SarahXC
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Thanks for the detailed analysis @liquidfeet!
How I was understanding these terms from use I have heard was different than how you explained it also! I guess just another example of the confusion around them. I was considering this difference of driving v. riding to do more with stance and center of mass. (Carving is not part of my skill set.)
I was (am still?) trying to explain what I experienced so I can understand how it might influence my ski choices in the future. I tried to ask this last year but don’t think I titled my post well so there wasn’t commenting on it. And maybe my vocabulary and understanding is better after another year too.
Basically the heavier (and I presume stiffer ski) when I had put strong pressure from the shins into the front of my boots (doing skidded turns) the ski’s performance shined, it felt solid and predictable and so I enjoyed making this control input when skiing it.
The other ski (which was lighter, shorter and perhaps also softer) when I made these control inputs the ski wasn’t unmanageable per se but it was less predictable and this lots of forward pressure input left me feeling less sure about... well about what I can’t really find words to say... balance or comfort... less confidence. When I stopped putting so much forward pressure and skied this ski balanced more to the mid foot it was lovely in its response and fun.
So I guess I am trying to figure out why? Is this what overpowering a softer ski feels like? Is the design intention of the second ski to be for a skier to balance more toward the mid foot? Is flex difference (longways, crossways, the flex pattern along the ski) the primary difference in the part of the design of the ski at play here? Is this a difference of design philosophy from different manufacturers? Maybe this is too analytical and I know “demo” is better but demos aren’t often readily available where I live so I am trying to understand as much as I can on the technical side.
Hope that makes more sense than my first attempt!
How I was understanding these terms from use I have heard was different than how you explained it also! I guess just another example of the confusion around them. I was considering this difference of driving v. riding to do more with stance and center of mass. (Carving is not part of my skill set.)
I was (am still?) trying to explain what I experienced so I can understand how it might influence my ski choices in the future. I tried to ask this last year but don’t think I titled my post well so there wasn’t commenting on it. And maybe my vocabulary and understanding is better after another year too.
Basically the heavier (and I presume stiffer ski) when I had put strong pressure from the shins into the front of my boots (doing skidded turns) the ski’s performance shined, it felt solid and predictable and so I enjoyed making this control input when skiing it.
The other ski (which was lighter, shorter and perhaps also softer) when I made these control inputs the ski wasn’t unmanageable per se but it was less predictable and this lots of forward pressure input left me feeling less sure about... well about what I can’t really find words to say... balance or comfort... less confidence. When I stopped putting so much forward pressure and skied this ski balanced more to the mid foot it was lovely in its response and fun.
So I guess I am trying to figure out why? Is this what overpowering a softer ski feels like? Is the design intention of the second ski to be for a skier to balance more toward the mid foot? Is flex difference (longways, crossways, the flex pattern along the ski) the primary difference in the part of the design of the ski at play here? Is this a difference of design philosophy from different manufacturers? Maybe this is too analytical and I know “demo” is better but demos aren’t often readily available where I live so I am trying to understand as much as I can on the technical side.
Hope that makes more sense than my first attempt!