• For more information on how to avoid pop-up ads and still support SkiTalk click HERE.

vindibona1

Getting on the lift
Instructor
Joined
Jan 22, 2020
Posts
174
Location
Northern Illinoi
I've been self-sequestered now officially for 2 months and while surfing YouTube came across this video of Reilly McGlashan. It's short, less than 2 minutes. The full discussion will probably have to wait until next year, (but my memory of this video won't last until next week :-0 ), but I wanted folks to see the timing and pressure that Reilly executes with his inside ski. It seems to make a case for those who advocate getting right on the outside ski and call into question those who advocate teaching matching the inside ski after committing to the outside ski (Christies). Just saying.

 

David Chaus

Beyond Help
Skier
Team Gathermeister
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
5,529
Location
Stanwood, WA
As I watch the video, I’m seeing the inside ski edge engagement simultaneously with the outside ski. The spray of snow seems to be 70/30 outside ski/inside ski, maybe 75/25. Regardless, he is not just getting on the outside ski, he is very actively using the inside ski as well. His stance width is very natural, not forced wide, which allows quick transition of weight from ski to ski. Actually he doesn’t shift his weight from ski to ski, so much as he allows his feet to move underneath him.

Not sure how this makes a case for anything other than use both skis, cleanly and efficiently, with a relatively quiet and stable upper body.
 
Thread Starter
TS
vindibona1

vindibona1

Getting on the lift
Instructor
Joined
Jan 22, 2020
Posts
174
Location
Northern Illinoi
There are advantages and disadvantages to ski one style only. While it is neat to see and master, don’t let one form drive you, learn it all, inside, outside and in between. You’ll be a better skier for it.

Of course versatility is a good thing. One of the reasons I wanted to post this is because there is often too much focus on the outside ski. And while the outside ski will naturally carry most of the pressure, the transfer of pressure to it is more passive than most folks think. It happens naturally. The problem is that when you try to force the pressure to the outside it often screws up most everything else as it tends to pull things out of sequence if done incorrectly.

As I watch the video, I’m seeing the inside ski edge engagement simultaneously with the outside ski. The spray of snow seems to be 70/30 outside ski/inside ski, maybe 75/25. Regardless, he is not just getting on the outside ski, he is very actively using the inside ski as well. His stance width is very natural, not forced wide, which allows quick transition of weight from ski to ski. Actually he doesn’t shift his weight from ski to ski, so much as he allows his feet to move underneath him.

Not sure how this makes a case for anything other than use both ski
s, cleanly and efficiently, with a relatively quiet and stable upper body.

Your observations are correct David. As far as "shifting weight", that's really a misnomer. You don't really "shift weight". Allowing the body's mass to move where momentum and centrifugal/centripetal force takes it allows pressure and platform to develop if the body is positioned correctly. Then pressure it distributed between the two skis with flexion and extension, again- not weight shift. With correct movement and sequence the pressure will want to go mostly to the outside ski. It will often take extension of the inside ski to keep it on the snow. The other thing is that the inside ski, being active, creates forces that travel up the inside leg, across the pelvic girdle and down the outside ski.

Be careful not to confuse pressure and weight.

Yes. In fact in my lessons I never talk about weight and infrequently use the word "pressure" unless trying to describe what a student should be trying to NOTICE pressure (not create it). I find that teaching BODY POSITION, particularly within a turn shape which will automatically generate pressure. Upper levels are similar where more focus is on correctly timed extension and flexion. It perplexes me while more instructors don't emphasize turn shape as it is the key in developing pressure and managing the sequence of movements. It seems entirely backwards and counter-productive to talk about mechanics in absence of the goal of a defined turn shape at all levels.
 

Scruffy

Making fresh tracks
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 16, 2015
Posts
2,429
Location
Upstate NY
Nice soft snow for two footed skiing.
 

Tricia

The Velvet Hammer
Admin
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 1, 2015
Posts
27,298
Location
Reno
When I was in a clinic about 8 years ago an instructor told me that, when you're in the turn you pressure the ski 1 boot sole length to complete the turn.
 
Last edited:

LiquidFeet

instructor
Instructor
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
6,697
Location
New England
When I was in a clinic about 8 years ago an instructor told me that, when you're in the turn you pressure the ski 1 boot sole length to complete the turn.
What does this mean? This is a serious question.
I know what completing a turn means, in opposition to not completing a turn.
I use "pressure" as a noun when talking about skiing, not a verb.

Did your instructor mean to momentarily press outward on the outside ski by extending the outside leg a bit more at the very end of the turn? ...or drop the body inside the turn momentarily, in order to increase edge angles along with pressure, at the very end of the turn, for a "check"?
 
Last edited:

Tricia

The Velvet Hammer
Admin
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 1, 2015
Posts
27,298
Location
Reno
What does this mean? This is a serious question.
I know what completing a turn means, in opposition to not completing a turn.
I use "pressure" as a noun when talking about skiing, not a verb.

Did your instructor mean to momentarily press outward on the outside ski by extending the outside leg a bit more at the very end of the turn? ...or drop the body inside the turn momentarily, in order to increase edge angles along with pressure, at the very end of the turn, for a "check"?
Yes it's a serious answer as it relates to timing.
I'm not sure what you mean by outward. I feel like I pressure the tongue of my boot to activate my ski. Moving into the turn its a little more like ten o'clock or two o'clock, with more pressure on the outside ski. The pressure begins to be more even as it moves to 12 o'clock in the middle of the turn (one boot sole length) as my inside leg is transitioning to be my new outside leg.
I should have said that in my original comment.

This past winter I was working more on having a bit more active inside ski just at the point its about to become my outside ski. That's sort of tricky in that it can make me rush my turn, so the work was on doing that without rushing my turn.

*I probably should have stayed out of this conversation because, even though I can have a face to face discussion about this sort of thing, I never feel like I can put in in print very well.
 
Last edited:

karlo

Out on the slopes
Inactive
Joined
May 11, 2017
Posts
2,708
Location
NJ
I think it’s helpful to think of it in terms of where one is coming from when starting a turn, and that is from transition, when both ski are equally weighted. And “weighted“ is appropriate, though this is the point of maximum “weightlessness”, as in standing on there low grav lunar surface. To transition from there to only the outside ski, that’s kind of jarring. You’d be falling over until you had enough (centripetal?) force to hold you up. Now today doesn’t it isn’t fun and appropriate to do it off you’re going fast enough, as any extreme carver would attest to. But strap on the lifter plates.
 

David Chaus

Beyond Help
Skier
Team Gathermeister
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
5,529
Location
Stanwood, WA
This past winter I was working more on having a bit more active inside ski just at the point its about to become my outside ski. That's sort of tricky in that it can make me rush my turn, so the work was on doing that without rushing my turn.

This last winter, the best drill I was shown is to get your weight 60/40 on one leg, better yet 70/30, and remain weighted on that leg for both left and right turns for an entire run. The next run, switch to being more weighted on the other leg for an entire run. Go back and forth for a few more runs. That taught me a lot about how active to make the inside leg, and how to keep it from sneaking forward (too much tip lead). I got much better at having both feet (and both skis) working together, and in overall in a better stance.
 

Bad Bob

I golf worse than I ski.
Skier
Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Posts
5,843
Location
West of CDA South of Canada
If you can ski like Rielly do it anyway you want.

I'm seeing him transfer pressure in several different places in different turns. The guy is water, when resistance occurs he he flows with it. When the resistance reduces to the level he desires he transitions to the new turn. That little airborne transition he does in the middle of the video is a great example. On the bottom of his turns the dominant outside ski pressure is there, but you see his new inside ski depressurize and go off the snow in a many of his transitions.
His continual turning is the takeaway I get from his skiing. Love his skiing.
 

karlo

Out on the slopes
Inactive
Joined
May 11, 2017
Posts
2,708
Location
NJ
Now today doesn’t it isn’t fun and appropriate to do it off you’re going fast enough, as any extreme carver would attest to. But strap on the lifter plates.

This sentence needs some work before I'm going to understand it.
:) I came back to this thread and saw, even before reading your that it needed work.

Regarding the appropriateness of an engaged inside ski at beginning of turn, I meant to say...

Not that it isn’t fun and appropriate to do it (getting heavily onto outside ski early and not engaging the inside ski as much) if you’re going fast enough (that forces will keep you from falling over), as any extreme carver would attest to. But, strap on the lifter plates.
 

karlo

Out on the slopes
Inactive
Joined
May 11, 2017
Posts
2,708
Location
NJ
Anyway, re the question of how much pressure and timing, in my personal skiing, it would depend on what type of turn and terrain. Setting aside the extreme cases of hop turns in steeps and wedge christies in shallows, and just focusing on standard parallel turns, the timing and pressure will be affected by things like my choice of transition. Am I getting onto my old inside ski and it’s little toe edge at end of previous turn? Am I choosing a neutral transition with very equal pressure/weight on the flats of both skis? It’s also affected by the gear and the size turn I want. Am I trying to get a carved short turn from a softer ski, or the same short turn from a stiffer ski? There’s no one answer. So then, what’s the criteria for what is appropriate? Perhaps the answer is how much rotational input one wants. If only on the outer ski, I don’t think we can impart much rotational force. If, pressuring the inside ski a lot, as in a wedge christies, we can impart quite a lot of rotational input. Put another way, if all we want is park and ride, no problem getting onto the outside ski exclusively and early. But, if we want to be nimble and fluid throughout the turn, we need to use the inside ski
 

Jjmd

Putting on skis
Skier
Joined
Dec 22, 2016
Posts
90
I believe elite skiing is much more two footed than the 90/10 ,80/20 ,70/30 ratios most people put forth. Watch any WC slalom race and look for some two footed skiing. I don’t know why people are so locked into the mantra of outside ski dominance at all times. Von Grunigan (sp) was winning WC giant slaloms in early 90’s by an unheard of ,at the time ,margins of 1.5 to 2 sec, initiating with his inside ski. Thus the name Von Grunigan turns. Great skiing incorporates both inside and outside ski dominance, and a blend between the two. Inside leg management and pressure is crucial to balanced effective skiing.
 

Rod9301

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Jan 11, 2016
Posts
2,443
I believe elite skiing is much more two footed than the 90/10 ,80/20 ,70/30 ratios most people put forth. Watch any WC slalom race and look for some two footed skiing. I don’t know why people are so locked into the mantra of outside ski dominance at all times. Von Grunigan (sp) was winning WC giant slaloms in early 90’s by an unheard of ,at the time ,margins of 1.5 to 2 sec, initiating with his inside ski. Thus the name Von Grunigan turns. Great skiing incorporates both inside and outside ski dominance, and a blend between the two. Inside leg management and pressure is crucial to balanced effective skiing.
Yeah, he was initiating on the inside ski, as you should too, but then he was 100 percent in the outside ski.
 

Bad Bob

I golf worse than I ski.
Skier
Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Posts
5,843
Location
West of CDA South of Canada
Went looking of one of his videos of bump skiing didn't find it in a quick search; BUT found this little jewel. Watching his inside ski very interesting how often it goes weightless at initiation of a turn, not for long but there is light under there. If someone does have him skiing bumps, please share it.

 

Andy Mink

Everyone loves spring skiing but not in January
Moderator
SkiTalk Tester
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
12,912
Location
Reno
I'm no Reilly, don't claim to be, and probably will never get there but I learned something about the inside ski a few years back. I was just getting back into skiing and very much skiing "old school" with most of my turns initiating, turning, and ending on my outside ski. @Philpug mentioned this to me so I worked on using the inside ski more. It now feels weird to not use it. One side effect for me is the ability to recover when that outside ski slides out or otherwise gets wonky. Several close calls would have been crashes before I learned this. Having 30-50% on that inside ski makes the transition to 100% a lot quicker than starting from 0-20%.
 

geepers

Skiing the powder
Skier
Joined
May 12, 2018
Posts
4,256
Location
Wanaka, New Zealand
Went looking of one of his videos of bump skiing didn't find it in a quick search; BUT found this little jewel. Watching his inside ski very interesting how often it goes weightless at initiation of a turn, not for long but there is light under there. If someone does have him skiing bumps, please share it.


There's plenty of bump skiing on his youtube channel from earlier years. He hasn't made any recently as he had hip problems and needed an operation - he wrote on FB that he had cam lesions that were disrupting cartilage and labrum. Which sounds very unpleasant.

Hopefully he'll be back making bump vids soon enough. The skiing in his vids is outrageously good, especially in the bumps.
 

Sponsor

Staff online

Top