 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm heading up to tamworth snow dome with my OH tomorrow for our first session since our first ski trip last year.
I'm slightly concerned that I've forgot how to ski in that time and wondering what others do to get back into the swing of things? Drills etc??
Also as we're saving for our wedding next year, ski lessons aren't really an option again this year so I may post a video or 2 on here for some constructive critique 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Ski some very slow speed runs at first, and concentrate on making the basic movements slowly and precisely. Extend at the start of the turn and try to feel the ski being pushed against the snow and finding the grip as soon as the turn begins. Flex down right at the end of the turn. Maybe do this in a run or two of snowplough turns to really challenge yourself by going slowly but still making precise movements. Then gradually increase your speed for two or three runs, but still focus on making those precise movements.
Once you have done a warm up like that you could try doing a couple of laps of really twisty, skiddy turns. Then a couple of laps of edgy, carvey turns. Then a couple of laps of turns where you are trying to find as much grip as possible.
If you do that you'll be pretty well dialled in to your skis and the ways of steering them.
Have fun
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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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Thanks rob@rar, will try exactly what you've suggested, and post videos of my attempts Saturday
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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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I always start with a pretty basic warm up...
I start the season with a more in depth version of the same...
Short description is
a) Balance work - fore, centred, aft balanced and moving between the various balance states at various points in the turn cycle.
b) Edge work - sliding the skis, engaging the edges, various different manners of doing so... and of course switching between different modes in different places in the turn...
c) Rotational work
d) Lateral Balance work
e) Various flexion extension exercises
f) Transitions - slow them right down, speed them right up, try all the different varieties, mix them up a little
throw in perhaps a few turns between imaginary gates(spots on snow, pine boughs etc)
You will find a season warm up in the article here
http://www.yourskicoach.com/YourSkiCoach/Season_Starter_Program.html
and a daily warm up here
http://www.yourskicoach.com/YourSkiCoach/Daily_Warm_Up_Routine.html
The Daily Warm Up comes in three varieties depending on the skier level... or you can mix and match a bit...
My warm up is just a personalised version of those
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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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I think I'd be pretty impressed if anybody could do those "season starter" drills after only one week of skiing, especially as a warmup!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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tomb, At Tamworth it may be best to use the rope tow to half way initially and then building up slowly from there.
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| finestgreen wrote: |
| I think I'd be pretty impressed if anybody could do those "season starter" drills after only one week of skiing, especially as a warmup! |
You would be surprised... I had a bunch of kids one of whom had barely skied ever, the second could barely remember having skied a few years earlier...
leaving out the fore/aft&lateral combinations, the outside lifts and the rail turns they could all do the rest as could Mum the previous green run only skier who was super nervous... (she went to skiing black runs)... took a little work but not that hard...
My other green run only skiing friend can do all the fore/aft balance and edging stuff except rails... and she has a knee that really is a big problem for her...
Even just doing the flexion extension helps - and I can get a 4 year old to ski like a dwarf or a giant...
Doing what can be done and trying the rest makes a huge impact on feel for skis - and the better you get the more you can do... Feel for the skis - knowing what various balance states feel like and how to move between them is a HUGE step for the average beginner... Feel for edges - and the ability to finesse edge angles is a HUGE step for the average skier...
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Has anybody got an English translation?
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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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Fifespud, I think how long you spend getting your ski legs back depends to some degree on your fitness, and time that you want to spend on your skis per day.
TBH whilst I do think, 'Help, I hope I can still do this' and do spend some time skiing cautiously and feeling the skis back under me and perhaps do different sorts of turn to remember things, that is about as far as my time allows. My warmup consists of hiking to lift with the skis and then its onto them and off I go.
I probably spend more time on exercises such as those in LT's links after the first day or so when I've got back used to the concept and can do them well enough to improve on them. If I was try all those different exercises on different runs I'd run out of time to do them  I know you might argue that its worth spending a lot of time on the drills to enjoy the other 6 days, but thats approaching 20% of a holiday and whilst I doing drills I'm holding up the rest of the party. I think they are nice to bear in mind as things you can try, but I think its horses for courses. I don't think I could/would do all those things in the PDF file, but I don't just ski off into oblivion either.
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One year some friends and I decided that the best way to to get our ski legs back after a year off (or a couple of years off for some) was to catch the lift to the top and head down one of the black runs. Very funny, but also very stupid. I think at least half the grop stacked it on the first turn, and second turn and the third....
Not sure I'd recommend that as a way back into skiing! I know I won't be doing it again, but as long as you take it easy it really is like riding a bike, you'll be back into it in no time.
As for ways to improve "drills, drills, drills".. if you can afford it get a book, or use you tube and get a list of drills to practice. I'm a bit of a technique geek and really enjoy doing most drills, one ski skiing is always good fun... just 3 or 4 runs doing drills each day will have a big impact on your skiing.
Also follow my leader is useful, take it in turns to lead, the one following has to ski the same lines as the one in front, this is a good way to make you ski in a different way to your normal style, some people refer short radius turn, others long GS type turns, or even just noddling about in the chop at the edge of the run. We use it a lot, I'm the short radius kinda guy with the odd dart between the trees, my wife is the fast GS type skier who sticks religiously to the piste..
but the advice from the others is all good....
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Megamum,
As you improve it takes less time... I can do the fore/aft balance stuff in a run or less... and often also mix in the steering stuff depending on terrain and traffic... I need 3 turns for fore, 3 for aft, 3 for fore/aft, and 3 for aft/fore... That takes little time and room to execute... Having said that those are easy because I have spent a lot of time on those skills over the years...
I leave newer skills to further into my warm ups...
I've done similar types of drill warm ups for years - that was how I made the most of a very very short(2 months of decent cover) aussie season... I'd start on the 10'x12' puddle of man made and do basic drills... by the time the runs opened properly I was pretty ready to start skiing well... (This was when I was at your level)... Years of training and I have little trouble dialling in my fore/aft senses... just need enough to click the switch...
Drills are not the "remove from ski time" you consider them... I can work the fore/aft stuff into a regular run with no-one any the wiser - after all I'm just turning with my body in a pre selected fore/aft position so hardly different from regular turns except that I'm not aiming to be centre balanced. I will often just play with lifting a ski or spinning - just for fun... it is still a drill!
You and the minis could easily incorporate a few drills into skiing and it would indeed be fun skiing not hard work... You just have to want to do 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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little tiger,
| little tiger wrote: |
My other green run only skiing friend can do all the fore/aft balance and edging stuff except rails... and she has a knee that really is a big problem for her...
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How did you manage to work arround this persons knee problem? i only ask as my gf has trouble with her right knee and its really affecting her confidence, bare in mind shes only a begginer.
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You know it makes sense.
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I spend the first morning if not the whole day skiing with all my boot clips undone, concentrating on keeping my toes pointing up. This way you can't force any movement, and you find your centre of balance fore/aft/side very quickly or you see your @rse in no time at all. This also makes foot steering very difficult so alingement has to be spot on as you need to steer with your thigh/hips.
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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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| Russeh wrote: |
little tiger,
| little tiger wrote: |
My other green run only skiing friend can do all the fore/aft balance and edging stuff except rails... and she has a knee that really is a big problem for her...
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How did you manage to work arround this persons knee problem? i only ask as my gf has trouble with her right knee and its really affecting her confidence, bare in mind shes only a begginer. |
She has major alignment issues - so a really good alignment job with a bootfitter(she had been given exactly the wrong boots by the previous bootfitter)... Then she has occupational hazards that worsen the problem on one knee - she has seen a physio and some encouragement to go back and continue with her exercises helped(longer term fix)... Aside from that we worked on drills that let her feel skiing in ways that did NOT excessively stress that knee for her... Also a fair bit of just explaining and letting her understand how it all fits together... She is very bright - lecturer for anatomy (not knees) for a high level professional course in her "spare" time... She needs to weigh it all up and have a handle on why she needs to do something differently(or do something new)...
The combo of the alignment work(she is still getting that finished this season) and the skiing differently pretty much turned her from "I ski sometimes under sufferance and only on green runs" to "hey this is fun I'll try a blue"... So much so she is dragging her sister(nearly 70 I think) over to have a go as well...
Oh and I forgot - encouraged hubby to get her skis more suited to her aims with that dodgy knee... at some point in the past he had been convinced to buy her skis that were good but she is in her 60s and not that keen to be a speed demon etc... I think he has now got her something more suited which also helps her...
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
do the drills as you ski around...
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absolutely. For example, when on those "cat tracks" that people moan so much about, and sometimes make hazardous overtaking manoevres. Or when waiting for a member of the party to adjust their boots, or sort out their goggles. And things like changing balance fore and aft (and lateral balance too) can be done any time youre on an easyish run.
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