In medium radius turns

[4ster]

Now it is not skiable below the Palmer's mid station. We need to walk from top of Mile to the Palmer lift - no skiing. So no choice of terrain.

If the terrain is too steep or difficult, try the drill(s) in segments beginning from a shallow traverse using a simple fan progression. Practice both directions till you gain the confidence to cross the falline.

 

[alexz]

Thanks,

.@alexz you mention it yourself that you sometimes lack a touch of balance and edge feel.

A couple of side slips followed by a simple 360 in each direction start of day (if you really want the feel, start of each run). Edge feel and balance in one quick drill. Once you've done enough it also does the adjustment for different setups and conditions in one quick drill.

This not to replace any drill, just a base reference point for everything else.

I was taught this sometime in my early life and 45 or so years later still use it for the same reason.

BTW this has lots of variation if you desire, but as a reference keep it simple and consistent.

Will do tomorrow, though I usually do a few turns in switch during warm-up.

 

[alexz]

Unfortunately lift stopped at 10am today, so I had not got new video. Will try tomorrow.

 

[JESinstr]

It has probably already been mentioned so I'll just affirm it. Practice balancing against the outside ski with Javelin & Stork type turns:


That is all

Here is a more in depth progression from JF

 

[mike_m]

Yep, that's some of the stuff we've been playing with down here. Something I'd like to add: As JF is skiing, even in his
dynamic, short-radius turns, notice how his outside foot remains supple and that leg unbraced. He does this by simply collapsing/pronating that foot progressively and continuously from the beginning of the shaping phase through to completion. That simple activity makes a huge difference in your skiing! Between JF's functional counter/separation and the progressive collapsing of the arch, I think you'll find the majority of skier problems disappear!

Best!
Mike

 

[alexz]

keep touching the inside boot heel to the outside boot ankle

I did this for couple hours but when then start normal skiing, result was poor: lead decreased a bit, but angulation became a way worse :
I'l continue practice tomorrow.

 

[T-Square]

I'm seeing improvements. Keep at it and don't be hard on yourself. At your skiing level the breakthroughs are not as momentous as at lower levels. When they come you will feel it. Keep skiing and smile. All of us on the East Coast are jealous that you are able to get out on white slippery stuff.

 

[alexz]

... All of us on the East Coast are jealous that you are able to get out on white slippery stuff.

There are a lot of people from East Coast here. I also met here folks from Florida, Texas, Canada, Colorado, Michigan, Japan, Saudis, UK, etc.

Tomorrow is going to be crazy - 99% eclipse here, and 100% at 50 miles to South.

 

[JESinstr]

Alex, thanks for posting your vids. In general, where I see you needing major changes is in the bottom half of your turns. Gravity plays two rolls in skiing. It provides velocity and it pulls you down the hill. The skis are designed to take the velocity and direct our mass in a circular path. Our survival instincts on the other hand, tell you to defend against gravity.

As your skis leave the fall line and head toward perpendicular, I see a strong pushing action with the outside leg (a defensive move against gravity). This pushing/sliding action leads to widening of the stance, mass repositioning over the inside and an unhealthy tip lead situation. The top half of your turns are not too bad. You need to continue with what you started and not bail to defensive movements after the fall line. It's the ski's job to create pressure. Your job is to manage it and build higher edging as needed to continue the circular path. Just remember the ski is turning you not the other way around.

Earlier in this thread several encouraged you to pull the inside foot back and under. Really try to do that throughout the entire turn and focus on continuing the circle not defending with your outside leg against the hill. Work on moderate terrain until you can discover and make the change.

Good luck and keep working on it.

 

[dj61]

I did this for couple hours but when then start normal skiing, result was poor: lead decreased a bit, but angulation became a way worse :
I'l continue practice tomorrow.

From what I can tell from your video you are in the backseat. The tails of your skis break out. This makes you loose balance half way through the turn. Try actively to hold your outside foot back using your abdominals, glutes and hamstrings.

 

[LiquidFeet]

JESinstr just posted these golden nuggets.
My comments in blue.

In general, where I see you needing major changes is in the bottom half of your turns. The top half of your turns are not too bad.
I agree. Work on the bottom half (after the fall line, as skis turn to face the trees) before messing with fine-tuning the top half.

As your skis leave the fall line and head toward perpendicular, I see a strong pushing action with the outside leg (a defensive move against gravity). It's the ski's job to create pressure.
Yes, you push Push PUSH on that outside ski. You do not need to do that. The outside ski will turn you all by itself if you are balanced on it. The pressure that comes passively to the ski is enough to bend the ski and get you turned.

This pushing/sliding action leads to widening of the stance, mass repositioning over the inside and an unhealthy tip lead situation.
Yes, I agree, the stance width and tip lead are results of the pushing.
Why is tip lead a problem? Because it means your weight is on the tail of the inside ski at the end of the turn.
That ski will become your new outside ski, and if you start the turn on its tail, you somehow have to get yourself forward for the initiation.
This puts you in fore-aft recovery at every transition.
Keeping the inside ski back allows the start of the new turn to be so much easier; you'll have more initiation options at your command.

Earlier in this thread several encouraged you to pull the inside foot back and under. Really try to do that throughout the entire turn.
Yes, do this; it will help with the tip lead.

Work on moderate terrain until you can discover and make the change.
Yes, get on a flatter pitch for practice please.

Add one more thing to your practice once you get onto easy learning (green) terrain.
Lift the inside ski's tail as you pull it back. Keep the tip down on the snow. It may be difficult at first.
You may only be able to get this to happen once the turn starts. That's ok.
But work on doing this tail lift earlier and earlier in the turn.
This drill enforces several things:
1. No weight on the inside ski; it's all on the outside ski.
2. No excessive inside tip lead; when you pull it back and shorten that leg to lift the tail, it moves back up under you.
3. You can't push on the outside ski if you aren't standing on the inside ski. So this drill eliminates the push.
Work on lifting the tail earlier and earlier in the turn, then finally to lifting it to start the turn.
Once there, go to blue terrain and go through the process again. Eventually you can keep the new stuff and start lowering that tail to get yourself out of drill mode.

The inside tail lift is an excellent drill because it attacks so many things. It might also fix some oddities in your initiation pattern.

 

[markojp]

Alex, lot's of good thoughts and advice... Only two things to add... Be very dialed into what you're feeling in your feet and WHEN different sensations happen. Those will go a long way toward helping you with self-diagnosis and self-correction.

Second one is a question.... can you tell us about your boot set up?

 

[ToddW]

alexz,

Feet:

You aren't using your feet or your ankles in your skiing. Your movements are made with large muscles farther up the kinetic chain. This makes balancing and fine motor control more difficult than they should be. You're getting your outside ski up on edge by pushing out on that ski rather than by "rolling your ankles."

Gear Check:

Since you're at Mt. Hood, find a local bootfitter that you and many successful racers there believe does good work. If you have footbeds, have him check out how those specific beds work for your feet and whether they aid or hinder your balancing efforts. If you don't have beds, explore the possibility of getting ones that help feet built like yours to balance one-footed when inside a ski boot. End goal: get any boot tweaks that help you make your feet active participants in your skiing (in a good way.)

Next step:

For your next 20 days on snow, ski exclusively outside ski to outside ski with your inside ski lifted 1 inch off the snow tip and tail. For extra points to encourage angulation beyond just skiing on one ski, do outside pole drags holding the poles below the grips or even a handwidth further down to effectively shorten the poles.

 

[razie]

Changing things will challenge your balance, for sure, in the short term. Angulation is however its own separate effort and I can see something in a few turns, but most of it is from too high up. I would keep it focused on the lower body for now.

One thing that will help is to flex a little. Right now the legs are long when starting the turn and that does not allow the ankle rolling mentioned above. Mix in some runs where you drag the poles from below the handles, to keep the legs flexed and focus on just rolling from the ankles, side to side - here's an extreme version:


This will help also with counterbalancing from the upper body - just remember to focus on pressing both pole tips into the snow. See more here.

 

[alexz]

1. Thank you all for MA and recommendations.
2. Please don't recommend to use another slope: only one run - upper half of Palmer - is open in North America, and it's constant 20 degree pitch.
3. In recommendations please take in account that I passed PSIA Level 3 teaching and written exams.
4. On previous video I use Head 110-120 boots, fitted including canting (wedges under sole). In today video - K2 130 with calf adjustment for bow legs.
5. I have 2 more week-ends in this season to practice.
6. Today skiing after Razie's drills:

 

[4ster]

1. Thank you all for MA and recommendations.
2. Please don't recommend to use another slope: only one run - upper half of Palmer - is open in North America, and it's constant 20 degree pitch.
3. In recommendations please take in account that I passed PSIA Level 3 teaching and written exams.
4. On previous video I use Head 110-120 boots, fitted including canting (wedges under sole). In today video - K2 130 with calf adjustment for bow legs.
5. I have 2 more week-ends in this season to practice.
6. Today skiing after Razie's drills:

Wow, nice improvement ! Sometimes less is more .
Keep working on outside pole drag & shortening the inside leg.
Read @mike_m 's notes on transitions in the NZ thread.

Stick with the K2 boots for now.

 

[markojp]

Alex, just curious, but who are you working with coaching wise?. I have some thoughts, but don't have time to get into a bigger post at the moment.

 

[alexz]

Alex, just curious, but who are you working with coaching wise?...

In summer time I took a few lessons with Tichy Racing - Milos, Richy, Katty, in winter - Stevens Pass and Lyon ski schools internal training, then 3 days NW Divisional with Mike Phillips and 2 days CS2 with MBJ and Jenn Lockwood.

 

[markojp]

Have you trained with Sean Bold (SPAC)? If not, I highly recommend you look him up. If you need his contact info, PM me.

Were you at spring fling?

 

[alexz]

Have you trained with Sean Bold (SPAC)? If not, I highly recommend you look him up. If you need his contact info, PM me.

Were you at spring fling?

I had couple Thu evenings with him at SPAC Masters program. Also this season he becomes training director of Lyon Ski school, so I hope to have more lessons with him. I also had a few lessons with Dave Lucas from SPAC.

Thank you anyway.

Were you at spring fling?

What is that?