Ski Drills to start the day

[karlo]

1000 steps

Thank you @Plai for starting this thread. I've never been one to do drills at start of season or beginning of day. But, with a hip injury that I have, I've come to realize I need stretches, which I've been doing, and thinking I need to be just as diligent doing some warm-up drills. The above rotary drills I think are just the ticket for the injury I have. Pre-injury, if there was ever one drill I would do if I did any drills, it's the 1000 steps. My focus in doing that one is nimbleness.

 

[Bolder]

Hockey stops, pivot slips, then low speed rr track turns, just riding the edges. I also strongly urge stretching, especially for us older folks...

 

[AmyPJ]

Grizzly (Bear trap)!!!

Yeah, I always start my warm-ups on Grizz!

 

[jimtransition]

At the start of the season in Chile this year I would do 50 hop turns to start the day, good for separation, warming up, and to get the legs in shape! Other than that, no poles Javelin turns are always a good one to get cued into balancing in the right place.

 

[4ster]

Grizzly (Bear trap)!!!

My preferred 1st run, even on a powder day but that only happens if I'm on first chair & patrol hasn't skied it already.

At the start of the season in Chile this year I would do 50 hop turns to start the day, good for separation, warming up, and to get the legs in shape! Other than that, no poles Javelin turns are always a good one to get cued into balancing in the right place.

Ha! When I began teaching I would skate & hike up the beginner run every morning before line up & do hop turns all the way down. Once I hit my 40's it was limited to the carpet area.
Now I will only do about 4

 

[Josh Matta]

lol hop turns on flat terrain......

talk about something I hate doing....

to anyone trying to leearn hop turns, find some soft groomed snow on a steepish blue.

 

[markojp]

High speed falling leaf. Gets things loose/lose*, flowy, separated, and jiggy.

*just covering my bases.

 

[ZionPow]

My preferred 1st run, even on a powder day but that only happens if I'm on first chair & patrol hasn't skied it already.

Grizz is my preferred warm up run when I am on JP. And I would never ever center punch it on a powder day during my morning work run!

 

[Plai]

High speed falling leaf

@markojp care to quantify "high speed"? Comfort level, upper edge of comfort level, an actual number (mph/kph)? Just trying to understand your words.... [FWIW's I'm keeping up with my kids skidded turns on blues (8-12 mph). Can you tell I like falling leaf?!? :-]

 

[Wilhelmson]

As frequently as possible I like to drop into a nice field of powder.

 

[AmyPJ]

Grizz is my preferred warm up run when I am on JP. And I would never ever center punch it on a powder day during my morning work run!

Yeah, ok, whatever! Somebody's got to do it, right?

 

[graham418]

Usually start off with some braquage, or variation of it. Flat ski, lots of pivoting, turning with no edge, that sort of thing. Gradually add edge as you warm up.

 

[tball]

Forget warming up. Ya gotta practice like you play!

If you're gonna get some on a big day ya gotta get after it while the getting's good!

@Jack skis CB mention reminded me of this day where my first turns of the day were on the Headwall, the first shot in this video:


There wouldn't be anything left if I took a warmup run or did drills. That's why I don't any other day. Get right to it!

 

[Plai]

How did asking "What ski drills to start the day", become "you must start the day with ski drills"?!? There's no prescription meant here. We're just spit balling ideas. Wow...

Maybe the old saying, "There's no friends on a powder day", could have a corollary, "There are no drills on a powder day".

 

[tball]

How did asking "What ski drills to start the day", become "you must start the day with ski drills"?!? There's no prescription meant here. We're just spit balling ideas. Wow...

Guess it's a pet peeve of mine. Seen it too many times, so offering some advice.

So many skiers make a habit of starting each day with a warm up run, many with drills. Then on a powder day, they have trained themselves that they need that warm up before they hit the powder (probably more psychologically than physically). One run on a groomer and they've missed all the fresh tracks. Just saying, practice like you want to play in the big game!

 

[Josh Matta]

Guess it's a pet peeve of mine. Seen it too many times, so offering some advice.

So many skiers make a habit of starting each day with a warm up run, many with drills. Then on a powder day, they have trained themselves that they need that warm up before they hit the powder (probably more psychologically than physically). One run on a groomer and they've missed all the fresh tracks. Just saying, practice like you want to play in the big game!

ummm dont ski with those people I guess???

In certain types of snow (light dry where you hit the had bottom) my feet will basically never feel right without a nice soft warm up run, but in dense chowder I can go right away. Beside on a pow day I ski pow all day anyways........

 

[karlo]

High speed falling leaf. Gets things loose/lose*, flowy, separated, and jiggy.

*just covering my bases.

I'm also curious. What's a "high speed" falling leaf?

 

[sky_chicken]

Thanks for this thread. I’ve been considering posting one along the lines of what drills should I master (plus or minus) this season while skiing on my local trash hill in between trips. Lots of good fodder here.

 

[tball]

ummm dont ski with those people I guess???

No doubt! Just wish they would quit whining about not getting any pow.

Seriously, lots of folks start their day in bumps or steeps. Doing so prepares you to hit the powder first run. You can go easy at first if you need to. For many of us, powder turns are too rare.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

I usually start out the day with hockey stops, pivot slips and falling leaf. Depending on how I'm feeling I'll work in a little backwards skiing or on ground 360.