 Poster: A snowHead
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Help, I'm a novice skier, (one week in Austria, two days in Zermatt, with a few hours lessons). My friends are all experienced skiers and are helping me along very well. The only problem I have at the moment (even on blues) is that I appear to gather speed at an alarming rate and consequently find it hard to stop without bailing out or hitting the banks. I can snowplough on the nursery slopes and when I can go slow but it kills my legs at speed. Any advice?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Red_Robbo, many of us could write essays (and dissertations in mechanics), but the only real advice worth taking is to take more lessons (as many as you can afford).
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Sun 16-12-12 14:17; edited 1 time in total
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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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To be honest, take some lessons.
One tip to think about is using the shape of your turn to control your speed. Keep turning until you feel a slight slow down in speed, then start the next turn.
Welcome to snowHeads 
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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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...and until you've taken more lessons, complete the turn more. If you turn so you are pointing right across the slope, or even a little up the slope for part of the time, then it'll keep your speed down.
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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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When the going gets steep and potentially out of control I find it helps to think of my turns as points on a clock. So if I want to go fast I will turn at 25 past and 25 to. On a steep black it might by quarter past and quarter to. I find this helps give me discipline and keeps everything under control.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Welcome to snowheads, Red_Robbo. At the risk of re-stating the obvious...... take some lessons. And be very careful out with much more experienced friends!!
It takes a few weeks of lessons, rather than a few hours, to grasp the basics.
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pam w has it spot on, more experienced friends can be the best and the worst people to ski with! It really sounds like a few more lessons, even on an indoor or dry slope in the UK will soon sort you out.
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Red_Robbo, get low (esp flexing your ankles), in the second half of your turn (if you only do it in the bottom third or quarter, it's too late), to keep your weight forwards, or your skis (and you) will go jetting off so you pick up speed even if you do keep turning until you are facing right across the slope.
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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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Take lessons to move to parallel skiing, it will be much easier on your legs. Speed is controlled by turning.
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| never summer wrote: |
| Take lessons to move to parallel skiing, it will be much easier on your legs. Speed is controlled by turning. |
...but frequently lost by having your weight back!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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slikedges, true. The weight has to stay forward for this to work. Having weight forward is a basic skill that has to be worked on independently regardless of whether the skier turns by stemming or parallel.
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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 wrote: |
To be honest, take some lessons.
One tip to think about is using the shape of your turn to control your speed. Keep turning until you feel a slight slow down in speed, then start the next turn.
Welcome to snowHeads |
^ This
this is a small explanation of turn shape
http://www.yourskicoach.com/glossary/SkiGlossary/Turn_Shape.html
For fun try to play roller coasters when you turn... keep turning until you almost stop(like the uphill of a rollercoaster) then turn down hill and feel the acceleration... repeat...
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Red_Robbo, how do you do your boots up? I suspect part of why your legs hurt is that your boots are too tight across the top of your feet and not firm enough from the ankle up your leg. Also ensure there's nothing else in your boot than your sock. I come across these issues all the time with skiers of all ability. If your boots are too loose on your ankle and leg, it is very difficult to get your weight "forward" onto the balls of your feet - instead it's very easy to rest on your heels, which is why your legs hurt so much.
When you do your boots up, make sure you can wiggle your toes comfortably and your legs are firmly gripped, without being too tight. Only then will you have control to follow the advice from rob@rar. There's some other useful advice here too but some of it is a bit too technical for your experience (from what you've shared with us) to be understood from a forum rather than from a lesson - specifically ankle flex.
Concentrate on going all the way around to the clock positions dynarob described - 15/45, not 25/35. Use a snowplough to start your turn and do 90 degree turns described in little tiger´s link (all the way facing opposite across the slope - same as 15/45). The steeper the slope, traverse more between turns to help control your speed too. You'll naturally go parallel between turns but using the plough to start the turn will help you have your weight in the right place to finish your turn facing across the slope again, not down it (25/35 or 20/40).
Practice, practice, practice on your own and ski with your friends for part of the day, not all of it, so that you can get the miles of practice needed at your speed in without feeling like you have to keep up. Each day you'll be further on and ski with them more, no doubt.
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