Help me find 0.5 seconds

[razie]

So work a lot on your angulation and counter... poles in front, drag the outside pole, touch the outside boot, shlopy, picture frame, hands on hips... start engraining these movements. Start every run with say 10 turns with a drill and then continue the run by applying it into your skiing - that way you get to both improve and have fun!

It is a big step to put good technique into gates, but you need to engrain it into your every day skiing first.

Dragging the outside pole is the least intrusive as to normal skiing and one of the best...

cheers,
raz

 

[RoninSkier]

A great place to drop time that is often overlooked is the start. If you get a good start and get to the first gate a half second faster, you have achieved stated your goal. Use long strong pole strokes and long strong skates to the first gate. Practice skating on flats and then uphill making sure you use your arms to power yourself forward. Skate whenever possible to achieve proficiency at it and strength in the arms and leg motions.

Your skiing is aggressive but you aren't getting your skis to carve. You need more upper/lower body separation to develop stronger edge angles to carve. More initiation with the edges before you cross the rise line will help you start your turn carving and more angulation will help build the edge angles. Keep your upper body faced closer to the fall line. As you run progresses your upper body follows the skis more and more. This reduces your ability to carve.

I think that line is secondary to good form. While being on a race line is good, if you aren't carving it doesn't help much. Carve first, then address line.

Keep up posted. That you can provide the video is great. See if someone can video your start, too. Starts really matter and are easy to improve. Added speed out of the start carries down the course as well.

What helps the Nastar/Molstar weekend warrior types is to work on starts. And a bit on the finish.
We used to work on just starts almost all day. Great advice.

Only other suggestion -
Work on proper form, leg kick back high as you can to trip the wand as late as you can as you drive out of the gate.
Work out your arms (lat pulldowns, tricep pullbacks & push-ups with hands shoulder width/fingers pointing forward & forward of your shoulders) and your core (back + gut + obliques, every strength exercise you can think of) - core exercise wheels are also a great work out - your starts will be more powerful & you will get fast
Make more of a direct charge to the first gate, then edge arc and stroke your skis into the 2nd gate to start your line.
Maybe work on spivot & check turns - proper spivot & check turns - so you can correct your line or deal with goofy course settings.

GL

 

[Wilhelmson]

So did his time improve in the past 7 years?

 

[KevinF]

Holy thread bump…. I haven’t raced in our local beer league in the past five years.

I’ve continued working with @Erik Timmerman …. The new me would absolutely smoke the seven years ago me. Maybe one day I’ll put that theory to the test in a race course again.

 

[crgildart]

^^^NASTAR handicap might document how much you've improved. But still ditch the jacket!

 

[RoninSkier]

So work a lot on your angulation and counter... poles in front, drag the outside pole, touch the outside boot, shlopy, picture frame, hands on hips... start engraining these movements. Start every run with say 10 turns with a drill and then continue the run by applying it into your skiing - that way you get to both improve and have fun!

It is a big step to put good technique into gates, but you need to engrain it into your every day skiing first.

Dragging the outside pole is the least intrusive as to normal skiing and one of the best...

cheers,
raz

Nice blog your ski wiki