Drill What would it look like?

[bud heishman]

If we understand the elements of a parallel turn initiation, we understand the elements of a good wedge turn initiation right?... Well yes and no.

The beauty of a wedge is the lateral stability it offers the beginner with it's opposing edges and pre initiated turns in each direction. But how do we make this wedge deviate from straight down the fall line? What has to happen to cause a turn?

We must upset the balance of deflection between the two skis. A gliding wedge goes straight down the fall line because it offers equal edge angle, equal steering angle and equal weight distribution left to right. To cause a change in direction we need only upset this balance. This can be accomplished a number of ways. We can add more weight to one ski, add more steering angle to one ski or add more edge angle, but these methods are antagonistic and must overcome the amount of deflection offered by the opposite ski!

What would happen if we simultaneously REDUCED the amount of edge angle, pressure and steering angle on one ski? What would that look like? What would that feel like? What would that cause to happen as speed increased, the pitch increased, or the wedge narrowed?

 

[Mendieta]

Hi Bud. Here is my guess. Unless you become an angel, your body weight is the same and gets transferred to the other ski, which still holds an angle to the snow and will start carving a curve. Unweighting the inside ski, rather than trying to actively transfer a lot of weight to the outside ski, helped me break out of the wedge early on. The only drawback was overdoing it, to the point of lifting it.I didn't focus on flattening it at first, but soon I started to edge corresponding edges, so the wedge was (mostly) gone.

 

[Bad Bob]

By brushing the inside ski into a complementary position to the outside ski you should be:
increasing the steering force in one direction.
removing the resistance to the outside ski.
increasing pressure to the outside ski by repositioning the inside ski.
(If you are changing the edge on the left foot you are turning left)

If you reopen the skis into a gliding wedge and equalize the pressure the skis would drift back into the fall line. Repeat and you you have a nifty little stem garland going on.

 

[bud heishman]

Now compliment this release of the inside ski with active leg turning of the outside ski. Think twisting feet on two bar stools.

 

[Nancy Hummel]

If you release the inside ski and actively turn the outside ski, you end up with a wedge christie or a parallel turn, dependent on speed and turning rate of outside ski.

 

[Chris V.]

What would happen if we simultaneously REDUCED the amount of edge angle, pressure and steering angle on one ski? What would that look like? What would that feel like? What would that cause to happen as speed increased, the pitch increased, or the wedge narrowed?

That sounds like an invitation to go out and try it. Short answer--you'll make turns.

The beauty of a wedge is the lateral stability it offers the beginner with it's opposing edges and pre initiated turns in each direction. But how do we make this wedge deviate from straight down the fall line? What has to happen to cause a turn?

We must upset the balance of deflection between the two skis. A gliding wedge goes straight down the fall line because it offers equal edge angle, equal steering angle and equal weight distribution left to right. To cause a change in direction we need only upset this balance.

In my opinion, this is a very important insight. And to add to this--it takes only a very slight upset of the dynamic equilibrium to start some kind of a turn. For a beginning skier, or for anyone teaching a beginning skier, it's important to have a full appreciation of this fact. This leads to the conclusion, borne out by experience, that once a beginning skier has achieved a stable, athletic, functional stance, sufficient ability to maintain that stance by responding dynamically and with flexibility to small changes in terrain and snow surface, adequate edge angles in a wedge, and an appropriate distribution of pressure along the length of the skis and from ski to ski--turning becomes ridiculously easy. Yes, the initial, difficult task for a beginning skier is not making turns. It is becoming stable, dynamic, confident, and functional in a straight gliding wedge. This is what requires a measure of muscular strength. Good muscular control. Ability to control the rotation of the legs in the hip sockets. Adding turns at slow speeds only modestly increases the forces experienced by the skier. Adding turns will not be a major physical challenge to the beginning skier, if that skier is fully competent at doing the gliding wedge.

But once the beginning skier starts making some kind of a turn, it's important that the skier not fight it. And fight it many beginners will. They have to surrender to allowing the turn to develop, to allowing their legs to turn under them, and to let go of that comfortable straight ahead glide in favor of a NEW dynamic equilibrium.

Think of all the skiers you see on the bunny hill struggling to maintain balance in their turns. All because they never mastered the first step. And how many instructors do you see who rush the business of making turns, when the student hasn't yet mastered the first step?

 

[T-Square]

Bud,

Great discussion starter.

I do a drill with instructors on how to make a wedge ... turn. (To make a gliding wedge-turn.) This teaches instructors how various movements combine to a turn.

First, in a wedge twist your toes where you want to go while gliding in a narrow wedge. (Rotary from the hip socket.) (I've heard them called 'tip chasers'.) This results in a slippy slidey rounded turn. These can be quite tight depending on how much twist you do. I demo this move for them.

Second, while in a gliding wedge move your hips right and left over your skis. (Long leg - short leg / move in the direction of the new turn). This flattens the new inside ski and edges the new outside ski. You end up with an edgy long radius turn that follows the natural arc of the ski. I demo the move.

Finally, I ask them to put both moves together. Move in the direction of the new turn and twist the toes in the direction of the turn. I don't demo this, I let them do and feel it. All of a sudden they end up with a wedge christi. The wedge opens up and starts to turn as they move down the hill, then as they twist their feet the wedge starts to close and the skis become parallel.

I normally do this in three runs off our magic carpet.

Keep smiling,

Terry