Flexion and extension patterns

[Jamt]

impact force and offset angle

First question: Is getting those two factors in just the right relationship the only thing the skier does to shift from skid to carve? Or does the skier, in addition, initiate the switch by rolling the outside ski to a higher edge angle, or slide that foot back to add more shovel pressure, or flex the inside leg more, or something else?

In other words, are manipulating those two factors the only things the skier does to make the switch happen?

Those are two important things, but off course all fundamentals and movements are in play in a constant combination. No turn is exactly like another.
Increasing edge angle, fore-aft manipulation, inside flexing may all be part of it. The key is how to combine it. Like I said in the fore-aft thread. With a small offset (carving) you don't need so much fore-aft manipulation like if you have a larger offset, and likely you will have larger angles when you go for a cleaner carve.


[QUOTE="LiquidFeet, post: 217674, member: 53"][USER=1591]

Second question: Offset angle is between the direction the ski is pointing, and the direction of travel of the body (its momentum), right?

[/QUOTE]
In general yes. It can also be the angle between the skis direction and how the ski moves.
One is called CoM attack angle and the other one ski attack angle. If you are not moving a lot of body parts it is more or less the same.[/user]

 

[karlo]

With all of this in mind, what's the best development pathway for the skier who isn't yet at the expert level?

I haven't read all pages, and only perused the first.

My feeling is, the best path is to focus on standing right on top of the skis, in transition, with the skis flat to the snow, regardless of steepness. Steepness should be such that the learner can accomplish that with comfort while gliding across, horizontally or diagonally downwards to the hill, and FEELING the surface of the snow, however transitory. From there, the flex of the inside leg happens, whether it was an extension of inside to transition or a flex of outside leg to transition. Then, do that on steeper and steeper terrain. That's what i would do for someone who is not at an expert level. I wouldn't even bring up the topic of flex or extend to transition, except only in the context of bumps. Even then, I wouldn't phrase it that way. I would be talking about absorbing the bump. And, still, my focus with the learner is to find that spot in transition where all is in balance and one can do all that one wishes to do

 

[Tim Hodgson]

Check this out:

Until Sunday I thought of retraction-extension only in the lateral plane -- only for lateral extension to edge and then retracting underneath to flatten to extend to opposite edge -- for edge-to-edge transitions using centrifugal force to move the BoS lateral to the CoM.

Sunday I learned that retraction-extension can occur in the vertical plane -- for absorption (as Kneale Brownson says) of bumps and rotating/guiding/skidding/turning a flat ski under you -- keeping the BoS under the CoM.

"What a Country!"