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Tony Storaro

Glorified Tobogganer
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@Tony Storaro , I imagine Reilly would say that there are differences between his turns and that some are better than others. His "deviation from normal" might not be much, but I'm sure it's there.

Dunno man, it looks darn perfect to me. Him and Paul Lorenz are the guys I can watch skiing all day long...
 

Doug Briggs

"Douche Bag Local"
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I consider these two(!) perfect runs:

IMG_20200201_110810388_HDR_crop.jpg

They brought me joy and pleasure. They weren't perfect turns or even perfect eights, but at the time, there was nothing better.
 

RiderRay

Getting off the lift
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Brewster NY, Glendale AZ
I think that the perfect run is the one that, at the end, makes you say 'WOW, this is why I love skiing!!'. You can practice, you can analyze but most of all you should smile. The older I get the more I realize that perfection is elusive. It's a deceptive mistress who makes us lose focus of what is really important.

Many years ago I apprenticed under a Yugoslavian (yeah, that long ago) cabinetmaker. When I made a mistake and got frustrated he would remind me that there is no perfect cabinetmaker. You can identify the skilled cabinetmaker because you never see the mistakes he or she makes. That has helped in many aspects of life for nearly 50 years.

If the run made you smile, it was the perfect run for you.
 

Ken_R

Living the Dream
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Denver, CO
So the other day I watched "Ford vs Ferrari" movie. There was a scene where there talked about the perfect race lap. Which got me thinking, is there such a thing as a perfect ski run? not necessarily an actual location, but more "Have you skied a run perfectly"? Obviously this is subjective and only you can judge.

I can't say I have, but I've certainly had runs that are memorable as being well executed. You're in that rhythm of turns, really feeling the snow and the ski seem to be just right.

So can you say you've skied that run perfectly?

Almost, and it feels DARN GOOD!

Its the elusive combination of the perfect snow and slope for you and the skis you are on and how you are feeling that day. when it all comes together wow.
 

oldschoolskier

Making fresh tracks
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Ontario Canada
Yes (given your current level) and there is always a more perfect run (given your future level). The second you can not understand until you reach the first.
 

Crank

Making fresh tracks
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Dec 19, 2015
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Oe powder run in Park City about 23 years ago still stands out in my mind as about as perfect as it gets. The reason is it stands out so much in my memory is just because some kid came up to me at the bottom an apologized for getting into my line. I was in such a reverie of pow that I never even noticed him; his talking to me made me realized how unconsciously I had been skiing.
 

Bad Bob

I golf worse than I ski.
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West of CDA South of Canada
Doubt I have made a perfect turn. A really good run is a feeling undirected focus and projection, there is no thinking it just happens. Somehow you end up at the point of your focus, and it felt good.

But that is not perfect.
 

Pasha

i hiked the ridge... twice...
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New Mexico
Yes there is such a thing. It’s a feeling inside of you that makes you go “that was a perfect run”.

from the outside it could have looked like someone plowing on the green but on the inside the feeling was there...
 

Primoz

Skiing the powder
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For me there's first question what means perfect run. If it's technically perfect, then no, I never did. If I would, I would have Olympics medal, and if you ask Hirscher, even then, you would never made it (at least he didn't). If you mean perfect to make you smile and feel great on the end of run, then almost every skiing day has perfect run for me. But I'm one of those, who says that every day on skis, regardless how shitty it is, it's still perfect day (and I have way over 100 days on all sort of skis in season, so my standards are obviously pretty low for that :D ).
 

markojp

mtn rep for the gear on my feet
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At some point, technically perfect isn't all that relevant or even possible without going all Dunning Kreuger on our a$$e$, but I've had and remember well a few handfuls of experientially 'perfect' runs. Most all were off piste, and several were backcountry.

One less than perfect run was also really cool... about a foot of new, untracked powder, teley gear, no poles... My rear ski dove a bit (pilot error) and got spread out and crossed behind and under the front. Somehow I just kept going, got pointed down the fall line, did a mini royal christy to uncross them, and didn't even break the turn rhythm. No idea how I pulled it off, but it was the 'perfect' recovery. Still puzzles me how the 'cross the rear ski under the front' ever happened and can't figure out how it was even possible, but obviously there was a strong moment of 'suck' going on.
 
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François Pugh

Skiing the powder
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Nov 17, 2015
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Great White North (Eastern side currently)
I made one perfect turn in my life, back in 1978, not skiing though, driving a 1977 GMC Sprint, like this
1584882508673.png

equiped with BFGoodrich Radial TAs. It involved an out of body experience, sub-mm precision and a miraculous outcome. I've been fond of BFG tires ever since.
 

Uncle-A

In the words of Paul Simon "You can call me Al"
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NJ
I am still looking for that elusive perfect turn.

But thinking back..yes, I think I have had runs when everything clicked...and that felt damn good.
This and
If there is a smile on my face at the end of the run, good enough.
These two quotes sum it up for me, so no need for me to add any more.
 

Paul Lutes

Making fresh tracks
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Jun 6, 2016
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Overthinking skiing? On Pugski? Inconceivable!

Inconceivable overthinking - the primary perfect forum thread ingredient!

Perfection is subjective - I just wish I could turn it on and off at will.

For me single turns happen too fast to judge for perfection, and "runs" can vary from a few seconds to 10+ minutes, so I tend to focus on "stretches" of 5-15 turns for perfection evaluation. May they continue to come forever.
 

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