Month: January 2021

Paige (NYC), Paul (Boulder), Wyatt (Kansas City), Thomas (Savana). How’s that for diversity of culture. Takes 20 minutes to teach the wedge on your first day of skiing, takes two years (maybe more) to get rid of it … the hard edge and sharp turn is like ‘crack’, you get hooked on it but it’s not doing you any favors. Using more of the ski bottom (not just the edge), sliding produces friction which is a key component of speed control, flatter skis are easier to steer with leg rotation, skiing a tighter line (not using the the whole slope to go back and forth), at initiation tip the skis to the new edges then begin to slide/skid and shape the turn, steer both feet/skis together at the same rate (if the outside ski rotates faster than the new inside ski then low and behold a wedge will result), hockey slides, some pole balance, some hands on knees skiing (gives the feel of being lower and in balance), speed control from friction and turn shape (not from riding the edge or using it as a scraper), how arm position affects balance (up and out you look like a skier, down and low is more of knuckle dragging), hips and upper body turned more down the mountain, big shoulder rotation to be avoided.

Alana & Craig – Oak Brook, Il. Wow, what a day in the history of our country, this one will stick for many years, maybe there is a lesson to learn, maybe we will actually be able to remember it. Focus: get off the hard edge and use more of the ski’s surface, start to appreciate the value of friction, flatter skis to allow skidding and thus shaping with leg steering, steering both feet/skis together, rounder turns (short radius, long radius, doesn’t matter), at initiation tip to the new edges THEN begin to shape, more pressure on the inside ski (maybe 20%, maybe more, sometimes maybe less, but never zero), tipping the new inside ski at initiation to keep it from getting ‘hung up’, patience all the way through the turn (quick or big movements effects balance), shin pressure, pressure distribution on bottom of foot, how to ‘squish’ the bug by creating pressure, arms up and wide, pole balance drill, pole touch (this is a start, more to come on this).

Kindyl (Austin), Ethan (Ft. Wayne), Brenden (Castle Rock). The classic lesson of how to shake the wedge turn, probably taught a few thousand times each day around the skiing world. Match in the transition, little more weight on that uphill ski, how to tip the inside ski to match, tipping to a flatter ski, sliding (this is hard, catching that inside edge of the uphill ski is a booger), sliding and shaping, speed control with friction and completing the turn, big sliding J turns, hockey slides, balance point, arms up and out (why is this such a hard concept to grasp), hands on knees drill (what does it feel like to get lower), pivot turns (even harder than straight line slides), shin pressure, ankle/knee flexion and extension, what to do when going too fast (prayer and colorful words not the answer).

Frank, Leanne, Ar’i’anna, Andrew, Alex – St. Louis. Last day of post Christmas vacation, hate to see you guys go, it’s been a blast. Some bumps at church, dang those are not getting any easier, lateral motion with leg extension, wider arms (this is amazingly difficult to own), not so ‘twisty’ at turn initiation – more tipping first, then steer, no dead spots in finish phase of turn (this is where steering is dominate, so the inside leg needs retraction and the hips open to the outside of the turn, without that, it just doesn’t work to finish that last 5% of the turn), uphill arc, inside leg tipping and flexing, pole plant drill, ‘show the tattoo’. Drive safe … see you in February.

Larry & Andrew – Madison. Focus: carving and arcing, inside leg retraction in conjunction with hip rotation to the outside of the turn, let the hip drop to the inside of the turn which creates more edge angle, solid shin pressure and ankle flexion, not sitting back at finish, solid early edge change and new outside ski pressure, need a tighter turn – more inside leg flexion and more edge angle, arms up and out (this will be a hard lesson to own, too many turns with old arm habits), vertical and sagittal alignment, 360s, bumps, flex & extend to maintain balance, pressure down into the sidewall of the next bump, never lose edge grip, keep both skis on the snow, go slow.

Nick – Los Angles. Level 5, focus: balance, shin pressure, looser boots, ankle flexion, not such high edge angles, how to simultaneous edge change, rounder turns (short radius, long radius), flatter skis, more friction in the turn, shaping at finish with leg steering less twisting of feet/skis at initiation, embrace the fall line (don’t twist through it too quick), ski pressure all the way through the turn, at this level of skiing – being too edgy is not your friend.