 Poster: A snowHead
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Val Thorens - the second week of the Easter hols.
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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, you seem plenty comfortable with controlling your speed - so that being said let the skis run a bit more and generally get a bit more speed going - momentum really helps an already fairly well established technique to start to come togehter a bit more fluidly. (dont go mad  but a bit more speed I think will help with fluidity and smooth out the transitions turn to turn, you'll find you start doing it without thinking and maybe even without knowing/realising what you've done)
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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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Many thanks for all the tips. I am going to make the VT trip my 'improve my technique' holiday. The kids videos have enabled me to see what I am doing and I don't like what I can now see - I'm not doing it as well as I'd hoped and it isn't the way my minds eye would like to see me skiing. I have been quite pleased with myself for managing to get down much steeper slopes in a controlled manner, but that control clearly isn't coming from good technqiue - it's coming from 'hanging onto the mountain for grim death with my edges' technique. I would def. like to be more fluid, so I'll try to get a bit more speed up, and see if I can master these skiddy turns.
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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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If you really want to ski faster, get a GPS phone app thingy. There will be no stopping you!
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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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This time next week we should have done our first day on the slopes  So just that I've got this right - I need to avoid the traverses move from one arc directly to the opposite one, and control my speed by trying to skid the skis sideways a little as I make the turns, i.e. not necessarily trying to purely carve the turns?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Megamum, don't forget to lengthen out the top of your turn... Try to lady's front bottom to 3 before your skis are pointing down the fall-line
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Oh and make sure the skis are skidding as evenly as possible - tips as much as tails so you twist the ski from the middle of the foot...
You should ideally leave nice crescent shape tracks
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little tiger, crescent tracks - yes, I can see how that could happen, that means I've got take some of the weight off of the tails I think - I'll get onto that ski balance thing I've been sent - if I can get onto that so called 'sweet spot' that should enable me to pressure the ski more evenly.
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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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Well I've been practising over the last few days and I think my speed is faster. I'm making a conscious effort to keep the ski tips away from horizontal across the piste that way I know that I'm not traversing so much, and FraserP says I'm looking a bit better. Apparently my legs aren't too bad, but I'm told that I still look as though they are attached to someone else's body as by all accounts I still can't seem to lose the upper body stiffness. I am sometimes remembering to touch my pole to the ground as well.
I've been working on this skidded turn, but I don't think I'm skidding the skis evenly along their length yet. Mostly it seems to be coming from the tails of skis with an associated spray of snow in the slushy conditions.
However, this dose of confidence is still working, and I've got down every red I've pointed the skis at so far - now I just need to work on that finesse.
If we get some decent vis. tomorrow I'll get the others to take some more videos.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Megamum wrote: |
| However, this dose of confidence is still working, and I've got down every red I've pointed the skis at so far - now I just need to work on that finesse. |
Excellent!
Steering your skis by twisting them smoothly during the turn gets progressively more difficult when you're skiing in very slushy conditions, so if you're spending a bit of time practicing this skill it's probably best to do it earlier in the day before the snow gets too soft. Good luck with it!
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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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rob@rar, I've noticed the problem in the slushy conditions - when it gets too soft I'm letting it go a little to ensure that I stay in control - I know that the slush can be a bit evil on the knees if you are not careful. However, the surfaces up high seem ideal - they are hard packed, but have a looser surfaces in most places which is ideal for skidding the skis across. I am sure I am having a lot of success with the short turns - I am def. going faster and launching into each successive turn before fully completing the first. Today I've worked on narrowing my stance as my skiing critiques reckon that I was a tad too wide. Mind you I've noticed that a narrower stance and a more direct line can be helpful in that slush as there is then less effort needed to turn the skis back into the next turn across the slush. The trouble is that if I gain too much speed it is then more dangerous to slew it off in case you hit too much of a slushy mound in the process - so its a bit of give and take. Another things I've been trying to do is to relax the upper body - apparently I still look rigid - I'm not sure what the cure is for this. FraserP says its almost as though I'm trying too hard. The kids say I'm gradually relaxing my arms though so perhaps its just piste mileage that will cure me. I am really working hard this week though and I think I'm seeing an improvement.
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You know it makes sense.
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Megamum - those are more or less short turns down the fall line... so you are still pivoting a lot.
Try making a more medium radius turn - make the turn radius maybe 1/8 of the piste width(?? - really just pick a size that you are comfy with) and remember to count like Fastman told you to... lengthening the start of the turn will make it less work...
Regarding the turn size - think of it this way... at the moment to ski maybe 100m you are making perhaps 10-12 turns? Lengthen that out so you go to a 10m turn radius and you will take 5 turns to go the same distance. (20m diameter - so you go 20m downhill for each turn)... Think of the difference in the amount of work you will do in that heavy slush...
You really need to learn to control the turn shape and speed so that you can ski the shape you want at a speed you are happy with... then you will be able to slowly ramp up the speed and relax(so your upper body will be more relaxed)
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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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little tiger, thanks There is so much that I need to work on that I've been trying all sorts of things this holiday. The big thing was trying to get the turns to run into each other without the traverse. Somehow it seems easier to achieve this on the shorter turns which is what I was trying to get to grips with when we took that bit of footage. I'll check my lads chest cam footage and see if he got any of me trying wider turns I know I had a go at them too. I had lots of things to try out, but I do recall a session or two when I started to count 'one and two and three' and tried to lengthen that turn as you describe. I also had several goes with skidding the skis around - though I think that was less successful - I kept riding the tails too much and was conscious of big 'rooster' tails particularly in the slush. However, the notion of the crescent shapes provided something that I could relate to.
I'll dig around in the rest of the footage and see if he caught me, but I will have to do that another night.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Ok - I've asked Fastman to pop in... might take a while... I think you mostly need to work on the balance - get that right and getting the skis to turn is far easier. The Building Blocks videos have a full progression and video - but I'll try some easy to describe steps for you.
To learn the movement for making those skiddy turns you can try these
1) Standing still with no skis on - try to twist your right foot. It should make a bow tie not a piece of pie shape.You are trying to twist from right under where your arch meets your heel. When you make a snowplow this is where your feet twist from also I think. Repeat with left foot.
2) practice side slips and falling leaf - focus on how it feels to get the skis to slide easily where you want them to go. Chase the minimums doing these - or get them to chase you... Good practice and fun.
3) When you are side slipping can you slide diagonally forward and then go into a turn? - it will let you feel you can switch from sliding to turning.
4) Now when you get to the point in the turn where your skis are pointing down hill can you go into a side slip? This would give you confidence that you can change from turning to sliding at will.
5) Can you instead start the turn and twist your skis to the inside of the turn so they slide but still keep making the same shape of turn? So you make the skis slide sideways with the tips pointing into the turn but the skis going around in the curve of the turn shape? Try making them slide sideways less or more - that should give you speed control.
It will take practice but will make a big difference once you can control that.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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You can be proud when your kids do stuff better than you... like a mother duck leading her chicks down the rapids of life before they head off on their own. At the same time you see they are growing up, don't need mum (or dad) as much, getting independent, the baton is passing to a new generation.
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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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Megamum, the turns in your latest video are pretty much the same as the turns you made in the first video posted in the OP. Obvious difference is you aren't putting in the traverse between turns, which is a big improvement. In the latest video you're skiing with a good rhythm, so linking turns well, have a good extension at the start of the turn, so lots of good things going on.
Rather than think about the inputs you are making (I worry that you over think these things), maybe focus more on the outcomes that you are trying to achieve? Think about the size and shape of the turns you are making. So, you've showed us some short radius turns in your latest video. What about some larger radius turns? Don't rush the skis around the turn so quickly, gently steer them around a bigger radius turn (and no cheating by putting in a traverse to use up some piste width ). What about mixing up the turns shapes, so you start off doing short radius turns and then gradually make them bigger and bigger? Then make some really, really skiddy turns, then make some really grippy turns.
And give up hope of keeping up with the kids. As davidof said, be proud of the fact that you can't
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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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| Quote: |
| I worry that you over think these things |
Not that is has been said before.......
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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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Megamum, you've heard this non-professional tip too..... get some rhythmic music you enjoy, get some earphones, stop thinking and start dancing.... the rhythm will help you lengthen turns and count. And relax. Use the music when you're on flattish slopes/tracks too, to do lots of up and down movements, touch your boots, stretch up tall, do daft stuff. The kids will pretend you are nothing to do with them. Dance on the draglifts too. Try not to sing too loud.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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rob@rar, but seeing your instructor in the distance always makes you try that bit harder - I have had the odd lesson with Tim Scott in Les Gets (always intend to have more, and next year I definitely will - yeh, yeh..) and whenever I spot him or my OH says 'there is Tim' I do try and remember what he told me.
And the other morning when there was a pile of new snow which I am not good in there was the odd cry of 'where is Tim when I need him'.
Megamum, you are very determined to get it right or better, so good on you.
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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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Pamski, ah, the Virtual Intimidation Strategy! I get that with some of my coaches - if I know they are in resort somewhere I fell intimidated in to skiing as best I can just in case they spot me...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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rob@rar,
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| the moments the camera is focused on them they change |
and it doesn't do much for their language either. 
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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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Pamski, I saw Tim J last week and thought the same, only I was on the Chavannes Express at the time 
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