snow addict
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Agreed! It makes change of direction easier, faster, but it doesn't generate speed.
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Question: How do people get over the fear of going fast?
- Thread starter Tra262007
- Start date
tinymoose
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Bet you are doing a better job of staying on your edges.
But I thought a straight line/flat skis was fastest?! Or what if I edge one ski and keep the other flat? Best of both worlds? If a small moose at Point A is traveling some unknown speed and another skier, not a small moose, is traveling from Point B towards the lodge, what time is happy hour?
tinymoose
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Sometimes I try to skate into my turns on flatter areas to maintain speed, but it doesn't always work for me (hit and miss) and then I end up just straight up skating. But I'm sure some of my speed issues are a lack of technique and/or fear in slowing myself down too much on steeper stuff. I've tracked myself so far this year and my max speed ever (per the app) this season was 26 mph.
snow addict
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I tracked some stupid number yesterday. But it was so quiet!!!! Skied the hard stuff in the morning and after my friends left I had a blast for another hour on almost empty slopes.
Hjf6
Certified Ski Diva
hey tinymoose, what app are you using for skiing?
I wish there was a Fit Bit for skiing.
volklgirl
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I hit my fastest speed this year on Thursday....37.7 mph. Not my fastest ever, though.
Hehe...it just occurred to me that our local hill added a "speed trap" on the race course this year. I'd love to have them clock me and compare it to my phone's GPS to see just how far off the iPhone is.
Hehe...it just occurred to me that our local hill added a "speed trap" on the race course this year. I'd love to have them clock me and compare it to my phone's GPS to see just how far off the iPhone is.
tinymoose
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I have a Windows Phone and use https://apps.microsoft.com/windows/...ts/e142d77f-4266-44e6-ac4a-4a8bcd28fd52/m/ROW
contesstant
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Having skis that are stable at faster speeds make a huge difference 
BitchHound
Certified Ski Diva
Might as well jump in. Full disclosure; I actually have an MS in Physics. To be honest though I don't do much in the way of mechanics these days. Too painful dredging up all that school stuff from ages ago. Certainly skiing in a straight line down the fall line produces the fastest speed. Racers will always tuck and lay them flat when a straight line presents itself. However, if one must turn to negotiate gates or fellow skiers (snowboarders if you must 
) then carving a turn provides the greatest speed due to the reduced friction. Also an observation I have made is that the faster skiers and racers add speed by pushing off coming out of a carved turn with their legs as they transition to the next turn. They are essentially throwing themselves down hill with this leg thrust. When I race I watch in fascination how the fastest racers do this. Big strong guys just launching themselves from one turn to the next. Crazy fast!
) then carving a turn provides the greatest speed due to the reduced friction. Also an observation I have made is that the faster skiers and racers add speed by pushing off coming out of a carved turn with their legs as they transition to the next turn. They are essentially throwing themselves down hill with this leg thrust. When I race I watch in fascination how the fastest racers do this. Big strong guys just launching themselves from one turn to the next. Crazy fast!
Inoffensive Nickname
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
After my most recent lesson, I realized the way to get over the fear of going fast is to learn to stop. My fear wasn't going fast...it was the fear of not being able to stop while going fast. Going fast is fun.
BitchHound
Certified Ski Diva
That is essentially the crux of the matter. What is considered "fast skiing" for most folks is the maximum speed at which one can reliably and quickly initiate a turn or stop. Skiing beyond that speed feels out of control (literally). Skiing at that speed dividing line is a choice that some enjoy, but others do not. My speed and skill has increased substantially due to attending Race Camp at Red River (New Mexico) nearly every year and doing the little recreational racing with our company team (GS courses). I had an epiphany last year involving edges and the best place to apply pressure for turning and controlling speed. This may just be in my head more than anything, but I feel like I can turn at speed so much easier and under control when I concentrate on applying pressure to the edges more in front of my boot rather than under or behind. This tends to keep my shins engaged with the front of the boot more consistently and places me more over the skis in a balanced position. It just feels like I can apply force so much more effectively with this thought process. I also seem to go way faster. Ran away from our race team (the guys) free skiing a couple of weekends ago (they said stay in front
). It happens.
bounceswoosh
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I have had both. For many years, I was afraid of not being able to stop. I had a fabulous instructor in Sunday River, Maine who insisted that we all stop below him in a line, the same direction he was standing. And he would always stand at the lip of a steeper section, so that we would have to get under control and ski behind him and come to a hockey stop on a steep slope. After doing that for a week, I had gained confidence in stopping on steep (for the time) terrain on both my strong and my weak side.
Nowadays, I restrict speed mostly to avoid a situation where I need to absorb or turn, and I can't. Ungroomed runs and trees. Oh, and to avoid getting my pass pulled by blasting past a Slow sign. They're so picky.
Nowadays, I restrict speed mostly to avoid a situation where I need to absorb or turn, and I can't. Ungroomed runs and trees. Oh, and to avoid getting my pass pulled by blasting past a Slow sign. They're so picky.
contesstant
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Speed is 1) relative to what you are comfortable with and 2) overrated. There is NOTHING wrong with skiing the fast line slow! For me, it's all about learning to be comfortable enough in ANY situation to get down it, no matter how slow or how ridiculous I look 
Now, I DO aspire to improve at all times, but that just takes time on the hill!
That being said, I do like to push myself on terrain I am very comfortable with. Bounceswoosh, we did that same hockey stop drill at Snowbasin in our clinic last week and not only does it help with stopping, it also helps with edging and getting into the right balanced position. It's a great drill!
I did figure out that my 166 Sambas were a whole lot more stable for me than my 159 Black Pearls, and therefore allowed me to go faster than I ever have but it didn't feel fast. So SO FUN! I'm not going to lie, I LOVE pushing the speed envelope when I'm comfortable!
Now, I DO aspire to improve at all times, but that just takes time on the hill!That being said, I do like to push myself on terrain I am very comfortable with. Bounceswoosh, we did that same hockey stop drill at Snowbasin in our clinic last week and not only does it help with stopping, it also helps with edging and getting into the right balanced position. It's a great drill!
I did figure out that my 166 Sambas were a whole lot more stable for me than my 159 Black Pearls, and therefore allowed me to go faster than I ever have but it didn't feel fast. So SO FUN! I'm not going to lie, I LOVE pushing the speed envelope when I'm comfortable!
BitchHound
Certified Ski Diva
Valid reasoning as well that is especially true near the end of the day when the legs no longer have much punch. I tend to be a little more cautious as my legs get tired.
litterbug
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I hear you there!
I wholeheartedly agree with contesstant, but what I think I'm doing is learning to ski the slow line fast, which means more carving through the same line I used to smear and skid through, completing turns and controlling edge angle and turn shape in order to control speed. Now that I'm starting to pick this up I'm able to go much faster, and I love speed, but what keeps me from letting go is years of falling and the fear of hurting myself if I fall at the speeds that I really can handle now.
One thing Stew did last week was to ignore my pleas to stay on less steep terrain, which is how I learned that I can make this work. I think after a few weeks of this I may go back to him just to learn to trust my ability to find and follow the slow line on really steep stuff and bumps, which are still my Kryptonite.
contesstant
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Yes, working on turn shape in ALL terrain, even the easy stuff. I will say things went much better for me at PowMow when the snow was soft as a baby's butt and there were no ice patches to be found! I will also say that despite them being 98 vs. 88 under foot, I wish I had skied the Sambas at Basin because their extra length really was better for me. That, and getting the toe lifts put on my boots made a huge difference!
Dying to get back out on skis again!!!
Dying to get back out on skis again!!!
