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Ski Tuck

geepers

Skiing the powder
Skier
Joined
May 12, 2018
Posts
4,256
Location
Wanaka, New Zealand
Curious... Where did the tuck position where a skier holds their arms along their torso, and poles behind them, come from? Is it based in any objective data that it is more efficient? Or a fashion statement? Or a point of compensation for those with poor thoracic flexibility?

Know the tuck you mean. Use it all the time on my regular Canada mountain which is the 1st place I saw it back in 2006 - there's some long, flat commutes.

Subjective opinion is less drag than hanging arms, more drag than a full race tuck. Then again it's far easier on the legs than being in a full tuck which helps a heap into the 2nd minute of tucking, it keeps the hands warmer and the poles held out the back add some rotational inertia for stability.
 

Bad Bob

I golf worse than I ski.
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Dec 2, 2015
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5,843
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West of CDA South of Canada
Do kind of a modified carve skate thing across the flats or down a road. Get on the inside edges and push on one ski then the other, all done in the legs and you don't see much motion without looking closely. Somebody will blow by at the top of a road with their hands behind them being cool. I will just stand there doing my little pump skate and pass them as they slow down. A very perverse small joy.
 

cantunamunch

Meh
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Nov 17, 2015
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21,907
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Behavioral sink
. I didn't know it had a name. Patroller Tuck. Huh.

It does have a name. Skater tuck. Because you can actually skate and skate well while doing it - and it is the most aero full power skating position there is.

I'm guessing most everybody in this thread kinda missed the peak snowblade era between 97 and 2002, when every inline or ice skater with more than a week's worth of experience was using just exactly this sort of tuck, using it all year, and bringing it to the snow with them.

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. I am not at all surprised that no one picked up on the hint in @crgildart 's post as to why snowbladers/miniskiers would hang onto the skater tuck instead of trying to adopt a ski racer tuck. Have a look at the downhill skateboarder again. It is impossible to scissor in a ski racer tuck - and scissoring on fast downhills is the number one longitudinal stability tactic skaters own. Inliners learn it before they learn to heel brake - in fact using the heel brake properly requires the ability to scissor with the braking foot in front.

What I'm kinda surprised at is that no one noticed the pole factor. Everyone doing the ski racer tuck with normal poles or powder poles might as well be doing the Texas tuck. Because without bent poles and cone baskets they're still sticking it all out in the breeze.

Anyone who wants to laugh at a skater tuck is welcome - I know I will when I outskate them.
 
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fatbob

Not responding
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Nov 12, 2015
Posts
6,288
I think the word "tuck" is throwing you off. I'm sure you've seen people do this, I do it. Do I have any scientific evidence on it? Nope. Does it feel faster on long flat catwalks? Yep.

This. Feels a bit faster than regular, feels like you're being a bit cooler and more casual and doesn't expose you to the ridicule of the calling mars/sputnik gaper tuck. Must have some aero effect as your arms and poles aren't flapping around.
 

Wasatchman

over the hill
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Joined
Nov 9, 2017
Posts
2,324
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Wasatch and NZ
Do kind of a modified carve skate thing across the flats or down a road. Get on the inside edges and push on one ski then the other, all done in the legs and you don't see much motion without looking closely. Somebody will blow by at the top of a road with their hands behind them being cool. I will just stand there doing my little pump skate and pass them as they slow down. A very perverse small joy.
Try saying "hi how's it going?" as you blow past them to increase that perverse small joy a bit..... :)
 

noncrazycanuck

Out on the slopes
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Joined
Apr 27, 2017
Posts
1,464
having that bigger guy in front also makes a better slipstream,
Everyone skates if needed but I usually try not to have to.
 

Posaune

sliding
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Mar 26, 2016
Posts
1,914
Location
Bellingham, WA
I do it all the time. Hands behind the back and leaning a bit forward. When the hands go behind you take your arms out of the wind, and when you bend a bit you make yourself smaller to the wind, so there is less drag. It's not super efficient, but it's easy and it helps on long runouts. You can feel the difference. Just go straight down the fall line on an even slope standing in regular skiing position. When you reach terminal velocity in that position, put your hands behind you and lean forward. You will feel the acceleration.
 

LiquidFeet

instructor
Instructor
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Nov 12, 2015
Posts
6,697
Location
New England
I've blasted around others on the flats using both this stand-up hands-behind-back approach and a real tuck. I prefer the first. I always feel a little foolish using the low tuck on the flats just to pass the slow pokes. Overkill.
 

Doug Briggs

"Douche Bag Local"
Industry Insider
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Nov 9, 2015
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7,484
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Breckenridge, CO
I do the 'skater's' or 'instructor's' tuck quite a bit a Breck. There are lots of traverses and places where speed is useful. It does help keep the hands warmer, too.

Adding pump and skate motions always helps. I don't usually do the full on skate, however. I just juice some little turns where appropriate. I consider my pump track moves during the summer as practice for the winter and vice versa.
 

Guy in Shorts

Tree Psycho
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Joined
Feb 27, 2016
Posts
2,168
Location
Killington
With our normal posse we play the tuck and let them fly game once a day. Starts at the top of Killington when we head over to Bear side. We skate, tuck and glide until you hit the South Ridge Link trail were we see who can glide the farthest uphill. Amazing the number of times folks jump on our tails following us skiing uphill. Fun silly games keeps skiing everyday exciting.
 

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