Month: December 2019

Latuda – St. Louis. Last day of this year, couldn’t think of a better way to close it out. All skied together most of the day … Horseshoe bowl to start (that was interesting) then lower mountain on bumps rest of day. Alignment, staying open to the turn (hips/upper body, arms), feel the tip engage at transition, flex/extend in the bumps (this almost severed the friendship between Leanne and I), skiing virtual bumps, flex in transition/extend around the apes. Great day guys, good to get some humor, oooh, lots of it.

Heather, Anna, Katie – Leawood, KS. Working on the wedge turns, traverses, how to match the inside ski with tipping to the outside then letting it slide in (tip early), where is balance on the foot, more flex in ankle/knee, less bend at the waist, arms more forward (get the weight where it belong). Three times up Rips Ride, down Trygve’s slope. Enjoy your vacation, Happy New Year!

Garrett – Austin. Killer morning, lots of bumps, felt good to be moving around. -9 at 6:30 but made it to a high of 19, no wind (hate to write that too loud). Bump traverse (this is most useful), dropping tips into troughs, engaging the tip of new outside ski early (like right away), ‘keep the grip’ , grip give a platform on which to balance/extend/pressure, keep some counter to outside of turn, pole touch to initiate, CM crossover, Some off piste (same technique), T-bar, White Crown, done by noon. Great two days Garrett, thank you.

Garrett – Austin, TX. One degree at noon, this was a cold one for sure. Skied all five mountains, found some new challenging snow (maybe the best Upper 4 O’clock or the Meadows), couple breaks, kept moving around the mountain so weather was ‘workable’. Pole touch with hips crossing over the feet, no delay onto the new edges, pressure the inside edge of the new outside ski right at initiation, more even pressure in off piste, position of strength, not letting the downhill outside hand thrust forward at finish, hips facing outside of turn, pivot turns, pivot slips, some bumps (lots more bumps tomorrow), grip – never lose grip (well, maybe 50 milliseconds at transition), shin pressure, where to pressure the foot (front of heel, aft of arch). Lots of turns Garrett, like to see you being aggressive with the shaping and pressure. Happy 50th !!

Tim, Jen, Molly, Shaela – Los Angles, CA. Mom and Dad L5, Molly & Shaela skied before but only once. Review wedge turns and using the wedge to slow, up to the Poma, where is the body in balance, shin to boot pressure, shoulder/knee/toe alignment, less bend at the waist, more shape and skid to the turns (this statement applies to almost everyone), matching the skis in traverse, tipping the new inside ski to aid in matching, not so downhill ski dominate (let the inside ski have some of the fun), speed control with friction and finishing the turn, more dynamic with arms and hands (not so close to the body). Afternoon was frigid but we skied until after 4:00pm, snow all day with maybe 3 inches new. Great progress for all – now put it to practice, practice, practice. Happy New Year.

Shelby, Jack – Redwood City, CA. Shelby first time skier, Jack already a level 4. So cold today, wow, somebody turned the heat off. Gliding wedge, wedge turns, starting to match, leg steering, tipping to release the new inside ski, skidding and shaping, closing the stance, don’t be too quick to twist skis at initiation, patience and more shaping. A good morning guys, have a great vacation, thank you for coming to ski school.

Camryn & Carleign – Harlan, IA. Getting out of the wedge, side slips, skidding with shaping, steering both feet together, shins touching front of boot (stay forward for balance), linking turns with rhythm, using turns to control direction and speed, it’s still ok to use the wedge when it gets steep (this will gradually go away). Colorado Super Chair (first piece of a blue run). The mouse ate part of someone’s hamburger for lunch, hmmm. Great day ladies, you are skiing terrific, more blues on Peak 9 next year.

Grant – Dallas. Remembering how to do the wedge thing then taking it into wedge turns and how to match. Sliding with both skis together, alignment with shoulders/hips/feet, being less edgy/more skiddy, tipping the knee to flatten the ski (getting off the inside edge), speed control with ski/snow friction and turn shaping, staying balanced, being patient with the turns. Good progress this afternoon Grant, hope you ski tomorrow and practice on skidding/slipping. Have fun with the family on this vacation!