| |
Getting in Ski Shape | Positioning
Your Weight | Modern Parallel Turns| Mogul Skiing Tips
Challenging Snow Conditions | Skiing Steep Terrain | Skiing
the Shaped Ski
 This page was
created to provide some general information on some helpful skiing
techniques. We get a lot of emails asking for some insight. However, NOTHING will beat taking a lesson from a professional ski
instructor.
Getting in Ski Shape:
Great skiing starts with being in shape to
handle it. The hardest part of conditioning is
getting started and staying with a program. Mountain biking is a great form of pre-season
conditioning as it helps to develop the same muscle groups that we use when we ski. In
addition to the muscle development mountain biking also improves our balance.
Great skiing starts with being in shape to
handle it. The hardest part of conditioning is
getting started and staying with a program. Mountain biking is a great form of pre-season
conditioning as it helps to develop the same muscle groups that we use when we ski. In
addition to the muscle development mountain biking also improves our balance.
It goes without saying that any physical activity aimed at conditioning the body should
have
a warm up and warm-down period. This will help to prevent injury. It is very important to
stretch all parts of the body, neck, hands, legs etc. Skiing is a demanding sport and by
having your entire body in shape you can avoid sprains and strains. This small investment
of
time at the front end will pay back large dividends by not shortening your ski season
through
a muscle related injury.
back to top
Positioning your
weight:
Probably the biggest obstacle to skiing well is having one's weight in the wrong place.
The
next time you go skiing, spend some time watching other skiers - preferably from the side
of
a run. Notice how they position their bodies over their skis. Watch a beginning skier. He
will
most likely ski with his butt far too back. Now watch an advanced skier. He will stand
relaxed, knees slightly bent- his body almost perpendicular to the hill.
The difference is in the center of gravity! To achieve optimal control, your
weight must be on the leading surface of both skis. You should have as little weight as
possible on the tails.
By having your weight forward, you have your leading ski edges in full contact with the
snow
surface. The fronts of yours skis, when properly weighted, is where the control comes
from.
Make a concerted effort to maintain your weight on the balls of your feet. Don't
ski flat-footed,
and definitely don't ski on your heels.
The moment you stand on the balls of your feet, your weight will shift forward. Try this
little
test right now. Stand up with your feet flat on the floor - the way you would normally
stand.
Note how your knees feel locked slightly backwards. Now, shift your weight forward onto
the
balls of your feet. Notice how your center of gravity shift slightly forwards. Notice how
your
knees unlock and your heels lift off the floor. You are now in the correct posture. With
your
knees slightly bent, your legs are ready to absorb any shocks created by skiing on uneven
snow. Your weight is forward...which forces the front of your skis into the snow.
back to top
Modern parallel turns:
Today's skis (ones made within the last 5-6 years) ski much flatter than the skis
of
yesteryear. Skis are more flexible and give you the edge control you want without you
having
to bend into the hill. Also, the ski boots now being produced are radically different than
those
sold in the 70s and early 80s. Therefore, you must change the way you ski to match the
change in equipment.
Let's say you want to turn to the right. To initiate the turn, you turn you upper body
towards
the fall line twisting your hips to the right which initiates the turn. What is different
is how
much weight you put on each ski during this maneuver. You need to maintain an almost
equal distribution of weight on both skis. Keep your weight at right angles to the
slope. You
don't need to bend your knees into the hill.
You should also keep your skis parallel to each other throughout the entire turn.
back to top
Mogul Skiing Tips:
Four things will help you improve your mogul skiing.
-
You have good balance, and are
able to recover from being out of balance quickly.
-
You can make a good short radius
turn with speed control on steeper groomed slopes.
-
You have a rhythmical, well timed
pole plant.
-
Line, skiing the tops, the
troughs, or a mix of both.
Try some traverses through easy
bumps. Pull your feet up as you go over the bump. Push
your feet down into the trough. Aim to keep your hips at a constant height, using your
legs
as shock absorbers.
As the tips of your skis hit the bump in front of you it will tend to throw your hips
forward,
putting you slightly off balance. Practice moving your hips slightly back just before you
engage the bump. This compensation will put you into a neutral balanced stance. A similar
thing happens as you slide down the bump, your feet accelerate down the face leaving your
hips behind your feet, so push your hips forward to compensate.
Short radius turns: Moguls are normally closely spaced; to navigate them
you need to turn
both of your skis quickly. Select an intermediate groomed run where you can practice some
short turns. Set a goal of 10 turns in a given distance, then try to increase the number
of
turns in the same distance. Both skis should be actively guided through the turn, the
radius
should be tight and consistent. Complete or round out your turns so that your speed stays
under control. Once you feel comfortable on the groomed runs try the same turn in some
easier bumps.
Pole plants: A strong rhythmical pole plant is extremely beneficial when
skiing bumps.
Make sure yours is well timed and functional. Many people like to touch their pole on the
top of the bump they wish to turn on. Plant the pole, then turn around it.
Line: Where do you ski? Most beginner mogul skiers turn on the top of the bump.
It's the
easiest place to pivot your skis, for here you can move to the troughs. Imagine there is
a
stream flowing down the mogul field, the path you will take will be the route the water
takes.
You may want to do a mixture of tops and troughs, turning in a rhythmical fashion not
allowing the terrain to dictate where you turn.
back to top
Challenging Snow Conditions:
Every skier lives for the day that they awake to look out the window to see a 24 inch deep
blanket of the most perfect powder snow. But this condition is rare unless you happen to
be
in a few geographically blessed areas of the planet where the conditions are perfect.
Snow is very dynamic. It changes throughout the day. It's structure changes over time. It
actually "flows" and moves down the slope. The well rounded skier encounters
most of these
conditions throughout the skiing season. Let's look at the various conditions, their
effect on
you, and what you have to do about it.
Hard Crust: There's not a whole lot you can do to ski hard crust well. It
grabs onto your skis
and prevents you for accomplishing anything other than skiing in remarkably straight lines
-
not a good thing if you are about to ski off a cliff. (Unless you're
going to sacrifice
yourself in
hopes of having the cliff named after you! ).
Hard crust can be formed when
freezing rain falls on top of soft snow. It can also be formed
by high wind which seems to cause the snow crystals to cement together and form a matrix.
The main problem is that you
cannot initiate any turns. Your skis will have created a slot in
the crust and will follow that slot in a straight line. Unless the crust is thin, no
amount of
edging will turn the skis. When going fast, there's only one solution. You have to jump up
out
of your tracks and turn in mid-air. (Not for the inexperienced skier... Solution: Stay
away
from hard crust which is more likely to be on black diamond runs, up top where the
groomers
rarely go!)
Crud: The term crud refers to broken
crust. Depending on how icy the snow is and how big the
pieces are, crud skiing can range from easy to just plain dangerous. If the pieces are
large
and perhaps frozen in place, your skis are going to have an awful time in any turns. Hop
turns are a must here, too.
-
Traverse the hill to gain some
momentum. Keep your skis parallel.
-
Anticipate your turn. Face
directly down the fall line.
-
Set your edges and sink with your
knees.
-
Plant your downhill pole.
-
Extend your legs launching
yourself into the air.
-
Suck up your legs so that they
clear the snow.
-
Pivot your lower body around.
Keep facing downhill.
-
Land with your skis parallel and
traverse to you next hop.
You will need strong legs when
skiing crud. Your legs need the strength to withstand the
punishing hammering received as you bash into the snow lumps.
Slush:
Slush isn't too difficult to ski in. You do have to force your turns though as the snow is
sticky and heavy. Slush conditions often mean varying conditions all throughout a ski run.
It's best to keep your knees flexed and ready for changes.
Ice:
Many skiers hate ice. Actually, ice isn't all that difficult. What most skiers
hate about it is
the apparent lack of control. It's almost as though the sound of one's edges scraping
across
the ice sheet elicits a fear response. The natural response seems to be to hunker down low
and assume an awkward pigeon-toed snow-plow position. This is hardly a posture suited to
strength and control.
You will have some reduced control on ice. That's natural since your skis cannot sink into
the ice like they do on a soft bed of snow. Your skis will skid around more than usual and
you won't have the same fine control you'd normally expect. If you learn to accept the
diminished control when on ice and learn what you can't and can do. The best
way to do
that is to SKI ON ICE some. After a little while you'll find that it's not THAT bad!
Powder: Powder is a WONDERFUL ski condition. However, sometimes there CAN be too much
powder. Here around the High Country, we only see deep powder conditions once or twice
a season. Deep powder is when you're skiing IN the snow, not on it!
But for those of us skiing in
more normal conditions, our powder is more fluffed up new,
natural snow. And it's not that easy to ski in. It's sluggish. It doesn't move too
easily. And
if it's deep it's tough work.
The trick to skiing this stuff is to get forward on your skis while initiating the turn
then rock
back to get your skis to come to the surface. I know some people who claim you don't have
to get your weight back...but do what's comfortable for you!
back to top
Skiing Steep Terrain:
After you have some experience, you find yourself longing to try those slopes you've heard
all your friends rave about - you know them...Tom Terrific, Balderdash, White Lightning,
Top Gun (among others in the High Country). The only two obstacles between you and
being able to ski the really steep stuff is technique and fear.
Fear is the worst obstacle. It can make you freeze up. Once
you've freaked out, you will
find
yourself stiffening up and leaning backwards. Your skis will immediately shoot out ahead
of
you and you'll wipe out. Keeping your weight forwards is vitally important. In fact, the
steeper
the terrain, the more aggressive you need to be with your stance. On really steep terrain
with moguls, head for the moguls. Moguls are your friends. (I can hear people moaning!)
Use the tops of them to bleed off your speed and to turn. Remember to let your legs bend
when you begin skiing up the mogul and to extend your legs when skiing off the back side.
On really steep terrain without moguls, you've got to make aggressive turns. Get your
weight
forwards and keep it there. Don't fall back on your heels! Pole planting is important.
Plant
your pole well ahead of you. Reach down.
back to top
Skiing the Shaped Ski:
Balancing: The foot focus should be between the front of the arch and the
ball of the foot.
That is slightly forward of ideal for traditional side cut skis. Take care not to load up
the tip
though. If the tail is breaking away at the bottom of the turn your too far forward.
Rotary: No pivoting. This is a edge and pressure ski. The guiding
movements should come
from the feet, ankles and knees. Be very subtle and make sure to maintain a quiet upper
body and appropriate countered relationship. (More coming on Shaped Skiing).
back to top
|
|
