Skiing dogma

[Art of Skiing]

Let me first define what I see as good skiing/a good skier/a good turn. Imo good skiing is about being able to ski tight arcs. If you can ski a tighter arc on the same ski in the same conditions than someone else you are the better skier imo. With this proposition in mind I would like to pose a couple of theses that I frequently hear and that could arguably be seen as skiing dogma or myth.

1) You should always have matching shin angles
I think this is false.
I personally believe the outside ski should be as dominant as possible in a turn if you want to achieve tight arcs and big angles. I think inside leg flexion is a trick that is used to make the outside ski even more dominant and to get more weight and more of the forces onto that outside ski. More force on the outside ski means the outside boot will bend more than the inside boot as you move forward from the ankles.

2) Boot crushing is bad/You should be in a neutral position
I think this is false.
Imo outside ski cuff pressure will get you in a more balanced position over the outside ski. Better balance imo will allow for bigger angles and tighter arcs. Furthermore I think a ski will bend more when there is more cuff pressure, due to tension that is transferred from the boot to the ski. That at least is what it feels like to me in my own skiing.

3) Modern skiing technique requires a wide stance
I think this is false.
Like I said, I believe a good turn requires outside ski dominance (regarding weight distribution). I think it is easier to achieve this with a narrow stance. A narrow stance imo reduces the possibility to use the inside ski as an outrigger for balance. Furthermore imo it improves a skiers agility, because it will be easier and faster to shift your weight from ski to ski.

4) For big angles you need more weight in the inside ski
I think this is false.
I believe in outside ski dominance and I think big angles can and should be achieved with outside ski dominance. In a tight radius turn it easier to create angles than in a bigger radius turn, hence it is easier to ski with big angles on a slalom ski than on a gs ski. I think you will ski a tighter radius when you bend one ski a lot (outside ski) and hardly bend the other one (inside ski) compared to bending both ski's equally. Directing more force to the outside ski will cause the outside ski to bend more, and will allow for a tighter arc according to my point of view. In conclusion outside ski dominance will imo make it easier to ski with big edge angle.

5) The inside ski is the dominant factor in creating edge angle
I think this is false.
I personally think edge angle is mainly created due to tipping movements. Since I believe the outside ski is your base of support in a ski turn, outside ski tipping is what I believe decides the amount of angle. I see the inside ski more as a pressure regulator. The inside ski is imo a dominant factor in getting forward on the outside ski. However like I said before I do think getting forward on the outside ski will improve balance and I think this improves your ability to create angles. So in that sense, the inside ski does help, but imo it is not something that directly influences angles, but it probably influences angles indirectly.

6) Flexing to release will give you more energy in your turns compared to other forms of releasing a ski
I think this is false.
Imo the way you release a ski has got nothing to do with how much energy you can generate in a turn. I think this is determined by factors like speed and the skiers weight. I do not see how a release will contribute in creating more energy in your turns. I think when you release a turn the energy is gone and the next turn will require new energy.

This last one is for ski racers
7) A faster edge change means faster skiing
I think this is false.
Imo going straight is much faster then turning/using your edges. Imo you want to delay your edge change as much as possible to let gravity do its work. The more you have to use your edges the slower you will be imo. A slow edge change means you will travel in a straight line for a longer period of time and hence travel with higher speeds in the corner. Fast edge changes means using your edges more and I believe edging will slow you down due to increased resistance (compared to using the base of the ski).

This list is not exhaustive, feel free to add any other frequently heard skiing dogma's and your point of view on the subject matter.

 

[john petersen]

The problem with dogma, is that it is so personal, sometimes. I could discuss each and every one of these for eons....agreeing, or not....but I dont think thats what you are looking for, Art of Skiing.

I do think that we need to be careful with absolutes. when we use words like never, always, must, have to, false and true........we will invariably hit the terrain/conditions/equipment wall.

There are so many ways to approach these topics that perhaps each one is a discussion all its own........

JP

 

[Cheizz]

I find it curious that every point you list, is the oposite of what you think is true/better. It's a bit weird to describe what you should NOT do in listing the points of a dogma. I would have expected the points to be formulated in the positive, so what one SHOULD do. Just something that put me on the wrong foot reading it...

 

[T-Square]

The two responses here have covered about all that should be considered. We have decided to close this thread rather than see it devolve into an unproductive discussion on dogma.