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François Pugh

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If you ski fast, there will be occasions when you need to brake hard, and turning uphill won't cut it. Everybody should be able to do a hockey stop; it's very useful for ditching speed as well as for stopping.

1. Unweight
2. Pivot to a steering angle, if steering angle is 90 degrees, skip step 3
3. Dig in the front edges of the skis, mostly (new) outside ski, until skis turn perpendicular to direction of travel
4. Dig in your edges and tip for maximum stopping effect.
 
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SBrown

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Thanks, she finally came to a stop.

Sidenote ... NEWBIE. Was looking for instructions on that side of the lexicon and not "progressive edge angles" (I don't even know what that means). Tip and twist are good.
 
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CalG

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If you ski fast, there will be occasions when you need to brake hard, and turning uphill won't cut it. Everybody should be able to do a hockey stop; it's very useful for ditching speed as well as for stopping.

1. Unweight
2. Pivot to a steering angle, if steering angle is 90 degrees, skip step 3
3. Dig in the front edges of the skis, mostly (new) outside ski, until skis turn perpendicular to direction of travel
4. Dig in your edges and tip for maximum stopping effect.


I'm wondering that the student may need help with the mechanism motion and intent of the terms

Unweight
Pivot
Dig
and Dig again...

Perhaps we presume too much.

By the way, I have no trouble with high energy hockey stops right or left, but just WHAT do you mean by "dig"?
Are you saying to weight those edges? Hard to do if one is caught in the unweighted phase.
 

CalG

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Thanks, she finally came to a stop.

Sidenote ... NEWBIE. Was looking for instructions on that side of the lexicon and not "progressive edge angles" (I don't even know what that means). Tip and twist is good.

Tip then twist is NOT a useful description of a hockey stop. The order is reversed.
 

pete

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Why?

Hockey stop is a violent activity that really has nothing to do with skiing. Teach them to turn to a stop.

True but doesn't hurt to have it in a bag of tricks. Seems to be super fun for kids to learn in ski school, seen lots of fun abuse of spraying the instructor and then their parents!

Too, doesn't it teach the tipping point of a hard skid and where one just stops ... ; )
 

François Pugh

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I'm wondering that the student may need help with the mechanism motion and intent of the terms

Unweight
Pivot
Dig
and Dig again...

Perhaps we presume too much.

By the way, I have no trouble with high energy hockey stops right or left, but just WHAT do you mean by "dig"?
Are you saying to weight those edges? Hard to do if one is caught in the unweighted phase.
Oh, for sure the instructor has to get it across to the student; the post was directed at instructor. Dig means dig those edges into the snow, when the skier comes back down from up-unweighting. (could be done with down unweighting, but I suggest use up unweighting to introduce the concept)
 

Kneale Brownson

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A ski racer shouldn’t need to be taught a hockey stop. The OP was regarding a beginner.
 

Old boot

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Thanks, she finally came to a stop.

Sidenote ... NEWBIE. Was looking for instructions on that side of the lexicon and not "progressive edge angles" (I don't even know what that means). Tip and twist are good.
Holy cow!!! it took her a full day to stop??? she real slow or the run real long?
 

Pete in Idaho

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Back in 1970 I was playing hockey, stopped suddenly to deflect a shot at goal, got hit from the blindside by a big defenseman and high sticked simultaneously. Did a full body slam on the ice and the blow was so severe I had to quit hockey forever. So I took up skiing. Joined a ski website AND

Some person brought up Hockey Stops for beginner skiers. Now just what the hell does hockey have to do with sliding around on the snow with two aluminum sticks, one in each hand.
 

princo

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you cant really just learn to hockey stop.....
Agreed. If someones "learns" to do do an hockey stop by throwing their skis across the fall line and leaning against the mountain, which beginners that haven't learned to commit to the downhill foot will inevitably do, it will be quickly ingrained in their brain as their defensive move and once it becomes a habit, it will be a very hard one to break.
 

oldschoolskier

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IMHO the hockey stop is a bad carve.

Do everything you would be yelled at to not do a correct carve. Improper weight balance, turning shoulder in, push skis around with butt, not engaging edges, etc.

Most skiers will discover this try to carve.
 

CalG

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Back in 1970 I was playing hockey, stopped suddenly to deflect a shot at goal, got hit from the blindside by a big defenseman and high sticked simultaneously. Did a full body slam on the ice and the blow was so severe I had to quit hockey forever. So I took up skiing. Joined a ski website AND

Some person brought up Hockey Stops for beginner skiers. Now just what the hell does hockey have to do with sliding around on the snow with two aluminum sticks, one in each hand.

Skating on ice (with the athleticism of ice hockey) is SOOOOO similar to snow skiing,as can hardly be imagined. Though it appears that non skaters lack the appreciation...

The true benefit is in two footed accomplishment. Picking up a ski that gets hung up in a rut is automatic. Inside ski dominance, outside ski dominance, ..... child's play!

High edge angles? What the hell are you talking about, that's how you turn! Booting out is a problem on "aluminum sticks", but not on hockey skates.

Oh!, and "hockey stops"? Will that be on the inside foot ? the outside foot? Or both? It doesn't matter a bit to me.
 

James

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I skated once at Rockefeller Center. The rental skates were so dull that I could slide sideways standing up. Pretty much make a flat turn. Like on skis. That was entertaining. The ice quickly became more like asphalt in it's surface quality. I believe if you fell you would not slide.
 

ThomasH

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Asking for a friend

Like pivot slips, hockey stops involve separation of upper body and lower body- i.e. upper body & hands turn down the hill, and skis react by turning across the hill. I don't start students out by going straight and then unweighting while turning their feet hard- that's too much at first. I teach it gradually. We start out by skiing at an angle down and across the hill, while gradually turning the upper body and hands down the hill. A countering movement should result. Next, we ski at a bit steeper angle doing the same thing. Then an even steeper angle. Eventually our skis are pointed straight "down" (though it's gentle terrain) and then we add the countering movement. Hand position is really important- make sure both hands are reaching downhill thus forcing the upper body to face that way.
It's like the way we ski steep moguls- upper body faces downhill. I realize the new mantra is to "ski into and out of countering"- but I learned back in the day when countering was done intentionally. I find that it's still a valuable skill for certain aspects of skiing.....like hockey stops.
I hope that helps....
 

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