Tips that stick in your head

[McEl]

In the Infinity Move thread Amy talked about some things that have helped her with her skiing that have stuck with her, which got me thinking about the things that have stuck with me through the past 9 years of taking lessons and getting tips.
I have several but I'll start with this one....

What tip have you gotten over the years that has stuck with you and changed your skiing?

Get perpendicular to the slope with both legs in the extension.

My journey off the bunny hill onto the blues and blacks started when I spent an hour with a drill-sergeant instructor trying to force me downhill of straight up, straight up like a tree grows. She succeeded in spite of my resistance. Success in moving past straight up to arrive at that scary point of being perpendicular to the slope was the key for me in progressing to the "X" move / "Infinity" move. Moving the body downhill enough to be perpendicular to the slope is an unnerving, frightening experience, one not easily done by the average person who has spent a lifetime walking upright, essentially straight up like a tree grows.

Going perpendicular is not intuitive; it is freakout time! Going perpendicular to a Black slope is still unnerving, but doing so is necessary to make a decent turn. The perpendicular point is the point at which “Crossover” occurs, as I understand it. I think it can be said that if you are not happy with your turns on steeper terrain, you probably are not going perpendicular to the slope when you initiate.

Thanks, Kneale, for repeating it here on PUG. It bears repeating for anyone at a similar stage of learning.

McEl

 

[Kneale Brownson]

Perpendicular is the point at which crossover begins. One must move beyond that.

 

[Danny]

Steve Mayer at Extremely Canadian told me to try to round the upper part of my turns, something I still sometimes focus on—its especially useful in situations where its not always obviously possible like bumps, trees & steeps.

Planting my pole on the top of the bump I want to turn on works too.

One of the DesLauriers, talking about skiing sketchy chutes: if your not sure you can turn, sidestep until you know you can turn.

In heavy crud, get lower.

 

[Danny]

Oh yeah...mustn't forget the reverse bicycle pedaling move in bumps—the first time I felt that it was amazing and I sometimes concentrate on it if I'm starting to get thrown around in bumps (I can mention this tip without starting a fight here, right?)

 

[James]

My two favorite @Bob Barnes -isms.

"Right tip right to go right, not left tail left to go right" has always worked for me.

Or, the closely related and somewhat catchier "V's for Vail, not A's for Aspen", but I doubt he uses that one anymore.

^^ yep, covers a lot.

Oh yes, tips...

"Keep your hips together and make every other turn to the left!"

Somewhat related: Keep both tips on the same side of the tree and the tails will be ok.

Speaking of trees: Look at the white spaces and choose a path. ( Don't syare at the tree or that's what you'll hit.)

"Ski into neutral"- B Barnes and cgeib. ( For a while I was sure they were... let's say not right in the head. Then I got it.)
Another way to say it is finish the turn.

I also like for beginners and or those who have fear and control issues- " go at a speed where your comfortable going faster when you turn" or " Don't turn until you're at a speed where it's ok to go faster."

Just acknowledges that when we turn downhill we accelerate.

^^ Related to the Uber tip: " Use line to control speed. Glide around the turns."
There's other ways to say it too.

 

[Monique]

My two favorite @Bob Barnes -isms.

"Right tip right to go right, not left tail left to go right" has always worked for me.

Thanks for this reminder. I had forgotten about my tips! Er, no pun intended.

 

[hrstrat57]

-Squish the bug (weight forward)

-Don't look at the rooster (eyes down the hill)

-Keep the headlight pointed down the hill (square upper body)

-Pull the trigger (pole swing)

-No Zees please, only Cees! (turn shape)

-shaddap and ski

 

[SkiEssentials]

Pole plant the backside of a mogul instead of the top of a mogul. Years and years ago an ex-pro mogul skier told to me reach to the backside of a mogul instead of planting on top or the side closest to you. Keeps your upper body forward and engaged, ready for the next bump. I wasn't able to ski zipper lines properly until I learned that trick.

One of the few things I actually tell myself to do while skiing.

 

[Monique]

Years and years ago an ex-pro mogul skier told to me reach to the backside of a mogul instead of planting on top or the side closest to you.

I have a terrible time with mogul terminology. The backside is the side that is in front when you're looking at it from the bottom, right? Erm. The backside is the side that's farthest from you as you're skiing down, right? For reasons unknown to me, this always trips me up. My mental map is backwards.

 

[SkiEssentials]

I have a terrible time with mogul terminology. The backside is the side that is in front when you're looking at it from the bottom, right? Erm. The backside is the side that's farthest from you as you're skiing down, right? For reasons unknown to me, this always trips me up. My mental map is backwards.

Exactly. Really the idea is to just get your shoulders forward and when you're planting the backside of the mogul instead of the front of a mogul, you've essentially switched to offense instead of defense... That's how I think of skiing moguls. They should be afraid of you, not the other way around

 

[Ron]

I have a couple but @James taught me to pole slightly past the pinnacle of the bump. This was a huge game-changer. Another one was from Eric Lipton who was speaking about skiing through trees or obstacles, we were in the lodge at the time and he asked me to get up and walk though the doorway. I did, he asked, did you look at the door jams or where you were headed to? Genius....

my last one was from an instructor speaking about matching angles and keeping your upper body matching the terrain. Many skiers ski with their shoulders pinched towards their necks (just like in mtn biking) which pulls you backwards, so he suggested making your turns with your elbows which pulls your shoulders down and with your mass. Love this one for folks who can't get forward.

 

[James]

I have a terrible time with mogul terminology. The backside is the side that is in front when you're looking at it from the bottom, right? Erm. The backside is the side that's farthest from you as you're skiing down, right? For reasons unknown to me, this always trips me up. My mental map is backwards.

Consider, in general, always thinking about the skiing environment from your pov facing downhill.

Use the skier's pov. As in "skier's left", versus " looker's left" ( looking uphill at a trail.) Start there and change your pov. It might help with other things and simplify the skiing world.

More analogies- Actors use stage left and right looking out at the audience, not audience in. Doctors use left and right of the patient, not looking from outside.

I agree mogul directions can get confusing, but-
If you're walking up to someone's house and knock on the front door, we know where the back door and side doors are. Moguls are built so the front door faces uphill. It's what we come to first when going straight down. Some will actually use front, side, and back door for mogul talk tactics.

As in for example, "go in the side door, around the front and out the back door". That means go up the side of the mogul, ski around the top, then ski down the backside.

I use that as an example, not as a you should or some absolute. It's a possibility in certain mogul shapes, sizes and snow conditions, that's all. The " doors" - frt, back, side left, right, are rough. Reality is you may use a spot in between side and back.

Mogul tips can be problematic because of the great variability in what does in there. Also, zipperline technique/tactics are different while having some things in common with non zipper.

Here's another not quite tip but thought.
We say "skiing" , but the full name of what we're doing is "downhill skiing"
as opposed to cross country.
We must go downhill to get to the bottom. Fear and refusal to allow oneself to go downhill is the number one problem learning to ski.

Let yourself go downhill, use line to control speed, ( come back uphill), and glide around the turn.
Gravity can speed you up and slow you down.

 

[Monique]

Consider, in general, always thinking about the skiing environment from your pov facing downhill.

Thanks, James. I get these things - not sure if you're being a bit tongue in cheek here - but for some reason my brain is spun around when it comes to mogul terminology. I have to think it through. Maybe because I spent so much time looking up at mogul fields before I ever got near them to ski them.

 

[James]

Not being tongue in cheek! It's a paradigm shift for some people to consider things from that direction.

 

[AmyPJ]

I have a couple but @James taught me to pole slightly past the pinnacle of the bump. This was a huge game-changer. Another one was from Eric Lipton who was speaking about skiing through trees or obstacles, we were in the lodge at the time and he asked me to get up and walk though the doorway. I did, he asked, did you look at the door jams or where you were headed to? Genius....

my last one was from an instructor speaking about matching angles and keeping your upper body matching the terrain. Many skiers ski with their shoulders pinched towards their necks (just like in mtn biking) which pulls you backwards, so he suggested making your turns with your elbows which pulls your shoulders down and with your mass. Love this one for folks who can't get forward.

@Ron, can you elaborate on this/explain it differently/draw an illustration? Sounds like something that might help me.

 

[Monique]

@Ron, can you elaborate on this/explain it differently/draw an illustration? Sounds like something that might help me.

Maybe slightly different, but Ursula at Big Sky told me that I was skiing with my arms close to my sides (I knew that) ... like a trussed up chicken! I hate the image that I'm skiing like that, so it's really effective at reminding me to allow some air to flow past my armpits and get those arms out and forward.

 

[Ron]

@Ron, can you elaborate on this/explain it differently/draw an illustration? Sounds like something that might help me.

I'll try, im not good at this... So standing right now, get into a ski stance with your arms out like you are holding poles (seeing your elbows in your peripheral vision btw) and as you go to pole, think about extending your arm leading with your elbow and shoulder and lats. (your arms are already bent, right?) so move your arm from your shoulder and elbow instead of starting by extending with your hand. You should feel a bit of extension from your shoulder and lats and as you pole a very slight downward movement from your torso, DON"T twist! your hand should stay in line with your elbow as you extend. You may even have to slightly flex your legs. This is very useful in crud and steeps but also great in icy and hardpack conditions. Legit instructors here may not agree btw.

Maybe slightly different, but Ursula at Big Sky told me that I was skiing with my arms close to my sides (I knew that) ... like a trussed up chicken! I hate the image that I'm skiing like that, so it's really effective at reminding me to allow some air to flow past my armpits and get those arms out and forward.

if your arms are tight against your body, they are most likely squeezing your shoulders together against your neck and pulling up. This can pull your COM back and affect your balance and fluency.

 

[Monique]

if your arms are tight against your body, they are most likely squeezing your shoulders together against your neck and pulling up. This can pull your COM back and affect your balance and fluency.

I call my ski posture "T-Rex style" ;-)

 

[AmyPJ]

Maybe slightly different, but Ursula at Big Sky told me that I was skiing with my arms close to my sides (I knew that) ... like a trussed up chicken! I hate the image that I'm skiing like that, so it's really effective at reminding me to allow some air to flow past my armpits and get those arms out and forward.

That's what I thought. Vent those pits, eh?!
This is a tough one for me, because all those years riding a horse (english, so two-handed) where my elbows are supposed to be by my sides. I might focus on this a little bit this week because I'm a mess. I just got to be the test subject for a PSIA examiner who was working with two women today when just by chance, I skied up to them to say hello to one whom I knew, and they decided they would critique me. My ego was deflated rather quickly by him. One of the gals, "oh, you are a solid upper level intermediate!" I'm so tired of being a damned upper level intermediate. In the dictionary, next to the words "terminal intermediate skier" is my picture.

 

[AmyPJ]

I'll try, im not good at this... So standing right now, get into a ski stance with your arms out like you are holding poles (seeing your elbows in your peripheral vision btw) and as you go to pole, think about extending your arm leading with your elbow and shoulder and lats. (your arms are already bent, right?) so move your arm from your shoulder and elbow instead of starting by extending with your hand. You should feel a bit of extension from your shoulder and lats and as you pole a very slight downward movement from your torso, DON"T twist! your hand should stay in line with your elbow as you extend. You may even have to slightly flex your legs. This is very useful in crud and steeps but also great in icy and hardpack conditions. Legit instructors here may not agree btw.



if your arms are tight against your body, they are most likely squeezing your shoulders together against your neck and pulling up. This can pull your COM back and affect your balance and fluency.

AHA! External rotation of the scapula is what you are referring to, I believe! Your description makes total sense to me. Thanks!