Breckenridge Ski Lesson Pictures And Some Food For Thought

Richard, Justin, Katie, Ashley, Lauren – levels 7-9. Letting the inside 1/2 of the body lead (especially the hips), wider arms (get the hands in position to pole plant, stabilize the upper body), side slips, pivot turns, early edge change (as opposed to early rotation which results in more of a Z turn), shaping with some skidding, pole balance, mono mark tele turns, one ski turns, maintain ski/snow contact all the time, pressure through the apex, flex/extend in bumps. Fun meeting all of you, a most enjoyable day!

Linda, Brenda, Don, Meow, Nick – perfect size class, warm, little wind (don’t think it’s ever zero), mountain skiing good except 6 chair early morning (that was a mistake). Imperial Bowl, Whales, Vertigo, Debs Alley (that would be Death Alley for Meow), White Crown, Rustle, Outlaw … steep terrain with some bumps. Balance, completing each turn, not too twisty in the spine, don’t give up on the ‘inside half’ in the later phase of the turn, flex at turn initiation-extend into the apex, rebalance at turn initiation with ankle/knee flexion. This was a good day … some changes and skiing lots of terrain.

Pam, Donna, Kay, Joelle, Nancy – balance, fear, turn completion, early edge change, how to generate pressure, where to INITIATE on the bump, where to TURN on the bump, speed control, hip counter. Warm, delightful day, better if we had had chocolate, my fault. 

Olive, Paola, Chonge, Chirs, Mitzi, Jenny,  – Crazy 8s. First run right inlto Way Out with fresh tracks, set the tone for the day, all off piste, lots of vertical with untracked and cutup powder, White Crown, Ptarmigan, Boundary Chutes, Whales Tale, Y Chutes, Rustler … hard charge all day … now this is level 8 skiing. Leading with the inside half, holding onto that lead and not squaring up, let the inside hip start to face the outside of the new turn early and above the fall line, keep the hip/knee/foot aligned (both inside and outside side of the body). Truly and amazing day, good times!

Steve & Ellie – Ponte Verde Beach, levels 5 & 7. Ellie: less wedge, more match, some weight on both skis, turn shape and skid … good job, you amaze me skiing black runs and bumps in a semi match/power wedge. Steve: upper/lower body separation, arm and hand position, more ‘counter’ down the mountain (in the direction of the next turn, ‘show the zipper’), less strong edge with more skid and leg steering to produce a rounder turn, speed control from friction and turn shape. Cold and windy but workable, some powder and trees. Enjoy the vacation.

William & Indre – Reston, VA … now this was a cold day … one of Breckenridge’s finest. Looked at picture of arms and hands (more forward and wider), balancing on one ski then both, difference between being edge biased and using a more flatter ski, speed control with friction and shaping, upper/lower body separation, shorter radius turns, keep the hips/shoulders/arms/hands/eye directed more down the mountain. This was a good day for progress … enjoy a taco (and maybe a shot of tequila) at Oscars. 

Josh -NYC. Get balanced, some pressure on both skis, leg steering, PVC pipe demo, eight pounds in each arm, side slips, softer edges, skidding/shaping turns, speed control with friction and turn shape … both feet/skis moving together … chairs 7,5, Colorado Super Chair. Good progress Josh, now go ski some blues on Peak 9, get some good muscle memory and enjoy the day.

Erin – NYC. Well is wasn’t any warmer in the afternoon, ’bout as cold as the morning. Hand/arm position, hips and shoulders facing more down the mountain (it’s called ‘counter’), leg rotation for steering, softer edges for skidding, skidding and shaping (steering) for larger radius turns with increased friction from using more of the ski surface and rounder more ‘C’ shapes, less hard edge and traversing across the slope ‘hoping’ to slow down. Dandy progress, you will remember this day for the mantra changed on how to ski steeper terrain and maintain balance, control speed and not get thigh muscle fatigue. I maybe learned as much about New York and living in Manhattan as you did about skiing. Enjoy Ullr Fest.