your teeth. I can't do that because I have a series of 4 calf stretches I do when cleaning my teeth... 4 stretches, 30 seconds each, takes the 2 minutes the electric brush takes.
You don't need to aim to be a better skier than those around you - just to be better than you were last week. You seem to compare yourself to others an awful lot - and that's inevitably going to be depressing, given the number of great skiers around.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Balance is very important to ski on one leg but another thing that nobody has mentioned except for c0Ka|Ne, is movements. just standing balanced on one leg wont allow you to turn , you need to flex and extend the ankle
we run a performance clinic on one legged skiing and use a drill progression so that everyone gets there in the end, it is not THAT hard to do just takes practice as Patch says, all race teams do a lot of this and all my 8 - 11year olds can ski one footed...
http://vimeo.com/29340216
http://vimeo.com/24766696
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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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Seen kids on an Austrian glacier skiing on one leg. They were skiing a slalom course. 
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I never get bored of that suicide run clip! The flexing is very subtle, but the performance gained is visible in the quality of the turns. One day c0Ka|Ne, ONE DAAAAAAY!!
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Reading this has reminded me of when I could do it no problem age 13 in race training on the plastic slope in Southampton -Will try on the snow in the morning and report back assuming I survive!
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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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glp9, I love that clip.
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Pam and Megamum, thanks for the mention. Definitely a higher end balance skill. Skiing on one ski is simply a series of alternating inside ski then outside ski turns. The inside ski turns require inclining, and the outside ski turns require angulation. So each of those turns should be worked on separately, and one's competence at each honed, before trying to combine them into one ski skiing. And in working on each individually you need to break it down into a skill building progression that is reasonably achievable at each level by most recreational skiers. I find few students who can't eventually achieve the ability to do one ski skiing if they work their way, step by step, through the progression.
Side note: I teach this skill with both skis on. I don't have students take a ski off because it greatly changes the balance dynamics from what occurs during regular skiing.
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FAQ
