Hi - I hope I can can get some advice to help me move on with me skiing.
I feel that there are so many issues with my skiing that I am driving myself crazy trying to work out where I am going wrong. I have had a whole host of private lessons - but I am completely stuck and do not seem to be making any progress. My friends tell me to relax and I will be fine! I have posted a short clip of me skiing on a green run in Norway to show where I am at. I can ski steeper than this, but I thought this video summarises my "style" (or lack of!!)
When the snow is good, well groomed etc. I am OK; but when it is cut-up, steep etc I lose my confidence.
One of the issues I think I have identified is that I have developed a habit of twisting my inner ski very early, especially when turning right (approx 14s in the video clip). When the snow is flat I get away with this, but when it is cut-up I can't do this without tripping up.
Any analysis, advice etc would be great. I really want to enjoy my skiing more, but have been stuck for years, while my friends move on.
it looks like your turning the ski by keeping it flat and pointing your toes in the direction you want to go
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?
if you stand up and put 90% weight on left foot then turn you top half to the right side you unweighted foot moves and points right.
Closer to how it should be is stand 50/50 and then lean over your right foot to the side and keep left on the floor transfering to 90% on right foot. you will notice your on the edges of your feet and you right knee bends a little.
Nip 'n' Tuck, do you have any more video, maybe on something steeper? You're not getting a lot of grip with the skis, so they are sort of slithering around underneath you with less control than I suspect you want (and allowing you to twist the inside ski independently of the outside ski). I think you should aim to get the skis to work more for you, by getting a bit more edge angle and being more dynamic with your flex and extend movements.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Nip 'n' Tuck,
1. How long have you been skiing at "this" level?
2. Are they your own boots?
The first thing I would do if you haven't already done so is... if they are your own boots is to go and get them checked out by a proper bootfitter, sometimes you really "can" blame your gear, so get your footbeds etc. properly sorted then after that you can move on in the knowledge you are not making compensations for poor fitting kit.
If you look at the very last few seconds of the vid on the flat, your knees are sagging inwards quite a bit putting you skis on their inner edges, this can be the result of poor under foot support inside your boots, if you are skiing on the inner edges on a straight run then this maybe the reason you need to compensate by doing the early twist move you feel you have to do... to stop the feeling of catching the inside ski edges during your turns.
czl - I think you are right with my weight distribution - as this gives the V-stance I can see in the video (I kind of reverse snow-plough at 14 - 15s) - not sure I understand about leaning over the right foot - doesn't that put my weight on my inside ski?
rob@rar - have put some more video nasties below - not to difficult to pick me out!!
gatecrasher - 1. too embarrassed to say!; 2. I have my own kit - boots are Head Vector 100; skis - atomic X-wing 8. My boots were fitted at Profeet and include foot beds. By the way I think my left leg is longer than my right (slightly) - not sure if that is of any relevance.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Nip 'n' Tuck, worth asking, these are better vids, It's a little bizarre? as you mention you can clearly see different actions between left and right turns. On your left turns you turn your outside ski beyond the falline then once you have support on it your inside ski then follows, bit of a stem but not unusual, but on your right turns you get your weight on the outside ski much earlier in the turn which allows you to pivot and push forward your inside ski.
There are a few things you can really work on as mentioned above, get more active with your flex at the end of your turns so you have available movement to start your next turn with, a less static look, but to me you still don't look "mechanically happy" with your set up, have you had the long left leg thing confirmed, i.e. does it cause problems outside of skiing? Again worth asking as it could be relevant.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Nip 'n' Tuck,, thanks for posting the extra videos. The main weaknesses I see are:
A lack of flex and extend movements in your skiing (although the first few turns on the 1st extra clip you posted clearly show some good movements, so you can make them).
You are too quickly pivoting your skis as you start the turn, then you sort of drift sideways without the skis turning too much. As a result the path you take down the piste is a series of Z-shaped turns rather than flowing S-shaped turns.
I think you should focus on making the flex and extend movements that you are making in the 1st clip a feature of all your turns and use these movements to get the skis to steer around turns more effectively, and finding more grip. You should be more patient and avoid the temptation to pivot your skis quickly - allow the skis to smoothly take you around the turn, rather than rushing the skis past the fall line.
Clearly you are comfortable with a bit of speed and are happy on steeper slopes as a result of the mileage you have done. If you can correct the obvious problems in your core technique I sure you will make quick and marked improvements in your skiing.
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.
Gatecrasher - I don't feel mechanically happy!! - but reluctant to blame my kit, body shape etc. I do have problems outside of skiing - my wife recently pointed out that my left shoulder is higher than my right (although I had not really noticed until then) and I walk a bit duck-footed (my kids laugh at me!!). I have chronic low back pain, so may all be tied up. I sound a right wreck, but I am quite fit (windsurf and play racquetball). Any ideas where I can get my alignment, stance or whatever looked at?
rob@rar - thanks for your insight and encouragement. I do feel I want to get round the corner quickly and I seem to be using the inside leg twist thing as a means of doing it. If I hold my nerve and wait for the sksi to come round by themselves more then I seem to make a huge curve and gain too much speed. I can handle this if the piste is wide, not too steep and flat - but get into trouble if it is narrow, icy or bumpy then I don't seem to have enough room to get round and revert to the snatched turn with inner ski rotation.
It is helpful to get your feedback about which were the good turns! Sometimes I can't see the wood for the trees!
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Nip 'n' Tuck, TBH if you’ve had the Profeet experience you should be really be sorted but there is no harm in second opinions or speak to profeet, you just don’t look that well aligned on your skis to me, a lot of people have a “bad turn” and a lot of people blame themselves, some rightly & some not so, It’s not a magic bullet it won’t fix a less than perfect technique and I may be totally off the mark but if you are having an imbalanced feeling between left and right turns then it’s at least worth looking at, I bang on about it I guess because I used to have a non symmetrical turn shape and a different feeling between left and right turns, one of the feelings I had at slow speeds was the feeling like...I was constantly skiing on a cambered slope, so I was more careful when turning in one direction than the other. Speak to Profeet or CEM (solutions for feet) and explain what your feeling "who knows..!"
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Whereabouts do you live Nip 'n' Tuck? Rob runs some specific courses which may help and seem to get good feedback on here, eg
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.
Nip 'n' Tuck wrote:
rob@rar - thanks for your insight and encouragement. I do feel I want to get round the corner quickly and I seem to be using the inside leg twist thing as a means of doing it. If I hold my nerve and wait for the sksi to come round by themselves more then I seem to make a huge curve and gain too much speed. I can handle this if the piste is wide, not too steep and flat - but get into trouble if it is narrow, icy or bumpy then I don't seem to have enough room to get round and revert to the snatched turn with inner ski rotation.
I think it's a mistake to focus too much on what your inside ski is doing. It is a symptom or consequence of what's happening with the rest of your movements. Much better to focus on what the outside ski is, or should be, doing, and then the inside ski will probably look after itself quite nicely.
It is perfectly possible to make linked, rounded turns happen quickly, because you right to say that there is the possibility of picking up a lot of speed if we spend a long time with the skis in the fall line. Perhaps it would be best to spend some time on gentle blues doing some work to build up the flex and extend movements and steering smooth rounded turns? That way you don't need to worry too much about speed control and can focus on your core movements and different ways of steering your skis effectively.
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
FairToMiddlin on Epic has different length legs- He has had an extra plate put in under the binding of the shorter leg and I think he has had that boot build up as well
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
gatecrasher wrote:
There are a few things you can really work on as mentioned above, get more active with your flex at the end of your turns so you have available movement to start your next turn with, a less static look, but to me you still don't look "mechanically happy" with your set up, have you had the long left leg thing confirmed, i.e. does it cause problems outside of skiing? Again worth asking as it could be relevant.
I think you are onto something gatecrasher
On a right turn (his problem yes) his long left leg is inside leg. This makes it difficult to disengage the edge because the long leg will need to flex to allow the short leg to engage the edge easily.
At least that is how I find mine works(long left leg also)
There are a couple of things to be aware of re the leg length discrepancy.
1) many apparent leg length discrepancies are actually from the hip area - so the leg bones are actually the same length but one leg is carried higher via lifting/tilting a hip
2) In theory x-ray will measure the bone difference. In practice getting an x-ray that can be read accurately enough for what you want in skiing may be tricky(so I'm told - hence why they prefer not to expose me to the radiation)
3)a small difference is not uncommon but physio wisdom says it makes no difference - works for walking... personally I find it awkward for skiing... but mine is estimated at around 1.6cm - by the physios who have measured many ways, and by the podiatrist who has his own method.
4) If you work on the exercises that will stretch the right areas you can minimise the apparent difference. Then you need a good boot fitter to correct the rest as much as needed.
You cannot make much adjustment inside a boot - but it may be enough...
I found training myself to not make compensatory moves (eg drop a hip) took longer - I needed to work at it all year round for a few years.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Hi everyone - thanks for all the feedback. I really like the idea of a trip down to Hemel; sometimes it is hard to explain to an instructor in the mountains what the problem is - perhaps having had the opportunity to look at my attempts to ski on video would inform the session more! I live about two hours away though.
I don't know how important the leg length thing is, but Bicester is easy to get to, so I will go and see CEM.
I would love to ski with my confidence and get round that corner quickly and in control without snatching my inside ski in. Wife says I over analyse and ski like I have a broom up my a***! I just don't seem to be very dynamic even though I feel like I am trying to move - I hope I am not a lost cause.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
"Nip n tuck" definitely not a lost cause! would be interesting to hear the results of both training & outcome from visiting CEM, Colin & Andi certainly sorted out years of blaming myself! Make a list of what your feeling and questions and take along with you.
Good luck!
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Agree with gatecrasher, not a lost cause and some issues outlined above by Rob and others. It also looks like you are pushing your heels at times (pivot point is fairly forward).
I'd agree that some targetted lessons; maybe with Video feedback may well produce some favorable results. Along with a tip to check out boots and leg length!
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?
The thing that I see on all these vids is a total lack of use of the edges - in either direction. Get the skis over on the edges and they will take you around the turn.
So, firstly adopt a lower stance - much lower. Everything should be slightly bent: angles, knees, hips, back.
Secondly practice moving the hips side to side, but keeping the shoulders still. The aim is to get the skis over onto their edges and let them turn you, rather than you rotating your feet and turning the skis.
Then, once you have the edge, keep them engaged to make wider, more controlled turns.
Finally make sure that your skis are always going forwards around the turn - not sideways. I normally find that telling skiers to press on the big toe and make sure it is going forward around the turn works very well.
And where are you? Someone may be able to suggest someone local who can look at your skiing directly.
I live in north Worcestershire - not too far from Tamworth snow dome
RobW I can see what you are saying about no edge angle as my skis are sliding sideways all around the turn - this seem to be my default position and I get away with it when the snow is smooth - when it gets difficult (narrow, lumpy, steep) I use the rotation, snatch thing to get me round - but it feels out of control and my skiing becomes worse - a vicious circle, of course ensues.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
