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Help Needed: About to Give Up
- Thread starter SallyCat
- Start date
mustski
Angel Diva
That's all I have available at our local bump for most of the season. That's why I decided to work on that this year. Good to know that some edge is necessary. If I am understanding this right, speed is controlled by frequent short turns and low edge angle. I am still doing that "bouncy ball thing" that Bob Barnes shows in his videos about COM. Is that correct?
santacruz skier
Angel Diva
mustski
Angel Diva
We plan to. We are hitting CO in March and are planning Mammoth and Tahoe in April.
Skisailor
Angel Diva
Very cool that you are working in this.
Yes. Skis with no edge will slide straight down the fall line no matter which way they are facing. Speed control comes from low edge angle and from how far off the fall line we turn the skis. The frequency of turning is not as important. We could - pivot slide pivot slide pivot slide - with a low frequency and still go slow. Or we could make round smeary turns with a lot of rotation where the tail of the ski displaces a lot more than the tip throughout the turn.
Have seen lots of Bob’s videos but I’m not familiar with the bouncy ball COM thing.
????
Skier31
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Very cool that you are working in this.
Speed control comes from low edge angle and from how far off the fall line we turn the skis. The frequency of turning is not as important. We could - pivot slide pivot slide pivot slide - with a low frequency and still go slow. Or we could make round smeary turns with a lot of rotation where the tail of the ski displaces a lot more than the tip throughout the turn.
Have seen lots of Bob’s videos but I’m not familiar with the bouncy ball COM thing.
????
I agree. Your skis will normally have some edge angle due to the angle of the hill.
Try doing some turns on a green run while keeping your skis totally flat. I have to focus to do it. I find it easier to use too much edge.
mustski
Angel Diva
TeleChica
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I'm sorry to hear you are so discouraged. One thing I am curious about is what happens when you ski off piste? You say you can't do it, so I am curious to know why? Because if you feel you have to be at a specific level to be "allowed" in some sense to ski off piste, I have three words of advice" "Embrace the suck."
Personally I found that getting out and just skiing super easy backcountry trails or mellow glades--no matter how slowly--helped me improve. I still traverse-turn-traverse at times in the backcountry. I still ski one carefully chosen turn at a time, stopping between turns to reorient myself and set myself up for where I want to turn. This often happens when the terrain is steep, the snow is crappy, and/or it's an unfamiliar trail. When I was just learning, that was pretty much all I did--I could barely link turns to save my life. But I was (mostly) never afraid because I was skiing it in control and at my pace--and still having a ball.
I've been skiing for about 20 years--I learned to ski in my late 30s/early 40s, and I have sucked most of that time. I still suck compared to a lot of other skiers. But I have had an incredibly great time doing it. And I have ski partners who like skiing with me, and mostly put up with my sloppy turns and slower skiing. Those who don't are no longer ski buds. And that's fine.
Ski your own ski. It is great (and important) to work on improving, but it's supposed to be fun. I hope you are able to take a break, get out of your head, and enjoy it again.
There is also taking a backcountry course--there are courses for beginner BC skiers taught by the Appalachian Mountain Club, for example.
Hang in there.
Personally I found that getting out and just skiing super easy backcountry trails or mellow glades--no matter how slowly--helped me improve. I still traverse-turn-traverse at times in the backcountry. I still ski one carefully chosen turn at a time, stopping between turns to reorient myself and set myself up for where I want to turn. This often happens when the terrain is steep, the snow is crappy, and/or it's an unfamiliar trail. When I was just learning, that was pretty much all I did--I could barely link turns to save my life. But I was (mostly) never afraid because I was skiing it in control and at my pace--and still having a ball.
I've been skiing for about 20 years--I learned to ski in my late 30s/early 40s, and I have sucked most of that time. I still suck compared to a lot of other skiers. But I have had an incredibly great time doing it. And I have ski partners who like skiing with me, and mostly put up with my sloppy turns and slower skiing. Those who don't are no longer ski buds. And that's fine.
Ski your own ski. It is great (and important) to work on improving, but it's supposed to be fun. I hope you are able to take a break, get out of your head, and enjoy it again.
There is also taking a backcountry course--there are courses for beginner BC skiers taught by the Appalachian Mountain Club, for example.
Hang in there.
Powgirl
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Hey, @SallyCat ...I don't know if this is helpful, take what is and leave the rest!
I started skiing at age 52...my first 2 years were pretty fun, and I was happy with my progress. Year 3, 4 and 5 were quite frustrating for me. I struggled with the right equipment, and I was self taught. I let my SO talk me out of lessons, plus they were expensive. He and his whole family are naturals. They don't take lessons, they don't fuss about equipment or conditions...they just ski and they are very good!
I became bored with the mellow groomers and desired more challenge and freedom with terrain. I put my intermediate plateau ego aside and started asking for one or two things to work on. Last year, it was about staying forward and pressuring the downhill ski. I really didn't work on anything else, but that. My overall control improved, a lot. Towards the end of the season, I started dabbling in some deeper powder...
This year, I am working on rotation in my turns...which makes so much sense. You are going to go wherever your torso is turned towards...so, if you are facing the side of the hill, you will shoot over that way, lol. I am also learning bumps this year (even tho my PT asked me not to).
I cannot do a whole top to bottom run of deep powder and bumps, but I am able to jump over to some of these terrain features and practice it...and enjoy it. I come away from every run with new knowledge. I am able to ski black runs and ice without fear. I could not say that 2 years ago.
Not to side track with my story...but, I can relate to where you are at...learning to ski can be so frustrating! I almost quit in year 3, 4, and 5 because I felt like I was no good. For some reason, I kept with it, and I am so very glad I did.
I think it's like other sports...golf, tennis, etc. It does require many years to become good. Some of us are natural and take to it quickly...others fast track with great instruction. And, then there's me...self taught...an ok athlete, but nothing to brag about. For me, it did require time on the hill...and some gentle instruction from the people I ski with...focusing on one or two things until it clicked. And, venturing into some challenging situations from time to time.
I also want to tell you that you must spend your free time doing what you truly enjoy...it's so darn important...and, if you need to take a break from skiing, well, that's just taking good care of yourself. You impress me as the type of person who is not idle...you seek out activity that provides challenge and fun. There is really so much to do in the great outdoors...skiing is just one of many.
How is snowboarding? I've heard, tho, I have no first hand experience, that it's trickier to learn to snowboarding vs. skiing in the beginning, but skiing has a longer learning curve.
I started skiing at age 52...my first 2 years were pretty fun, and I was happy with my progress. Year 3, 4 and 5 were quite frustrating for me. I struggled with the right equipment, and I was self taught. I let my SO talk me out of lessons, plus they were expensive. He and his whole family are naturals. They don't take lessons, they don't fuss about equipment or conditions...they just ski and they are very good!
I became bored with the mellow groomers and desired more challenge and freedom with terrain. I put my intermediate plateau ego aside and started asking for one or two things to work on. Last year, it was about staying forward and pressuring the downhill ski. I really didn't work on anything else, but that. My overall control improved, a lot. Towards the end of the season, I started dabbling in some deeper powder...
This year, I am working on rotation in my turns...which makes so much sense. You are going to go wherever your torso is turned towards...so, if you are facing the side of the hill, you will shoot over that way, lol. I am also learning bumps this year (even tho my PT asked me not to).
I cannot do a whole top to bottom run of deep powder and bumps, but I am able to jump over to some of these terrain features and practice it...and enjoy it. I come away from every run with new knowledge. I am able to ski black runs and ice without fear. I could not say that 2 years ago.
Not to side track with my story...but, I can relate to where you are at...learning to ski can be so frustrating! I almost quit in year 3, 4, and 5 because I felt like I was no good. For some reason, I kept with it, and I am so very glad I did.
I think it's like other sports...golf, tennis, etc. It does require many years to become good. Some of us are natural and take to it quickly...others fast track with great instruction. And, then there's me...self taught...an ok athlete, but nothing to brag about. For me, it did require time on the hill...and some gentle instruction from the people I ski with...focusing on one or two things until it clicked. And, venturing into some challenging situations from time to time.
I also want to tell you that you must spend your free time doing what you truly enjoy...it's so darn important...and, if you need to take a break from skiing, well, that's just taking good care of yourself. You impress me as the type of person who is not idle...you seek out activity that provides challenge and fun. There is really so much to do in the great outdoors...skiing is just one of many.
How is snowboarding? I've heard, tho, I have no first hand experience, that it's trickier to learn to snowboarding vs. skiing in the beginning, but skiing has a longer learning curve.
Skisailor
Angel Diva
Thanks. Looks like another take on his “infinity move”. Which is another way of visualizing the old but important concept of the “center of mass movement” - the COM moving downhill across the skis and taking a shorter route than the skis take. Great way to ski. I use different words and demonstrations to teach the same thing. It’s a great thing to practice. However, it’s probably not the best visualization for a flat ski twisty turn. In these turns we are moving straight down the hill (no sine wave) while the skis pivot left and right.
If you have trouble doing this and feel
like your edges are getting in the way you are probably not forward enough. You need to center your weight over the ski’s pivot point - which is typically under the ball of your foot.
contesstant
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Holy cow, I seriously love this post!
ilovepugs
Angel Diva
Have fun! Soft landings indeed!!
SallyCat
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I have to work but I'm going to get there early and see if I can skin a run or two before we open.
SallyCat
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Saturday night I decided to stay over at the mountain instead of driving home. I live some distance away on secondary roads, and not making it to work on a holiday powder day would have caused problems.
So I had a couple of drinks at the bar, then threw a log on the base lodge fireplace and did some work before retiring to a perfectly-comfortable ski patrol gurney for the night.
I set off skinning at 6:30 and made it to the top just after daylight. Just as I arrived at the summit, a grooming truck passed me, stopped, and out jumped my boss and her snowboard.
When I started out, it was frustrating because as usual, I had trouble in thick snow. Then I sort of re-adjusted my stance and bounced up and down a bit. So when I went to initiate a turn, I bounced up. It was amazing! Suddenly I could ski powder!!
So I had a couple of drinks at the bar, then threw a log on the base lodge fireplace and did some work before retiring to a perfectly-comfortable ski patrol gurney for the night.
I set off skinning at 6:30 and made it to the top just after daylight. Just as I arrived at the summit, a grooming truck passed me, stopped, and out jumped my boss and her snowboard.
When I started out, it was frustrating because as usual, I had trouble in thick snow. Then I sort of re-adjusted my stance and bounced up and down a bit. So when I went to initiate a turn, I bounced up. It was amazing! Suddenly I could ski powder!!
newboots
Angel Diva
Jealous!
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