Month: December 2012

Eve, New York City, level 1. This ones is an amazing story, every now and then a student comes down the pike that has a natural aptitude… Eve fits that bill. From Never/Ever to level 4 (soon to be level 5) in three hours. Eve, I hope you stick with this sport, if so many enjoyable days await you. Good job!

The Latuda clan in all their glory … it was a good day for all. The season is just not official until we start to share a few laughs. Alexandria now making parallel turns working on narrower stance, Leann dealing with less leaning and more angles at the hip, Frank/Andrew/Arianna into the moguls big time … come off the edge, adjust line with more skid, heck with the deep holes just shape and skid around them … some challenging bumps on Dukes, well done.

Other couple in this post, don’t know who they are, met early morning and it just seemed the thing to do for a picture.

Most cold, maybe in the minus catagory all day. Joe from Chicago, level 6 to start, level 7 when finished. Three drills: lifting down hill ski on traverse, balance poles on wrists, step turns. Discussion points: turn initiation, what is the inside leg ‘doing’, turn shaping, skidding and shaping, edge management, upper body alignment, angulating and rotating the hip to align head of femur with ‘line of action’. Great progress Joe, quite the change to your skiing.

John Nevares, AM pvt … you are starting to rock John. Some powder, small bumps, static Christy turns, more pole balance, 360s (you nailed one, a start), flex/extend and pressure management, short radius turns. Dukes and North Star – no t-bar today (too many rocks), video analysis. See you next year!

Michael and Wendy from Erie in PM, level 1. Some trials and tribulations here but in the end both making a nice stable gliding wedge on the magic carpet. Level 2 now … next step – start to put some direction change into those gliding wedges then up to the Poma.

Windy and cold most of the day … but that is skiing and what Colorado is all about.

Morning: John, Puerto Rico – level 7, hands/shoulder/hip alignment, pole balance on wrist, 360s, leg rotation with stable upper body, T-bar, Upper 4 O’clock, side slips, black run with speed control effected with direction of travel and friction. Much progress, loads of fun.

Afternoon: Roberto & Eve, Mexico City – level 1, magic carpet for gliding wedge, Rip’s Ride and up to the Poma, more gliding wedge with direction change to contol speed, ride the Poma, staying forward with shin pressure on front of boots and some knee angulation, hips over feet. Lots of work, everyone wanting Tequila … a good afternoon.

 

Christmas day as Christmas days should be … new snow … cold and crisp … crystals in the air … every kid’s dream. Level 1 in the morning with Ce, Yunging and Justin from Houston area … everyone on time, thank you. Ce caught on quick and making semi parallel turns by noon, Yunging and Justin (5 yrs old) feeling the altitude but with good progress in gliding wedge at Poma. Afternoon with Rachel and Jacob also from Houston area … level 3/4 working on matching skis and skiing parallel … early ski release, turn the inside ski, more ski bottom and less ski edge, shape with leg steering — making 70% parallel turns by 3:30pm. Rachel, you are better than your mind tells you, I liked

the last run in particular, good job!

Winter solstice – nothing but more sunshine from here (yea right). Two classes today, morning private with Lindsey, Cortney and Tyler from Ft. Worth and afternoon with Adam and Cortney (not same Cortney). Morning: level 1, fast progress, late start but onto Poma by 11:30, Lindsey/Cortney/Tyler (age 5) quick learners, Tyler doing great until wreck on Poma (that kind of did it), Lindsey and Cortney making turns and starting to match, skied down from Rip’s Ride. Adam and Cortney level 2.5 and working on inside leg steering and a more parallel turn – both skied down from Rip’s Ride at 3:20. Good day for all.

Level 3 to start, Level 5 when finished: Adam, Gloria, Shanelle, Shana. Main focus: get rid of the wedge! Start using both feet, initiate with the new inside ski, some pressure on both feet, less edge, more use of the ski bottom, leg rotation for early edge change and turn shaping, speed control with friction and direction of travel (aka turns). Cold early and late, mid day quite comfortable. Merry Christmas guys (generic term meaning gals also).