Carving turns on more difficult terrain

[Kor Kiley]

<I>(Note from the Administrator: This message was originally posted on 1/8/00. Due to our move to new servers, the date and time attributed to this post is incorrect.)</I> <BR> <BR>I'd like to start a discussion on carving turns on terrain that is steep enough to require speed control. I ski in New England at Smugglers Notch Ski area in Vermont. I am able to carve turns quite well when I don't have to worry much about controlling my speed. As we all know, a carved turn doesn't brush off speed the way a skidded turn does. The only effective way to do it is through line. My skis (Atomic Betacarve X 9.18's) have a turn radius of 18 meters. Given the width of the trails I ski on, that turn radius is not sufficiently small to have the room to complete a carved arc. I know I should be able to generate a tighter radius through high edge angle but I find that extremely difficult. Can the average advanced skier really carve turns on steeper terrain? I think that as soon as I start to build speed my instincts of so many years of skidding to control speed take over. I try to increase my edge angle but it doesn't seem to work. I think my ski ends up sliding sideways even though highly edged. Also, the G's are often more than I can withstand. I'm working on keeping my stance leg straighter, but even that doesn't seem to be enough to withstand the g's. <BR> <BR>What are other people's experience and thoughts?

[Admin]

<I>(Note from the Administrator: This message was originally posted on 1/9/00. Due to our move to new servers, the date and time attributed to this post is incorrect.)</I> <BR> <BR>Let's see if you get other responses, but ... <BR> <BR>... finishing turns would seem to be your key. Don't be so anxious to start the next turn, as the further you finish your turn across the fall line, the more speed you'll burn before initiating the next turn and plunging back into the fall line. Speed control does not necessitate skidding. <BR> <BR>However, there are times that you just don't have the opportunity to do this in tight spaces. Consider the hardwood forests of your native Smugglers Notch, for example. If in a tight spot and it's steep, often jump turns, hop turns, etc. are your only reasonable option. Having a full bag of tricks in your quiver of turns is necessary to handle varying conditions in varying locations. A jump turn or hop turn will allow you to maintain control in a 40-degree chute barely a ski length wide. <BR> <BR>Let's see what others might have to say.

[JohnInGolden]

<I>(Note from the Administrator: This message was originally posted on 1/9/00. Due to our move to new servers, the date and time attributed to this post is incorrect.)</I> <BR> <BR>Marc had some great advice in his reply...finishing turns is key to speed control in any type of terrain. There are a couple things you can do to help finish those turns. Keeping the upper body quiet on steep terrain with hard snow will help a lot. Most skiers use cross over of the upper body versus crossing the feet under the body to move from one turn to the next. Cross over is more relaxed and easier...but not effective in these conditions. To get a good visual of cross under watch a slalom race. <BR>To do it, imagine your body on a wire strung from the top to the bottom of the slope. The wire goes right through your bellybutton and is the same height from the snow the whole way down. As you initiate your turn, slowly retract your feet under the body, allowing them to move from the old turn the the new. As the turn progresses, extend your legs, keeping the skis on the snow. As the feet extend from the body, the skis move progressively onto a higher edge. The height of your body from the snow will dictate how much edge you get. Lower to the snow equals more edge. <BR> <BR>Allowing the feet to move under the body, while the body is a constant height from the snow, will help by doing two things. First, the turn will happen much faster. The feet can move quicker than the upper body. Second, keeping the upper body (including your hands) quiet will help the skis stay on their carve. This is similar to bouncing a toy train track. If you bounce the train too much, it'll jump the track. If your upperbody is bouncing around while your carving bulletproof, it'll cause the ski to lose it's edge and you slide sideways (towards those trees!). <BR> <BR>Give it a shot...keep it aggressive in those conditions, and you'll have a lot more fun. Carving down frozen corduroy is possible and can be a blast!

[Kor Kiley]

<I>(Note from the Administrator: This message was originally posted on 1/10/00. Due to our move to new servers, the date and time attributed to this post is incorrect.)</I> <BR> <BR>Thank you Marc and John-in-Golden (is that Golden Co?) for your replys. <BR> <BR>I know about using line to control speed and I was a better than average racer on my high school ski team so I know what your talking about with the cross under business. I'm also quite good at the hop turn, short swing type of turn but I have to say that I can't combine any of these types of turns with carving and conrolling speed through line on steep slopes. Perhaps I'm just not strong or agressive enough. I probably need a private lesson for someone to really analyze my technique. <BR> <BR>In the meantime, I won't give up. I'm going to keep working on it! <BR> <BR>Nice to hear from you too Marc! <BR> <BR>Kor