exercise to make it easier to snowplough?

[amyvegan]

hi. i'm 60. when i was 14, i took one downhill ski class, could not snowplough and gave up.
yesterday, i took 1 cross country ski class and still could not snow plough but i don't want to give up.
i am 5' tall, chubby, heavy leg muscles from cycling, and was put on 189 skies. they felt too long all day. curious what exercises i need to do to make it easier to snowplough. also curious if any short/stocky women can recommend re: ski length. thanks!

 

[ilovepugs]

189 cm is too long for you at 5’ tall. Just awkward. I know weight matters for xc skis but at the beginner level it should not make a big difference.

I’m 5’2” and chubby/stocky (built like a pug) and use 174 cm xc skis for classic and 163 cm skate. I consider myself a beginner in classic and novice in skate. I once accidentally used my 6’4” husband’s skis in 189+ (forget exact length) and it was painful trying to go uphill.

For snowplow, no real tips. It’s exhausting but gets easier with repetition. Bend your knees and ankles, tilt your ankles in. That’s all I have for advice!

 

[amyvegan]

thank you so much. i was convinced the skis were too long. will try again someday with shorter. appreciate you.

 

[nopoleskier]

IMO- it's harder to snowplow on XC skis than on downhill, practice slide slipping on the skis and feel how far over you go before the skis roll- you don't want them to roll.
If it's a steep hill- side step down it.
Staying a bit low w/knees ankles flexed, feet flat- do not lift your heels..
You have to push 10x more on XC skis (unless you have edges) than on Downhill skis.
Stay Balanced over your skis-- to far back or too far forward you may fall :-(

Weight matters w/XC skis- if they are too soft you'll have no glide. Just slide a piece of paper underneath the kick zone of the ski and then weight the ski as you would if you were skiing on it. If the paper can still slide out from underneath the ski (you'll need another person to try and move it), then the ski is too long (or too stiff). If the paper stays put, you're all set!

 

[nopoleskier]

here's a couple of helpful videos

 

[amyvegan]

IMO- it's harder to snowplow on XC skis than on downhill, practice slide slipping on the skis and feel how far over you go before the skis roll- you don't want them to roll.
If it's a steep hill- side step down it.
Staying a bit low w/knees ankles flexed, feet flat- do not lift your heels..
You have to push 10x more on XC skis (unless you have edges) than on Downhill skis.
Stay Balanced over your skis-- to far back or too far forward you may fall :-(

Weight matters w/XC skis- if they are too soft you'll have no glide. Just slide a piece of paper underneath the kick zone of the ski and then weight the ski as you would if you were skiing on it. If the paper can still slide out from underneath the ski (you'll need another person to try and move it), then the ski is too long (or too stiff). If the paper stays put, you're all set!

thanks so much. i'll try to figure all this out!! it's hard for me to go low on skis. i bike a lot. my quads and hamstrings are tight. i DID side step down a hill yesterday. that wasn't too difficult but snowplowing was a required skill i couldn't do on day 1.

 

[nopoleskier]

thanks so much. i'll try to figure all this out!! it's hard for me to go low on skis. i bike a lot. my quads and hamstrings are tight.

dont' go really low but when we get scared we tend to Stand Up- then the ski arc/come off the snow and usually we fall. I mean to just stay same way, pushing and have flexed ankles, knees and hip joints.

Test the skis they put you one w/the paper test :-) if they are TOO stiff you won't be able to get them flat to snow plow. if too soft you won't have much glide but it may help you train the muscles and get the form to snow plow correctly.

 

[geargrrl]

You have to bend your knees and get your butt down. The more flex you have ankle, knee and hip in your snowplow, the lower you can go. Have you taken a class yet? They should go over this, or you can ask the instructor for specific help.