Month: January 2016

Steve & Ellie – Ponte Verde Beach, levels 5 & 7. Ellie: less wedge, more match, some weight on both skis, turn shape and skid … good job, you amaze me skiing black runs and bumps in a semi match/power wedge. Steve: upper/lower body separation, arm and hand position, more ‘counter’ down the mountain (in the direction of the next turn, ‘show the zipper’), less strong edge with more skid and leg steering to produce a rounder turn, speed control from friction and turn shape. Cold and windy but workable, some powder and trees. Enjoy the vacation.

William & Indre – Reston, VA … now this was a cold day … one of Breckenridge’s finest. Looked at picture of arms and hands (more forward and wider), balancing on one ski then both, difference between being edge biased and using a more flatter ski, speed control with friction and shaping, upper/lower body separation, shorter radius turns, keep the hips/shoulders/arms/hands/eye directed more down the mountain. This was a good day for progress … enjoy a taco (and maybe a shot of tequila) at Oscars. 

Josh -NYC. Get balanced, some pressure on both skis, leg steering, PVC pipe demo, eight pounds in each arm, side slips, softer edges, skidding/shaping turns, speed control with friction and turn shape … both feet/skis moving together … chairs 7,5, Colorado Super Chair. Good progress Josh, now go ski some blues on Peak 9, get some good muscle memory and enjoy the day.

Erin – NYC. Well is wasn’t any warmer in the afternoon, ’bout as cold as the morning. Hand/arm position, hips and shoulders facing more down the mountain (it’s called ‘counter’), leg rotation for steering, softer edges for skidding, skidding and shaping (steering) for larger radius turns with increased friction from using more of the ski surface and rounder more ‘C’ shapes, less hard edge and traversing across the slope ‘hoping’ to slow down. Dandy progress, you will remember this day for the mantra changed on how to ski steeper terrain and maintain balance, control speed and not get thigh muscle fatigue. I maybe learned as much about New York and living in Manhattan as you did about skiing. Enjoy Ullr Fest.

Loan – Omaha. Well way to go Loan, you picked one of the coldest days of the year, but not to worry, your gloves were good down to at least 40 degrees or so, you hung in there well. Gliding wedge, turning wedge, starting to match between turns, speed control with turning, skied down from practice area to bottom. Glad you  didn’t throw in the towel after the first 20 minutes, really glad. Hope the trip back to Omaha was uneventful. Enjoyed the morning.

Clayton, Emily – this was a cold day, but workable with the sun and two eager students. Stabilize the upper body, leg rotation, PVC pipe demo, open up the arms (get ready for a pole plant some day), lots of skidding practice, pivot slips, skarving, less edge (a lot less edge), use skidding and shaping for speed control, pole balance drill, some black groomed runs, Peaks 8,9,10, rhythm to use energy from turn to turn, eliminate the ‘flat spot’. Good progress and transition from a ‘defensive’ to ‘offensive’ skiers. Enjoy the warmth in Houston, see you in February maybe. 

Meow, Nick, Linda, Brenda, Charles, Kay, Ray – this was one cold day, but snow good and mountain skiing well. Short radius turns, quick feet, early and positive edge changes, balance, pole plants, alignment, foot to foot pressure, scarving (carving and skidding), finishing the turns for speed control, not squaring up. Thank you Meow and Brenda for chocolates.

Kay, Pam, Joelle, Debbie – ‘long leg/short leg’, lead with the inside half of body, keep skis on snow and pressured, short radius turns. Best runs of the day: three times down the Meadows. Good day ladies, enjoy your two weeks with no instructor ‘harping’ … maybe you will have dreams of icy slick sports or soft powder with small perfect bumps.