Month: February 2020

Tom & Patricia: Irving, TX. Think I opened a door for your skiing today, now it’s time to practice many thousands of turns, slips, hockey slides, hops, big radius, short radius, don’t get in a rut, as many different ‘things’ you can do with your skis the more accomplished the skills. A cold day, several breaks, some hot chocolate, inside tech session on how to release and steer. Focus and drills: tipping the new inside ski to release (so it doesn’t get hung up in a wedge), leg steering, skidding (this is so important), releasing (tipping, whatever works for you to call it) both skis together (this is ‘neutral buoyancy’), sequence: release, start to pressure the new outside ski (weight shift), start to steer both skis together, most of weight on outside ski (maybe 70% or so), skid the skis to shape the turn (don’t be too edgy, lower edge angle), stay lower, feel pressure of shins on front of boots, flex both legs (don’t be ‘bracey’ on the outside ski with too straight of a leg), hopping finds the balance stance, flatter skis have more friction and are easier to steer/shape/skid. OK, that should be enough to work on tomorrow. Great day, pleasure meeting you two and having some laughs along with the teaching and experimenting with new technique. Happy diving. Next year, ok? Cheers.

Sunday Club: Kay, Catharine, Don, Tina. Tons of powder, another 8 inches of light and fluffy last night, such a different animal compared to last Friday. Focus: can we make the commitment of simultaneous edge change with hips crossing over the skis (upside down) when the snow gets deep and the terrain gets steep. Answer: ‘sometimes yes, sometimes no’. Short radius turns (almost pivot), slice the tomato, strong torque, don’t tolerate just standing on the edged ski and watching the world go by. Contest bowl, Rustler, Pica, Ptarmigan (even the top rocky part was good today), 4 O’clock, chocolate for lunch. Today some of the best skiing of the year … well done to all, challenging terrain while trying to think technique … my god, if this got any more difficult they would call it golf.

Saturday Club: Brenda, Don, Sophie, Terry, Ernie, Kari. Nice day, windy (of course) but not that uncomfortable, lots of ‘snow devils’ whirling about. Serious crowds today, wow, I70 tonight will not be fun. Focus: powder skiing (more like cut up, set up, better buck up snow), video, the clean transition to both new edges SIMULTANEOUSLY continues to be a goal, pressuring the skis around the turn, never losing ‘greeeppp’, not squaring up (how many times has that cropped up in these posts, won’t be the last time), aggression, don’t hang on to the turn too long, actually look at ski tips during the ‘float’ to see them transition and steer into the new turn (cant’ believe I’m actually saying to look at your skis, oh well, why not). Most challenging skiing today, well done group! Rustler was hard, huh? We are not through with that run. Take care in the next two weeks off.

Friday Club: Ernie, Phil, Bob, Terry, Terry, Gina, Sophie, Don (always seems to be odd with the instructor). Powder day! 19 inches new, heavy, this stuff was tough until it got some tracks in it, not a day like this in quite a few years. Focus: alignment (balance), staying forward, clean release, shin pressure, does the pole touch really initiate the turn (don’t think so), patience, more rotary (but can’t over do it), more even pressure on both skis (but not 50/50), DON’T sit back, DON’T lift the new inside ski, DON’T over pressure the outside ski. Challenging day – so much fun!

Thursday Club: Laurel, Rebecca, Mitzi, Vicki, Chongie. Tons of snow, all day, cold but workable, lots of wind, only one place to be = trees. Lots of trees today, Bong Alley, American trees, High A, Springmeier tree, Dukes trees, Peerless trees … and, Inferno and Mine Shaft. Some hot chocolate with whip cream about 2:30, was that ever good. Focus: short radius turns, hockey slides/stops on steep bumps, pole plant, bicycle legs, synchro  turns with 360s (this will take some practice but it’s doable). Good tree skiing ladies, lots of fun stuff in there (and a few rocks just to keep us honest).

Sunday Club: Kay, Catharine, Lisa, Annette, Tina. Warmest day yet (I think), pleasant, just about right, snow devils swirling around the upper mountain, beautiful. Focus: unleashing the new inside ski – aka, clean release, then steering and shaping, carving (yes for sure even though there is skidding, not to be confused with just riding the rails and arcing), more hockey slides and stops, some trees, narrow corridor, skis off how to commit, uphill arcs, flexing the inside leg with hip rotation to facilitate steering and completing the turn. Whales, Y-shoots, Deb’s Alley, few drills on Peak 7, skiing the rope line on Peak 6, Intuition Bowl. Lots of encouragement and helpful coaching within the group, so fun to be a part of such dedication and enthusiasm! Maybe post a few pictures tomorrow.

Saturday Club: Meow, Brenda, Don, Sophie, Gina, Terry, Kari. A most pleasant day (with the exception of top peak 6 … well, even that was not so harsh). Focus: inside leg everything – tipping, steering, flexing, pressuring … it’s the brain, us it to shape the turn, don’t get hung up on making the outside leg do all the work, it’s the strength but not all that smart, uphill arcs, divergent uphill arcs, super charged uphill arcs, inside leg steering and how it relates to hockey stops, inside leg steering and how it relates to short radius turns, inside leg steering and how it relates to every turn! Peak 7 and 6 – Rustler at day’s end might have been the best snow. Cheers, terrific day!