Turn in steeps

[paulski]

Short of jump turns what major cues or tips help you make fast turns in steeps ? I tend to pick up too much speed and then go across for too long.

 

[François Pugh]

When speed control is required, I prefer bicycle turns in steeps.

 

[coskigirl]

What do you mean by fast turns? Are you talking about overall speed or more like quick, slalom turns?

 

[Rod9301]

Short of jump turns what major cues or tips help you make fast turns in steeps ? I tend to pick up too much speed and then go across for too long.

Then concentrate on scrubbing speed at the end of the turn. Once your skis are perpendicular to the fall line, soften the edges and just slip downhill, instead of across the hill.

And think of cutting the first half of the turn with rotary, and start carving or brushing the second half only, to minimize the time you spent above and in the fall line.

But if the snow is very rough ( lots of ski tracks that hardened), you can't brush the end of the turn, you have to be on clean edges, so it's a lot more difficult, so don't go there

 

[Josh Matta]

softening the downhill skis(inside) actively whether i am pivoting, turning, or jumping.

 

[Fuller]

When speed control is required, I prefer bicycle turns in steeps.

I'm guessing this would be sort of a backwards pedaling motion where the inside ski is lifted and pulled back aggressively? I'm surprised I don't know this term as long as I've been hanging around. Details please...

 

[Josh Matta]

 

[MattSmith]

^^^
Love the headband

 

[KevinF]

^^^
Love the headband

I was going to compliment the sideburns myself...

 

[Coach13]

I seem to have no issues turning on really steep double green runs.

 

[James]

I was going to compliment the sideburns myself...

Patrick Vallencant!
One of the early extreme skiers. But they skinned and hiked up everything with packs. Mountaineering. No choppers.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Short of jump turns what major cues or tips help you make fast turns in steeps ? I tend to pick up too much speed and then go across for too long.

When I read this post and think of a client that would say it, I'm picturing a person who actually doesn't need to turn faster, but probably someone who needs more patience in the fall line. Every turn needs a beginning, a middle and an end, and a lot of people who have trouble in the steeps are afraid to let the skis point down the hill in the middle part. They also are frequently unwilling to let go of the hill and start their new turn by releasing the old turn, by flattening the skis. Separation of the upper and lower body is crucial for completing these turns too. The smaller you want the turn to be, the more important it is.

 

[KevinF]

When I read this post and think of a client that would say it, I'm picturing a person who actually doesn't need to turn faster, but probably someone who needs more patience in the fall line. Every turn needs a beginning, a middle and an end, and a lot of people who have trouble in the steeps are afraid to let the skis point down the hill in the middle part. They also are frequently unwilling to let go of the hill and start their new turn by releasing the old turn, by flattening the skis. Separation of the upper and lower body is crucial for completing these turns too. The smaller you want the turn to be, the more important it is.

This. One thousand times this.

Pedal hop turns were a fun diversion, but I'm guessing the OP is a long, long ways away from the type of "steep and narrow" terrain where jump turn variations become a practical consideration.

 

[markojp]

When speed control is required, I prefer bicycle turns in steeps.

Haven't seen anyone do a bicycle turn in a couple decades. Wider skis sort of obviated the need.

 

[Chris V.]

No fear. Not even a little bit.

 

[James]

When I read this post and think of a client that would say it, I'm picturing a person who actually doesn't need to turn faster, but probably someone who needs more patience in the fall line. Every turn needs a beginning, a middle and an end, and a lot of people who have trouble in the steeps are afraid to let the skis point down the hill in the middle part. They also are frequently unwilling to let go of the hill and start their new turn by releasing the old turn, by flattening the skis. Separation of the upper and lower body is crucial for completing these turns too. The smaller you want the turn to be, the more important it is.

I get the release part, but patience in the fall line? Please to explain.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Patience is relative. There is often more time than people think there is. Even in the bumps the ski should spend a little bit of time going down the hill (this whole stupid sport is called downhill skiing after all). Some skiers don't want to spend ANY time with the skis pointing down the hill. They are going to go to great lengths to keep that from happening. They are going to make the classic Z turns.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Some crazy son of a bitch had to do what he just did while also carrying a heavy ass film camera.

 

[James]

Don't know who filmed but could have been Jean-Marc Boivin. Boivin was extreme in many areas besides skiing, Base jumping, ice climbing, paragliding.
Vallencant was killed climbing in '89. Boivin Base jumping Angel Falls in '90.

Boivin(?). In the fall line.

 

[Mike King]

When I read this post and think of a client that would say it, I'm picturing a person who actually doesn't need to turn faster, but probably someone who needs more patience in the fall line. Every turn needs a beginning, a middle and an end, and a lot of people who have trouble in the steeps are afraid to let the skis point down the hill in the middle part. They also are frequently unwilling to let go of the hill and start their new turn by releasing the old turn, by flattening the skis. Separation of the upper and lower body is crucial for completing these turns too. The smaller you want the turn to be, the more important it is.

I agree 100% with the above. The only thing missing is the importance of the 5th fundamental: regulate the pressure created by the ski snow interface. You've got to be able to flex and extend to regulate the pressure that's created by steep skiing. The magic for me has been three things: flexing to "get short" at edge change, tipping the lower leg to flatten the skis and subsequently establish edge at the apex of the turn, and getting the outside hip stacked over the outside hip (when "short") at edge change.

Mike