Breckenridge Ski Lesson Pictures And Some Food For Thought

Morning: Jeff … Ohio … level 7/8 (the east does crank out good skier – that one could get me in trouble). Big focus – hip alignment to create the platform for independent leg steering – and, less edge, more skid and shape, check speed at top of mogul, steer inside ski to it’s new edge (the outside ski will follow), hands and pole touch. Great morning Jeff … think the light bulb is starting to glow with what skiing can really be.

 

Afternoon: Will, James and Charlie … New Jersey … the video game crew (and baseball, soccer, basketball and who knows what else). Sometimes room clean (sometimes not), sometimes fighting amoung brothers (sometimes not). Big focus – less wedge and more matching. Get the hands up, face more down the mountain, ok to go a little faster, slide with both skis parallel, don’t turn so quick (patience), hockey stops, hockey slow downs, hockey slides. Everyone will sleep good tonight … fun afternoon guys, thanks for letting me give you some changes.

Neil and Lisa, the British invasion. Level 7, solid fundamentals, definitely lessons lurking in the past. What another cold day … but no worries, the wind was only 20 knots or so. Tea and hot chocolate at 11:00AM put a warm spin on the morning. Focus: traverse on uphill ski, upper body alignment with skis, hand position, hip counter, pressure on inside ski, inside ski working and leading the turn, turn completion, leg steering from the stable hips, turn initiation with new inside ski. You Brits are hardy lot … and fun, thx for a good morning!

Andy, Tony, Tara – the gang from south Florida. Cold morning, 10F or so to start, 5 inches new snow, good snow and good for you. Level 5/6, focus on more pressure both feet, initiate turn with new inside ski, elbows in front of spine/6 to 8 inches from body/hands wider than elbows/hands about chest high/downhill hand low and back/uphill hand higher and ahead, all this hand stuff facilitates keeping the hips open to the turn allowing freedom of leg steering, ‘show the photographer the jacket zipper’, keep both skis on the snow during turn initiation, steer the skis together (eliminate the wedge). Sounds complicated but not really … pick one thing at a time to play with during a run (or even all day), cherish the small victories … it’s a journey with lots of fun along the way. Thank you for the morning – enjoy spring break!

Morning

: Steve, Dawn and Max – what a diverse morning, early start (8:30am), hard charge until 12:30pm, sunny day in the morning, not too cold, good snow – just a great morning of skiing. Horseshoe bowl, powder on Upper 4O’clock, some bumps on Crescendo (not to fret, they will make more sense as each year goes by … it’s just a journey, no destination), ridge line off Imperial lift, some stuff on Peak 7. Focus: pressure management was main thrust of the morning, good pressure at turn apex, don’t hang onto it too long, side slips on downhill then uphill ski, shuffle turns, one ski turns, Javeline turns, a few trees. Probably a thousand turns in two days … thank you for letting me be a part of your family for just a little slice of time … this skiing thing is a common thread we share.

Afternoon: Margo … starting to tap into your humor lady, it’s fun. Begin a level 2, end at level 3 (skiing down a green slope with wedge turns). This a most memorable afternoon for both of us, don’t know who was happier. Speed control with turn direction, take it slow, soft legs, enjoy the experience of skiing. I like this picture of three generations … how does that happen in just the blink of an eye. You are now a skier! Most proud of you.

Snowing like crazy, this is good! A good 6 inches on Upper 4O’clock – now that was fun. Solid all mountain skiers: Dawn, Max and Steve – focus on ‘position of strength’, upper body alignment (hands and hips), more pressure on the inside ski, initiate turn with:

1. release pressure on the old downhill ski,

2. transition (center of mass begins to cross over the skis and new edgies begin to engage,

3. weight, tip and steer the new inside ski (the new outside ski will always follow),

slow beginning of turn to allow ‘things’ to happen, turn shape is circular, complete the last 10% of turn for speed control (must have some hip counter to make this happen), a little roll in the back and shoulders to bring center of mass forward, skis hip width apart (not letting skis ‘collapse’ at bottom of turn. A productive and fun morning, thank you.

Margo, level 2, working on relaxing and having flatter skis to facilitate direction change. Slower breathing, lower heart rate, think pleasant thoughts, go with the skis, use direction change to control speed … being edgie with stiff legs just not meant for those from Oklahoma. Thank you for sharing some details about your family, I enjoyed our afternoon.

The escapees from Norht Carolina: Brad, Mike, Todd. Terrific day, snow, wind, not too cold, 5 minutes of sun, at least 5 inches new snow. Level 7 working on upper body position (more countered to facilitate steering), hands more out in front and introduction to pole touch, inside ski release and tipping at turn initiation, more pressure on inside ski throughout turn, keep both skis ‘grounded’ (ALWAYS), speed control with turn completion vs. outside ski edge pushing. Vail tomorrow, rip it up. Moonshine this summer, one hit for me. Thank you for being willing students … good changes!

MORNING: Rachael, level6/7, cold morning with crunchy snow. Core position, counter with the hips, hands not lazy, more pressure on inside ski (let it work), initiate turn with tipping new inside ski, more shaping, skid with less edge. Toured Peak 8 and Peak 9 – great progress, eager student – thank you for the laughs!

AFTERNOON: Katie and Carthic, snowing hard, a bit warmer than morning – level 1. Wedge glides and change ups, slowing with a wedge. Up Rips Ride to the Poma, one run down with wedge turns. Katie turned on to skiing … Carthic still in the ‘to be determined’ catagory. A good afternoon, a pleasure meeting both of you.