A-frame problem

Airria, simplyfast saw what jumped out at me.  In your most recent video you're driving your outside hand/arm across you body as you finish your turns.  It's causing rotation and interupting your flow from turn to turn.  Looks like you've been running gates again, and that reach across clearing move we talked about way back when snuck back into your freeskiing.

Take a few runs focusing on keeping your shoulders square to the falline as you go through your transitions, as though your constantly preparing yourself to tackle someone standing at the bottom of the hill. 

Just like Rich said, just go and do the right way already.
Anyhow you don't have to worry about the backseat problem, cause once you lean correctly towards the outside ski and load it up with all your weight, it will disappear. But be cautious cause many skier believe that they lean towards the outside ski, but in actuality bend at the hips forward only (feels more comfortable I guess).
Thus your weight is not loaded ideal on your outside ski, but merely on the shovel of both skis and guess what, yeah you will again wander off towards your inside ski by the time you reach the exit of the turn.
Keep standing infront of the mirror. (Maybe not such a bad thing after all that your Atomic's broke). And stand tall while you do that, on and off the snow.

Well there is a lot more to say about that run only. After you have corrected your stance at home and on the slope you'll have to stop moving that slow, my grandma is probably faster than you.
What I mean by saying that is that you have to also get away from "park and riding" the skis. You either start progressively to bend your knees towards the apex and then you start working toward an extension again coming out of the apex. Just keep in mind that there is always work to do and as a racer you have to seek speed, therefore work. Find your rhythm and start pulling it together.
In a simple stubby course like that you have to try to ski a tighter and more precise line. And if you say you are timid by the big gates which is normal then start to shadow the course at first, enter when you are comfortable and in rhythm and get out of it again if you are not sure. But that should help you eventually to blast through them with ease.
I guess that will keep you busy for a while. Good luck.

Video for fun this time

That camera works well.  Fun video.  Everything looks good from that vantage point.  Nice one hand clears in the combinations. 

soon I travel to Norway..If anyone has some tricks tips or hints to make a better movie after watching my last vid.. Let me know guys :D

What they said.  Two other things to consider:

- There was a lot of discussion about alignment, I don't remember what the net of all that was.  I forget which boots you're in...consider trying something else, just for laughs.  Last year, I was doing a little A-framing, too.  Mostly pilot error, but just for the hell of it, I decided to cant my cuffs way out, kind of the way Benni Raich does.  All the way out was too radical, so I dialed it back in some to where I'm not A-framing and I'm getting a clean hook-up on both edges.

- Everything you're doing is on SL skis.  I'm a big believer in getting out on a big ski at least once a week...something like a 201 SG is usually pretty good.  Go find some flat terrain and make some turns in both a low and high tuck.  This is a drill that you can look at on the USSA Fundamentals 2 DVD, which I highly recommend.  We did this drill in my L1 coaching clinic, and it really helps with a number of things, such as but not limited to helping to eliminate all the "up" movement everyone has noticed in your skiing, keeping both skis tracking cleanly on the edges, and using only the appropriate amount of edge and pressure to carve turns.  Remember, there are no style points in racing, only what the clock says...

Only the last two, the helmetcam video's, show me skiing on my current boots. What are some Nordica's Dobbermann 130's... And the last vid is on GS ski's btw ;-).


I'll try your drill next week!

Quote: If you're looking for feedback on your skiing then helmet cams are almost useless.
For other shots, try to fill most of the camera frame with the skier, you I presume. That will require zooming in and out. When the zoom gets too close in, stay with the feet/legs until you can zoom out more.
Whether you fill most of the frame or not with the skier depends on if you want to show some terrain also. This is a choice you get to make.
If the skier is coming at you down the hill, you can zoom in to get the size you want and sometimes not pan left and right. That way the skier's turns will go from one side of the frame to the other. (Sometimes it might require very small amounts of panning). This can look good and prevents viewers from getting that sick feeling from a shaky camera. It also let's one see turn shape. That technique is a choice to make also.

One of the most difficult things to do is to try and convey pitch of the hill. It's not always even a factor, but to do it you usually have to shoot from the side, definitely not up the hill. When shooting from the side and panning -following the skier, keep the frame level as opposed to parallel to the slope. By level I mean like a carpenter's level. Holding it parallel to slope will flatten the view out.

There's no one way to do it, but at lest let people get a good look at the skier.
Have fun!

So went to norway, took some great shots! Only forgot to take shots on my GS... Well have fun! Let me know what you think of the technical shots(although it is only like 30 seconds in the whole vid ;-) )


Edited by Airria - 2/24/10 at 9:12am

I actually think this is the first video where I can be seen with my current boots...Think the a-framing is gone by far. Let me know what you think guys ;-)

I've been watching your thread since last year and I don't want to comment on any specifics, but you have made such a marked improvement since your original video I wanted to say, well done, your work is paying off.  I am kind of curious your age (or age range), to show more that you don't have to be 18 to get technically better or alter your skiing style.

I would think you may want to try getting out of race style and a little more relaxed in your free skiing now that you have made such strides in your race technique.  Not stopping what you are doing but a little more variety as you have been working so hard on improving the one area of your skiing, standing a little taller and relaxing, going out just to have some fun, will keep you well rounded on the slopes. You may already do this and just not post video of it as it does not pertain to this thread.

My age? Tjah, i'm 19 y/o currently. At the first video I was 17. But I'm not a racer, I'm a recreational slalom skier. I can really feel difference between me and the FIS racers, those guys are irritated for there whole weekend if they got second one a race..I don't want that! All I do is just for fun. Of the 2 times I ski in a week (2 times 4hours) I ski slalom for 3 hours, the rest is just free skiing. And skiing slalom can actually be a form of teamplay though you race by yourself! Put the gates up together, try to go faster together, try to improve together. Doing this together doesn't mean you have to beat your friends. Do it together just for fun!

What I would like to show people is that slalom doesn't always mean you have to beat your teammate. But it can also be an other way of skiing just for fun. The guy beating me at 2;55 in my last video was born in 1942, and training with 'young' guys just cause he still likes to ski slalom.

You can see it as driving a porsche round a race track... You can do it for fun, you don't need to drive the racetrack cause you need to beat some other guy.

Racing slalom doens't have to be for competition. Also it doesn't have to be just for young guys. Skiing slalom and technical improvement is for anyone! And remember, improving can be a more fun and interesting way of skiing. Ask youself the question how many times you went freeskiing and went skiing on one ski just for fun? It's really a fun excersise and if it helps you technical improve..why shouldn't you do it?

Aah so you are a youngster.  Still very nice to see the postings in a continuous format to see the progress.  Funny I used 18 and that was your age.  I do know many older skiers can learn and improve also.  My comment on free skiing is merely a suggestion to play with all styles.  As an instructor the free skiing was something that was encouraged by many directors (a try not to be demo skiing all the time). 

You are doing very well, keep it up and I'll keep enjoying your videos of your improvement.

I agree!  I love training & skiing SL & I rarely race.  It is another element of skiing that keeps it interesting & fun.  It is a great way to provide challenge on an otherwise un-interesting hill.

As for the A-frame, I would say it is gone.

JF

You took the words off my fingertips.

I'd say the progress has been quite impressive. Nice work, Airria!