I Suck @ Skiing

Just when you think: your skiing well you get the stupid idea of doing some Video. Then after viewing your most magnificant style you realize that you suck at skiing.: I am so that I have decided to post a few pictures of myself to ridicule and humiliate. What a Beater. I wonder if Bowling is the answer?

Don't worry, most of us suck. The devil is in the details. I noticed a dozen details that sucked in my skiing last weekend.

I freakin suck for the first 10 mins then after a few runs I only suck once in a while like when I hit some icy patches or an occasional pile of pow

and i thought it was just me!

i was sucking horribly all weekend at Heavenly and Alpine. I didn't even get into a groove until 1:30 pm on Sunday a few runs before I packed it in.

i chocked it up to my skis.



i was riding my No Ka Ois, which are pretty stiff and may be a tad over my head (I really have to drive the tips and stay alert on 'em). my Mantras and Karmas were getting tuned.

i spent a good part of Sat and early morning Sun kind of floundering on the Winterized Spring conditions, dealing with hardpack and borderline ice and trying to locate the sweet spot (last time I was out on the No Ka's about 3 weeks ago I was loving them, but it was a little cornier then).

anyway, on Sunday I kept dragging myself into the bumps and concentrated on working the stiffies into quick turns. I finally locked into a groove late in the afternoon, plus the snow had softened up a bit.

i find that it usually takes me a 1/2 day to find my groove and figure out the skis I'm riding on and suss out the mountain and conditions.

of course this all varies depending on whether I'm riding solo or with some friends. if i'm solo, it takes longer. if i'm with friends, you gotta "man up", you know?

First thing to keep in mind is that many of the shots that do get on the net are "cherry picked" from sequence photos on cameras that have the auto-drive. In addition to being aware that a camera is on you and that deer in the headlights psychology takes over.

Personally, I'd have been distracted by that hood flappin in the breeze behind my head.

Slider,,, it's always shocking when we see ourselves on video and the picture on the screen doesn't match the World Cup kick ass picture we had in our mind.

So shake it off,,, I like the shots. Your edging skills look good, your carves are clean, your track shows subtle engagement, your fore/aft balance looks good, the amount of counter looks appropriate, you have a nice relaxed athletic stance, hands and upper body are quiet. There's some knee angulation in the first shot but that's not the big deal many would contend it to be, sometimes you need it, and the other 2 shots do not show it. All in all a lot to feel good about.

Play around with more angulation at the hip (leveling the shoulders at the apex) and shortening the inside leg a bit more, which will allow higher edge angles when you desire them. Can't tell from a few shots, don't know if your edge angle threshold is actually greater than what you are displaying, but if it isn't you'd want to work on expanding it, and my above tips would help in that regard.

In your left turns look at your right foot. I think your foot is pronating a bit on your right foot. Is your footbed correct?

Sucking at a higher level

As one of my skiing mentors, Joel Munn, once told me, "Jon, we all suck at skiing. Some just suck at a much higher level."

Jon Law
www.mysnowpro.com/jonathanlawson

Hey if you can ski under control in most conditions and terrain and enjoy yourself you don't suck. In fact that to me means you're an excellent skier.

Now if you want to have beautiful form and have all the experts have nothing to say then that's another story.

How and why do you think you suck? Does it feel good? Who cares how it looks? To me the way it looks to an expert instructor and the help they can give on our form is invaluable, but the value is in giving us the skills to ski more terrain with more control and more fun. Form follows function, not the other way around.

I say if you don't like the way you look then stop looking in the freaking mirror! Now if your looks hurt your ability to have fun in life, then maybe a makeover is in order.

Like Rick says, Slider, those shots look pretty good. I agree on the angulation: The torso could be a bit more upright. But maybe it was in the next pix we can't see???? Typically, folks who look like your pix start their tipping with the body rather than with the feet, but we also can't see exactly how you began these turns.

Oh, and one more thing, you should be smiling more

Hey Slideski: We are OFTEN tuffer on ourselves than on others in term of criticism . I don't see those shots as sucking at all . like others have said lotsa stuff looks ok and perhaps an advanced lesson will help tweak the few technique things that were mentioned by Rick, SMJ and KB

to sum it up Chill pardner u r doin fine bro

Thanks for the pointers and kind words guys. A lesson is in order. I will work on the edge angle threshold Rick. I do enjoy myself SMJ except when I get out of my comfort zone. Going too fast you know. No excuses KB about being the first run of the day but I do get the deer in the headlights in front of a camera. Winterized Spring conditions, I like that dookey67. Guess I'll go beat myself up so more.: Snow headed for the West Coast this weekend.

I was the best skier in my minds eye until the day I went to my 1st hiring clinic almost 20 years ago. And now I get worse every year - the more you know, the worse you ski. Just a fact of life.

Have fun. Always have a focus.

I work hard at improving every time I'm skiing. Always have things to work on, always looking for advice from upper level instructors.

But... I don't get worse and worse, I get better mostly. The only time I feel like I've gotten worse is when the conditions are really bad and I realize how much further I have to go in variable conditions.

Then I just look for shallower pitches to work on things on. It doesn't help your form to ski in stuff that is very steep, you tend to resort to old defensive habits. Work the form and technique on easier terrain, then move it up to the steeper stuff.

I'm trying to slow down in my turns. I spend alot of time on easy runs doing drills,ect. I can ski (make it down) in almost any condition. Carving in it is another story. I noticed for me that a fear of crashing/speed is a big part in holding me back in carvng off-piste Ice/hardpack or steep groomers. I feel like I have the skills just not the balls.: No I don't wear a helmet.

It's hard to figure out the mental/physical line at times. I will do the same thing you mention especially first time on a run. I notice when coming back east from "bigger mountain" conditions I will invariably ski faster and steeps more confidently. Lessons do help in knowing the proper technique and drills, also getting some expert feedback so you don't get hung up on bad habits. So for me, some of it is exposing yourself to those conditions to gain the confidence and some is gaining the skills by exposing your technique to a critical eye.

As snowpro said and as I heard at ESA Aspen - "You suck, you just suck at a high level" And each year I suck at a higher level. I enjoy every ski day and strive to improve. I bet you are a great skier and minor changes as suggested above may make you feel better about your skiing.

We all look worse on video. One instructor (demo team member) looked at her video coming down Highlands bowl (which to me looked nearly perfect) and stated 'boy, have I got a lot to work on'. So get back out there, work on what you or others feel you need and ENJOY.

bumpdad: good posting

Ditto.

On the other hand, have you ever missed a season due to injury? Which is more important, skiing like a god? Or just getting out there?

(I do wear a helmet, though. I look like a dweeb, but I'm past caring if I look like a dweeb. I also wear a fanny pack, boot gloves if it's cold, and mittens. And I wish they still sold one piece outfits.)

There are old pilots and bold pilots, but there are no old bold pilots.

A well developed sense of self preservation is a healthy thing.

Yup, I went to a ski camp a couple weeks ago w/ video analysis. Not only do I suck, but I’m pretty slow. (My wife begs to differ on this, but I looked pretty slow in the video.)



Dookey, sounds like a quiver issue to me (I’m being serious). It used to take me a couple runs on a day w/ different ski than the last to get use to the new ski. I now try to get skis that are designed for similar technique (or at least same pressure pt in the boot) and similar damp/rebound feel. It is kind of like that same concept as a bag of golf clubs. Same sweep with every club. So, I ski the same technique wise and just get long or short turns, better or worse edge hold and more or less float depending on the skis. It now takes me a couple turns to feel balanced and “on” the skis. Something to think about…

slider,

I also like your pics. for the reasons Rick has pointed out. I also agree with Rick on your angulation. Work on keeping your sholders more level by compressing the ribcage on the outside and streaching it on the inside half. This will help move your hips more to the inside and still keep you balanced over your outside ski and hands parallel with the snow. Work on getting a little more vertical difference between your feet (progressivly) to compensate for the pitch of the hill.
Work seperatly (from angluating) on moving your outside hip around with you in the arc of the turn. This will help you be longer and stronger and allign your foot, hip and sholder (more like the top pic.).
Keep on ripping!

RW

Sucking at a Higher Level

This is a very interesting discussion. I just put an article together for my students. I hope you find it interesting.
http://mysnowpro.com/jonathanlawson/...high_level.php

The surest way to success is by doubling your rate of failure.
(paraphrase of Tom Watson, IBM)

Best Regards,
Jon Law
Breckenridge

Personally, having seen you ski, I think your problem is spending too much time turning.

Enlighten by higher powers of authority (PM) I should confess to actually giving up skiing and trying bowling only to find out that I suck at that too(got cut from the try outs) so I have decided to just be a Rockstar and ski the way I always have. Thank-You. PS-I'm starting a new Ski Club. The Bachelor Beaters.

Well look at the bright side - being a bachelor there's always apres-ski

$.01...

hi slider....
Another $.01 of advice...this time from the truely amateur-bench;-) Relax those joints(ankles/knees/hips) and let that inside leg extend during transitions..so that it can engage the ski's outer edge and create that needed smaller arc! Yes, indeed pull it under, however you do need to let it get out from directly under your COM..along with your stance ski, either by crossunder or over if speed is to be controlled. Rick and others mentioned the magic word...angulation. As mentioned, paying attention to any needed/unneeded inclination helps as well.

$.01...

Fish on!

Slider, the only 'sucking' in your skiing is the vacuum created behind you as you Flawlessly carve the **** out of any terrain you're on.

You don't need lessons or advice from lesser skiers, you need more time to enjoy what you do: beautiful skiing.:

Eh, I'd rather bowl than ski like that. At least I'd get to drop my knee.

My brother and I used to help each other with technique ... and we were both only Intermediates. On the lift ride, if he saw someone skiing like me he'd point and say, "The guy in the green hat. You do that with your pole plant."

Even though I didn't know the technical jargon, I'd know if I liked the comparission or not. If "not" I'd know what I wanted to be different. Through trial and error, we got each other to be much better.

Other skiers became our "video" ....

- KK