@Jilly @Skisailor - You guys said that my tracks were evidence of blended turns. I realize that I inferred what that means, but I'm not actually sure. Does a "blended" turn mean there are some elements of carving and some elements of slipping/smearing? And if so, does that mean I am doing *some* of the things necessary for carving? I am wondering if it's just a matter of trust.
I was chatting with someone today and remembered one time I definitely did carve, one turn, but it was an important one. We were skiing an "in between" area with breakable crust, and when I did my usual thing, I would end up shooting sideways across the hill with little control. In fact, I nearly hit a boulder. So my instructor told me I had to carve. Just trust the turn, don't rush it, allow it to develop. And I did, and it terrified me to just let it happen without pushing anything, but after that turn, which felt very long indeed, I looked up - and there was a clearly delineated line, just like someone had taken a compass to the snow.
I would not have been able to trust the arc on a steeper slope, and it's not like breakable crust develops on mellow runs where you can easily practice it. So that was a rare opportunity. Once I'm comfortable using my knee in trickier terrain, I hope I'll be able to work on it some more. Er. I just realized this is an incredibly strong argument for practicing when it's *not* that kind of clutch situation.
