Month: April 2019

Jose – Dallas (that would be Texas). Focus: how do we get the skis to match (a better question, why do we even teach the wedge), learning to slip, changing direction (pressure one ski more than the other and just see what happens, fun to experiment), tipping to be not so edgy, leg rotation (making a wedge, making an inverted V, steering skis together), bigger radius turns, speed control (friction and shape), relax, balance (think this is the mother load of skiing), how to pressure the skis and when, poles out front (ski through the window), no lazy arms, it’s sinuous (like a dance). Good meeting you and your wife, get some sleep, three months from now you won’t be getting any.

Chloe, Ana, Chantha – UK, Chicago (Romania), D.C. (Vietnam/Cambodia). Some real snow cone snow after about 11:00, but that being said, wasn’t unpleasant skiing. Still working on ‘kicking’ the wedge: hops, matching in the traverse, balance new outside, tip and steer new inside, skiing over the ridge, turns in the mini 1/2 pipe, leg steering, transferring pressure (old outside to new outside), LP ’78 turns, getting balance more forward (actually, getting balance just where it belongs), patience at initiation and finish, skidding/sliding/smearing/shaping, completing the turn, zipper facing the photographer, balance on one ski (uphill then downhill), using less of the slope (maybe only half). Another great day of learning (and teaching), thank you.

Hannah, Reese, Chanta – Virginia, Denver, D.C. Another warm one, a sun screen day for sure, Spring has definitely sprung, that is until Wednesday then four more days of snow. Getting out of the wedge, the dreaded wedge, who invented that anyway: balancing on the new outside ski, rotating skis together (not opposite, aka wedge), tipping to release, sliding and shaping, bigger radius turns, matching in the traverse, matching at initiation, balance, getting the arms out, rhythm helps initiation, speed control, leg rotation (opposite for wedge, together for parallel). Over the top fun, hope skiing will always be in your lives!

Laura – Arkansas & Paris (an interesting combination of abodes). Cloudy all day, some wind, amazing flat light by 2:30pm, like skiing IFR. Focus: get off the hard downhill edge and stay balanced: body alignment, no lazy hands and arms, get ready for the pole touch, hip rotation and translation (crosses the feet at initiation triggered by the pole touch … interesting how all that ties together), hops, more flexion in ankle & knees (Laura, this is your biggest challenge), stork turns, side slips, bigger radius turns, shaping/carving, finishing the turn, rounder turns with less ‘riding the edge’ and more skidding, where to turn on mogul, how to turn on mogul, how not to turn on mogul, staying open to the outside of the turn with hip/shoulders. Thanks for all the food talk, you will learn to be quite an accomplished skier long before I will ever try octopus.

Bryan & Bryan – Oklahoma. Another 50 degree day, snow up high still good, slush at bottom, more of the same for the next four days, then maybe some new snow. Solid level 7 skiing, refinements: balance (where is it, what does it feel like), alignment of skis/knees/hips/shoulders/arms/hands, hip counter, why pole touch/plant, hips crossing over the feet, almost like skating, pressuring the new outside ski, leg rotation (steering), turn completion, staying out of the ‘back seat’, early engagement of new inside edge of new outside ski, equal angles in ankles/knees/waist, more flexion/extension in bumps (absorb, don’t get thrown back). That was a pretty fun afternoon, thank you – good stuff to work on for the next couple of days!

Ashley, Brennan, Chris, Devon, Areila – Philly, Canada, Bay Area. Major warm day, snow went to mush about 2:00pm, but not super mush, still ski able. Focus: getting out of the wedge (how quickly learned, how slowly unlearned): matching during the traverse, how to tip and release the new inside ski, side slips (never easy at first), arms not tucked by side of body, leg steering and how to shape, speed control with friction and direction (aka, turns), how weight distribution changes from foot to foot, forward/backward/downhill/uphill/wedge hops, flexion of ankles/knees/waist (not too much at the waist, let it equal what’s going on at the lower joints). Last run on Chair 5 – well done!

Gregg, Stephanie (Nick and Cooper, kind of, they snowboarders which I know nothing about). Warm overcast day, 1 inch new snow in morning, skiing delightful, no crowds. Huge changes for Stephanie, starting to ‘understand’ and appreciate ski performance … hip alignment, heel/shin foot pressure, staying ‘open’ with hips/upper body/arms, pressuring new outside ski inside edge early (like right away), pole touch and how it initiates the new turn, dumping the ‘pop/twist/scrape’ routine, patience at initiation to enable the the new edges to grip and start to shape, semi-circle turn shape, speed control with grip/friction/completing the turn, long leg/short leg (this for you Gregg), bicycle legs (lets the inside ski work and shape the turn by dropping hips to inside and increasing edge angle. Nick and Cooper first time up T-bar, that was cool, a lot of snow boarders fall off the first time. Thanks for the day and the beer … next year!