Nice turns on firm snow, and steep

[Rod9301]

 

[LiquidFeet]

Thanks for that.

 

[Mike King]

What do you notice as the difference in the first turns and those that are later, when it is a bit less steep?

Mike

 

[geepers]

Don't know about others but I noticed that I'd started breathing again. Reviting vid.

 

[James]

What do you notice as the difference in the first turns and those that are later, when it is a bit less steep?

Mike

They slide down quite a ways on each "turn". Snow was hard presumably.
Looks like this is the face at a distance:

Appears it's quite close to the city of Martigny, Switzerland.

Here's a guy at Martigny station going skiing. That train on the right heads to Le Chable where you get the gondola up to Verbier.

 

[Rod9301]

What do you notice as the difference in the first turns and those that are later, when it is a bit less steep?

Mike

In the first 15 seconds and then 1 50 to 2 10 it's step and firm so they both finish with a soft edge and slide vertically.

In between, there is a double angle area where they have unequal turns, one uphill, i think to the right , and one where they turn a lot, i think to the left.

The other thing i notice when it's steep that one of them, at least, had his skis quite far apart. Which is an error, leads to weighing the uphill ski when you want 100 percent on the downhill ski.
Understandably though, because it's steep and intimidating

 

[tch]

Completely admire the guts and commitment this took. And the skill. Beyond my comprehension.

But...to me, for me... this is not "skiing". This is sliding downhill (down CLIFF?) with skis on your feet, alternating sides.
I don't get it.

 

[oldschoolskier]

I’m glad I’m old enough not to try that (maybe).

 

[James]

Completely admire the guts and commitment this took. And the skill. Beyond my comprehension.

But...to me, for me... this is not "skiing". This is sliding downhill (down CLIFF?) with skis on your feet, alternating sides.
I don't get it.

It's descending on skis. Ski mountaineering. They don't get dropped off by helicopter.
They get to go up and down there:

That's it.

 

[4ster]

Old School

 

[TDK]

The skis are probably not tuned with very sharp edges. I don't know for sure but would not think so. Some sort of wider twin tip skis? On hard surface like that they will slide quite a lot. And you want to do that as well. That way you make quicker progress down the hill with less turns. Also, many times you see skiers claim that jumping up in the air to turn is wrong or bad technique. Well good lock keeping your skis on the snow in conditions like that. Its totally imperative to jump and turn. It adds control. Less risk for the skis to catch an edge or bump over something and throw you off balance.

 

[Josh Matta]

I love the critiques of this guys skiing, when I am pretty sure that no one in this thread except for probably @4ster would ever find their way to top or survive coming down that face....

 

[tch]

Josh, just to clarify... I NEVER critiqued the skiing here. Nor the skills needed to ascend and the guts to descend. I just said that this seems like a different activity to me than "skiing". Perhaps James has it right; it's "ski mountaineering".

For me, skiing involves fluidity, grace, elegance, float, etc. I'm not trashing ski mountaineering; I just don't want to do it.

 

[James]

The skis are probably not tuned with very sharp edges. I don't know for sure but would not think so. Some sort of wider twin tip skis? On hard surface like that they will slide quite a lot. And you want to do that as well. That way you make quicker progress down the hill with less turns. Also, many times you see skiers claim that jumping up in the air to turn is wrong or bad technique. Well good lock keeping your skis on the snow in conditions like that. Its totally imperative to jump and turn. It adds control. Less risk for the skis to catch an edge or bump over something and throw you off balance.

Not that I've skied with tons of guides, but I've never seen one with twin tip skis. For one it makes it too hard or impossible to jam your tails in snow when you have to do attend to something else without skis on.

 

[Mike King]

What I was noticing in the first turns was a fair amount of upper body rotation. In the later turns, there is much less, and more leg rotation.

I'm not suggesting that upper body rotation is not a useful technique in certain circumstances. Just was noticing it.

Mike

 

[chilehed]

 

[JESinstr]

Notwithstanding the superior athleticism and the incredible terrain he is conquering, I see little difference between the straight line bracing movements he is using in most of his redirections and the bracing used by many intermediates I see daily. The difference is that he has a knowledgeable understanding why he has to do what he is doing and the intermediates are sadly stuck in movement patterns developed by fear.

 

[LiquidFeet]

@JESinstr, your intermediates can rotate their skis around as he does at the start of that run, that fast, and not inadvertantly travel left-right?
Really?

I see no bracing in that video.
Here's some typical intermediate bracing. Outside leg is long and braced against the snow, with skier's body leaning in, putting significant weight on the inside ski. Outside ski washes outward.

 

[Rod9301]

Agree

 

[JESinstr]

@JESinstr, your intermediates can rotate their skis around as he does at the start of that run, that fast, and not inadvertantly travel left-right?
Really?

I see no bracing in that video.
Here's some typical intermediate bracing. Outside leg is long and braced against the snow, with skier's body leaning in, putting significant weight on the inside ski. Outside ski washes outward.

You mean like this?

My simple point is that much of skiing is the control of direction and speed. There are a number of movement patterns that can to get the ski redirected. I think most here agree redirection needs to start with the foot. As far as speed control goes, you have only 2 choices. Brace against the prevailing straight line force or convert it into circular travel.

What the skier is doing is almost superhuman IMO but it doesn't change the fact that in terms of controlling his speed, he has only two options and those chutes he is navigating doesn't give him much of a choice in many instances.