How to Get Rid of a Stem Habit

[Monique]

Or use Weems' Sports Diamond.

I bought the book. This is speaking to me very strongly right now:

A learning plateau is that place where we process new information and possibilities in order to grow our skill. The processing period usually feels frustrating. We don’t own the new move yet, and we now hate the old move.

 

[AmyPJ]

I bought the book. This is speaking to me very strongly right now:

Boy, me too!

 

[Tricia]

@Weems Westfeldt will appreciate having some new admirers.

The title of this thread has always amused me.

http://www.theweedblog.com/how-to-fix-the-problem-of-long-stretchy-stems-on-marijuana-seedlings/

Love that!

 

[Monique]

@Weems Westfeldt will appreciate having some new admirers.

Weems is a very engaging writer! I downloaded it, just meant to take a quick peak, got a quarter of the way through before stopping myself because I had to be doing other things.

 

[AmyPJ]

Weems is a very engaging writer! I downloaded it, just meant to take a quick peak, got a quarter of the way through before stopping myself because I had to be doing other things.

Sounds like I need to drag my Kindle along on my trip to watch my horse show this week, and do some ski reading since I'll be going through skiing withdrawals!

On that note, I had a lightbulb moment last night. My boots have a built in spoiler in back that can be raised or lowered with a boot tool. I have had them raised all the way up. I don't have particularly long calves, in fact, I have long femurs, not tibias. One issue I have with my right boot (that naughty one) is that I feel myself almost leaning into the medial backside of it on left turns, upon turn end and exit. So, what if I removed that ability by lowering the spoiler?? I believe this could be causing the feeling of that ski "shooting out from under me" on turn exit. Well, I tried it for just one run today, and I think I'm onto something. Unfortunately, one run was it as I was with my daughter, conditions were crappy, and it was a zoo. We called it early. But, I think I have been using that spoiler back there as a crutch, leaning on it. I had to get more centered in my boot with it lowered. Voila! I also felt less of that ski "taking off" feeling--I can't wait to try this out tomorrow when the crowds disperse and it's sunny. Might still be skiing mashed potatoes, but that's OK. One run in conditions like today was not enough to fully assess.

This is a picture of the back of the boot. The spoiler is what the power strap runs through in the back. I've had it up approx. 1cm from where it is shown here. I can put it in the middle, too.

 

[Monique]

Sounds like I need to drag my Kindle along on my trip to watch my horse show this week, and do some ski reading since I'll be going through skiing withdrawals!

FWIW, it has a lot of photos, so I downloaded it to my iPad; my Kindle is a paperwhite, which is great for reading text, but not so great (terrible, actually) for images.

My boots have a built in spoiler in back that can be raised or lowered with a boot tool.

I get rid of all spoilers on sight. (This may not be universally appropriate.)

 

[AmyPJ]

[/QUOTE]

FWIW, it has a lot of photos, so I downloaded it to my iPad; my Kindle is a paperwhite, which is great for reading text, but not so great (terrible, actually) for images.



I get rid of all spoilers on sight. (This may not be universally appropriate.)

My Kindle is an HD one, so I'll have to check it out.

I have pretty slim calves but have never had a spoiler in there before because I didn't want more forward lean. This one doesn't really provide forward lean, just a crutch for me, I think, and not a good one! I'll be so excited if moving it down solves some of my control issues on that leg.

 

[oldschoolskier]

FINALLY GOT OUT THIS YEAR. And my nephew had a break through which may help you.

Tighten your stance i.e. Boot touches boot tight (No flames please....) and do your turns (and try to keep them together). Don't worry your stance will be ok, it is just to get rid of A frame which likely feels like a weaker foot. This is a confidence thing (one photo looked odd, and I think this is the cause as in the turn your foot looks like it slight behind and it should be ahead, this is something that you typically see in A Framing).

What finally did it was 5 runs on SL's (last run sort of clicked after I threatened him to tape his boots together), Lunch (1 hr), switched to GS and WOW different amazing skier. And he just get better from there. The above I've been trying to get him to do for about 3 years (he's only18) and finally .


Cheers,
G

added details as iphone is a pain to type on.

 

[AmyPJ]

FINALLY GOT OUT THIS YEAR. And my nephew had a break through which may help you.

Tighten your stance i.e. Boot touches boot tight (No flames please....) and do your turns (and try to keep them together). Don't worry your stance will be ok, it is just to get rid of A frame which likely feels like a weaker foot. This is a confidence thing (one photo looked odd, and I think this is the cause as in the turn your foot looks like it slight behind and it should be ahead, this is something that you typically see in A Framing).

What finally did it was 5 runs on SL's (last run sort of clicked after I threatened him to tape his boots together), Lunch (1 hr), switched to GS and WOW different amazing skier. And he just get better from there. The above I've been trying to get him to do for about 3 years (he's only18) and finally .


Cheers,
G

added details as iphone is a pain to type on.

I'm assuming this gets both skis/feet to move more in unison? If you "flare" one ski (the uphill ski) your tips will cross. Am I understanding this correctly?

 

[oldschoolskier]

I'm assuming this gets both skis/feet to move more in unison? If you "flare" one ski (the uphill ski) your tips will cross. Am I understanding this correctly?

Yes exactly and also equally wt both skis correctly.

The correct amount of separation occurs with the edging angle (clearance required to tip over so to speak). And because both edges are wt'd equally, as in both down so both edges engage equally and not one pushed to edge and one as a balance tool which causes one or the other to wander depending on which is dominate (which in turn sort of causes you to do this more).

See it occur and the dynamic difference it made both visually (looked like two different skiers and ability levels) and to hear the excitement expressed along with what was exciting about it, confirms this.

It wasn't that he didn't know logically but more that it was difficult to grasp feeling wise and the confidence to let it happen. Once it happened, the reward was almost instant and the confidence jump that the fear of balance and use of outrigger wasn't required any more. In his case each run became better and better at that point amazingly quick.

The conditions flat light, so it was ski by feel and we were doing relatively high speed GS turns (space and other skiers allowing, safety first for the rest of the skiers on the hill).

Hate to say it I now have a skiing partner I no longer have to wait for, but worse as this progresses I may become the slower one (crap, aging sucks) in the next couple of seasons as he is only going to improve from here.

The best compliment of the day was when unknown to me, he dropped onto my line and matched my turns, turn for turn and in sequence (ski team style) on a double black diamond and we got asked in the lift line by several skiers how long we had been practicing together this season to make it look so smooth and matching, when we replied that this was our 8th run of the season nobody believed us.

 

[razie]

Long thread... my advice: start by keeping your feet close like @oldschoolskier suggests and lift your new inside heel at the beginning of the turn. Not much, just an inch... as early as you can... and earlier and earlier as you progress. Then put it back down... as late as you can... and later and later as you progress and remember that we ski on the outside ski!

good luck!

 

[AmyPJ]

OK, I'm game! Thanks, guys!! Not skiing again until Sunday--today was survival skiing (in my world) with the snow so variable I just made nice round turns and patted myself on the back for getting down almost 10K vertical. But when I get back out there (Sunday) I'm game to do narrow stance with a heel lift of the inside ski. I have done those in the past but not enough.

(One run today was mashed potatoes, deep slush, and marbles/ice chunks, all in the same area. I hit them all at one time, and whew!)

@oldschoolskier, what skis was your nephew on? My narrowest are 90 under foot Kenjas. I've been advised by a very nice PMer here that I really need to pick up a pair of dedicated carvers. My husband would kill me. And they'd not get used a ton here, frankly.

 

[oldschoolskier]

Nephew on Volkl P60 (I think) GS JR Race ski new old stock with Look PX14's and a set of Nordica Doberman SLR (I bought used, in rough shape and passed on for free) but still good enough to play on. Lange Race boot 120 from eBay new old stock.

 

[Ross McGuinness]

So how did this developed a year later?

 

[cantunamunch]

So how did this developed a year later?

There are threads and threads on that

 

[surfsnowgirl]

Long thread... my advice: start by keeping your feet close like @oldschoolskier suggests and lift your new inside heel at the beginning of the turn. Not much, just an inch... as early as you can... and earlier and earlier as you progress. Then put it back down... as late as you can... and later and later as you progress and remember that we ski on the outside ski!

good luck!

This worked for me. I was a stemmer and beginning to mid season I spent quite a bit of time in clinics at the mountain where I teach. In addition 2 of my instructor comrades took me under their wing and beat the stem out of me (jk) but what they had me do was your suggestion and it worked for me. I still lack confidence but have a little more confidence than I used to have. I still stem now and again but I notice I do it when I'm on a steep, hesitating the turn and in my head.

 

[Ross McGuinness]

There are threads and threads on that

I guessed there would be plenty more about it somewhere

 

[oldschoolskier]

We got out once this year, university for him, swim meets for my kids. Spent 1/2 day on each loves both. You can see the improvement each time out as he does work on it even though it can be a long time between outings. Given some of the time some skiers are out there he could be a great skier.

It is not about quantity but it is about quality!