Getting faster, slowly.

[JamesB]

Had one of my kids film me to see what I looked like in motion, and actually liked how this came out!

 

[JamesB]

Also I can't explain it - and maybe it's in my head - but it feels like I look like my form is from the 80s.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

I'm not a speedy skier. Not sure I ever will be. I've been skiing for 11 years now. With increased skill comes naturally increased speed. However, I am not an adrenaline junkie so I've no desire to go mach schnel.

One thing that's always been told to me is speed alone doesn't equal skill. So I shouldn't feel bad if people are bombing past me.

I have been told by folks I ski with regularly that I'm faster now. People I ski with wait for me less.

All that males me happy

 

[JamesB]

I'm not a speedy skier. Not sure I ever will be. I've been skiing for 11 years now. With increased skill comes naturally increased speed. However, I am not an adrenaline junkie so I've no desire to go mach schnel.

One thing that's always been told to me is speed alone doesn't equal skill. So I shouldn't feel bad if people are bombing past me.

I have been told by folks I ski with regularly that I'm faster now. People I ski with wait for me less.

All that males me happy

Smiling on the snow is really the most important thing.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

Smiling on the snow is really the most important thing.

Absolutely!!!

 

[Tony S]

Had one of my kids film me to see what I looked like in motion, and actually liked how this came out!

Tough love: You need some up-to-date mental models who demonstrate solid modern technique, using the ski's design to turn.

 

[KingGrump]

Good start to your journey. A long journey.
Like Tony said above, need new and improved metal imagery.
You can only go as far as you can imagine.
Take some lessons. It will shorten the journey.

My advice.
Think slow, ski slower still.
When you master skiing slow. Ski fast, feel slow.

Speed shouldn't feel fast.
If speed feels fast, you are doing it wrong.

 

[Tony Storaro]

Also I can't explain it - and maybe it's in my head - but it feels like I look like my form is from the 80s.

I am afraid you are on your own on this mate…

 

[slowrider]

This week I spent a few hours skiing slow on beginner/intermediate runs. Gliding wedge to brush turns just feeling the camber & side cut. Applying rotary or tipping to each ski. It was a relaxing fun beneficial time. Try it, you'll like it.

 

[JamesB]

Tough love: You need some up-to-date mental models who demonstrate solid modern technique, using the ski's design to turn.

Hey, I appreciate contstructive criticism! Working on re-wiring those synapses.

 

[Bad Bob]

What everybody else is saying .
This post is not meant to be a negative about how you are skiing, but a way to develop it. For just returning to the sport there are a lot of positives in what you are doing, but this might help.
An expression in skiing evolved in the past 20 years or so that sums this up well; "Ski the slow line fast". That sums it up pretty well. This what the carving videos are showing you.
Your skis are changing direction but you are not; that won't work too well as the hill gets much steeper. You need to add more of a 'C' to the shape of your turns. Ski like a snake going down the hill. That will add control to your skiing.
Try practicing hockey stops to your current turns. That would be what you are doing but with more edging to stop your speed. You will probably feel the skis try to travel forward as the edging increases, that would be a first step towards carving.

 

[Tony Storaro]

This week I spent a few hours skiing slow on beginner/intermediate runs. Gliding wedge to brush turns just feeling the camber & side cut. Applying rotary or tipping to each ski. It was a relaxing fun beneficial time. Try it, you'll like it.

I do this too from time to time. Huge fun. Drills in general are fun.

 

[Tony Storaro]

What everybody else is saying .
This post is not meant to be a negative about how you are skiing, but a way to develop it. For just returning to the sport there are a lot of positives in what you are doing, but this might help.
An expression in skiing evolved in the past 20 years or so that sums this up well; "Ski the slow line fast". That sums it up pretty well. This what the carving videos are showing you.
Your skis are changing direction but you are not; that won't work too well as the hill gets much steeper. You need to add more of a 'C' to the shape of your turns. Ski like a snake going down the hill. That will add control to your skiing.
Try practicing hockey stops to your current turns. That would be what you are doing but with more edging to stop your speed. You will probably feel the skis try to travel forward as the edging increases, that would be a first step towards carving.

But here he is trying his hand at short brushed turns, he isn’t trying to carve. This is not to say you are wrong of course…

 

[François Pugh]

Had one of my kids film me to see what I looked like in motion, and actually liked how this came out!

That's one way to ski.

Tough love: You need some up-to-date mental models who demonstrate solid modern technique, using the ski's design to turn.

That's another way to ski.
If you keep practising the first way, you will get better at it.
If you learn and practise the second way to ski, you will get better at the 2nd way.
It's all good, and you should be reasonably competent at everything, but IMHO, the 2nd way is more fun, and that's what I would concentrate my efforts on.

 

[KingGrump]

But here he is trying his hand at short brushed turns,

Those are not short brushed turns. Thems are windshield wiper turns.

 

[Paul Lutes]

Those are not short brushed turns. Thems are windshield wiper turns.

Are you wearing cruel shoes by any chance?

 

[LiquidFeet]

Hey, I appreciate contstructive criticism! Working on re-wiring those synapses.

@JamesB, I see you are a new member. Welcome to SkiTalk. You have come to a good place to talk about ski technique.

You are skiing a line that goes straight down the hill, your skis stay in a very narrow corridor, and you are keeping your torso facing downhill as the skis point right-left. Skiing that line well is an advanced skill.

That line can be skied in different ways.
As @KingGrump said, you are making windshield wiper turns. That's one way to ski that line, but not a good way.

Watch your video full screen and set the speed as low as it will go. Look at the skis only.
Notice how far the tips travel left-right. Not far. They stay pretty much lined up with your head.
Notice how far the tails travel left-right. Much farther. Both tails travel out beyond your body.
The tips of the skis are the pivot point for the rotation your skis are making.

This is why these turns qualify as "windshield wiper" turns.

Skiing this way is commonly called tail-pushing. Tail-pushing is a dead end path leading to low levels of control when the terrain and conditions are challenging. Because the tails are pushed out and are rotated while flat to a late edge, the whole top half of the turn has little or no edge engagement.

The top half of the turn is something you will want to use to advantage in your turns in general. You'll need to know how to engage the skis before they get to the fall line. Using the top half of the turn is an important factor in advanced skiing. The habit of pushing and rotating a flat tail can make learning to get early tip-to-tail engagement all that much harder.

Work hard now to replace tail-pushing with another movement pattern, and strive to keep tail-pushing out of all your turns.

There are other movement patterns you can explore.
Maybe other instructors will suggest them here.
You could start a thread focused on what to do instead of tail-pushing in the ski school forum. This is the video and photography sub-forum, which is an odd place for this kind of discussion.

Lessons with a high level instructor would be the best way to purge and replace tail-pushing.

 

[Tony S]

Mea Culpa here. The OP is an acquaintance. I sent him to SkiTalk to get advice about skis for his wife. (Separate thread.)

Along the way he posted the video above in the Video Stoke forum. He never asked for coaching or advice. I am the one who jumped in with a "before you get too excited there..." downer. That started the avalanche of movement analysis. So. Mea Culpa, @JamesB .

 

[JESinstr]

Work hard now to replace tail-pushing with another movement pattern, and strive to keep tail-pushing out of all your turns.
There are other movement patterns you can explore.
Maybe other instructors will suggest them here.

Here you go. Pay close attention to the wedge based exercises.
What you will be changing is going from a rotary (heel pushing) first to an edging and pressure first movement pattern

 

[KingGrump]

Are you wearing cruel shoes by any chance?

Best way to resolve a issue is to identify it and face it.
Farting around with participation trophies just eats up time and have one going around in circles.