Breckenridge Ski Lesson Pictures And Some Food For Thought

Dennis (Cape Cod), Christine (Chicago), Maya (Breckenridge), Ben (Pittsburg). Working with the inside 1/2 of the body, inside leg retraction to increase stability and edge angle, CM crossover to created edge change, hip rotation to align with feet for strength, pressure the inside edge of the new outside ski, new inside ski is the thinker (let it lead the way and start the turn), pole touch for timing and signals the hips to cross over the feet, skidding and sliding and shaping, use friction and turning uphill for speed control, get lower, more even pressure on skis in the powder, pivot turns, too much pressure on the outside ski in the off piste stuff can lead to some interesting results, balance in the moguls, turn on the tops, keep the head at even level, more pivoty in the bumps, skid to adjust line, no need to turn on every mogul – pick the one you like.

Don, Meow, Nick, Brenda, Barbara – reunion of the Friday Club! Now that was a fun day, thanks to all. Snow all day, cold but workable, maybe 8 inches new above tree line, best skiing of the year, hands down. Flex the inside leg – does a lot of good things, hip rotation facing the outside of the turn, body is ‘upside down’ right after transition when the CM cross over the feet, how to get strong, tip then steer, wind up the body spring (this a must to complete the last 15% of the turn), if you square up at turn finish then you are just ‘a square’, strong leg steering throughout the body of the turn, mogul balance, mogul skiing with experimenting retraction of the new inside leg (makes completion of the turn so much easier), snow angels (why not, beats listening to any technical blabber).

What a nice day, one of the best, somebody brought the good weather … need snow, but sun is fun. Jessica (Darien), Kelly (Ft. Collins), Dennis (Cape Cod – you win the farthest distance travelled award), Jenny (NYC – hmm, that could be a toss up about distances travelled). Hockey slides and stops, how the hips wind up (like a spring), the turns are more semi-circular, don’t rush the transition, tip then steer (so important), get lower, pole touch/old outside leg begins to flex/hips cross over the feet/new edges/then begin to steer and shape, less wedge and hard edge, be a ‘go’ skier – not an ‘always trying to stop skier’, vertical and lateral alignment, arm position, pole touch and how it initiates the turn (or finishes the old turn – that could be up for debate), steering with both feet/skis, one ski off drill to steer with the new inside ski, brain and brawn, balance in moguls (lots of flex and extend – keep good ski/snow pressure at all times).

Gina (Breckenridge), Evelyn (Rayleigh), Sarah (Denver). What a nice day, sun, temp just right, a little wind but not much (humm, was that Breckenridge). How to initiate a turn, CM crossing over, let the old downhill leg flex and the old inside leg extend – creates edge angle and lets the body fall to the inside of the new turn, hip rotation (sit in the chair), touched on a pole touch (this needs more attention), pivot turns, side slips, turning tips uphill drill, new inside ski is Brain/new outside ski is Brawn, shin pressure, balance in mogul traverse, no need to turn on every bump, keep both skis on the snow (unless jumping, didn’t do much of that), ski a tight line, hockey slides and stops.

Lynn (Colorado Springs), Stephany (Denver), William (Birmingham), David (Houston). Focus on bumps, black and double black runs, and a few blue runs for drills: where is the balance (arch on foot, shin pressure, athletic position), stabilize the upper body, separation of upper and low body, arms up and wide, initiate the turn with tipping to new edges THEN dial in some steering, what is steering, CM crossing over the feet at initiation facilitating edge change, long leg/short leg, pivot turns, side slips, how to maintain ‘grip’ through transition, completing the last 15% of the turn, hip discipline, hands on knees drill, skis off ‘feel the spring in the core’ drill, skis tips uphill drill, 360 spins, a few trees. Double black bumps on Rustler – that was interesting!

Sam (Arvada), Stephany (Boulder), Sara (Philly), Nikki (Florida). Getting rid of the wedge at turn initiation, learning to slide (one direction always harder than the other), learning to shape a turn with sliding, releasing the edges to a flatter ski, lead the turn with the new inside ski (old outside ski), simultaneous leg rotation, ‘show the tattoo’, stable upper body, hips more down the mountain, let the spring wind up, finishing the turn, hockey slides and stops, skiing steeper slopes with more of a hockey slide type maneuver, no lazy arms!!, pole balance, lower stance is better, position of strength, shin pressure while maintaining good bottom of foot pressure, patience at transition, ok to let the ski come through the fall line in a slower rounder fashion.

Connie (Philadelphia), Kim (Denver), Natalya (Pennsylvania). Black groomer, bumps on Crescendo and Dukes, let the spring wind up, don’t get lazy with the hips, need the ‘spring’ wound to steer the last 15% of the turn for speed control, balance in bumps, turn on every 10th bump, turn on every 5th bump (pretty soon it will be turn on ‘almost’ every bump), hands on knees (the feel of getting lower), no lazy arms, short radius turns (almost pivot), CM crossover, come to the new edges simultaneously, tip then steer (this is a must to get rid of the wedge), AFTER edge change then lead the turn with the new inside ski, be aggressive with the simultaneous steering of both feet/skis.

Connie (Philadelphia). Circular turn shape, getting rid of the wedge at initiation (no easy task, lots of muscle memory to reprogram), side slips, uphill arc with leg steering, friction is a friend (less edge & more bottom of ski), where to pressure the foot and simultaneous shins into front of boot (need both to be in balance), hip alignment with feet, both ends of the spectrum (pivot turns and high speed arcs), tipping both skis to new edges at initiation THEN begin to shape/steer/skid, video, don’t need whole slope to go back and forth – narrow corridor works fine IF more pivoty type turns with strong hockey slide type shaping.