This SKI
LESSON comes
to us from 13 year old Jordan Fitzgerald, one of the
skiers in our Skiing for Kids DVD
Note: In the illustration above, you can see the
skier's left hand is driving forward to keep
pressure on the outside (downhill) ski throughout
the turn.
When making medium
radius turns, in the fall line, try driving your
downhill hand (the one that is coming around the
outside of each turn) down the hill as you arc
through the turn. When you are executing this arm
movement correctly you will immediately feel your
downhill ski hook up better and stabilize the turn
as your downhill ski carves with more pressure on
it's inside edge.
PUSH YOUR DOWNHILL ARM
FORWARD THROUGH THE TURN, WHILE AVOIDING BRINGING
THE ARM ACROSS THE BODY.
Remember to hold your
arms high and wide, with elbows up, as you do this
drill. For a visual on this technique you can see
Jordan doing this maneuver in our
Skiing for Kids Trailer at
1:25 into the clip.
To keep track of
everything you should be doing with your upper and
lower body, during a single turn on skis, can be a
daunting task. You know your arms should remain wide
apart, up high, and in your peripheral vision and
that you should flex your ankles into each turn. In
addition, you are thinking about keeping your
shoulders squared off and parallel to the fall line
angle, while you face down the hill. Next, you do
not want to forget to plant your pole at the end of
each turn, with it occurring out by the tip of your
ski. Finally, you must make sure you are driving
your hip and shoulder toward the inside of the turn,
as you point your knee (in the turn direction) to
create more edge angle. If you are like me, you do
some of these things correctly and some
not-so-correctly.
SKI
LESSON: Turning on one ski,
while cruising down a moderate and nicely groomed
slope can really help you assess your strong and
weak movements. As you are turning left and right on
the same leg make note of what is happening. Is it
easier to turn one way, but much more difficult to
turn in the other direction? Can you do this
exercise more easily on one leg as compared with the
other one? Are you able to carve the turn to your
good side, while only skidding the next one on your
bad side? Do you feel centered over the ski in one
turn and more on the back of your skis in the next?
If the answer to
any of these questions is yes, start to dissect
individual components of the turn while skiing on
one leg. For example, suppose you can make a nice
turn to the right, yet barely complete one to the
left on the same leg. To solve this problem compare
your ankle flex during both turns. You should feel
equal pressure on your shin, from the tongue of your
ski boot, in both a left turn and a right turn. If
not, you may need to reach out with your pole plant
and drive your ankle forward in the weak side turn,
to stay centered on your ski and get it up on edge
and carving. Feel what your hips and shoulders do
during your good side turn. Mimic this good-side
movement on your bad side.
Are your arms forward and
in your field of vision in both directions?
Are your skis carving in
both directions?
Are you centered over your
ski in both turn directions?
It takes 200 turns on each
leg to completely absorb the benefits of this
drill. To get to 200 turns per leg may take
several outings; be patient.
Go back and apply what you
learned about your body position to normal
skiing.
Repeat the one-legged
drill from time to time, as a technique checkup.
Follow this link to watch
a talented 10 year old skiing on one leg during
the video. You do not need to take one ski off
to do this drill. Just hold one ski off the snow
a bit so it does not interfere with skiing on
one leg.
http://www.weekendwarriorsguide.com/vidpage4.htm
Remember, only try this exercise on an easy groomed run and
never ski beyond your ability. Skiing is dangerous
and can result in injury or even death. Be careful
and always wear a helmet.
This subtle turning technique is
used by expert skiers to make effortless
turns in all conditions without any apparent
weight transfer from ski to ski. The other
thing you will notice about expert skiers
using this turn technique is their uncanny
ability to make beautiful turns in both
directions.
SKILESSON: The dynamics of an effortless
turn reside in your ability to do a few
things simultaneously. Fortunately this is
much easier to practice than it may be to
explain. To help you get this concept of
shifting to a flat foot, I want you to
imagine you are just finishing a right turn
on skis. The weight is on your left ski as
you begin to stand up and transition out of
the right turn. At this point, take the
weight off your left ski and transition it
to the right ski as you apply muscle force
with your right leg. At this same instant,
push your right foot flat in your ski boot
and point your knees in the direction of the
new turn. You know you are doing this
correctly when you feel pressure under the
arch of your foot each time you flatten it.
I realize this paragraph may be difficult to
understand, so instead of re-reading it I
suggest you keep reading and this next
paragraph will clarify the concept.
Learning this subtle weight
shift and flattening of the foot can be done
right in your living room. Begin by finding
a pair of running shoes, Birkenstocks, or
other shoes with a significant arch pad in
the insole. Street shoes probably will not
work for this exercise. Before we proceed, I
want to warn you to be careful when doing
this exercise, because the potential does
exist to put excessive pressure on your
knees. With your feet unable to glide or
move it can create more pressure than doing
this exercise on skis, especially if you
were to stumble or fall during the
exercise. Do not attempt this exercise if
you have any medical problems with your
knees. With that said, let’s learn this
subtle shift to a flat foot.
Grab your ski poles and head for
the living room. To position yourself, stand
with your feet about 5 inches apart and your
ankles flexed forward to create a slight
bend at the knee. Use your ski poles for
support by placing them wide and out in
front of your feet by about ten inches.
Place all your weight on your left foot as
you slowly push your knees a bit more
forward and point them to the right. Hold
this position and press your left foot flat
until you feel the pressure under your arch.
Remember to keep all of your weight on your
left foot throughout this part of the
exercise using your right foot only to
maintain balance. Next you are going to
shift your weight to your right foot. To do
this straighten your legs, lift your left
heel slightly (very important) and step
down on your right foot as you bend your
knees forward again, pointing them to the
left. Hold this position with all your
weight now on your right foot while you
press your right foot flat. Do you feel the
pressure under your right arch? When
performing this exercise correctly it will
develop enough pressure under the arch of
the foot to create minor discomfort.
On the other hand, if you are
having trouble feeling pressure under the
arch of your weighted foot, you may want to
try taping a 1” x 1” piece of foam about a
1/4” thick under the arch pad of your shoe
insole. This will help you feel the pressure
under your arch when you weight and flatten
your foot.
If you still can’t feel
significant pressure under your arch, most
likely one of two things is wrong. First,
you may not be pointing your knees far
enough in the direction of the un-weighted
foot. This is important in that if you can
not create pressure under your arch in this
exercise, then you also will not be creating
enough pressure on the inside edge of your
ski as you attempt to carve turns on the
snow. As you point your knees to one side or
the other during this exercise, discontinue
it immediately if you feel even slight
discomfort.
Figure 8.3 Shift Weight and
Flatten Foot.
The foot
on the right has been flattened out to
facilitate transferring pressure to the
edge of the weighted ski. This is
accomplished by transferring your weight
onto one foot and then pointing your
knees in the direction of the
un-weighted foot. The ball is compressed
by the foot that has been flattened.
If pointing your knees more failed to
increase pressure under your arch, your
problem may be caused by the shape of your
foot. If it varies much from the norm you
simply may not be able to develop the
desired pressure under your arch without the
aid of custom footbeds. To remedy this
situation you need to see a foot
professional about getting custom footbeds
(for more on this see chapter 23 titled
Correct Alignment is First). Don’t
forget to take the foam out of your shoes
after doing this exercise.
For a moment imagine you are
back on the slopes and ready to practice the
SSFF (Subtle Shift to Flat foot). As you
complete a ski turn, stand up on both skis
and slightly lift the heel of your
previously weighted downhill ski, while
transferring your weight to the other ski.
Immediately flatten your weighted foot to
help develop pressure on the inside edge of
your newly weighted ski. Feel the pressure
under your arch. Now, and I mean right now,
apply CPCPU! Remember, C = Compress by
driving your knees forward, P = Point you
knees in the direction you want to turn, CP
= apply Continuous Pressure through to the
end of the turn, and U = stand Up riding
equally weighted flat skis, positioned to
begin the next turn. Congratulations! You
just added the Subtle Shift and Flat Foot to
CPCPU.
Think of creating carved turns
as a very fluid and continuous motion. As
you practice the SSFF weight shift exercise
at home, concentrate on making it a rhythmic
and continuous movement from the left foot
to the right foot. Repetition is a good
thing, so practice this secret to
creating a carved turn (SSFF) many
times, and then practice some more. It is
helpful to measure your progress in writing.
To do this we suggest you decide on the
number of times you will practice this drill
at home. After you have decided on a number,
write it down, and keep a log until you have
reached the desired number of practice
sequences.
We suggest doing between 50 and
100 repetitions of this dry land practice
sequence before you take it to the snow. It
takes time to create the mental and physical
side of the engram for this movement, so we
also suggest you do this in sets of 10 or
15. There are several advantages to chunking
it out in smaller sets. It gives you time
to absorb it into your mind between sets,
and it helps you avoid straining any body
parts by doing too many repetitions in one
session. Doing one of these dry land
training sets per day is appropriate. Be
sure to do it in slow motion so you will not
leave out any steps.
This is the most important dry
land training you will do in this book. It
is going to create the mental memory portion
of your “basic carved turn” engram. If you
feel you are unable to do this exercise
physically, it can still be memorized using
the bed time visualization method described
on page 22. Developing the CPCPU
turn using the Subtle Shift to Flat Foot
weight transfer technique will prepare you
for learning the advanced RAT turn
techniques discussed later in this book. The
RAT (Relaxed Aggressive Turn) contains the
final three elements needed to complete your
advanced turn repertoire.
Be aware that this dry land
practice drill is isometric in nature
requiring that you flex and hold some
muscles in specific positions for up to
twenty to thirty seconds per sequence. If
this begins to fatigue you, reduce your
number of repetitions per set, as necessary,
to allow you to do it correctly without
losing focus due to muscle strain. If you
feel any discomfort in your knees, reduce
the force you are exerting during the Pointing
phase. If discomfort lasts for any length of
time discontinue this dry land exercise.
DRY LAND PRACTICE DRILL: CPCPU
with Subtle Shift to Flat Foot
Stand
with your feet 5 – 7 inches apart
and place your ski poles ten inches
in front of you. Make sure the poles
are also about 8 inches wider than
your body on each side.
While
supporting yourself with your ski
poles, bend your knees comfortably
forward.
Lift
your left heel slightly, and apply
most of your weight to the right
foot.
Push
your right foot flat as you point
your knees to the left.
Continue to apply forward pressure
to the inside arch of your right
foot.
Use
your leg muscles to keep your knees
driving forward and to the left, and
to exert pressure on the arch of
the right foot for at least 3
seconds
Next
stand Up straight and apply equal
weight to both legs.
Start
the sequence again by bending you
knees comfortably forward.
Now
lift your right heel slightly, and
apply most of your weight to the
left foot.
Push
your left foot flat as you point
your knees to the right.
Continue to apply forward pressure
to the inside arch of your left
foot.
Use
your left leg to keep your knees
driving forward and to the right for
3 seconds. Then, stand up straight.
This
completes two turns, one to the
left, followed by one to the right.
Finally, create a log and track your
progress as discussed on page 60.
DISCONTINUE THIS EXERCISE IF YOU
FEEL ANY DISCOMFORT.
Keep your Feet
Together and Move the Legs in Unison.
Look Ahead to
Proactively Ski Moguls.
Ski in the Ruts
as a Beginning Technique.
Absorb, then
Extend (It’s the secret.)
Use a Special
Pole Plant in the Moguls.
1. Apply the Basic
Fundamentals of Skiing
It is no surprise that all good mogul skiers stay in
control. They have mastered the fundamental skills
necessary to ski moguls. For most experts, this is
accomplished by utilizing a formal approach to
learning their sport, with a strong focus on the
basics such as hand position, body position, and
lower body action.
2. Keep Your Feet
Together and Move the Legs in Unison
In
the moguls your feet, legs, and skis need to work
together doing things in the same place at the same
time. Events happen fast here, and a narrow stance
is a huge advantage when applying mogul skiing
technique. For example, a wider stance can put you
in the awkward situation of having one ski high on
the side of a bump, while the other ski is down in
the rut.
3. Look Ahead to
Proactively Ski Moguls
Moguls are not a uniform set of formations that are
predictable. In fact, it is just the opposite, as
bumps are getting more irregular, rutted, and
chopped off every year. This is all the more reason
for you to be looking ahead; not just down in front
of your skis. Looking ahead a few rows in the moguls
gives your mind time to process information about
what is coming, and send this data to your muscles.
Then, your body has the time to make adjustments for
the changing landscape in front of you.
Figure 15.2 Eyes Look Ahead Three to Five
Rows. This allows
the skier to adjust for changes in the mogul
shapes before hitting them. Looking ahead keeps
the head up and helps maintain an erect stance.
4.
Ski in the Ruts as a Beginning Technique
Right after we explain how you ski the
ruts, and you learn to do it, then we want you to
stop doing it. That sounds like a waste of time, but
it’s not. Think of starting in the ruts as a way to
easily become comfortable with moguls before you
move on to carving turns anywhere but in the ruts.
Let’s set a goal of making controlled turns straight
down the fall line without expending huge amounts of
energy. The big deal here is to control your speed,
and everything else will fall into place. Speed
control is the ticket that will get you ripping
through the moguls faster and faster, if you so
desire. Just remember, faster skiing in the bumps
requires an incredible amount of practice at
slower speeds.
5. Absorb, then
Extend (It’s the Secret)
Knowing the ins and outs of absorbing and extending
will allow you to master the advanced mogul
techniques of making turns on the sides and tops of
moguls which we will be discussing later on in this
chapter. Being able to use a combination of these
turns will make you an expert bump skier. The
absorb/extend technique requires that you absorb the
bump as you make a hard edge set (check turn) to
scrub speed on the front side of the mogul, and then
extend your legs down the back side, dropping your
ski tips to match the contour of the snow. If you’re
not getting enough extension, correct it by driving
your hips forward as illustrated in Figure 15.6 on
the following page.
Figure 15.6 Hip Projection. After coming
over the top of the bump the hips are pushed
forward, the legs are extended, and the ski tips
are dropped down to maintain contact with the
snow. Point the toes down as the hips drive
forward. It’s a bit of ballet!
Moving your own body mass back and forth
across your skis is a major breakthrough in the game
of carving turns. But alas, the great majority is
afraid of this movement on skis and never achieves
it because they are reluctant to become human
metronomes. If you ever took piano lessons as a
child you know what I am referring to when I say
metronome. It is the mechanical device that makes
repeated clicking sounds as its single arm swings
back and forth marking rhythm for you.Think of this single arm as you and the base
it is attached to as your skis. As this arm (or in
this case you) swings back and forth across your
skis, you are actually moving your body mass from
turn to turn.
Figure 10.1Think of Yourself as a
Human Metronome:
The skier above swings back and forth across
their skis like the metronome arm swings back
and forth across its base. The skier transfers
body mass from side to side using lateral hip
movements to help edge the skis.
When ski instructors talkabout moving
your body mass they are referring to the movement of
the center or core of your body. This center is
composed of your hips, buttocks, and abdomen. The
movement of your body mass from side to side is
often referred to as the crossover maneuver.
This area of your body is very efficient at
supplying the movements needed to create quality
turns.
SKI
LESSON: To visualize your body core in action,
imagine your hips are trapped in a long box that is
only about as thick as you are front to back, but
extends out from each of your sides by three feet.
In other words your hips are now trapped in a big
rectangular box. Next imagine your hips can only
move from side to side in the box, or to put it
another way the hips can only slide laterally back
and forth inside this box. Figure 10.2 will help you
visualize this sliding action.
Figure 10.2 Hip Slides in a Box.Sliding the hips
from side to side shifts your body mass across
your skis from the inside of one turn to the
inside of the next turn. This is also referred
to as the crossover move. There is some up and
down movement of the hips because the legs are
elongating at the end of a turn and bending or
compressing into and through the turn. BE
SURE TO KEEP YOUR SHOULDERS LEVEL AND BOTH ARMS
AT THE SAME HEIGHT. IF YOU DROP YOUR SHOULDER
INTO THE TURN YOU WILL TRANSFER WEIGHT TO YOUR
INSIDE SKI AND BECOME LESS ABLE TO CONTROL THE
TURN. DO YOU FEEL YOURSELF CATCHING YOUR INSIDE
EDGE IN A TURN OCCASIONALLY? IF SO, YOU ARE
PROBABLY DROPPING A SHOULDER DURING THE TURN.
For a
more complete
understanding of the relationship
between the hips, knees, and legs, in a carved turn,
take a moment to read the excerpt from our book called Basics
of the Carved Turn. The
illustration in this section shows you how to create
a carved turn using the CPCPU method. You do this by
keeping pressure on the imaginary springs (connected
between your knees and the tips of your skis)
throughout the entire turn with the most pressure
coming at the end of your turn. This is called the
Continuous Push phase of CPCPU. The reason you need
to keep pushing through the turn is your skis are
pushing back with force. If you do not keep driving
your ankles and knees forward during the entire
turn, your skis will want to skid the last half of
the turn and you will lose some control over the
terrain. Keeping pressure on the front of your
skis, throughout the turn, allows you to more easily
side your hips toward the inside of the turn.
This is because a correctly carving ski provides a
more solid foundation to push against than a
skidding ski.
To really drive home this point about
the hips moving from side to side, as you turn, I
want you to try a neat on-snow drill that will
quickly let you feel the correct hip position in the
turn. I call this drill the “Disco Nights Move.” It
gets its name from the famous dance sequence in the
movie Saturday Night Fever. During a dance
scene, the star of the film has his hips swinging
back and forth as he points to the sky with one arm
and carries his other arm near or on his hip. I hope
you know what I am talking about here because you
will be using a move very similar to this on the
snow to develop a feel for hip placement during the
turn. The only difference being you will be pointing
your arm more straight out, rather than up toward
the sky.
SKI LESSON: For this drill, put your poles aside and
find a gentle, groomed run. Begin by making a series
of medium size turns placing your hand on the hip
over your downhill or outside ski during every turn.
While this is happening take your other arm and
point it toward the inside of the turn at about the
height of your shoulder. Switch arms every time you
start a new turn. It’s like this; when you are
turning to the right your left hand is on your left
hip, and when you are turning to the left your right
hand is on your right hip. This switching of the
arms automatically makes your hips slide from side
to side. Excellent!
As a warm-up to the on-snow drill try
this move right in your living room and you will
immediately feel your hips move side to side as you
switch arms. Your hips always slide in the
direction you are pointing. To ensure your hips
move laterally, point your arm at a slight upward
angle and with some enthusiasm. Bend your knees a
bit, and let your body adjust so your feet don’t
move as you switch hands on the hips and point to
the other side with your arm.
Disco Nights Move On-Snow Drill
Pick a gentle
groomed slope, and put your poles aside.
To begin,
traverse across the hill with your downhill
hand on your hip and your uphill arm
pointing up the hill.
Do this
several times while traversing in both
directions.
Now ski down
the gentle slope making turns using this arm
and hand position. Be sure to change
hand positions between each turn, and always
point to the inside of the turn.
In between
each turn stand up as you reverse the
position of your arms.
Compress into
the next turn keeping your hand on your hip,
and your opposite arm pointing to the
inside of the turn.
TIP:
Be sure to switch the hand on hip-arm point
position during the UP phase of the turn. See
figure 10.3. Did I make that point three times?
Oh well, repetition is good.
Racers practice this drill, so don’t
feel silly as you do it. I did promise in the
beginning of this book I would not make you look
silly doing on-snow exercises, but this is the one
exception because you will benefit tremendously from
this exercise.
Figure 10.3 Disco Nights Move:
During each turn the skier points to the inside
of the turn, while keeping the outside hand on
the hip. Stand tall on your skis and switch
hands between every turn.
You will remember we talked about every turn
creating force that tries to push your legs back to
the straight up or natural position. The amount of
force that is generated is directly related to your
speed and the pitch of the slope. The idea here is
to be aware that this force is always present and
pushing back at you in the turns. This is great
because you can use this force to stand up at the
end of the turn and slide your hips laterally from
the inside of your current downhill ski to the
inside of your new downhill ski to initiate the next
turn. Say what? Sentences like that last one are a
bit disconcerting in that they always make turning
on skis sound so difficult. Think of body mass
movement like this:
Edge aggressively through the
turn.
At the end of the turn, stand up
and slide your hips in the direction of the next
turn.
If you are finishing a right
turn, slide your hips to the left.
Coming out of a left turn, slide
your hips to the right.
You guessed it: Your hips are
sliding in the direction of the turn.
If you would
like to know exactly what it feels like to be in a
perfect ski stance try the following exercise.
Figure 27.1Ski Stance Simulation
Exercise on a Balance Board.
To start, relax and
place arms in the beach ball position, then flex
ankles, next center hips over feet, followed by
rounding out the lower back, and last, tip upper
body slightly forward while relaxing shoulders. When
movements are completed correctly, in the above
sequence, the balance board will remain level
without the edges touching the floor.
After you read these tips and our book, you may hear a
familiar ring, discovering that their advice sounds
similar to much of the information put forth in our
book. However, the interesting point is that none of
these experts had read the book prior to offering their
tip.
These tips come from a group of skiers that are masters
in their chosen area. They are instructors, competitors,
coaches, and champions. Believe them, and you will
shorten your learning curve.
1. When skiing the
glades, focus your attention on the gaps between the
trees, not the trees you’re skiing around and between.
By concentrating on the open areas, you look ahead and
find the clean line through the maze. Eyes lead our
bodies, and where they go, we follow.
Stuart Andrews, coach and freestyle competitor
2. Mogul fields
are a series of large troughs and bumps. Too often the
skier looks for a path or line that consists of going
from one trough or “hole” to the next. Next time, think
of looking for the surface area of the mogul that gives
you the smoothest place to complete a quick short turn.
It can be on the front side, or back of the bump; and is
often the opposite of the trough. Each turn is different
so it will take a lot of practice applying the correct
amount of pressure to the skis for each turn on each
surface. By doing this you can direct your skis and
control where you turn. So next time look down the hill
and stay out of the holes!
Bill Campbell, American Pro Skiing Grand Prix
Champion
3. Believe it:
Everyone has bad days, and to break out of a bad day go
back to the basics. Tell yourself to reach for the tip
of your ski or the top of the mogul by flicking your
pole plant to start or initiate your turn, and apply
more pressure to the downhill ski.
4. If Robert Frost
were alive today, he might advise skiers to choose the
line less traveled, especially on powder days. Even at
Steamboat Springs, one of the premier powder/tree skiing
areas in the world with an abundance of expert skiers
and riders, I’m amazed how much untracked snow can be
found by being a little creative. For example, if you
choose a line that is at a somewhat different angle to
the obvious one that most people take, instead of
constantly turning through the tracks of other skiers
and riders, you barely notice their tracks as you cross
them once and forget them. I’ve always chosen the line
less skied, and it has made all the difference.
5.Don’t be
lazy with your hands. Although it may seem unnatural to
continuously hold your hands high and in front of you
(roughly chest level), it will allow you to keep a quiet
upper body while maintaining a forward and balanced
position during the turn. If your hands are in this
position and your arms are relaxed with a slight bend;
you are now in the driver’s seat. Grab the steering
wheel with elbows out and your palms facing each other,
and ski great!
6. Most people are
locked up below the fall line; never learning to ski
both above and below it in a single turn. Whether you
are accelerating or decelerating, you need to learn to
do it above the fall line. To do this, you make the
first half of your turn skiing into the fall line and
the second half of your turn skiing away from the fall
line. You must learn to put pressure on the new carving
edge above the fall line, and carry it all the way
through the complete turn. When you do this correctly it
will result in a round carved turn, with you dictating
your speed and rhythm. (Authors’ note: This is probably
the single most important point made about carving
turns, but because it is a difficult concept to grasp
please see “A Weekend Warrior’s Guide to Expert Skiing”,
chapter 12 pages 88-90, for a complete explanation of
skiing above and below the fall line.)
Dan Kurdy, racer,
mogul competitor, film star
It is critical to
get your skis on edge as early as possible in the turn.
You must begin turning well before entering the fall
line: See section A above. Most intermediate skiers only
put their skis on edge during the second half of the
turn (B above), resulting in far less control.
7. When
asked by the author to contribute a skiing tip for this
book, different ideas came to mind. Should I talk about
keeping your hands up, ankle and knee flex, angulation,
or staying centered on your skis? Then it came to me.
None of it is going to help you if you’re not physically
strong enough to execute the drills or skiing techniques
taught in these pages. I’m not trying to say you need to
become a gym rat, but you need to be in decent shape.
Skiing is a power sport and runs don’t last that long.
You
need to be explosive in order to hit the moguls hard and
not be knocked down, throw your skis out to the side and
make a turn, or to set a hard edge to get over a patch
of ice. You must be enough of an athlete to control your
body as well as your equipment. So, by all means read
and learn from this book. Just get off the couch and
get yourself in skiing condition before you hit the
mountain. It will make your skiing experience more
rewarding and more importantly help prevent injury.
John Zuck,
freestyle team director, mogul competitor
“Tips
from the Experts” is a reprint from: A
Weekend Warrior’s Guide to Expert Skiin
When you travel to unfamiliar resorts, there are a few
things to consider before you step into your skis and
head aimlessly and blissfully (at least in the
beginning) out to the lifts. You may be facing a new set
of challenges that can have a less than positive outcome
on your skiing.
The first of which is altitude. If you are
traveling to the Alps or the Rocky Mountains for the
first time, and especially Colorado, you will probably
be skiing at a much higher elevation than usual. Our
secret to dealing with higher altitudes is to slow down,
drink more fluids, get a good night’s sleep, and (if
possible) arrive one day early in order to become more
accustomed to the thin air and recover from jet lag or
long hours in a car. This can be your shopping day.
Pacing yourself at altitude is a wise
decision. Start the ski day with easy warm-up runs, and
generally try to take a more relaxed approach to your
skiing. If you plan to take on a more difficult section
of the mountain, or to ski a popular off-piste run that
you must hike to, delay these efforts until you have
been at the area for two days if possible. This will
give your body time to acclimate as you go to higher
altitudes during the day, and then sleep at a lower
altitude during the night. In most cases, you will
benefit from easy skiing the first two days, and then
you can increase your activity level for the rest of
your vacation.
Once at the mountain, inquire at the
information desk about going on a guided mountain tour
led by host skiers. This is the fastest way to get to
know the mountain, and discover some of the local’s
favorite runs or powder caches. A mountain host can
also tell you what lifts to avoid right after lunch,
where the best on-mountain restaurants are located, the
names of the Après skiing hot spots, and most important
of all; where to find the best snow. In addition, you
should study the area map, and spend a few minutes to
develop a basic understanding of the mountain’s layout.
One final thought; before you leave home do
a quick inspection of your equipment. Start by
inspecting your ski bases for gouges or edge damage, and
if necessary take this opportunity to have your skis
tuned. However, wait until you arrive at the resort to
have your skis waxed for the current conditions. Next,
look at your boots and be sure to inspect them for
broken buckles and cracks in the plastic. Lastly, check
out your poles, making sure you have no cuts on the
shafts. A significant cut into the shaft of a composite
pole could cause it to break.
If you are flying to a destination resort,
versus driving, you need not bring your skis or poles.
It is much easier to rent skis and poles when you
arrive. This assures you receive skis that have been
freshly tuned and are ready to go. It can help to know
the tip, tail, and waist dimensions of your current
skis, along with the name and model, so that you can
rent a similar ski. If you feel the rental ski just
isn’t working for you, simply return them and get a
different model of ski. Always bring your boots from
home.
If you live in the United States, skiing
Europe can be less expensive than spending the same
amount of time enjoying one of the fabulous North
American resorts. You can also do it without checking
any luggage. We know because we have traveled this way,
while remaining fashionably dressed (sort of).
One way to save a tremendous amount of money is to rent
apartments by the week. This is easily done on the
internet. But, to assure you get a nice, clean place try
to strike up a relationship with the owners or manager
and always ask for pictures. Most landlords speak some
English or live with someone that knows it. While there
are some rental processes that are a bit trying,
landlords want your business and will work with you so
don't get too annoyed by minor obstacles. Working with
an established agency usually makes this endeavor a
pretty palatable process and it can be 65-75% less
expensive than hotels..
To enjoy a low cost ski vacation in Europe,
you need to pick one of the lesser known resort areas,
but believe me, these can still be amazing resorts on a
huge scale when compared to U.S. ski areas. A favorite
of mine is the Monte Rosa area in the Italian Alps. From
one little village you can access three connected ski
areas, comprised of 35 lifts and 18 on-mountain
restaurants. It is still a local’s area and sees little
visitation from people living outside of Europe.
However, after the 2006 Winter Olympics that is
changing, so get there soon. Now, be forewarned; this
region may not be your cup of tea as the night life is
virtually non-existent, shopping is limited, and it is
relatively remote. On the up side, the people are
extremely friendly, the local food and wine is
delicious, and the skiing is mind boggling. The Monte
Rosa area provides spectacular views of the Alps,
including the Matterhorn.
In the winter of 2006 we left home and
headed for the Alps, carrying only a small backpack and
one other small bag with a shoulder strap. Our ski
vacation lasted 16 days, yet we did not check any
luggage. Our attire consisted of jeans and upper
garments made of hi-tech fabric that could be used for
skiing and casual, everyday dress. We all wore our ski
jackets, and our small carry-on bags held our ski boots
(never leave home without them). The backpacks had our
clothing, helmets (filled with underwear), and goggles.
You will need to stuff your gloves and other essentials
in your boots. I also took a break-down boot dryer, cell
phone, ski tuning kit, and a journal to write in. What
else do you need? We skied at six resorts and we always
had everything we needed. It is such a freeing
experience to travel without checking your baggage, and
adds to the convenience of using local transportation to
get around the different countries. We never rented
cars, and only took taxis when absolutely necessary.
Using the local transportation is easy, and at the most
only requires you know a few sayings in the local
language. Where is the train or bus station? Where do I
buy tickets? Do you speak English?
English is quickly becoming the universal
language of Europe, and every time we go, it seems many
more people speak it than when we lasted visited the
continent. But, just in case, you should also know how
to order food, beer, and wine. Being able to ask for the
location of nearest water closet is important.
The Matterhorn, from Zermatt, with Chairlift
in Foreground.
Other essentials include phrase books,
footwear with removable insoles, and perhaps a metric
conversion chart. To make sure I haven’t forgotten any
other important points, I have created the following
list of thoughts on traveling to Europe on a ski
vacation. It is the last list in the book, and I hope it
will be useful to you.
1)You will be renting your skis, so know the type
of ski you prefer and the tip, tail, and waist
measurements of your skis you left at home.
2)Write down your DIN settings from the heel and
toe pieces of your bindings. The DIN setting is usually
a number between 1 and 12 that indicates the release
force necessary to release you from the binding before
you are injured.
3)Know your weight in kilograms, you pole length in
centimeters, and your ski length in centimeters.
4)Check your rental skis before you leave the shop.
If they are not tuned and waxed, demand another pair or
go to another shop.
5)Avoid Randonee (Alpine Touring) bindings unless
you know what they are and have used them before.
6)At ski areas in Europe you are responsible for
your own well- being.
7)Once off-piste, but still in bounds, cliffs and
obstacles are not marked, and you are on your own. If
you get hurt you will probably have no legal recourse,
even if you think the area was at fault.
8)Never explore off-piste terrain without a guide.
Guide fees in Europe are relatively inexpensive for a
day, and the experience is well worth it.
9)Stay at nearby apartments. Your can reserve them
over the internet, but do your homework to assure you
find a unit that is clean, reasonably priced, and in the
right location as it relates to ski shuttles and buses.
10)Most of the countries with ski areas in the Alps
have transportation systems that work great and are very
inexpensive.
11)In the Alps, there is a saying about extreme
off-piste skiing: You only fall once.
12)Many times you will not be required to sign any
kind of liability release to heli-ski or go off-piste
with a guide. But, by the same token, the guide will not
baby sit you. You can get hurt or die while skiing
off-piste in Europe. The guides typically will ski a day
with you on-piste, before they agree to take you
off-trail. Don’t go with guides that do not offer this
skill assessment day.
13)Be in excellent physical shape before you arrive
at a European ski resort. Many are at high altitudes,
and the vertical rise of the resorts in the Alps is far
greater than in America. You can expect a single run to
exceed five or six thousand vertical feet. That can be
as much as five times longer than the average run in the
United States. This is no big deal unless you are at the
top of the mountain when it is time to make the last run
of the day. Instead of one tiring run, you will be
facing the equivalent of four or five runs to finish the
day.
14)Do research on local customs. For instance, in
Italy, restaurants and shops are rarely open from 12:00
to 2:00 each afternoon. This is especially true in the
smaller villages, and we found that in Gressoney Saint
Jean some shops rotated the days they were open. You can
not always depend on everything being open Monday
through Friday.
15)Mailing letters and postcards can be tricky. The
main difficulty will be determining the correct amount
of postage for each.
16)Mostly, wine by the carafe is very tasty, making
it possible to spread out your purchases of wine by the
bottle.
17)Ski smart. When off-piste in the Alps, it is very
easy to get trapped by dead-end canyons and cliffs after
skiing several thousand vertical feet. The walk back up
can be difficult and long.
18)Expect to have a fabulous time skiing in Europe,
and the more planning and research you do before you go
will pay huge dividends toward the enjoyment of the
trip. Going with friends that speak the language of your
host country is a big plus.
19)Off-Piste = Off the Groomed Runs.
For More Information on
Vacationing in Europe Go Here
“Skiing
In Europe” is a reprint from: A
Weekend Warrior’s Guide to Expert Skiing
To start this section I am providing you with a laundry
list of turning problems; some of which we all
experience from time to time. These problems are
typically caused by an array of skier issues ranging
from a technical flaw to being a misaligned skier, with
a plethora of other causes in between. Yet, everything
on this list can also be caused by a single problem: POORLY TUNED SKIS.
1)Difficulty in starting turns.
2)Catching edges frequently.
3)Skis skid and wander instead of running straight.
4)Skis won’t hold an edge on ice.
5)Difficulty holding a consistent arc through the
turn.
6)Skis are slow, and seem to stick to the snow.
7)Yours friends leave you behind on cat tracks.
Informal surveys conducted at major U.S. ski
resorts suggest that at any given time, nearly 70% of
the skiers have poorly tuned skis. I am guessing that
explains why so many skiers are controlled by the
terrain they are skiing over, instead of the other way
around. But, why not keep your skis tuned?
Some skiers actually avoid tuning their skis
because they think it will make them go too fast.
Another group of non-tuners think it isn’t necessary
because the skis are new, or were tuned in the last
three or four months. Isn’t tuning your skis once a year
enough? No, it is a nightly ritual for expert skiers,
and it only takes five minutes.
If you tune your skis each time before you
ski, you will always ski better. Tuning your skis
this frequently sounds like it can be time consuming and
expensive, but that is not the case. If the area where
you ski is having a decent snow year, you probably only
need to take your skis to the shop a few times each
year. For the rest of the season, you can tune your skis
at home in a few minutes, and they will stay in
top-notch shape. However, this is dependent on two
variables. First, you need to tune your bases correctly
to avoid ending up with a ski that is even worse than
before you started. Second, you should make a conscious
effort to avoid rocks when skiing.
Making sure you start with skis that are
perfectly tuned is essential, and is precisely why you
should take them to a ski or tuning shop for the initial
base and edge setup. While at the shop, take time to
have a pre-tune conversation with the person that will
be working on your skis. The shop technician will begin
by checking the flatness of your ski base. If the base
is convex or concave, the technician will machine grind
your skis flat (only a flat ski turns easily and
correctly). Then, through a cooperative effort, the two
of you need to decide about tip and tail dulling, edge
bevel, base structure, and the type of wax. There may
also be talk of preparing your skis specifically for
today’s snow conditions. Let’s take each of these
discussion points and explore them one at a time.
For the general skiing public, dulling of
the tips and tails is a thing of the past, as dulling
died when shape skis arrived. Shape skis only need to be
detuned in the rarest of situations now, unless you want
to dull the first few inches of the tips and tails for
safety reasons. This may save you from a facial or other
laceration if you windmill down the slopes with your
skis flying around you.
The only other time detuning will be
required is if you have the old style skis. For these,
dull the tips and tails back only to the start of the
ski’s running surface when pressed flat. To determine
this, simply put the ski on a hard, level counter top or
floor and press it flat and hold it there. Note where
the edges near the tip and tail no longer touch the
surface under the ski base, and have your skis dulled
from that point out to the end of the tip and the tail.
Next, you want to decide on an edge bevel
appropriate for you. This will include deciding on a
base edge bevel and a side edge bevel. This is where
honesty is the best policy. Confess to the ski
technician your true ability as a skier, and they will
set up your edge bevels accordingly. A base edge bevel
typically ranges from 2-degrees down to .5-degrees for
expert skiers. If you are an intermediate skier you will
want to choose a base bevel around 1-degree, but not
less.
With that decided, it is time to make a
decision about the side edge bevel. This is an easy
choice, as for almost all recreational skiers a 1-degree
side bevel will work just fine. Hard core racers,
traveling at high speeds on icy courses, can require as
much as a 3-degree side bevel. Don’t even think about
it. After you have agreed on some bevel numbers write
them down and tuck them safely away. Many shops will
place a small sticker on your skis with your bevel
numbers written on it.
Figure 26.1 Cut Away View of Ski:showing base-edge
bevel and side-edge bevel.
Structuring your skis involves using a stone
grinder that puts a pattern on the base. It can be
thought of as a very shallow design that is cut or
scraped into the base of your ski. You must tip the base
toward the light just to see the faint pattern imposed
on the ski. A design that is tight with few spaces
between the ridges works best in dry snow, while a wider
spaced pattern will work nicely in wet snow. Generally
speaking, structuring a ski’s base enables it to channel
water crystals to the sides and tail of the ski,
resulting in a much faster ski. Structured bases also
are more resistant to small impacts without scratching,
and it prepares the ski to more readily accept wax.
As a final step in the tuning process, many
shops apply a universal wax by quickly passing the base
of your ski through a hot-wax machine. It is debatable
as to whether or not this type of application actually
bonds the wax to your base. More likely, in most cases
it just sticks on top of your bases and wears off during
the day, and most certainly it will be gone in several
days. Actually, this does not matter in my way of
thinking. I have a more esoteric viewpoint of the whole
waxing game. A good wax job matters most at the
beginning of your ski day. Here’s why; if your skis are
waxed they initiate into the turn more easily, glide
down the cat tracks faster, and allow you to generally
feel freer on your skis because less friction exists
between your skis and the snow. Your skis just feel
lighter when properly waxed. This gives a great start to
your ski day. Who cares if the wax wears off half way
through the day? My rhythm has been established early,
as I started the day feeling light on my skis and melted
snow with some “smokin” turns.
The key is to make sure your skis are ready to go every
morning you ski. The edges may only need a touch up, and
smearing any amount of wax on your skis is better than
nothing. Now imagine there was a method to tune your
skis that actually gave you a great result and prepped
your skis for the day in just five to ten minutes.
You’re in luck, for just such a tune exists, and it will
help your skiing immensely if you are not tuning
regularly. This is a tune you can do at home on a
regular basis, and it will help your shop tune last a
long time.
Five
Minute Tune (It’s more like a touch-up.)
This is really only a touch-up you will
be doing to your ski bases, and it requires very few
special tools. You will need a bar of universal wax, a
few stout rubber bands, a file, and a cork. You can get
all your tuning supplies at a ski or tune shop. In
addition, it is helpful to have a ski vise, but not
necessary. Without the vise you will need to be creative
and devise a way to secure your ski so you can work on
it without injuring yourself. I have successfully
touched up my skis in many hotel rooms without a vise,
and without damage to the room or myself. Not everyone
has been as careful as I have, and today many hotels do
not allow skis in the room. But, we are now seeing the
development of tuning rooms in the common areas of
lodging establishments. I always ask about this when I
make a reservation. Touching up your skis at home or
away is easy. The following six steps tell you how to do
the five minute touch up on your ski bases, and doing it
will make your skiing more enjoyable instantly.
1)Clean any dirt, tree pitch, grease or other
debris off the bases of your skis.
2)Secure your ski brakes in the up position with
your stout rubber bands. Use one band per brake by
capturing one brake arm and then stretching the band
over your ski top and around the other brake arm. This
will keep the brakes clear of your edges so you can work
on them.
3)Lightly run a file along the side
edge and this will remove any burrs. Try to hold the
file at the same angle as the edge bevel. Remember to do
this in only one direction, just cleaning off any burrs
you may have pick up while skiing. You are not trying to
reset your edge bevel; you are trying to preserve it. Be
gentle.
4)Next, take your block of universal wax and rub it
up and down your ski until you can see a haze of wax
coating the entire ski base. Put on just enough to
create a haze, and do not allow any depth of wax to
build up on the ski base.
5)With cork in hand, initially rub the wax into the
base with swirl motions. The wax should form small
circle shapes the entire length of the ski. Do these
circular rubbing motions tip to tail twice, exerting a
fair amount of force on the cork. BE CAREFUL – If your
hand slips you can receive a nasty cut from your ski
edge.
6)To complete the tune-up rub the wax into the base
using only a back and forth motion, so that the wax
takes on a linear pattern running the length of the ski.
TIP:
Your skis should be stored at room temperature overnight
to ensure the bases are warm before you hand wax your
skis
Professional Tuners may question the
validity of this touch-up, but I can tell you from
personal experience that it works. A nightly touch up
always allows me to start the morning feeling light on
my skis, and with a good glide. If you want to improve
on the five minute tune, you can keep a variety of waxes
on hand and pick the wax best suited to the day’s snow
temperature.
Figure 26.2 Ski Base with Edge Burrs:
The circular detail
shows a ski edge with burrs. The side and base edge
of a ski should always meet in a clean and sharp
continuous line, running the length of the ski. A
properly sharpened edge feels perfectly smooth to
the touch. Check for burrs by running a finger along
the edge for the entire length of the ski. Ski edges
can be very sharp: be careful not to cut through the
skin.
Ten Minute Tune
This is more than a touch-up; it is more like a
quick-tune or a mini-tune. Try to quick-tune your skis
every 5 – 7 times you ski, and on the other days you can
fill in with the five minute touch up. You will use the
same tools from the five minute tune, with the addition
of a side edge beveler, a gummi stone, and a medium grit
diamond stone. If you purchase a file guide instead of a
beveler be sure to get the one that duplicates the side
edge bevel you received when the professionals tuned
your skis. Remember, you wrote it down and hid it.
Start by repeating steps one and two of the
five minute tune and then move on to side-edge beveling.
This is best done in a ski vise, and it is really nice
to have one that holds your ski on edge, as well as with
the base facing up. Another nice addition to your tuning
tool kit is a planer that will take away any excess
plastic on the ski sidewall that might be getting in
your way as you file your side edge. The step by step
outline of the ten minute tune is as follows:
1)Place your skis in a vise and secure your brakes
in the up position. Clean the dirt and debris off your
bases.
2)Take out your handy side edge beveler and place a
file in it. Be sure to purchase your file from a ski
tool supplier, or at a ski shop. The hardware store
variety is too soft. Position your ski upright on its
edge in the vise. This provides the best access to your
side edges when filing them. Only touch up your side
edges, and always leave the base edge beveling to the
professionals.
3)As you work on your side edges, bring the beveler
toward you in short pulls. To do this keep your arms
extended in front of you and back up as you work down
the length of the ski. It doesn’t matter which way you
work down the ski, but don’t go both directions when
filing. Pick either tip to tail, or tail to tip and
stick with it. Don’t over file your edges. It helps to
color the edge using a black marker before you begin,
and quit filing after the black is no longer visible.
Note that files only cut in one direction.
4)For this step you will use your diamond stone.
Wet the stone with water and place it in your file
guide. Run it gently along the side edge to remove any
roughness left by the file. A diamond stone is none
directional so you can run it back and forth along the
edge. Polishing off your edges will only take a few
passes.
5)Finish your edge preparation by gently running
your gummi stone along the edge one time to remove any
small burrs.
6)Wax your skis following steps four through six in
the five minute touch-up.
Don’t hesitate to search out more
information on ski tuning. At the master level, ski
tuning is a precise and complex undertaking. It involves
a multi-step process designed to make skis carve more
precisely, and go as fast as possible. If you are
interested in learning this process check with a
specialty tune shop and they will give you information
on how to start becoming an expert tuner yourself.
To start this process, you will want to add
one tool to your kit immediately. Purchase a true bar to
determine if your ski bases are flat. When a true bar is
laid across the ski base, no light can be seen between
the base and the bar if your ski is flat. To get an
accurate assessment, hold the ski on your shoulder, base
up, with the tail pointing toward a light source. If you
see light seeping between the bar and the base, you have
a concave or railed ski. If you see light above the
edges, but no light in the middle area of the base, you
have a convex ski.
Either base condition causes your skis to
turn poorly. When you skis are concave you will be
catching edges, and the ski will be more difficult to
turn quickly (too much edge contact with the snow). It
will also resist directional changes. A convex base
makes your skis swim about, and it is difficult to hold
the ski on edge through a carved turn (not enough edge
contact with the snow). Checking the flatness of your
base occasionally will help you avoid either situation.
If you keep your skis in good shape, but discover you
have concave or convex base, it is an easy fix. Your
local shop can grind them flat for a reasonable fee,
which may include sharpening your edges and a wax job.
Reprint from the book: A Weekend Warrior's Guide to Expert Skiing
