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dbostedo

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Little toe edge side slip?
How does that work without face planting?

I'm assuming here... but slide the other direction to what you're thinking. Little toe edge of your left ski means you're sliding downhill to the right. (Do I have that straight @LiquidFeet?)
 

Ski&ride

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What do others work on that 1st day back?
Work?

Did someone say work?

Ok, I’ll work on my tan... ooops wrong thread.

Seriously, I just start skiing. Predictably, I’ll be stiff and feel out of balance for a couple runs. Then, things will start to click. The more varied the terrain, especially progressively challenging terrain will get me to feel “at one” with my skis faster. (for that reason, I prefer to wait till some ungroomed terrain open before I start my season)
 
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James

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I'm assuming here... but slide the other direction to what you're thinking. Little toe edge of your left ski means you're sliding downhill to the right. (Do I have that straight @LiquidFeet?)
@LiquidFeet will have to answer, but no. As i understand, your left foot is downhill, on the little toe edge sliding down. So if it was steepish, an observer downhill would not see the base of the ski.
Me thinks one is still mostly on the uphill edge, big toe, or at most flat. Though on a very gentle slope with firm snow, maybe. Call me dubious, but the definition may be different. For example, a downhill foot, one footed release to little toe. That usually goes into a turn, which takes awhile, not a straight slide. slide.
 

LiquidFeet

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I'm assuming here... but slide the other direction to what you're thinking. Little toe edge of your left ski means you're sliding downhill to the right. (Do I have that straight @LiquidFeet?)

Nope. It's a side-slip. I travel straight down the fall line while skis point sideways, at the trees. LTE= little toe edge. BTE= big toe edge.
I've worked on morphing that LTE side-slip into doing falling leaf on one foot, but with no progress. Maybe this season.
 

LiquidFeet

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@LiquidFeet will have to answer, but no. As i understand, your left foot is downhill, on the little toe edge sliding down. So if it was steepish, an observer downhill would not see the base of the ski.
Me thinks one is still mostly on the uphill edge, big toe, or at most flat. Though on a very gentle slope with firm snow, maybe. Call me dubious, but the definition may be different. For example, a downhill foot, one footed release to little toe. That usually goes into a turn, which takes awhile, not a straight slide. slide.

Your description sounds like you may be thinking of a one-footed pivot slip. I have not yet done a pivot slip on one foot, but I've tried. Very frustrating. Ballet skiers do it, don't they?

The one-foot side slip I'm talking about does not involve a release nor a turn. Just a side-slip straight down the hill, with no travel left or right. If the skier is using only the left ski, then the left ski is the uphill ski, and it's on its uphill edge. The uphill edge of that left ski IS the LTE of that ski. Any side-slip has to be on the uphill edges or you'd get a nice face-plant.

And a person downhill of the skier side slipping theoretically should be able to see the base of the skis, or the base of the single ski when the side slip is done on only one ski.
 
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James

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Your description sounds like you may be thinking of a one-footed pivot slip. I have not yet done a pivot slip on one foot, but I've tried. Very frustrating. Ballet skiers do it, don't they?

The one-foot side slip I'm talking about does not involve a release nor a turn. Just a side-slip straight down the hill, with no travel left or right. If the skier is using only the left ski, then the uphill edge of that left ski IS the LTE of that ski. Any side-slip has to be on the uphill edges or you'd get a nice face-plant.

And a person downhill of the skier side slipping theoretically should be able to see the base of the skis, or the base of the single ski when the side slip is done on only one ski.
Ok, that makes sense. You’re on the uphill edge.

Try -standing across the fall line. Stand on big toe edge of downhill foot. Then release on that foot into an eventual turn. It’s surprisingly hard.! Will also reinforce why hh uses a blocking pole plant for his two footed release demo.
 

LiquidFeet

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Will do. Torture drills can be fun.
I've heard he leans on that pole sometimes as he does this maneuver, and one of his deputies calls it "cheating" - which he says with a friendly wink.
 
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dbostedo

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Ok, that makes sense. You’re on the uphill edge.

That's what I said! Or tried to... as apparently @LiquidFeet didn't get my description either. (Or maybe I still don't understand?)

I said "Little toe edge of your left ski means you're sliding downhill to the right." Of course it's a sideslip and you're pointed across the fall line. But you're on the uphill edge of your uphill ski, sliding sideways downhill to your right. Right?
 

LiquidFeet

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T....But you're on the uphill edge of your uphill ski, sliding sideways downhill to your right. Right?

Yes! Sliding straight downhill. No left-right travel. Side-slip.

If you are on the LTE, you are on the uphill edge of the uphill ski, with the downhill ski lifted off the snow.
It's much easier to side slip on the downhill ski, which puts you on the BTE. LTE side-slip is difficult, or was for me.

Skier may stand countered, facing downhill-ish.
Or skier may stand square to the skis, facing the trees.
Being able to do both adds a challenge to the maneuver.

Does this skill help one to ski on two skis? Probably not that much. (Inform me if I'm wrong, please.)
But it has helped me master White Pass Turns and one-ski skiing.
I may be doing my White Pass Turns in an unorthodox manner, but at least I can do them now.
 
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KingGrump

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Does this skill help one to ski on two skis? Probably not that much. (Inform me if I'm wrong, please.)

Being able to get on the LTE of the uphill ski is a really good skill to have when skiing a wider line in the bumps.
 

Scruffy

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Yes! Sliding straight downhill. No left-right travel. Side-slip.

If you are on the LTE, you are on the uphill edge of the uphill ski, with the downhill ski lifted off the snow.
It's much easier to side slip on the downhill ski, which puts you on the BTE. LTE side-slip is difficult, or was for me.

Skier may stand countered, facing downhill-ish.
Or skier may stand square to the skis, facing the trees.
Being able to do both adds a challenge to the maneuver.

Does this skill help one to ski on two skis? Probably not that much. (Inform me if I'm wrong, please.)
But it has helped me master White Pass Turns and one-ski skiing.
I may be doing my White Pass Turns in an unorthodox manner, but at least I can do them now.


Yeah, these skills can't hurt. Ask Bode.
 

crgildart

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What do you work on first day back for the season?

Getting my boots on without throwing my back out. Not even kidding. Its happened to me twice in the past five years.. And yes, I do stretch and exercise regularly.
 

pete

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Prety much this. I start out in the bunny hill on day one and gradually branch out as I feel more comfortable. We do a lot of this stuff in our early season Bromley clinics too which is nice. Getting new boots in October so all this stuff is even more important when I'm breaking in some new shoes.

funny, I'm superstitious so I will typically do a run on the bunny hill every time I hit a new hill. This perhaps as a basic warm up.

too, practice getting on the boots .. oh so tight after sitting 8 months
 

James

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But you're on the uphill edge of your uphill ski, sliding sideways downhill to your right.
If you said it like that we could understand. In general use of left and right often needs a second modifier to figure out what your talking about.
If you're with younger kids and need them to say get off the chair a certain direction, it's best not to use left/right as invariably one will get it wrong causing a pile up.

I may be doing my White Pass Turns in an unorthodox manner, but at least I can do them now.
How is it unorthodox? Psia, east at least, made a mess of explaining White Pass turns. It became this complicated, mysterious, unlearnable thing. Such a mess they dropped it a few years ago in task requirements.
Will do. Torture drills can be fun.
I've heard he leans on that pole sometimes as he does this maneuver, and one of his deputies calls it "cheating" - which he says with a friendly wink.
Diana spends a few seconds digging the pole in.
Lol. I got like a two page pm once from someone on epic explaining how the video wasn't a blocking pole plant. Then another after the response. And yet they considered themselves good at ma. Believing is seeing.

Here's a new one for this year 1st day -backwards crab. You go backwards in a V, then flatten one ski so you go sideways. The more comfortable you get the smaller the v. It's actually good for people to learn reg forward crab too.

Badic switch skiing first day is good because you think more how you move and it's also good to reset in transition- tips even, look uphill, before the new turn.
 

dbostedo

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In general use of left and right often needs a second modifier to figure out what your talking about.

Eh... the way I phrased it is still correct if you are thinking purely of side slips. But point taken.
 

Tony

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If the 1st day is a powder day all bets are pulled back. That has been my tale the last 2 seasons aan it worked out okay.
My last three seasons started on 11/27 with skiing powder (Northstar in 2017 and Kirkwood the last two years). So not only do I need to try to remember where the rocks are, but I need to remember to breathe going down long, steep and untracked run.
 

Guy in Shorts

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Find some ungroomed and ski the same line over and over until some bumps form. Pick-up were I left off last season trying to master the moguls.
 

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