Please help me learn from the video

[Smear]

My problem with any carving exercises is this. On soft snow I can carve long turns and do "floating" short turns no problem. Put me on hard pack and all I get is skis refusing to hold an edge. The edges may bite a little in the upper part of the arc, then lower under any pressure will either slide out entirely or start to skip-slide and possibly eject.

I think I know exactly what type of turn and what feeling I am after, I just can't get it on hard pack.

Your skis are crap for that purpose.
You put in too much time to try and make an uphill ski and binding (?) work on groomers. Might as well use straight skis.

It's the height of irony that people are specific about what skis examiners want to see but overlook that aspect here.

Have to agree with @James here. Put a fresh tune on your CS70 classics and use the alpine sole on your boots. Seems like a fine ski for that purpose. The movements you need to ski the CS70 well on hard snow is closer to what you will need to ski well with wide skis in soft snow, than it is to ski on touring skis on hard pack.

Would also check whether a stronger alignment will provide more grip and less A-frame without any bad side effects. If you find that it helps it will probably be hard to find a permanent solution for that boot, but having a left and right ski is not the end of the world...

 

[Mike King]

I agree that the skis are not helping, but your movement patterns are part of the problem. You can get away with your movement patterns in soft snow because it doesn’t require you to establish edge to bend the ski — the snow itself being deformed by the forces of the turn bends. On hard snow, you’ve got to establish the platform that can accept the pressure first by tipping the ski, and your mechanics of incline the upper body and pushing the ski to an edge are late and move the maximum pressure to the bottom of the turn. The ski is already going sideways so of course it’s going to slip.

Mike

 

[Doby Man]

I think Mike is correct as well as that he could be even more correct. For the video MA the OP seeks, all we have to work with are the skier's movements. I don't believe that is it very feasible to address boot alignment and equipment concerns from a video posted for MA in this way. Furthermore, it is called a "movement analysis", not a "boot alignment analysis" or "equipment choice analysis" for a number of reasons, one being that neither of the later two require any video in the first place.

 

[James]

Well the goal is for the op to get better.
He can't set an edge. His skis are terrible for that. If he was trying to do slalom on a 35m gs ski surely we would comment. Otherwise, I agree.

 

[geepers]

Well the goal is for the op to get better.
He can't set an edge. His skis are terrible for that. If he was trying to do slalom on a 35m gs ski surely we would comment. Otherwise, I agree.

I think the OP would have much more luck setting an edge with different motor patterns. If the ski is being overloaded then utilise more moderate terrain.

 

[James]

I think the OP would have much more luck setting an edge with different motor patterns. If the ski is being overloaded then utilise more moderate terrain.

Well then, doth it matter not what skis thy procure to taketh the exam of the third level?

 

[geepers]

Well then, doth it matter not what skis thy procure to taketh the exam of the third level?

'They' dictate the terrain.


No doubt the OP will need to get appropriate equipment at some point. In the meantime OP and I can work our respective motor pattern issues.

 

[markojp]

Josh gave the best initial advice on the first page. Get the alignment sorted. Until then, everything is about higher levels of compensation, not improvement.

 

[geepers]

Josh gave the best initial advice on the first page. Get the alignment sorted. Until then, everything is about higher levels of compensation, not improvement.

There's huge gaps in my skiing data set and anything to do with boot fit is like the hole in the donut of knowledge.

What exactly are you seeing in the vid that says boot alignment is so high up the list of priorities?

Please note I'm not arguing - genuinely asking so I can fill in bits of the missing info.

 

[Josh Matta]

There's huge gaps in my skiing data set and anything to do with boot fit is like the hole in the donut of knowledge.

What exactly are you seeing in the vid that says boot alignment is so high up the list of priorities?

Please note I'm not arguing - genuinely asking so I can fill in bits of the missing info.

Ill be entirely honestly I dont fully understand alignment, I am truly not sure if anyone really does and this one things that lurking on PMTS forums can help you understand what is going. From my personal experience its can be insurmountable to people's progress. A frames can be caused by lacks of certain skills for sure but the only time I ever see a fixable by skills a Frame is when someone's pelvis is tilted forward, and isnt the tail tucked position that works really well. the OP as straight ankles(again mostly like Alignment) and is a framed, and his pelvis is tilted back already(good). There is no way the op can make his outside knee not fall into the turn like it is already via a movement and edging less isnt always an option. Basically when your A frame it can be VERY hard to balance on the arch of your outside ski, and that typically causes people to rotates their upper body on firmer snow to get any sort of turn to happen.

If the OP was my lesson, IMO the first thing he should do is get of the low tech binding for resort use, and then I can start to play around with shims and cants going off my eye so I can differentiate between whats his movement, whats his alignment, and how much his movements are based on his currently IMO poor alignment. I feel a ton of the pushing/upper body rotation, and rushing is caused by the alignment, the real issue is he has learned to ski this way and is already good at it, so even with proper alignment now he still do what he is good at even though its would be more possible to ski other better ways.

 

[asolo]

I spent a couple of days at Steamboat grinding the groomers. Took a little while to adjust to heavy SL skis, but I like it. I have switched to flexed release (instead of extending up), this helped some. It is also a lot easier to hold edges. I have a video somewhere if interested. Thanks all, it was super helpful!

 

[asolo]

I spent a couple of days at Steamboat grinding the groomers. Took a little while to adjust to heavy SL skis, but I like it. I have switched to flexed release (instead of extending up), this helped some. It is also a lot easier to hold edges. I have a video somewhere if interested. Thanks all, it was super helpful!

Some short turns. Still not all problems addressed, but more of a flex release (no extension), less skid, watching the inner foot/edge for edging, etc. This is Steamboat, so the snow is easy. The old slalom skis with alpine binding are super forgiving. It took a little adjustment, but I like it. There are less fatigue (I did 89 miles worth of blue-black groomers in two days according to Strava).


Some longer turns on an easy blue:


P.S. Speaking of alignment (canting). My boots are a bit tight, keeping foot horizontal has been a bit difficult. I noticed that when boot liners later in the day get wet and compress, the foot position gets better and it is easier to control skis and keep foot flat. Seeing a bootfitter today.

 

[Josh Matta]

the alignment looks a fair bit better on the alpine gear.

You are still pushing the ski into the snow instead of just balancing on them, balance on the outside ski dont push on it.

One way to fix this is slow down, go to flat green and just tip the skis and patiently wait for them to turn.

 

[Mike King]

@asolo, as @Josh Matta says above, you are still pushing the ski around. I really think that the progression I gave above (https://www.pugski.com/threads/please-help-me-learn-from-the-video.13911/page-2#post-321670) can help you learn to move with and tip the skis.

One thing I notice in these videos is that you are slightly too flexed in the knee. Might you try bringing your butt up about 2 inches?

Mike

 

[Smear]

One thing I notice in these videos is that you are slightly too flexed in the knee. Might you try bringing your butt up about 2 inches?

I'm not a boot fitter or instructor but to me it seems like you try to get forward by bending at the waist, but your ankle stays pretty upright. Could be a movement thing or a boot setup (including binding delta) that is not helping. If your AT-boots have adjustable forward lean I would try the more forward position. Or perhaps staying a bit taller like Mike suggest is enough?



So not like Henrik or Marcel but more like exhibit nr A in the @Bob Barnes graphic.

 

[Josh Matta]

my guess is the alpine set up is more upright and it making him back seat, as well as helping his A frame.

 

[Smear]

my guess is the alpine set up is more upright and it making him back seat, as well as helping his A frame.

It's the same boot in different binding? Most tech bindings have crazy amount of delta in terms of pin height differential, so these combi-boot must face some interesting challenges. But how did that help his A-frame?

 

[Josh Matta]

no the second set up has nothing in common with the first. The more over all upright a boot/binding is the pelvis will be tilted back and it will make the skiers alignment move outwards.

 

[asolo]

the alignment looks a fair bit better on the alpine gear.

You are still pushing the ski into the snow instead of just balancing on them, balance on the outside ski dont push on it.

One way to fix this is slow down, go to flat green and just tip the skis and patiently wait for them to turn.

Pushing on ski: I hear you, I need to reflect on this a bit.

Tipping: every time I ended up on flattish runs I'd run railroad tracks, or one ski or skating from outer edge to inner.

Thanks, all for the new set of tips.

***

I mentioned, these skis are Rossi CS70 classics. I think they are close to 2500 grams a ski. This is no problem most of the time, except in jump turns they actually get a lot of rotational momentum and slow to spin around. Are modern skis of same type lighter? Is it worth to test the bindings release at a shop? What are good ways to get a set of used GS skis on the cheap?

 

[asolo]

It's the same boot in different binding? Most tech bindings have crazy amount of delta in terms of pin height differential, so these combi-boot must face some interesting challenges. But how did that help his A-frame?

Speaking of alignment. I did stop by a fitter shop, supposedly best in the area (making an appointment a week ahead, no less). I suspect I have a bit of an "X" with my legs, partially due to boot being too narrow and the foot twisted in in the horizontal plane. My mentioning alignment/canting, the fitter dude just waved me off.

I think I may need a millimeter of extra width in the forefoot, since I can't place the foot flat until the liner gets wet and compresses at the end of day. They said they'd punch the boot, come back in two days. Not sure how punching the boot w/o me around or even measuring the foot is going to work, I thought that was iterative process that requires at least some input as to where more space is needed. I guess we will see, but I do not have very high hopes.

Point being, if a boot fitter that has time to spend doing individual alignment and custom work exists, they are not in my area