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What does "hooking/catching an edge" mean to you?

Steve

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There's another meaning that I find might be the one used the most often.

It means the skier was out of balance, did something wrong.
It's a verbal excuse for any kind of ski error.

"Oh, I must have caught an edge."

I hear people say it all the time.
 

François Pugh

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Hooking is usually what happens in a race course when you 'hook a gate'.

'Catching an edge' is when you are sliding your skis in a direction with some lateral component of movement (not 'perfect' carving) and the edge that is 'leading' catches the snow and stops the lateral movement. An example: you are making a right footed, brushed turn and your left ski's big toe edge grabs the snow.
I was going to reply with what first pooped into my head, but having read this post, I have to agree.
The general uneducated meaning I learned from context, the same way I learned to talk in general follows. Catching an edge: happens if one gets of balance and slightly out of perfect control. An edge gets put wrong and catches strongly in the snow, taking the ski where you don't want it to go. Example of catching an edge: you are turning left with a tipped, pressured and decambered right ski; the big toe edge of your left, unpressured ski catches the snow, pulls hard left and you fall on your face. Hooking: you tip your skis and they turn like they are supposed to, but you learned to ski in a gliding wedge, usually ski with low edge angles, and prefer to smear and pivot your turns and are taken off guard. Also hooking: you intend to turn left and tip your skis accordingly, but your skis hit a one-foot deep frozen solid rut and follow it. Lucky for you, nobody else is skiing in those conditions, so you can go where your skis are pointing without hitting anyone.
 

crgildart

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I think that there could be a distinction drawn between "hooking" and "catching" an edge. Catching an edge is usually a minor hiccup in the form where as some mentioned, the edge checks or chatters when the intention was to smear. When it happens hard like an unintended hockey shop you can take a tumble over quickly.

Hooking an edge means to me that the edge engaged and LOCKED endgaged in a totally unintended and unexpected way.. and that no matter how hard the rider tires, they are unable to disengage it and are careening off in a direction opposite of where they intended.. because their center of balance is too far off to have leverage to disengage that edge. "Hooked" as in can't quit or hooked like a fish on a barbed hook they can't release themselves from.
 

Wasatchman

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Happens to me occasionally when I'll be skiing straight and then suddenly one of my skis engages. To the point where I often literally lift that ski off the ground to release it. I call that catching an edge. Once it literally spun me around in a 180. It all happens in a split second and lifting the ski off the ground to release the ski when it happens is a split second reaction rather than some conscious decision. It all happens in a split second..

And I have no idea why it sometimes happens, other than it's a little scary when it does. I can imagine you could really get unlucky with something like that and really hurt yourself. That's what I call catching an edge. Doesn't happen to me so much in a turn but skiing straight and a sudden engagement of one of your skis edges - the cause of which I still don't understand.
 
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SSSdave

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Worst scenario for average folks...
Spring skiing early afternoon on a cool sunny day with unwaxed classic skis while going through long flats at necessary high speed with a mix of sunny and tree shaded snow transitions.
 

KingGrump

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Hooking an edge is generally involves the inside edge(s).

Catching an edge usually involves the outside edge(s).
 

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