Lessons on artificial snow: Yes or no?

[MissySki]

It’s not just your turn improvement exhibited in these videos, but also your confidence and comfort overall. Well done! I wish we had something like this nearby, it’d be fun to be able to train in the off season.

 

[liquidfeet]

I wish we had something like this here near Boston. Working on technique is so much easier when one isn't focused on having a good time skiing with friends. And doing it in the summer is invaluable.

Congrats to @EdithP for getting to her goal! The difference between the first video and the last is huge.

 

[EdithP]

It’s not just your turn improvement exhibited in these videos, but also your confidence and comfort overall. Well done! I wish we had something like this nearby, it’d be fun to be able to train in the off season.

Very true. The reason I was seeing no progress for a long time was that I was so tense and unable to relax. But step by step it went and I started to pick up .

 

[newbieM]

You did it!! It was such a wonderful progression.

I once exchanged emails with Kim Reichhelm who told me the following -

“It's a wonderful sport and one that you will be able to do for the rest of your life. It's unique in that you don't have to be good at it to enjoy it.”

I really try to remind myself that. Skiing is something I can and absolutely should enjoy even if I’m still learning and not very good at it.

keep on doing what you are doing!

 

[EdithP]

You did it!! It was such a wonderful progression.

I once exchanged emails with Kim Reichhelm who told me the following -

“It's a wonderful sport and one that you will be able to do for the rest of your life. It's unique in that you don't have to be good at it to enjoy it.”

I really try to remind myself that. Skiing is something I can and absolutely should enjoy even if I’m still learning and not very good at it.

keep on doing what you are doing!

Thank you! Yes, skiing is a wonderful sport, which one becomes hooked on. But as to Kim Reichhelm's comment, I would like to rephrase it. "Skiing is a wonderful sport that can be enjoyed at any level of skill". Let's stay positive

 

[EdithP]

Looking like we're getting a rolling carpet or 2 in Montreal in 2024.

www.alpin365.ca

So glad that this worked so well for you. And you kept the videos to see the progress. Think snow!!

Thank you. Yes, I kept those videos. They were great help in times I could not see any progress at all.

 

[AJM]

Well done @EdithP all your hard work and determination has definitely paid off
To me that rolling carpet thingy looks terrifying, I can imagine myself getting chewed up and unceremoniously spat out so I admire you even more !! xx

 

[EdithP]

I wish we had something like this here near Boston. Working on technique is so much easier when one isn't focused on having a good time skiing with friends. And doing it in the summer is invaluable.

Congrats to @EdithP for getting to her goal! The difference between the first video and the last is huge.

Thank you especially @liquidfeet . And I hope those rolling carpets will become more frequent. Previous to starting lessons there I had experienced lessons from four or five different instructors and got practically nowhere. I don't blame anybody, mind. Just the setup of having five days' stay in the mountains and therefore five days of lessons, did not allow for anything better. And, sure, I was not a brilliant student. I am alll the more grateful for finding this method of learning on the carpet.

 

[snoWYmonkey]

@EdithP. After so much time on both the carpet and real snow, I am curious if the carpet is slower? Does ot feel more controlled and less other factors to manage while learning?

You progress is significant. Can't wait to read about how it translates to snow. So many things to manage when ski. Bravo!

 

[EdithP]

Well done @EdithP all your hard work and determination has definitely paid off
To me that rolling carpet thingy looks terrifying, I can imagine myself getting chewed up and unceremoniously spat out so I admire you even more !! xx

There is definitely something to it. I too felt absolutely terrified initially and it shows, doesn't it? I especially could not bring myself to lift that proverbial tail of the inside ski, no way! The reason being that the carpet vibrates, creating an additional obstacle to your balance. But - I was aware that this is my last chance to learn to ski, even at this most basic intermediate rung. (I am in my sixties). That was a powerful realisation. And actually, after a while, you get used to it and it feels as comfortable as a real snowy piste. I even derive a certain snug satisfaction (confession time) when I see very experienced skiers coming for the first time for a quick warm up before a winter jaunt into Alps. No matter their expertise, absolutely everybody clocks one or two falls during the first five minutes, and well, for a minute I have a reason to feel ever so slightly more in the know.

 

[EdithP]

@EdithP. After so much time on both the carpet and real snow, I am curious if the carpet is slower? Does ot feel more controlled and less other factors to manage while learning?

You progress is significant. Can't wait to read about how it translates to snow. So many things to manage when ski. Bravo!

First, thank you!
Now, for the comparison. The carpet is not necessarily slower, because it has controllable speed. My usual training speed is 15-20 km/hour. The fastest I can go is about 30 km/hour, but I believe it can do up to 45-50. Sure, advanced skiers can go much faster on snow than that , but the carpet simulation ends at 50, which is a realistic compromise with safety requirements, I imagine.
Next, the carpet has a firm, even surface which is the greatest difference with the real snow, especially in the afternoon, once it all gets bumpy. No bumpiness on the carpet - it is a perpetual "corduroy" state. Nothing like ice patches is possible., either. In short, the real piste has the unexpected , the carpet does not.
When I first tried skiing on snow after months on the carpet, the transition was surprisingly facile. The sensations under my feet were different, but all the movements were automatic and everything just clicked into place. I too am very curious how better turns will compare, because one thing that is completely absent on the carpet is centrifugal force. Can't wait to see, TBH!

 

[liquidfeet]

There is definitely something to it. I too felt absolutely terrified initially and it shows, doesn't it? I especially could not bring myself to lift that proverbial tail of the inside ski, no way! The reason being that the carpet vibrates, creating an additional obstacle to your balance. But - I was aware that this is my last chance to learn to ski, even at this most basic intermediate rung. (I am in my sixties). That was a powerful realisation. And actually, after a while, you get used to it and it feels as comfortable as a real snowy piste. I even derive a certain snug satisfaction (confession time) when I see very experienced skiers coming for the first time for a quick warm up before a winter jaunt into Alps. No matter their expertise, absolutely everybody clocks one or two falls during the first five minutes, and well, for a minute I have a reason to feel ever so slightly more in the know.

I love this story.

 

[EdithP]

And I have only just noticed that those videos also illustrate continuous increase of the ankle flex!

 

[EdithP]

That is where I got to now - nearly two years after the first video. Click if you would like to see. The change is less dramatic now, but it is still happening.

 

[EdithP]

Learning new stuff. Click on this sentence. When I think I have so nearly given up......

 

[Jilly]

Not sure why about this second video. The stance is way too narrow to translate to snow. What was the point of this?

 

[EdithP]

Not sure why about this second video. The stance is way too narrow to translate to snow. What was the point of this?

Learning to feel the difference between skidded turns and turns on edges. This is the feel your toes exercise. That narrow stance, ironically, happens naturally and is not the objective.

 

[snoWYmonkey]

@EdithP both of those look great. Congrats. What is going on between the first and second videos in terms of your focus or change? I actually think your stance should be somewhere in between the two for most low angle groomers.

Slalom racers have surprisingly narrow stances, but this is hard to see as most photos do not show them in transition but when legs are on a hill mid turn with the body angulated to create edge grip so the distance looks bigger foot to foot than the actual distance between the legs/knees/feet. If Mikaele were to stand upright the distance between her feet would be less than a ski width right here, and this is a world cup winning race!

Are you right handed? Most right handed skiers also favor their right leg and that is my guess from watching your beautiful turns.

What are your current technical focus points? How do they translate to real snow?

When do you ski on snow again? Can't wait for the report.

 

[Jilly]

OK, but how do you edge effectively on the carpet would be my issue. Skidded vs carved is either edging the ski or not edging by flattening the ski. But I do see some of that in the first video. Watch your position of the skis related to each other. There is a little wedge motion in there.

 

[EdithP]

Ah, I should have first of all explained why I was even posting those videos. One is always wrong if one things anything is self explanatory.
By posting the reviews of my efforts I meant to encourage all those beginners who are finding their progress hard. Beacause , honestly, it would be hard to find a less promising beginner than was I when I first started, which I am saying without any false modesty. Plain truth. So when I look back on the distance travelled and see, for all present imperfections, evident progress, I am cheered. In the spirit of not comparing yourself to anybody else but myself three months ago. And I imagined that if even I could see improvement coming with time and practise, how much more can expect those who are more talented from the start. But no, I do not fancy myself a candidate for a demo team . Would anybody be thinking that?